#every now and then i come back and add to the hero villain canon

[abrokenherocomplex]

in the dark

“You know? Hostage or not, sometimes it’s just nice to be held.”

The villain nearly jumped six feet in the air. They’d just flicked on the old light in the lair basement, not expecting to come face-to-face with their old nemesis. At least not on a Monday morning. Clearly their villainous co-conspirators had other plans and now deemed Monday mornings were for hostage-taking.

“Jesus Christ,” the villain swore, nearly dropping the boxes they’d been carrying.

“Nope, just me.”

The villain resisted the urge to roll their eyes.

Their golden little hero was indeed tied to a chair in the now-dimly lit basement. A gag lay discarded on the floor where the hero had evidently spit it out. The villain raked their gaze over the hero, taking in the scene. It really wasn’t fair how the hero still looked so golden after a, well, kidnapping. A bruise bloomed on their jaw and their eyes were a little too bright, as they usually were when faced with an obstacle. Or a fight.

“See something you like?” the hero drawled.

The villain rolled their eyes this time, setting down the boxes. “I came down for cleaning supplies. The lab’s a mess.”

“Hmm… I'd help but I haven’t had a chance to look around.”  

The villain snorted.

The hero continued, prattling off while the villain gathered up Windex and Clorox. “I asked your coworkers for a tour of the rest of the building. Particularly those shiny labs you lot are always monologuing about.”

“Ah, and what did they say to that?”

“I think I was actually getting through to them this time! That is, until they sedated me.”

The villain shook their head in mock sympathy. “Tough crowd around here.”

“Evidently.” The hero leaned back in their restraints. “It wore off quickly though. Do you have the time, by any chance?”

The villain frowned. “What are you doing here, exactly?”

“…you took me as a hostage.”

The villain regretted asking the question as soon as the hero’s face lit up like a Christmas tree at the realization that the villain was in the dark about this specific operation.

“You weren’t behind this, were you?” The hero asked. Though, it was less of a question and more of an easy deduction. Amateur on the part of the villain, to let that slip. They now fought the urge bury their head in their hands.

“I wasn’t behind this,” the villain confirmed.  

The hero smiled gleefully. “I knew you had a soft spot for me-”

“That has nothing to do with-” the villain took a centering breath. “I wasn’t behind this, believe it or not.”

“I should have known. I mean, other than you screaming like a little girl, they didn’t even use the right dosage to keep me out. It’s honestly a blessing you came along when you did. At least you know how to properly drug me.”

The villain stilled, narrowed their eyes. “How long have you been awake?”

“The whole night, probably.” The hero caught themselves. “Not that it was a problem or anything-” They added quickly.

“You were here? In the dark?”

Anyone who knew the hero knew their… phobia for lack of a better term. Back at university, before the villain and the hero were ‘the villain’ and ‘the hero,’ the villain had deemed it nyctophobia. The Greek word for night, and well, phobia. Fear of the dark. They’d had to keep a night light on in their university dorm. The villain had teased them mercilessly for it, until they’d finally found out why.

“I was fine, really.” The hero assured them. “I can handle it.”

“Uh huh.”

What the villain had been taking for pure cockiness – joy derived from prattling off aimlessly in the direction of the villain – was actually... relief.

The hero cleared their throat, evidently wanting to move on as quickly as possible. “Do you happen to know why I’m here? Obviously, you didn’t know I was here, but now that you’ve found me. Are there any… plans? Or anything? Anything ring a bell?”

“I fear I’m in the dark as much as you.” As soon as the words left the villain’s mouth, the door to the basement slammed shut with a bang that caused the villain to jump another six feet into the air.

Then, the lights flickered. And went out.

“Shit.”

[unlikelypandahologram]

Reasons to ship every single version of MegOP

since Very Dumb Discourse™ exists about whether or not certain versions of this ship are valid, this is going to be THE most positive post about all versions of MegOP. refer back to this post for reasons to ship your favorite version of MegOP if anyone gets weird about it with you. now let us begin!!

G1: goofy '80s faction dads fighting each other in a denny's parking lot every week LET'S GOOO, that shit is fun as fuck. orion pax also totally had a celeb crush on megatron before megatron ruined that and shot him and his pals 😔 and there's a lot of angst you can add with megatron becoming galvatron and optimus coming back to life to see how much he's changed!

BW: it's the sheer fucking comedy gold factor of a newly minted college graduate and a terrorist dinosaur IMMEDIATELY singling each other out on a prehistoric rock and deciding to call their daily gang slap-fights the BEAST WARS, what iconic drama queens LMAOOOO. also, megatron made his final body in BM look like optimal optimus SPECIFICALLY to fuck with him, and that's just...incredible

UT: the fact that megatron CANONICALLY acted like a grieving widower over optimus after he died in armada is. amazing. never forget their absolutely insane obsession with each other that they can never EVER give up on played a direct part in unicron nearly ending the world <3

Bayverse: this is the one continuity of all fucking things that gave us the lore about megatron being prime's lord high protector. absolute galaxy brain writing from the tie-in comics. also these two would ABSOLUTELY have the messiest, nastiest, most brutal hate sex imaginable, and that's beautiful. <3

Animated: optimus being a rookie washout underdog and megatron being a super scary much older warlord is a really interesting and underrated fresh take on their dynamic! lots of fun to be had with exploring what their relationship would be like after megatron finally acknowledged him as his archnemesis, lol. also...age AND size difference ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Prime: do i even need to say anything, i'm pretty sure that one flashback still of orion and megatronus being friends is responsible for birthing a million shippers for this pairing alone LMAOOOO. the bitter ex-boyfriends energy was TRULY off the charts in this show, it's a damn shame megatron never appeared in RID15

Cyberverse: same bitter ex-boyfriends energy but this time with dates at maccadams. megatron also dies encouraging optimus to beat the unhinged alternate dimension megs AAHH THE ANGST

IDW1: they're both depressed gay war criminals in this one who CONSTANTLY live in each other's heads rent-free and that's amazing, lmfao. also, megatron becoming an autobot means this is one of the VERY FEW continuities where it's not nigh impossible to figure out a way to give these two a happy ending together in fanon

IDW2: space date space date SPACE DATE. they were falling together and everything. megatron also LITERALLY tells optimus to open himself to him...to give him the matrix...yeah megs my dude i'm sure that's the ONLY thing you wanted from optimus "opening" himself. toootally positive, lol

G1 Marvel: megatron was SUPER fucking pissed and weird as shit about the time optimus died over a video game. it counts

Dreamwave: their first fight had megatron urging optimus to join him AND they disappeared together in a space bridge explosion once which is like, a fanfic-esque setup for them to be alone. also i'm pretty sure this is the continuity where optimus accidentally gave megatron a lobotomy, so...uh...potential for angst is to be had

SG: mirror universe!! evil crazy villain optimus with noble goody-goody hero megatron has so much potential for absolute chaos. bonus if you also bring in the normal versions somehow through multiverse shenanigans <3

KP: the only way this version of prime can redeem himself from the creepy underage human girl bullshit is if he gets a good hard dicking from megatron. next

Prime Wars: huge "ex-husbands go on a road trip with their disgruntled daughter" energy here. megatron also LITERALLY says "oh optimus, if only you could see me now" <3

Earthspark: again...need i say why? they're pals and working together from the get-go, what's not to ship??

