#bruce wayne after having kids: peace? i don’t know her?

[undertheredhood]

in an au where jason is going to college while doing red hood stuff, i just think it would be funny if a reconciliation between him and bruce gets kickstarted all because talia got invited to go to his college graduation and bruce didn’t even know that jason was in college or that he was graduating college until talia called him up just to brag about it.

[lorelovinglunatic]

Each member of the Batfam has a signature color except for Tim and I’m tweaking out about it.

In age order:

Alfred (Agent A) Pennyworth is white. (Ha ha yes literally) but also he’s clean and somehow manages to be classy even when splattered in blood. Also his hair.

Bruce (Batman) Wayne is gray. Bro is the night but he’s also not born to it. He’s as close of an imitation to darkness as someone who is still undeniably hopeful can be.

Kate (Batwoman) Kane is red. But in a lesbian way. Bordering on the magenta in the flag.

Barbara (Oracle) Gordon is orange. Yeah it’s probably because of her hair. Also it’s a brassy orange. She’s strict and intelligent but also funny. Idk man

Dick (Nightwing) Grayson is blue. Royal blue. Predictable ik, but he’s predictable. He’s a (not-so) reformed crash out and I think he deserves his peaceful blue that’s also just a little too bright to really be peaceful.

Cassandra (Black Bat) Cane? Black. Actually silent. All the training of Bruce without the white, quiet joy and domesticity of being raised by Alfred. Is the night. The opposite of Bruce, who chose to emulate the night when suited up, she is cursed to be it even out of costume because of her upbringing.

Jason (Red Hood) Todd is red. Not the bright red of his Robin days, but not too much darker. The blood he’s spilled mostly absolved by his later actions and his realization of his manipulation by Talia, but still staining his conscience.

Steph (Spoiler) Brown is purple. I mean the costume is literally purple, but she’s also just chill like that. She’s funny and pretty much does anything for the plot. She’s so purple to me.

Tim (Red Robin) Drake is ???. He’s not really red despite it being in his name. I can’t figure out what color aligns to him, especially because imo he hasn’t really had his own identity. Jokes about him being the Replacement hit hard when you realize that just like the rest of the Robins, barring Dick, he didn’t have a strong emotional connection to the suit. Tim arguably had more of one than other robins, from his stalker days and idolization of Batman and Robin, probably in third behind Jason “Robin makes me magic/literally haunted by his own younger Robin self” Todd. Then, just as he’s getting his footing being Bruce’s kid after his parents die, Bruce disappears and the mantle is passed on to Damian. So he becomes Red Robin because he still doesn’t know who he is without being Robin. And then writers mostly forget about him, sticking him with being Red Robin indefinitely and also eternally 17 because they can’t b bothered to give him any decent character development. So I don’t know what color fits him and it’s really very upsetting because he’s a very interesting complex character and should get one. Anyways

Duke (Signal) Thomas is yellow. Yeah it’s his suit color and also he can literally manipulate light, but he’s also the literal embodiment of the color. He’s arguably the most normal of any of them, and a practical ray of sunshine compared to most of the family. He’s also the only one working the day shift.

Damian (Robin) Wayne is green. No, I don’t know why. In some comics he wears more green than other robins, but in others he’s exclusively in red, gray, and black. Every time I think of him in his league wear I think of it as green, but it’s not, it’s gray or black. I don’t know why he’s green, he just is. He’s feral and loves animals which gives me forest green energy but he’s also terrifyingly trained and in control which gives me army green energy. He’s a green somewhere between the two.

Anyways they all have a color except for Tim and I’m really sad about it thank you

[that1emowitch]

At the end of the world / Or the last thing I see / You are never coming home, never coming home

Prompt from @tuna-f-b: Do you still do request? If yes and angst is o.k: what would happend i all the bats died? Like how would the hero community react. The supers alone. Clark having to deal with losing his best friend(?) and the kids he basically co parented- as well as seeing his sons lose their best friends(?) Specially as ships that would be awesome angst

A/N: I'm not crying you're crying (Also, for those who don't know, Izzy is Duke's canon gf and one of the Robins from We Are Robin)

Words: 2504

TW: Mentions of blood, Major character death, Coping with loss, Self-blame, Mentions of relapse (drugs)

“If you’re watching this, I am either deceased or indefinitely unable to continue my duties as Batman. But the world still needs Batman. Gotham still needs Batman. My son Damian Wayne, if he is an adult, shall inherit my mantle— if not, Dick Grayson will take over until he is. In the event that he, too, is unavailable for any reason, the mantle goes to Tim Drake, after him, to Cassandra Cain, then Duke Thomas, then Stephanie Brown, then Jason Todd, should he accept it.”

In the video recording, Batman pauses, taking a deep breath.

“In the unfortunate event that the entire family is… deceased… I have a list of contingency plans on both the Bat-Computer and the Justice League’s primary databases. Oracle will help you access it, but in her… absence… the password is “a6ghr83kc02m”.”

Then video-Bruce takes off the cowl, his pale blue eyes looking straight into the camera.

“I know I was never the best with feelings. But I would like my children, my allies, and friends to know that I’m proud of you. And to my fellow Justice Leaguers… Diana and Clark, I am truly grateful for your companionship. I would never have made it this far without you. Barry, Arthur, Dinah, J’onn, you’ve all been good friends. Oliver, Hal… you’re not so bad either.”

Bruce turns around, and looks over his shoulder, the shadows of the Batcave making the scene even more dramatic.

“I wish you good luck.”

Then the clip ends.

A shuddering breath leaves Clark.

It’s real.

He’s really… They’re all…

He can’t do this anymore. He turns around and walks out the door, leaving the other core Justice Leaguers staring sombrely at the now-blank screen.

He doesn’t know when he started flying, when he started trying to escape. The walls of the Watchtower seem to be suffocating him, but he has enough sense not to just leave the airlock yet.

Instead he finds a corner by a window, far, far away from the others, where he can see a majestic view of Earth, the moon, and the Sun in perfect sync with each other.

He falls to his knees.

His breathing’s uneven, a tear rolls down his cheeks.

Then he feels a hand on his shoulder— soft, trembling, yet steady.

“Kal,” Diana whispers, sitting on the floor next to him. She doesn’t continue— she isn’t sure what to say.

“They’re all going to die, you know? We’re going to bury all of them. Everyone on Earth, everyone we know.” Clark’s voice trembles, in a way Superman’s never does. “It scares me so much.”

“Kal,” Diana says again, pulling Clark into a hug. “It’s okay. We’ve lost… We’ve lost so many of our friends. It’s okay to be scared. It’s okay to grieve.”

“How are you— how are you so—” Clark can’t form his words properly. He turns to Diana, to see her face tight with grief, eyes misty with unshed tears.

Her voice breaks slightly as she speaks. “I don’t want to believe they’re gone. But… we have to carry on. We’re the Justice League. Our people need us, Kal.”

“So we just go on and on? Forever?” Another tear runs down his cheek. “Ollie, Hal, Dinah, Lois, Jon, they’re all going to… they’re all going to die one day and we just have to… to go on?”

“I’m sorry, but it is the truth,” Diana whispers, her eyes stinging with hot tears. “We must find peace in the fact, right now, that Batman— Bruce, the Robins, they— they were so brave. Brave till the end. And they fell as warriors, defending our world. I’m sure they’ll all reach Elysium.”

“And Dickie, Damian, Jason, Tim, Cass, Duke—” Clark’s voice is hoarse. “They were so young, just kids… I… I know Dick, Jay, Tim, Cass… they were adults, but… they’re gone, they’re gone…”

“They were heroes, like you and me. Don’t forget that.”

“I… I know, I just—” Another shuddering breath escapes Clark. “I just— I…”

“It’s okay,” Her voice is forcefully steady, but with an undertone of heartbreak. “It’s okay…”

Dinah looks around the room, her heart heavy.

Clark has left, Diana’s gone after him— both of them need their space, she knows. They were close to Bruce and the other Bats in a way no one else in this room was.

Was.

The word still weighs down on her.

Hal speaks up finally, breaking the deafening silence. “I always thought he hated me.”

No one replies for a long moment.

“I miss the kids,” Barry says finally, his voice quiet. “They were just… Robin was only 14. The others, even Nightwing, they had… they had their whole lives ahead of them.”

More silence.

“Jason, when he was Robin— do y'all remember? Kid was always my favorite,” Ollie says finally. “Was always so sassy. Roy loves him.”

Loves. Dinah winces, but doesn’t correct him. It’s easier to believe they’re just gone for a little while.

“Bruce was a good man,” Arthur adds. “They all were.”

“Tim was, I believe, the smartest,” J’onn says, somber. “It was his plan that allowed us to save Earth.”

“Damian!” Dinah says suddenly, jumping from her seat. “His… his mother. She shouldn’t have to find out from someone else.”

Everyone freezes, faces tight.

Dinah sighs, looking down. “I’ll do it.”

Then she leaves the room, dragging what feels like a heavy weight tied to her soul. She has to do this.

Roy’s sitting in a corner of his apartment, hugging his knees. All he can think of is Jason.

He’s never coming back.

He can still feel the lingering ‘goodbye’ kiss Jason gave him not two days ago, he can still hear him say, “I’ll be back before you know it, babe.”

He never came back.

He’s dead. Dead— dead dead dead DEAD DEAD—

“Small Red not okay?” A booming voice snaps Roy out of his thoughts. He looks up to see Bizarro’s pale blue skin and cold eyes looming over him. He’s crying. “Red him coming back.”

It takes Roy a second to register that Bizarro speaks backwards. It takes everything in him to not punch him for saying that, for giving him false hope.

He feels something he hasn’t felt in years— feels that whisper in his mind— one hit and it’ll all feel better. Just one hit.

NO! He screams mentally. He feels like bashing his head open.

Instead he lifts his dead eyes to survey the rest of the room— Kori’s on the couch, staring into space. Artemis has a crying Lian in her arms, she’s showing her something— old photos of Jason. Talking, whispering in a broken voice.

No, no he should be the one comforting Lian—

What’s he gonna say?

That— That Jason— That her Papa’s gone forever? That he’s never— he’s never coming back?

No— Jay— Jay deserved so much better, he— he already died once before, he’s been through so much, things were supposed to be better now— not— no, he’s— 

Roy feels Bizarro sit beside him, gently patting his arm.

He snaps out of his thoughts again, turning to Jason’s former teammate, his eyes red-rimmed. His voice raw, he whispers, “Jay’s gone…”

Wally’s standing in the Hall of Heroes, staring up at the holographic projection of Dick— he looks so majestic, so mighty, staring ahead with nothing but hope and courage in his eyes.

Nothing like the cold, dead body that Wally held in his arms just two days ago.

He’s surrounded by his teammates, his friends— Kaldur, M’gann, Artemis, Zatanna, L’gann, Garth— yet he feels so alone.

He sees it again— Dick bleeding out it his arms, his wounds so fatal he died before help arrived. Wally’s the fastest man alive, damn it, yet he couldn’t even save his best friend— his boyfriend. He feels the moment when Dick’s breathing stopped, when his body went limp, when his grip on Wally’s hand loosened.

Everyone’s quiet. M’gann’s stress baking again, L’gann by her side. Artemis and Zatanna are sitting together, Garth’s lingering in a corner, and Kaldur’s standing right beside Wally— close enough for comfort but not so close he’s lurking. He’s shaking.

He can still hear it, hear Dick forcing out his last words, telling Wally it’s okay, that he loves him, that it’ll be fine.

It’s not fine. Not without you.

He wants to scream.

He wants to cry, yell, hit something, do anything.

But he can’t move.

So he just stands there, almost as still as the holographic projection of Dick before him.

Kon is left reeling.

Tim… Tim is…

Tim’s dead.

Tim’s really gone.

He thinks, for just a second, that this is how Tim and Cassie must have felt when he and Bart “died”.

Bart is sitting beside him on the couch, leaning on his side, Cassie’s got her head on his lap. Neither of them speak— Bart’s not even fidgeting— they’re all just trying to be there for each other.

The other Titans are up and about, but staying close for comfort. Jaime and Gar are making food for everyone in the kitchen, Raven and Vic have come back to the tower to make sure the others are okay, and he’s sure Karen’s around too, somewhere.

Yet he feels so empty.

Feels nothing at all.

How can he, when his best friend is dead?

Jon hasn’t spoken in a bit. Not when his Mom brought him his favorite soup, not when Grandma and Grandpa showed up to ‘help’ him and Dad through this, not when Krypto plopped down beside him to comfort him.

He hugs the dog close.

Krypto’s technically Kon’s, but Jon’s sure Kon wouldn’t mind if he stole Krypto for a day.

Another sob escapes him, and he buries his head in Krypto’s back. The dog whines, licking Jon’s hand.

He can’t believe Damian’s gone. 

Really gone.

And he didn’t know just how much he would miss his friend.

Dinah finds Talia Al Ghul on a building in Metropolis, overlooking the city. Her face is tight with sorrow, but she keeps herself in check, her back straight, head held high.

She already knows, Dinah deduces.

“I… I’m sorry,” Dinah starts, unsure of what to say. She knows, from her experience as a psychologist, that ‘sorry’ is the last thing a grieving person wants to hear, but she doesn’t have anything else to say.

Talia doesn’t reply for a long time. Then she says, her voice numb, “I should have known, when bringing Damian into this life, that I would also be bringing him amidst the dangers that come with.”

Dinah’s brows furrow. “It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have done anything at all.”

“I should have trained him better, I should have kept him close, I should—” Talia takes a shuddering breath. “I should have never brought him into this life.”

Dinah can’t argue with that— she knows how Damian had come to be, and it… wasn’t the best birth ever.

“Now leave, hero,” Talia says, her voice numb and cold. “Go back to protecting the world. Leave me be.”

Dinah wants to say something better, comfort the woman, but she can’t. So she just turns back, and leaves.

By the time Harper Row makes her way to the Clock Tower, there’s already quite a crowd there— Kate, Renee Montoya, Harley, Ivy, Silena, and Helena Bertinili— they’re crowding around Babs, comforting her. Luke Fox and Isabella Ortiz are at the computer, looking through something.

Harper tries to open her mouth to speak, but she can’t get the words out.

She makes her way over to Luke and Izzy, shoulders hunched.

Just three days ago she’d been hanging out with Duke and Izzy and Cass and Steph— they’d all been so carefree, so happy…

And now…

Once she gets close enough she realizes Izzy’s crying, and immediately wraps her arms around the shorter girl. Harper’s trying to hold back tears of her own, too. She feels Luke putting a hesitant hand on her shoulder, squeezing tight.

No one speaks for a long time, they just stand together, seeking comfort in each other.

Then Babs rolls her wheelchair to the center of the room, wiping at her bloodshot eyes. But when she speaks, she sounds surprisingly steady. She’s compartmentalizing, Harper realizes. Putting away Barbara and bringing Oracle back.

“Gotham needs her heroes, now more than ever,” Oracle says, head held high. “We must honor our friends by doing the one thing they’d have wanted— to keep fighting. Keep Gotham safe.”

