#did u not hear todd it was his father

[ace-with--a-mace]

i wouldnt have watched this fuckass movie if i was gonna cry this much wtf

[incorrectbatfam]

How do u think they all reacted to finding out pieces of Tim’s year abroad?

Concept: he tells one person who tells everyone else, but it's like a game of telephone where the story changes over time

Tim, under his breath: ...so yeah, I lost my spleen and blew up the League of Assassins.

Cassandra: *nods*

[later]

Stephanie, gasping: No way! He sold his spleen to the League of Assassins?!?

Cassandra: *nods*

[later]

Stephanie: *whispers to Barbara*

Barbara: Moldy blue cheese in a pasta salad. No wonder he seemed so out of it.

[later]

Barbara: *whispers*

Duke: That doesn't sound like him. I'm gonna ask Jason to see if he knows.

[later]

Duke: Apparently Tim spent a year in a treehouse writing classic rock ballads.

Jason: That's the first time I'm hearing about this.

[later]

Dick: What were you and Duke talking about?

Jason: Nothing much, just how Tim went off the grid to live like a caveman for a year.

Dick: He what now—

[later]

Damian: I overheard you and Todd talking about Drake's alternative lifestyle retreat.

Dick: Well, actually—

Damian: Does Father know?

Dick: I don't think so, but—

Damian: I shall inform him.

[later]

Damian: *whispers*

Bruce: Are you sure?

Damian: My intel is never wrong.

Bruce: *barges into the Batcave*

Bruce: Timothy Jackson Drake, since when did you smoke weed?!

[bennyboyfics]

i loved your pranking ben fic soo much!!! How about instead of pranking ben they do the same prank but ben is the one being mean to the reader in front of his parents? Again, I love your work and tysm<3

Pranking his parents || Ben Shelton x gf!reader

A/n: THANK U SO MUCH!

Wc: 866

Warnings: none

MASTERLIST

-

You sit beside Ben in the car, your fingers intertwined as he drives toward his parents’ house. The late afternoon sun filters through the trees lining the quiet street, casting golden streaks across the dashboard. “You sure about this?” you ask, glancing at him with a teasing smile. “Your mom might actually disown you after this.”

Ben chuckles, dimples flashing as he glances at you. “She loves me too much for that,” he says confidently, then adds, “But she might slap me upside the head.” You laugh, shaking your head. The prank was simple—Ben was going to act like the worst boyfriend imaginable, treating you with uncharacteristic rudeness in front of his parents just to see their reaction.

His mother, Lisa, was fiercely protective of you, having welcomed you into the family with open arms from the moment Ben introduced you. His father, Bryan, was the more laid-back one, but he had a quiet way of making his disapproval known. Neither of them would take kindly to their son acting like an arrogant jerk toward you.

As you pull into the driveway, Ben exhales dramatically, “this should be fun.” You squeeze his hand one last time before stepping out of the car, the warm Florida air wrapping around you. Lisa greets you first, pulling you into a hug before stepping back to eye you up and down like a proud mother. “You look beautiful, sweetheart,” she gushes.

“Thanks, Lisa,” you say warmly. Ben, still standing by the car, scoffs loudly. “Can we go inside already? We don’t need a whole red-carpet moment every time we come over.” You bite your lip to keep from laughing. Lisa’s brows immediately furrow, and Bryan glances up from the porch, his relaxed posture shifting ever so slightly.

Inside, the familiar scent of home-cooked food fills the air, and you follow Ben into the living room, settling onto the couch. His parents sit across from you, chatting about their day, until Ben leans back with a groan. “God, can you not sit so close?” he mutters, shifting away from you on the couch. Lisa’s head snaps up. “Excuse me?”

You feign embarrassment, casting your gaze downward. “Sorry,” you mumble, playing into the act. Bryan sets his drink down with a little more force than necessary. “Ben,” he warns, his voice even but firm. Ben shrugs. “I’m just saying, she’s always, like, all over me. It’s suffocating.” Lisa’s lips part in pure horror.

“Benjamin Todd Shelton, what did you just say?” Ben stifles a grin, quickly adopting a smug expression. “Y’all act like I can’t have space in my own relationship. She’s always doing something annoying—” “Are you out of your damn mind?” Lisa cuts him off, eyes blazing. “I didn’t raise you to talk to a woman like that, let alone your girlfriend!”

Bryan leans forward, his expression unreadable. “I don’t know who you think you are, son, but you better check yourself real quick.” “Bryan,” Lisa turns to her husband, gesturing wildly at Ben. “I— I have never been more ashamed. I don’t care how famous you get or how many matches you win, if I ever hear you speak to her like that again, so help me God—”

Ben finally cracks, bursting into laughter, and you can’t help but giggle as well. Lisa’s anger falters, her narrowed eyes darting between you two. “Oh, my God. Are you— is this a joke?” Ben wraps an arm around you, pulling you close. “Yeah, just a prank.” Lisa stares for a moment before smacking Ben’s shoulder. “Are you kidding me? You little—”

Bryan sighs, shaking his head with a smirk. “Damn, boy. I was about to ground you, and you’re a grown man.” Lisa exhales sharply, pressing a hand to her chest. “Don’t you ever do that again. My heart can’t take it.” Ben grins, kissing your temple. “So you do like her more than me.”

Lisa doesn’t hesitate. “Of course I do!” You beam, snuggling into Ben’s side. “I told you they’d take my side.” Ben groans dramatically, but his parents just laugh, shaking their heads. It was safe to say—prank or not—Lisa and Bryan were never going to let their son treat you any way but right.

[siddyyyyyyyy]

YYAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY

okay hear me out

Jason todd x daughter!reader/gn!teenage reader who basically went through the same torture as him? like idk maybe we got captured by some villains when he wasn't present or something 🙏🏼😔

if im completely honest I'm in need of some angst w/ a fluffy ending 🙂‍↕️ (daddy issues much..........?????????????) love u bro 💕🙏🏼

Flashbacks

Father!Jason Todd x Teenage!reader

wc: 2K summary: You get captured by a past villian, but your father saves you. warnings: angst/comfort, blood, kidnapping, violance, branding scars, no y/n used a/n: Thank you so much for the request!!!! this actually reminded me of another req I did a while ago; Safe Again !! I actually didn't expect for the father!Jason AU to go this well, but I'm not complaining, I'm really glad a lot of you liked it! enjoy this request, thanks again🤗

»For the last time, tell me everthing. Or else I‘ll cut off your head.«

He threatens, squeezing his throat dangerously tight while the cartel leader keeps his wide eyes on the white slits of his helmet, being just as helpless.

The Red Hood is relentless and unhinged in his approach, not letting anyone go without at least one dangerous injury.

He didn‘t know what to do when he woke up from a long nap after patrol and he didn‘t see you at home. You should‘ve been at home a good while ago, and you never mentioned going out with friends after school. He tried checking your phone, but it‘s a lost cause. There‘s no way to track you down or find your last coordinates.

It‘s been almost two days and he finally found a lead. A smaller warehouse, located near a place he forced himself to forget about. Even now, staring at the big screen of his computer, he hopes this is all a bad dream. It‘s more difficult to focus, but he forces himself to get over his inner turmoils and save you. To bring his baby back.

The warehouse was easy to find once he got there, uncomfortable memories flooding through his mind again, making him tense up further. There weren‘t as much guards around, making him doubt that this is the correct location. But he was desperate. Desperate to find you, to bring you back to safety. He doesn‘t want to imagine what could‘ve possibly happened to you during those two days, when he couldn‘t find a single trace of you.

It was scaring him.

He doesn‘t want to fail like…

God, like Bruce did.

But this is real, and it feels like you are already slipping through his fingers. These past two days felt like the longest time in a while. He couldn‘t sleep, didn‘t eat, he focused entirely on finding you again. On getting his baby back.

Jason tenses up at the sound of chains dragging against concrete. It‘s a small sound, but enough to draw his attention and make him grow slightly more paranoid. His feet drag him towards the sound, the hall growing darker as he approaches the main area of the warehouse, being lighted up by a faint bulb at the middle of the ceiling.

He finally reaches the big room, the sight of you making his breath hitch. It‘s like a giant punch to his lungs, he can‘t seem to breathe properly as he takes you in, seated on a chair, hands tied up into the air, head hanging low.

His head jerks to the side once another figure appears, dragging a chain behind him, eyes focused on him like a hyena stalking its prey. But this time, it‘s not Red Hood who intimidates a poor mugger. It‘s someone who he is familiar with, but can‘t seem to recognise him entirely at the same time. There‘s something different, as if it‘s not exactly the same villian he expected to see.

»Red... hood. How unexpected. Yet predictable. Of course you‘d go after poor children, wouldn‘t you?«

»What did you do?«

Jason hisses back, drawing his gun out and pointing to the copy cat. But the other person doesn‘t seem to be threatened, putting his hands up in mock surrender, chuckling lightly at him, amused.

Your head continues to hang low, seemingly unconscious. Jason keeps his eyes forward on the threat, not daring to look at your beaten body just yet.

»Oh, I think you know it best.« The copy-cat shoots back. Jason‘s blood runs cold. His grip falters ever so slightly on his gun before he finally charges forward, violantly pushing him on the ground, beating the heel of his gun into the other‘s face repeatedly.

He won‘t let the same thing happen to you. You are innocent. You never got wind of his nightly activities in Crime Alley and around Gotham, at least he never told you about them. He didn‘t want you to know the details, even though you are old enough to know about them.

»You—« another hit, »should‘ve—«, another one, »died,«, one final hit to his head, »a long time ago.«

The copy-cat of Joker can‘t help but laugh quietly under him, despite his jaw being locked unnnaturaly. Jason‘s gun is pointed on his forehead, pulling the safety off as he takes a trembling breath.

»I‘ll show you what‘s funny,« after one final breath, Jason pulls the trigger, landing several bullets into his head.

The warehouse grows quiet, leaving Jason with his own feelings. He stares back at the lifeless body under him, the familiarity to Joker making his skin crawl. Finally, he pushes himself off of him, packing his gun back into his holster. His gaze settles back on you, still unconscious on the chair, clothes a bit shredded, your arms chained up into the air.

His stomach churns at the sight, but he keeps it together, approaching you and carefully freeing you.

Your wrists are burning red from being chained up for so long, you body sagging forward once they are free from the chains. Your form is thinner, dark circles under you eyes, hair messed up slightly.

He coos quietly as he picks you up into his arms, making sure not to press on any cuts or bruises. And finally, he brings you home, setting you down on the couch of the living room. He notices you waking up slowly, eyelids fluttering open.

You can feel the aches settling in your body again, your head pounding from all the hits you had to take earlier. Jason stays kneeled down in front of the couch, his hand gently stroking over you head.

»You‘re safe, angel. I‘m here.« His voice quiet and gentle, eyes soft as ever.

You hear him exhale heavily before hugging you carefully, leaning over your weak form on the couch. His heart clenches as you try to hug him back, your hand falling back on the couch, feeling the aching stings through your muscles.

Jason takes a deep breath, forcing himelf to get it together and stay composed in front of you. You need someone to rely to right now, and he would do anything to make you feel safe again.

»Let me check on you, okay? I‘ll fix you up,« his bigger hands let go of you, carefully moving you around a little to examine your weakened body. He notices light cuts along your body, mostly bruises along your soft skin.

You wince once he turns you on your side, immediately letting go and trying to find the source of pain.

»Where does it hurt, hm?« His expression grows more worried, waiting for you to tell him what hurts, already prepared for anything. You gesture at the side you laid on just now, pulling up your shirt a bit to reveal the larger wound.

Jason takes in the branding scar, clenching his fists tightly. The branding scar seems to be some kind of symbol of the copy-cat, revealing a bright smile with chunky teeth. He runs his hand through his hair before he stands up, making his way to find his first aid kit. The apartment grows quiet again, only interrupted by your light winces of pain and steadying breaths to keep the pain under control.

He manages to patch you up fully, making sure that nothing can get infected. You watch him get back into his bedroom for a moment before returning a moment later, handing you over one of his hoodies. He helps you to sit back up on the couch, watching as you stubbornly put it on yourself without any help.

»I‘ll make us some dinner. Want something special?«

He kneels down in front of you again, taking your hand in his to brush his thumb along your knuckles, ready to take any request you‘ll make. You shake your head a bit, accepting any kind of warm meal you will receive.

Eventually, Jason gets to the kitchen and starts making your favourite, letting you stay in the living room with your favourite childhood show playing on TV. Jason lets his thoughts wander while he cooks, letting himself spiral a little in the comfort of his own home.

He keeps comparing himself to Bruce, telling himself that he dodged a big bullet by finding you in time. The fact that you could‘ve died without him knowing, without being able to save you…

The vegetables gently simmer in the pan as he keeps quiet, trying to think of lighter things. With a heavy sigh, he hopes you won‘t hold the same grudge against him, like he does with Bruce. He saved you, he got you back, you won‘t hate him… right?

