#dick can be so forgiving until it comes to hurting bruce

[vintagerobin]

D'you guys think maybe he's mad at Bane for breaking Bruce's back

[acid-ixx]

prequel: again &. again. (platonic! yandere batfam x neglected! gn reader)

directory: prequel, chapter one, chapter two, chapter three, chapter four, chapter five pt 1

read until the end for an author's note.

what hurts more when it comes to neglectful batfam that adopted you after jason's death (that eventually turns a 360 after you have left) is probably the fact that they always had time for you, it's just that they never chose to spend it on you; an extra burden to their family rather than an addition. if they had time to spend, they spend it on anything or anyone else but you. it's not that you don't share interests with them, it's just...! they have way more priorities that push you further back into their list of 'to do's'; though you know you'll always be the last of that list.

bruce has to juggle so many tasks as the billionaire playboy "brucie wayne", a father of an ever growing family, and gotham's dark knight vigilante but somehow, you're aware he could easily fit in one or two more children into his already booked schedule— he just never seems to consider you worthy enough apparently. or maybe it was because you were too silent, you set boundaries compared to your other family who are outspoken about what they want, what they need— but there's one thing for sure that sets you off from your siblings; you're not a vigilante.

you were merely a child of a one night stand; a child raised too well. you were behaved, you never complained, and you were just, you. and being normal (at least in their level of extraordinary talents were you a mere droplet) amongst a family of talented individuals makes you easily a ghost. was bruce to blame with his neglect? definitely. if he was able to balance his life so easily, then maybe as the world's best detective would he notice you packing your things day by day without update. maybe that was why you never once hesitated the moment you stepped outside the manor, permanently.

dick's excuse would always be "sorry, baby bird! but i promised to spar with damian today. ah, but you can watch from the sidelines!" or he would be too busy saving bludhaven to even acknowledge your presence. sure, he smiles at you with those shiny teeth of his, but despite him looking at you, he never notices you for more than a second, right after he would skidadle his way to another sibling's room, bothering them to spend more time with him, never you though. it occurs to you that he has only entered your bedroom once, and that occurrence was years ago. even then, he didn't last a minute inside there before running away once more.

family matters more than anything to dick. hell, he was enraged at the announcement of jason's death and even beat joker to a bloody pulp when he realized tim fell into his hands. he's ready to defend damian, barbara, steph, cass, and duke with his life. it's his duty and obligation as the family's eldest brother, of course. but were you considered family to him? were you considered a sibling in his eyes, or were you just the resident roommate of the mansion? you question that endlessly because everyone, family and friends, seem to be smitted with dick, but you eventually gave up trying to vye for his attention. it's fine, really, if you were just another civilian to him, because he was just another person to you too. just like in a circus, you would always be the intermission rather than the main event. and with that, you take your leave.

jason was the most forgivable to you, second to tim. he was never there, and he would've probably put effort into spending time with you if not for the fact he despises bruce and the mansion and wouldn't and couldn't last a second stepping into it. he never met you when he was robin, it was only right after his death did he discover were you taken in and that added fact alongside tim being his replacement turned him bitter with resentment. though his hatred for you receded over time, he wouldn't really be caught taking a minute with you because he always sneaks inside the mansion and crime in gotham never seems to lessen. because of that, and your unwillingness to become a vigilante to kick ass with him and the others, he wouldn't be able to fully take an hour with you.

casual talks are unavoidable, though, when at the dead of the night he would be caught sneaking in to eat some leftovers and you were conveniently awake at the same time as him. he'll recommend you some classic literature he read or 'cafes/restaurants that criminals visit the least' lists, but before it would turn into a full conversation, jason would already be wearing his signature mask again, and with a pat on your head and a "talk to you soon, can't guarantee it'll be tomorrow again though, only here for alfred's meals of course," and he'll be gone. you shouldn't have let your hopes high, you wished you didn't because, duh! he wasn't there to talk to you, specifically. you were just there to bide his time! wiping tears away from your eyes, and with a heavy heart, you book an apartment away from the wayne manor with your own atm card; hope irreversibly dead and unable to revive a sliver of faith, even if it was dipped in the lazarus pit would it never come back as the same.

tim drake is always tired. just like bruce, his days are filled with investigation, crime fighting, and worst of all; high school. that's of course that least of his worries the moment he drops out. tim was never the guy to talk much. he only does when he needs to make an impression for others, or when he needs to manipulate people for potential information. his life revolved around fighting, from when he solved the case of bruce wayne and dick grayson being batman and robin respectively, up to his current identity as red robin and occasionally robin. he'll often be found in the batcave working with babs on a case or working alone in his room.

it's no mistake that you were the most distant to him, never once knowing about his interests or even hobbies and vice versa. it was a given that at the very moment you pass a glance at him, you knew it was a 'mind your business' type of relationship with him. if you were a mere ghost to dick, then you were just a spec of dust to tim. it was unfair to assume he would never care for you, he does! only in a way where you were another person to save if you ever were endangered, but would that be enough to stalk you to the point he gains every insight about you? not really. you weren't one of his friends, like kon who he would spend weekly video game challenges with; and you probably don't exist as his sibling in his own little world filled with coffee and computers. yeah, your feelings about leaving him weren't as bitter as the caffeine he drowns in his system, but you were still hurt either way.

damian wayne, from his birth, was taught and raised to prioritize his mission as an al ghul, to be the one continuing the legacy and to shed blood on anyone who opposes. when he was given over to bruce, it took a hell lot of effort to turn a new page and become the next robin. it was, with no doubt, that despite his 'redemption', he would be a tad bit crueler to you than the others. unlike tim, who he persistently bothers, you were untalented, worthless, and a stain on the reputation of the wayne's. even jason, his father's greatest mistake, had more value than you.

maybe it was fine-tuned jealousy, maybe he was mirroring his father and dick's actions towards you with his own sick twist of violence. either way, you would rather avoid the boy, lest you face the wrath of his sword. it wouldn't be wrong if you came to hate him, actually you do, but despite your endless game of cat and mouse with you as the unwilling victim of the chase, your poor heart couldn't fathom the thought of not excusing his actions as that of a child's. you tell yourself everyday, 'just ignore it, he was raised like as to be a menace after all' but you can't deny the bitterness and the clenching of your teeth whenever you stumble upon a room and see your father and your younger brother watching a movie together. the resentment eventually builds up until you blow up and just, give up. within your final moments in the manor, you figured to leave some belongings that you collected overtime that were supposedly memorabilias that you wish to show off to your family. like his pieces of art, you could only explain your life in the family as black and white and as bleak as the streaks of charcoal that rubs against the pages.

when dick was jogging through the desolate halls of the manor, he noticed the place seemed to be more... empty of some sort. and he knows pushing that feeling into the back of his head would only result in more questions than answers. so he decides to enter the spare rooms one by one until he comes across your room (he doesn't know it was yours, though), turning the knob without knocking.

that was when his eyes seem to dilate. his nose catched a faint whiff of bleach (was the room deep-cleaned?), vision seemingly closing in on the few furniture left alongside a diary and other boxes left neatly on your bed, with other smaller trinkets left untouched on your bedside table. he didn't remember you mentioning anything about leaving, hell, he doesn't want to admit his lack of memories about you but—

wait...

didn't he promise to take you out for dinner months ago...?

reblogs and interactions are encouraged and appreciated.

a/n: this is one of my favorite pieces of writing i have ever done and i like it a lot so i hope whoever reads this likes it too. if you all want to read more of this, then please leave a comment or reblog because i heavily appreciate it and it motivates me further to write this type of content! the reason i have come to a long hiatus is because, as stated, the lack of interaction with content. like i said, i will still write for genshin but i am open to expanding my fandom list. (p.s. i hope you like the way i had to connect their interests or a part of their past to the reader.)

heavily inspired by @klemen-tine's work: Glass Bones and Paper Skin, @gotham-daydreams' work: Not [], and @onmyyan's work: Ain't No Sunshine.

[obsessiveloveistheonlylove]

Hey, I've read your last yandere Bruce, neglected fam reader and it gave me an idea. What if instead of the reader wasting all that money or luxury, she saved most of it in a closed account and when Bruce bought the apartment she made him sign it in her name as a plan to when the right time comes or if she needs to, she will sell the apartment and use all the money she saved to leave to start over in another country. Imagine Bruce finding out when she reaches the point where she put her apartment for sale, or better, actually selling it to a friend or someone they know and actually leaving.

Yan!batfam with neglected!sister reader leaving the state/country

Anon your mind is fucking golden! I also thought of the reader having the apartment signed in her name just because Bruce wanted her to feel comfortable but I love the layers this adds.

Hopefully these couple of hcs are good enough while I work on pt 2. Also if anyone else has any questions about any other scenarios or certain characters feel free to send them in I'll try to respond whenever I have time and I write for any gender reader.

Word count ; 1073

Unedited

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˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ bruce is not happy with this turn of events at all. He wasn't expecting nor did he sense that this was going to happen, you didn't post about it or even reference moving on any of your social media apps which he lovingly stalks watches over to make sure you are content with your life and also because he likes seeing you happy and enjoying all the things he got you. And it hurts him a little that you didn't even say something to him … he knows you don't owe him that, not when your relationship is still in a fragile state but he's trying.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ he only figures out after someone in the fam(most likely dick) broke in dropped by your apartment and likely scared one of your friends shitless.. obviously both parties are shocked but your friend more so as they don't know who the hell just broke into their house, dick is shocked when this random person claims that he's trespassing in their home. After that awkward situation dick immediately reports back to Bruce about this over the comms and with some digging from Tim they're able to find out that you had sold the house and the exact date that you had, approximately a month ago. That sends off alarm bells for the entire batfam, where are you now?! It takes an hour or so of searching to find out exactly where you moved and when they do they can't decide what to do with the information.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚Alfred is the voice of reason in this family, he discourages the batboys from immediately doing everything in their power to bring you home, he advocated for you to live wherever you choose and says that it's your life and that the family cannot choose for you. Alfred loves you dearly you are basically his child he views you the way he views Bruce. He may be a yandere but he's a selfless one he truly only has your best interest in mind. His words are like a slap of reality for some of the Batfam mainly Tim, Steph and Jason all three of then become a lot more hesitant to go through with their plans to bring you home on the other hand dick, bruce, and damian are adamant that you aren't safe unless they can be nearby.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ Nobody can come to a decision the night they find out and so they decide to sleep on it until they can come to an agreement the manor will be tense for a week or two at most before they spring into action, they will all eventually cave to their selfish needs even if some feel guilty for doing it. Alfred will sigh disappointedly but ultimately allow them to go through with their plans he only hopes you can forgive him for not doing more

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ you on the other hand will be left unaware to all that's going down you'd gotten a new phone and lived in a whole new state maybe even country! They couldn't bother you here. You were happier than you have been for a long time. Even if you missed your old friends you still tried to keep in touch over the phone.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ as for why you did this? It's likely the other batboys' faults, Bruce is annoying but he's not nearly as demanding of your time as the others, namely dick. Dick is insanely clingy once you're on his radar and he becomes aware of how much his neglect affected you mentally. The guilt for him was all consuming when he found out how much he hurt you and that he neglected you for quite literally no reason, you just didn't matter to him at the time. the thought now makes him sick, of course you matter, what the hell was his problem!! Dick would have constantly broke your boundaries by hugging and touching and cuddling you he feels like he needs to make it up to you by being a good big brother, even if that's not what you need anymore after all it's far too late you're already an adult but he refuses to see it that way you're still his baby sister. He inserts himself into your life constantly and even if he'll pay for things he'll only do so under the circumstances that the money be spent ‘together’ like sure he'll take you to that fancy restaurant but it's going to be made into a sister-brother bonding moment, like yeah he'll let you use his card to go shopping but only if he's going with you. Even if you don't use him for money he will still find ways to insert himself into your life. He's overwhelmingly intense and his behavior mixed with the other overbearing members in the batfam plus the added overwhelming feelings of having people who ignored you all your life suddenly want your time and attention is probably why you felt like you had to leave.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ you won't be gone for more than a month or two before your dragged back to Gotham and back to your family, only this time you've got a metaphorical collar around your neck as now you're likely brought back to the manor always under surveillance and on the off chance you're still allowed to own your own apartment again just know it will be heavily bugged along with your phone courtesy of Tim even if he feels bad about invading your privacy he knows they need to see your texts to make sure you're not planning to leave Gotham again. Oh and now the bat members will each take turn patrolling your house and following you from the shadows to make sure you're safe.

___

All in all I'd say you'll have your fun for a little while but ultimately you'll just drive them deeper in their obsession and they will likely kidnap and bring you home.

[gotham-daydreams]

Hello!! I love your batfam series, rereading chap 2 got me thinking: Imagine Christmas

Reader is a child, they're so excited for Christmas, perhaps her new family forgot about her birthday because she's new to the manor, but no one forgets Christmas! Maybe this is the chance to spend time with their whole family! Reader takes the time to make little Christmas cards for everyone, each with her own wishes for them like:

"I hope this year, you get that [insert what the character is interested in here] you've always wanted!" and they add sweet little notes and doodles too.

