#cass wrote a thing

[steddiealltheway]

Steve has a pre date routine that Robin always helps with which includes a checklist of different things like: hair looks nice, outfit looks nice, condom in wallet (Robin always cringes at this one), breath is good, etc.

But for some reason, Robin can’t be there to help before Steve’s upcoming date, and Eddie happens to be at Family Video when Steve finds out, so he’s practically forced into helping.

Later when Eddie goes to Steve’s and they’re finishing up the check list, Steve looks in the mirror, points at his upper lip, and asks, “Is this too much stubble? Like would this be uncomfortable to kiss?”

Eddie goes, “Let me see?” And they naturally fall into a kiss, and Eddie pulls away and says, “Nah, it feels great. You’re all set.”

And Steve slaps him on the shoulder and says, “Thanks, man.”

After Steve leaves, Eddie’s like “…wait.”

And then literally five minutes later, Steve shows up at his house and asks Eddie, “Can we try that again?”

And after they kiss again, Steve goes to the phone, calls and cancels the date, and immediately goes right back to Eddie.

[taterthepotato]

IM GOING FERAL. FOREVER 17 TIM. DAMIAN GETTING OLDER THAN HIM. LIKE JUST- DAMIAN BEING PROTECTIVE OF HIS NOW YOUNGER BROTHER HHHHHHHH. TIM IS THE BABY, THE DANGEROUS AND GENUIS BABY. I LOVE HIM AHHHHHHHHH. rando scenario time because im going fucking feral and i dont think a fic like what i require exists

Stranger: *is flirting with Tim*

Tim: *Is trying to politely excuse himself* (mostly because he doesn't want to cause a scene, he's probably in a very public place? idfk)

*Stranger just keeps pushing until they hear a cough from behind them.*

They fucking turn around to see the entire gaggle of batkids glaring at them. Motherfucker would probably piss their pants.

I bet Damian would be twirling a dagger in his fingers while glaring down at this fucker.

Dick has this smile that says 'I am going to politely eviscerate your intestines.'

Jason cracking his knuckles with a nasty grin on his face, probably about to beat this fucker up

The other ones are there too, but i dont trust my grasp on my interpretation of their personalities yet to say what they'd be doing other than beating the dude up or getting tim away, lol

[lar-mx]

El murciélago bañado por las sombras y el ángel de la muerte (Nombre temporal).

Entonces tengo esta idea loca desde hace unas horas.

El Surgimiento de la idea:

en algún momento escuche este concepto de que cada persona tiene su propio ángel de la muerte el cual se encarga de recoger el alma de la persona fallecida cuando llega su hora, a veces cuando alguien enfrenta una situación en la que casi muere, realmente muere por un tiempo o uno de esos momento donde su vida pasa frente a sus ojos por así decirlo pueden verlo.

la mayoría no lo recuerda y los pocos que si lo hacen no hablan de ello.

esto anterior mas un recuerdo vago de un capitulo de un fic de DP donde danny escribe un poema acerca de una platica que tubo con la muerte donde esta le dice que no puede llevarse a danny (aunque no recuerdo si es porque danny es el rey fantasma o por ser un halfa).

La Idea como tal:

de estas dos ideas se me ocurrió lo siguiente.

Danny siendo el angel de la muerte de cass, pero si bien danny es el angel de la muerte de cass el nunca podra llevarla al lugar que le corresponda para descansar por la eternidad y si te preguntas el porque pues porque el destino y la vida se niegan a dejar morir y descansar a ciertas personas.

Por fortuna(?) la mayoría de los héroes son algunas de estas personas y por desgracia(?) un buen numero de villanos también.

la situación es tal que no importa el que o el como pero esa persona selecciona escapara de apenas con vida de una muerte segura o volverá a la vida unos segundo, unos minutos o algunos meses e incluso algunos años después.

el método para que vuelvan puede ser cualquiera pero al final siempre escapan de las manos de su ángel de la muerte.

cass es una de esas pocas personas que pueden recordar a su ángel de la muerte.

aquí es donde por mi parte pierdo el hilo de como quiero escribir ( jaja no puedo escribirlo aunque mi vida dependa de ello) esta idea.