Jason finally serves two plates for the two of you, entering the living room once more. He notices the way you sit curled up on the couch, surrounded by fuzzy blanket, drowning in his big hoodie. He smiles fondly as he hands you over your plate, sitting down beside you, making sure he doesn‘t accidentally hurt you.

The familiar show brings a sense of nostalgia in him, remembering the early days when you were just a small child, when you had dinner together every evening, and giggled over funny scenes and jokes in the show. But now, you are a little more grown up, barely sixteen years old, sitting beside him after getting rescued.

You finish up your plate after a while, laying your head back on his shoulder. A familiar safety you‘ve grown used to.

»You know I will always find you, right? I will always protect you.« He mutters softly, keeping his eyes trained on the TV.

You listen to him, deciding to stay quiet as he finally shows a more vulnerable, more raw side of him. As his child, you never saw many strong emotions from him, having been helped with yours instead. He always tried his best to understand your emotions and help you get through them, especially when puberty hit you pretty hard. Still, it‘s strange to see him be so open about his thoughts and feelings.

»I know I should‘ve been there to protect you— but I wasn‘t… and— and I will make sure to always be there from now on.« He finishes his small monologue, but you aren‘t as emotional as him. You simply train your eyes on him, speaking up for the first time

»You were always there, dad. It‘s not your fault.« You tell him matter of factly, not having the energy to have a long heart-on-heart with him right now, especi ally after such a hearty meal, making your eyelids heavy. Jason notices your growing tiredness, recongising your familiar character come back to the surface. He keeps his arm wrapped around your shoulders, squeezing gently.

»Okay, I‘ll keep quiet.« Jason promises as he actually grows quiet, allowing you to finally relax further and enjoy the comfort of the home.

Some time goes by before you manage to slip into a light sleep, dozing off against his shoulder as if it‘s a soft pillow. Your father smiles faintly to himself as he notices, letting you fall into a deeper sleep, before carefully picking you up and settling you into his own bed. He remembers the time when you were younger, too afraid to sleep in your own big room, still freshly taken in by him.

Your body stays relaxed and safe in his covers, his hoodie still on you, drowning you in, keeping you safe. Jason decides to stay awake, being unable to fall asleep still. He uses the time to clean up in the kitchen and have some more time to process what happened exactly. He knows Bruce will eventually find out about everything, he still killed the copy- cat in the warehouse, after all. Just another way to get lectured by Bruce, as if he hasn‘t heard it enough times already.

Sitting down by the kitchen island, he picks up his phone in forever, searching a certain contact. The dial tone rings quietly through the kitchen until the other person on the line picks up, letting out a soft grunt of acknowledgement.

»Hey, dad...«

←MASTERLIST

taglist₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆. @143637-hrrm @dollyure @ibreathesmut @dreamzaremyrealityy @lunana98 @pitofrats @joonunivrs @reallycreativeusername @oneiropoloss

[cryscendo]

ok tell me about your dps klaine au. i love the movie so i'm interested to hear what you have in mind! :)

omggg ty to u and @blossoms-and-possums and @warblercore for asking about it totally and entirely unprompted 🥰

sooooo i have this au in mind for dps klaine that would take place during dalton era klaine (naturally) and i wanna write it so bad. here are some highlights

kurt as todd anderson

blaine as neil perry

sam as knox overstreet

mercedes as chris noel (for the samcedes of it all naturally)

kurt transfers to dalton for largely the same reason he did in canon — to get away from bullies. the difference being he doesn’t actually meet blaine until they find out they find out they’re rooming together (as is the case in dps)

blaine’s father is really adamant that he gets good grades so that he’ll be able to get scholarships for a nice law school.

when blaine hints that he might want to do acting, mr. anderson gets agitated with him bc he already had one kid try to follow that acting pipe dream and where did that get cooper? absolutely nowhere, according to his father. blaine is NOT allowed to do the theatre stuff under any circumstances

meanwhile kurt still feels like an outsider amongst the other boys in school bc he’s the self conscious gay kid who is a natural creative in a space where only academics and business seem to matter. the only person that really actively tries to make him feel welcome is blaine who he quietly latches onto.

ofc that kinda shifts when the society is formed.

it’ll more or less follow the main story, but i’m gonna change some stuff for plot purposes and also make klaine a bigger focus in the narrative. including the deleted scenes from the film that expand on their relationship

“i can take care of myself, alright?” “no.” “what do you mean no?” “no ❤️”

i’d probably also keep the late 50s/early 60s era the same bc i think that’d be fun to interact with when dealing with queerness

there’s about 5874364585 things i wanna discuss but i gotta keep some things a surprise <3

[adultswim2021]

Delocated #13: “Mole” | September 24, 2010 - 12:00AM | S02E06

The FBI discovers Sergei among the Jon decoys and hold him captive. When they reveal him to Jon, they also reveal another thing: the incredibly impossible science as found in John Woo’s motion picture of Face/Off is actually real, and they propose Jon takes Sergei’s face in order to infiltrate the Mirminski crime family and gather vital intelligence. Jon is gung-ho, until the plan bumps up his own fear of marriage when he, as Sergei, is asked to marry into another crime family.

This is in the running for favorite episode of the series for me for sure. The entire second half of the episode is completely Glaser-less, with Steve Cirbus playing Jon playing Sergei. He absolutely shines in this, and his performance is wonderful and amazing. It also features one of my favorite endings: It ends with a photo montage of Jon as Sergei, having just married the crime princess, being stuck in this life for 18 months, wherein he very irresponsibly fathers two children. I recalled watching 

A picnic scene where Jon makes his son watch Face/Off outdoors, a scene where Jon, as Sergei, reconciles with his agent, a scene where Jon, as Sergei, tries to get the crime families to “go green”, and one where he meets Todd Berry and then he gets his dick sucked.

I also recall a bumper or something of that nature where they showed some production photos from the episode. Jon's son David is sporting a very-hard-to-see pube-stache because the end of the episode is said to take place 18 months later. Even my HD rips of the show aren't high definition enough to spot this.

MAIL BAG

has reliving through now almost a decade of adult swim been mystifying? or maybe demystifying. It just seems like a whirlwind to be doing this

It's crazy for sure and people call me a "crack head" when I tell them this. I hear guys at work say "that kid's on crack" and they point at me. Let's face it they are all absolute lads and I love working with them more than anything else in the world

hamber fries and coke, thats my big lunch! and hamdillers

actually I had a nice taste test of chicken nuggets today and it went like this

(TOP DOG): Banquet

(MIDDLE DOG): Tyson

(BACK TO THE POUND WITH YOU!!!! YOU ARE DISGUSTING): Foster Farms

And I drank hose water with it

Such a rare miss from Coudry/Wain et. all to not use the Jeff Ross appearance to call him out on dating minors as an adult. They are usually so good at speaking truth to power.

Jeff Ross shoudl never show his face in public again>.. the guy is U-G-L-Y UGLY!!

The blog being updated is an awesome Easter treat. The bunny really spoiled me this year.

the bunny didn't do shit it was me and my creativity

What did the easter bunny put in your basket?

my building literally doubled the price of laundry on the coin-operated laundry machines this weekend, so I guess that.

yesterday somebody wacked out my pervert, that energy'll make The Simpsons go to Europe

WHAT ARE YOU DOING??????

[muder-boner]

MY OC IF SHE WAS IN SALLY FACE

tw mentions of getting high , nightmares , fighting

Summary of my oc': Her name is Riri /its not me lol just same name !! She normally lives in a zombie apocalypse, erm i wont go in detail her life is so disturbing

so in sf, shes a teen again, and her mother is alive, when her and her sister , and moher left the abusive home and ran away from her father they moved in The Adisson Apartments /idk if spelled right and uhm yeah idk, here are some hc

When Riri first met Sal, she already knew him , but that still didnt make her any less cold.

''Uh, youre Riri, right? I heard youre new here.'' Sal asks. Riri squints her eyes. ''Ah, youre Larrys friend?.'' She looks around and nods when she notices Larry nearby. ''Sup dude.''She turns to Sal. ''You need anything?'' Sal shakes his head. ''I just wanted to introduce myself, im Sal, my friends call me Sally Face.'' Riri looks around. ''Erm, oki.''

After that when they hung out at Riris place, Sal brought Gizmo over, little did he know Riri had two cats, white cat named Angel, and black cat named Dracula, the three cats played together , while Sal looked around Riris room for hour since she has so much stuff in there.

After like a month of being friends, Riri got introduced to the friend group, she instantly became friends with Ashley, bur she kinda just was there everytime they hanged out, not much of a talker.

Sal was confused how Riri knew Larry, so when he asked her she explained that Larry caught her smoking on the rooftop, they proceeded to get high on casual Fridays, just smoke buddies.

Lisa and Riris mother are bestfriends.

Riri appered in Larrys and Travis' nightmares cause they both saw Riri in a fight with one of Lizzies / her younger sister / bully, they still havent recovered

Sal could hear Riri yell at Lizzie at 3 am from downstairs over some food.

Riri likes to study human anatomy and animal anatomy with Todd, only reason she likes to be around him.

She relates to Travis so she tries to help him, not knowing how to comfort him yet she gets called a cunt by him so she punched his nose, shes too embarrased to say sorry so she didnt show up tp school for 3 days.

She once got high with a teacher, nobody knows.

Riris mother hates when Riri smokes in her room but cant help smoke with her

Her younger sister, Lizzie LOVES Larry, she sees him like an older brother,

one time Riri came home to see Lizzie paint Larrys nails pink and play with glitter ponies together. She still has a picture of Larry like that on her wall.

Larry was suprised Lizzie knows so many swear words, so they had a contest of who know the most swear words.

OKI THATS KINDA IT I HAD SO MUCH FUN WRITING THESE, I MIGHT DRAW RIRI AND LIZZIE SO U COULD SEE HOW THEY LOOK LIKE !! I HOPE U LIKE THESWE

[ms-nesbit]

how would jason be as a dad?

Jason Todd - Father Edition

do i think he will be like anakin/darth vader, despite his writing (mostly) being depicted as DC's tragic fallen sidekick? no

he will probably be incredibly apprehensive the entirety of the pregnancy (if he impregnates someone)

but will read every single parenting book in the gotham library

and he will learn every nook and cranny about various parenting styles

PTO parent

threatens karen w a knife bc she was intimidating/using fear tactics to scare the kids

"why dont u pick on someone ur own size" - jason, at karen, at approximately 8:57pm

reads a book a night to his baby

and doesnt miss a night. ever.

self-identifies as a DILF

(until he gets hit on by women. then he cringes.)

teaches the importance of boundaries, self-respect, and self-defense

yes, hes a karate dad. his kids take karate and he refuses to elaborate further

doesnt understand cocomelon

and bans it from his roof

but loves cookie monster and gonger's food truck adventures

sings lullabies to his babies

but the lullabies are alice in chains or metallica hits

he even bought matching black sabbath shirts for him and his baby

HOME COOKED MEALS FOR HIS KIDS

and those really cool homemade lunch kits you see on pinterest, with the star shaped sandwiches and dinosaur carrots

will literally dropkick anybody who hits on his kid

"they are a fucking child, karen. why are you making comments about 'waiting till he's 18'? what're you gonna do, RISE from the grave and snatch my child? fucking crypt keeper."

"Oh, shit. Did you hear that? This creep wants to hit on my baby, who still shits herself and can barely hold her head up. How about I take you on a date, and show you exactly what I'd do to you if I catch you makin' those comments about her again, hmm?"

doesnt care about being a single dad, and doesnt use his kids as pawns to flirt with others

he trusts duke the most (aside from alfred) with his kids

then tim, then damian, then dick.

"what the fuc- he's 11!1!" - dick, when walking in on damian babysitting jason's child

"yes, and you stick your escrima stick wherever it fits. stay humble." - jason

bruce is the second best grandpa in the world

alfred is the world's best pop-pop

and jason goes to him for parenting advice, or when he's feeling doubtful about himself as a father

and it usually ends up with him in tears and alfred comforting him because he's a better father than he's ever had

[notfeelingthyaster]

I have been listening to Welcome to the Black Parade (the album) for like a whole hour inside my head as I read about Jason Todd and it f i t s w a y t o o m u c h

so I'm writing as if this is a jason todd musical mcr style, that little emo (maybe the tracks are out of order about events but)

now hear me out

the first track is "The End" and it's serving Ghost!Jason at his own grave/funeral afterward his death

"you might wake up and notice you're someone you're not" = jason waking up in the grave

"another contusion, my funeral jag/here's my resignation, i'll serve it in drag" = his final time as robin ?? his resignation from the role, his fights with bruce, him getting more violent?