It's Christmas eve, reader goes to where the tree and presents are, they want to put the cards on the mantle, or maybe the table? just somewhere where everyone can see them.

Reader passes the gifts and they get curious and excited.

'I wonder which one's mine?' their eyes get all sparkly and their smile widens, they place the cards on the table and head to the gifts, they read each tag.

"Dick, Jason, Tim, Dick, Alfred, Bruce, Bruce..." But no [Y/N]... No, that can't be true right? Everyone gets a present on Christmas, all the kids on the nice list gets a present, and [Y/N] made sure that they were nice all year, I mean, look at all they've done for their family! As tears well up in their eyes, a choked sob escapes [Y/N].

The door creaks open, "Master Y/N? What are you doing here so late?" Alfred asks.

"*hic* Christmas *hic* cards..." Alfred is alerted by the child's crying.

"Now, Master Y/N, why are you crying? Are you hurt?"

"Alfred...*hic* I was nice all year, right?" Alfred nods at this. "Then...why didn't I get a present?" Reader looks up at Alfred with those sad eyes, all hurt and desperate for an answer.

Alfred thinks for a moment and in an attempt to comfort the child, "Master Y/N, your gift isn't here because it's coming tomorrow, it's a very special gift, so it took some time to come here."

Reader calms down at this and asks, "Really?"

"Yes, Master Y/N, now, we must get you to bed, it's quite late, off you go now." Alfred leads them to their room and as Reader bids Alfred goodnight, Alfred is thinking of what he can order for Reader that would make them happy and that could be delivered immediately tomorrow.

please forgive me that it is very long hehe, it's my first time sending an ask ❤️

thank you for the batfam series tho 😊

I'm honored to have your first ask be sent to me! And I also apologize for the horrendous delay 😅

Don't worry about the length, I love long asks and your writing is amazing! I can definitely see that happening in the story, and can even imagine more of it!

Like imagine the family going back to look at the cards, and never really questioning where they came from or who wrote them until recently? Like, they sort of all had an assumption of who it was or could be, and didn't bother to really look into it until, well, all that happens takes place.

Imagine the reader had their letters sent to Dick, and tried to leave them by the window in the kitchen or hall for Jason. How they would sneak into Bruce's study to leave the note right on top of all the work he had left to do, and slipped a little envelope or note under Tim's door. They've tried to give it to Damian in person, but maybe got all nervous and just attached it to Titus' collar instead. Of course, Alfred always gets his handed to him or put into a little nook in the kitchen wall that only both of them know about. With Barbara's getting hers in the mail or rested upon a counter top, Cassandra's by a little side table next to her room, and Stephanie's close to the front door.

Imagine little reader trying to come up with new locations and areas every year, and trying to be more positive in their letters and also make them more meaningful - but just find it hard. It's hard to make something mean anything when you barely know the person your giving it too aside from exchanges that don't go past greetings and so on, but the reader tries as much as they can. Until that, like with all the things they tried to do, eventually stops as well - but maybe in a fit of self loathing. With them finding their own letters to be annoying, and the gifts they try to give obnoxious or meanings.

It drives them up the wall so much they eventually can't take it, and come apart. Hell, maybe they still continued the little 'tradition' but stuck to the little notes and letters. Now having grown used to getting no reply in return.

I know on that first night, Alfred most likely, personally tries to search for something before going out and getting it himself if he can. At least personally, I'd imagine it's a music box and it sort of serves as one of the inspirations that the reader has for even trying out music. Especially when it's the first thing they see when they get up the next day, and the soft melody is the first thing they hear.

It could have a larger effect from there, having been the reason the reader starts out doing school plays and so on - since it has two people dancing as the lullaby plays - before the reader eventually falls in love with music.

Ah! But that's just my own interpretation, and again, thanks so much for sharing! I'm so sorry about the delay, and not noticing this ask sooner! I love the idea, and can definitely see something like that happening in the series :]

[farshootergotme]

I get emotional thinking about how his family would react to Bruce's change if he ever started working on himself, on improving his behavior. But the one I think about the most is Dick Grayson.

Alfred is the one who was there from the very beginning, but Dick Grayson is who arrived and made the biggest impact. He's the first kid who Bruce took in, the one who approached this man and became his first partner to fight by his side out in the night.

Dick was able to pull Bruce out of the darkness that consumed him. No matter how many times Bruce went back, Dick's presence was a constant reminder that there's not only shadows. That if Bruce pushes back, fights so he won't be dragged down, he will find light.

However, it was a cycle. Dick would get him out, but Bruce would go back, sooner or later. And repeat. And Dick realized this and knew he couldn't let that be his whole life. But despite the distance, it still affects Dick knowing he can't find a definite solution for Bruce.

So, seeing Bruce actually change, get better and seeing that last...it would lift the heaviest weight on Dick's shoulders, who's felt responsible for Bruce's emotions since the day he became Robin.

It's been implied to him that Bruce needs him, that he's who keeps him from falling. And Dick, despite not always feeling like he is enough, carries with that responsibility because, deep down, he also feels like he owes it to Bruce, who Dick has needed (still needs) present in his life, too.

Bruce getting better would be like being able to breath again, but it would be so suffocating too.

Dick would happy for Bruce, for the man who raised him. He'd be relieved that the hurt will stop, for both his father and those he's continuously pushed away. But then he'll be anxious, will it really last? How long until he can be sure? And he'll be scared, does he still need him, now? Does a Batman who's gotten help still need Dick Grayson Robin? Nightwing? And lurking in the back of his mind, there'd be anger. Why now? Why after all those years? Why not before? Was Dick not enough reason to change? Was he never worth this? And shame will drown those thoughts. It's selfish, to think that way. He should be happy. He wants to be happy. He is happy. But he is also mad. He's sad and he mourns the child who never saw this side of Bruce. And most of all, he loves. He loves Bruce too much to hate him for it. No matter how angry, no matter how hurt, he loves his father and he's grateful for him, for his efforts. And all he can do is smile and congratulate him because that's everything he feels he has the right to say.

And when all is said and done, Bruce will come to him and Dick will have to face the worst part of this change;

Apologies.

If Bruce has truly changed, then he would know there's more things than he can count with his fingers that he has to apologize to his son for. And out of everything else, this is what Dick Grayson fears the most.

Dick can take it, he can hear Bruce out, but he can't unpack all the pain he's been accumulating in front of his dad. He can't bring himself to say 'I forgive you' out loud despite having convinced himself long ago that it's alright.

Bruce doesn't didn't do apologies. Things happened and then went back to normal and Dick was okay with that. He forgave him, he did. So, Bruce doesn't need to apologize, he doesn't have to make him say it out loud. He can't tell him, but he's forgiven him long ago. Even if it hurt, even if he was still resentful sometimes, even if he wanted to yell at him for it, Dick could push it all down and forgive him. Bruce shouldn't apologize, shouldn't bring it up again because Dick isn't strong enough to keep it all bottled up if Bruce starts acknowledging it, if he confirms that Dick wasn't crazy for feeling wronged and hurt.

He can take it, but he really can't.

Just thinking about it drives me crazy because, out of everyone, Dick Grayson might be the kid who's been waiting for this the longest, and who thought he'd already given up the idea of his father finding a lasting happiness that would bring permanent change in him. And it would be just so overwhelming.

[brucewaynehater101]

It really gets me so mad that in Batman: The Animated series when all Joker Junior happens they let Tim go. Just like that. WTF???

That's your boy Bruce, the one you drive in your limo, the one that gets an allowance, the one that impersonates you so good because he's your son. And the minute he goes through the worst experience of his life you just let him go.

Like, I get my boy Tim, him been there just reminds him of his trauma, and if being away helps him, then go away, no one's gonna judge you.

BUT 40 YEARS OF SILENCE

Like. Man. Wtf.

And I get the series has other problems (Bruce and Babs together- yuck )

But Tim, hurt Tim forced to go through it alone.

It hurts me so much, it haunts me.

Fuck. I need to watch that series. I was a wee bit scared cause I thought, at first, that Tim got stuck as Joker. I couldn't handle that, tbh. I heard he doesn't, though, so I'm down to try.

However, that's so fucking tragic. Just Tim handling that trauma alone when Bruce is aware of it. I've seen some cool AUs where Bruce and the others aren't aware, but somehow it's worse where Bruce just ignored Tim (or that it happened to him).

40 is fucking bonkers though.

I kind of want an AU where Tim reaches the 10 year anniversary of the JJ incident. The only person who knows is Bruce (maybe Alfred if you want to make him guilty/bad). The age Tim is can vary (from like 19-24), but it'd be hella cool to see the fallout of everyone else learning that Bruce has been a dick to Tim for that. This would be cool if Tim was RR at this point.

Counter AU:

JJ happens when Tim is Robin, and Bruce fires Tim "for his own safety" or whatever. No one else, not even Barbara, knows about this incident. All they know is that there *was* a third Robin, but now there's not.

Other people rein Bruce in until Damian comes along. Maybe Cass helps or something (for plot purposes, Steph isn't Robin. She does get vigilante-adopted by Oracle, though, and joins the Birds of Prey).

Either way, Tim is no longer Robin and basically ignored by Bruce due to Bruce's guilt/fear (not an excuse. Bruce is a huge colossal asshole for that. This is just his reasoning).

The only people who know who the third Robin was are Bruce, Babs, Dick, Alfred, Leslie, Jason, and Talia (technically Ra's too). No one but Jason and Talia know that Jason knows who the third Robin was.

Bruce, once again, is the only one who knows about JJ and why Tim stopped being Robin (maybe Alfred too, but fun drama if Alfred finds out what Bruce did to Tim).

Anyways, Jason never attacks Tim because Tim wasn't Robin by that point. Damian doesn't either. They don't have favorable opinions of Tim, but he's not really important to them in the grand scheme of things.

Dick and Babs initially kept in contact with Tim, but they slowly stopped checking up with him due to the shitshow of their lives (like Jason coming back).

Tim moves out of Gotham for a few years. He was never adopted at this point and keeps up the fake uncle thing. He's pissed at Bruce for firing him (that man can not tell Tim to stop being a vigilante. That's so fucking hypocritical and that man isn't Tim's father), but he can't do anything about it. Bruce can't stop him from being a vigilante if he isn't in Gotham, though [Tim also gets the opportunity to heal while he's not in the same shadow of Gotham].

While Tim isn't Robin, he does maintain some communication with YJ. It's more distant, but they still go on missions together (as long as word won't get back to Batman). Tim is also more of a traveling vigilante who steals money from Lex or other billionaires to fund Tim's night job (he, begrudgingly, doesn't attempt to steal from Bruce. Babs would catch him). Tim also pockets some of the cash from crimes (particularly if the cops are corrupt and the money wouldn't go towards good causes regardless). Maybe Tim remotely manages DI as well, maybe not.

Anyways, years later, the batfam is slowly starting to heal. Jason is starting to forgive Bruce. The old man is putting in the effort to heal their relationship. Damian is healing and bonding with all of the family members in his own way. Dick has a much better relationship with Bruce, and Steph feels accepted by them.

Then Bruce "dies."

Tim stumbles upon proof of Bruce through his travels. He doesn't trust the Bats (especially after at least a year of no contact with them), so he tries to tell them about his proof as a not well-known vigilante. Red Hood has worked with him when The Outlaws crossed paths with him, but they aren't at the stage where RH trusts him. Tim doesn't trust RH due to a conversation or two about the man's hatred of the third Robin.

The Bats, drowning in their grief, push Tim away and deny him.

It stings, but Tim convinces himself to just shrug. What would he expect from the Bats anyways?

Tim goes through the effort of bringing Bruce back by himself. He then tries to dip immediately afterwards. He wants nothing to do with the Bats.

The Bats become curious about why a vigilante who seems to dislike would risk and sacrifice so much to bring back Bruce. They, like the nosy shits they are, try to investigate, charm, and stalk Tim.

Tim wants nothing to do with those fuckers. He wants to be left alone, fucking hell.

This dissolves into Tim trying to stay the fuck away from the Waynes as they chase him. He also can't help the fact that he cares about them, even if they piss him off.

More secrets unravel. Tim, wanting them to just go the fuck away, admits he knew the third Robin and that's why he doesn't like them.

Tim has changed a ton (personality and looks [he's taller and changes his appearance with makeup/wings]) so they don't immediately think of him as the third Robin. Tim also maintains a spotless civilian cover.

This cues the other Bats starting to question each other and Bruce what the fuck happened to the third Robin to make someone else hold a grudge against them.