Skybound: optimus literally wears megatron's arm. truly beautiful <3

TF One: it's not out yet but give it time. the entire movie is going to be about orion and d-16 being madly in love and tragically breaking up, baby!!

[hypostatic-oath]

OVERSEER BRAINROT

(This is like. Me rambling. This is poorly explained and my grasp on the canon lore is iffy but this is just how I imagine/will write the Overseer - aka the player - in SAGAU. This perspective will likely change as I understand more of the lore, but for now, here's some crumbs.)

Overseer whose role is, more than simply observing, to keep the canon going.

Experiencing the story, and that includes collecting characters and learning of their lore, exploring the world, building our teapot, etc is our reward for playing our role - and our role is to push the story forward. It doesn't progress without us. We're not Teyvat's creator, but we are the one making each of our worlds move (we're the mover we're the shaker we're the headline maker). If we did not take action, the twins never would've been separated - they would've stayed forever in that choosing screen, held permanently in that moment. If we had not chosen to walk forward and touch the statue, the Traveler would never have gotten the Anemo elemental powers. Would've never helped Dvalin. Signora would've never taken Venti's gnosis. Rex Lapis would never have "died". Every single other major event wouldn't happen.

The player is the being that makes the Canon Events happen - not directly, but through making sure that the story progresses. (Miguel O'Hara theme plays in the background.) And this can happen at whichever speed we decide.

Now, while the fact that we are the ones making the story go by could be used to argue that the Overseer would be the one to make the passage of time, that is not quite true. The days in Teyvat do not depend on the story progression. Months can pass before those two Fatui in Mondstadt (I love them) have any new gossip to share about current events, or they can pass through five new topics in a span of days, depending on how fast the player runs through the quests. Time is not the deciding factor in these characters' fates. It doesn't matter how long it's been since Signora died - Viktor (the Fatui guy at the Cathedral) will not be stationed at his new post unless the player finishes his comission. Teppei's condition won't worsen with time, either. If we don't continue the quest, we can stand next to him for weeks in game before he passes. Thus, I propose that the Overseer is more of a god of Fate (not to mention, the god of time position is taken). To add to this, the things we use to pull for characters are called Fates. Intertwined Fates, Acquaint Fates, both circle back to the same idea. Hangouts can be seen as a sort of exploration of this power - with the ability to choose one of five or six fates for that character (if only Character Quests had that too). It is, however, one of the few times we have control over which version of the story is told. Otherwise, we are mostly the energy that moves it along.

It's not just that it's a canon event and we cannot interfere - it's that it is literally our purpose to make sure it happens, even if we don't like it. We're here to witness and progress the story - and bad things can happen in stories, regardless of what the characters in it want. So right now I am having some Villain Overseer brainrot, not because they want to be evil on purpose, but because some character decides to pull a Miles Morales and say "I'mma do my own thing" and mess up the story's flow. For someone trying to change the course of the story, the force that pushes events forward is obviously Not Good. I can see Fontaine characters seeing the Traveler's arrival as an ill omen, a sign that the prophecy will come true. They're divided, because on one hand, the Traveler has a good reputation, someone helpful, kind, a hero. But the Overseer's attention signifies that events will inevitably unfold. So Lyney invites them to be part of a show. Furina threatens to arrest the Traveler. Navia asks them out for tea. As long as they can keep the Overseer's attention on other matters, the event they dread won't happen. (I won't talk much abt Neuvillette rn becayse spoilers)

Enter eventual Arlechinno boss fight (it hasn't happened yet, but I do hope we get one) - she's the one who tries to fight the Traveler head on, to personally put a stop to it once and for all. Perhaps the Overseer has no ill will, but that doesn't matter. Not when their presence means that the clock is ticking faster and faster every day.

Now for a more lighthearted thought, Isekai'd Overseer who doesn't really have a concept of urgency. No important event will occur without them present, so they have no qualms in arriving on the day after the scheduled date, confident that as long as it is between 18:00 - 23:00 the reservation will still be placed and people will be at their seats as if it was always meant to be that way.

So the Overseer walks into a bar, with a face too fresh for someone who hasn't slept in what the people of Teyvat percieve to have been months, just coming in from the Spiral Abyss, and asks the bartender where their friends are.

"I don't know? Master Kaeya usually shows up at this hour, but the rest of your usual group is probably tending to their affairs."

"Odd. They were supposed to be here by now. We had a big dinner planned." The person in front of him, who Charles is more and more sure definitely looks somewhat off in a way he can't quite pinpoint, seems confused. "There was a reservation and everything. In Kaeya's name, I believe."

"Well, I'm sorry, but the last reservation Master Kaeya placed here was a month ago."

"Again, weird. He said he was going to place one. Oh, well. When the others get here, just let them know I'll be on one of the big tables upstairs, alright? And you can put everything on my tab."

[jasntodds]

Caving In [10]

Pairing: Gar Logan x Fem!Powered!Reader, Jason Todd x Fem!Powered!Reader

Words: 17,220 

Chapter Warnings: Swearing, fluff, canon typical things, canon violence, mentions of blood, mentions of injuries, angst, there’s a mention of dissociation in a nonchalant manner, a mention of drug addiction, reader and jason share 1 braincell while gar gets to have his own, it’s the start of the deathstroke chapters so lol, kidnapping

Summary: ❝Tell me Atlas: What is heavier, The world or its people’s hearts?❞ You never expected your life to end up this way, turned upside down by an infamous Gotham villain. It’s been a living hell, every single day, until Dick Grayson brings you to Titans tower where you meet Gar Logan and Jason Todd.

A/N: Should I tell you guys who the endgame is? lol Because I do know that and have it all plotted out lol I am easily motivated to post more often when I get feedback 😂 You can add yourself to the tag list below, ask me to be tagged, or you can follow my library blog @jasntoddslibrary​ and turn on notifications if you prefer that!!

series masterlist | masterlist | tag list

When Dick comes back to the tower, Rose is still with him. The four of you are collectively surprised until you find out it’s because there was a bomb in the jeep that almost killed the two of them. That’s a fair reason to have a second thought about staying at the tower. But, that brings up the perfect opportunity for you, Gar, and Jason to tell Dick about Deathstroke being Rose’s dad. Dick didn’t have a reaction you could read well but asked to see what you all found, completely choosing to ignore how you found out. That’s a discussion for another time.