She sighs, her face tight to fight away tears. “Luke. Batman’s contingency plan, in the Robins’ absence, was to pass you the mantle of Batman. Do you accept?”

Luke’s eyes grow wide slightly, but he straightens himself, looking away. “I… I accept. Dad isn’t going to be happy, but… Gotham needs Batman.”

“Thank you.” Oracle nods at him. “As per Bruce’s will, all Wayne assets, the Manor, and the Batcave are split between Kate, me, Alfred, and Lucius. I… Lucius and I are still figuring out who’s going to take over Wayne Enterprises, but on the vigilante side, I’ve got a plan.”

She turns to Ivy, Harley, Kate, Silena and Helena. “The Birds of Prey are needed here, now more than ever. Dinah— Black canary has offered to help us with Gotham, too.” 

Harley nods, sniffling. Beside her, Ivy speaks up, “The… Most Rogues aren’t happy about this. They’re not rampaging— Bane has fashioned his own version of the Batsuit, he’s going around ‘saving’ people, screaming that Batman never dies. The Joker’s searching for Lazarus Pits and Bruce’s body. Jervis Tetch and Nygma held a get-together yesterday, in the memory of the Bats. I… I think they might help us.”

Harper’s gotta admit, she’s quite surprised about this. Even Babs freezes, taking in this information.

“Gotham needs Robin as much as she needs Batman,” Izzy speaks up from beside her, her voice small but firm. “The Robins can come back, this time you can give us formal training so we can actually help.”

Oracle turns to Luke. “Taking on Robins is your decision, Batman.”

Luke winces at that title— it doesn’t feel like an honor to him, it just feels like an incessant reminder that he’s the last one left. Because his friends are dead. But he nods, anyway, not trusting himself to speak right now.

Then Oracle addresses Harper. “I… would you like to be Batgirl?”

Harper’s heart stops. Memories flash into her head— seeing Steph in the Batgirl costume, seeing Cass in the Batgirl suit, both of whom are now gone.

“N— No,” Harper stutters out, eyes tearful. “I can’t— I’m sorry, Babs. I appreciate the offer, but… Cass was Batgirl. I can’t take her place.”

“I understand.” Babs just nods, lips pursed, misty-eyed. “We will all need to work hand-in-hand until everything settles, we will need to be vigilant. Carry on Batman’s legacy, for as long as we may need to.”

No one speaks again.

They all just let it sink in, hearts heavy.

They’re going to have to do this alone now.

[hanihazeljade]

Three Sirens

Tim and Harley moments!!!

Start - Three Weeks

Prev - Three Compliments

Timothy had a quite peaceful day yesterday with Lex Luthor and he hopes that he will have it again today. The Wayne boys are going to a charity event and Tim is not a Wayne so therefore he doesn’t need to attend any events revolving around the Waynes. Cass and Stephanie are practicing their dance and that leaves Tim to spend the day alone.

He once again dressed up to go outside. He planned on skating around Gotham like he was once a kid and he wanted to feel a little bit nostalgic, but it was snowing and skates and ice don’t go well.

He walked and walked and walked for a long while and he didn’t have any plans but just to walk. He didn’t expect to go to Robinson Park and meet Harley Quinn without Poison Ivy, and who would have thought that the most obsessed member of the Joker’s henchmen would be out in a park and that he is retired from crime work and just dating someone and acting like an old married couple.

“Heya little birdie!” Harley called him up, her blonde hair and chalk skin were a nice contrast to the park’s green nature.

“Sup, Ms. Harley.” Tim smiled at her. “How’ve you been?”

“Such a polite boy as I remember you are.” Harley petted Tim’s hair. “And since you look like you are free, a quick, non-relatable question: How good are you at Mario Kart? ”

Tim raised his eyebrow, “I’m quite good at Yoshi Valley.” ‘One of the best, actually.’

Harley grinned, “Nice! Ivy is having to run for some errand and I want to smash someone at Rainbow Road,” she said as she began dragging the young man to her flat.

Tim grinned as well, “As long as I have the call for King Boo,” he said, as he will kill anyone to grab his favourite character, because, let’s be real here, Boo is one of the underrated characters.

“Your in, Little Bird.”

Harley and Tim walked towards the beat-up apartment of Harley. The space is definitely something Tim would not survive into after probably grooming himself into a minimalist aesthetic that fit into the Japanese standard.

Harley’s apartment is the exact opposite of that. In the living room, there is a TV monitor that is hung to the wall with a PlayStation wired in, a couch with a bunch of soft knitted blankets draped over it, a very… unusual fluffy pink carpet that has a skull design in it, and you cannot miss the hundreds of plants all over the place. 

Harley quickly opened the Mario Kart and gave Tim a controller, making Tim finally get out of his trance of how contradicting Harley and his aesthetic.

“Get ready to lose, baby bird.”

“Well, not today.”

++++++

Tim and Harley played for hours until a certain cat burglar crashed into Harley’s apartment.

Tim was wiping the floor with Harley in Moo Moo Meadows when Selina decided to distract both of them, “And here you are, the Waynes were about to launch a search and rescue for you,” Selina said, startling the two, who were very much busy on a very important task at hand.

Tim laughed, “It is not my fault that there is nothing recreational to do in the manor when everyone is too busy prepping the wedding of the century,” he said as he successfully pushed Harley to one of the cows.

“The wedding of the century? I don’t know about that. I am pretty sure Bruce will do more extravagant things if you got married, Timmy Cat,” Harley said as she tried to get back on track.

Tim grimaced at the thought of being with someone for his entire life. “Weddings are kinda cringe for me, not gonna lie.” 

Selina shook her head. “You kids will know someday the joys of marriage.”

“Then why are you not married at what? In your fifties?”, with that fast remark, Harley choked on air and Selina looked at him like he told her that he beat cats on his free time. Tim just tried to stop his smile but he can’t, that comeback is just too good.

“That is rude, young man.”

“Well, most men like me rude in bed.” Harley cackled at Tim’s reply. 

Harley finally finished the track so she patted Tim on the back, a little too hard in his humble opinion, “You might be retired from being a walking traffic light of Gotham and yet you still have your quick sass.”

“Charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent. Thank you very much,” Tim said as he snapped his fingers as he said the tagline of a program.

“And what is this chaos I am witnessing at my home?”

“IVY!!” Harley threw her controller, almost hitting Tim in the face if he had not dodged at the right time.

“Hello, Peanut. I miss you too.”

Selina gagged, “And here we are, the couple of the month.”

“Just this month?” Ivy raised her eyebrow, they are very much the couple of the month, every single month, thank you very much.

“Little Spoiler and Orphan will be the best couple next month, with the wedding, you know.” Selina answered and Tim just nodded his head. 

“Oh, yeah, right. Two lesbeans are going to tie the knot.”

“Isn’t that adorable, Ivy?”

“Yes, it is quite adorable, peanut.”

Ivy and Harley just stare at each other with so much love and sweetness and Tim could not take it anymore. “And with Miss Isley being here, I am going back to the manor. I am afraid of finding a cop to deliver me there,” Tim said as he tried to straighten his crumpled clothes from being so rowdy at playing Mario Kart.

“Thank you, little birdie, for playing with me!” Harley shouted at him as she snuggled with Ivy.

Tim waved at her and also yelled back, “Thank you too!”

[crow-aeris]

I don’t think I’ve actually listed out character and their bird species before, but here it is!

Also, the best way to check the birds out is using EBird. just search the names/scientific name and high-quality pictures of these birds as well as their description, vocalizations, and range will all show up!

Characters and their Birds:

(Also, sorry in advance for the weird formatting, i couldn’t get it to work)

The Bats:

Alfred- Tawny Owl (Strix aluco)

This plays into how Alfred is able to just… Appear and can hear almost everything going on. Also, tawny owls are common found in europe, and alfed is british 😔

Bruce- Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja)

Harpy eagles are some of the biggest eagles in the world, feeding primarily on primapes and slothes. Now, take into account Bruce’s bulk… Our man is huge.

Damian- Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja)

Within the League, power is everything, so to be born such a “powerful” raptor would’ve been seen as a good sign, but after Damian “goes soft (stopped killing ppl)” he’s seen as “weak”, or a “waste of immense power”, especially in Ra’s’s eyes.

Duke- Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

Doves in general are seen as peacekeepers and pacifists in general (it might be sacrilegious, but I think Jesus Christ and Mary in this au would have been depicted as doves (aphrodite too), which would probably endear them to those who believe in the bible- I’m also an atheist, and this is just speculation— pls don’t kill me :,]) which leads a lot of people to underestimate Duke and drop their guards around him. He’s a nice person in general, but I think he’d use this to his advantage when undercover as Duke Thomas: Ditzy 2nd Wayne chick.

Also, since doves are the symbol of peace, he also acts as the promary peacekeeper and buffer between Damian and Tim, who’d constantly get into fights, especially once Tim becomes Shadow.

Cass- Barn Owl (Tyto alba)

Barn owls, since they have disk-shaped heads and displaced ears, have the best hearing of all owls. I think that was something David Cain took into account when he, uh, had Lady Shiva have his kid. And since she’s an owl, she’s perfect assassin material, and David Cain alongside Shiva trained Cass until she was perfectly silent both in the air and on land.

She also runs warm- courtesy of being an owl, and so her siblings (especially Jason and Dick) and Steph would huddle under her wings when watching movies and nesting, but if the arguments ever gets too rowdy, Cass would go to either Bruce, Damian, Duke, or Tim.

Tim- Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)

Being a peregrine falcon means he is well respected within the elites in gotham. His natural flight speed is also something he’s proud of, and as Shadow, Tim is capable of darting in and out of the fray and knock out criminals before they eve know he’s coming. His speed and skills are further honed later on, and he turns into a truly formidable oppendent.

Steph- Violet- backed Starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster)

While the males are really purple and flashy, the females are more neutral in coloration 😔 Stepha dyes her feathers while vigilante-ing, so ppl assume she’s a dude.

She and Duke looked after Jason while he was on the streets, and they would keep an eye out and make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble.

Jason- Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

When he was younger, he had duller coloration in his feathers. But as he grew older, more and more people looked at him weirdly when he was out on the streets- his mom having to shield him from their leers. Later on, he learns that the people staring had less-than-pure intent, and that incentivizes him to hind away his wings.

When Batman and Anubis go off their rockers in grief, helps protect who he can from their indiscriminate anger, and evenually, he gets dragged into the flock after getting caught inbetween two gangs and got injured.

Barbara- American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)

She was originally going to be a baltimore oriole, but making barbara wouldn’t make sense. Then I debated making her an owl for wisdm, but the I remembered Apollo was the god of prophecies- Oracle of Dephi- and Apollo’s sacred bird was a crow (lets ignore how he smited them) so I made barbara a crow to lay homage to her as oracle :3

Plus, crows are hella smart, and I felt like it fit

Dick- Fischer’s Lovebird (Agapornis fischeri)

I could’ve easily took the coward’s way out and just made him a robin, but Dick needed to be colorful and bright, and he needed to be the light that illuminates Gotham’s eternally-gloomy skies. So i went searching for the perfect bird before finding the Fischer’s loverbird. It matches perfectly with the Grayson family colors- red, green, yellow- and so i went with dick as a fischer’s lovebird

Other Characters:

Thomas- Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) Like father like son!

Martha- Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) She was a beautiful woman, and thomas won her over by trying to catch a fish for her. He failed, ofc, and capsized their boat, but she had fun and decided to marry that silly man. (they’ve tone this story to bruce like… 12 times, but what wouldn’t he give to hear them tell it again)

Selina- Eurasian mgpie (Pica pica) You’ve heard about magpies and how they like shiny things and how they love to take said shiny things… well, here it is! Plus, I just think pica pica is really funny

Gordan- Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) Red-tailed hwk is THE most american bird, what with their shrieks being used in hollywood in place of actual bad eagle sounds, and Commish Jim Gordan works as a police, so I thought it was funny

Talia- Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) She is an imperial eagle because not only are they eagles, imperial conveys royalty, so i thought it was befitting

Ra’s- Haast’s Eagle (Aquila moorei) Haast’s eagles were huge, and I mean they were larger than harpy eagles with wigspans capable of reaching 8ft. the thing is, these eagles went exticnct partially due to humans sailing and traveling all over the place with rats and stuff being the main reason. i think that would make ra’s al ghul pretty pissed that his aves species was wiped out, or smth like that.

Either way, the Haas’s eagle is really cool and I think you should check them out

Joker- Glistening Green Tanager (Chlorochrysa phoenicotis)

I hope you all know how monstrous this bird is, like it is PEAK joker green, like literally. I got the idea off of a different blog i saw a few days or weeks ago talking about how the joker would be THIS bird, and i cannot agree even more. Also, the joker gnawed and tore his own wings off or the acid he fell into made it so the wings had to be amputated, either way idk and my brain is mush. What I DO know is that losing ones wings is terrible, horrible, and the joker probably gnawed it off himself in a fit of madness and craze directly after being acidified, or something like that

Metas/More Characters (No descriptions cos it’s 1am and I’m TIRED and I have a driving test tmrw):

Lois Lane- Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis)

Clark- No Bird, he’s an alien

Jonathan- Like his mom, a Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis)

Conner- Like his mom, a Purple Martin (Progne subis)

Luthor- Like his son, a purple martin (Progne subis)

Flashes- All of them would probably be a humming bird or a sunbird of some sort, I feel like its pretty self-explanitory. It’s not that being a hummingbird garentees you to be a speedster, it’s more like the speedsters just coincidentally end up as hummingbirds.

[comicarc]

𝐈 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧 (𝐈𝐈𝐈)

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"A lonely moon craving for the radiant sun." In which a certain girl catches the attention of a prideful billionaire playboy as they both attempt to find their way in the world. (I haven't seen many fics explore Bruce in his formative years, so I thought I'd share my take on them, of course with romance.)

wc: 3249

She’d heard something before she fell asleep, but she couldn’t decipher the words. y/n knew it was something important, but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember what. Contemplation tired her mind enough to grant her sleep for a few minutes before the tension in the air awoke her. Peeking from her closed eyelids so as to not alert the boys near her, y/n saw how Harvey occasionally threw a pointed glare at a stoic Bruce. The two had initially remained quiet, but it seemed they were itching for a fight. 

After a small glance at the uneasy scene, she attempted to rest again, but just as she had begun to return to her slumber, a voice began, “What’s your problem?”

Though she kept her lids shut now, y/n could tell that the sound originated from the back where Bruce sat. She had to stop from rolling her eyes, as she realized he was quoting her exact words from earlier. Typical rich kids, always taking. 

Harvey, pounced at the chance to squabble as he replied, “You.”

“I need you to elaborate there, buddy. Lots of people have a problem with me for lots of reasons.”

“Buddy?” Harvey let out a bittersweet chuckle, his voice laced with a hint of disgust at the nickname. “Do you even remember who I am?”