I got so distracted. Oh well. Imma have to watch that series to feel the pain you're chatting about ^^ I wanna immerse myself in it, lmao

[libraryofgage]

Harlequin Prince (3)

Part of: Steve Deserves Good Parents, Actually

Debbie and Fester Addams One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six Rick and Evelyn O'Connell One | Two | Three Harley Quinn One | Two | Three (you're here!) 10th Doctor and Rose One | Two Scooby Gang (there are plans for this one lmao, so plz be patient with me orz) Jedidiah and Octavius (from Night at the Museum) One | Two Queen Clarisse Renaldi One | Two | Three Leverage Crew One

So that Suicide Squad Isekai anime huh (it's great, I love it actually)

Anyway, I'll be playing fast and loose with Batman canon so all the batkids can be around at the same time have fun with that cuz I did (also forgive me if anyone is a little too OOC; i'm here for a good time not a long time), and the little flashback bit will continue in the next parts as Steve meets more batkids ^_^

As always, if you see any typos, no you didn't UwU

----

Harley drops him off at Wayne Manor just after ten in the morning. She tugs a window open, carries him inside, kisses him on the forehead, and promises to pick him up in a week before climbing back out. Steve watches her until she's past the gate, clutching a Green Lantern plush his mother insisted he carry around because it'll annoy his Uncle Bruce.

Steve glances down at the plush, wishing his mother didn't have to go off on a mission when she'd just gotten out of Arkham two months ago. His wishes won't actually change anything, though, so he might as well make the best of his week with Uncle Bruce.

He turns on his heel, taking in the plain bedroom that will probably become his for the next few days. He holds the Green Lantern plush close and marches to the door, stepping out into the hall and choosing a random direction to walk in.

According to his mother, Wayne Manor can have anywhere between two and ten people staying in it at one time. She told him that Dick would be the most welcoming, if not the most confused, the girls would be the most fun, and Damien would be the most guarded, likely to consider him a threat for his entire stay.

It's just his luck that the first person he runs into is Damien. The other boy drops from the ceiling, blade of his sword glinting in the light as it comes to a stop just against Steve's neck. Steve freezes, glancing down at the sharp edge as Damien says, "Think very carefully before answering. Who are you, and what are you doing in my home?"

Steve looks away from the sword, tilting his head slightly as he shrugs. "I'm Steve. I'm staying here for a week," he says.

Damien's eyes narrow, and he takes a step closer, adjusting his arms so the katana doesn't move. "Says who? Does Father know you're here? Are you a spy sent by my mother?"

"Says my mom. Maybe. No," Steve replies.

A few more seconds pass before Damien hums. "Who's your mother?"

"Harley."

"Quinn?"

"Is there another?"

Slowly, Damien lowers the sword. "I suppose Quinn is somewhat reformed. How old are you?" he asks.

"Almost six."

"So, you're five," Damien says, nodding once. He sheathes his sword, apparently deciding Steve is no threat to him. "That makes me older than you, so you have to do what I say. Consider me your big brother for the week."

"Are you gonna make me hurt myself?"

"No."

"Mom said you wouldn't like me."

"Father said I should try being more trusting and welcoming. You are small and untrained, like a puppy. I could dismember you before you hurt me, which makes you ideal for practicing," Damien explains. He's quiet for a few seconds before getting a slight smirk. "Besides, it will greatly annoy my brothers if you obviously prefer me over them."

"I'm great at pretending as long as we can do fun stuff, too."

"Then we have a deal. You will act like I'm your favorite, and I will make sure you have fun."

Steve considers this, decides Damien is well on his way to actually being Steve's favorite, and steps closer. "Mom said Alfred makes the best cookies. Can we have some?"

"Yes," Damien says, "If you're hungry, then it's my responsibility to feed you as your big brother."

He offers his hand, seeming unsure when Steve takes it, like he isn't used to this kind of contact. Still, he doesn't pull away; he just hesitantly squeezes Steve's hand before leading him down the hall.

----

Not two days ago, Steve was telling himself he'd never set foot in Hawkins High School. Now, after getting the run down on the Upside Down (and holy shit did this place suddenly get a thousand times more interesting), Steve decides he'll just have to brave the brick walls to get Eddie out.

He leans forward on his motorcycle, arms resting on the handlebars as he looks up at the building. There's an American flag waving in the wind, faded paint on the outside, and security so lax it'd be suspicious in Gotham. Steve briefly considers leaving his helmet on, but he settles for placing it on the seat once he's off the motorcycle.

Walking into the school is easy. He doesn't even get stopped by the receptionist at the front desk. She just waves him in without looking up from her book. So, yeah, getting in is easy; figuring out where Eddie is might be a little harder.

He wanders the halls and stops the first student he sees, a girl with short brown hair carrying an unwieldy instrument case in her arms. Steve places his hands on the case and gently pushes down, flashing a grin when he can finally see her face. "Uh, can I help you?" she asks, her tone implying she very much does not want to help him.

"Yeah, I'm looking for someone," Steve says.

Her nose wrinkles slightly in disgust. "Listen, dingus, if this is some kind of pick-up line dare, save it," she says, rolling her eyes. She takes a step back and Steve follows.

"Nope, definitely not," he says, "You're not my type, sorry."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, unless you're not a girl...," he says, voice trailing off and eyebrow raising as he watches her understand his meaning.

She blinks, her shoulders rising some. She glances around, confirms the hallway is still empty, and relaxes. "Word of advice," she says, "don't just say that shit where anyone can hear. People aren't exactly nice about it around here."

Steve flashes a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I can take care of myself, but thanks. Anyway, still looking for someone."

"Oh, right, uh, what's their name?"

"Eddie Munson. Know him?"

She blinks again, her eyebrows shooting up in slight disbelief. "Yeah, I know him. Whatcha need him for? He doesn't usually sell until after school."

Oh. Steve hums softly, filing away that tidbit of information for later. "Not here to buy. I'm here to take him somewhere fun," he says.

A few seconds pass in which the girl looks at Steve, drops her gaze to the instrument case between them, and then glances around the empty hall. "Well, shit, man, I wanna go somewhere fun, too."

Steve considers her for a moment, trying to figure out the logistics of fitting her and Eddie on his bike. Well, he can just have her sit on the handlebars or something. "Okay, but the instrument won't fit," he tells her.

The grin he gets in return tells him that won't be a problem. "Name's Robin, by the way."

This has to be fate, right?

"Steve. Nice to meetcha, Robin."

Robin's grin gets even wider, and Steve knows they'll be great friends.

---

"Eddie usually sits in a corner," Robin says, standing at the edge of the cafeteria with Steve. It's teeming with life, and Steve hears snippets of conversations that blur into one dull roar that settles over the space. It reminds him of bars in Gotham even more than the actual bars he's visited here in Hawkins.

He can't see into the corners from here, but that doesn't bother him. "Wait here," he says, flashing a grin at Robin before walking to a mostly empty table. He climbs onto it, reaches into one of his jacket's inner pockets, and pulls out an air horn.

Steve waits long enough to see Robin cover her ears before raising the horn in the air and pressing down. It blares through the room, drowning out conversations and forcing people at the surrounding tables to cover their ears. A few more seconds pass before Steve lets up on the horn, grinning widely at the sea of eyes turned towards him.

"I'm looking for Eddie Munson," he says, twirling the air horn in the palm of his hand.

Instead of a verbal answer, he watches as the eyes turn from him to a corner across the room. A few people even duck close to their tables to clear Steve's line of sight, allowing him to see a confused Eddie sitting with his friends.

Steve grins, pockets the air horn, and starts making his way across the cafeteria. He walks on tables, jumps between them, and narrowly avoids stepping on more than one tray along the way. By the time he reaches Eddie's table, most of the students have gone back to their lunches and conversations.

"How's it going, Eds?" Steve asks, crouching in front of Eddie with a grin. He glances at the other boys by him, notes the identical Hellfire Club shirts, and nods in acknowledgement.

"Better now," Eddie says, his startled blink telling Steve he definitely didn't mean to say that out loud.

Steve somehow grins wider. "Wanna make like a banana and split? I've got somewhere fun in mind," he says, popping up from his crouch before hopping off the table and into the narrow space between Eddie's chair and his friend's.

"Dude, really?" one of his friends asks. "We have a session today."

Eddie looks torn at that realization, halfway standing and stuck like that. "That we do, Gare-bear," he says, defeat bringing his shoulders down.

"In that case, consider this a kidnapping," Steve tells them, grabbing Eddie's hand and pulling him up. He wraps his arm around Eddie's shoulders, winks at his friends, and promises, "I'll have him home before six, though."

Eddie's friends exchange glances, and Steve graciously pretends not to notice the puppy dog eyes Eddie aims at them. After a few seconds, one of them stands up, towering over Steve and outweighing him by a good bit. He clears his throat, glances at the other two, and tries to sound intimidating as he says, "Make it five thirty, and no funny business."

Steve nods and offers a mocking two-finger salute. "Yes, sir," he replies, flashing a grin before taking Eddie's bag from his seat and dragging him to where Robin is waiting.

"So, where are you kidnapping me to?" Eddie asks, managing to stick close to Steve despite having to weave through chairs and tables.

"Nothing special, really. Just an abandoned laboratory in the middle of the woods that has a gateway to another dimension filled with faceless monsters. Oh, and Robin's coming, too. Don't worry, though, I won't let you get hurt. "

He glances over to meet Eddie's wide eyes, something warm curling behind his ribs when Eddie finally smiles and whispers under his breath, "Fucking metal."

-----

Tag List (definitely still room, so let me know if you'd like to be tagged!):

@nectandra, @y4r3luv, @just-a-tiny-void, @dotdot-wierdlife

@midwestharpy, @twilitdragoneye, @disrespectedgoatman

@lawrencebshoggoth,

And now, a meme:

[brianwashere]

Heyyyy I love your dc stories and I wanted to ask if you maybe would write one for me.

Story would be: Teen trans!male reader that is (soon to be officially) adopted by the batfam and has been with them for a while. He didn‘t tell them he was trans and Jason was going into reader‘s room for a usb stick or something like that and sees blueprints and a handmade binder reader made so he can patrol better. Reader walks in on Jason staring at the binder and almost get‘s a panic attack. That is because the adoption is to be official soon and reader is scared that they would kick him out for being trans. Jason comforts him and it turns into a heart to heart. Dick and Tim were searching for their brothers bcs patrol starts soon and they didn‘t show up in the cave. They find them in reader’s room. And then fluff just ensues.

This is SUPER self-indulgent and I would love for you to write this since I‘m awful at writing myself :)

He he ha ha. I am feeling DEVIOUS with this one >:))

I love older brother Jason sm. Btw I also got the title from “Living on the Sand” by Colter Wall. I love that album sm.

**I do not own any characters or part of the franchise from DC**

Pairing: Batfam x trans!batbro!reader

Genre: hurt/comfort

Summary: go to req

Tw: near panic attack, kinda forced coming out(?)

Forgive me forgive me, don’t it sound more clear

Four days. Four days until you become a legal member of the family. At first, you were ok keeping being trans a secret, but the closer the official adoption day came, the more anxious you became. Sure, Bruce donated to tons of LGBTQ+ charities and several of your brothers were on the queer spectrum, but how would he feel having a son who was…different?

Would he still want to adopt you? Even worse—you knew your family’s more private lives. How you had taken on a private life. What would happen when Bruce tosses you aside when he inevitably finds out?

You were sitting in the kitchen, scrolling on your phone and eating cereal despite it being around 12:00 am.

The door to the kitchen opened and you glanced up to see Jason coming in, clad in his Red Hood suit, save for the helmet.

“Yo, loser. You got a free usb? Need it for blackmail storage.” He asked casually.

You raised your eyebrows in a ‘seriously?’ expression and swallowed the bite in your mouth.

“Yeah, it’s in my room on my desk. Next to the lamp.” You went back to scrolling through your phone. “You better buy me another one, I need it for a school project.”

Jason just gave you a thumbs up and walked out of the kitchen. When he got to your room he walked to your desk and grabbed the usb, but something akin to blueprints caught his eye and he stopped to examine them.

‘Hope he doesn’t go snooping through my room, I could have embarrassing stuff lying around.’

You thought to yourself, taking the final bite of cereal.

‘Though I don’t know what he’d find—basically everything embarrassing is hidden or put away…’

You drank the milk from your bowl and got up to put it in the sink.

‘What did I even do in my room today?’

You were hardly paying attention to whatever was on your phone screen now.

‘basically just worked on making my binder and I put that away—‘

Your heart dropped to your stomach and suddenly the cereal wasn’t sitting well with you.

‘You didn’t put it away because you weren’t done with it tonight. You didn’t put it away because you were hungry.’

You dropped your bowl and it shattered on the kitchen floor. You ran as fast as you could to your room, through the broken shards of the bowl.

You practically threw yourself up the stairs and sprinted so fast to your room you almost passed it. You caught yourself on the doorframe, panting heavily. Your feet stung so much, you dropped to your knees.

To your horror, Jason held the design for your binder in one hand and the prototype in the other. Your throat constricted suddenly and you heaved for air. Jason looked at you and he dropped the binder and blueprints in his hand. He rushed to your side.

“Hey hey hey hey. What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Deep breaths. In for four, out for four. Follow my breathing.” Your older brother placed your hand on his chest and demonstrated the breathing patterns.

You followed to the best of your ability, focusing on being able to breathe so you could talk and explain and maybe—just maybe—have a chance to not blow this.

When you could breathe relatively normally again, you immediately began to explain.