"come on, come on, oh, come on, i said save me (get me the hell out of here)" = he dying in the joker's hands

"save me! (too young to die, and my dear)" = do i really need to explain?

also the whole song is about a funeral

the second track is "Dead!" and i could make the same comparison (jason is dead hehe) but this song is actually Jason singing to himself AND joker as the red hood

"and if your heart stops beating, i'll be here wondering: did you get what you deserve? the ending of your life" = the joker dying would be enough to punish him?

"have you heard the news that you're dead? no one ever had much nice to say, i think they never liked you anyway" = so this is jason's dramatic ass bitch comeback singing to the joker and HIMSELF about how no one really mourned him

"wouldn't it be grand to take a pistol by the hand" = definitely red hood

"oh motherfucker, if life ain't just a joke, then why are we laughing?" = this is the joker's answer. or maybe is jason being extra dramatic because there's also a line "then why am i dead?"

then it comes the "This is How I Disappear" track, which is basically Jason and Bruce talking

"to un-explain the unforgivable, drain all the blood and give the kids a show" = the confrontation in the tower with tim

"there's things that i have done, you never should ever know" = this is about jason's breaking the "rule"

"and live my life alone, forever now / who walks among the famous living dead" = jason talking about him going solo and being dead

"you wanna see how far down i can sink? let me go fuck" = jason screaming at bruce

The next track, "The Sharpest Lives", it's really all about The Outlaws

"a light to burn all the empires, so bright the sun is ashamed to rise and be" = Starfire? Artemis?

"give me a shot to remember, and you can take all the pain away from me" = this is Jason

"the sharpest lives are the deadliest to lead" = roy? jay? all of them really

i could continue and show were each point is but the whole vibe of the song fits the messy lives of the outlaws and the whole "forsaken heroes" they have going on

The title track, "Welcome to the Black Parade", is all about Jason's relationship with Bruce

"When I was a young boy/My father took me into the city to see a marching band / He said, "Son, when you grow up would you be the savior of the broken, the beaten and the damned?" / He said, "Will you defeat them? Your demons, and all the non-believers, the plans that they have made?""

IS THERE ANYTHING MORE ROBIN AND BATMAN THAN THIS???

"And through it all, the rise and fall / The bodies in the streets / And when you're gone, we want you all to know / We'll carry on, we'll carry on / And though you're dead and gone, believe me / Your memory will carry on" = this is about either Jason being "replaced" or Bruce being "dead"

"I won't explain or say I'm sorry/ I'm unashamed, I'm gonna show my scars / Give a cheer for all the broken / Listen here, because it's who we are / Just a man, I'm not a hero." = this is Jason refusing to apologize for being who he is

the next track is actually "I Don't Love You" and it's ALSO about Bruce, perhaps Dick?

"And after all this time that you still owe, you're still the good-for-nothing, I don't know / So take your gloves and get out / Better get out, while you can" = pick up your shit and leave me alone, jason style

"When you go, would you have the guts to say: 'I don't love you, like I loved you yesterday'" = this is about him being "replaced" by tim again, and also bc bruce didn't unalive the joker

maybe this is more a dick song than a bruce song bc of the drama, and also the little quote about "knock you down and out is where you oughta stay" feels more like he's talking to dick? idk

The "House of Wolves" track is just a big ass mess, and it's jason's joker/bruce confrontation where bruce again don't unalive this fucking clown

"And I'll be grantin' your permission / 'Cause you haven't got a prayer" = this is about him going to unalive the joker

Well, I think I'm gonna burn in Hell / Everybody burn the house right down / And say what I wanna say / Tell me I'm an angel, take this to my grave / Tell me I'm a bad man, kick me like a stray / Tell me I'm an angel, take this to my grave" = this is about bruce glorifying his death and treating Robin!Jason as an angel and red hood as the "bad man", that he is going to hell, blablabla

"So get the choir boys around you / It's a compliment, I swear" = this is about Tim/Dick and their "perfection" as "obedient robins"

"You better run like the devil / 'Cause they're never gonna leave you alone / You better hide up in the alley / 'Cause they're never gonna find you a home" = joker won't have anywhere to hide where Jason won't find him and unalive him

"And as the blood runs down the walls / You see me creepin' up these halls / I've been a bad motherfucker" = Jason about himself to Bruce

The next track is "Cancer" and I'm uncertain yet but PERHAPS this is a mix of Jason's dying on the warehouse and flashbacks about his mom (not she*la this bitch) dying

but there's a lot of mentions to actual cancer so perhaps it's the least well-suited song to jason

i do like this line a lotttt though

"Help her gather all my things / And bury me in all my favorite colors / My sisters and my brothers, still"

Then there's "Mama" and this is Jason in the warehouse with Sheila in his last moments and oooooh it's the full song

"Oh well now, Mama, we're all gonna die / Mama, we're all gonna die / Stop asking me questions, I hate to see you cry / Mama, we're all gonna die" = i don't even

"We'll let the fires just bathe us, yeah / You made us oh so famous; / We'll never let you go / And when you go don't return to me my love" = THE FIRES OF THE EXPLOSION

"Mama, we're all full of lies / Mama, we're meant for the flies / And right now they're building a coffin your size / Mama, we're all full of lies" = The lies of SERVING THE FUCKING JOKER

"She said, "You ain't no son of mine!" / For what you've done they're / Gonna find a place for you" = he is saying she's going to hell for being a bitch

If you want me to explain my thoughts about the last five songs of the album comment and all cause I'm a lil tired now

gimme thoughts about it all bc this feels like a jason todd musical

[jasper-unofficial]

do you think todd had something to do with what happened to black? im not sure but it would make a lot of sense. white clearly has not much idea abt whats goin on ,any extra info he gets is from todd and by "helping" white he's basically manipulating the way white thinks... white is not likely to suspect him.. i wanna hear your take cuz yours are almost always really accurate and mine are fuelled with excitement and impulsiveness. (also omg white what r u doing with eugene u dont even know why they broke up bro you trainwreck that kiss was so weird to watch)

also um no way gram hurt black uk and actually if todd did hurt black wouldnt this be the perfect way to spin it? clearly gram and black were close but i dont think white is aware of how close... making white suspicious of gram will mean that not only is he eliminating the only person that could definitively guess that black is not being himself but also whos prolly aware of the daily ongoings of black before he was attacked? im clowning🤡

you are absolutely not clowning, everything you said makes complete sense. i wanted todd to not be the bad guy so much, because... sing, you know? and there is also the fact that he has an iphone, and it's genuinely true that apple doesn't allow bad guys in media to use their products. but everything just kind of... points to todd, doesn't it? gram is obviously not the person who is responsible for what happened to black - the guy would jump in front of a bullet for him, who are we kidding. and todd is controlling the narrative so much right now, i don't think it's unintentional. not to mention he is almost a fucking caricature of a rich spoiled child, which is exactly who the guys are fighting against. i wouldn't be surprised if his father was somehow connected to tawi, because rich people are always in cahoots with each other. i also think it's kind of sus that he was so calm about what the gang was doing - he was very vague about them in the beginning, but then they are burning houses down, white almost has a panic attack over it, and todd's just like "ugh, just burn it down with them and let me go back to bed"? AND he supported white's idea to pretend to be black without any questions either - almost like he wanted him to focus on a very specific part of black's life and he already had it all planned out in his head.

[arty-chase]

So this is something I wrote sometime during 12 to 1 AM coz i couldn't sleep and I can't get this idea out of my head. I have an Maribat obsession. English is my second language so there is bound to be mistakes.

Something to know beforehand Sabine is an assassin but not part of the League and trains Marinette in the ways of assassin stuff. She also knows about her daughter being LB cause u can't hide stuff from a former assassin. Mari is more chaotic and have Plagg's ring. This is told from both Damian and Jason's Pov.

-----------------------------------------------------

Damian groaned.

He was not having a good day.

First, Father decided to pair him with Todd, TODD of all people, for patrol.

Second, while investigating the warehouse near the docks which seems to be the cause for concern and enduring Red Hood's taunts, they both were knocked out by tranquilizers and his mother face was the last thing he remembers seeing.

"Don't worry, little one. You are just fulfilling your duties as heir to the Demon's Head."

She had said, just before he fully lost consciousness.

Third, he was chained up and had a headache. Taking a bearing of his surroundings, he found himself in wedding ensembles of the League of Shadows. Red Hood was chained up next to him as well but unlike him, still had his suit and helmet on. Glancing to the other side, he saw a raven-haired girl, chained up as well and dressed in the black and gold robes of a bride. She had also retained consciousness and was staring at him.

Bluebell eyes met his piercing green.

She was petite with asian features. She had freckles dotting her button nose.

She was fragile and would break easily, he thought.

Why did his mother wants him to marry such a weakling?

"(French) Do you know where we are?" Her voice was sweet and trembling. Her eyes were wide and seem filled with innocence. She was an Angel, not fit for the world she was forcefully going to get married to.

She opened her mouth to ask again and suddenly, she slumped to appear unconscious. A moment later, he heard footsteps approaching and the door opened to reveal his mother.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jason finally woke up to the sight of the Bitch Talia and Demon Spawn, face to face, in a staring contest.

Talia broke the silence.

"Damian,my son, I hope you know what is expected of you."

"To be forcefully married to that little girl. She is no one special. Why am I getting tied to her?"

Jason saw through his helmeted vision, a girl about Damian's age, across him and chained up like them.

"Marinette may not seem like it but she possesses great power that your grandfather converts. Speaking of, she should be awake by now."

Talia grabbed the girl's hair and yanked so that her eyes met the girl's. The girl, who unfortunately was going to be the Demon Spawn's bride,(That little shithead is getting married. Jason thought) lets out a cry and starts to tear up. Jason felt anger at how she was treated.

"Tch, See, she is more pathetic than I thought. She is not powerful." Demon Spawn growled out. Bride to be or not, that is no way to treat a girl and if Jason could, he would beat him for that comment. The girl starts babbling in what seems to be a mix of French and Cantonese. And Talia and Demon Spawn starts to argue about the choice of who he was forced to marry.

"(Arabic)Appearance can be deceiving. Despite her demeanor, she is the current wielder of the Ladybug Miraculous and the Current Guardian of all of them. The old Guardian, the old fool promised her in exchage for protection."

"(Arabic)That doesn't mean I want to marry her. She is not worthy of an Al Ghul or a Wayne."

The dark haired girl had stopped crying and starts murmuring, from what Jason hears , in Latin? He caught words like "Black Cat" "Portal" "Mother" " getting Married" "ladybug" and some curse words thrown in.

And she stopped as if waiting for an answer.

Later, Jason saw a terrifying smile crossed the face of the girl chained up across him that was quickly smoothed out.

He blinked.

Talia was now choking on the chains that were previously chained to the wall and now around her neck. Fortunately, Talia had closed the door after her entrance and the guards stationed outside were none the wiser to what was happening inside the cell.

The experienced assassin tried to get free and gain an upper hand on the girl but was unsuccessful, passing out from the lack of oxygen and strangly strong grip of the girl.

Next, she breathed hard on the chains on her wrists which instantly disintegrated into flakes of rust. She somehow managed to use what remained of the chains to hog tie the assassin up. ( Talia didn't have the keys to the locks. Being crafty like that. The girl told them to call her M and used her weird ability to remove their chains.)

-----------------------------------------------------

Damian had his jaws on the ground, in shock at the turn of events. He had severely underestimated his betrothal.