In the comms lab, all of you gather around the computer where everything about Rose and Deathstroke is still pulled up for Dick to see.

“That’s Rose’s father?” Rachel asks.

“Yep. The one and only Deathstroke.” Jason’s voice has hints of amazement, the smallest of grins pulling at the left corner of his mouth. Of course, Jason would find it fascinating.

“Is that somebody you know?” Rachel asks, turning to look at Dick.

“Kind of, old Titans business.” Dick says, keeping a straight face and you raise your brows. Yeah, old Titans business as in he killed one of them.

“Check it,” Gar brings up another screen. “Former Delta Force Commando part of hive.” Gar says, the last part almost sounding like a question. “Select soldiers who underwent a series of experimental bio-enhancements.” Gar pauses for a second. “Huh, out of the thirty-five trial subjects, the only one to survive was Slade Wilson.” Gar pauses for another second reading the screen. “Interpol says he retired years ago after the death of his son, Jericho. I-I tried having the computer find something--”

“I’ll take it from here.” Dick cuts Gar off, walking over to him and exiting out of the screens with Rose and Slade.

All of the you watch him with suspension but before anyone can question him, the security alarm goes off. Dick pulls up the screen to the front door where three people are standing.

“So, I guess you changed the code.” The woman with dark hair says.

“Finally.” Rachel says, a large smile on display as she sounds relieved.

“Who’s here?” You ask, looking around the room, not able to see onto the smaller monitor in front of Dick.

“You’ll love them.” Rachel beams, walking over to you and grabbing your hand to pull you along. “Donna, Dawn, and Hank.” Rachel starts as the two of you walk down the hallway, the two boys right behind you. “Donna is Wondergirl.” Rachel starts.

“Sorry, what now? Wondergirl like THE Wondergirl?” Your voice raises, excitement flooding your tone.

“Yep! Dawn, the one with white hair, she’s Dove and Hank is Hawk.” Rachel explains.

“The original Titans, okay.” You nod your head and you are so excited.

The original Titans, that’s awesome, actually one of the coolest things that’s ever happened. They’re real superheroes and it’s Wondergirl. One of the coolest heroes ever. And to top it off, that means the tower is gaining two more women in the tower which is always a plus. Rachel and the boys, including Jason, actually seem really excited to see them which is all a good sign to you.

“You guys have no clue how much this place misses you.” Rachel says as she greets Dawn.

Dawn embraces her in a hug. “This place, huh?”

“Mostly just me.” Rachel says.

“And me, too.” Gar says before he gets his own hug from Dawn, you staying back and observing. It is weird that this is like a thing. They’re all…friends.

“Hey, you’re new.” Hank says from the back, looking behind Gar to you.

You nods. “I am.” You step forward awkwardly, Gar gesturing a hand out to introduce you.

“This is Y/n.” Gar beams.

“It’s nice to meet you, Y/n.” Dawn’s voice is sweet and soft. “I’m Dawn, he’s Hank, and that’s Donna.” She says as she jerks her head towards Donna who’s just finished giving Rachel a hug.

“You, too. Original Titans.” You say, a gleaming smile coming to your face. You’re nearly bouncing with excitement while trying not to make it seems obvious how cool this is.

“That’s us.” Hank says, a little exasperation in his voice. “Got any…talents we should know about?” Hank asks.

You hold your hands up, as if to be surrendering before your palms start glowing. That catches everyone’s attention. “Acid generation.”

“And combat clairvoyance.” Jason says from his spot near the fireplace. He doesn’t do the whole ‘welcome back’, ‘glad to see you again’ reunions even if he is glad to have them around.

“Well, alright then.” Hank nods, seeming to approve.

“Did Dick find you?” Dawn asks.

“He did.” You keep it short, not wanting to go over the play-by-play yet again.

“He has a thing for strays.” Donna says, giving you a quick smile.

“Noticed.” You laugh softly.

“Where’s Kory?” Rachel asks, looking to Donna.

You look to Gar for clarification. "The cool alien that sounds like a badass?"

"Yeah," Gar chuckles. "That's Kory.

Dick walks up from behind you and Gar, gaining the entire room’s attention. He asks if they were followed but it doesn’t seem like they were. You, Gar, Jason, and Rachel look around, confused by the question but none of you have the nerve to ask.

“Can you guys give us a minute, please?” Dick asks the four of you.

None of you question him and just do as he asks, Jason hanging back a second wanting to be involved but Dick asks him to leave, too. The four of you go off to your rooms to change for training practice. That’s more than likely what Dick wants you to do while he talks to the older Titans anyway. And it’s a pretty easy way to waste time as you wait for further information. So, you all get changed and head to the training room.

You run through a few drills before agreeing to start a sparring session the way Dick wants you to train. Blindfolds and wooden swords, preparing for the day someone tries to take your other senses from you. You have specific instructions to try and ignore the throbbing in the back of your head while you spar because ‘one day it may not be there and you shouldn’t rely on it’. You just roll your eyes whenever Dick says that. It always sounds so dumb even if he might be right. Whatever Jerry did to you, there isn’t any telling if it’s actually permanent. So, you do your best to ignore it.

The four of you get your blindfolds on, taking positions on the mat with your wooden swords and arm pads to protect yourselves. You stretch your shoulders while Gar hunkers towards the floor, Rachel moving her neck side to side and Jason preparing to attack the three of you. It’s never on purpose, but you do tend to gang up on him a little. Jason is just a force when sparring. It’s like the three of you don’t stand a great chance unless you end up working together. It’s never planned but it seems to always play out that way in the end, with you still usually losing.

“Ready?” Jason asks.

“Yep.” You say.

“Ready.” Rachel confirms.

“Let’s go.” Gar says, Gar and Jason the most serious sounding of the four of you.

Gar lunges forward first, his sword almost hitting Jason as Jason swings at Rachel. You swing your sword near Gar, tapping his arm. And the sparring begins. The throbbing in your head is annoying. It’s not painful but annoying. One of the good things about sparring with three people is everyone is fighting for their lives at the same time. You have a harder time figuring out where the throbbing is pointing in a situation like this because ignoring it isn’t exactly that easy.

When you’re just sparring with Jason or Gar, the throbbing is specifically located wherever they are. If they’re behind you, it’s in the very back of your head right at the base. But if they’re to the side, the throbbing switches and leans closer to whatever side they’re on. This is different though because all three of the others are coming from all different directions and it actually forces you to figure out where they are based on movement and the sounds they make, the sounds of their feet, the wooshing of the air. It’s not easy. The throbbing is still distracting.

Jason hits Gar in the back, sending him forward and in a quick motion, he gets you in the stomach, sending you right into Gar as you both fall to the ground. Before even taking a breath, Jason smacks Rachel in the head, sending her to the ground.

“Houston, we have contact!” Jason yells as he rips his blindfold off.