“I swear—I swear—it’s not—I don’t—I just—PLEASE DON’T KICK ME OUT! YOU’RE THE ONLY REAL FAMILY I’VE EVER KNOWN AND—” You settled for when you couldn’t explain what was found out about you.

“HEY!” Jason snapped you out of your rambling. “Who said anything about being kicked out?”

You hadn’t even realized his arm was around your shoulders but it suddenly felt comfortably heavy. You rubbed away the tears that had gathered in your eyes and looked at him.

“First off, you’re still being adopted, ok? Nothing will change that.” He started with. “Second. What you’re doing is extremely dangerous. Why are you binding unsafely?”

You looked up at him.

“I just…I couldn’t bring myself to even consider coming out to you.” You gulped heavily, looking back to the ground. Jason’s arm tightens around you comfortingly.

“I’m sorry if we ever made you feel like that. I’m sorry if I ever made you feel like that.” Your older brother says sadly.

You shook your head ‘no’, leaning into him.

“It wasn’t your fault. I just didn’t have the courage…” You trail off.

“When I came out—it—“ Jason huffs a laugh. “Man—it was awful.”

You looked at him, urging him to keep going.

“Ok, so I found out I like guys and girls, right?” He was smiling now, adjusting himself into a more comfortable position. “But I was all anxious to come out, ya know? I found a guy I wanted to go out with and I didn’t wanna hide it from…dad.” You didn’t ignore Jason actually calling Bruce ‘dad’.

“—and this was before Dick came out so he had like barely any idea about labels and stuff—“ Your older brother continued. “So I stand up and tell him ‘Bruce, I’m bi.’” Jason paused.

“And?” You asked.

“I have never seen someone so smart, so confused. He says—entirely seriously—‘Jason, you only speak one language.’” Jason burst out into laughter.

You laughed with him. It felt nice. You felt seen, in a way.

Time passed, you’re not sure how long. Maybe an hour? It was long enough for two of your other brothers to take notice and look for their missing brothers, ready to berate them for being late to patrol.

You and Jason were on the floor wheezing after he had showed you some meme he found.

You heard a knock on the door and saw your two older brothers peer into your room. Dick titled his head and Tim raised an eyebrow at the state of you and Jason. Them walking in sobered you up a bit from your laughing fit. You swallowed and glanced at Jason. He sat up and nodded at you encouragingly.

Dick and Tim glanced between the two of you. You stood up and cleared your throat.

“I’m—I’m trans.” You ripped the band aid off.

Dick and Tim blinked owlishly at you. Tim talked first.

“So…your pronouns are—?” Tim started.

“—he/him.” You interrupted.

Tim nodded, still seeming to process the information. Your answer seemed to only confuse Dick more. Jason made eye contact with Dick and gave him a look of “say something, asshole.” That startled Dick from his stupor.

“Dude! I’m so proud!” He said gleefully, opening his arms for a hug, which you gladly gave.

Tim gave you a side hug too.

“Does Dad know?” Dick asked.

You shook your head

“No.” You sighed.

“You probably should tell him.” Tim patted you on the back.

“But what about the adoption—“ You were cut off by Jason.

“Hey, what did I say about the adoption?” Jason scolded.

You groaned. “Yeah yeah…coming out won’t change anything…” You sighed.

Your three older brothers nodded in approval which made you roll your eyes.

“We’re proud of you.” Dick smiled and ruffled your hair. “Bruce will be too.” He added.

“Proud of what?”

You looked to the door and saw your father standing in the doorframe.

You took a deep breath and walked over to your father.

“Dad, I’m trans.” Your voice cracked and you couldn’t meet his eyes.

A large hand rested on your shoulder. You looked at Bruce.

“Well we better make sure those adoption papers are correct then.” He smiled at you.

And you smiled back.

[saintvainglorious]

Fics I Enjoyed in January - DC Comics Fic Rec List Part 2

I am still neck-deep in DC fandom this month and the fics have been so so good. Unlike last time, I am too tired to write mini summaries/reviews, so I'm going to feature my favorite quote from each fic instead.

My first DC Comics fic rec list is here!

Floor Plans by @oh-mother-of-darkness (Teen & Up, 1k, 2016) “I really didn’t want to die,” he finished. “I was kind of hoping if I laid here long enough, I would remember what that felt like.”

Losing two brothers in six months takes an emotional toll.

almost right by @bitimdrake (Teen & Up, 3k, 2020) He desperately wishes that he didn’t know what Dick’s cheekbone feels like under a gauntleted fist.

Bruce sucks in a breath, hand raising to fix the cowl. Dick flinches back.

but more with love by @danishsweethearts (Teen & Up, 3k, 2022) Dick wakes up one morning, groggy from a dream that he thinks might’ve been about the circus and also about his favourite car and also about how lonely he is, and realizes that he can’t remember what his mother’s voice sounds like anymore.

O Robin, Robin, wherefore art thou Robin?

The Mechanics of a Hug by @sohotthateveryonedied (General Audiences, 4k, 2017) “You know… that crushing sense of depression? Like,” Dick chews his lip. “It’s. A physical weight. Makes it hard to breathe?” “Yeah,” Tim says, soft. He smiles, wryly. “I sort of hoped you didn’t, though.”

“So,” Tim ventures. “It's… what, a cuddle pollen?” Bruce just shrugs. “Something like that.”

No Pain, All Gain by @sohotthateveryonedied (General Audiences, 1k, 2020) Tim’s eyes go even wider. “You stole my organs?” “Technically,” Jason chimes in, “the doctors stole your organs. We just gave them permission.”

Bruce checks Tim’s IV. “Are you in any pain? Do you need more morphine?” Tim’s pupils are so wide that only the faintest ring of blue can be seen. He watches Bruce the way a five-year-old watches cartoons. “I’m all good, B-dog. All Gucci, like we cool teens say." His words are slurred almost beyond recognition, but Tim doesn’t seem to notice or care. "I could fight Superman right now.”

The Wind Sits in the Shoulder of Your Sail by @birdchildsnest (Teen & Up, 7k, 2020) “Oh my god. Bruce. I can’t even tell if you’re serious. When everybody finally eats the rich—they’re going to eat you first.”

At least, back then, Tim had barely been a teenager. He could almost forgive his own volatility. And he’d been smart enough (scared enough?) not to tell Jack that he didn’t need him. What was his excuse now? Bruce was his dad (at least, in the legal sense), but (surprise, surprise) it turned out that Tim wasn’t any better at being a son. Or Tim and Bruce still have some things to sort through after the adoption.

I Left My Conscience On Your Front Doorstep by @dustorange (Teen & Up, 21k, 2022) He doesn’t want to be loved if being loved is like this.

"I think I'm leaving," Dick whispers. "I think I'm not coming back."

bad boys bad boys (whatcha gonna do) ♫ by @drakefeathers (Teen & Up, 20k, 2014) "They live their lives thinking they can charge through the city with the right to hurt and kill and destroy as many lives as they want. And they do it all without a shred of remorse." “But—” Damian begins, brow furrowed in confusion. “Isn’t that like you?”

a Jason and Damian as Batman and Robin AU!! featuring a bunch of graffiti, a rival dynamic duo, and Cat Jason (a cat named Jason).

The Biggest Mistake by @oh-mother-of-darkness (General Audiences, 1k, 2016) “I could ground him anyway, if it would make you feel better.” “He only said it because I called him ‘a garbage can so ineffective it actually became garbage.’”

"You know what really needs to be addressed? Bruce's truly terrible treatment of Damian." -Me, on a daily basis

been a number and a name by @wynterstars (Teen & Up, 35k, 2023) “Turns out if you just say ‘spacetime’ until people’s eyes glaze over they don’t really question anything you say. Also, somehow nobody expects me to be able to actually do enough math to explain it.”

On a field trip, Robin has a close encounter with the newest super in Metropolis, only to discover the hard way that Superboy secretly works for Lex Luthor. They agree to work together on a plan to free Superboy from Luthor’s hold, but Robin isn’t sure how far he can trust him—and his developing feelings only make things more complicated.

clean it like you mean it by @wynterstars (Teen & Up, 70k, 2024) "Wait, ugh, you're not my dead dad, right? If I'm getting a dying vision of my dead dad I want a do-over because he suuuuucked."

When Gotham's crooks have to scrub down their lairs, who do they call? Jason Todd, Gotham's first and only underworld crime scene cleaning specialist. He's spent his life dodging the Bat, but after a chance encounter he saves Robin's life. Tim Drake finds himself drawn to the conflicted rogue, and soon Jason becomes Robin's street informant. But they can only stay on opposite sides of the law for so long before something breaks.

3:16 by @wufflesvetinari (Teen & Up, 70k (WIP), 2023) “Try to decouple one thing from the other. I’m proud of you, but ice cream isn’t my grand statement about whether you’ve been good or bad today. Good things are good. Happiness is precious. Sometimes you just want caramel chocolate chip.”

The knife pushes thin along Dick’s carotid artery, cupping the indent between neck and jawline—forcing him to angle his chin. The metal is warm, pulled with execution speed from under Damian’s pillow. “Okay,” Dick says quietly, tracking the intricacies of his own heartbeat—counting the space between breaths. “Guess I did need a shave.” (With faltering steps, Dick and Damian become Batman and Robin.)

wolf-king of rome by @mysterycitrus (Not Rated, 25k, 2024) “You go after Joker, but you don’t kill him, because it’s not about the Joker dying, it’s about Bruce breaking his code for you. It’s about Bruce loving you enough to change himself for the worse. It’s about your idea of grieving.”

Jason doesn’t fear Dick Grayson. Fear itself has changed shape for him, since his return from the Pit - it tastes of dirt in his mouth, of drowning, of fire and blood and laughter, more than a tangible face. Still, he’d be stupid not to be cautious. Dick liked playing on an uneven field, and would do anything to keep him off balance, so he just had to stay focused. That’s the nature of the armistice, both waiting for the other to make a move. It’s like balancing on the head of a pin.

Declensions by @dustorange (Teen & Up, 13k, 2018) “Do not tell them your name. Do as I did to survive. I lied. I have always lied. Make one up. Do not let them have you. Say your name is…is…is…Richard Grayson. Or something. They are going to steal you; do not give them anything to steal.”

“My father,” Dick says, “worked the rope. It cut him. His hands were never clean.”

Passiontide by @bigdvmnhero (Teen & Up, 5k, 2025) Despite its faults, the day had tried to be good. He felt young, like someone's son.

On the 96th day Bruce didn't call, Dick remembered their old game. Three things he knew: 1) In three months, it would be Dick's death anniversary; 2) Bruce was still missing his check-ins; 3) Here Dick was, persisting. Imagine the things I'd survive, Dick thought distantly, if I loved Bruce less. Or: Agent 37 and his various crises of faith, on Day 277 at Spyral, Day 150, and Day -0.

the time you won your town the race by @silverwhittlingknife (Teen & Up, 4k (WIP), 2022) Tim. Tim is Dick’s. Death sharpens, clarifies these things. Who will receive the body, decide on the funeral, receive condolences, make all the decisions that matter. No one has questioned it, not even Tim’s friends. There’s a terrible clarity about death. If Dick said, let’s burn everything he owned, Alfred would do it.

He doesn’t know exactly what Tim would say. But he knows what Tim would do. Tim dies. Dick doesn’t take death for an answer. A Red Robin 12 AU.

door, opening by @cowboysorceror (Mature, 70k (WIP), 2024) Dick, with the keys to every locked door Jason has ever tried to open, tucked inside the cradle of his skull; all of that, snuffed out like a candle.

It’s barely audible, but he knows what he heard. A short, four-note whistle, chirping down – E, C#, then jumping up to A, F#, a little trill on the finish. He waits a moment, head turned slightly towards the dim shapes of storage containers between him and the ramp, eyes straining against the blackness. Long, stretching seconds. There it is again. His gloved hand, prickling with cold, closes into a fist. It’s a wood thrush. A small North American songbird that doesn’t sing at night, doesn’t live in the city. He knows what it means. It means hold, steady, not yet. It means wait for me, I’m behind you.

[justkiddingguys]

Batboys Tickle Headcanons

A/N: FORGIVE ME BUT I’M GOING INSANE OVER THESE MFS JUST LET ME RANT IM SO NEW TO THE FANDOM THEYRE SO CUTESY LMAO. Again, this is purely on vibes, im so new to this fandom. Also it’s 1 am this may or may not be coherent.

Warnings: Tickling (duh) but all SFW, cursing ig

Including: Damian, Tim, Jason, Dick, Bruce

Damian:

Youngest first lol

Lee:

Okay, so this kid hadn’t been tickled in his LIFE until coming to live with Bruce right

And I like to think the first time Bruce does it they’re already decently comfortable with eachother, yknow??

And Damian is BAFFLED cause WTF is this??