Porque por un lado me encantaría que esto fuera un cass x danny donde los únicos momento donde ellos pueden interactuar y hablar es cuando cass esta en una situación cercana a la muerte pero nunca podran estar verdaderamente juntos por que el destino y las propias convicciones de cass le impiden morir o permanecer muerta.

lo que me lleva a la idea de que cass escriba cartas o poemas para su ángel(?) para dárselos en esos raros momento en los que se encuentran, pero el problema es que cass es demasiado buena para enfrentar regularmente ese tipo de situaciones donde se puedan encontrar.

y por otro lado esta la idea de que sean algo asi como amigos y/o danny sea una especie de mentor de cass desde que ella era joven y escapo de las garras de su progenitor.

ya que cuando era mas joven enfrento varias llamadas cercanas debido a la desnutrición y/o enfermedades debido andar escapando la mayor parte del tiempo de la persecución de david (creo que así se llama).

estoy seguro que existen otras rutas para llevar esto e incluso otros barcos, pero con mis habilidades actuales no puedo llevar a cabo esta idea asique la comparto con ustedes para que agreguen o la usen a su antojo.

Saludos.

tag some people I follow, in case they like the concept.->

@satoshy12 @zylev-blog @bet-on-me-13 @hdgnj @dcxdpdabbles @wandixx

[blackbatcass]

NEVER write cass cain fanfiction oh my god

[spacedace]

here be a snippet of my "The al Ghuls are the Addams Family of the DC universe" fic idea that I've been working on here and there for while.

(Context/au info under the cut)

-

Six months ago, a young man had appeared practically at Ra’s doorstep while he’d been doing his usual check in on the Amazon Reserve he and his family maintained in Brazil. No more than a boy a handful of years older than Talia, the child had somehow not only discovered that Ra’s family owned and protected the vast acreage of rain forest, but that Ra’s himself would be there at that time.

The boy - Bruce Wayne, he’d introduced himself as, bowed low and respectful in deference to Ra’s position as head of the family - carried no weapons with him. He barely carried any supplies, despite the fact that no vehicles had carried him up to the village that housed Ra’s and his extended family. Unless something had massively been overlooked, young Bruce Wayne would have had to hike the thirty or so kilometers from the nearest true town to even get there. Even further if he’d come from a different direction.

Ercilia, who was in charge of the village and overseeing the reserve while Ra’s was away attending to other business, was understandably furious at the breech of thier security. That a scrawny boy with holes in his shoes and a patchy, unimpressive collection of beard scruff on his unshaven face was able to not only get to the village but slip past herself and all those she trained. His dear niece was howling for blood, ready to carve into Wayne’s sunburned hide until the boy was howling too.

In a different situation, Ra’s would be just as ruthless in his desire for retribution and answers. Such a breech posed an incredible threat to the reserve and his many family members that had volunteered to guard it. Nou had nearly come to the reserve in his stead so he had more time to check in on the cloning lab in Sweden that had just begun working on the Tasmanian Tiger samples they’d gotten ahold of.

If it had been an assassin instead of the scrawny boy before them now, had it been his pacifistic wife instead of him…

Ercilia and the other members of the family stationed there had some Lazarus Water on hand for dire situations. And Noukou’s vow to not rise a hand in violence did not mean she would simply permit herself to be slain like a sacrificial beast. She was just as fierce and strong as Esfir, and while she did not know how to fight she was daringly clever and unimaginably quick and would have made for a poor prey to those with vicious intentions.

These were not guarantees though. Poison could kill as easily as a blade. A person asleep could not outfox a murderer. Nou, could have very well died that night before anyone even knew there was an intruder.

And yet.

It was just a boy. Wet around the ears. Shadows in his eyes. Weary and broken.

Ra’s found no fury or rage in his heart, only faint amusement, overwhelming pity and a sharp bite of interest.

“What has brought you here, young Bruce Wayne?” He asked, watching the boy’s face carefully. Searching for the haze of mind control. The glimmer of deception. The cutting edge of murderous intent. “Surely you must have known my reputation. Did you come all this way just looking for your death?”

The boy’s face lined with grief and determination. “No.” He said, simply. “I came to speak to you.”

That Ra’s already knew. Wayne had said as much when he appeared at the doorstep of the small domicile Ra’s was staying in while visiting. Hands clear and in view, body and face open and easy to read, movements slow as he dipped in a low, respectful bow. He’d spoken clearly as he’d given his name and the reason he was knocking at Ra’s door. Why he had wandered so very far away from his home back in Gotham.