-----------------------------------------------------

Edit: I wrote a more in-depth version if you want to read it. Here

[chvrliesapcet]

ever since olivia rodrigo released her debut album, SOUR, i have been listening to it on repeat (totally not kidding). so, after seeing a girl on tiktok do something like this, but with the avengers, i was inspired to make this post. there you go:

the poets as olivia rodrigo’s songs.

trigger warning: mention of su*c*de and mental health issues.

brutal: all of them. they’re teenagers, insecure sometimes, trying their best, but sadly not living the teenage dream (what is it, that fucking teenage dream, anyway?). “if someone tells me one more time "enjoy your youth, " i’m gonna cry” and they can’t quit what they’re doing, because their parents would most likely be hurt. “and they'd all be so disappointed 'cause who am if, if not exploited?” they once recited the lyrics of this song as a poem, during one of their meetings, and they were all laughing their asses off. life at hell-ton is brutal, what can i say?

traitor: knox, of course. “god i wish that you had thought this through, before i went and fell in love with you” or “guess you didn’t cheat, but you’re still a traitor” just hit different for him. he thinks about chris when he listens to this song, that’s for sure..! we can’t really blame chris for knox falling in love with her though,, sorry buddy.

drivers license: knox, again. poor boy listens to this song while riding his bike, crying his eyes out. “but today i drove through the suburbs, crying 'cause you weren't around” chris isn’t with that blonde girl, she is that blonde girl. knox has never felt this way for no one, and it’s hard for him to imagine that chris is, well, doing okay without him. he thinks and talks about her all the time. “and all my friends are tired of hearing how much i miss you, but i kinda feel sorry for them 'cause they'll never know you the way that i do”

1 step forward, 3 steps back: todd. like many people (including me!) when he listens to this song, he doesn’t necessarily think of a past relationship (mostly because he has never dated anyone before neil). he thinks of his mental health struggles, such as his anxiety, instead. it’s hard, sometimes. he thinks he’s getting better, but then realizes he isn’t.. “got me fucked up in the head, boy. never doubted myself so much. like am i pretty, am i fun boy? i hate that i gave you power over that kinda stuff” need i say more? this song is as soft, but as sad, as he is.

deja vu: keating. this is.. kind of a joke, but only because i didn’t know who to pair this song with. john was an original member of the dead poets society, and knowing that now, other teenage boys are taking turns reading poetry, in the old indian cave, reminds him of his teenage years. “so when you gonna tell her that we did that, too? she thinks it's special, but it's all reused. that was our place, i found it first” olivia’s music isn’t the type of music he normally listens to, but after hearing students (the poets) talk about her album, during his class, he decided he’d give it a try. he likes it. he loves the lyrics, mostly.

good 4 u: CHARLIE. he loves screaming the lyrics to this song. especially the bridge and the last chorus. “LIKE A DAMN SOCIOPATH!” cameron has to beg him to turn the volume down,, he doesn’t listen to him, obviously, and instead turns the volume up. his argument? ‘this song is meant to be played loud!’ to which cameron responds ‘but not that loud! i’m trying to study!’ he thinks looking at his roommate directly in the eye when singing “baby, what the fuck is up with that?” exactly the way olivia does is funny. cameron just rolls his eyes every time, but it’s hard for him to hide the smile taking place on his lips.

enough for you: pitts. although he and stev/phen are both super, super smart, i think meeks is the ‘genius’ of the group. and that, can, sometimes, make pitts feel like he might not be good enough for his boyfriend, whom he loves very much. “and i knew how you took your coffee, and your favorite songs by heart. i read all of your self-help books so you'd think that i was smart” whenever he doubts himself, meeks is the first to reassure him and tell him he’s more than enough, but still.. “'cause all i ever wanted was to be enough for you” he listens to this song with his earphones, always, so no one knows he listens to it on repeat.

happier: meeks. ever since charlie got expelled, he can’t stop listening to this song. these two were pretty close, (“he flatters me, that’s why i help him with latin”) and stev/phen doesn’t like thinking about his friend being in a new school, and spending time with other people. “so find someone great but don't find no one better. i hope you're happy, but don't be happier” he wishes charlie would still be with them, at welton, even if he hated it. “your friends aren't mine, you know, i know. you’ve moved on, found someone new” or “does she mean you forgot about me?” he’s being a bit overdramatic, considering charlie comes to see the poets at least once a week, and still attends the dps meetings.. but anyway.

jealousy, jealousy: cameron, because, yes, he’s smart and everything, but he’s still jealous of other people, and wishes he were different. he thinks he should be like the other guys. “all i see, is what i should be, happier, prettier, jealousy, jealousy” he also thinks that, maybe then, people would like him more </3. he knows no one really hates him, but feels like no one really likes him, either. and in his opinion, it’s because he’s.. him. “I'm so sick of myself, i’d rather be, rather be, anyone, anyone else” just like mr. k, this type of music isn’t what he usually listens to, but he relates to this song so much, he can’t help but listen to it at least once a day.

favorite crime: neil. just like todd, he doesn’t associate this song with a relationship he had in the past. actually, he thinks of his father (and his mom, a bit, too) and all of the things his dad forces him to do, even if it upsets him. “those things i did, just so i could call you mine. the things you did, well, i hope i was your favorite crime” i know we don’t usually talk about the canon ending, but i have to. mr. perry didn’t want his son to pursue his dreams, and planned neil’s life for him, which made him feel so miserable, he sadly committed su*c*de.. but then, his dad wasn’t blamed for it, to preserve his reputation. “and i watched as you fled the scene, doe-eyed as you buried me, one heart broke, four hands bloody” todd knows this was neil’s favorite song. he listens to it once in a while, in their room, alone, and cries.

hope ur ok: all of them. do they know how proud i am they were created? after all they’ve been through, especially their family problems, i’m glad they found each other. “she was tired 'cause she was brought into a world where family was merely blood” and even when life throws bad things at them, they always stay strong, and support each other through everything. they’re very brave. “well, i hope you know how proud i am you were created, with the courage to unlearn all of their hatred” i love them, my beautiful poets <33

[chronicbatfictioner]

Exchanges and Compromises - Chapter 17

Jason was having the time of his life.

Dick was sure of it. He might grump and sulk a lot more than before, but Dick was sure that he was having fun. Sure, guarding Damian might be a little more than tasking, after a while - especially since Damian was so certain that he could face Bane alone if it comes down to it, conveniently ignoring the fact that: a. he's ten and practically one-tenth of Bane's size; b. the Waynes most likely would detest having to clear intestines off the marble floor if Damian were to be let near a katana and/or Bane, and c. Alfred definitely would detest cleaning intestines or parts of Damian off the floor or walls.

And d. Bruce Wayne seemed to actually enjoy having Damian around and has no qualm in talking to Damian as if he was twice his age. Bruce's age, that is. Not Damian's. Dick suspected that Bruce has spent a lot of time talking to 60-year-olds.

But there were numerous forms of excitement that were offered by the Wayne Manor. First and foremost were the cars. Dick has never learned to drive - being a Talon kind of impeded the learning process of 'common human things'. Jason, however, was an excellent driver. He had mentioned something about being a getaway driver in warzones, and Dick couldn't be sure if he was telling the truth or joking. Either way, he rather enjoyed it whenever he and Jason had to take Damian somewhere in town.

Except for today, as somebody seemed to have tampered with the car.

It wouldn't brake, and they were cruising really, really fast.

Hence Dick's belief that Jason was having fun. He did not look perturbed at the slightest as he controlled the car, swerving crazily over the backroads, making sharp u-turns instead of going into the city roads and went back where they came from. Within a mile from the Drake House's gate, Jason finally managed to cut down the speed to the point where the car's engines died and it rolled to a stop. On the Drake House's gate.

"Seriously, people," Tim remarked dryly as they walked in - leaving the car at the gate and settling their respective adrenaline back down. "I've heard of visiting the neighbors, but must you be like, dying and/or damaging people's property before you come here to say hi?"

"The car was tampered with," Damian reported. "Must be the brute. And I shall replace your gate, Drake."

"I think I'm down to like, eight lives. No-- seven." Dick admitted, "my heart's still beating a hundred miles per minute. Good thing, though, at least that way I know I'm quite alive."

"Dick, you're a bird. Not a cat." Tim deadpanned. His eyes never leaving Jason, who had lit up a cigarette as he walked through the house. "Since when do you smoke?"

"Since I was eleven," Jason replied. "And since I walked into a house that has laser triggers that were set up by a lunatic. Smoke worked to reveal them all."

"I'm... partially scowling because smoking kills. But I suppose laser triggers would kill faster..." Tim replied.

"The lasers are used to trigger booby traps just about Damian's height. If he were to be a common kid and run around the house, he'd be decapitated within the first few days." Jason continued bitterly. "What the fuck is wrong with that giant lump of steroids, anyway? He was ready to kill a child!"

"The nutshell version is that the child would prevent his usurping the Waynes' wealth." Tim pointed out. "The long version is that I don't think he's really the child of Dr Wayne, the Waynes know of it, and they're literally being held hostage in their own home. Also, you people are being watched, too, by drones. I've asked Harper to kill those drones for entering my property."

Tim then explained Bruce's visit and the USB. "Oracle has contacted him and told him we... the Birds, that is - are investigating the evidence."

"How long until we can punch the asshole out of the house for good?" Jason demanded, accepting a bottle of water Tim handed him. Slowly and gently. Making sure his fingers brushed Tim's. And Dick had to swallow a grin.

"That, unfortunately, would be up to the GCPD. Did you guys saw the news? Vicky Vale's article on Damian?" Tim... preened a little, waving his hair as he walked away from Jason. Dick's lips itched, he wondered if Barbara or the other girls -- if Selina or Dinah have noticed this. The two were definitely flirting.

"I have seen it. It had good pictures of my mother and grandfather, and quite... adequate descriptions of both of them." Damian replied. "Evidently father has made a comment to the writer about me looking like him when he was my age."

"Well, you kind of do look like him, except for the green eyes." Dick pointed out. Bruce's eyes were blue - like both his parents. But from the photos of little Brucie around the house, Dick could see a little of Martha Wayne in Damian's still-round face. "When did Bruce make the comment?"

"Oh, Vale called him." Tim snickered. "She still has his personal number, and she commented something about hearing a - quote: 'constipated buffalo sounds in the background' - unquote. She was also wondering if Bruce was in a bullfighting ring somewhere."

"Seriously?" Dick laughed.

"Seriously. Even Barbara couldn't stop laughing hearing that." Tim assured him. Jason rolled his eyes but looking amused, anyway.

"Sooo... a possible off-road accident for the apparent heir is in the books?" Jason suggested.

"I won't put it past Bane. Damian...?" Tim started. But Damian already nodded in acknowledgment.

"I shan't eat anything that is not presented by Todd or Grayson, nor will I frolic the manor on my own. This shall be more to bear witness to your insinuation of my 'child-like' behavior than to take care of me, Drake, as I am quite capable of sustaining my own life." Damian scoffed.

Tim paused visibly for a good two seconds, before nodding, "of course. Furthermore, I can assure you that Alfred is safe, mainly because as a butler, his focal interest would be the actual Waynes. That's in his training - unless an offspring is publicly announced, they are not to be cared for by the Butler. In Wayne Manor, the proverbial child would solely be Bruce - for obvious reasons, and Damian, whom Bruce has publicly acknowledged." Tim explained.

"He was in MI6," Jason remarked. "Alfred, that is. Not Bane. It would be safe to say he's loyal. He told me of the booby traps and that Bane has a daily dose of injection of the steroid-like substance. But I-- we shall prepare you emergency rations - just in case, anyway."

"You guys can always drop by here. And don't think that Damian would be Bane's only target." Tim reminded. "If I was him, I'd take out the big guns - that is you two - first; and then Bruce, because he'll want to be protective of his son; and then Dr and Mrs Wayne last."

"Then I'm afraid you are forgetting one of the members of the household that is most dangerous, Master Tim," a voice spoke; Jason pulled out his gun, Damian automatically hid behind him while pulling out a small dagger.

Dick wanted to lunge right toward the source of the voice until he realized that it was Alfred Pennyworth, both hands raised up to show that he was unarmed.

"How...?" Jason growled, "I didn't hear the front door open."

"Apologies, gentlemen. I should have informed you that there is an underground passageway between the two houses that were once used frequently, but now has all been forgotten." Alfred explained. "You were right that I was in MI6, Jason; as you were right that my focus will and forever shall remain the true Wayne blood, Master Tim. Not ones who claimed as such and refused to provide irrefutable evidence."

"Does Bane know of this passageway?" Tim asked.

"It is located in the staff's wing, and as he is not permitted to be there, I sincerely doubt it," Alfred replied. "I have my own... booby traps and surveillance that should tell me if anyone has been there." he smiled. "I am aware that both of you have prowled the entire house at one point or the other in the past few weeks." he nodded toward Jason and Dick. "You were stealthy, indeed."

"But not stealthy enough?" Dick quipped. "I gotta go back to training... Anyway, why are you here?"

"I saw your vehicle's mishap and its stop here. If anything, Bane is not... stealthy enough." Alfred pulled out a small memory card. "To get to the garage, one must pass the servants' hall. And the garage is my province."

Tim accepted the memory card, plugged it into his cellphone; and then projected its content to a wall. "Huh... this should be enough evidence of tampering..." Tim commented. The memory card showed a clear date stamp - that morning, a few hours before Bane and the Waynes left the house. It also showed Bane himself, jacking the car that was now resting with a dented bumper at Tim's gate, while holding a plier.

"Anyone watching our car now?" Dick commented. "Won't be cool to have it suddenly fixed, will it?"

"Harper should be. Plus, y'all are on my property. If he trespasses, I'll have his ass arrested." Tim huffed. "So... if anyone has ideas--" Jason and Damian's eyes lit up; Tim glared at them and continued "--that do not include sharp and/or exploding objects of how to remove Bane from the Manor..."

"I'm fresh out," Jason replied mournfully. "No sharp objects, no exploding objects... what do you expect me to do? Poison him?"

"But Todd, did my mother not teach you the arts of food as medicine?" Damian piped up.

The sudden silence as all eyes landed on Alfred was quite ominous.

"I will not conduct a crime, young masters," Alfred remarked dryly.

"Oh nooo... not a crime," Jason grinned mischievously. "It's just... you know that Damian was born in the Middle East, yeah?"

"I may have quite a culinary skill, but I fear that my Middle Eastern cuisine knowledge is rather limited," Alfred said demurely.