“You okay?” Gar asks as he takes his blindfold off, still on the floor with you.

“Yeah, you?” You ask, taking your own blindfold off only for you to see a cloud of black stringy smoke coming out of Rachel.

The two of you get to your feet, watching with a sense of worry and a touch of horror. You’ve never seen Rachel’s powers before but now you consider yourself lucky for that. You knew it was a little strange and it is dangerous. Rachel doesn't have much control over it and she tried to explain it to you in a little more detail but seeing it is a completely different story. It's a bit terrifying to say the least.

“Are we still sparring?” Jason asks, getting the sense that Rachel is definitely not sparring.

“That doesn’t look good.” You mutter to Gar. 

“Rachel?” Gar asks with caution but not daring to move toward her.

Rachel’s eyes glow red with the gem-like piece in the center of her forward while she gets to her feet and faces Jason. The slime-like sometimes surrounds her before she lunges forward and grabs Jason by the neck, levitating them both far above the ground. Gar and you watch in a sense of horror as the dark material circles Rachel and Jason.

“Rachel.” Jason chokes out.

Rachel looks to the side with the real swords, tilting them towards Jason. Your mouth falls open as you stand in a mix of panic and shock.

“What the fuck do we do? We have to do something!” You panic to Gar.

“I-I don’t know!” He says. “Um…shoot…acid at them, I guess?” The comment is more facetious than literal.

You narrow your eyes at him. “And make her more angry?!”

“Rachel stop!” Gar urges and that seemed to be all it takes.

Rachel’s eyes widen, the red fading immediately as she drops Jason to the floor. He lands hard on his back while Rachel lands easily on her feet. You immediately rushes over to Jason while Gar stands in the corner, almost too afraid to move from his spot. Jason brushes you off as he gets to his feet, storming over to Rachel.

“You stay away from me, you fucking freak.” Jason’s voice is ragged.

Rachel’s eyes are wide with the remark but you can’t exactly blame Jason. Rachel almost killed him. Just last night, the four of you were discussing if Rose should stay or she’d kill you all. But, Rachel, who does live here, actually did almost kill Jason. All you and Gar can do from your spots if give a wince.

“Everything okay?” Dick walks in just in time, seeing the four of you not looking so good.

Everyone looks to Dick but stays silent for a few seconds. Gar doesn’t wanna get Rachel in trouble or piss Jason off further so he stays silent. You’re right along with Gar, not wanting to make either one of them angrier. And you wouldn’t want them to tell Dick if you suddenly lost control.

“No, it’s not.” Jason breaks the silence walking over to Dick. “Look, I don’t like being left out of whatever plans you relics are cooking up out there, alright?” Jason’s voice raises as he points a finger at Dick.

Dick lets out a scoff, a humored grin pulling at his lips. “You didn’t miss anything.” Dick assures him. “Gar,” Dick jerks his head at Gar. “I need ya.”

“Hey, what about me?” Jason asks.

“Keep practicing.” Dick says before walking off, Gar giving the room an apologetic glance before following behind him.

Jason walks back over to Rachel, fire in his steps. “You need to have that shit looked at…by like a fucking priest.” Jason's words are venomous as he storms off.

Rachel stands there for a second before turning to look at you. You’re on your feet again, giving her an apologetic look. Jason might be your friend but he does hit below the belt sometimes. Of course, you get it. Rachel definitely could have killed him and that’s terrifying, you know from first-hand experience but he should know Gar and you would have found a way to step in if she were going to kill him. You would have shot acid at Rachel if you needed to. He was fine and he is fine, seemingly at least. He should cut Rachel some slack.

“You okay?” You ask walking over to Rachel.

“I didn’t mean to.” Rachel says, her voice filled of defeat.

“Yeah, I know.” You nod. “He was kind of mean.” You scrunch your nose. “I’m sorry about him.”

“It's not your fault. He’s just an asshole.” Rachel rolls her eyes.

“He is.” You agree. “He is my friend though so I feel I should apologize on his behalf.” You chuckle softly. “Seriously, are you okay though? I mean…with….whatever that was?”

“Yeah,” Rachel nods softly. “I try to control it but it just happens sometimes.”

“Like the scratches?”

“Yeah, I don’t know what to do.”

“Have you tried meditating?” You question, Rachel furrowing her brows at you. “I mean, in theory, it should work, right? Calm you down, ease your mind of the bullshit. I guess…I don’t know. I didn’t meditate or anything but I dissociated enough that it worked, not that that’s a good example. But, maybe in the same sense that meditation could help you control it. It’s worth a shot, right?” You offer.

Rachel lets out a sigh. “Yeah, maybe.” Rachel nods softly. “Thank you.”

“‘Course.” You give her a soft smile. “I’m gonna go check on the little shit and make sure he’s not doing something fucking stupid.” You roll your eyes. “If you wanna talk more about it though, just lemme know.” You give Rachel a kind smile and Rachel nods.

You go to find Jason who’s made it to his room by the time you get there. He’s blaring his music, door shut. You roll your eyes as you make a fist, slamming it against the door so he can hear it over the music. You’ve come to figure out Jason listens to a lot of death metal a lot louder when he’s upset about something. It’s only a few seconds before Jason swings the door open, nearly pulling it from the hinges.

“What?” He asks, venom in his voice and jaw clenching.

Jason isn’t in the mood for talking about it. It’s a thing that happened and on top of that, Dick wants Gar’s help. Gar is his friend, but Jason has more experience with whatever the Titans are up to. He’s Robin, after all. He’s getting shoved to the side and every bit of it makes him want to scream and fight everyone in sight.

“Move.” You scoff at him, pushing past him and walking into his room. Jason stands there for a second as if to be processing what just happened like Internet Explorer.

“Sure, come in.” Jason huffs, shutting the door.

You pull the needle from the record, looking at him with wide eyes. “Death metal, really?” You cross your arms over your chest. “And this loud?” 

“Maybe you just need better taste in music.” Jason quips, leaning against his door with a sutble grin but his stance is still rigged.

“Because the thespian would know better music.” You tease, gaining a smirk as you watches Jason’s grin fall, steam nearly coming out his ears. “I’m fucking joking, calm down. Fuck.” You groan with wide eyes. “I just came to check on you.”

“I’m fine.” Jason mutters, looking to the floor for just a second.

“Mhm, yeah, being fine is definitely a normal feeling after being lifted ten feet in the air by your neck with several sharp swords pointed at you.” You quip. 

“I’m fine.” Jason grits his teeth.

“Well, in that case, you gotta cut Rachel some fucking slack, man.” You urge him, figuring if he’s not gonna talk about it, you might as well go on about Rachel. “It’s not her fault and I know that you know that.” You let out an exasperated sigh. Gar is normally the mediator between the two of them, on the account that you tend to take Jason's side a lot more than Rachel's. Gar is better at putting aside bias.