He tries to fight his way out of it for sure

But when he can’t it’s one of the few times anyone gets to see him ACTUALLY acting like a kid

He’s throwing out threats left and right

ANGRYY lee. He doesn’t really mind it but his pride cannot handle it lmao

I’d say his worst spots are his armpits and sides. Little scratches on his neck get him FLUSTERED though cause he has to scrunch up his neck and make a face and agghh

Overall very angry

He can get away from it most times (baby assassin)

He might allow Bruce or Dick to get him on occasion though :3

Ler:

Okay so obviously he doesn’t have the size advantage

But he enjoys getting one in on his siblings

When he can he’s a little shit

During training?

Nonchalant teaser

“How unfortunate, you’ve lost. Why are you smiling about that?” (Completely kneading his opponent’s nearest un-coverable spot)

“Pff- Damian stahp-“

“Stop what? I’m not hurting you”

Not something seen often, but it is mean

And embarrassing, cause you’re getting overpowered by a child bro 💀💀

Tim

Lee

Another neglected child smh

He’s not as foreign to it as Damian, but it’s still prominent lmao

He’s been tickled briefly before once or twice sure

But longer than a few seconds??

He doesn’t know what to do with himself

Snorts

Craves affection, so he definitely brats his way into tickles often

If you tease him about that though he will die

He’s super duper sensitive, so if he’s wrecked he’s WRECKED, but light tickles make him flustered beyond belief

T-word teases also fuck him up

Has been tickled to sleep out of necessity because omg he NEEDS it

Also cheer up tickles cause he gets in his headddd

His laugh is so cute, it sounds like he’s trying not to laugh even when he’s cackling

Is not above begging. Begs often.

His worst spots are his knees and ribs

AGSHSHSH Dick has done the rib counting thing on him

“Come on, count with me. You’re a genius, Timmy, can’t you count?”

“BFFFAHAHA sHIT Dihick-“ (more concerned with covering his face than anything at this point)

“No no, that’s not a number, let’s start over. One rib…”

Ler

Another one who I can’t think of many scenarios he’d actually end up in that position

But I picture him as such a cute ler

He’s teasing, don’t get me wrong

But it’s so soft, yknow?

Like sure, he’ll wreck your shit

He’s AMAZING at figuring out bad spots

But his teases are like

“Aw, that tickles? Does it really? Hm. That’s sad.”

“Stop? Why? I haven’t seen you smile this much in forever!”

AND IT IS SOFT WITH MALICIOUS INTENT

BUT IT IS SOFT

Jason Todd

Lee

ANOTHERRR ANGRY LEE

Not necessarily as irrational due to obvious slight maturity level differences between him and Damian

IF YOU CAN PIN THIS MAN DOWN

The curses are worth it

Pretends he HATESS it

But he does not :3

He’s too pussy to brat his way into tickles

But if he’s in a mood he’ll sit annoyingly close and just… stretch his arms up. Ever so subtly.

He’ll deny his intentions to the second grave though

He’s a kicker

Gets pissed off at regular/mean teasing but

“Awww Jason, your laugh is so cute”

“Cmon, let’s see that smile”

Any soft cooing and he is GONE

Yeah he’s still throwing fuck you’s around like rice at a wedding

But he’s covering his red ass face too

Worst spots are his hips and stomach and that PISSES HIM OFF

Using words like belly or tummy to tease have him utterly broken

Ler

Mean mean mean mean

Mean ler

Instigator

Absolute little shit

Oh my god he’s so teasy

No boundaries

“Wow, you’re REALLY ticklish, huh? Especially right here in this spot, here. Mhm. Yeah, you are, look. Stop? No? Awww come on. We both know you wanted this”

Will not be soft unless he’s doing it for a purpose

Enjoy’s wrecking Tim’s shit regularly

I cannot emphasize this enough: MEAN

He will not stop digging his fingers into the utter WORST spot until he’s satisfied that his victim is about to die :3

And he’ll tease them about it for WEEKS

Dick

Lee

TEEHEE TEEHEE

He’s the only mf on this list not embarrassed as fuck about tickling

He gets in a lee mood and EVERYONE knows

Giggly little bitch is silently begging for it

And he doesn’t even ask the ler to stop, he just lets it happen 💀

Like he’s just laying there, no shame

He has to have a bad spot on his legs, specifically thighs

Honestly I think the only way he’s blushing about it is if you tease him for NOT blushing about it

“Awww, you love this, huh? Look at that grin. Maybe I’ll just keep tickling forever, since you’re enjoying yourself so much”

Ler

Big Brother Ler ™️

Designated cheer-up tickler

He’s definitely the softest teaser

All compliments and coochie coos

Unless you’ve fuckin crossed him.

Cause he CAN get mean

Sweet tickles: “Hmm, I love that smile. You’re so cute when you giggle like that. Yeah I know it tickles”

Revenge tickles: “So what was it you were saying earlier? No say it. Go on.” (going insane on the WORST spot imaginable) “What? Sorry I can’t hear over all the laughing. Damn you’re ticklish. Oh you don’t like that word? Hm. Tickle, tickle tickle…”

His fingers are so fast and he IS more flexible than ANYONE and there’s no escaping, no moving. Just a big Dick Grayson Grin in your face.

[anxiousnerdwritings]

We seen Bruce's reaction to jokerized!twin but what about the rest of the family? did Damien feel guilty knowing that he had a hand in this?

Definitely! Damian feels utterly at fault for his sibling ending up in the clutches of Joker, he’ll never forgive himself for pushing his twin to this point.

After his time with Bruce and the rest of the Batfamily, Dick especially, Damian has calmed down and changed from how he used to be, in particularly regarding his thoughts on his sibling. He’s been guilt ridden ever since he came to terms with how terribly cruel he was to them and obsessing over how he could make it right and mend things with his twin, finally becoming the brother he should have been to them from the very beginning. But he doesn’t know how to find them, how to reach out and apologize for everything he’s put them through. Last he knew they were in Gotham but that was some time ago and they weren’t on the best of terms then, not to mention they’re last interaction was brutal so who’s to say his sibling didn’t just leave town and start anew somewhere else. Somewhere better.

But that doesn’t keep Damian from keeping an eye out for them, whether while out on patrol or while going about his day to day outside of his vigilante duties, hoping one day he’ll be lucky enough to find them again. That is until he actually does come face to face with them once more.

When he does meet the Reader again Damian is frozen with shock. Not only are they with Harley and Joker but they two clowns are also referring to his sibling as their bby. It’s too much for Damian to process in the moment. At first, he assumes that Joker and Harley have brainwashed his sibling into playing house with them and taking on the role of their child, but then his sibling tells him themself that they weren’t wanted anywhere else but Joker happily took them in. It’s on that moment that Damian realizes just how much he’s fucked up and how horribly he has ruined his own flesh and blood.

He can’t bring himself to acknowledge what they’re saying is true though, there’s no way they came to Joker willingly and took part in becoming like him. There’s no way. He won’t accept that. He can’t accept it. He wholeheartedly is under the belief that his sibling is brainwashed and has been taken advantage of against their will to play a part in Joker’s delusional fucked up version of a family. This only fuels Damian’s hatred towards the Clown Prince all the more, he’s taken something away from him, something he hadn’t ever appreciated enough to take for granted. He’s only recently realized how much he messed up and now the very thing he’s been working towards fixing is now being broken down even more by a psychotic clown.

It takes a everything, mainly Bruce and what other family members are there, to keep Damian from killing Joker right then. It certainly doesn’t help that his very own sibling is protect Joker and Harley so no one can get a hit on them without severely hurting or killing the Reader in the process. Damian has to be forcefully restrained as Joker, Harley and his sibling make a getaway. No matter how hard he tries to break free to give chase to get his twin back, he’s held in place probably even knocked out and taken back to the manor so everyone can regroup and plan out how to handle this situation.

It was already hard enough seeing his sibling along side Joker to begin with but seeing their paper white skin and the crazed look in their eye after they’ve been christened in a chemical bath is too much for him. Especially, if he was forced to witness them being submerged into the chemical vat himself. Damian wouldn’t be the same after that. How could he be? He watched helplessly and uselessly while his sibling was turned into a version of one of the most deranged individuals he’s ever known. And he couldn’t do anything to stop it.

Damian would vow to save his sibling, both from Joker and from themself. He won’t give up on them, he can’t. They need him more than ever now and he’ll fight tooth and nail to bring them home where they belong, with him and their father (as well as the batfamily). Even if he has to break Bruce’s rules to do so. He has a lot to work toward with them, even more now than ever but he’ll make it happen. Damian will be there for them, he won’t stop until their safe and by his side where they should have been all along. He won’t let anything come between him getting his twin back, not even his own mother.

[101maverick]

Head cannons about Jason Todd and his relationship/feelings towards God/Catholicism after coming back from the dead? How does his religious angst impact his relationships (with the fam or a SO depending on what you want to write !) and how does he find peace for himself ?

A/n: ok tell me why while I was doing research for this I came upon tons of people outright saying they hate Christianity and are anti-Christian?? Seriously what is wrong with people nowadays, Christianity is the only religion people feel okay actively and openly hating on, but if you come across somebody saying they hate another religion, for example Islam, you'll find that person cancelled in a matter of minutes. Really sad stuff. Respect people's beliefs guys, I don't agree with Islam but you don't see me hating on it and attacking muslims on the internet. Anyways thank you so much for the ask Anon!! I love the originality of it, and it prompted me to do research on how Jason is portrayed in media.

——————————

I don't believe he looses his faith

He's angry and he's confused about why what happened to him happened, yes, but somebody raised catholic in the environment he was, where religion was one of the only things you could cling to, really makes you strong in your faith

especially someone like Jason

He was a very smart and curious kid, so I believe he asked a lot of questions to his pastor and really pondered the answers, which I think made him really understand his faith and made it all the more strong

I've seen that a lot of people leave the faith after something bad to them happens and then they see that God's "not real" because if God were real then He would've helped them

I don't believe this happens to Jason because he understands that even if God isn't responsible for the actions of people corrupted and lead by sin everything that happens and that He lets happen does for a reason

So I believe he'd try to understand what the reason for what happened to him was

And the thing with God is that you can't always understand why He led you to a certain point, but with Jason I think you could see it in an eventual reconciliation, or him saving some people from some very hopeless situations (for example trafficking)

I really like the "purpose" Jason discovers for being where he is in the fic "forgive us (as we forgive those)" (it's not exactly his purpose in the pic but this prompted it, plus it's a masterpiece so go read it!!)

Aka Jason helping Damian with all the trauma that comes with being forced/conditioned to kill

Also ik people might come at me for saying this but I believe Jason could do without the killing

I believe it can be part of his character at the start, but the thing is that for the believer sinning quite literally hurts (at least for me). There's this ache inside your chest and this guilt that just calls out to you and does not go away until you pray/confess. Hence why I believe that, even though he does believe that some of the deaths he caused were necessary, he goes on to try and stop killing, abandoning it as a method of justice

Due to this I believe his relationships with his family get better, though it's a long road to better them and some will always be strained

His relationship with Bruce remains strained for a long time, depending on wether or not Bruce finally gets over his emotional constipation and apologises for everything, including blaming him for his death and in general his treatment of Jason pre-Ethiopia (trying to use him as a substitute for Dick, comparing them constantly, making him robin in the first place and stuff like that). Only if Bruce apologises for all of that plus how he treated Jason after he came back do I see their relationship really improving and actually progressing from the one they had when Jason was Robin

I don't really know how his relationship with Dick is, but in general I think that after Jason stops killing they gradually come closer to each other. I can see Dick feeling guilty for not having been there for Jason when he was Robin and so for not being a brother to him. On the other hand I also see Jason acknowledging that Dick and Bruce have their own problems to resolve and they always did, so I see him being understanding toward that 20-year-old Dick

Jason's relationship with Tim I think would start to improve only after Jason shares his thoughts about the Titan's Tower attack, about his eventual remorse for what he did. Tim is very calculating and analytical, I see him being able to understand the extent of the pit rage and what it made Jason do. I also think it'd take some time for Tim to fully forgive him tho, depending on when this apology happens, because it's still a lot of trauma that he has to process.

Jason' relationship with Damian would flourish with Jason helping Damian, who deep down is really grateful for it but doesn't understand Jason's methods for getting over killing (aka praying and religion in general). I see a very beautiful dynamic blossoming between them, a kind of silent understanding and the knowledge that they have each other's backs

——————————

Hope you enjoyed!

[th3sp4rr0w]

Day Five

A03 Link <- Starts at Chapter/Day One for those just joining us :))

Prompts For Day Five Hostage/Kidnapping/Held at Gunpoint

Alt. Prompt For Day Five; Blackmail

Prompts Used For Day Five; All

Tw; Kidnapping, Guns, Injury, Blood, Violence

Chapter under the cut!!

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

“Hello, little birdie,” Joker sneered, aiming his pistol at Robin.

Without thinking, he tugged Sheila behind him. “Joker,” he greeted neutrally, and he was proud of himself when it came out even.

He began laughing. Robin fought the urge to cover his ears as everything seeped in.

Batman didn’t know he was doing this. If he reached for his emergency button right now, on the inseam of his boot, Joker would kill him. If he reached for his com unit, Joker would kill him. Batman was on a stake out and wouldn’t check in with him for at least another hour, more likely longer than that. He’d never faced the Joker by himself before.