"Well, mine isn't." Jason grinned. "Besides, what else should one do to celebrate one's entrance into such a distinguished family; but hold a family dinner?"

"You're going to poison him." Dick groaned.

"Not to death!" Jason protested. Dick gave him an unimpressed glare. "Just... to the point where he would realize that he and I have opposing objectives."

"Do let me know of the ingredients you require, Jason." Alfred intoned. "Or perhaps you prefer to shop on your own? I shall fetch a new, un-tampered-with vehicle."

"Oh, please do, Alfred. I doubt we can make a single trip. But they will be fun." Jason replied, grinning.

Dick knew that the sense of foreboding was not in him only. Tim looked like he was contemplating moving away to Alaska.

"For the records, I don't know anything about cooking," Dick said defensively.

"I'm... truly and fully reconsidering my life choices," Tim admitted.

"Oh, don't worry, Drake. Todd was trained by the best," Damian grinned mischievously. "I pity the fools who think him as a brute. I pity the brute who think that small equals weak."

[dcftones]

the dead poets society asks fo today

from this post

where did you hear about dead poets society?

ive known about it for years and have been Meaning to watch it, but i actually got around to it cuz of the parody episode from derry girls abt it😭(ALSO A GREAT SHOW watch derry girls)

have you ever watched it with someone?

ive made most of my friends watch it w me

how many times have you watched it?

at least 10 times? not sure i legit never finish it i just watch up to the play

favorite character?

charlie dalton <3

least favorite character?

mr perry die challenge‼️‼️‼️

favorite quote?

“but poetry, beauty, romance, love, this is what we stay alive for.” and also “who brought half a roll??”

in what ways did the movie inspire you?

to actually take risks and live life😪 not to b corny doe

did the movie make you cry at all?

yes‼️when the gang is comforting todd after hes told neils dead AND when mrs perry is hysterically crying and saying hes ok...everytime it hurts

favorite actor(s) from dead poets society?

robert sean leonard and gale hansen <3

what have you learned from dead poets society?

to take risks!!! life is about living and you gotta take those chances you might miss out on!

have you copied any phrases, mannerisms or personality traits from the movie?

not Really, though for a while my echolalia went wouldn’t stop repeating ‘but room fairy here comes oberon’.

have you ever had a teacher like mr keating?

my choir teacher probably. she was amazing and inspired us all to be better and also she genuinely cared for me when i was at rock bottom and would listen to me. mrs harmon i miss u❤️

have you ever had friends that are the same way as neil, todd, cameron, etc?

sort of? my sophmore year friendgroup was really wacky, but we all fell apart after some serious drama

favorite ship?

neil/charlie 😩 </3

least favorite ship?

ANYTHING with cameron‼️

how do you feel about the scene where nolan paddles charlie?

IT GIVES ME THE WORST SECOND HAND EMBARRASSMENT i have to skip it everytime😭

do you blame mr perry or mr keating for neil?

mr perry 100%, like even if keating did inspire neil to chase his dreams mr perry still refused to listen to the wants of his son and even after he was gone he refused to change. and while neil never did really stand up for himself to make his wants known his father had still conditioned him to never talk back or speak to himself!

do you think that cameron deserved to get punched by charlie?

TBH LIKE. I get where cameron was coming from about saving his own skin cuz he clearly cares for his own future unlike charlie whos been on the brink of being expelled for ages and says he doesnt care anymore, but his comments about letting keating fry or trying to say theyre all victims of keating like neil? bro shut up i hope charlie AND todd both jump you you narc

would you ever want to go to a school like welton academy and have a secret poetry group?

TBH i see the appeal in a boarding school because you’d be away from your parents, but i am chronically stupid and the curriculum would kill me!

the message of dead poets society is about how education can go beyond what is taught in textbooks, and that’ll education should be taught in a way to enlighten people about the realities of life and how they shouldn’t look at things with a singular perspective. do you agree and believe that?

i do agree with that! its a great message tbh especially in terms of its time period where the rigid academia system didn’t give room for thinking for yourself

[heartless-error]

Love-Struck

Fandom: DC comics, Batman

Pairing: Jason Todd x Timothy Drake (JayTim)

Rating/Tags: JayTim Week 2020 - Day 1: College AU, Family Feels, Fluff and Humor, Secret Crushes 

Other(s) links: AO3

"Okay." Jason sighed, gathering strength to himself. "You remember… That guy?"

"That guy?" Roy asked back.

"Yes."

"The one you have a crush on and look at him from afar, but you deny it and never take the first step because you’re a dramatic bitch?"

"Yeah."

"What? You have finally talked to him?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"I hit him with the bike."

Roy was silent, looking at him and blinking a few times at the news. But he didn't have to say anything, Jason knew he was totally fucked.

OR:

Based on the prompt "I was distracted looking at my crush and accidentally hit him."

Love-Struck

 It happened on a Tuesday, during the break.

 Tim met Conner and Bart outside his classes to head to one of the coffee shops near the campus, between his mathematical analysis class and his computing class, because he wouldn’t be able to survive that day without a third coffee and in addition his friends would be nearby to make sure he didn’t fall in the temptation to drink a fourth.

 Everything was going well, Bart received him with an effusive hug and Kon patted his back like always. All started walking towards their destination while talking about their classes, how close they were to the finals, Kon’s new game, where they could go to celebrate when they finish the semester, generally normal things that made Tim forget about how he had slept an hour and half, still had four assignments to do, and his parents were waiting for his presence at tonight’s dinner after they returned from their business trip to Dubai.

 Maybe it was because of that hour and half of sleep, or because the little conversation of his two best friends about how Conner was a coward who couldn’t ask Cassie out caused him a slight smile, a warm emotion, and distracted him from his problems and everything around him. But when he crossed the street to the cafe, happy and absent, he didn’t have time to react to anything.

 “Watch out!”

 “Tim!”

 Something hit him and before he knew what, fell unconscious.

 ~0.0~

 “He's alive!”

 That was the first thing he heard when he started waking up.

 Tim found himself confused as he regained consciousness, his whole body hurt, a lot, but at the same time he was somewhat sleepy. He realized he was lying on a bed that smelled of antiseptic and medicine, around him he could hear bustle and people talking next to him, couldn’t feel his leg either.

 “Of course he's alive, calm down.”

 That was Kon's voice. And previously was Bart's. If he remembered well, he was with them on campus, just heading to one of his favorite coffee shops before something hit him on the side and everything went dark. If he had to guess, he would say that he hadn’t passed out from the lack of caffeine but had been run over.

Tim growled annoyed, opening his eyes heavily and blinking because of the whitish light of the hospital room.

 When he was finally able to focus and wake up properly, the sight that received him was his plastered leg held high and his friends hovering over him with a worried gaze.

 “Tim!” Exclaimed Bart, who seemed to be on the verge of tears.

 “What's up buddy? How did you sleep?” Conner asked with a relieved smile.

 When he tried to answer, he realized how dry his throat was, as well as how overwhelmed he was because of the medications and sedatives that would have been administered to him when had been treated. His friends, realizing this, soon helped him to lean him over and give him the bottle of water that was on the next table.

 “What happened?” He ended up asking after recovered himself.

 “You got hit by a motorcycle.” Conner answered bluntly. “And you scared us, man.”

 “Yes! I almost have a heart attack!” Bart exclaimed. He could tell he was holding himself back to not hug him until crush him because he was benched. “We were talking and suddenly you were flying!”

 “Really?” He asked, surprised.

 It wouldn't be strange if the hit had thrown him a few meters away, but he felt the most serious wound he had, was that broken leg, so he didn't think he would have fly for real.

 “No.” Conner denied instantly.

 Yeah, he thought so. What a disappointment.

But now that he was more awake, he remembered certain things clearly.

 “I think I remember listening to the ambulance.” He frowned, trying to remember well.

 “No, that was Bart screaming.”

 “It scared me! Okay?” The redhead excused himself immediately.

 “We could hear you better than the sirens.” His other friend started teasing.

 Tim couldn’t help to smile amused at this, fondly too. Bart used to be loud in general, but him being so concerned about him was very touching. Also, the fact that his two friends had taken care of him, had accompanied him, waited him to wake up and now were there, receiving him, made him remember why he loved and appreciated them so much.

 “I thought it was serious!” The redhead excused himself again.

 “Obviously not.” Kon replied, still amused. “Tim is stronger than we think.”

 “I'm fine, Bart. For real.” He tried to reassure him, he felt it could have been worse anyway. “I'm only a little numb for the medicines, can you call a nurse?”

 As much as he appreciated the ride to the hospital, the treatment and all, he wouldn't like to spend the night there. He didn’t consider his condition serious enough to do so, so he would like to be discharged immediately. He also wants to sleep in his bed, those four assignments weren’t going to be done magically and no nurse was going to allow him to drink a decent coffee. So, hearing his diagnosis and going home was all he wanted now.

 However, when Kon and Bart exchanged glances, something told him that it wasn’t going to be that easy.

 “What?” He asked immediately.

 They didn't answer, just looked at each other again with a slight hint of panic. Which was not cool at all, because it made thousands of unpleasant possibilities run through his mind.

And the worst, the worst of them entered the room before he could ask again.

 The temperature in the room dropped suddenly to below zero as soon as Janet Drake, as beautiful and noble as ever, entered keeping her formal, elegant, and polite composure characteristic of her as the sound of her heels echoed in the room harshly. Her pristine appearance contrasted with her icy eyes -identical to his son’s- and his aura in itself, so cold, lethal, and furious that she seemed to freeze all those who dared to look at her directly.

Everything was quiet and it seemed like the death itself, ethereal and deadly, had entered the room. And Jack Drake, who warmly greeted his son and his friends after saying goodbye to the nurse they had been talking to.

 “Timothy.” His mother said calmly, firm, approaching the bed with safe steps. “Glad to see you’re awake.”

 Tim swallowed hard. He didn’t know what to answer, because now he understood and shared the same panic as his friends. Janet looked angry, was she? God, why he hadn't thought it before? Of course they were going to call his parents after being struck by a bike, and of course it wouldn’t be pleasant for them to receive such news while they were unpacking and planning their dinner tonight. She was angry, right?

 “Thanks for being with him, guys.” Said his father to his friends.

 Conner tried to smile naturally, but it looked like he had just sucked on a lemon. Bart didn't even try; he was as stiff as a board and looking at him like a deer about to be run over.

Sometimes he found fascinating how his mother -yes, only his mother- still had the power to scare them in this way as if they were still the noisy children he met at summer camp and used to visit him. Anyone would think she hated them, seeing the disinterested attitude she always has maintained, he knows they think so too, but after learning the scholarships of both to enter the best programs of the Gotham University were slightly orchestrated by her, he knows it’s not true. Or maybe it was, and she was just doing him a favor by keeping his best friends close to him. He will never know.

 Of course, that doesn't take away the fact that his mother seems furious right now and can effortlessly rip someone's arm off just for the pleasure of doing it.

 “N-Never mind…” Conner tried to say with that nervous smile. “Anything for Tim.”

 “We’re lucky it wasn’t anything serious, was it?” His father said looking at him directly. “The doctor said is just a few bruises and your poor leg, you will recover without problem, son.”

 Tim was a little relieved that the diagnosis was so simple, despite already suspecting it, confirming it didn’t hurt. He saw how his father winked at his friends so they wouldn’t be worried, though they hesitated for a second.

 “U-Um... We...” Bart tried to say.

 “I’m sure you still have classes to attend today.” Janet cut him off. “Don't worry about Timothy, we’ll take care of it.”

 All of that, even from her tone, would have sounded kind if her eyes wouldn’t have been piercing them to the depths of their being, as if she were throwing ice daggers into their hearts. He swears he could see Bart flinch.

 “Ok, see you later Tim!” Bart said trying to hide his panic and saying goodbye with a nervous smile.

 He could have sworn that if Bart could run at super speed, he would have done it to get out of there. Connor, on his part, reached out to him and lifted his hand to ruffle his hair in that loving, gentle way he used to do, but stopped halfway as soon as he felt Janet's murderous aura grow wild and out of control.

 “Get well soon.” He said before turning around and run away like a coward.

 Well, he couldn’t blame them. He will text them later.

 But now he had been left alone, drugged, hurt and with his parents, one trying to be positive and the other willing to kill someone. Who? He doesn't know, but if he survives this, he vows he'll quit caffeine (he won't).

 He felt her mother's icy gaze move from his leg to his face, and he had to swallow hard again to try to speak.

 “We were going to the cafe and then…” He tried to explain.

 “We know what happened.” She cut him off seriously. Of course she knew it, at this point it doesn't surprise him if she knows even the date the bike wheel was created. “Also know who was the responsible. We'll fix it.”