“So you said.” Ra’s demurred, one brow arching. He motioned with one hand, indicating with a small movement the situation they were now in. “I suppose we will see if that is all you are after then. You have me as your audience, young man. Though I fear your time to state your case is rather limited. My dear niece is not one for surprises at the best of times, and your sudden appearance is not so welcomed as those best of times.”

Ercilia scowled as he indicated her. Her fingers twitching threateningly at the firearm holstered at her side, not even blinking as she glared a hole in the boy’s face. “I’m more than happy to get answers out of him, Tio.” Her words as bitingly sharp as Esfir’s ancient, beloved sword.

She wouldn’t be, Ra’s knew. Not really. Ercilia, while well blessed with the terrifying ferocity that was a hallmark of the women of the al Ghul family, was not a violent person by nature. At heart, she was a deeply kind, devoted protector. Loving and gentle to those under her care, able to draw upon a seemingly endless well of strength when called upon to defend.

It was why he had chosen her to oversee the Amazon Reserve, his heart settled by the knowledge that she would love and care for the rain forest and its many at risk inhabitants as completely as he did. Why he had welcomed her into their family all those years ago when he’d first met her.

His niece was good at putting on the image of a ruthless, cold killer, but she wasn’t one. She did what she had to, when the time called for it and being blindsided always put her heckles up. But she was a gentle soul. Ra’s knew that she saw the intruder cuffed in the seat before them as he did: just a hollowed out boy a couple years shy of her youngest son’s age.

Bruce Wayne, barely older than Ra’s youngest, didn’t seem to notice her or the threat at all. Perhaps he was as suicidal as his decision so far implied. Or perhaps the boy was sharp enough to read Ra’s and his niece so well as to see the bluff for what it was.

Either way, Ra’s suspected he was going to like this young man.

I posted about the idea in more detail here, but brief overview is that I want the al Ghuls to still be the al Ghuls but replace all the racism with Addams Family levels of unhinged love for their family and shaky grasp on things like "mortality." Death is something that happens to other people, not al Ghuls.

Also give them the Addams' tendency to just adopt people who fit their freaky vibes into the family as cousins/nibblings/ect. For example: Ercilia. She's not actually Ra's niece, that's just what he decided she was after adopting her into the al Ghul family (also known as the League of Assassins.)

Look I just want them to all love each other unconditionally but also still be a deranged Bond villains trying to save the world with the most unhinged eco-terrorist plots you've ever seen put to paper, is that so much to ask for?

Anyway, specific context that probably is helpful to this is that both Talia & Nyssa's moms are alive and they are in a happy polycule with Ra's (and probably a few other folks too).

(Also the whole "Death and the Maidens storyline just didn't happen, okay? All we're taking from it is that Nyssa exists, she and her mom are Jewish and Nyssa has spent the past few centuries bobbing around trying to be a force of good in the world. Forget everything else.)

I named Nyssa's mom Esfir since as best I could tell she didn't have a name in canon and gave her a whole backstory that I'll probably post later but tl;dr is that she was raised by a bunch of criminals and one very Done (TM) Rabbi and is down to fight god and the devil in a waffle house parking lot at the drop of a hat.

I renamed Talia's mom Noukou (I decided to make her Hmong and wanted to give her a Hmong name as a result) since I wasn't a fan of her name in canon. Also gave her a whole backstory that boils down to her having half a dozen phds and a dozen or so arrest records for her part in trying to stop major corporations from destroying nature preserves and the like all before she ever met Ra's.

[luvo27]

I have very bad cursive handwriting!! To demonstrate, a little behind the scenes for you: Here’s a page from my fic notebook!! For the last and final edits for the last chapters of the thing i was working on, i ended up saving them as drafts in ao3 where i then read them through and took notes on the things i wanted to change before going back in to edit, which is what this page is from.

plus, sticky note i made for myself regarding cass's characterization:

[cluescorner]

They fucking did it again those bastards. Jason Todd fucking dies 2: Electric Boogaloo. Fuck it, let's go for a threepeat at this point. It'll be funny as hell.