“Harvey Dent, son of Harvey Dent Senior. You’re dad’s a politician and you wanna follow in his footsteps. Now, your turn.” Bruce spoke robotically, attempting to reciprocate Harvey’s attitude.

“You really don’t remember, huh? Should’ve guessed.”

Bruce, annoyed by Harvey’s ambiguous answers, remained mum the rest of the ride, occasionally letting out a deep sigh like an angry toddler. y/n was glad that Bruce had a taste of his own medicine, but her curiosity was also awakened by the cryptic responses Harvey had stated. She thought that this was Harvey’s way of finally opening up, giving her the green light to explore his truths after years of distance. 

When the car stopped at the gates of the Wayne manor, Bruce immediately rose to attention and swiftly exited the vehicle, as if staying any longer would have killed him. He ran through the slow-opening gates, disappearing in the fog-ridden entrance before y/n heard the engine rev to a start. 

Slowly she opened her eyes, basking in the peace she found with Harvey’s presence before revealing, “I heard everything.”

Harvey stayed silent, his eyes remaining secured to the dimly lit road ahead of him. y/n moved to place a hand on his thigh, gently so as to not startle him. She let her fingers lay there, in a comforting manner before assuring, “I know you’ve got some pent-up frustration right now, and I just want you to know, I’m here if you want to talk.” She could feel him relax under her touch, the words soothing the wounds that had re-opened previously. “I’m always here.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Gotham was never quiet. The sirens always rang, especially in the dead of night. The people always shout whether it be to scream for help or bark a demand. The rain always pattered against windows, leaving the outside world to be a blurry distortion of reality. y/n found the noise to be comforting most nights because it made her feel less lonely, and it ensured that the trouble would stay where it was meant to be: outside. But now her heart beat louder than the ambiance of Gotham, louder than any concert. It beat her chest so hard that her ears ached at the sound. She tossed and turned, holding a pillow to her ears in an attempt to shut everything out, but silence was impossible to attain. 

She was angry because reality had hit her like a speeding bullet for the first time in a long time. She’d done so much, sacrificed her time, her health, and her whole being to be accepted into Gotham Academy. It was the first step in her naive grand plan to be happy. But fate is anything but kind, for however much she works, she’s destined to fall. Falcone would be the sun that burns her wax wings, or maybe it was Wilcox, the man who had set her down this perverted path. But no matter who she sought to accuse for an inevitable early death, like Icarus she had only herself to blame for wanting to reach higher than she was meant to. Her anger culminated in prickling tears rolling down her cheek uncontrollably. Her eyes red & puffy, cheeks drenched with salty water, and throat hoarse from catching her breath, y/n fell asleep, knocked unconscious by the sheer exhaustion of her overwhelmed state. 

The next morning, y/n awoke with a freshness. The tears had washed away her despondency, leaving room for a lingering courage to resurface. When dawn had struck, faint slivers of light breaking through the cloudy skies, she was already up and about. Pacing back and forth in her dorm, y/n concocted a plan of action to resolve her predicament. She would talk to Wilcox, say that their relationship had gone much farther than she was willing to go and that he needed to move forward without her. She could report him to GCPD. It wasn’t like every cop there was on someone’s payroll, there had to be someone there to help her. 

But if she reported him, he had to have known she’d go down as his accomplice. He’s got a pricey lawyer to get him out unscathed, but her? She’s got nobody to fight for her. Yet, maybe Wilcox continued pressuring her because he knew she wouldn’t stand up. It couldn’t hurt to push back, after all, nothing could have been worse than dying because of Carmine Falcone. 

After an hour of going back and forth with the myriad of ways the conversation could go, y/n never expected for Wilcox to be this vile. She made her way down to his office as soon as her mind had calmed and walked through the open doors as soon as she arrived. He was expecting her, for before her heel even landed inside the room, the man exclaimed, “y/n! How have you been?”

When y/n entered the room completely, she apprehensively muttered, “Fine.” She kept her head down, fear beginning to creep up her spine at his uncanny attitude. Never had he been this nice to her.

“Well, got what I need?”

y/n moved forward quickly, placing the wad of cash she had found the day before in front of him. His resting face morphed into a sinister smile as he brushed a hand through the notes. Looking up as he played with the bundle of money, he raised an eyebrow.

y/n’s mouth was slightly agape at the sight. She mustered the courage she had earlier in the morning, resolute in seeing through with her plan as she began, “I won’t do this anymore. I don’t know what you’ve got yourself involved with and frankly, I don’t care. I won’t ruin myself by continuing to be involved.”

“Ah…you think you’ve got a choice in the matter?” He rose from his seat, his chair screeching against the polished wooden floor as it jerked backward. Hands now placed flat against the mahogany of his desk, he bore his eyes into y/n. “You’re in more of a desperate situation than you think. I’m assuming you got the address, yes? Well, Carmine wants blood and it won’t be mine. Seeing as you’re a scholarship kid, it wouldn’t be hard to justify anything that might happen to you–”

“–I’ve got friends. What makes you think that I can’t just tell Carmine it was you?”

“Bold, I’ll give you that,” Wilcox moved around his desk and strode toward the girl dropping the smile. Face to face, he leaned down to her ear whispering, “I’ve got friends too. Friends who can take away that Harvard scholarship. Friends who can make sure you can’t escape Gotham. Friends who can make your life beyond the Academy a living hell. You’ve got no idea what you’re up against little girl.”

He stepped away, re-plastering the smile on his face, and opened the door motioning for y/n to step out. As she turned to leave y/n took a shaky breath and stopped at the exit before saying, “I won’t back down without a fight.”

She rushed out of the room, walking down the administrative building hallway with no awareness of her surroundings. She never expected the interaction to have been easy, but for it to end in this war was too much for her to handle. Who was she kidding, she didn’t have anything to fight the dean with. No dirt, no power, no advantage, nothing but a death sentence. 

As she rounded a corner, she collided with a hard surface. She stumbled backward, holding her head in her hands as a migraine developed. With a hand placed on her throbbing head, she attempted to center herself and realized she had bumped into Bruce.

“You ok?” Bruce seemed genuinely concerned as he inquired. His hand stretched toward her, brushing over her head before y/n took another step back.

“Yeah. I’m sorry.” Her voice was weaker than it had been before. Bruce noticed how she had sunk into herself, her eyes bloodshot and her cheeks flushed. Her breaths were fairly shaky as she retreated from him. There was no point beating around the bush. Whatever he wanted to say, he needed to say it now.

“I have a proposition.” He paused for a moment, waiting for confirmation to continue. When y/n stared at him, waiting for more, he continued, “I think we’ve both bitten off more than we can chew. Some bad things are about to happen and I want to stop it. But, I can’t do it alone. I–uh” He hesitated for a moment before begrudgingly declaring, “I need your help.”

“Care to elaborate? Mr. I’m Above Everything and Everyone wants to play hero? What’s really in it for you and why do you want my help?” She waited for Bruce to respond, yet he remained silent. “Ok. I’m not risking my life for you. I’m not stupid. If you want a scapegoat, ask one of your many admirers.” 

She was about to stomp off, beyond pissed that people only viewed her as a tool. Bruce, mindful of the apparent anger brewing within y/n, grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to face him. “I can save you from Falcone if you do this for me. Better yet, I can make sure you’re untouched by everyone in this city.”

Had he heard her conversation with Wilcox? Questions swirled in her already preoccupied mind, but y/n brushed them off. It didn’t matter how much he knew, what mattered was the tempting offer he just proposed. This was her way out, a solution for all her hardship. To have no anchors holding her down opened a world of possibility, but an offer like that was too true for her to believe. He wouldn’t hand over such power without a price equally as revolting. She needed to know she could trust him to follow through before she signed her life away to the devil.

“How do I know you won’t leave me high and dry? I do your dirty work and take the fall while you reap the glory.”

“You don’t.” Great, just the answer she needed. He really played the role of an asshole quite passionately. 

Rolling her eyes, she shook his hands off her wrist and marched toward the library for some peace. She texted Harvey on the way, hoping to make up for ditching him yesterday by meeting with him. It was routine at this point, for her to randomly disappear at a moment’s notice and make up for it later. y/n knew that Harvey was suspicious of it, but being him, he never openly questioned her. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Hey, missed me?” y/n greeted Harvey as she approached him from behind. He chuckled as he turned to watch her approach him. He gestured to the empty seat beside him, even dragging out the chair with one arm. He beamed with excitement at how gracefully she sat down, forgetting the homework he was engaged in to simply admire her. He could smell her perfume, relishing in its sweet and savory scent. But, he could also smell a hint of antiseptic. He was about to brush it off before his eyes trailed to the hand that was not resting on the table. y/n had a bandage wrapped around her wrist. 

“Not like it's your first time bailing on me, but regardless, I did,” Harvey replied. Before y/n had an opportunity to speak again, he pointed at the bandage asking, “What happened?”

y/n was at a loss for words. She didn’t want Harvey to be involved in this ever-deepening abyss of troubles, so she had to come up with a white lie. Fast. “Uh..y’know how clumsy I can be. I–I fell on it.”

Harvey raised an eyebrow, having known the girl long and well enough that she was lying. Though, seeing her sullen state he kept suppressed his urge to know the truth. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t lied to her either. She’d tell him whenever she was ready, till then, he was willing to wait. 

“So, you’re probably wondering about last night.” Harvey nodded. “Well, I went into the city. This time, I got lost, and by the time I realized I didn’t know where I was going, the sun had already gone down. Somehow Bruce found me and we ended up waiting at the bridge for a ride.” It was just vague enough to not reveal what y/n had actually been doing there, but just informative enough to not have Harvey need to question her. The perfect cover. 

“Uh-huh.” Harvey held his tongue. y/n looked visibly tired and he didn’t have the heart to push her any further, no matter how suspicious she was being. 

She moved her hands over his, tilting her head up to meet his gaze. Harvey’s cheeks reddened as he observed her movements, holding back the desire to lean closer to her until they touched. Just as she had done, he wanted to embrace her. Not just her fingers, her whole being. He wanted to comfort her, be her knight in shining armor. The more he looked into her eyes, the more he saw a reflection of what could be. But her touch brought him back to reality as she squeezed his hands in a comforting motion. 

“And you? What happened between you and Bruce?” She stared at him. When she was met with silence, she began to withdraw herself establishing, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. It’s alright.”

Before she could fully retract her hands from his, he interlaced his fingers with hers, pulling her even closer than she was before. “No, no, I want to tell you y/n. It's just…hard to talk about.”

Harvey took in a few deep breaths before starting, “Here goes. Before I came to the Academy, I didn’t live the same way I do now. I–My father was an alcoholic. My mother’s death was something he always seemed to dwell on and the anger that came from it was taken out on his health and me. He had a thing. He would flip a coin to decide whether he should…hurt me or not. One day I just couldn’t take the beatings anymore and I trapped him in his room for a few days. I know what I did was wrong, and nothing excuses that, but I don’t regret it. When the police finally freed my father, he got so mad he sent me the the Arkham Boys Rehabilitation Home upstate. 

“That’s when I met, rather, befriended Bruce. We shared a similar drive fueled by hatred. We became good friends and even made a pact of sorts. Someday we’d kill each other’s enemy–I’d kill Joe Chill, the man who murdered Bruce’s parents, and he’d kill my father. Then a while later, when I went home, my fath–dad, he turned over a new leaf. Even reminting the bastard coin that he’d used to determine my fate so that it would have only two heads. It was meant to be a symbol of how his only side, from then on, would be his good side. He stayed true to his words since then and I truly believe that he’s become a better man. Bruce though, he doesn’t believe in second chances. When I backed out of our ‘pact’ he thought I was being naive. He was truly angry, and he took out that fury by ignoring me. And even though he doesn’t seem to remember it, I still believe that the monster is still inside of him. The one fueling the bitter, cold heart he has now. It’s dangerous, and I don’t want you involved with that. Please y/n, I want you to be safe.”

y/n lifted her hands from his, dragged her chair until it touched his, and hugged him. In her embrace, he felt soothed allowing a tear to slip from his eyes.“Thank you, for trusting me. I’m happy for you Harv, I’m glad you got your happy ending.”

y/n patted her hand on his back, caressing him. It felt right, having him in her arms as she continued to whisper into his ear, “It’s ok, don’t worry about me. After all, I’ve got you, my Apollo.”

Her Apollo. Harvey was practically red as a tomato, gushing at her precious words. He has liked y/n for years now. And now was the perfect opportunity to tell her. He had to tell her. He had to say the three little words that have haunted him for years. I love you. In the intimacy of each other's arms, he could have her, finally. Before he could utter the words resting on the tip of his tongue, another voice beat him to it. 

“y/n.” Bruce had found his way behind her. Upon hearing his voice, she shot up, out of Harvey’s touch, and sat as straight as a ladder. Sitting between the boys she could feel the intensity of the glares they sent each other. Attempting to disarm the situation, she turned to face Bruce, giving him full attention as they discussed something.

Harvey couldn’t care less about what they were talking about, but he did feel a pang of envy. For Bruce to steal her attention in a heartbeat, and catch her flustered, was a rarity for Harvey. But it got him thinking, this was just the kind of world he was born into. The kind where people take and refuse to give. Where the hurt can only be scarred. Bruce lay a testament to that, while Harvey became an exception. What would it do to y/n?

The line between the rich and the poor was no man’s land and the people who crossed it were bound to get hurt. y/n wasn’t weak, but he couldn’t bear to see her suffer. He wanted to protect her, and it seemed that the only way he could do that was by keeping his love to himself. Better for him to stay by her side than overcomplicate things with labels.

˖ ࣪🦇𓆰♡𓆪🦇ִ ࣪⋆

taglist: @earth-to-name

[captainkirkk]

✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

All the fics I’ve read and really enjoyed in the past week-ish. Reminder: This list features any and all ratings and themes. Please look at tags and warnings on ao3 before reading.

DC

my dearly departed by redrobin1989

Kon heard the stories about how Tim had fallen apart after he died. He couldn’t imagine what Tim had gone through, what he’d been feeling. Even now, with the shoe now on the other foot, Conner doesn’t know how to cope. Especially when he needs to keep his boyfriend’s collapsing family together.

Exit Strategy by smilebackwards

Batman needs a Robin and Batman has a Robin. Tim is just extraneous now, vestigial. He’s a bandage over a healed wound. He doesn’t know what he’s hanging on to.

Or: Tim didn’t expect his exit strategy from the Batfamily to involve quite so much bonding time with Damian over Wayne Enterprises bureaucracy.

the capillaries in my eyes are bursting by Scarlet_Ribbons

Bruce grunts, standing up. “Jenkins said the same. What about what you weren’t told?”

And without dissembling, Jason says, “I think they fucked that kid up, B.”

[Jack and Janet die. As things get weirder and weirder, it feels like Tim might be at the center of the unfolding conspiracy.]

Stranger Things

and i know that you don’t, but if i ask you if you love me— by fakecharliebrown

Once, only a few weeks before his parents decide he’s too old to be tucked into bed at night, Steve grabs his mother by the wrist and asks, “Does Father love me?”