He’d always dreamed of it, back when he was watching kids who were around his age then disappear from the streets when Joker was out and never coming home. After he became Robin he imagined the day Batman let him do it solo, when he could truly stand up to the clown and do something cool, like kick his face so hard his jaw snapped. Instead, he listened to the manic laughter, staring down the barrel of the gun, trying to protect Sheila who was-

Who had pulled out a gun.

“No!” he yelled. “He’s not worth shooting! Get behind me, I can-”

“Do nothing,” Joker interrupted. “Oh, poor birdie. You haven’t figured it out yet, have you?” The voice dripped with condescension and malice.

“Know what?” Jason Robin asked, a sinking feeling overwhelming him. He knew.

As Joker smiled and Sheila refused to look him in the eye, he knew. As Joker opened his grotesque maw to seal his fate, the red flags had sewn themselves together to paint the picture he had refused to acknowledge until it was too late. It was just confirmation of something he’d already known, deep down, nearly the minute he and Sheila had begun emailing.

“Oh, you stupid, stupid bird. She called me here.” He laughed.

She didn’t love him. She didn’t care about him. She knew what happened to his twin. She had been working with the Joker. She ran from Gotham because she was targeting poor families with sick kids for sick experiments and got caught.

He was an idiot. He should’ve asked Bruce what was going on. He should’ve told Dick, or Alfred, or somebody other than his little baby bird about what was going on.

He knew he should’ve stuttered out something like, “No! She’d never do that!” but at this point it’d be more of a formality than anything he actually believed. He could’ve asked something like, “How could you?!” but that also felt like more of a performance.

He looked over his shoulder, trying to catch her gaze. She pointedly looked anywhere but at him. He only had one question.

“What really happened to my brothers?”

The Joker looked at him and grated on his ears once more. “Now, little birdie, why would I-“

“Not you!” Jason ROBIN snapped out. He fully turned around to face her. “She knows. You know!” he yelled. She finally looked at him, bored. “You know what happened, don’t you?! What happened to them?!”

The silence was suffocating. His dwindling hope wished she would show some remorse. Maybe cry. Apologize. He had hoped she would show some reaction, begging for it whether it be genuine and apologetic, pleading him for his forgiveness, or something else entirely. He had almost expected her to turn with a sadistic grin, all teeth and bitter emotions. Spout something about how she couldn’t possibly deal with them. He already shouldn’t love her, just based on this alone; he craved a reason he couldn’t . Hurting him wasn’t enough. He hated himself for it, but he almost hoped she did something to them.

She smoothed her face into a blank expression, looking at him like he was just another kid asking stupid questions. That was almost worse than anything he could’ve come up with on his own. The Joker’s insipid noises grated his ears as he nodded towards her. She spoke.

“Dan choked. Willis was watching him and he let our little boy die. Danny, well... I couldn’t take him with me like I’d planned. A friend had a sickly baby boy born a few days before you two. I was babysitting one day so they could go to an event. He passed away in his cot that night and, well, they looked enough alike. They even shared a name. The only other one in the house was the sister, and she was in bed. It was easy.”

The sickening realization hit him with that maddening cackle ringing out in his ears. It sounded like a bad sitcom that relied on laugh tracks to try and convince you it was entertaining.

Joker said something. He could tell from the way the man’s mouth moved, but all he could hear was the manufactured laughter coming out like rotted peels. Sheila looked like she might actually feel something, anything, but it quickly smoothed over into a carefully blank expression.

“Why would you do this to us?” his voice was soft.

“I had no choice. Your brothers were out of my control, and you, well... if you ran off to Batman, you’d find I’ve been taking a big cut out of the cash myself. Couldn’t have you ruining that for me, could I?”

He was such an idiot . He knew not to trust her! Alfred was going to be so disappointed…

One of Joker’s white vans peeled into the parking lot and stopped abruptly near them. Joker looked at him for a moment and, before he knew it, the Joker’s arm was moving. He heard the shot ring loud in his ears, and suddenly he was on the ground. He heard someone screaming in pain with manic laughter in the background.

“There, now my little birdie can’t fly away,” he heard a giggle, then- “Where do ya think you’re goin’, blondie?”

Sheila turned around from where she’d been walking away. She kept cool despite the gun that was now trained on her instead of the little boy she’d lured here. “Home. I want to watch my shows and go to bed.”

Joker’s smile widened. “You’re comin’ with us. Our payment still isn’t in, though I like the little gift you’ve given us in the meantime.”

He kicked Jason in the knee he’d just shot. Jason’s hand went to his belt. If he could just...

“Don’t think so, bucko,” the man who’d been driving said as he grabbed Ja... Robin’s wrist.

He looked up to see three pairs of eyes trained on him. So much for that plan.

“Tie him up,” Joker said eventually. “We’ll take him to the fun house, yeah?”

He gestured to Sheila, motioning her into the van. “Come on, doll, you too,” he added, looking her up and down.

The goon ripped Robin’s gloves off his hands and tied his wrists behind his back in tight knots. As it happened, he did his best to remember the training Batman had given him, flexing his muscles as best as he could to make them loose when he relaxed them. Even relaxed, they cut into his wrists.

The goon roughly grabbed his hair, turning his head from side to side. He ripped the com unit from his ear roughly, causing him to bite his tongue to hold back a swear. He didn’t want to give these people the satisfaction.

The man picked Robin up by his hair and threw him into the back of the van. His knee hit against the metal of the floor, causing him to hiss. He felt a gentle hand against his cheek.

“Jason-”

“Don’t touch me.”

“Jason, please-”

“Shut up, Sheila.”

“I am your mother-”

“You’re not shit to me,” he spat, finally looking at her face. “You didn’t do shit for me. You didn’t do shit for my brothers-”

“I did everything I could-”

“ I told you to shut the fuck up ,” he hissed. “You didn’t do shit for me, you weren’t there. You sold me out to the fucking Joker.” His voice didn’t shake, and he was proud of that as he regarded her with the same frigidness she’d adopted. “And it’s Robin in uniform. If we want to survive this, it’s Robin.”

“We’re not going to die, Jason,” Sheila denied.

“He’s going to try to kill me. It’s his ultimate fantasy to break the Bat enough to kill, and he thinks killing me would do the trick,” Robin stated. “And you’ve already crossed someone once. He won’t trust you not to do it again. Either shut the fuck up or call me Robin, because you’re fucking stupid if you think he won’t kill you, too.”

“If that was true, why didn’t he just shoot you?”

Robin grimaced. “It’d be too easy. He wants to play his game first. We’re like toys to him; he’ll play with us until we break, then he’ll cast us aside.”

The ride was silent after that.

He thought about the emergency button in his boot. He didn’t trust Sheila to try to press it, not after this stunt, so he tried to shimmy his boot off and into his hand. Unfortunately, Bruce had designed the damn thing too well. It hadn’t even budged, and the button was bump-proof after one too many awkward conversations with Dick. Robin cursed under his breath.

He tried to do something, anything, as he lay there on the floor. This was bad. This was so, so bad. He tried to think of something, quick, but nothing came to mind as the van sped through the streets.

When they got to the warehouse, Robin decided his tactic.

The van doors opened and Robin glared at his captors. He knew they couldn’t see from behind his back, but the gesture he made was like a calming balm on his soul. He could see Sheila stand to her feet the best she could out of the corner of his eye.

“Now, now, look what we have here,” Joker said as he giggled. Robin hated fighting this guy for that reason the most, he thinks. He’s never letting Nightwing watch his shit sitcoms ever again.

“What we got, boss?” the goon asked besides him.

Joker fell back. Jason watched as he raised the gun to his head and hooked Sheila’s foot with his own, pulling her leg out from under her. She lost balance and fell just as the shot rang out. The bullet went through the man’s skull, whizzed through where Sheila’s head would’ve been if Robin hadn’t pulled her down and shattered the windshield behind them. Blood and brain matter spattered them both. The body hung in the air like that for just a few moments before falling, slamming against the door of the van and sliding down in a heap of limbs.

“A red robin!” he giggled.

Robin took a breath, doing his best not to show a reaction. His ears rung.

“Oh come on, nothing? That was some of my best material,” he huffed. He grabbed Robin’s shoulder, dragging him out of the van and towards a warehouse. “Blondie! In front of me!”

Sheila walked briskly ahead of them. Her face was stoic.

Fucking bitch.

He limped to the warehouse as Joker stood behind him with the gun to his back.

He knew if he tried to fight, he’d only get Sheila killed. Even if she hadn’t spotted the danger yet, he knew Joker was like a viper, just waiting for the right moment to strike. As loathe as he was to say it, he couldn’t leave her behind. His best bet was to wait for the Bat.

It was unlikely, but he hoped the com unit had busted when the goon had thrown it, sending an automatic emergency signal to the Bat. That would likely cause him to investigate and find his gloves or tire marks or something-

“Faster, birdie,” the clown shoved him forwards a little, “Unless you wanna end up like our friend back there.”

Batman would’ve been able to save the guy. Batman wouldn’t have gotten captured. He wished Batman was here right now.

Jason did as he was told, walking faster. It felt like a death march. No, Batman was coming; Robin just has to stay strong for a while longer. If he had full use of his leg, he might be able to take care of it himself. Nightwing might be the better acrobatic, but he’d still been trained by all of the bats before him.

He put too much weight on his knee and nearly crumpled. He could hear Joker’s manic voice behind him, mocking him.

Staying strong to wait for rescue meant that he had more time than usual to take in his surroundings. Other than the Joker and Sheila, they were alone. Joker raised the pistol he carried above his head. He bore the butt of the gun down against his skull, kicking his injured knee as he fell to the floor. Robin fought not to cry out.

There were crates lining the warehouse. There were several different prototypes for only god knows what, and he could smell gas from somewhere. He hoped he was wrong, but he could’ve sworn he saw wires coming out of the back wall earlier. There was a row of blunt objects in front of them. Joker walked up to them and grabbed the crowbar from the lineup.

Sheila went over to the stack of crates and sat down.

Joker raised an arm, yammering some nonsense about how he was a naughty bird and needed to be punished. He swung, hitting Jason in the cheekbone first. He heard the crack.

He focused his energy on not crying out. This was the best way to prolong Joker’s torture and save them.

He looked over at Sheila to try and distract himself. She calmly reached into her pocket and pulled out a cigarette and matchbox. The Joker kept swinging. She put the cigarette between her lips. Joker was laughing as he brought the weapon down again. She lit the match, bringing it up to her mouth.

“Come on, Birdie,” he taunted, “What would the big ol’ Bat say?”

He swung harder. She took a drag, watching the smoke billow from her mouth and up in the air. She hadn’t once looked away.

Each hit felt like, well, getting smacked with a crowbar. He heard snaps. The Joker had aimed at his leg at one point, and Robin prayed he hadn’t broken the emergency button so Batman could track it.

He thought about all the red flags he’d ignored. All the times he’d almost told Bruce what was going on and didn’t. He wished he’d told Alfred he loved him more often. He wished he had said a more heartfelt “goodbye” to Dick before he left for his mission instead of saying he'd be glad to have the manor to himself the next few weekends. He wished he took his phone to text his little baby bird.

He wished he’d told Bruce he loved the little zebra plush he’d given him instead of just nodding-

The crowbar hit his stomach and that was it. He’d stayed strong as long as he could.

“Papa!” he cried out.

The Joker paused. “Oh, well, well, well, well, welllll,” he started, dragging out his last word, “What’s this about, bird brains? Missing Daddy, are we?”

Jason whimpered.

“Do it again,” the voice was cruel, all malice and hatred. He brought the crowbar down hard on Jason’s head.

“Papa,” he sobbed. “Help, please, help me...”

The Joker laughed again before bringing it down once more.

Jason cried out louder.

“Awe, you seein’ this, Blondie?” he asked, grin on his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees her nod. Jason chokes on his sob as the guilt from the last couple weeks boiled over.

He crouched down next to Jason, “D’awww, don’t worry, birdie, we’re not done playin’,” he mocked. He could see his own blood on the man’s face.

His wrists burned from the rope. The lens from his left eye was missing and the right was completely shattered and fragmented. The hearing in his left ear was weird and he couldn’t discern if that was because the goon from earlier had ripped his com out or if it was because Joker had hit him there. There was blood everywhere.

“Care for a smoke?” he heard Sheila offer.

Joker turned to her with disgust, “Those things’ll kill ya,” he said, then cackled.

He left them to debate while he arched his back as far as it would go. At this point, he just wanted to get out himself. If he could protect Sheila, great, if not, well... he could pretend to be fine with it, he thought.

His finger just barely caught the edge of the pocket on his belt. He could feel the blood that had pooled there, refusing to sink into the nearly soak-proof fabric. He opened it silently and brushed his fingertips to the contents. Band aids. He tried again on the other side. Lollipops. He went for the next closest pocket, staring at the Joker and Sheila as they chatted away like they were anywhere but here. He grabbed the side of it and pulled up, barely managing to unlatch the snap.