[fallenangelblade]

It’s only a queen-size bed, but the distance between their bodies feels as wide and treacherous as the Grand Canyon. Tentatively, Castiel inches his good hand out into the empty space. He’s careful not to reach past the invisible halfway point, not to take what does not belong to him. The heater kicks on, its fan filling the motel room with a low, droning note. Outside, the hum of the highway. The buzz of neon. It creates a dissonant chord that resonates in his molars. After a moment, the blankets jostle slightly as Dean’s hand extends out towards the middle of the bed. Their pinky fingers touch, just barely. A pinprick of warmth amidst the cold expanse of the sheets. Something like the beginning of a smile graces Castiel’s lips. He’s glad for the lack of light, that it is not witnessed. The heater shuts off, and the silence it leaves makes the room seem to stretch out, endless, encompassing. Outside, rhythmic, toneless bass, thumping out the suggestion of a beat, pouring thick from the subwoofer of a car driving through the parking lot. The edges of the curtains glow white, then red, headlights and taillights sweeping past. Further away, the engine cuts, the music disappearing abruptly with it. The room fades back to darkness, quiet. Pinky fingers touching. Here, the world beyond feels a million miles away. Here, sanctuary. It could be ten minutes or two hours before Dean speaks, his voice little more than a whisper, sweet and warm and sorrowful as honey whiskey. “I still pray to you, sometimes.”

an excerpt from the same WIP as this for WIP wednesday

[arvoze]

you can tell they're related to eachother based on their move mastery decisions

[belphieslilcow]

belphie's fucking gay and jealous

epic pre relationship caphie / 900 something words <3 FEATURING ASHER APPEARANCE, HE'S IN CASSICANON NOW‼️

Belphegor almost felt like he was back in the Celestial Realm, no, it was even better than that. Nothing beat having Cassian all to himself, but it was so much better when they were in the human world together, and especially when Belphie came by himself. Not that he was supposed to come down here, but he missed his human and could deal with Lucifer’s bitching later. At the moment he was happy snuggling on the couch with the blond in his apartment, he had an anime movie on and was excitingly explaining all the details Belphie didn’t get. He wondered if this is what it was like when he talked about the stories of the constellations when they went stargazing, he hoped Cass loved listening to his talking half as much as Belphie loved listening to his. Nothing could ruin this moment between them…. he thought anyway. 

Cassian startled as his phone on the coffee table vibrated, playing what Belphie assumed was one of the default ringtones. He quickly paused the movie with an apology to the demon and answered the call. 

“Hello? Oh, yeah you did. I totally forgot to bring it to you yesterday, sorry.” 

Belphie raised an eyebrow at the conversation, he couldn’t hear what the other person was saying, but by Cassian’s demeanor he could tell they were fairly close. 

“Uhm, hold on one sec.” The human lowered the phone and turned to Belphie, “Is it okay if one of my friends stops by really quick? He won’t be here for long, he just forgot something last time he was here.” 

“That’s fine.” 

Cass gave a soft smile and put his phone back to his ear, “Yeah, you can come grab it right quick. Oh, uhm… I have someone over so… oh shut up… I’ll see you in a few, bye bye.” 

His face was slightly pink and sighed as he hung up the call. “Sorry about that.” 

“Eh, it’s okay. Who was that?” 

“Oh, uhm, that was my friend Asher, he was my co-worker before I came to the Devildom and we started actually hanging out when I got back here. It’s kinda sad, but he was the only one who seemed to notice I was gone.” 

Belphie nodded and smirked, “I guess you were really lonely without me there for you, huh?” 

Cass covered his face with his hands. “M-maybe.” 

“Hehe.” 

It wasn’t long until the doorbell rang and Cassian got up to answer it, Belphie peeked over the couch to the doorway, he didn’t necessarily care about other humans besides Cass anymore, but that’s exactly why he felt the need to observe this friend of his. With how easily he trusted him in the attic, he was worried that he might’ve made friends with someone shady. 

It definitely wasn’t also because he was feeling jealous and wanted to make sure this new human didn’t try anything. 

Definitely not. 

The door opened and as Cass greeted him, Belphie could finally see what he looked like. He had shaggy green hair, obviously dyed from the looks of the black roots, matching olive green eyes, freckles going across his nose and cheeks, and quite a few piercings. He dressed like a mix between a skater and those e-boys that Asmo sends him on FabSnap, saying it’s what he should wear. 

“I’ll go grab your charger, be right back!” Cass ran to the room he uses as an “office” which is really just a glorified gaming room. 

The human looked around as he stood by the door, jumping when he noticed Belphie on the couch. “Oh, you scared me, man. I didn’t notice you there.” 

Belphie stared at him. 

He scratched the back of his head. “Soooo, you’re, like, Cass’s new boyfriend, yeah?” 