“Of course he does,” she says immediately, smoothing the blanket where it rests over his chest.

Steve blinks up at her. “Then how come he never says it?”

She purses her lips. “He shouldn’t have to, sweetheart. You should just know.”

(It isn’t until years down the line that Steve realizes she’d somehow turned that into being his fault.)

or; Steve Harrington through the years, on loving and being loved.

Percy Jackson

percy jackson and the scrutiny of his coworkers by pqrker

Jim turned back to the tank and looked at Marcie the seal, who was now staring at the spot his coworker had been standing just moments before with that same strange look of reverence in her eyes.

Percy Jackson truly was the oddest person Jim Elpool had ever worked with.

Or: 5 times percy's coworkers were confounded by his fish magic, plus 1 time they try to figure it out.

Star Wars

Bounty by smilebackwards

"You took a puck for Luke Skywalker?”

Din looks up at the tenseness in Cara’s voice.

“Yes?” The puck for Skywalker had been passed over by half a dozen hunters, surprising considering the price on his head, but Din had assumed that was because his last known location was Coruscant. The Core is a dangerous place to hunt bounties.

“If I didn’t consider you a friend,” Cara says, with a tone that sounds like she’s reconsidering it, “I’d shoot you where you stand for admitting that."

SVSSS

What Is Seen by CaveteDracones

....is not [always] the real truth.

Truth-compelling artifacts in the hands of an enemy to one side, SYSTEM-mandated silence on the other, and Shen Qingqiu caught between the two. Is it too late to go back to the Water Prison?

and judgment is just like a cup that we share by Kieron_ODuibhir

The blob finished rotating into place in a way that wasn’t quite compatible with geometry as Shen Qingqiu understood it, and cleared a throat it didn’t seem to have.

“Greetings,” it said, somehow clearly addressing him in particular more than the room as a whole despite its total lack of features other than blueness and translucency. “I’m here on behalf of the Hyper-Celestial Peace and Order Enforcement Bureau. Crime scene secure, proceeding to interviews. Beginning with Subject One: You are Shen Qingqiu, formerly Shen Yuan, also known as Peerless Cucumber?"

[mywhovianpotterheadthings]

Scott Snyder’s portrayal of the relationship between Bruce Wayne and Alfred Pennyworth is one of the most fascinating dynamics in his Batman run. At the core of nearly every Batman story Snyder writes, this relationship takes center stage. And more than Bruce and Alfred, it revolves around Batman and Alfred. I’m not separating the two because I see Bruce and Batman as separate entities, nor do I think that Scott Snyder views them as such, but rather that Alfred himself makes this distinction. Alfred views Batman as a force, a demon that has consumed Bruce, transforming the child he raised into something unrecognizable, and this perception shapes much of their interaction. This nuanced view of Alfred's internal struggle is rarely explored to the same degree by other writers.

One of the clearest expressions of this is in the Zero Year arc (Bruce’s return to Gotham and the birth of Batman) and Superheavy/Bloom arcs (where Bruce loses his memory and forgets that he was ever Batman).

In Zero Year, Alfred repeatedly tries to dissuade Bruce from becoming Batman, going so far as to refuse to help. Alfred’s greatest wish is for Bruce to just be Bruce—a sentiment that becomes poignant in a particular scene where Julie Madison (Bruce’s first love) waits for him before a date. Alfred imagines a world where Bruce chooses a life with Julie, where he’s happy, married, with children. This vision is Alfred’s dream, one in which Bruce finds peace and fulfillment outside the cowl. But reality is different. The scene abruptly cuts back to Alfred telling Julie that “He’s (Bruce) spoken for"—Gotham. Alfred knows that Gotham, and the Batman, will always claim Bruce.

This sense of tragedy continues in Superheavy, where Bruce, having lost his memory, is free from the burden of Batman. Alfred sees this as his long-awaited chance to have Bruce back. He keeps Bruce’s life as Batman a secret, even hiding Bruce’s kids because they’re too closely tied to his past as Batman. This decision is heartbreaking for the kids – each one tries to get close to Bruce to see if their father is still there, if by some miracle he will remember them but nothing…

Of course, the status quo can’t last, and Bruce eventually has to return to being Batman. Snyder introduces the idea that Bruce had been building a machine capable of creating new Batmen after his death, believing Gotham will always need its protector. That machine has all of Bruce’s knowledge that he gathered over the years and the goal of the machine is to input that into the subject’s mind. Batman before Bruce lost his memories hadn’t been successful in getting to work. However, Alfred and Julie (no memory Bruce was dating Julie and it was quite serious, Bruce was basically living with her) find out how to make the machine to work…the subject’s mind has to be completely wiped and replaced by Batman, essentially they need to kill the subject – Bruce. Batman was having a hard time getting it to work because Batman doesn’t kill. Alfred refuses to do it, killing Bruce to get Batman is literally his worst nightmare coming to life. He doesn’t want it to happen and being the one to make it happen is even worse. Julie ends up being the one pulling the trigger (in the new 52, she’s related to Joe Chill so this is also used to have some poetry over being a “Chill” that creates Batman twice).  And once again, Bruce is consumed by Batman, leaving Alfred’s vision of a peaceful, happy Bruce shattered.

Now what is interesting about the Absolute Batman Universe is that Bruce and Alfred don’t know each other. Alfred and Batman meet for the first time in the first issue. This issue is written in Alfred’s perspective which is very clever for two different reasons: 1. Alfred acts both as the audience’s stand-in and as the expose machine; 2. Once again, Alfred and Bruce are at the core of Scott Snyder’s writing; from the beginning, we can see the parallels between both relationships and their differences. We see this Alfred stalking both Batman and Bruce, but more importantly, contrasting with Main Universe Alfred, Absolute Alfred doesn’t separate Bruce and Batman from each other. Instead, he sees them as complementary halves. He even mentions that in other circumstances, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill Batman – he’s a very dangerous individual but he sees that Bruce is just a kid, a kid that loves the city that has taken so much from him, a kid that works hard everyday to fix his mistakes, a kid who wants to help people, a kid with a mom that already lost so much. And because Batman is Bruce, he makes the decision not to kill him.  Main Universe Alfred seems to have the two personas almost completely separated in his head while Absolute Alfred doesn’t. I wonder if that’s only a matter of time and as Alfred and Bruce get closer, Absolute Alfred will also have the two personas getting further apart in his head and grow a resentment/hate of Batman. Right now, Absolute Alfred doesn’t hate Batman, the only reason why he’d kill him is due to his superiors, not his own ideals. In fact, we see Alfred go against orders in favor of Bruce, albeit very minor – I assume that in the climax of this arc or some upcoming arc, Alfred will disobey orders in a very dramatic way leading him to quit working for the British government and become a full time ally to Bruce/Batman.  

There are some key similarities between both Alfreds across universes. Both worked for the British government, have a daughter named Julia, and struggle with being absentee fathers—choosing their duty over their personal lives. In both cases, Alfred’s dedication to his work (which in the main universe that’s taking care of Bruce), overshadows his role as a father to Julia, a parallel that resonates with Bruce’s own struggles balancing his responsibilities as Batman and as a father to his own children. This shared sense of duty above personal life may explain some of Bruce’s own questionable parenting habits. It’s likely Bruce learned most of what he knows about fatherhood from Alfred, since his memories of his own parents are more rooted in their deaths than in their lives. It’s very uncommon for him to share happy memories that he has of his parents or any sort of memory for that matter of them that doesn’t involve their murder. Unfortunately our memories fade, especially when not exercised/touched upon. And even if he did remember how his parents raised him, they only did so until he was 8 – this is played for laughs in Harley Quinn show when Bruce is dealing with Damian and turns to his brand new ressurected zombie parents (yeah they come back as plant zombies for a bit) and says “Teens, right? Oh, right. You died when I was eight. Well, they're a handful.”

What’s clear in Snyder’s writing is that Alfred, despite his inner conflict, was a good parent to Bruce, instilling in him a sense of care and responsibility. This is especially evident in Death Metal, where Bruce speaks highly of his children, showing a deep affection that echoes Alfred’s own love for Bruce. In this way, Scott Snyder’s Alfred is one of the most affectionate versions of the character, despite the tension between his love for Bruce and his hatred of Batman.

[thebubblesareevil]

This is a continuation of big brother Danny but I don’t know how to put a link on here so enjoy

But first I just wanted to say I was not expecting so many people to enjoy this and if anyone wants to write an actual fic for this I will love u forever but in the meantime enjoy my brain vomit

When Dick first approached the Fentons it was not long after the death of the Fenton parents and danny was not able to meet with him at first so he first introduced himself to his sister jazz. At first she was suspicious of this kid who wanted to meet with her brother but refused to say why and she knew for a fact he was not a friend because her socially awkward brother only has 2 friends. But while he waited for danny to come home from “visiting family” duck stayed in a hotel in amity with Bruce both of them thought the ghost theme around town was over done but that’s what tourist traps are like they definitely didn’t see any ghost durning their stay. When Danny finally arrived he looked like he went toe to toe with scarecrow he was pale and looked incredibly sick with a young girl trailing behind him. When they all sit down on the couch dick starts to explain who he is and who Bruce is and he tells danny that he his brother. Danny is shocked he knew he was adopted but had no idea that he had a brother. He brightens up significantly and comments that he is officially no longer the youngest sibling. Dick and Bruce can’t stay for much longer because Wayne enterprises can’t go with out its ceo for too long wink wink.

Once they are gone jazz immediately turns to make sure Danny is okay. He says he’s not sure and that after everything that happened with their parents he’s not sure what to think about this but that two things are certain that he wants to get to know his little brother and that until he shows that he can handle the truth dick cannot know about phantom. Jazz asks him what’s going on and how the ghost zone reacted to everything

Danny goes on to explain that based on what happened it is clear that the infinite realms have blessed his reign as king and he was coronated almost immediately after he was done healing in the far frozen and that he has officially named Elle his daughter but to the living she will still be his cousin.

Honestly jazz is trying to keep a level head while she looks at her little brother and her new niece/cousin and pushes down any doubt she has knowing that right now what her brother needs is support and not concern and she jokes how she has no idea how they managed to fit the crown on his big head while giving him a knuckle sandwich and Elle jumps on them both as they all laugh.

It isn’t until about a year later when Danny is graduating that he decides to move to Gotham to be closer to his brother they had been in contact since their first meeting and while he has managed to broker peace with the other ghosts his protective obsession goes crazy every time dick tells him about a villain attack so he decides to apply to Gotham university so at the very least he is able to see that his brother is safe at the end of the day even if he is constantly getting into fights. His friend Wally eats like crazy which is fine because it distracts dick from how much Danny doesn’t eat everything is going great for awhile. Danny is able to spend plenty of time with both his family and his kingdom due to portal time shenanigans and clockwork and it really helped when jazz took that job at Arkham everything is great…

Enjoy!! Might make more im welcome to suggestions

[mochegato]

Even the Losers

Chapter 8

Chapter 1     Chapter 7

“Your father is Bruce Wayne and now he wants to reconnect,” Nino recapped as though anyone involved in the call was unaware. From the look Chloe gave him, he was particularly happy she was in New York not Paris and couldn’t actually smack him upside the head.

“Thank you for that waste of time and breath,” Chloe grumbled.

“I just… don’t see the problem.”  Nino did actually move away from Alya before she could swat him.  “What?  Your dad is Bruce freaking Wayne!  Even if you don’t connect with him, you can totally draw on that Wayne money.”

He wasn’t fast enough to move away from her smack that time.  “Ow!” he pouted at Alya.

“It’s not about the money!” Alya groaned, already exasperated by him.  “It’s about him not wanting to have a relationship until the press found out.  It’s about him cutting her out but taking in a gaggle of other kids.”  Nino lightly shoved Alya’s shoulder and motioned toward Marinette’s expression on the screen.  Alya grimaced and gave him a nod of understanding.

Marinette looked down and pursed her lips to keep from frowning.  It was bad enough thinking it in her own head constantly, but hearing it out loud, repeated back to her?  That made it so much worse.  That made her feelings real.  That legitimized her feelings.  She couldn’t pretend like she was just overreacting.  They were justified.  Which meant she couldn’t just freeze them out.  Or rather she shouldn’t.  She had to face them.

She focused her energy on not changing her body language so she didn’t worry Adrien any more than he was already.  Keeping her body relaxed instead of tensing up.  Adrien had gone into a frenzied panic when he and Max had returned from their apartment search to find her collapsed on the floor, blocking the door. She’d missed the worst of it according to what Tikki said, but she still remembered the terrified look in his eyes when she woke up.  He hadn’t left her side since, keeping constant physical contact.  

Max seemed to inherently understand the situation and was jumping up to get anything either of them might need so they didn’t have to abandon each other for even a few moments.  She was eternally grateful to him for it because she wasn’t sure who the physical proximity was having more of a calming effect on, her or Adrien, but regardless, they both needed it.  

Her attempt to not react didn’t seem to have been as effective as she thought it had been judging by the way Adrien hugged her closer to him.  Marinette lightly bonked her head into his chest and returned her attention to the laptop screen.  “It’s okay, Nino,” Marinette assured him weakly.

“No it isn’t,” Chloe said over her.  “Both of you need to stop talking.”  She flipped a page in her magazine and looked up at the screen.  “I mean, that’s true in general, but especially during this call.” Her eyes were sharp when she looked up but Marinette could see the concern she was trying to hide by focusing on her magazine.  She wasn’t sure what Adrien had told them about how he found her but she could tell it was enough to scare them too.

Marinette rolled her eyes at Chloe.  “Yes, it is.”

Chloe groaned.  “This is the way we work Dupain Cheng.  You and Adrien let people walk all over you, Nino keeps the peace, Alya starts trouble, and I tell people the truth and to back the fuck off when it’s warranted.”

“Which never starts trouble,” Alya snarked.

“I do not let people walk all over me!” Adrien objected, looking around for support. Marinette gave a curt nod of agreement, but Max was avoiding his eyes and Chloe was staring at him flatly.

“No, you don’t let people walk all over us,” she motioned toward the screen, trying to indicate the rest of them.  “But you let everyone walk all over you.”  Her eyes moved slightly and her eyes narrowed slightly.  “You both do.”

Marinette wrinkled her nose at the screen with a pout.  “I stood up to you,” she groused.

Chloe scoffed.  “And it only took you like ten years to do it.  So proud of you.”  She rolled her eyes so strongly, her entire head moved as she did it.

Marinette’s mouth dropped in offense.  “I’m better now.”

“Are you, though?  Really?” Chloe deadpanned.

Marinette pouted.  “Yes!”

“Statistically, she is accurate,” Max added.  “She does stand up for herself more now than when we were younger.”  Marinette pursed her lips at Max, unsure how to respond to his comment.  On one hand, it defended her.  On the other hand, she did not at all appreciate how he stressed the word ‘statistically’ and she was certain everyone else caught that as well.