“She could have fucking killed me!” Jason pushes himself off of his door.

“I know.” You nod. “Which is fucked up, I’m not saying it’s not. It’s just…” You pause. “It’s different for people like us.”

“You don’t have any problems with it.” Jason huffs and he can’t believe of all people, you’re defending Rachel right now.

You pauses because yes you do but that’s not exactly easy to admit. But, this is Jason. “Okay,” You suck in a breath. “Promise not to tell anyone, especially Gar and Dick?” You ask.

Jason raises a brow at you. “Yeah? Okay.”

“Sometimes, I wake up from a nightmare with my hands glowing. I haven’t…burned or melted anything but they’re glowing and warm so…I don’t have nearly as much control as everyone thinks I do.” You chew on the inside of your cheek, dodging Jason’s eyes.

Jason seems to sit on that for a second. You’ve never almost burned any of them even when you get annoyed or angry. Your hands never even glowed once when you beat up Jerry, not once. Jason fully expected to have to deal with your powers but nothing. You seemed normal in that moment, no powers, no special abilities. He almost finds it hard to believe you can’t control your powers when you’re asleep. But, you also don’t lie to him.

“I also melted a mug my second day here by accident.” You clear your throat.

“How’d the hell you do that?” Jason chuckles this time, finding that more believable than the nightmares.

“I figured out Dick was Robin and Bruce was Batman. Long story short, I’ve got a bit of an issue with the two of them letting Joker fuck around and kill people, my mom included.” You shake your head, seeing Jason doing the math in his head trying to figure out if it was Dick at the time your mom was killed. “It was Dick, it wasn’t you. You took over, if my math is right, somewhere around six months to a year later.”

“Hadn’t thought of it like that.” Jason looks to his shoes before looking back at You. “Bruce not killing the Joker and shit, the consequences.” Jason clarifies.

He’s questioned Bruce’s methods, of course. He also thinks maybe some of those bad guys shouldn’t be allowed to escape Arkham. But, Bruce always said they’re there to protect people, not kill them. Killing the bad guys, makes them just as bad. It’s a line they can’t cross because it’ll be easier to cross the next time. But, at what point is enough enough when it comes to the Joker? How many people could be saved if it were just that one guy? Jason pushes the thought away though.

“Yeah, most don’t.” You clear your throat. “SO, I’m saying you should cool off and be upset about it, obviously, it looked scary from where I was standing, too but maybe don’t be a dick to her about it.”

Jason is stubborn but you bring up good points. Maybe, he could make an attempt to somewhat try and understand Rachel a little bit. Maybe.

“Whatever.” Jason huffs, caving in.

“Mhm, thank you, Jay.” Your voice waves as you walk over to him.

“Yeah.” Jason still looks displeased.

“Or pout about it.” You chuckle, getting a glare from Jason.

“I’m not pouting.” Jason huffs, but there’s a tint of smile coming to his face.

“Mhm.” You hum. “Well, I’m gonna wait for Gar, have fun being angry with your death metal.” You grin at him, see a full smile coming to Jason’s face.

“Yeah.” Jason shrug as you walk past him, leaving him alone.

You go back to your room, keeping the door open as you wait to find out what Dick needed Gar for. It still bugs you a bit that Dick picked Gar to help and not Jason but Jason was definitely not in a talking mood. You didn’t wanna push your luck with him. So, you hang out in your room and just wait with Ginny & Georgia playing on the TV.

As the second episode plays, a knock sounds on your door. You look over the back of the couch to see Gar walking into your room with a sappy smile on his lips. He walks over to the couch and plops down beside you.

“Whatcha watching?” He asks, chipper as usual.

“Ginny & Georgia, it was just added to Netflix.” You gesture towards the TV.

“How is it?” He asks.

“It’s good!” You say with enthusiasm. “I love Joe so much already. I hope he gets to stay happy.” You pout at Gar.

Gar chuckles softly. “Cool if I watch with you, then?” He asks, eyes filled of happiness and hope.

“Yeah! I’m only on episode two so you haven’t missed much. Georgia’s husband died and she doesn’t seem sad about it. They moved from Texas to Wellsbury which is on the east coast. Ginny and Austin are her kids and Ginny hooked up with her neighbor. That’s about it.” You laugh softly.

“Oh, well, okay then.” Gar nods along. “Is it….a comedy?”

“Eh,” You shrug a shoulder. “It’s more of drama. Like it has some comedy but it’s more dramatic.” You explain. “I think Georgia killed her husband so like there’s that.”

Gar’s eyes widen. “Definitely a drama.” He laughs.

“Oh, yeah.” You laugh in agreement.

The two of you focus your attention on the TV and you move closer to Gar, resting your legs over his lap. It makes Gar chuckle but he just goes with it, putting his hands on your shins and you watch together, making easy conversation about what’s going on in the show. This is a comfortable thing you’ve gotten into the habit of doing.

Gar will be playing video games so you sit next to him, usually always touching him in some way or Gar will come into your room where you’re watching TV and he’ll just plop down to watch whatever has your interest. You always moves to sit with your legs over him. And the two of you always make conversation about what’s going on and you get really dramatic and excited when you talk about your shows, it’s how Gar thinks he sounds but you’re not annoying. Sometimes, he thinks he just gets annoying about it but hearing you ramble about why you love a character or hate another, he could listen to that all day even if he has no idea what you’re talking about. It’s so comfortable for him.

After a few more episodes, you both realize no one has bothered you in a few hours. Neither of you even have a text from Dick about training. The older Titans must be keeping him occupied which is definitely nice. Training isn’t actually all that bad and it gives you all something to do. But, Dick doesn’t really give you a day to break. None of you have anything else to do, so Dick just makes sure you’re training all the time in one way or another. The four of you get it, you have to prepare for the big bads, but having a day off here and there would also be nice. And right now, it looks like you’re actually getting the night off and you’re enjoying it.

“Hey, want some popcorn?” You ask, peeling your eyes away from the TV to look at Gar.

“Yes, please.” Gar beams. “Want me to get it?”

“Nah,” You shake your head, sliding your legs off of Gar. “I got it.” You give him a smile. “Just pause it and make sure it doesn’t shut off.”

“Got it.” Gar gives you a nod, grabbing the remote from the coffee table in front of him.

You rush off to the kitchen where you find Rachel making herself a glass of sweet tea. You move around her, grabbing a bag of popcorn and popping it in the microwave before you grab a large bowl to pour it into. You sit on the counter, opposite Rachel, as you wait for the popcorn to start. Just as you get situated and Rachel finishes making her tea, Rose walks in. Instead of gauze, Rose is daunting an eyepatch over the eye that’s now missing.

“Don’t think we got introduced,” Rachel starts. “I’m Rachel.”

“Y/n.” You chime in, with a half-wave from your spot.

“I’m Rose.” Rose says.

“Pretty name.” Rachel says.