“Boyfriend?” 

“Oh, did I get that wrong? The way Cass talks about you I assumed you were, sorry about that.” He gave an embarrassed smile.  

Luckily Cass came back in before any other awkward conversation could be had, “Sorry I took so long, I forgot which one is yours.” He held out a few wrapped colorful cables to the other human. 

“Haha, it’s the yellow one.” He grabbed and shoved into his jacket pocket. “Well I guess I should get going. It was nice to meet you, Belphie.” He gave a wave as he opened and walked out the door, Cassian saying goodbye as he did. 

Belphie narrowed his eyes at the man using a nickname for him, but quickly tried to hide his annoyance as Cass sat back on the couch with him, sighing. “Sorry again… I should’ve brought it to him yesterday but I totally forgot. At least it didn’t take too long.” He smiled sweetly at the demon. 

“You apologize too much, you know?” He patted his fluffy hair. 

“Wahh…” 

Belphie reached for the remote, handing it over to Cass, he was already in a better mood. “C’mon, you still have to finish telling me about this guy’s illness.” 

Cassian's eyes seemed to almost sparkle as Belphie remembered what he was talking about. “O-okay. So I looked it up one time and I didn’t think humans could actually have bad reactions to the sun like that, but apparently…” 

Belphie smiled and felt his body relax as he listened to him infodump, and his mind started to wander slightly. That guy thought he and Cass were a couple. He wondered what kind of things Cassian said about him. Belphegor knew he had feelings for the blond for months, but could never put it together if it was mutual or if being affectionate was just how Cass was. 

Boyfriends, huh? He leaned onto Cass’s arm as he pressed play on the remote. Silently noting the other's flushed face as he did so. He liked the sound of that.

[dandydiary]

funniest lighthearted gag i have with cass and john is him getting progressively more annoyed at john smoking in his appartment despite being told not to. this progresses to cassius practically materialising to snatch the cigarette out of his mouth whenever they're hanging out in a private space

[tomwaterbabies]

kind of blessed to have gotten into tts/vat7k After The Show Ended. the discourse would have driven me insane im sure. cassunzel is so real btw

[one-hit-boy-wonder]

Hi my name’s Cassandra Cain and I’m the daughter of the Bat. I have short black hair and eyes that change color depending on the artist and I’m 5’something and super skinny but I can beat up a guy who’s thrice my size because I was raised to be the most badass assassin ever by my abusive father but I feel super bad about killing someone so now I’m angst-ridden about it. I met Batman when I was seventeen and he thought I was super cool and relatable so he helped me beat up my dad and then asked me to become his Batgirl. I said yes <3 Now we sit on gargoyles next to each other and brood after we finish punching criminals together all night long. Also Batman invited me to live in his giant mansion with a butler.

[ninawolv3rina]

I truly have Cass out here collecting fucked up male role models like it's an Olympic sport...

[astral-athame]

"Let's get our nails done. I'm just getting black, but I want you to myself for an hour." [Jayn]

@dhampiravidi

It seemed like most of the time Cass and Jayn hung out it was with the boys... all 4 (sometimes 5, if Aaron showed up) of them. That wasn't a problem, of course. Cassia was happy to hang out with the whole group and, admittedly, there was a day here or there that she and Caleb were practically attached at the hip, so to speak. But the moments she got to be alone with just Jayn were always special, in a way. Intimate. Maybe, in part, it was because the 4 boys had their own special bond and that left Cassia and Jayn as outsiders to some degree (at least, Cass usually felt that way a bit). So getting to have their own inside jokes and such, just the two of them, was nice.

The boys had, unintentionally, kind of taken full lead of the conversation by now- a little back and forth of silly memories from childhood- and Cass was listening with a soft sort of fondness. They were all so close, always had been. It was nice to hear about. But it also felt very... distant in some way. She wondered if they'd ever make memories like that with her and Jayn, too. The kind of things you looked back on with all the love and nostalgia you could hold.

She thought that maybe Jayn felt similarly when she mentioned the idea of going to get their nails done together. Did she feel separate from the others in some way, too? Like they were looking in from the outside? Or maybe this was a suggestion she'd planned to make earlier and now seemed like a good chance to bring it up.