Chloe opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by Nino. Marinette sighed in relief until she started processing his words.  “I get that it’s hard and it hurts, I guess I just thought you wouldn’t take it this hard. After Jagged with Luka and Juleka and your grandfather… you forgave all of them.  You helped Jagged with Luka and Juleka, making sure their relationship didn’t go bad.”  He motioned vaguely at nothing.  “You seemed to brush it off and take it as a challenge.  So why isn’t this?”

Alya dropped her head in her hands.  “Tact, Nino.  God.”

“No, he’s not wrong.”  Marinette frowned as she thought about his words.  “I went after Grand-père and convinced him to reconnect.  Papa never held it against him so I guess I didn’t either. Luka never held it against Jagged, just moved forward.  Maybe it’s just me.  Maybe…”

“No!” Adrien interrupted before she could follow that train of thought any further. He gently turned her toward him to focus her attention on him.  “There’s nothing wrong with you or how you’re reacting.  There’s no wrong way to react to news like this.  If you feel sad, that’s fine.  If you feel annoyed, that’s fine.  If you feel frustrated, that’s okay.  If you want to just move past it, there’s nothing wrong with that.  If you feel angry, that’s okay.  And if you feel like you need space, that’s okay too. There’s no wrong way to react to this,” he repeated.

“Except however Chloe would respond,” Alya added with a smirk.

“Hey!” Chloe objected loudly, glaring at the screen, but with no real heat behind it. “For the record, how I would respond to news like this is to spend all my new found father’s money, pressing my boundaries until he finally said something.  And if he didn’t say anything, I’d use those billions to do whatever the fuck I wanted and never see him in person.”

Marinette blinked at Chloe, as did the rest of the group.  That was certainly… an option.  Not one Marinette would ever choose, but it was…  Marinette started giggling at the idea.  Adrien joined her quickly while Max, Alya, and Nino watched them worriedly.  Chloe rolled her eyes and flipped the page in her magazine, but the corners of her lips quirked up.

“He is correct,” Max added, bringing them back to the original point.  “There are a variety of ways people will react to finding out they have a parent they didn’t know about.  Markov found hundreds of studies on psychological responses to similar news and responses are extremely varied.”

“Juleka had a harder time with accepting it and connecting to Jagged than Luka did, remember?” Adrien pointed out.  “And there’s nothing wrong with her.  She wasn’t wrong to react that way, right?”  Marinette shook her head reluctantly.  It wasn’t that she thought there was anything wrong with the way Juleka reacted, but in agreeing with Adrien’s observation, she would have to agree with his point that she was allowed to freak out about this instead of ignoring it like she wanted to.

“Marinette,” Alya raised her voice to bring attention back to her.  “You can do anything you want here and we’ll support you. You know that.  No matter how this ends we all love you.  No matter how you react, we’ll love you.  Nobody is going to judge you for any decision.”

Chloe scoffed.  She waited until everyone was looking, or in Alya and Adrien’s cases, glaring at her. “What?  You want me to lie to her?”  She looked incredulously at the other faces on the video call.  “We won’t judge.  Hell, I’m willing to scratch his eyes out in public for you.  But, your name was already getting out there and his name, now yours, is on the largest corporation in the world.  Every news and gossip organization is going to be talking about it forever if you guys don’t make a good show of it.”

“So?” Alya demanded incredulously.  “She should just do whatever is best for publicity?”

“Did I say that?” Chloe scoffed.  She finally put her magazine down to show how serious she was taking the conversation. “When have I ever let the threat of bad publicity stop me from doing something?  I just said it would be out there, not that she should care.  It’s a factor, a big one when she’s figuring out what she wants.”

“What do you want?” Adrien asked gently, turning his attention back to Marinette.

Marinette looked at Adrien for a few seconds while her brain whirred at high speed thinking through all the options.  What did she want?  None of this. That’s what she wanted.  After a few seconds she took a breath and let it out. “What I want is to not have to deal with any of this.  What I want is to not be his daughter.  What I want is to figure out where we want to live and work and start a company there like we planned.  What I want is to live a normal life now.”  She ignored Chloe’s scoff.  “What I want…” she sighed and looked away.  “What I want doesn’t matter.”

Chloe huffed almost loudly enough for it to echo.  “Of course it matters, it just doesn’t change the past or the current situation.  But, you control your next steps.  So Ladybug this bitch.  Some egomaniacal, rich, pampered megalomaniac has created an utterly ridiculous problem that you now have to fix.  This is your specialty.  Show this bastard who he walked out on.  Make him regret not dying with his parents.”

“Woah! What the Hell?” Nino exclaimed. “Too far.”

Chloe scoffed and looked back at her nails.  “If you think that was too far, you should have heard what I wanted to say.  I toned it way down for your sensitive ears,” she added condescendingly.  She just barely looked up when Marinette started giggling.  Chloe’s lips quirked up the more Marinette tried to stifle the slightly unhinged sounding giggles.

“Dude, that’s her grandparents…” Nino whisper shouted.  Marinette suddenly sobered and paled in realization.

“Or!” Adrien interjected with false excitement positioning himself between Marinette and the screen.  “Or, you could, you know, try to build a relationship with him.”  He looked decidedly away from the incredulous looks from Alya and Chloe and the doubtful look from Nino on screen, trying to pretend like they weren’t judging him.  He moved closer to Marinette and took her hands in his giving her a sincere, serious look.  “You have someone, your father, who wants to connect to you.”  

He ignored the loud scoff from the computer and continued as though Alya or Chloe, or both, hadn’t verbalized their opinion.  They clearly weren’t that opposed or they would have said it instead of making a noise.  He “accidentally” closed the video chat and gave Max a pointed look.  

Max nodded slowly.  “I’m just going to go to my room for a few minutes.  Let me know if you want to talk.”

Marinette and Adrien both shot him thankful smiles.  Adrien waited until his door was closed before looking back at Marinette with a concerned look.  “You got screwed in this deal.  Nobody can deny that, and however you feel, that’s real and valid.  It’s okay to be hurt.  It’s okay to be scared.  It’s okay to say this is too much for you right now, or ever.  But, do you really want to walk away?  Not connect to him?  Not try?”

“He didn’t want…” Marinette started weakly.

“Maybe he wasn’t ready,” he cut her off before she could spiral again.  “Maybe this is the universe’s way to saying it’s time. You got the embodiment of luck in your pocket.  Is it really so farfetched to think luck played a role?”

“Bad luck,” Marinette scoffed to the floor.  Adrien gently rapped her on the top of her head with his knuckle.  She looked back up and caught his unimpressed look. Marinette sighed and looked away before looking back up at him uncertainly.  “I don’t know…”

“Do you think you want to try?” Tikki asked floating out of her resting spot. “It’s your choice.  But I don’t think this is going away, so whichever decision you go with you’ll have to face the consequences.”

“Or I could just cataclysm him,” Plagg offered rubbing his paws together.  He darted away from Tikki before she could shut him up.

“No!” Marinette and Adrien chorused at the same time.

Adrien glared at Plagg but made sure to soften his eyes before looking back at Marinette.  “Okay, maybe things don’t work out with him.  But it sounds like you have siblings.  You already like Jason.  Maybe you’ll like them too.”  He gave her a small smile and rubbed her arms soothingly.  “You always wanted siblings.”

Marinette gave him a weak smile back.  “I don’t need siblings anymore.  I have you.  That’s more than enough.  I don’t think I could handle more of yous.”

Adrien scoffed good naturedly at her.  “If anything I’ve made having siblings more appealing.”

Marinette scoffed playfully.  “Keep telling yourself that,” she muttered.

He pulled her into a hug.  “You always wanted more.  And it sounds like you might have sisters.”

“More people he adopted after walking away,” Marinette groused into his shirt.

Adrien hugged her tighter.  “Maybe he had a reason?  Or maybe he just royally messed up.  Maybe he hates himself for the decision.  It’s something you won’t find out unless you stay.  And you can just talk once and see how you feel about it. If it doesn’t go well, you can walk away and we can find that bar Roy mentioned.  If it goes well, you can decide to stay or we can decide to move to New York or Metropolis, like we were thinking and you can still see him every so often.”

“Even if it doesn’t go perfectly,” Tikki added softly, “it’ll give you closure.  You deserve to have that.”

“And you’ll wonder what could have happened if you don’t,” Adrien nudged her gently.  “You know you’re going to regret not trying.”

“So is that an absolute no on the cataclysm idea,” Plagg popped up between them.  “Because I’m still willing.”

Marinette rolled her eyes at him but shot him a grateful smile.  It was as close as Plagg got to admitting he cared.  She scratched him on the forehead and looked back to Adrien with a frown.  “I don’t think I can handle this.”

“I’ll stay with you.  And Max will be here.  Tikki will be here for you.  Plagg will be here, but don’t let that deter you…”

“Hey!” Plagg pouted.

Adrien continued without acknowledging him.  “Chloe could be here in a few hours if we needed and she’d drop everything to get here, no matter what she says.  Alya and Nino will only be a phone call away.  We will support you no matter what you want to do. But we can’t make this decision for you, so, the question is what do you want to do?”

Marinette groaned and pouted at him.  “You sure you can’t do this for me?”

Adrien gave her a sympathetic look and shook his head. “Not this time, Bug.”  He waited a few minutes for her to think through her options.  When she looked just as lost after another few minutes after that, he spoke up gently. “Do you want to talk to Sabine and Tom first?  They might have some answers you need to make your decision.”

Marinette looked back up at him with a pathetic looking pout.  “Can’t I just sleep through this instead?”

Adrien chuckled and shook his head, relieved she was now in a light enough mood to make jokes.  “You could,” he nodded and put on a mock serious face, “but your problems will still be there when you woke up.”

“What bullshit,” she scoffed in a weak voice.

Adrien nodded.  “Yep, utter bullshit.”

Marinette kept eye contact with him for a few moments waiting for him to impart some kind of insightful wisdom upon her.  When he held silent and let her make her own decision, she whimpered and looked away.  “What if it isn’t him I cataclysm,” Plagg asked, flying between them.  “I could do it to his house instead… a few of his cars?  Rich people always have too many cars.”

Adrien grabbed him out of the air and shoved him in his pocket with an exasperated groan.  But Marinette giggled again.  When her laughter had settled, she took a deep breath and motioned toward her phone. Adrien smiled at her as he placed it in her hand.  She took a deep breath and pulled out the paper M. Wayne had given her.  She dialed one of the numbers before she could talk herself out of it, which knowing herself could happen if she was given more than a few seconds to think, and looked up to Adrien, letting his soft smile ground her.  “M. Wayne? It’s Marinette.  Would you be free for dinner tonight?”

Chapter 9

Tags:

@maribat-bdbwm @jayjayspixiepop @redscarlet95 @alice-hazelwood @deathssilentapproach-blog @unoriginalmess @alyssadeliv @emotionalsupportginger @frieddonutsweets @when-no-wings-do-broomsticks @toodaloo-kangaroo @colorfulmongerpsychicranch @iloontjeboontje @wolf-for-life @maribatserver @aespades @prettylittlebutterflie @imarivers8  @ certainmuffinbagelcalzone@ritacrow-blog @unoriginalmess @demonicbusiness @kking13 @lady-bee-fechin @blur-of-colours @kittenmywaythrulife @kashlyn @loysydark 

[andieperrie18]

Your Endgame

So this is requested by@raginghellfire. I haven’t written in a while due Uni and busy classes but I hope I did a good job on this. UwU Dami might be a bit OOC but I really think he is a passionate lover when he falls in love.

Bruce Wayne was one tough cookie. Unlike Tony, he held shackled himself with the responsibility of protecting Gotham city from its baddies that he barely let himself enjoy his life. He too cares for children very much but he wasn't as hands-on being there for them. He wasn't always there in those best events in their life to congratulate them that greatly hurt them. It would seem that he just adopted these children as soldiers for his endless war with crime, that they were nothing but expendable assets. But he does love them and had just recently been trying to reconnect with all of them.

Tony Stark had always let his child have free reign over their life but he never leaves the passenger seat. He will always be by their side no matter what choice they make. He was never strict as he was a free soul but he grows and understands responsibility everyday after returning from Afghanistan after being held captive. He wasn't a perfect father but he did try for Y/n, good thing for him is that she understands responsibility earlier made it easy for him to be there for him.

Bruce Wayne was notorious for being a play boy, same goes to Tony Stark. Both men has had another of flings that the paparazzi didn't miss to see. It took quite a while before two of them finally found out the true meaning of true love. The one decided to settle down while the other chose his job over attaining a lifelong happiness and peace.

Some of the Wayne kids also had their own flings through out their lives. Some had more the two and some, just one. Just one cause when the second came, they were their endgame.

---

The bright city lights of Paris slightly seeped in the glass panes of the balcony doors of the room. Across it was a king sized bed with undone sheets and two people underneath the high quality comforter. Damian and Y/n sat with backs against the head board, the latter former resting his against the latter's figure. His head slightly buried on her neck as her fingers combed through his bed hair her other hand around his bare chest.

"I'm pretty sure that photo reached them already," her voice echoed around the slightly dim room.

Damian hummed, "It did, which earned me quite a number of miss calls from my family,"

Y/n giggled that he found contagious making him do the same.

"I'm going back to Gotham in two days but I don't think I'm ready to leave your side yet," he snuggled his face on her neck, placing butterflies kisses on them. Her eyes close, a flutter vibrates within her chest as she pulled his head closer. Placing her lips on his head. Damian pulled her seated figure closer to his own, his face snuggling closer to her skin.

"Can I just postpone the flight for another month?" he mumbled, sending tickles on her skin making her giggle.

"Dami, you said that 2 months ago and you already bought a ticket home,"

Damian never whines but after almost two years of being in a relationship, there are certain childishness he had suddenly unlock being with her. Y/n laughed at his childish wiles as it send tingles in his stomach, he loves it when she laughs because of him.

"Besides, I already scheduled mine and my seat is next to yours, you can't expect me to have an empty seat beside me?"

Damian's head shot up from her neck, his eyes staring at her. Y/n bit her lip containing a fit of giggles after seeing his eyes sparkle like a child getting a new toy. He slumped his faced between breast.

"I really love you."

"And I really love you too, Dami,"

---

And probably the biggest public figures is youngest Wayne child and the eldest Stark Child. The most controversial couple that reached ears all over the world. No one knew of their relationship as until the paparazzi caught a picture of them kissing at Champ de Mars near the Eiffel tower. The news made use of the quote, "Pictures speaks a thousand words" rather well. Some are heartbroken by the news but the biggest people taken surprise by the news were the Wayne's.

Clicks and flashes surrounded the long trail of red carpet that lead to entrance of the Wayne manor that held another gala. This time it was a celebratory occasion for the youngest Wayne's return from a long vacation that he took a almost 2 years ago. A break he took after a rather peaceful yet melancholic break up with titan's member. Damian suddenly decided to toss the towel and told his Father that he doesn't want to be like Bruce, alone and brooding. He needs to breath for a while to which his father did not hesitate to agree. Bruce loves his children, he may not show it but he does.