“Yeah, maybe too pretty now.” Rose says. “Patch has a nice ring to it.” Rose finishes as you let out a huff.

“I still think you’re really pretty.” You let out a scoff, giving Rose a smile. Rose’s brows furrow at you and Rachel rolls her eyes.

“You hang out with Jason too much.” Rachel states, getting a confused and offended look from you just as your popcorn starts to pop.

“I don’t get this.” Rose starts, ignoring the both of yours and Rachel’s comments to each other while she takes a seat in one of the chairs. “The whole living situation, this some kind of euro hostel or something?” Rose quips making you chortle.

Rachel lets out a huff. “No, we’re just friends.”

“Dick’s got a thing for plucking strays off the streets.” You add in.

"I'm not a stray." Rose defends, but her voice isn't stern or annoyed.

“We saw what happened.” Rachel looks between you and Rose.

“Saw what?” Rose inquires.

“Dick has access to the city’s surveillance cameras.” Rachel explains.

“We saw everything. You fighting and escaping, the whole thing.” You finish.

“Guy with the sword?” Rachel asks.

“My dad.” Rose gains a sarcastic grin.

You give her a yikes expression before hopping off the counter and going to the microwave as the popcorn starts to slow down its popping. Somehow, all of you have fucked up home lives. Seriously, is that a requirement to even be here?

“I’m sorry.” Rachel says.

“Dads suck.” You declare, opening the microwave.

“No dad of the year mug for him.” Rose quips before looking to Rachel. “That thing in your forehead, bold choice.” Rose nods her head.

You pour your popcorn into a bowl as you listen to Rachel, you actually don’t know the story behind it. You never asked.

“Not my choice.” Rachel shakes her head. “My dad put it there for me.”

“He did?” Your voice is filled of surprise and confusion.

“Yep.” Rachel holds out the word a little.

Now, that’s also weird. You figured it has to do with her powers since it lit up when she levitated her and Jason earlier. You have so many questions about it but Rachel’s singular word about it is probably a good indicator that she doesn’t like to talk about it. You can’t blame her there.

“Where’s he?” Rose asks.

“I got rid of him.” Rachel declares.

“Got rid of as in…? Killed him?” Rose asks.

“Yeah, kind of.” Rachel tries to brush it off as she scoffs.

“What about you?” Rose looks to you who’s standing on the other side of Rachel.

“Drug addict who bailed before I was born, foster dad almost beat me to death though.” You state, an almost sarcastic tone coats your words. “Ligature scars from the ordeal.” You lift your arms just slightly so your sleeves fall down enough to show the scars.

“Shit.” Rose states.

“Clearly, the tower is filled with people who had outstanding father figures.” You quips, getting a slight nudge from Rachel.

“Is that what you wanted to do to your father? Kill him?” Rachel asks.

“I did.” Rose nods. “But, uh, I thought everything would be different if he just went away.”

“Doesn’t always work.” Rachel takes a drink from her tea. “Right, Y/n?”

“I know you want me to agree with you but…” You pause. “I gotta say, I’m pretty content with my actual dad fucking off somewhere and me beating the shit out of Jerry now that it’s happened.”

Was that night a mess? Yes. But, talking with Jason about it has made you feel a lot better about it. He's told you countless times he deserved it and because of that, you did save that kid. You got your revenge and now he can't do that to anyone ever again. It didn't help that night, and maybe the act of beating him up didn't help, but preventing him from hurting anyone else did.

“Seriously?” Rachel voice is disapproving. 

You shrug. “I’m not gonna lie.” You laugh softly.

“Guess we’re all members of the bad dads club.” Rose gives the two of you a genuine smile.

“Platinum members.” Rachel scoffs.

“With a discount in endless trauma.” You quip.

“Benefits kind of suck.” Rose states.

“Members are pretty cool.” Rachel smiles softly, Rose matching the smile.

“What do you guys do all day anyway?” Rose questions.

“Train.” Rachel’s voice is flat.

“Listen to everyone complain about training.” You let out a muttered scoff.

“As if you’re not enjoying the night off with Gar.” Rachel quips.

“I am having a lovely time.” You grin. “Which is why, I’m going back to my room where he’s waiting.”

“Don’t do anything stupid.” Rachel mocks.

“We are friends, Rachel.” You defend.

“Okay, Y/n.”

You roll your eyes. “Okay, Rachel.” You mock her before walking off back to your room where Gar is still sitting in the same position.

You think about the conversation you had with Rachel about the boys. There was so much you couldn’t tell Rachel about Jason. Jason would kill you and Rachel would definitely tease him about it, even if it just slipped. You don’t want that to happen. It’s your thing and you kind of like that no one knows about it. You can’t really explain it, but it’s just nice not having everyone know about it.

With Gar, everything is out in the open which is also fine because that’s just Gar. He doesn’t hide things from people, he wears his emotions on his sleeve. It’s something you actually admire about him and it’s one of the things you like about him. But, in a way, there’s this pressure you don’t like. Rachel knew you liked him and she thinks Gar likes you, too. Part of it is on you, sleeping in his room, making him pancakes. But, you just wish you were normal because then it would be this normal gossip thing where no one knows for sure. In the tower, surrounded by people all the time though, everything is so fucking transparent. The tower might as well be wrapped in cellophane. So, you take a seat next to Gar and don’t say anything about how you feel because you like him but you like Jason, too.

“Talked with Rose.” You start, resting your legs over Gar’s as you get comfortable, holding the bowl of popcorn on your lap but close enough so Gar can have some.

“Yeah? What’s she like?” Gar asks, his left hand resting on your shins as his right plucks a piece of popcorn from the bowl.

“Daddy issues like the rest of us.” You chortle, tossing a piece of popcorn into your mouth.

"We knew that, though." Gar chuckles with you, finding you amusing.

"Yeah," You shrug. "I don't know, didn't talk long but she seems cool. Rachel is still in the kitchen with her."

"Think she'll stay?" Gar raises a brow and it worked out with you staying. He's worried about her being Deathstroke's daughter, which might put all of you at risk. But, if she's really in danger. Gar hopes she'll stay. It's safe here.

You scrunch your face with uncertainty. "Ehh," You shrug. "She doesn't seem too pleased with the place. So, I dunno. I hope she does. It helped me." You give Gar a sweet smile.

"Yeah, I think it'd be nice. We'll have to keep Jason off of her though." Gar chuckles.

You brush the comment off. Maybe Jason will be into her and it'll make everything easier. Choosing between the boys sounds like an impossible decision.

"Yeah, right?" You nod your head, agreeing with him but keep it short. You look to the TV and change conversation. "Do teenagers actually get together and do that?" The teenagers in the show are in a basement, a few of them playing instruments while the others are smoking on a couch.

"That's where you're questioning the realism of the show?" Gar chortles next you, grabbing a few pieces of popcorn.