The conversation carried on between the others, Pogue sitting on the kitchen countertop, Caleb leaning back against the one next to him, so close that Caleb's pinky finger was nearly brushing Pogue's thigh. Cass often wondered if something was going on between them, or if it had in the past. Maybe it was something that would spark up again in the future. She wasn't entirely sure of how that made her feel. Jealousy was far too strong of a word for it, but there was a small, needling, in the back of her throat (had she taken her medication this morning?). That was, until she looked at Jayn. She practically beamed at the suggestion- she'd never actually gone and gotten her nails done professionally.

"Yes, please!" She answered, her enthusiasm obvious in her voice. She usually just tossed on a coat or two of black nail polish and called it a day, but she thought she might switch it up if she was getting them done professionally. Could the nail tech make her nails look kind of like a starry sky? "It'd be nice to hang out, just you and I, for an hour or so. It'd give the guys time to themselves, too." In hindsight, she realized they probably hadn't had much of that recently considering Caleb and Pogue usually had the girls with them.

Cassia, careful not to walk between the boys as they conversed, circled her way around to Caleb. When he looked down at her, she immediately felt the warmth of his gaze, his smile, flood through her. They hadn't been dating long, but this, she thought, was the closest thing to love she'd ever felt. He shifted away from the counter just slightly and it gave her the space she needed to wrap her arms around him and press in close. "Hey, I think Jayn and I are gonna go get our nails done and hang out for a bit. An hour or two of girls' time for us, and a little boys' time for you," She wanted to make sure he knew that it wasn't that they didn't want to hang out with them more, it was simply that it might be good to have a bit of time where the boys could hang out, just the four of them. And, in the meantime, Cass and Jayn could have some time for themselves, too. The whole group of them was usually all together, so an hour or two apart wasn't gonna hurt anything. "We could pick up something for dinner on the way back," She suggested. It wasn't late yet, but by the time they were done it should be around dinner time. They could pick up dinner and maybe some snacks, too. Then they could all settle in a watch a movie or something! Or play some board games! She was still fairly certain that she and Tyler couldn't convince the whole group to participate in a single, one off, round of D&D, but Tyler had planned to try eventually. Cass had even offered to DM the whole thing and had a little story line all planned out (though she'd probably have to adjust it slightly based on what races and classes people picked).

She leaned up and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "Does that sound okay?"

[green-butterfly-writes]

Little Thief (Part 3)

Part 1, Part 2, Part 4

Summary: Batman is confused. Elsewhere, a fox has dinner with a social worker.

Trigger Warning for starvation and animal/child abuse. Read at your own risk.

I'm Dyslexic, and don't have a beta, so spelling mistakes are likely to happen.

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

“I have a question about the report you submitted last Tuesday.”

“What is it, father?” Damian stopped sharpening his blade and looked up at Bruce, still in his cowl from patrol.

“Could you please explain this… Fox… you wrote about?” He asked, carefully picking his words.

“What about it?”

The cave was filled with silence as they stared each other down. Bruce contemplated how to proceed. 

“Damian, foxes can’t do these things. They can’t understand human speech to the degree you described, they don’t exchange food for services, they can’t point you to the joker.”

“Are you calling me a liar father?” Damian snipped back.

Bruce didn’t answer.

“I didn’t lie,” Damian seethed through clenched teeth, “You can ask Grayson if you don’t believe me. But I did not lie.”

Bruce contemplated that reaction. Perhaps it wasn’t just a ploy to get a new pet. “Foxes can’t do those things,” he repeated, a silent question hanging in the air.

“I know.”

~~~~

Jason did not yelp. He did not jump and definitely did not scream like a 5 year old watching a horror movie. In fact he did not react at all when he walked into his safe house, turned on the light, and heard the gravelly voice of the 6 foot tall hell beast behind him calling his name. Nope. Not a single reaction. Not even a flinch. Totally. Definitely. 

Which is why Bruce’s current expression is completely unwarranted. It was the expression he made when Jason ate 5 plates of pancakes in one sitting two months into living with him. It was the expression he made when Jason lost his tooth naturally for the first time — rather than in a fight. It was the expression he made when Jason cried over a bruised knee when learning how to ride a bike. It was the expression he made when Cass fell asleep against him during a movie, close and comfortable. It was the expression he made when Stephanie would show off a new skill she learned or hobby she picked up. It was the expression he made when Tim would show off his photos, or when Babs would take a break to read a new book. It was the expression he made when Damian would ask for a play date, or Dick would show off new clothes. It was the expression he made when his kids, his family, acted like normal people, and not vigilantes burdened with a fight they could never win. And there was no reason for him to make that awful, soft, sappy, expression now because Jason did not scream.

“The fuck you want?” Jason snapped (because he was upset about being intruded upon, and definitely, totally not because he was embarrassed about squealing like a little girl. Which is something he did not do, by the way.)

“I wanted to ask you about something,” his voice was clear and stern, but still held concern and care.

Jason tilted his head toward Bruce, urging him to continue. “Damian wrote a report I found… odd. It was about your informant,” That idiotic fool “I was hoping you could clarify something.” 

Jason signed, he’d reem the little twerp later, and plopped himself down on the ratty once-beige couch. “Alright. Shoot.”