A Grey matte Porsche 911 parked its way at the end of the carpet making some of the photographers to  it, awaiting the celebrities that will emerge.

"Do you think they'll like me? I mean Dad isn't really in good terms with Bruce Wayne you know," Y/n  eyed the silhouette of the Wayne manor and the crowding paps at the cat walk. This wasn't the first time she came to a Wayne gala, its just that this time she was going to be introduced as Damian Wayne's girlfriend.

The emerald eyed Wayne gently took her chin to meet his eyes. A gentle smiles grew from his lips.

"They will, beloved. I know they will because I love you," his voice said laced a such a tender tone that no one ever thought he could have.

A love sick grin emerged from her once doubting expression before she pressed leaned for a quick peck to which he returned in an instant. They pulled away with both of them sharing the same cheek tinted grins.

Damian emerged from the driver's seat followed by the loud camera clicks and calling reporters. He simply gave his signature Wayne smile before turning to the other side of the car to where Y/n emerges with the same celebrity like smile that she inherited from her father. From the moment they set foot on the carpet, the paparazzi just got louder and rather pushy that made the guards push them out a little harder.

"Mr. Wayne how'd you meet Ms. Stark?!"

"Miss Stark, how long have you two been together?!"

"Miss Stark look here!!"

"Mister Wayne! Look here!!"

To say that the paparazzi were going crazy would be an understatement, as they were going mad-crazy as the couple walking the catwalk is the biggest confirmation to the news that a union between the Wayne and the Stark has occurred. If they could only get to the couple to ask some, more like a bunch of questions would be the cherry on top of the new news for next day.

Upon entry within the Manor, their arrival turn heads and silenced chatters.

Y/n M/n Stark, the matriarch of the Stark Industries inheriting the nickname, 'Merchant of Death' in Manhattan. She was a much smarter tinker as she assured no such case like her father's long captivity ever happened again and all Stark weapons are heavily protected and can only be handled by the military hands.

Damian Wayne was no CEO but is a COO of the Wayne Enterprises. Helping his brother Tim in managing the affairs in the company. It's bad enough that the male is overdosing himself with caffeine while handling their nightly hero affairs, he was still his brother no matter how much they quarrel. Damian was willing to shoulder long painstaking meetings for him just to let him have a day off.

To see the two of them together would expresses a union.

Their matching outfit theme elevated the curiosity of all the attendants of the gala. Damian's slick three piece burgundy check suit made Damian look sophisticated but neat. Every young lady around the room were welcome to gawk at his figure as he glides with his partner. Y/n's own green gown greatly complimented his with its shade of green, its shape hugging her figure naturally that she loved. Every young man had their eyes on an emerald.

It didn't take long before the couple reached the group of people they are meant to meet. They didn't miss their wide eyes and dropped jaws. Y/n may be a stranger but they could agree that she is a beautiful stranger.It was only when Damian spoke that they have gained awareness of their surroundings.

"Good evening father, everyone. It's nice to see you all again," Damian began with Y/n holding on to his shoulder.

"I gotta say demon spawn you grew quite a lot for just two years," Jason earned a slightly hard nudge from Dick. Damian may have grown but he still has a tick with Jason's nicknames for him.

"Don't mind him Damian, why don't you introduce your company," the eldest said as he slightly push the white streaked hair male behind him that earned a look from his father.

Damian didn't say anything on the nickname thing and proceeded to introduce her which earned quite an awkward atmosphere on his family's side while the couple remained at ease in their presence.

"Stark its nice to finally see you again," Tim entered as he brought his hand out to which the woman took generously.

"Good to see you too Drake, and good evening to you too Mister Wayne,"

Bruce went forward to shake her hand, "How is your father by the way?" he asked.

"He is doing well, he's living by the countryside with my sister and mom," she replied with a smile.

"So he's settling down?" Bruce asked, quite surprised.

"Yes, he said life is short and he intends to spend it living it with us," She continued to which earned a bit of awkwardness with Damian's siblings. It was a rather sensitive topic but they didn't speak of it any further.

---

Damian had to separate himself from Y/n to help Tim a bit on the company. Seated by the bar, with his two brothers and his father, it was quite a company.

"How long have you two been going out?" Dick opened as you turned to him.

"We've been together for almost 1 year and half years, but we didn't started dating until six months later after we met,"

"We're you aware he just got out of a break up?" Jason raised.

Y/n took a sip of her drink, "I did, that's why I didn't let him to be with me until I totally confirmed that I was not a rebound,"

"And how do you know you aren't just a rebound for Rachel Roth?" Dick asked this time.

Bruce didn't say anything as he wasn't very much in touch with his son's relationship, but he did know that he loved her, Damian wouldn't risk his life for anyone if he did. As much as he wanted to stop Dick from pulling a rather sensitive topic on a person he just met especially when that person is someone close to his brother, he wants to know if the girl was just a fling. Y/n was known to have a number of flings before Damian came in to the picture.

"Damian is not mine to claim, whether I am a rebound or not, I still love him, you can try to make me say what we are having is just a fling but I know one thing," her tone was authoritative but calm.

They were doubting Damian's judgement with her relationship with her. Its not like she wasn't aware that he dated a co-worker of his. He was his first love and Y/n knew she might not be his last but she sure prays to whatever ethereal being that they last.

"I love him. Whether you believe me or not, I will always do even if he chooses her over me,"

Damian was her everything.

---

By midnight, Damian said his good byes with his family. He didn’t miss the slight look of sadness in her eyes so he took her away from his brothers' company. Damian was sure that they said something but she chose to protect them by not telling him anything.

When they got to the parking lot as they got to their car, Damian stopped and had Y/n face him. Before she could ask, he had already latched his lips on her. Giving her an ever so passionate kiss they always share. One that he always felt like he was having his first kiss the first time.

Y/n circled her arms around his neck before they broke off, forehead resting against each other.

"I may not know what went on between you and my family by the bar, but I want you to know that I love you. You may not be my first but I am deathly sure that you are my last…" he whispered to her.

[marauderundercover]

Taking Chances Ch. 22: Petrichor and Bibliosmia (Library/books)

AO3

Prev

Marinette frowned at the rain outside of her window. She had wanted to go to the botanical gardens with Harley and Ivy today. But with the rain, both women decided it would be better to just reschedule. They didn’t want her to get sick. Which, to be fair, was sweet. But still upsetting because she really wanted to go to the gardens. She’d planned on using the plants as inspiration to make something for Ivy.

“Tikki, I’m bored.” She says, looking at her smallest friend. Tikki just looks at her.

“You’ve been stuck inside because of the weather before, Marinette. Why don’t you design?” Tikki suggests. Marinette huffs, flopping back down onto the cushioned window seat.

“But there’s nothing inspiring in my room, Tikki.” She mumbles, before shooting back up. “Do you think any of the boys are here?” She asks.

“Only one way to find out!” Tikki says with a smile, obviously relieved to have avoided any more whining from Marinette. She jumps up, throwing one of Dick’s old hoodies on over her t-shirt. She’d always gotten cold easily, and becoming the holder of the Ladybug Miraculous didn’t help. That, and the manor was cold on a good day- it would probably be freezing with how bad the weather was. She slides down the banister, knowing her Dad was at work and couldn’t yell at her.

“Miss Marinette, if you insist on behaving like your brothers, I will have to resort to treating you like your brothers.” Alfred says with raised eyebrows. But she can sense the smile wanting to break through. She just grins apologetically.

“Sorry, Alfred.” She says. “Speaking of my brothers, are any of them here right now?” She asks. If they’re not, she could probably convince Alfred to bake something with her. As long as she promises not to slide down the banister again.

“I believe Master Jason is in the library. Masters Dick and Damian are in the gym and Master Tim is at Wayne Enterprises with your father.” He says and she hums, thinking. She could go do some training with Dick and Damian, or she could go sit and sketch in the library with Jason.

“Thanks Alfred!” She says, giving him a wide smile before turning and walking down one of the many halls. She glances in open doors as she walks. Despite having lived here for nearly a month, she still got lost going anywhere other than her room, the dining room, the kitchen, and the Batcave. They were kind of the places she’d gone the most. She could also easily find her dad’s study and the main sitting room, most of the time. But the library wasn’t really a place she’d spent a lot of time in. And while she loved Dick and Damian, she also knew that they hadn’t gotten time to hang out just the two of them in a while. She’d talked to Dick before, about how when their dad was missing, he was basically Damian’s father. She knew that bonds like that didn’t just go away, knew that neither boy wanted it to. So she figured she’d just annoy Jay instead of barging in on the others’ bonding time.

Finally finding the library, she grins. Pushing the cracked door open a little more, she moves into the room, jaw dropping. The floor to ceiling bookshelves were packed. There were huge overstuffed couches, and the large windows had window seats attached- perfect little reading nooks. Quickly making a mental note to come to the library more, she starts to search for Jay. She knew he had to be in here. Alfred is never wrong. She grins when she spots him, sitting in what looked like an insanely uncomfortable position, but one she knew from experience was the best.

“Whatchya reading?” She asks, walking over and getting comfortable on the couch next to him.

“<i>Pride and Prejudice<i>.” He says, continuing reading for a moment before putting a little scrap of paper in the book and shutting it. “What’s up, Pixie Pop?” He asks, looking at her with a grin. Marinette sighs dramatically and moves so that she’s upside down on the couch.

“It’s raining. And I was supposed to go to the gardens with Ivy and Harley but they canceled because of my ‘health’ and they were ‘concerned’.” She says with a pout.

“And you decided the library was the best place to curb your boredom? No offense kid, but you don’t seem like the type to read.” He says and she huffs.

“I like books! It’s just-” She pauses, remembering the way Lila had teased her for it back in Paris. Her classmates hadn’t joined in, not really. They’d just agreed that she was a little odd.

“You okay, Pix?” Jason asks, his earlier grin replaced with a slightly concerned look. Marinette winces and nods.

“Yeah it’s- I can read. I swear I can. But when I’m looking at a book, or an article or anything with a lot of text, it gets hard to pick out the pieces. Things just kind of swirl together and then I can’t decode it and I get frustrated and just stop reading. It sucks, ‘cause I do like books. I listen to audiobooks while doing commissions.” She rambles, stopping and turning red. Though that may be from hanging upside down on the couch. Sighing, she sits up and shrugs. “Sorry I’m so weird.” She says. Jason’s face morphs into a scowl.

“Just ‘cause you learn differently doesn’t mean you’re weird, kid. Just means you’ve got your own style. Don’t let any of those little shits you go to school with tell you differently.” He says, reaching out and ruffling her hair. She smiles at him, a genuine happy smile. She was so relieved that he didn’t think she was weird. Or stupid. Lila had thrown that word around. That one hurt. Marinette prided herself on her quick thinking and cleverness. And her grades. They were some of the best in the class! So for Lila to call her stupid…

“Pixie.” Jason says, drawing the nickname out in a sing-song voice. She looks at him and raises an eyebrow. “You were zoned out, kid. So, was there something ya wanna do?” He asks. Marinette glances down at the book in his hand and frowns.

“I don’t wanna keep you from reading. I can just sit in here with you. I’ll probably end up grabbing my sketchbook.” She says. Jason waves in a ‘no big deal’ motion.

“I’ve read this book a million times.” He reassures her. She glances at the cover again, realizing it’s not one she’s really heard much about before.

“What’s it about?” She asks. “I’ve never read it.” Jay’s face morphs into a huge grin.

“You said you like listening to books, right?” He asks. She nods. “Well, then settle in because I’m going to read to you.” He says proudly with a grin.

“Oh, you really don’t-” She tries to say. She didn’t want to make him read to her. That was not-

“Oh but I want to.” He says, effectively cutting off her mental ramble before she can complete her meltdown. “Listen Pix, this is one of my favorite books. If you go listen to some dumb audio book, you won’t get my commentary. Trust me, this is the best way for you to read the book.” He says and she snorts, shaking her head lightly.

“Okay, Jay, let’s read a book.”

---

Finally arriving home after being stuck at the office, Bruce sets off to find his daughter. Since his apology a few days ago, he’d attempted to make an effort to check in on her and see how she was doing. He tried to also do the same with the boys, but they had all given him odd looks, so he didn’t continue. He checks her room, the Batcave, the sitting room- nothing. He finally decides to check the kitchen. If he had to guess, she’d be there baking with Alfred. He walks in and sees Alfred, but no Marinette.

“Good evening, Alfred. Have you seen Marinette?” Bruce asks, silently hoping she hadn’t left the planet again.

“I believe she’s in the library with Master Jason.” Alfred says and Bruce blinks in surprise. He’d never seen her read a book before, while Jason always had a book on him. He supposed it could be a hobby of hers that he just hasn’t noticed. Or, she could have just followed Jason. Which seems more likely. The two of them were all but attached at the hip ever since the Gala. It was surprising, but at the same time welcoming. Thanking Alfred quickly, he walks towards the library. He’d just say hi and leave. No need to make them stop reading if they were having fun. Gently pushing open the library door he walks in and pauses at the sight. Marinette had wrapped herself in a blanket and was almost sitting on the edge of the couch, leaning forward with an intense look of concentration on her face. Jason had his legs swung over the arm of the couch and was reading out loud. Immediately recognizing the book as Jason’s favorite, Bruce slowly leaves the library, careful not to let the door slam. He’d have the chance to talk to Marinette later, but for now, he’d let the two continue reading in peace.

Next

Tag list: @maribat-bdbwm @vixen-uchiha @stainedglassm @liquid-luck-00 @laurcad123 @waiting247 @jayjayspixiepop @mizzy-pop @jjmjjktth @trippingovermyfeet @queenz-z @thepaceperson @iloontjeboontje @toodaloo-kangaroo @ritacrow-blog @deathssilentapproach-blog @kittenmywaythrulife @nerd-nowandforever @tazanna-blythe @jaybird-and-co @jumpingjoy82 @lady-bee-fechin @corporeal-terrestrial

[bigskydreaming]

I’m a big believer that Dick’s independence and self-reliance isn’t in any way rooted in him just being stubborn, prideful or self-destructive. I view it as being in his eyes a necessity….because on a deep, fundamental level….Dick doesn’t trust anything to be permanent. 

I’ll always go back to the fact that his character archetype isn’t that of the everyman, because he was of lower class origins compared to Bruce’s extreme upper class background.....but rather that given that Dick Grayson was allegedly exceptional from his debut, a child prodigy capable of feats of acrobatics few in the world could match....he could never actually be classified as an everyman. Rather, his core archetype is that of the fish out of water. The individual taken from the comforts of his original pond and thrust into a limelight of an entirely different nature from the one he grew up in, with the two not at all being interchangeable, and necessitating he change and adapt in dramatic and often unanticipated ways just to keep his footing in his new environs.

Its not incidental that his initial tragedy wasn’t JUST the loss of his parents, but rather the loss of his old routines, extended family, environment, way of life, expectations for the way his future would play out....it ALL vanished on the same night, never to return again. The loss of his parents was tragedy enough all on its own, but its really only one part of what Dick lost that night. He lost his entire footing. His frames of reference. Everything his life had previously prepared him for and everything he could have used as a familiar comfort or source of stability to lean on, if it had been ‘just’ his parents that he lost.