"I mean! Hey, women have poisoned their husbands! They're even called Black Widows! But, teenagers all getting together to drink and smoke in a basement? Like regularly? Do they do that?"

Gar shrugs, finding your thought process a bit comical. "I wouldn't know."

"Right." You nod and laugh. "Forgot, none of us had much of a normal teenager experience."

Gar shakes his head. "Fine with me, seems..."

"Not as fun as they make it seem in the show?” You laugh softly.

“Yeah, exactly.” Gar nods quickly. “I don’t think it’d always be so cool, calm, and collected.”

There's a knock on your door, interrupting your conversation. The two of you turn around to see Dick, standing halfway in your room and half in the hallway.

"Gar, need ya again." Dick jerks his head towards the hallway and your brows furrow. What the hell is that about? Gar gives you an apologetic look as you move your legs off of him.

You spin around, resting your forearms on the back of the couch. "Whatcha doing?" You ask Dick as Gar gets up from his comfortable place.

"Locating Dr. Light." Dick answers simply.

You hum. "Can I come?"

It's Dick's turn to narrow his eyes. "No, I just need Gar for now." 

You groan. "Come on, Rachel is hanging out with Rose and Jason is in a pissy mood."

After the whole Jerry situation, Dick has been keeping a closer eye on you. He wants to trust you won't go rogue again but there is a part of him that worries about it. Dick went back and watched the security footage of everything, listened to the conversation. Jason did not try to stop you but it didn't seem as if you would have listened anyway. He doesn't need someone going rogue. But, if you’re with Gar, at least if you find Dr. Light, Dick can trust Gar to come and get him instead of you both trying to play the heroes.

"Okay, fine. Come on." Dick jerks his head and you beam, happy to be included.

You turn the TV off, practically leaping over the back of the couch and meeting the boys at the door. Gar's eyes widen and beam at the sight of your dramatics. Dick shakes his head but chuckles softly as the three of you head to the comms lab.

Gar slides into the chair and pulls up a map while Dick stands behind him and you stand off to the side, watching everything Gar is doing. You can only assume that with his time at Doom Manor, he had a lot of time to mess around with tech stuff. Maybe that's why Dick is asking for his help for this stuff instead of anyone else. Gar already has some background with computers and tech and he's a new Titan. Maybe it's a preparation thing. But, you’re also just happy to be included.

"Dr. Light will need to refuel if he's planning another attack." Dick starts. "He'll need a large electric power cell and a light source where he can absorb the energy."

Gar leans his elbows on the table in front of him, keeping his eyes on the screen. "So, monitor the power grids and keep an eye out for any unusual disturbances."

"We find where he's pulling the power from, we find him." Dick finishes before patting Gar on the back and heading for the hallway.

"Okay, got it." Gar's eyes scan over the computer screen.

"Oh, hey," Dick says, turning around before entering the hallway. "Everything okay with Rachel?" Dick looks between Gar and you. "She looked a little strange in training."

"She's fine." You answer quickly with the shrug of your shoulders.

Gar nods his head in agreement. "Yeah," He swivels in his chair to face Dick. "That was just...her..." Gar glances to you as if looking for help as he tries to think of something.

Neither of you are going to tell Dick Rachel almost killed Jason and then Jason called her a freak, then said she should be checked by a priest. Dick doesn't need to know everything that happens. You all can handle it.

"Training face." Gar gives Dick an awkward smile, spinning the chair slightly.

"Traning face?" Dick looks to Gar and then to you, completely not believing that at all.

"Yeah, she gets really focused and gets this look." You brush it off.

"Yeah, exactly." Gar agrees with you, the both of tyou lying through your teeth. You’re a bit better at it. "She just wants to be ready in case any of the old Titans wanna spar," Gar's eyes shift side to side for a second. "After, they settle in." He flashes the awkward smile again and you’re so sure Dick is going to call you out.

Note to self: Do not ask Gar to help you rob a bank.

"They're not gonna settle in." Dick states, this time his voice serious and stern. Your curiosity is piqued. Dick doesn't seem happy about them showing up which you find to be weird. Aren't they supposed to be friends? Is this because Deathstroke killed one of them? If it is, you can't say you blame Dick. It was probably really hard. "Hank and Dawn, Donna, they're not staying."

"I thought you guys were friends?" You ask.

"We are." Dick answers shortly. "But they aren't Titans anymore."

Gar's face twists in confusion. Everything was fine the last time they were all together, well, besides the whole Trigon thing. But, everyone got along afterward. "Did something happen between you guys?"

Dick's eyes go distant for a second before he drops it completely. "Keep looking." Dick states before walking off, down the hallway.

You look to Gar as he swivels to face you. "That was fucking weird." You say, shaking your head with wide eyes.

"Right?" Gar says dramatically. "What do you think that was about?"

"Uh...." You pause, shrugging your shoulders. "I mean, could be the death of that Titan, maybe it's like....a thing with them all being here?" You raise the question. "Everyone was there with Trigon, right?"

Gar nods before he turns back to the computer to get to work. "Yeah, I mean, besides....ya know." Gar jerks his head to the left with the quick raise of his brows as he starts searching the power grids. "But, I mean, after everything seemed fine. Dick was...actually in a good mood, actually."

You watch Gar carefully, taking mental notes of everything he's doing. "Maybe it's something with the tower then, everyone being here. I have no idea." You chuckle softly. "Bird boys make no fucking sense."

"Honestly," Gar shakes his head. "What do you think is up with that, anyway?" Gar glances to you.

You shrug. "Well, first full day here, I asked Dick about Bruce and he said that Bruce did the best he could which I always assume means that person sucks at parenting, without intending to." You chuckle softly. "So, could be Bruce."

"I think you just have a vendetta against him." Gar says honestly, giving you a slight wince.

You let out a sigh. "Yeah, a little bit." You move closer to Gar. "Can I sit?"

Gar's eyes widen as he freezes and you gain a smirk. A giggle escapes your lips and it's the cutest noise Gar has ever heard. He scoots back a bit and lets you sit on his lap, you mostly sitting on his right leg so Gar can see and maneuver around the keyboard easily.

"What do you think is up with bird boys?" You ask as Gar goes back to the power grids.

Gar shrugs. "I don't think they know how to handle their problems." Gar deadpans.

You let out a laugh. "Yeah, that's fair." You keep your head straight, watching the large screen. "How do you know how to do all this?" You decide to drop the conversation.

"Had a lot of free time at Caulder House." Gar states. "There wasn't much to do besides this and video games."

"Ah," You nod your head. "It's pretty cool, especially with how quickly tech changes and this is like...a Batcomputer." Your smile widens. Sure, you’ve got an issue with Batman but Wayne tech is cool nonetheless. Your problem is with his moral code about killing, not with much else. You don't even know the guy.

"Yeah, it's clearly coming in handy." Gar laughs softly.