~~~~

The clothes were itchy. Unbelievably so. They were baggy, but the intentional kind. The kind that hid how malnourished you were, rather than highlighting it. They were new, unwashed, ugly, and would likely be returned the next day, if the tag digging into your back was any indication.

“How are things going dear?” Asked Ms.Kelsey, a naive younger woman with a brown bun and thin purple glasses, “are you liking your stay with Neels?”

“It’s not the worst home I’ve been in,” you answered smoothly. That wasn’t a lie. Despite the fact you could only shower on Wednesday mornings, they confiscated your phone two days in, and they seemingly despised the idea they had to feed you, it still wasn’t the worst home you’d been in. Not even top five. 

“That’s good to hear!” Ms.Kelsey, your current social worker, celebrated. She was new to the job, only a year in, and annoyingly cheerful, but she was visibly trying her best. You appreciated that. “How’s school been going?”

“We’re reading Shakespeare in my English class,” you offered.

“Oh! And how are you liking it?”

“It’s alright, but I really like my English teacher, he makes it fun.”

“That’s wonderful sweetie,” Ms.Kelsey grinned, “Let’s go join the family for dinner,” she directed, standing from the worn brown armchair in the living room and heading towards the dining room where the Mr. and Mrs. Neel were seated beside their son, George.

You took your seat at the stubby table, across from George. The table was dressed with a tacky floral tablecloth, and covered with various mismatched bowls of sides surrounding a rather large chicken. The food was, as typical for Mrs. Neel, simultaneously overcooked and raw. You plopped a spoonful of soggy broccoli on your plate, followed by a serving of (unintentionally chunky) mashed potatoes. No chicken, you weren’t willing to risk salmonella or the screaming fit that would follow. Only simple sides that they have plenty of, so they wouldn’t get mad at you. 

The mashed potatoes crunched when you took a bite, and you tried your best to ignore it. They tasted wet and sad, and far too salty. Chewing was both difficult and necessary as parts of the food slashed down your throat with little resistance, and others put up a fight when you tried to chew them. But this wasn’t the worst home you’ve been in. Far from it in fact. At least the food isn’t moldy! And there’s no— no, wait, yup that’s hair. You decided to risk the chunky potatoes swallowed down your mouthful with a glass of water.

Ms.Kelsey and the Neels exchanged pleasant conversation, while you picked at your food, taking small mouthfuls fast enough they wouldn’t ask questions, and slow enough you could carefully examine all the food. The evening passed in a swift haze, with no mistakes on your end. After Miss Kelsey left, you helped clear the table, pack the food away, and retreated to your rarely used bedroom.

The bedroom had bare white walls, an uncomfortable bed, and a small dresser you kept your clothes in. It was fine. Everything was fine, you kept repeating to yourself. It could be much, much worse. It has been much, much worse. Be thankful for what you have. At least tomorrow you’ll see your friends again! That’s gotta count for something, right?

~~~~

“They… didn’t come today…” Damian rarely allowed his emotions to breathe freely, so seeing him look so defeated was odd.

“It happens from time to time. ‘Bout once a month,” Jason clumsily tried to comfort, “they’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Do you think they’re ok?” Damian asked, almost pleading, and looked up at Jason.

“I— ummm — ya,” he awkwardly placed a hand on Damian’s shoulder, “I’m sure they’re fine.” He was not sure, actually, but he hoped it was true. “Let’s leave the food here, so they’ll have something if they drop by later.” 

Damien seemed pleased by the idea. 

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Thank you all so much for reading! Let me know what you think 💚

Notes:

I put this elsewhere, but in case you haven't seen it: I'm having some technical difficulties with responding to comments, but I see them, and I appreciate them <3