The wing ding. Why Batman let the 9 yr old pick the name for every one of his contraptions, he’ll never understand, but in this moment he’s so glad that the old man had a lapse in judgment so big as to let him carry around what were essentially projectable razor blades. He slid one out carefully and started working at the ropes. Sheila made eye contact with him for just a second.

He froze. He waited to see if she’d rat him out, but she continued her sentence without falter, looking back at the clown.

He didn’t stop to contemplate why she’d done that. He continued to cut through the thick rope.

He finally got through the ropes, sparing a glance back at the duo. He knew he couldn’t run away like this, but he could probably stall for a little more time.

The first thing he did was check the inseam of his boot. The emergency button was intact. He pressed it. Even if the com had broken, it wouldn’t hurt to press the button. Maybe Bruce would understand the need for more urgency and get here faster.

With shaking hands, he grasped the wing ding. It was a miracle he didn’t cut himself on it by accident with the amount of blood soaking its surface.

He threw it at the Joker.

The projectile hit the man’s cheek, causing a deep cut. The man cursed, cupping his cheek and spun around. There was nothing human about his expression.

“Oh, you little... Fine, you want Uncle Joker to play with you?” he muttered darkly.

He grabbed a handful of bloody hair, dragging the boy upwards to meet his face.

He could smell his rancid breath and an undercurrent of something acidic. “Let’s play!”

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

After his frankly insane nightmare, Danny was feeling drained.

He slept again that night, for one, and almost didn’t bother getting up when his ghost sense went off. He did, of course, and helped the Red Huntress kick some ghostly butt.

Tucker and Sam, however, had noticed and were confronting him.

The Black Dahlia

You know why we’re doing this, right?

Ghost Boy Because you hate me?

The Pharaoh

No dude, we’re concerned.

Ghost Boy Well stop? What if there’s a ghost during the day? Red’s only active at night

The Black Dahlia

We’ll text her??

Ghost Boy … Sam We’re not supposed to know

The Black Dahlia

You dated her, remember?

We’re friends now

The Pharaoh

You’re friends?

The Black Dahlia

Shut up

Tell you what ghostie

Ghost Boy What Also dont call me that

The Black Dahlia

Take a break for the day, just 24 hours

OR

We tell Jazz you were lying about getting hurt and got dunked in cursed kool-aid

Your choice

Ghost Boy You wouldnt dare

The Pharaoh

Already have screen shots of everything ready to send

Ghost Boy … I hate you both

The Black Dahlia

Love you too!!

The Pharaoh

Care about you, man

So, yeah, he was pretty much screwed. He sighed, stirring some of the shredded cheese they’d managed to salvage into his microwave mac n’ cheese cup. Once upon a time, he’d have cut up hotdogs in this, but after one too many times of a certain food group trying to eat you back, you tend not to eat it anymore.

He supposed he had to act like a normal human being today.

His ghost sense bubbled in his chest. He didn’t turn his head in time and the breath from his lungs froze the food in his hand. Danny mourned for a moment before cutting his losses, tossing it in the trash and updating his friends.

Ghost Boy My sense just went off

The Black Dahlia

Contacting Red

Ghost Boy Be a lot easier if I dealt with it myself

The Pharaoh

Stfu

Corner of Maple and Elm

The Black Dahlia

K

Ghost Boy Thought you were hacking the GIW, not the citys cams??

The Pharaoh

I did both <3

Ghost Boy Omfg

He smiled slightly as he texted his friends. Even if they were annoying sometimes, he knew they had his best interest at heart... most of the time.

He knew they were probably going to be busy the rest of the day, Tucker (apparently) looking at the city’s cameras to make sure nothing was going wrong and Sam had to leave soon to get a dress fitted for a gala her parents were dragging her to. Something about how Bruce Wayne adopted another kid that he was apparently super protective of? Hadn’t even hosted a gala for him yet? Though that was mostly because every time they tried, a supervillain trashed the place the night before. It was freaky. Sam was certain the same was to be said about this one, but her parents were insistent.

Speaking of parents...

Shouts and clangs could be heard from the basement. He could hear something heavy being dropped onto the floor. There was nearly no possible way for him to make it past them without getting caught. He... might be able to convince Jazz to let him go to the library with her for her study group.

He’d gotten the rest of his work done last night, prepped and in his bag for Monday. That sounded like a normal teen activity to do. He could see if they had any more Jane Austen there since he’d finished Jazz’s copies already.

He ran up the stairs to find Jazz packing her bag and on call with one of her tutoring students.

“Yes, we had geography homework.... Yes, I know that’s a weak area.... Mhm.... Hang- hey, hang on a sec, my little brother’s staring at me,” Jazz pulled the receiver away from her mouth, “What?”

“Can I go with you?

Jazz kept her eyes on him and pulled the phone back up. “Would you be alright if my brother crashes our session?... Perfect. Danny, go get ready,” she shoo’d him out, “Bring your stuff, I’ll look over your homework for you!” she called as he booked it out of her room.

He went into his room, picking up his bag. He grabbed his phone charger (he had no idea how long they’d be there, sue him), and double checked to make sure he had a pen.

He went down the stairs, stopping in the kitchen to fill the water bottle Sam had given him for... ugh, Christmas. He only used it because she was nice and got him something. That, and it had little ghosts on it and said “Boo, Witch”. He loved it.

He didn’t care what kind of truce there was, he hated Christmas.

He decided to wait for Jazz in the car.

It was... weird. Just going to the library like a regular teenager would. Good weird, though.

He opened the door, sliding into the front seat. He texted Jazz, telling her he was already in the car. She sent him a thumbs up.

He crossed his legs on the seat before putting on his seatbelt. Jazz hated it when he did this, but it was comfortable. He scrolled on his phone, unsure of what else to do.

He smiled to himself. He was going to the library . He was going to the library, he was going to go over his homework with his big sister, and then he was going to check out a book. He was... excited. Maybe he had taken it for granted so often he hadn’t known what he missed, or maybe he was too busy to notice it before, but he missed this feeling.

Jazz slid into the driver’s seat, scolded him for the way he was sitting, and began driving.

It was a surprisingly peaceful drive. The ghost attack was on the other side of town, so they completely avoided all the action.

It was surreal. He still couldn’t believe it was happening. They got to the library without incident.

They walked through the doors where Jazz lead Danny to a study room, where the kid she was tutoring was already waiting.

“Hey, Jazz, hey lil’ dude,” he greeted with a lazy wave.

“Hey, Kip,” Jazz greeted.

“Hi,” Danny said, waving back. “I’m Danny,” he said, extending his hand.

Kip smiled easily and took his hand, “I’m Kip. Heard you were crashing today, what’s up? Your friends busy or something?”

“I got grounded for punching someone’s tooth out,” he said cheerily. Kip laughed as Jazz flushed.

“Daniel James!” she scolded and turned to the other boy. “I’m so sorry about him, he’s-”

“He’s cool,” he amended, “I heard about it is all. That one kid was friends with my little sister, she needed something to wake her up to how shit her friends are.”

“Who’s your sister?” Danny asked.

“Star Franks, why? You know her?”

Danny shuddered. “Yeah, I do. She faked dating my friend awhile back,” he started.

“Oh, god,” he muttered, “She does that a lot. She was dating this girl and the other kids in her shitty group decided that homophobia was cool I guess? And they told them they could stay together, but only if they got fake boyfriends. Apparently there’s a gay kid on the football team as well? Kwan or something? That she fake dated for awhile,” he went on.

“Okay, guys, let’s get work done first, then we can gossip,” Jazz jumped in. “Though, we should really talk about that later,” she said.

“Oh I plan to,” Kip laughed. “So, what you got, lil’ man?”

Danny grabbed all the papers he had in his bag, handing them to Jazz. “I’ve got my work done, I kind of only tagged along to check out the books they have here,” he admitted.

“That’s cool,” he said. “I’ve been trying to get Star here since they have a surprisingly killer LGBTQ section, but she said it wouldn’t be good for her ‘socials’...? Whatever that means?”

“Knowing what I know about Dash and Kwan, I’m surprised a single one of them can read, honestly,” Danny said seriously.

Kip covered his mouth with his hand as he wheezed.

“Be nice. Alright, it looks like you’re good here,” Jazz mumbled, “Did you have any questions? Did you struggle at all with the math?”

Danny shook his head, “Not really. I did pretty good with it, and it wasn’t too hard. Can I go now?”

Jazz sighed. “Fine. Don’t destroy the place, and text me if you don’t remember what room we’re in.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he turned to Kip, “It was nice meeting you!”

“Nice meeting you too, lil’ man!” he said. “You should come over for more sessions, you’re a riot!”

“That’s exactly why he doesn’t come to my tutoring sessions,” Jazz teased.

Danny snorted, closing the door as he left.

He wandered around for a while before finding the classics section. He ran his finger against the spines of the books, finding what he was looking for rather quickly.

He picked up copies of Sense and Sensibility and Emma before heading to the check-out.

He greeted the woman behind the desk, who looked at him for a moment. “Hi, sweetheart, what can I do for you today?” she asked, not unkindly.

“I just want to check these out, please,” he said politely.

“Alright, can I get a name?”

“Daniel Fenton,” he said immediately. She looked at him.

“Fenton?” she echoed.

“I know,” he said immediately, “I promise I will be keeping these in my bag unless I’m reading them. They will not get within 10 feet of my parents,” he promised, remembering the fallen library books through the years that Jazz tried to bring in. It truly was amazing how many small fires his father started every week.

She laughed, “No, hon, that’s not what I meant. I used to help babysit you and Jazz when you were babies,” she said. “You just... wow, you reminded me of a friend we had years ago for a second. You look just like her.”

Danny cocked his head. “I’m sorry?”

She shook her head lightly, “Don’t worry about it, dear. Let me see those a sec?”

Danny handed them over for her to scan.

“All right, there you go, sweetie. Wow, Austen isn’t something I see a lot of kids your age checking out,” she commented.

Danny huffed, only slightly dramatic. “I was grounded recently, Jazz had a copy of Pride and Prejudice , and I was bored. I picked it up and now-”

“You can’t stop reading?” she guessed.

“I can’t stop reading!” he said, slightly exasperated. She laughed at him.

“Well, we’re always here if you want to read more,” she promised, “And there are always free bookmarks on the table over there if you’re interested,” she added, pointing to the aforementioned table.

“All right, thank you, miss,” he replied politely. “I’d better go before Jazz thinks I’m burning the place down or something.”

She hummed in amusement, “Wouldn’t want that. You have a nice day and tell your parents I said hi!”

“Will do, have a nice day!” he called over his shoulder.

He decided not to go back up to the study room, afraid of distracting Jazz and Kip. Instead, he wandered around until he found a cozy little spot hidden away from the rest. It was labeled “The Quiet Room” and had a quaint little set up.

He sat in a rocking chair, bringing his legs up onto it to sit crisscross apple-sauce style. He moved his torso gently back and forth to subtly rock the chair as he opened Emma first.

“Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich...”

He was immediately just as invested as he had been with Pride and Prejudice . He felt he could read for hours.

Ooo, he knew this was going to be good. The audacity of this woman! She’d never worked a day in her life and yet here she was, thinking she can just meddle in other’s affairs? He could see the heads rolling now.

Emma may be an adult, but she acted like a spoiled child.

He kept reading, making little noises as he did so whenever things got good. The peace of the room made it easy to breeze through the words and hang on to every one of them, watching as Emma made a fool of herself. It was highly entertaining.

He grimaced at some parts. Emma really didn’t have self-awareness, did she? For one who makes such bold claims as she did, she truly had no emotional maturity. Emotionally secure people don’t go around meddling in other’s business-

He needs to stop hanging around Jazz.

He yawned, his mouth dry. He decided it was probably around time he went back to Jazz in person, anyways.

He got up and out of the comfortable chair, making his way towards the exit. He walked around for a bit before spotting the white rooms, looking through the little windows of each before spotting where Jazz sat with Kip. He turned the knob.

“Hey, lil’ man!” Kip greeted as they turned towards him. “You find what you were lookin’ for?”

“Yeah!” he said and held up his prizes.

“Austen, huh?” he commented. “Isn’t that the same chick that wrote that one book Mrs. Dean is always on about?”

“ Pride and Prejudice , yeah,” Jazz said. “He borrowed my copy last week and breezed right through it. Said it was like gossiping with a friend,” she said fondly.

Kip lit up with realization. “Oh my god, you’re right! Maybe I should read the book.”

“You haven’t read it yet?” Jazz asked, confused.

“Nope, read the first couple pages and thought it was boring. But viewing it as gossiping...”

“Do I want to know how you wrote your essay? Don’t answer that,” Jazz muttered. “If you want, I have a personal copy, or I’m sure Danny can show you where he got his books from.”

“Right on,” Kip said easily. His phone chimed a moment later. “Oh, shoot, okay I gotta go,” he said.

“Already? We still have 20 minutes!” Jazz exclaimed.

Kip looked at her, guilty, “I know, but Maria’s bringing the baby to the hospital. She spiked a fever last night and it reached 103 a few minutes ago. Maria’s picking me up so we can go together,” he said.