And I fundamentally don’t believe you ever get over THAT loss, no matter what peace you make with the loss of your loved ones or specific elements of that. Once you’ve experienced a shake-up of that size, once you have a bone-deep, visceral awareness of how completely your life can change in the blink of an eye, how you can effectively be set back to zero as though nothing you’ve previously accomplished matters (remember, he went from a kid whose name drew crowds on its OWN merits, based on what HE was capable of due to his own work and skills, the youngest of the Flying Graysons, capable of an acrobatic feat barely anyone else in the world could master......to being a kid who was only ever identified as in the context of Bruce Wayne having taken him in, as though his existence and worth were defined by someone else’s act of compassion rather than based on anything he’d ever done on his own, when the fact of the matter is even by age eight, he’d already accomplished a LOT)....

Like, the point is, you can’t go through a shake-up like that and ever fully FORGET how complete and total a change it was, how big a rewrite of your entire life story. 

That’s a trauma all its own, one that goes largely unacknowledged, and one that I don’t think Bruce and Alfred or anyone else fully realized was even there TO need addressing in the first place. So of course how could they ever fully address it, without realizing a need?

And I think Dick’s constant moves and self-reliance are actually born of that primal awareness that there are no guarantees, that nothing is truly permanent, that anything can be taken away in an instant.

He’s always waiting for the other shoe to drop, for everything to be taken away again - as people have pointed out in other posts, Dick can never seem to have nice things. Even the apartment building he lived in while in Bludhaven….that wasn’t some height of luxury by ANY stretch of the imagination…was lost to him, along with all the friends and neighbors and community he’d built among them, something evidenced by how highly they all spoke of him, even to a total stranger. And that’s not even getting into how even the CITY he sought to establish himself as a guardian over, like, he lost the city itself. The CITY!

Dick, I believe, insists on holding down 9-5 jobs and paying his own way and only touching money that comes from Bruce originally, when like…he has no other option or its to help someone else….just like he’s resistant to ever fully putting down roots, at least none so deep that he can’t uproot himself and quickly relocate without ripping off a piece of himself and leaving it still buried in the ground behind him. 

Because deep down, he’s always bracing for the next seismic event that’ll rip everything away from him, and he wants to be prepared. He WANTS to make sure he never takes anything for granted. That if he loses it all - hell, if he and Bruce fight again and Bruce decides once and for all to take it all away from Dick, cut their ties, something that would very much be a deep-rooted insecurity for a kid with as massive of abandonment issues as Dick must have given his childhood and a number of events after that…

Dick I think needs to trust that he’ll be capable of surviving, of standing on his own two feet, if the worst should ever happen again and he’s left on his own again. His self-reliance and obsessive need for independence aren’t a REJECTION of anyone else or anything Bruce or others have ever done for him.

They’re simply the defense mechanisms of a boy who was once upon a time torn away from everything he knew and in certain origins was then on top of that plunged into hellish circumstances before finding a refuge with Bruce….

And the man that boy grew up to be, who is determined to never be caught in a situation like that again, where his very survival might otherwise require the kindness of a stranger….with Dick knowing better than to count on lightning striking twice there, and him getting lucky a second time.

So in a lot of ways, my core perception of Dick having spent more time growing up in the luxury of Wayne Manor than any of the other kids is that its largely irrelevant to who he grew up to be. Because he was still more than old enough by the time he arrived that he had formative experiences all his own that no amount of time was sufficient to overwrite and exchange for new ones.

His experiences are so extreme in terms of the loss of all forms of stability, that the SHAPE that stability takes in the periods where his life IS stable, is largely unimportant. Because its the absence of stability that’s the defining recurrence in his life. Even the stability offered by his childhood in Wayne Manor eventually gave way to canon where he left the Manor before he was even eighteen, as well as canon where no matter how it was ultimately reversed, he was for a time affected by having the ability to call the Manor his home STRIPPED AWAY FROM HIM. Thus even when Bruce did ultimately welcome him back, there still retained an awareness that even the fact that this had happened in the first place was a reminder that even THIS was something Dick could lose, that no matter how stable his childhood there had been at times, it couldn’t in and of itself be COUNTED as a source of stability due to the simple fact that his ability to call it his home HADN’T turned out to be an irrevocable constant. 

And so this is another of those areas where I think its fundamentally an oversight to have members of the family commenting on Dick’s self-reliance or tendencies to relocate himself, let alone in any kind of critical capacity......

If there’s not going to be an acknowledgment within the family or by the people raising these criticisms like, what kind of a role the family themselves have played in Dick feeling a NEED to have these tendencies in the first place.

If someone doesn’t trust in any place he lives in to ever truly be a constant in his life, truly permanent, that anything can be taken away in the right circumstances....and you yourself have done something that has made him feel or given him reason TO leave a place he’s found stability in at some point in the past....you kiiiiiinda forsake your right to be critical of his inability to see any place as permanent or constant, y’know?

Like, insert Miranda Whatshername gif or Meryl Streep peering down her glasses and going oh I see, you think this has nothing to do with you.

So I’d argue that Dick’s insistence on simulating the average person’s reality of livelihood, even when he has other means and funds available to him….just as his insistence on being as solely responsible for the well-being of the place or people he sees as his responsibilities, being single-minded about relying only on himself for tasks that he sees as ultimately having nothing to do with someone other than himself, etc....

All that is in my opinion BECAUSE he’s so firmly attached to the reality that anything and everything can be taken away, at ANY given moment. That he can be reduced to having nothing and no one he can depend on BEYOND just his own innate skills and experiences, the only things he trusts to be truly unable to be stripped from him by others.

If you ask me, one of the core aspects of Dick’s characterization throughout his adulthood in canon is SPECIFICALLY his fear that everything he cares about, or trusts, or relies on…can be taken away from him or lost. 

And his determination to make sure that he’ll be able to survive even if that should ever happen again.

[liquid-luck-00]

Truth / Lies

Bio!Dad Bruce

Bio!Dad Masterlist ~~~ Ao3 ~~~ First ~~~ Previous ~~~~~~~~~~

Marinette slipped out of the apartment early the next morning. She ran through the city, the early morning air stung her skin, waking her up more with each step.

Last night was a whirlwind and she didn't let herself think about it. But now she was.

Three months, almost four.

She has only known she was a Wayne for four months.

If this had happened sooner. She shuddered at the thought, yet it still flitted across her mind. She would have married her brother had this happened sooner.

Would she have recognized Damian from the 10 seconds she spent looking at his photo that day. No, she wouldn't and that thought terrified her. If it happened before then, she wouldn't even know she had a brother.

Would Bruce have recognized her, maybe, but then again that was assuming he knew what she looked like. And knowing what and how this happened, they wouldn’t have even met until after the fact.

She didn't even realize she had made her regular circuit until she was back in front of their apartment building. She opened the door and made her way up.

Hopefully Tim was gone, and they wouldn't need to explain last night.

She opened the door and there was not only Tim, but also Dick, Jason, and Bruce. At the table was a statuesque Damian.

"How much did they get out of you?" She tentatively asked.

"They threatened to call Manhunter." Was his answer.

Okay they know nothing, but oh no, oh no, oh no. She sat next to Damian turning into statue number two.

"Mini, the two of you disappeared last night what happened." Dad tried to stay calm, but his patience must have been tested by Sol already.

"Two truths, one lie." She side eyed Damian.

"We were in Nanda Parbat." Damian started.

"We avoided one mind numbing wedding." Marinette continued.

"The order has a larger moral back-bone than the league."

"You two aren't seriously playing this game to stall, are you?!" Tim seemed close to a mental breakdown. Then again, he hasn't slept in a week, so them disappearing may be the straw that broke him.

"Nanda Parbat and the league are tied so 1 and 3 are true." Jason figured.

"I would agree if this wasn't the second time, they said they avoided a wedding." Tim sighed.

"But it doesn't add into any of the others." Dick added.

"This morning their excuse was they were avoiding a wedding." Tim supplied.

"The truths are 1 and 2." Dad spoke definitely.

"Care to fill in the rest of the class B." Jason scoffed.

"Mini looks down for a fraction of a second when she lies, and she didn't when she said 2. Leaving 1 or 3 as the lie. Damian doesn't have a tick but using what he said 1 is true." He explained.

"There is no way for them to make that round trip in such a short time." Dick thought aloud. "Unless the order is filled with magic users. Meaning it is possible. And kidnapping kids could count as a lower moral backbone."

"Okay, so you're right, but kidnapping isn't the reason the League has a larger moral compass." Marinette assured.

"Do we want to know why the League of fucking Assassins has a larger moral backbone than an order of supposedly good magicians?" Jay was the one to speak the question on everyone's mind.

"Well if not saying or attempting to stop marrying two underage people is any indication." Damian scoffed.

"I honestly think it was their idea in the first place." Marinette mused aloud.

"Please for the love of god tell me you two weren't the ones getting married." Tim finally put it together.

"We avoided one hell of a headache inducing wedding. What do you think." She confirmed exasperated.

In a second (4) Errors could be seen on the faces of their family.

"Mini how long will it take to get to the league with Kaalki?" Dad was the first to recover, but his voice was eerily level, scarier than his even tone as Batman.

"Instantaneously, but someone who knows it better should be the one opening the portal." She responded quickly.

"Give the glasses to your brother. Damian open a portal."

Neither of them put up a fight, doing exactly as they were told. Not 20 seconds later all six of them were back in the middle of the League of Assassins following a clearly pissed off Bruce Wayne.

Thank kwamii that everyone else seem to know exactly where they were going in this compound because she sure didn’t. She walked right next to Damian the entire time and they were both watching their fathers back.

Twist and turns one after another and they finally came to what she can only describe as a throne room. When she saw the piece of shit that is Damian's maternal grandfather once again.

"Ra's." Was all her father stated. It is no exaggeration when she says that the color drained from that man’s face. She apparently wasn’t the only one contemplating exactly what had gone down last night. And the inevitable reaction of her family. What she failed to notice however, but her father didn’t was next to him was the same monk, still there. "Name." He ordered.

"Su-Han." He still spoke with dignity, but fear crept into his voice and stance.

"What the fuck did you try to do to my kids." Bruce growled in that instant she stopped breathing.

"Holy shit did Bruce just..." Jason stage whispered to Dick. However, she still couldn’t breathe and just watched the exchange. If she didn’t know her father’s rule to not kill, she would think he would be about to kill both Ra's and Su-Han, but she did know that rule. She’s pretty sure her father my break it though.

---

Bruce immediately was in a state of shock.

As Batman he had contingencies and plans in place for everything and anything. But this, this never was a probable scenario ever.

Once his shock faded, he saw red, he was absolutely livid. Children, his children, were almost married, for what. A feud that neither knew even existed.

"Mini how long will it take to get to the league with Kaalki?" His voice was dead even, attempting and failing to keep his anger in check. Thank God Hawkmoth was no more.

"Instantaneously, but someone who knows it better should be the one opening the portal." She responded quickly.

"Give the glasses to your brother. Damian open a portal."

Mini handed Damian the glasses, who immediately opened a portal. He walked through with his kids in tow, but he did not stray from his warpath. He found Ra's and another man, who wore the symbol on Mari's box.

"Ra's." Was all he said, knowing he had the man's attention the moment he entered. He showed no attempt to be bored. or uninterested. In fact, if it didn't seem impossible, Bruce would go so far as to say he was scared. He then looked over at the second man. "Name." He spoke again.

"Su-Han." He still spoke with dignity, but fear crept into his voice and stance.

"What the fuck did you try to do to my kids." Bruce demanded.

"It is not like you to visit." Ra's seemed to dance around his question.

"Why my kids?!" His voice rose and patience dwindled. So much so he didn't notice his two youngest slipped out of the room. While the older three seemed to be eating cookies and pastries, watching the show.

"Them being related was an unforeseen factor." Su-Han answered. "For there to be peace the two organizations needed to be unified."

"And both of you rubbed your cumulative two brain cells together and thought marrying two kids together is a valid response."

It was Ra's turn to speak. "Both of your children happen to be the next in line to command both respective organizations. Marriage was simply a contract between the two individual organizations to maintain peace. Although that failed to occur."

"Why did marriage come before I don't know, a god damn Peace treaty." He stopped to breathe.

"Given our history." Su-Han tried to make a point, but he didn't let him.

"You want history, I hear they have been around since the time of the Ancient Egyptians and the Ancient Babylonian Empires."

Both men stood there seemingly trying to formulate any response that could work. “Marriage was the most reliable method to promote unity between the two.”

"Bullshit, you both wanted something quick and easy." An explosion was heard in the compound, sending Ra's into a fighting stance. "You both wanted to make it their responsibility to keep the peace. And when it would fail you would use it as an excuse to return to fighting one another."

A full minute of pure silence when no one so much as moved drawled on. Until the doors opened, and in walked his children, as a fox and a horse with two Kwamii in front of them.

"Are you two the ones responsible for the explosion?"

They looked at one another, then back at him. Damian was the one who answered. "Yes."

"What did you four do?" He asked, although he only did so more out of obligation than curiosity.

"We may have destroyed all the Pools of Miracles." Tikki flew forward and answered.

"You destroyed the Lazarus Pits / Pools!" Was shouted by Ra's and Su-Han.

"Yes, so it's magic cannot be further twisted." Mari stood firm.

"And for the monks to stop using it to extend their lives." Damian added.

"Can I spite them now?" A cat Kwamii he never met before asked him.

"I should be more disappointed, but I'm not." He sighed. "Go on ahead."

"Pigtails your family is the best." The cat cheered. "Now for you two."

The best way to explain what he did was that he phased through each of their hearts and floated on back. The entire time he were a grin that rivaled the cheshire cat.

"Plagg, what did you do?" Tikki tentatively asked.