 He didn't know how to take that. On one hand, if they didn’t know who had hit him, at this moment they would be tracing all Gotham with all the resources they had to find it out; But on the other, they knew it, and Tim could only feel sorry for whoever that poor soul was, because they had no idea what was going to come after them.

What's more, he was realizing how his father was compulsively sending messages right now, surely to their lawyers, or to public relations, or whoever, but that wasn’t promising anything good.

 “I’m fine.” He said looking at his mother, hoping to appease the murderous hunger that was devouring her right now. “Seriously.”

 It didn't seem to work, because she didn't move a single muscle and looked at his plastered leg again.

 “I don’t see it that way.” She declared in a soft but deadly tone.

 He didn’t have the will to refute her. He had never had it when it came to such a situation, after all he had always had a fragile and compromised health, which didn’t help to calm down his parents when he ended in the hospital again.

 On the other hand, many people thought that Janet was someone extremely cold and severe to be a mother. Which wasn't exactly true, it’s just... She showed her love in other ways, a little differently. Tim knows when he was born, he was premature, very small, sickly and not the first baby Janet had carried, but the only one who could have born. For this reason, he knows that, although she travels a lot and not many people consider her a model mother, his mother possess an extreme and powerful sense of overprotection embedded in her, and when it’s active threatens to destroy everything and everyone around it. Which was now aimed at the person who hit him, who is going to have to deal with the Drake army of lawyers.

 It’s somewhat unfair and exaggerated to waste such an amount of legal power against someone because of a simple accident, unless it’s a good reason, at least that’s what he thinks. He wishes he had said it, but he knows it will be in vain, they are already in it, and he’s also exhausted, the drugs are probably still working. So, before he knew, he was just falling asleep.

 As he slipped into the dream world, he really hoped that the person responsible for the accident weren’t someone he knows or cares about, because they could end up hating him.

He also felt his mother gave him a light kiss on the forehead, but that only made him smile.

 ~0.0~

 “I have a problem.”

 “Yeah, I’ve figured out.” Roy replied across the table.

 He had only raised an eyebrow and put aside his coffee when he saw Jason enter the room and sit in front of him in panic. Well, Roy couldn't do much after being called there so suddenly either.

 “A big problem.”

 “I felt it when I received your texts.” He said again, more than calm. “Very deep, by the way.”

 Jason snorted. Right now, he was going to explode like a popcorn, many things had happened, so it hadn't been in his plans to write a text beyond the “Help, I fucked up” to his best friend.

 “Roy, c’mon” He scolded him, agitated. Right now, he could feel his phone vibrating in his pocket for all the texts Bruce was sending him, that didn’t help at all.

 “Ok, sorry.” The redhead raised his hands in an attempt to calm things down, then looked at him curiously. “What happened?”

 Jason writhed uncomfortably in his chair at that question, it's not like it's the first time he asked that to him if the redhead was so calm at the moment it's because he was used to doing this. He had come to Roy because he’s his best friend, the one he trusted, who wouldn’t judge him, and the only one who has the privilege to know certain personal information, which had importance at the moment. The thing is, he had no idea where to start, there were so many things at once, he wanted to think about how to explain them all because he could see his friend getting impatient as he hesitated.

 “Jay.” He said, it's not like Roy was very patient to begin with.

 “Wait, I'm thinking.”

 “You're a literature student, you're supposed to be good at words.”

 He's right, but Jason's eloquence was absent since this morning.

 “I don't know where to start, dammit.”

 “From the beginning.” The other said, then looked to his phone. “I have to pick up Lian from school in an hour, so hurry up.”

 Jason sighed and scratched the back of his neck, deciding to say it all at once. He said to himself he does it because he didn’t want to interfere with the single father duties from his friend and not because he was going to explode.

 “Okay.” He sighed again, gathering strength to himself. “You remember… That guy?”

 “That guy?” Roy asked back.

 “Yes.”

 “The one we saw on campus earlier in the semester?"

 “Yes.”

 “The one who's also friends with Kent, the quarterback?”

 “Yes.”

 “Nerd, short, pretty eyes, nice ass and very cute?”

 “Yes. Yes.”

 "Totally your type?"

 “Yep.”

 “The one you have a crush on and look at him from afar, but you deny it and never take the first step because you’re a dramatic bitch?”

 “Yes.”

 “What? You have finally talked to him?”

 “No.”

 “Then what?”

 “I ran him over.”

 Roy was silent. Completely silent, looking at him and blinking a few times at the news. Jason couldn’t avoid wondering if that was the face he did when he found out he was going to be a dad in high school, but he couldn't joke with that because he was too busy panicking right now.

 “What?” The redhead ended up asking to make sure he had heard correctly.

 “I ran him over, Roy.” He repeated, feeling the panic build within him again.

 The other was quiet again, staring at him stunned.

 “I. Ran. Him. Over.” He repeated once more, this time to internalize it himself, because since it had happened, he hadn’t even had time to do it. “During the break, with the bike.”

 One, two, three seconds of silence before Roy dared to say anything, and when he did everything that came out of his bright and amazing mind was:

 “He’s dead?”

 “No!” He yelled in exasperation at that, causing some clients in the cafe to look at him.

 He didn't even want to imagine that possibility, he already had enough.

 “Well, that’s good.” The other tried to say to see the positive point of the whole thing.

 “It’s not. It’s not!” He complained, none of this was okay.

 “If you think about it, you've already broken the ice, Jay.” His friend joked to cheer him up. "Everything that follows is easy."

 “What I broke was his leg.” He sentenced still agitated, he appreciated the attempts from the other for encouraging him but couldn't work for many reasons. “And wait, there's more.”

 “There’s more?” He asked, intrigued, with that face he made every time he heard a gossip that interested him.

 “There’s more.” He confirmed with a nod. “Now I know his name.”

 “You know it?”

 "Yes, I finally know it.”

 “Tell me.” He asked, beginning to smile, like an exalted puppy.

 “Do you want to know?”

 “Yes.”

 “Do you really want to know?”

 “Yes!”

 “Timothy Drake.”

 Roy was quiet again, thoughtful. This time Jason swears that he could see how the gears in his head gave their all -which wasn’t much- to assimilate that name and think where he might have heard it before.

 “Drake?” The redhead ended up asking with a frown.

 “Yeah. Drake.”

 "Like… Drake Industries?”

 “Exactly.”

 "Your father's competitors?!” He asked then, opening his eyes slightly.

 He nodded. His adoptive father, Bruce Wayne, was in charge of the famous and multi-million-dollar company called Wayne Enterprise, which for the past few years had been surrounded by strong rivals in Gotham, such as Drake Industries, for example. Directed by Jack and Janet Drake, who apparently have an only child, a student, very attractive and easy to hit.

 “Yes!” He exclaimed, taking his phone out of his pocket to show it to his friend, the object had started vibrating again nonstop, texts arriving over and over again. “And guess what: They are not happy!”

 “I wouldn't be either if you ran over my daughter.” Roy said as if it was obvious.

 “But you don't have a public image, an army of lawyers and a lot of money!” Technically he had it, because Oliver Queen is not exactly from middle class, but he was not rival of his family and the gossip magazines would not publish the minimum friction that they had. “They've already called Bruce and they want a meeting with those involved, they are going to eat me alive."

 He was sure they would. The Gotham's corporate and high-society landscape had never been his thing, he was just a street boy who knew no manners and bored by math, it had been clear from the first and only sophisticated gala to which he was forced to go and in which he learned that high society were unscrupulous sharks.

Maybe if he had gone to more of those parties, he would have met Timothy Drake before and wouldn’t have to learn his name after struck him with his motorcycle, but you can no longer change the past.

 "Well, yes, you screwed up." Roy finished saying as he nodded, totally convinced.

 What a great support. Wise words.

 “They're going to kill me, if Bruce doesn't do it before.” He thought aloud, they hadn't even made an appointment with the lawyers, and he was already stressed. “Or Fox with the public relations team.”

 He could already see the headlines in the gossip magazines, overshadowing the ones that talked about his older brother's one-night lovers or the ones that mentioned the bad manners the little one had.

 “Yes, you are fucked.” Roy said, nodding and taking in what he had just told him, although after a few seconds he frowned. “But… Bro, just one thing.”

 “What?” He asked, rubbing his eyes, and doing his best not to pull his hair out.

 “How did you end up running over the boy? You are not a bad driver; you are always focus.”

 Now it was Jason’s turn to stay quiet and look at the table, blinking as he chooses an answer that didn't make him look like a fucking mess. He couldn't think of any, so he allowed the silence to continue.

 "Jason?" Roy asked, beginning to lose patience again. “What happened?”

 Still not saying anything, Jay looked down further and felt his cheeks begin to heat up.

 "No…" Roy whispered surprised. Knowing him so well gave him too much of an advantage. “Tell me it’s not true.”

 He couldn’t do nothing more than blushing stronger, cross his arms and shrug. He wanted to deny what he was thinking, but he couldn’t.

 That morning he hadn't expected to see Timothy hanging around that part of campus with his friends as he searched for a place to park his bike. The boy was wearing a wide sweatshirt, but at the same time those tight pants that fit him so well, his blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight, the wind ruffled that ebony hair that seemed soft to the touch, and the soft and loving smile that was directed to his friends as they walked together caused things in Jason that he couldn't explain.

So, in one moment he was looking at him stunned and the next he had lost the course of the motorcycle and was hitting him.

 Shit happens, right?

 Apparently not, because Roy had started laughing. A lot. Had started with a weak and incredulous laugh that had grown to become loud laughter that made the tears jump of his eyes and the people in the cafe look at them again, annoyed.

 “I can’t believe it! Jay!” Roy said loudly and laughing like crazy, he could hardly breathe.

 “It's not funny.” He replied, his arms crossed and his face anger.

 Yes it was, it was very funny indeed. If it had been Roy who had run over his crush for having been too distracted having a gay panic for him, he would have also laughed a lot and wouldn’t have let him forget it for the rest of his life. So, he was sure that his friend was not going to do it too.

 “It's amazing!” The other answered trying to dry the tears away but still laughing. “Bud, you’re really fucked.”

 Jason knew he was saying it just because being so attracted to a guy to the point of running him over unintentionally was a lot, but if they took into account that surely now that boy hated him, along with his parents, friends, and lawyers, whom he would have to meet soon to deal with the consequences of that, yes, that described his situation quite well.

 Jason was fucked.

 ~0.0~

 “I just have one question.” Bruce said to his side, also laying his back on the corridor’s wall.

 One day, only one day had passed. 24 hours since he had committed the serious mistake of being too aware of a cutie with black hair and blue big eyes like a damn puppy, and he was already in the law firm wearing a suit, almost sweating and the man he could call father looking at him sternly. They were both in the hallway which was heading to the boardroom as they waited for permission to enter, and Jason had been trying not think about how he had destroyed his chances of dating the Drake boy before Bruce came up to judge him, again.

He didn't blame him, the man had spent the previous day receiving and making calls on his name, making the appointment as he could while containing his desire to give him a slap. He didn’t need the talk of "we are public figures, we have to behave" again, because he gave it that to him a lot at his younger times, so he had tried to stay out of it. This implied that Bruce didn’t have time to ask him anything before he had to get him up earlier to go to the Drake’s law firm. Knowing this, Jason continued looking at nothing, but he nodded to give him the opportunity to ask that question.

 “There are more than eighty thousand students enrolled at Gotham University.” The man began to say still looking at him. "And of all of them, you have to run over Timothy Drake precisely?"

 Jason seemed to think about it for a few long seconds, although the answer was obvious.

 “Yes?” He answered. No one at the university had caught his eye like Tim had, so he doubted he could have been distracted enough by another person to run them over.

 Bruce sighed deeply, exasperated, and lifting his hand to the bridge of his nose. He had seen him do that gesture of disappointment so many times throughout his life that he could no longer count them.

 "Jason…”

 “It was an accident.” He was also lost count the times he had said that since the day before.

 "I know, son, but it's not me you have to convince.” He finished explaining, taking another deep breath. “It’s her.”

 The tone in which he said that, was uncertain and with severe hints of fear, something he was no longer so used to hearing from Bruce and made a chill run down his spine.

 “Her?” He asked, trying not to break his voice from the stress.

 Bruce breathed again to try to calm down and nodded, the way he looked at him to reveal more reminded him of Alfred when he told him stories as they cooked together in the manor when he was younger.

 “Janet Drake.” He let out that name in a low voice, as if it were forbidden to pronounce it. “You've never met her in person, and I was counting on you not have to.”

 “Why?” This time he couldn't stop his voice from breaking slightly.

 “Don't get me wrong, she is a beautiful woman, very intelligent and talented. Everyone knows that Drake Industries has come this far thanks to her.” He began to say, in a poor attempt to calm him that was not leading nowhere. "But do you know how she is called?”

 “How?” His throat couldn't close anymore, he didn't like where this was going.

 “The Ice Queen.�� Bruce announced. “That's how she’s known, but I can assure you is not enough.”