“What if you guys clean up here and meet me in the lobby? I can go grab a copy of the book,” he offered.

Kip looked at Danny, touched, “You’d do that, dude? Thank you so much,” he said sincerely.

“No problem, man,” he said, grabbing his bag and water bottle so Jazz wouldn’t have to, “Good luck with your kid. This must be really scary,” he said.

“It is. She was a huge change, and we didn’t do everything we were supposed to,” he admitted. “We’re just trying to do right by her now.”

“That’s all you can do, Kip. Learn from your past and make better choices for your future,” Jazz said as she grabbed papers. “Okay, so this is due...”

Danny left, running slightly to the classics section. He found it easily, scanning the shelves for the book. He spotted it, scooped it up and turned to leave when-

“Fenton?” he heard a soft voice ask.

“Uh, hey, Star,” he said awkwardly.

“Hey. Didn’t know you were into... classics,” she said lamely.

They looked at each other a few more moments.

“Yeah,” he replied awkwardly. “Well, I gotta run, so-”

“Do you know where my brother is,” she asked, in a rush.

“Um, he’s supposed to be meeting me in the lobby, actually-”

“Okay. Okay, I... he wanted to show me something. I guess. And I was rude but-”

“Star, I really gotta run,” he said, “Kip has an emergency and he asked me to grab this for him.”

“Oh,” she said.

He felt bad for her. “If you follow me, I can show you a cool room I found and we can wander around together if you want.”

Star smiled, “That sounds nice, actually.”

“Cool.”

Danny started walking, Star following close behind. They made it to the lobby as Jazz and Kip were bounding down the stairs.

“I found it!” Danny called over to them.

“Sweet. Thanks again, lil’... Star? What are you doin’ here?”

“I, uh, well...” she stammered.

“She wanted to apologize for earlier,” Danny jumped in. “She mentioned you had something to show her earlier, and I told her you had an emergency,” he handed the book to Kip for him to check out. “I also offered to show her around, help her pick out a book and show her the room I found earlier,” he added.

Kip smiled at them. “Thank you,” he said softly.

He checked out the book as a car pulled up in the parking lot. He ran out, waving goodbye.

“So,” Jazz started, “You want me to stick around, or pick you up later?”

Danny turned to Star, “You mind if she joins in? She has more recommendations than I do,” he admitted.

Star giggled for a second. “Sure, I don’t mind.”

Danny smiled to himself for a moment. He let Jazz lead them through the library, pointing out certain books to them. He occasionally made his own comments, about how the movie was good or that he heard good things about that one.

Jazz ended up with Tom Sawyer , Star with Red, White, and Royal Blue . They sat in the quiet room as they read, Danny in the chair, Star on the couch and Jazz at the desk.

Turns out, being a normal teen for the day was the best idea his friends ever had.

He was never going to tell them that, though.

Although...

He was going to have to tag along with Jazz more often. He may not be able to do whole days like this, but maybe he could spare a few hours every weekend. This was too nice not to do that.

He’d had too much fun today.

[bi-bi-birdy03]

Here's your warning now. Some of you might not like me for this, but I also don't care. Here are my opinions

Dick is so overrated and so over sexualized that it's disgusting. He's not a good older brother at all, and it's weird that people are always like dami sees him as a dad like ew. Also, the whole thing about Bruce being lost in time, like people always say that dick was hurting and stressed as excuses for the way he treated Tim, and like yeah, so was Tim. Some of the excuses are dick just lost his father, so did Tim and kon and Bart and Jack and steph, and Donna. Oh, but dick was in charge of a whole city, and it was stressing him out, he took care of bloodhaven by himself, and it's almost worse than Gotham. Like their grief and stress and trauma were not the same. Tim was going through it, and dick made it worse, and I sometimes hope Tim never forgives him for it. Like he's a bad brother a lot of the time he acts like he can only have one brother at a time. Plus he never threatened arkum like where the fuck did that come from.

Jason's not a good character and a whiney bitch who's whole personality is just I got killed and now i'm mad. others got killed, some just as bad as him, but they don't make it their whole personality like him. And the bullshit about him being all no more dead robins when he tried to kill 2 of them like the logic isn't there. Also the whole Jason is a hero for the people like no he's not when he came back he didn't give a shit about any one he was just throwing a hissy fit because he was mad, he did not give a shit about the people. You're thinking of Duke Thomas and Helena Bertinelli like you dont have to give him other characters' personality and character traits to make him more interesting. And the stupid ass headcanon about him being Hispanic is the most racist shit I've ever seen. What because he's poor, grew up abused, and violent he's Hispanic like this is the most offensive stuff as a Hispanic and you should be ashamed and it's mostly white people doing this to like fuck out of here. He was NEVER Tim's Robin, which was dick and it always will be like this is the dumbest take I've ever seen.

Stephanie is kinda irrelevant and doesn't really bring anything to the hero community, and she needs to be held accountable for the shit she did and started. People are always like she was just doing what Bruce said too for his approval but the same people turn around and say she never wanted anything to do with him and never wanted his approval and is so independent until you want to talk about her faults then it's Bruce's fault never hers.

Jon never should have been made he adds nothing to the overall dc universe and its dumb what they did to his character.

Alfred is not this golden grandfather character he's an enabler and helped Bruce psychologically abuse Tim for his 16th bday. Also all the shit he sees going on that Bruce is doing to all the kids and just let's it happen.

Fandom needs to be stopped like at all costs. They ruined the characters and their personalities so much. Tim and dami get along now and stopped fighting each other long ago. Let it go already them constantly fighting is boring their not buddy buddy, but they are not constantly at each other's throats either.

Bruce dose not love them kids he loves the control he has over them. When they start trying to be their own person, he either beats them into submission or gets rid of them. He's a piece of shit.

Clark is also a piece of shit and needs to get more heat for the way he treated kon in the beginning.

The batfamily is way too crowded now. it doesn't work anymore. It peaked when it was Bruce, dick, babs, Cass, Tim, Alfred, and Helena. I like Duke and can tolerate Damian if he's written good but with them and the rows and even Kate its just too much.

I think one of the reasons that I don't absolutely love timber is because it feels kind of fake to me. Like it's too perfect that you have bernard Who already knows tim's identity And of course we never got told how And I just think it feels so ew to me because It feels like a cop out because tim has never Been able to tell someone his identity its either been told ( bitchman sorry batman) or found out through shenanigans (yj) or from plot (tam)

And I hate that. He should be able to TELL someone. Give him the decision. And I hate how this could be part of a whole arc for him and bernard. It can be something that feels real. I don't want this whole teehee I already knew the whole time and came to terms with it. I want drama. And I know the only reason that it's like this is because it's a m/m ship, and it's new. The writers don't want to upset people, but it just feels so fake the way it is now. Real Relationships have drama they have fights, and they have conflict. But dc is not gonna give us that because they are afraid of how it will be perceived. I think this is why I can't enjoy the ship as much as I want. I want Bernard to be suspicious of where tim goes at night or why he has to leave their dates in the middle of them or not even show up and cancel at the last minute. I want them to fight and make up and talk to each other about stuff. I want tim to finally be able to tell someone himself about who he really is. I want conflict because you know if it was a straight ship, they would have this. Guess what dc us in the lgbtq+ community have real relationships to. It's not just fine and dandy all the time for us. Also give benard back his fun goofy asshole personality and his HIGHT DC HES TALLER THAN TIM!

I know it seems like I hate these characters, but its mostly the fandom that ruined them for me and Meghan Fitzmartin fuck her she's ruining the charecters and her story lines are trash

What's your batfam hot take that will land you like this?

[redrobemerle]

(nothing serious under the cut, just petty frustration)

every time i pull open a fic that takes place post-brucequest and im having a grand old time and then the fic has tim and dick be on bad terms or has tim mention something about "dick threatening to send him to arkham" and i have to just. scream into a fucking pillow. bc a) DICK LITERALLY NEVER DID THAT HE JUST SUGGESTED THAT TIM GET THERAPY BECAUSE TIM LOST SO MANY PEOPLE IN SO SHORT A PERIOD OF TIME. LIKE YEAH HE DIDNT BELIEVE THAT BRUCE WAS ALIVE BUT ALSO TIM DIDNT PROVIDE ANY EVIDENCE HE KEPT IT ALL TO HIMSELF UNTIL HE HAD DEFINITIVE PROOF BECAUSE. AND HE EVEN ADMITTED THIS TO HIMSELF. TIM ONLY "KNEW" BRUCE WAS LOST IN TIME AT FIRST BECAUSE HE HAD TO BELIEVE IT WAS TRUE FOR HIS OWN SAKE. and b) tell me you fundamentally do not understand their relationship without telling me you fundamentally do not understand their relationship.

canonically. during brucequest (the first half of red robin) tim ignored, deleted, and avoided everyone who tried to contact him before he was Officially Back In Gotham after the fight with ra's. to the point where lucius fox had to physically send his daughter to try and bring tim back. EXCEPT.

when dick called. he picked up. (and then he had to come back to gotham briefly to help deal with the blackest night zombie problem before going back to what he was doing)

but like. he was on rough terms with dick. he was ACTIVELY LEADING the LEAGUE OF ASSASSINS. and yet tim is still immediately ride and die for dick. tim canonically has contingencies for literally everyone he interacts with EXCEPT FOR DICK. HE SAYS HE NEVER WILL HAVE ONE FOR DICK. HE LOVES AND TRUSTS HIS BROTHER IMPLICITLY!!

like. yeah tim probably wont be as open with dick about his mental health. and all that. but like. while he was hurt by dicks actions, i dont think he was ever actually angry at dick. not really

tim telling him "youre my brother, youll always be there to catch me" is as much an i forgive you as it is a you can never know how ready i was to die there

just the same as dick asking him "how did you know id be there" is as much a im sorry i wasnt there for you these past few months as it was a please tell me you knew id show up, somehow

sometimes! common fanon is a lie!! and also directly contradicts canon!! and frankly sometimes!!! common fanon!! is WORSE!! anyway at this point i think anyone who writes anything even relating vaguely to the events of red robin (2009) needs to read red robin (2009). its only like 26 issues and you can find the whole run on readcomicsonline i promise you its not that big of a hardship. if you want content warnings hmu im planning on making a spreadsheet for it anyway

[jrosa82fanfics]

Part 5 of Discovering Saftey

CHAPTER TWO

Winter had come to Gotham a few months after Jason’s first heat, and with it arrived the alpha Jason hadn’t been able to get out of his mind. He was sitting in the living room where boxes of Christmas decorations were strewn across every surface. He and Tim had been in the process of taking out ornaments to hang on the tree when Dick showed up at the front door. Jason tensed at the sound of the alpha’s voice in his home and stands to see what is going on. 

Tim follows him, and on their way to the door asks “Who is that?”

Before Jason can respond, the front door and the alpha come into view, and it seems Dick is equally shocked to see Tim as Jason is to see him. His reaction to the other child Bruce has taken in is far from what Jason expected though. With a smile on his face he approaches them and introduces himself to Tim, while Jason stands to the side in complete shock at the man’s kindness to the newest member of the pack. 

It’s quickly replaced with a rush of hurt and anger that he would so harshly reject Jason but accept and welcome Tim. Despite his anger he refuses to turn it on Tim, it isn’t his fault after all. As though he doesn’t exist the two walk away from him, back to the living room where they spend the remainder of the evening, until dinner, decorating. Jason doesn’t join them, instead going to his room to sulk.

He knows he is being ridiculous but it hurts to be pushed away and excluded and he doesn’t think he can handle being with them right then. When dinner forces them all together Jason manages to reel his emotions in. He sits to Bruce’s left with Dick across from him and Tim beside him.

When Tim sits down he turns to Jason immediately to tell him about how the decorating was coming along and how Dick had helped him place the tree topper on as they begin eating dinner. By the time he has finished speaking he is only halfway done with his meal while Jason has already finished and decided to skip dessert in order to escape. He is soon followed to his room by Dick who knocks on the closed door. 

“Can I come in? I wanted to talk and come bearing dessert?” He calls through the door. After a brief moment to think Jason decides to just let him in and crosses the room to open the door. After confirming that Dick does in fact have dessert, a slice of chocolate cake for each of them, he lets the other in and they sit on a plush rug at the foot of Jason’s bed. 

“What did you want to talk about?” the omega asked after taking a bite. The man looks a bit sheepish as he says “I’ve had some time to think things over and realized that last time I was here I was a total jerk to you. So I wanted to apologize. I’m sorry Jason, I was angry with Bruce and I took that out on you. I hope you’ll let me make amends.”

Jason doesn’t know what to say. He hadn’t expected the alpha to apologize or even care to make things up to him and yet here he is doing just that. “Okay. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to just forgive you and trust you but I want to try. I’m willing to wipe the slate clean.” He finally says. 

“Thank you, that’s all I’m asking for.” And with that they eat their cake in a peaceful silence. Jason feels a traitorous flutter in his stomach at the closeness of the alpha and wishes he could erase away the hope he feels growing inside him.