"What's the fun in telling you now. Plagg cackled. With that they all left, back to Paris. Never mess with his kids, because one they can God damn take care of themselves and two, he may not kill but he will supervise if even one of them is hurt.

~~~~~~~~~~ Taglist: @mochinek0 @justafanwarrior @abrx2002 @ranger-gothamite @fantasiame @moonystars14 @mochegato @bigbeautifulandfullofsugar @maribat-is-lifeblood @iglowinggemma28 @miraculous-ninja @talutah0 @vixen-uchiha @danielslilangel @witchsblackfox @pawsitivelymiraculous @lizziejay @marinettepotterandplagg @colorfulmongerpsychicranch @dast218 @sassakitty @miyla-lokidottir @lilkymilky @tazanna-blythe @tired-butterfly @lozzybowe @smolplantmum @queencommonsense @loopingtangent @chez-pezeater @paintedhope7 @technicallyburninggarden @meme991001 @wannajointhecrabcult @melicmusicmagic @trippingovermyfeet @greatcatblaze @fidget-eep @miraculouslydumb @iamablinkmarvelarmy @laurcad123 @hauntedwintersweets @fc-studios @fusser90 @madking-warqueen @buginetye @little-lady-bird @thebooki3h @iamabrownfox @galla02006 @syrencall @gimpedmercy

[squishneedsahero]

Ductape and Superglue

Awesomest of Them All 2.0

Part 13 of 13

Word Count: 1607

Batman x Batmom!Reader

You know what the bat family needs? Someone to pull them together and give them all the love they deserve. Who better to do that than you? An author rising to stardom in Gotham who catches the eye of a billionaire with your standoffish attitude at a huge social gathering. You are yourself and never pretend to be more or less than that. Plus you're the most stubborn person in the world, refusing to let good things go without reason.

This is a rewrite of my story Awesomest of Them All, I wanted to see how much I've improved over 3 years.

Bruce got a call, one that he had never gotten before even if he had always dreaded it. A phone call during a Wayne Enterprises meeting from someone demanding money and sending a picture of you tied to a chair. You had that normal fire in your eyes in the picture and it was obvious you weren't hurt but still no one wants their wife held hostage and threatened with a gun or worse.

Tim looks over Bruce's shoulder at the photo on the phone screen. His heart leaps to his throat and he pulls out his phone, already working on figuring out where it is you are located from the little he can see in the picture. He and Bruce were here in a meeting it would only make sense to call the GCPD and not run out the door to get you to safety. Tim knows Bruce though, always thinking everything through except for when it came to you. He would do anything in the world to keep you happy and safe.

Tim's hand coming to rest on Bruce's upper arm pulls him back to the reality that is that he cannot run out the door to your rescue. "You call Alfred, I'll call the GCPD," that's all he says and that's all it takes to set things in motion.

Two phone calls are made and those lead to two more made by Alfred and Damian who he had just picked up from school. Alfred calls Jason and Damian calls Dick, they are the only ones who get notified in the moment to go get you but it's enough.

Cass is on a date with Steph, they're the next to get a phone call from Tim, just informing them of the situation but making it clear that they are not needed at the scene. Stephanie protests this and tries to claim that you'd need Spoiler's help as well. You were as much of a mother to her and Cass as any of the boys even if only Cass was officially adopted. In the end the two girls go to the Mansion to wait with Alfred and coordinate things from the cave with Babs who is there upon their arrival.

Damian liked to think he still disliked you and could barely tolerate you. But even if he wouldn't admit it he was more scared on your behalf than he had ever thought he'd be. Despite him being horribly rude to you, you had never been anything but nice even if your nice included sarcastic comments to prove your point. You had helped him learn what a family was supposed to be like.

Jason gets a call from Alfred and he is changed and out the door of his apartment before the call is over. You were his Ma and he was your Jaybear, and he wouldn't be letting you get hurt. Alfred was the one person you had given his phone number too even though he had told you to keep it a secret, but in this moment he was glad you had.

This leaves Dick, who had gotten a call from Damian, telling him the situation and that he would be joining him at the warehouse. Dick was with Babs at the mansion so the two head to the cave where Barbara takes over in the computer while Dick changes and hurries out the door to go get you.

Things seem like they're going smooth when the three boys arrive one shortly after the other. Jason is already in and picking off the men in the surrounding area and getting you out of the chair when Dick and Dami burst in and start taking out more guys. You're safe and that's all that matters to any of them.

But then there's that singular gunshot and all three of their hearts skip a beat. Damian sees you slide the rest of the way into the next room but the other two just see the door swing closed behind you. None of them know where you had been hit and if you were okay on the other side of that door. But they can't walk away from the fight in the middle of it. Once all the men are down Jason takes off too you, not giving Damian or Dick the chance and leaving them to tie the guys up.

"Mama?" Jason asks, slipping into old habits in his fear.

"Hey Jaybear, I'm fine, it's just my leg," you comfort him quickly but let him take care of your leg for you. You'll have to go to the hospital as it's the only proper thing to do but he stops the bleeding and gives you a tight hug.

The other two boys come in and you smile and comfort them, telling them all how proud of them you are. This gets interrupted by police sirens outside. You quickly shoo them away and let Bruce know you're safe, knowing your husband would want to come after you himself at this point but you were fine. You needed to let the police take you to the hospital and make all of this look somewhat normal and not like a family problem.

You spend a few hours at the hospital, getting stitches and a brace since the bullet had ripped through your muscles, leaving your leg weak. When they let you go they push you out in a wheelchair and give you a pair of crutches.

Media personnel try to crowd you and get answers for their many questions. You shut them up with one of your classic, "I'm fine now leave me alone to be with my family or you will start your own newspaper to post stories about them and slowly put them out of business." It was a good threat that worked every time. If it didn't work then you just added in the idea of getting photos of their butts to add to the articles, titling it "the asses of Gotham"

You choose to spend the early evening watching movies on the couch with your family. Cass and Steph take their own chair to cuddle in, same with Dick and Babs. This leaves you to cuddle with Bruce and Tim and surprisingly Damian sits next to you, kicking Tim out of his normal spot meaning you had no choice but to sit in Bruce's lap so the boys can both sit next to you.

Alfred wished you well upon your arrival home, then returned to make dinner for all of you even if you tried to tell him to just order pizza. "No, miss Wayne, you were shot today and need a healthy meal," he responds much to your annoyance with him calling you miss, as though you were a child and your parent had called you by both your first and middle name.

All of you aren't far into the movie when you get interrupted by Jason entering the family room. You light up at the sight of him and before Bruce can stop you you're out of his lap and over Jason wrapping him in a hug. How you made it that far without falling due to torn ligaments no one knew but you were now in Jason's arms and he could keep you steady. You make him lean over so you can kiss his forehead before you make him come sit on the couch where you had been.

When he tries to object you give him that stern mom look and he obediently comes and sits next to you, and Damian on the opposite end of the couch from Bruce. Things definitely were tense between the two but you don't care, it's a start.

You finally have your whole family back under one roof for the moment. Your four boys, one girl and two unofficial girls. You loved every single one of them so much and were so glad that you were all together again. They all knew how much you loved them, and how you took time for each of them, the only reason Jason was getting extra attention was because he had been gone for so long.

It had hurt so very much when he had suddenly been taken from you. The pain of loosing a child wasn't anything you plus bear even if you had had too for years. You all share a nice dinner together then because you had all spent so much time together Bruce insisted that the city would be fine for the night with just the kids and that he needed to stay and make sure you were taken care of.

For the first time in a long time things were relatively peaceful for your family, even if you had a leg wound. You had them all together and would now be able to work with Jason and Bruce on their relationship and getting it back to a less tense father son relationship. Damian was finally truly giving you a chance. Dick was on good terms with Bruce, and he was happy with Babs, even talking about marriage in the future. Tim was helping Bruce run the company and he was brilliant at it, plus he seemed truly happy for the first time in his life as he had recently started officially dating Conner. This just left Steph and Cass who were about to graduate high school and were looking at apartments, planning to move in together despite almost already doing so since Stephanie always seemed to be at the manor. It wasn't a typical life but you wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

The End... idk

[remosdeerica]

Batshit AU Pt #2: The Grandkids

So I mentioned in the last post Batshit AU Pt. #1 that I cover Dick and Jason's kids but since I've been thinking (read: fantasizing) about the future of the Batfam I figured I'd just do a post with ALL the grandkids!

Just a heads up: this is a LONG post.

First we shall start with the Grayson's:

Mar'i and Jake (Jake is not my original name I've seen it pop up in other media- dunno if it's canon in any timeline but I'm going with it).

Mar'i Grayson: Mar'i is the biologically daughter of Dick Grayson and Koriand'r of Tamaran (aka Starfire). Kori is unknowingly pregnant after one last one-night-stand with Dick before going back to her home planet to take over as queen. Unfortunately, because of Kori's sister Komand'r (aka Blackfire) causing civil unrest to try and usurp the thorn from her, Tamaran becomes unsafe for Mar'i as she is Kori's only heir.

-Kor'i goes back to Earth with an infant Mar'i and begrudgingly hands her over to Dick so she can live with him and be safe from Blackfire.

-Kori of course visits while she can but has a lot of responsibilities on Tamaran. When Mar'i is older she is able to go back to Tamaran to visit her mother.

-A few years later when Dick and Barbra get married, Barbra officially adopts Mar'i. Seeing both Kor'i and Barbra as her mothers Mar'i decides so call Kori "Mama" and Barbra "Mom/Mommy".

Jake Grayson: don't have much of an exciting backstory for him. He was basically just an orphaned infant Dick and Barbra decided to adopt after his bio-parents had been murdered.

Now he have the Todd family:

Because I am a heartless monster I decided that since Roy died in the comics without any sign of Lian and Jason was pretty fucked up about it, I would have Jason adopt Lian because Roy wasn't round to take care of her. So this is basically what happened:

Lain Harper-Todd: 1 year or so after Roy's death, Jason is visited by Jade Nguyen (aka Cheshire) who is carrying an infant Lian. Jade explains that she hadn't realised she was pregnant with Roy's child until after he was already dead and since she is not ready to give up her life as an assassin she states that Lian is better off without her. She then asks Jason if he would be willing to take Lian in as Roy's former partner (read into that how you will).

-Jason agrees, and decides to hyphenate her last name Harper-Todd so that she will always have a piece of Roy with her even if he can't be there for her in person.

it's not that I don't think JayRoy is cute! It's just that I honestly I don't really picture Jason dating anyone in my mind and the thought of him being a single dad is just precious. I'm also allergic to OC's (of my own making) so I usually try to keep to characters that are at least canon in some timeline and Lian was the first to come to mind.

Also I'm a angst-hungry monster so...

Drake-Wayne/Dowd/McGinnis household:

Lol, this family has too many names.

I already went over Terry and Matthew McGinnis' backstory in Batshit AU Pt. #1 but if you are too lazy/ don't feel like reading it I'll try to make sure to cover the important details.

Terry & Matthew McGinnis: A few years down the road, Tim is the current Batman and married to Bernard Dowd (my new fave batship). One night on patrol he finds the boys hunkered down behind an garbage container and approaches them.

-Terry is extremely protective of his younger brother Matt and becomes immediately aggressive, swinging a baseball around and threatening Tim to leave them alone.

-Tim finds it admirable/endearing that Terry is willing to face Batman alone in order to protect his brother and tells him so. He then asks them where there parents and and Matt (trusting Batman) tells Tim that they were killed by the 'Bad Men' who are now looking for he and Tarry.

-Tim is worried for the boys safety and offers to take them to the Police, but Tarry only says that they already tried that and that there are spies in the GCPD who ratted them out to the 'Bad Men'.

-Tim figures out that the boys are in more danger then he first realized and takes them home with him in order to protect them.

-Tim eventually finds out about Project Batman Beyond, an experiment orchestrated by A.R.G.U.S. in order to create the perfect child to usurp the Cowl and give A.R.G.U.S and 'in' with the Justice League and the super-community as a whole. A part of this project is making sure the children are biologically Bruce Wayne's in order for them to also gain influence over Wayne Enterprises.

-Tim realizes that there is no real safe place that he can send the boys and after discussing it with his husband, Bernard, the two decide to adopt the boys.

I think this adoption story is one of my favourites. Especially because I find the idea of Bernard not at all being surprised by his husband brining home black-haired blue-eyes orphans, hilarious.

Bernard: I figured since you are now Batman it was only a matter of time.

Tim: >:(

Wayne-Kent situation:

DamiJon is one of my absolute favourite ships in existence. But since both boys are so young in canon my version of their future relationship truly is creature of my own design, I will explain them a little and then the kids. I'll be quick about it. Promise. (There is also a 2 part series I'm working on that goes into my version of events called "Jon and Damian" if anyone is interested. Jon's chapter is done but Damian's is still in the works).

Jon: he is the one that I really have to explain. I call my version of him "Dark-ish Jon" or 'dark ish jon' for the tags. For those of you who already know the deal (or don't really care) y'all can skip to the *** for the kids.

-basically Jon was kidnapped by Jon-El (Clark's Kryptonian Bio-dad) in order for Jor-El to mold Jon into the perfect weapon for his plan to conquer the universe. They have a machine that Jumps through various timelines so no one can find them, and Jon-El trains/tortures Jon for 2 years.

-Jon eventually discovers new powers that allow him to kill Jor-El and escape but he ends up spending the next several years trying to find his original timeline.

-He eventually meets the Legion of Superheroes that help him get home, but once he arrives home he realizes that for him it has been 7 years since he was kidnaped, but only 2 weeks for his family/friends.

-Because of this he and his family find it hard to adjust to the new situation and Jon ultimately decides to return to the Legion but visit occasionally.

Damian: Honestly I don't think I really have to explain much about Damian for y'all to get the kids but I do want you to know:

He has long hair

He has peirced ears

Possibly tattoos?

He's has more of a slim figure than Bruce's bulky one

He is a fashion icon and kinda has 'bitchy white girl' energy

Bacically he very pretty and looks a LOT like Thalia

And yeah. The two eventually reconcile after Jon is done moping in another timeline and they decide to retire from crime fighting and build a cottage/farm and live in peace.

***

Athanasia: So she is actually Bruce's bio-kid from the Injustice timeline. And for my AU she is still Bruce's biologically and she does recognize him as her father, but because she and Damian are 13/14 years apart and she knows him better she lives and defers to him as her caretaker. I shall explain:

-Athanasia was created by Thalia in a fit of madness after Damian's death. Because of what happened to Damian, and because Athanasia turned out to be a girl (and therefor Ra's would have no use for her), Thalia keeps the little girl locked away and a secret so that no one can harm her.

-Years pass and Athanasia has never seen the outside would. Eventually something happens (will depends on the Fic -because I will get around to writing this shit eventually) and Athanasia is given to Damian (the only other person Thalia ever told her about.)

-At this point Bruce is getting older and most of his current children already have their own kids, so both he and Damian agree that because Athanasia is mostly attached to Damian and doesn't really know who Bruce is outside of being her father, that she will live with he and Jon.

-Athanasia get's older and eventually meets another girl at her school named Carrie Kelley. The girls form a quick bond, Carrie's louder personality complementing Athanasia's more quiet one.

Carrie Kelley: being best friends with Athanasia leads to Carrie spending a lot of time over at her house. This allows Jon and Damian to get to know the girl and become quite fond of her.

-one night after a sleepover at Jon and Damian's house with some of their other friends, Carrie's father comes to the house drunk and carrying a shot gun. He accuses Jon and Damian of being pedophiles because of their sexual orientations and calls them a variety of homophobic slurs.

-It's his attempts at shooting Jon that leads to Carrie calling 911 and having her own father arrested.

-Because her mother had already left and Carrie only had her dad to take care of her, Jon and Damian offer her a place in their home and eventually adopt her along with Athanasia when the girls are teenagers.

So, yeah! That's it for now. I am absolutely obsesses with this AU. I just love the idea of Bruce deciding to take in Dick leading to him having an army of children and grandchildren so large that all family gatherings have to happen at the Manor because nowhere else is big enough.