 This time he didn't want to ask anymore, although Bruce would keep talking. Because the ice queen, the ice queen, the ice queen, fucking seriously? No one who has earned such a name in Gotham's corporate and high-society landscape can be kind and understanding. Fuck.

 “I have only seen Janet angry one time.” His father emphasized as he pulled out his tie, as if it were choking him. Maybe he was nervous too. “Many years ago, at a gala organized by the Dumas.”

 It took Jason a few seconds. He tried to link that last name to some wealthy Gotham family, but unfortunately, he couldn't think of any.

 “Who are the Dumas?” He ended up asking.

 Bruce looked him seriously in the eye, returned to pull his tie out and nodded frowning.

 “Exactly.” He replied annoyed.

 Jason swallowed hard and looked back at nothing at the implication in that response. He was going to die, he was going to die, he was to fucking die, there was a beast in Gotham, a fierce and fearsome beast that apparently erased families from the business and social map and he had angered her, he had angered her a lot. He had awakened the beast by harming her puppy, and everyone knew that nothing was more dangerous than an angry mother.

 “Mr. Wayne, you can come in.” They heard the voice of one of the mediators calling them from the door of the boardroom.

 It's hot, why it’s so hot? He's sweating, he's sure he's sweating, or maybe crying, but he can't be sure because Bruce has put his hand on his lower back, trying to cheer him up and is directing him to the room followed by his own lawyers because they can't let the Drakes wait, but Jason felt like he was going straight to the slaughterhouse.

 When he entered, he was greeted by the sight of another group well-dressed, very serious and sitting across the table, lawyers, public relations, and mediators, ready to work and do reach an agreement between the two of Gotham's biggest families with their friction. However, all of them and their greetings were in the background for him when he realized that in one of the chairs was the small, nerdy and adorable boy who had accidentally hit, who looked at him from his seat surprised by his presence and -surely- for being able to put a face to his attacker. He didn't expect him to be there either, he should be resting, but seeing him made the stress he felt ease at least a little.

Both seemed to stare at each other for a few seconds, recognizing each other, and after what seemed like forever, Timothy gave him a slight, almost imperceptible, sorry smile. Jason's heart jumped and he felt warm for a second, his nerves almost disappeared at that gesture, looking at the way in which the boy had combed different this time for the meeting, how pretty he was -as usual-, or how a dimple formed in his cheek when he was smiling, how beautiful that smile was. He would like to see him smile more, smile at him, and does that mean he didn't hate him? He would like to know, and it was all happiness and hope until he realized why of that sorry smile.

 Suddenly he felt cold, so cold.

 Janet Drake was also staring at him, sitting right next to her son in a straight and elegant posture, without taking her eyes off him. Black hair, smooth and shiny, delicate features, neutral and apparently calm expression. Beautiful, but unattainable, because her blue, icy eyes pierced him in a way that froze him inside. The woman sitting there seemed to be able to see his soul and rip it off, everything from him, that could split him in two and rip out every part of his being without any effort. And despite appearing calm and serene, her aura, everything in her posture, in her gaze, screamed danger and misfortune.

 There’s no doubt, she’s the ice queen in all her glory.

 He was wasted.

 ~0.0~

 Tim was wasted.

 When he had got up that morning, everything he had asked for was that the meeting was normal and went without any inconvenient. And as he prepared to attend awkwardly and without receive any help, because half a day was not enough time to get used to using crutches, he mentally reviewed what had been planned for that meeting.

 His parents hadn’t wanted to reveal who had been the responsible for the incident, he didn’t know exactly the reason, but he sensed it must have been someone important, given the deployment of means that had been carried out, it’s not like they also gave him much opportunity to ask anyway. Both immediately went out to arrange the meeting and to arrange things with the hospital so they would give him discharged, and by the time he was allowed to leave he was too exhausted and wasn’t going to say no to anyone when they asked him to rest even more, because he needed it. Hopefully, he had already had an excuse to turn in those assignments later.

So, despite not knowing who he was going to meet, he had decided to do that unfortunate soul a favor and stay in the line that he was fine, surely it had been an incident, and they didn’t have to give it more importance than it had even though his mother wanted to cut heads and stick them in stakes to decorate the garden.

 He was the more affected, his word had to count there... No?

 Anyway, that's what he thought before he saw Jason Todd walking through the door.

 Now, all crushed down, the meeting had started a while ago and he was quiet, serious and sitting in his chair with the Wayne's in front of him, looking at the fine mahogany table and barely listening to the legal conversation that was taking place in his name, although why he fooled himself? Nothing he could say would change anything or appease his parents. But the thing was, why? why is the world so cruel? Jason Todd? really? Of all people, of all motorcycles in the world, it has to be the one from his crush?

 It's not like he'd ever thought he had a slight chance with him after all. Jason was tall, handsome, with that bad boy vibe that he likes too much for his own good, also smart, cult, while Tim was... Tim. They had only spoken face to face once at a gala where a 12-year-old Jason shared a muffin with him and never went to any of them again, sure he didn't even remember it. They also went to different faculties, he only saw him from afar on campus from time to time and they hadn't even spoken, but that didn't stop him from noticing him because he had eyes, thank you. No one knows, except maybe Conner, but beyond a curious sparkle in his eyes after realized that he was drooling over Jason in the distance, he never brought the topic up, so he'd always had that fascination with the Wayne boy in secret and under lock and key. He knew that his parents wouldn't be too happy to find out that he was interested in the son of his greatest competitor, or that he was interested in any boy in general, that topic had never come up anyway and he wasn't going to bring it up.

 Until the boy walked into the meeting room with his father and Tim almost had a short circuit when he realized that what hit him was an attractive literature student in a leather jacket riding that incredible Ducati. Come on, it wasn’t fair, he had always wanted to ride that, and then the bike, but it wasn’t the most appropriate thing to think about when the other one was looking at him surprised that he was there. He was so busy panicking that he only managed to give him a nervous smile that he hoped hadn't ridiculed him, and then when they sat down he could only scream internally because Jason was so handsome in a suit, this meeting might not end well, Jay could end up hating him if he didn't already, and his mother hadn’t taken her eyes off the tallest as if she were a shark smelling fresh blood.

 So, trying to regain his composure and recover from the revelation, Tim sighed, straightened up in his seat, and pretended to listen the meeting while trying with all his might to calm down.

 But he couldn't do it, he couldn’t, because it wasn’t easy. The atmosphere wasn’t the most adequate to do it, he could heard his father laugh and trying to appear friendly and understanding when he knew that it was only a strategy to emphasize the coldness and seriousness of his mother, who, of course, kept looking at the Waynes as if they had committed the greatest offense known to man. He played with his fingers for a moment and peeked to assess the situation, Bruce, or Brucie, kept an eye on the mediator's talk, while Jason… Oh.

 He turned his gaze away immediately, trying to control his blush. Jason was looking at him in a sneaky attempt too, but they had both failed when their eyes met across the table. He didn't know what to think about it. Did Jason hate him? He did? What was he thinking? He would hate him, of course. He was too nervous, and the possibilities started to suffocate him, he needed to get out of there.

 Luckily, his beloved malevolent mother, the perfect model for being a villain in a Disney movie, possessed a sharp sixth sense that was activated at the slightest sign of anguish on his part, which caused her to divert the piercing gaze of the Waynes to center it on him, silently asking what was wrong.

The only good thing about being run over a day earlier by the guy you like is that he could excuse himself from these kinds of meetings without any repercussions or questions.

 “Can I get out for a moment?” He whispered, lowering his head.

 His fear of asking something like that wasn’t exactly small, but Janet seemed to consider it for a few seconds as she carefully analyzed him before giving his approval and nodding, not before turning his gaze once more to Jason.

 Before deciding to worry more about it, he stood up as he could with the crutches and managed to leave the room ignoring the looks on him. His goal was to get to the water machine that was around the hall to pour himself a glass and calm down a bit, but that broken leg didn’t make it easy for him. It was a hard journey; he swears when he got there, he could hear the victory music of Mario Kart playing in his head.

 It would have kept playing, he would even have sang it, if it hadn't been because while pouring that first glass, a voice behind him caught his attention and made him jump and turn around with all the speed he had, which wasn’t a lot.

 “Hey.” Jason had said softly.

 He had to put everything he had together so as not to drop the plastic cup or crush it in his hands. How had he also escaped from the meeting? So much time had passed since his trip to the water machine?

 “H-Hey.” He replied nervously and looking down.

 That seemed to make Jason nervous too, who already seemed to be it before too, as well as a little guilty, because he tried to look everywhere except him until he had no choice.

 “Hi.” Said the tallest.

 “Hi.” He replied again.

 Eloquent. Inspiring.

 They ended up looking at each other closely, at least for a minute before Tim began to fear again and prepare himself for the impending rejection he was going to suffer without even trying. That happened to him for crossing the street without looking before.

But then Jason sighed hard, he tensed and scream in his mind than he wasn’t ready.

 “Listen. I…” He began to say, scratching the back of his neck and looking at him sadly. “I’m sorry.”

 Eh?

 “Eh?”

 The other looked at him confused at his reaction. Although surely, he wasn't more confused than he was, he didn't expect an apology even though it was the most normal thing to do in those situations.

 “I'm sorry.” Jason repeated, frowning in confusion. "It was an accident, really. And I'm glad you're okay."

 If Jason Todd didn’t want him having a massive crush on him this isn’t the way. At all. He had no right to be so attractive to begin with, but neither so good nor kind to him. Before Tim could think better of it, he was already spitting out an unnecessary question:

 “Aren't you angry?” He asked, he knew it sounded a bit stunned, but it seemed weird to him. “For all of this?”

 Anyone would have been upset or angry about all the trouble their parents had been having over something like that, with the lawyers, the firm, and the notaries. If it had been someone else, they would have caused them a lot of trouble, he was aware of it. So, he couldn't help but wonder how Jason couldn't blame him for the legal mess.

 “Shouldn't I be the one asking that?” Jason said raising an eyebrow and pointing at his crutches. “You were the most affected.”

 Blinking, Tim realized what he was implying on that and he quickly shook his head effusively. Jason thought he was angry at him? That he hated him for this or something? That’s why he had been so tense with him?

 “Oh no. It’s okay.” He hastened to explain. “I know it was an accident, I wasn't paying attention either, those things happen.”

 Jason's shoulders seemed to lift as if a huge weight had been lifted from him, and his eyes shone at him in a way he couldn't determine, made him want to smile, this time from relief. Jason didn't hate him, or vice versa. That was a good sign, wasn't it? It meant he had a chance… Right?

 “Thank god.” Murmured the other with a slight smile, clearly relieved.

 “Unless you did it on purpose.” He dared to say with a playful tone, wanting to take weight off the issue. “In which case, it wouldn't be so good.”

 Jason's smile widened and he let out a funny snort, relaxing him was a plus and made Tim compliment himself for that.

 “How would I have met you then?” Jason blurted out, still smiling at him.

 The atmosphere between them changed completely, it was no longer so uncomfortable or formal, but very different, embarrassed, and warm. Tim felt how his heart stopped before starting to beat faster, because that last one, the way he had said it, and the nervous look he was giving him now, was Jason flirting with him? It was real?

 “A-Ah.” He replied mildly surprised. “I don’t know…”

 If he continued like this, his brain would definitely fry, more than it already was. He looked at the hallway wall uneasily as Jason ruffled his hair, also undecided.

 “I'd like to make it up to you.” He ended up saying, looking like he had come to an agreement with himself. “If you don’t mind.”

 “Oh?” He asked, tilting his head curiously, his heart starting to beat stronger than before by the tiny possibility.

 “I can invite you to a coffee, or something like that… It would be okay?”

 This time when Jason looked up, still seemed impatient and nervous, but the slight blush covering his cheeks indicated why. Tim almost exploded right there, and he had to take all of himself to act quickly.

 “Yes. A coffee would be fine.” He also nervously stated, trying to control himself. “It would be a date?”

 The brief seconds Jason took to answer that question born from his desire to know, seemed like hours to him, the longest in Tim's life. But when he ended up nodding, scratching the back of his neck again and totally flushed, he couldn't help but smile excitedly and let his own blush appear this time, feeling warm and happy.

 “Then I'd love to.” He answered laughing, he couldn’t help it.

 “Yes? Really?” Jason asked in surprise again, as if it hadn't been clear from the start that he would say yes. Although by the way they ended up talking, it wasn’t surprising that he doubted his answer, not many people forgave something like a struck with a bike.

 “Yes.” He nodded again, totally sure. “What about now?”

 No, he didn’t want to go back to the meeting, he knew Jason either. It was no longer worth it. And maybe with this they could give the public relations team something else to work with.

Jason smiled at him in that warm and happy way that made him feel dizzy, but he looked to the hallway of the meeting room somewhat concerned.

 “Bruce is used to me avoiding these things, but I don't think your mother would be very happy.”

 After a moment of thinking about it, Tim almost went back to laugh again, happy, funny, almost touched.

 Before that meeting and his departure from it he hadn’t been sure, but with Jason now in front of him there was no doubt. Her mother expressed her love in very different ways, and it was evident that she had an efficient and sharp mother radar, there was nothing that escaped her, there was nothing she didn't know, no matter how much Tim had tried to hide his panic at the beginning of the meeting, or his sexuality itself. He was very sure that by now she had to know, and if she wouldn't have wanted him or Jason to leave the room, she wouldn’t allowed it. If she hadn't wanted them to talk right now, Jason wouldn't be there. It was that simple.

 “I think we'll be fine.” He assured him with a wide smile, taking his mother's actions as a kind of blessing.

 When Jason's eyes shined and he smiled back, he confirmed it.

 Yes, they would be fine.

 ~0.0~

 “You look so pretty today, Janet. You haven’t changed at all since our last meeting.” Said Brucie with his usual smile.

 “…”

 “How much time has passed? Six years?”

 “…”

 “And look at you, beautiful as always.”

 “…”

 “Jack is a lucky man.”

 “…”

 “And Timothy? Oh, I remember when he was little, totally the cutest thing in the galas. Now is a man too, but he looks a lot like you.”

 “…”

 “Kids, uh? Grow up so fast.”

 “…”

 “…”

 “…”

 “Talking about kids, ours have left a while ago, maybe I should go to find th-”

 “Sit down.”

 Bruce sit down and didn’t speak again.

[the-navistar-carol]

A Daminette songfic — ‘Invisible Thread’ by Matt Gould

From the marvelous Maribat AU of @ozmav, @maribat-archive where u at

Inspired by the Maribat Discord :))

Everyone had a soulmate. A black mark where they would first touch. Once the two did, the mark would blossom with color.

People would go for years with black marks on their knuckles, thinking it was from a punch, and then have their knuckles brush someone on the subway and voilá, their mark would change.

Some were more obvious, a handprint over their own (a high-five), a hand on their arm, or even one directly across their face.

~~~

Marinette Dupain-Cheng had no such obvious case. Her handprint was directly over her fingers of her right hand, as though someone had shook her hand (but only her fingers). Without a doubt, it confused her.

Once she became Ladybug, she met Chat Noir. Upon their first meeting, he took her hand directly over her soulmate mark and attempted to kiss her hand, but she had pushed him away. After the akuma attack, she had detransformed in a panic to check her hand, and in relief, found her hand was still uncolored.

The mark was still black.

It worried her, then, after her crush on Adrien started, that he did not turn her mark colors either.

So who was it?

Not like she’d ever meet who it was.

There is a long invisible thread

That wraps around my heart

And wraps around your head

Damian Wayne had an odd soulmate mark that was, thankfully, easy to hide via gloves. The black silhouettes of fingers in his right hand confused him, so he gave it little thought. Who even shakes hands like that?

During his training both with Ra’s al Ghul and the Robins, none of the ways anybody had touched his hand had made the mark change, thankfully. Soulmates were a nasty business, anyway. They were almost expected to drop everything upon meeting. Dumb.

Not that he cared who it was.

It tightens its grip

When things go unsaid

And I can't break free

Lila, upon her return to Ms. Bustier’s class, had successfully turned the class against Marinette. She made good on her promise, but allowed Marinette to keep her spot as class president — only useful when she was needed, of course, and expected to drop everything for them without looking for anything in return.

She was effectively that one tool in a closet that only was picked up when needed, and discarded as soon as she had lost her use.

She couldn’t reverse the way things had gone. If only.

Let go, let me

Little boy, break free

Leave him out on his own

Let him find his way home

When Damian had become the next Robin, he had fought many people under the mask. But his black marks underneath his gauntlets never changed, even when he met new people at charity galas and shook hands.

Clearly, his soulmate wasn’t anybody he was going to meet anytime soon.

Not that it bothered him anyway. It did.

Can't take all this pain on his shoulders

Only weighs you all down when you're older

Chat Noir had come up to her, demanding she stop pretending. Pretending that they weren’t soulmates, that they weren’t in love, that they didn’t make a good couple.

He deserved her, he had yelled. He had been nothing but loyal, hadn’t he? A good cat? So, as a reward, he deserved her love. Her lips, her hands, her body.

He didn’t. And she told him so, exploding at him atop a roof despite the paparazzi growing below.

They made sure to catch his outburst, too. It served him right.

He treated the fame of being a superhero like a game. It was only fair that he dealt with the consequences.

Let them take their pictures.

Let him run, let him fly

If you love him, then don't cry tonight

Let him learn all he can

The cameras at Wayne galas and other nonsense never bothered him. They would be pointed at him anyway, so what difference did it make if he paid attention?

Flashes of white lights were only peripheral at this point, the snaps of shutters something to be tuned out.

The tabloids would run rampant anyway. Whether it was Grayson or Todd or Drake making the headlines with their antics, he would be shoved in there anyway.

Let them take their pictures.

So when he comes home to you

He'll be a better man

When she had proposed a class outing, the class had suggested many things, but Lila had thought of karaoke, so that was that. Of course, it was all up to her to plan the outing, raise funds, and reserve places.

She had asked the class to help her out, but Lila had oh-so-innocently wondered that since her family ran a bakery, couldn’t they just maybe give a few away to help their daughter raise the money?

Never mind the fact that they would be losing money. Never mind the fact that it would stress her out more than necessary. Never mind the fact that no one person should have to run their entire outing by herself.

But Marinette was their everyday Ladybug. That should be enough to cover any problem.

But they were looking for a miraculous cure. Who in the world had one for these situations?

Certainly not her.

There is a long invisible thread

That wraps around my heart

And wraps around your head

When Damian heard that his brothers and Father were going to Paris, his original thought was one of disgust. Of course, he spoke French. But any Romance language or country made him want to vomit. Latin lovers? Please. But France, the country dubbed one of love? Absolutely not.

But it was for a League reason, something to do with a supervillain with magic butterflies. It probably wasn’t even real.

But Paris meant his brothers teasing him about love, which infuriated him to no end. Who cared if he met someone the universe deemed his match?

Certainly not him.

It tightens its grip

When things go unsaid

And I can't break free

She had the dates figured out, triple-checked with her classmates to make sure it all worked together. Thankfully, the class had agreed to help fundraise for once. A small relief in the grand scheme of things.

Patrols now were such a chore. Where she had once enjoyed swinging through Paris’s streets with only her yo-yo to hold her up and the wind teasing through her hair, there was now a demanding Chat Noir, proclaiming her as his soulmate and he should be treated as such.

Akuma fights took so much longer and so much out of her now. Chat would watch from the sidelines, taunting her with the fact that he would join in from now on if she only gave up the delusions that they weren’t meant to be.

The gauntleted fist in his stomach was so worth it.

Sadly, it hadn’t come from her.

Lord above, can you hear my prayers

If you know the answer, then make me aware

How to still love him and how to still care

And how to stay strong when I want to be over there

Upon his first investigation in Paris, he had come across an akuma victim. It wasn’t hard to find, actually, as it left a trail of destruction in its wake.

Apparently, Paris already had two superheroes clad in Spandex, Ladybug and Chat Noir. Any information he had found on the latter was increasingly negative, if videos on the Ladyblog (God, that was a dumb name) were to be believed.

The first encounter he had had with the duo was subpar. Far, far below the bar.

The increasingly negative press on Chat Noir was completely accurate. Which was why he’d immediately punched him in the gut and gone up against the akuma, giving Ladybug a chance to rest.

“The akuma?”

She started, surprised that he would know of those. “The locket! It’s on her bracelet—”

Smash.

“Bye-bye, little butterfly.”

He shook hands with Ladybug, introduced himself as Robin, and updated her that the Justice League was looking into the Hawkmoth problem.

It had felt good to punch that brat of a cat. He had a feeling Ladybug would have enjoyed it more.

Sadly, it hadn’t come from her.

Do I run, do I fly?

How can I love him and keep my eyes dry

Do I learn all I can

The next day left Marinette in shock as she prepared for the karaoke night with her class. In all honesty, she would probably be left alone. Again.

But when she showed up, they initially welcomed her, to her pleasant surprise. But it couldn’t last. As soon as she had gone to the bathroom, they had gone into the room and not told her the number.

So she was left in the main room, pathetically sitting at a table by the stage, twirling a microphone she’d nicked from the stands.

Not like she could sing with anyone.

So when he comes home

I'll be a better man

Grayson had had the marvelous idea to go to a karaoke place. Abhorable. Not like he would even sing. The entire idea was dumb. Incredibly dumb. Who, in their right mind, would go and sing in front of people completely sober? (Not like he could drink legally, anyway.)

But when he got there, it was a bit more welcoming. All the rooms were taken, they were told, so there was only a communal stage left. No matter, Grayson grinned, and led them toward the main room. There were already a number of people there, taking turns on the stage.

He sat back in his chair, and prepared to sit back and enjoy the view.

Not like he would sing with anyone.

There is a long invisible thread

That wraps around my heart

And wraps around your head

A number of people went by before she did, and when she got up there, she selected a song that would usually be considered a duet, shrugging that she would sing it herself.

What she hadn’t expected was for a trio of black-haired boys to practically drag a fourth over to the stage, hand him a microphone, and place him next to her with positively wicked grins.

He looked like he wanted to leave. Marinette offered him a sympathetic half-smile. “That’s okay, you don’t have to—”

“It’s fine.” His voice was tinged with visible reluctance, but he took the microphone from its stand. “Just sing.” He was cute, she admitted, but would probably forget her after the night.

So she did.

It tightens its grip

When things go unsaid

And I can't break free

Dumb karaoke. Dumb brothers. Dumb Father, for bringing him to Paris. And it didn’t help that the girl hid certain mortification. But he wasn’t going to back down and show weakness to his brothers. “Just sing.” And get this over with.

When she began to sing, it sent a jolt through his body. She didn’t even need to read the lyrics, voice something that could only be described as melodic. Hell, she sounded better than some professionals.

After the first verse or so, she nervously glanced at him, as if making sure he was still there and hadn’t taken off into the night. Damian shrugged in response, waiting for his turn.

It came up, and he gave his voice to the music. Grayson was definitely recording.

The girl at his side, a pretty black-haired girl who couldn’t have weighed more than a hundred pounds, flinched as though she had been shocked. His singing wasn’t that bad, he groused, but kept at it anyway.

His brothers had pushed him up there as a challenge, taunting him to do it.

So he did.

There is a long invisible thread

That wraps around my heart

And wraps around your head

Wow, she mused. Cute and a good voice. When she added his voice to hers in the first true duet part, their singing harmonized into something truly remarkable. Is this even my voice?

In a sudden burst of courage, she spun, pleated skirt adding to the movement.

Her classmates started to trickle out of their room, as if wondering who was singing. She could see Rose, Juleka, Alya, and the courage vanished in a heartbeat.

Oh no.

It tightens its grip

When things go unsaid

And I can't break free

Suddenly, the girl next to him spun, a giddy smile beginning to form. Somehow, he was beginning to enjoy this, too. Curses. Maybe he had been drugged.

But her spin stopped, voice faltering, and he quickly followed her gaze. A group of teenagers had exited one of the rooms, looking up to the stage, no doubt causing her to waver.

So he took her hand and spun her, certainly not missing the way her face lit up in a dazzling smile.

As soon as he released her hand, she took it again and spun him. A laugh nearly bubbled up (yeah, he had to be drugged). She was half a foot shorter, and yet she did it anyway.

Those people who had made her hesitate wouldn’t ruin her night, at least.

Not if he had anything to say about it.

Oh, no.

There is a long invisible thread

That wraps around my heart

And wraps around your head

A burst of warmth blossomed in her right hand as she danced with the stranger, voice strengthening by the note. Marinette met his jade-green eyes with a smile, left hand clutching the microphone.

For tonight, at least, maybe she could forget about her classmates and Lila and Chat Noir.

Hopefully it would last.

It tightens its grip

When things go unsaid

Her enthusiasm had returned, Damian noted, and her excitement was definitely leeching into him, too. His right hand was warm, but he chalked it up to her hand. He didn’t sweat, at least not in a karaoke bar.

For this song, at least, maybe he could ignore his brothers’ antics and the seriousness of the League.

He knew it wouldn’t last.

And I can't break free

As the song died out, Marinette dropped his hand, the movement causing her to catch her breath. Oh God.

Her soulmate mark had changed. From the blackest black, it was colored in a beautiful blend of red, green, and gold.

It’s him.

And I can't break free

He didn’t miss her gasp, glancing back to catch her reaction as she stared at her right hand — now colored in reds, greens, and golds. His colors.

He didn’t miss a beat to check his own right hand, eyes only widening as he found the mark swirled in blues, pinks, and silvers.

It’s her.

And I can't break free