Gar and you fall into a comfortable conversation as Gar explains what he's doing and how he knows what to look for. You follow everything he says, making sure you’re keeping up. The thing with Gar is that he's really good at explaining things without making your feel dumb. Sometimes, people have this habit of sounding condescending when they're explaining something they're good at even if they don't mean to. But, Gar explains it casually but in terms you understand since you don't know much about this tech. In fact, the way Gar explains everything, it makes you feel useful which is a really nice thing to feel right about now.

Over the next hour, you and Gar sit and look for signs of Dr. Light. You like seeing Gar here, doing this. It's clearly his environment, something he's good at and enjoys. He's also helping the older Titans by doing this and you can tell by how focused he is that it's something that also means a lot to him. He gets to be helpful with the thing he's good at.

The two of you share stolen glances here and there. There's something so warm and comfortable about it. While you’re more of a hands-on person, this is nice. You aren't really helping, rather than just keeping Gar company and learning from him. But, it's comfortable and if you’ve learned anything, it's that you should cherish the comfort while you have it.

Gar is so kind and soft and safe that feeling comfortable seems like it could be possible, every single day. He's energic and enthusiastic. You swear there's not a pessimistic bone in his body. And he has this smile that just put the sun to shame. You swear if he just gave you that open-mouthed toothy smile, you’d never get lost in the dark again. And sometimes he trips over his words if you get a little flirty and it make you so happy because he never knows what to do. It makes him that much cuter and softer. He is what you always imagined happiness would look like. If happiness were a person, it would be Garfield Logan. You wonder if you could ever offer him that same comfort and happiness. You wonder if you'd ever live up to that or if you'd just burn it all to the ground.

Gar finds something on the computer and goes to grab Dick. The two of them discuss, figuring the bundle of pings is actually Dr. Light. And then the power goes out as if to be on cue. You follow Gar and Dick out of the comms lab and into the living room. As you all reach the floor-to-ceiling windows, you see a stadium in the distance that's emitting light, indicating that's where Dr. Light is. You get the feeling that's probably not a good sign for whatever is to come next and by the look on Dick's face, he's got the same feeling.

Dick goes off to grab the rest of the Titans to hunt down Dr. Light while Gar figures the rest of you might as well hang out in the living room and watch something on someone's phone. You have gone almost entirely quiet since the power went out. He hasn't said anything, but he's kind of assumed you aren't a big fan of the dark. You usually have the TV on or the blinds pulled when you’re asleep so the room isn't so dark. Gar thinks maybe if he can get everyone in an open area, you'll feel a little better about it. So, you make your way to Jason's room first.

Gar’s assumption would be right. The dark wasn’t this big deal or anything before, but now it’s as if things are lurking in the shadows. You just feel so uneasy not being able to see in the dark. The great thing about the tower, usually, is there are always lights on. The hallway is always lit by small wall lamps so it’s never too dark. The rooms all have large windows that go from one wall to the other and the city does a good job of illuminating every room. But, the entire city is in a blackout and it’s almost completely dark in the tower. You hate it and with Gar’s offer to gather everyone up, you’re thankful you don’t need to explain it. He’s figured it out.

"What's up?" Jason asks as the two of you and Gar enter his room.

"The power's out." You quip, trying to not show you’re uneasy about the entire tower being dark.

"No shit." Jason shakes his head, his phone in his hand to use as a flashlight.

"I figured we'd all hang out together, just until it comes back on." Gar offers, his own phone’s light shining on the ground.

"All?" Jason questions, his brow quirked as he glances to you. Jason knows all does not mean all of the older Titans and he does not want to be around Rachel right about now.

"Well..." Gar pauses. "You, us, Rachel."

Jason lets out a groan before it turns into a dry laugh. "You think I wanna be around her right now?"

"She's sorry." Your voice is filled with frustration. "It was an accident."

"What about the other Titans?" Jason jerks his head up with the question.

"They're probably going to find Dr. Light. I found something on the computer." Gar brushes it off and Jason's eyes widen. You let out a sigh knowing Gar should not have said that.

"What? Why didn't you say so?" There's excitement in his voice as he runs over to his bed, getting on his hands and knees.

You eye Gar, as if telling him he should not have told Jason. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"I'm going with 'em!" Jason says, pulling out the case that contains his suit.

Gar gets the look now. "Right..." Gar nods his head slowly. "I'm sure Dick will come get you if he needs you, man."

"Seriously?" Jason puts the case on his bed before turning to face you and Gar. "I gotta show him I'm ready for anything. I'm tired of sitting around." Jason reaches over his head, yanking his hoodie off, you getting the nonexistent hint to turn around.

"He knows what you're made of, Jason." Gar lets out a sigh as Jason changes into his suit.

"Obviously, not." Jason argues. "He didn't come to get me, did he?" Jason gets a little snippy and all Gar can do is sigh.

Jason finishes changing into his suit, making his way to you and Gar. You turn around, feeling him close to you. Jason's head is held high and there's a brightness in his eyes. His entire demeanor changes when he puts on the suit. He's, somehow, even more endearing when he's like this. Filled of so much joy and excitement and determination. You know Dick won't let him go with and it's gonna sting him a lot more than he'll ever admit.

"Well, be careful then, Batboy." You state, knowing there is no stopping Jason.

Jason eyes you up and down, not even realizing he's doing it. A smirk pulls at his lips and he almost has a quip, almost but Gar is standing there, a little too close to you. So, he bites it down like a shard of glass. "Always am." He nods at you before quickly exiting his room, the cape flowing behind him.

"He's a dork." You look to Gar, a smile pull at your lips.

"It's the cape, right?" Gar laughs.

You nod quickly. "Yeah, yeah, something about the cape on him. It's like it swallows him." You laugh again. "It is bulletproof and fireproof though."

"At least there's that." Gar chuckles. "Let's find Rach." He jerks his head towards Jason's door and the two of you head out.

The two of you head down the hall where you run into Rachel. She had been on her way to look for the two of you. The tower is on backup generators now but the power in the tower is limited. This surprises all of you. You all thought, surely, Bruce would have a better generator for the tower. But, none of you say anything about it and decide to head to the living room and find something to do while you wait for the power to come back on and for the other Titans to get back. When you reach the living space, Jason is standing there alone in the Robin suit, the rest of the Titans in the elevator.

Jason's jaw clenches as he sees the three of you standing there looking at him. Rachel isn't surprised and she's actually pleased with Jason being left behind. Rachel doesn't think Jason is ready to help the rest of the Titans, and it's not fair to let him go but not the rest of you. Gar and you, on the other hand, you feel bad for him. He just wants to help and he's your friend. You also know that Jason will probably be pissed about this for the next week and you'll be the ones who have to hear about it. Dick should just let him help, they have the same experience.

Jason pushes past the three of you, not saying a word.

"He's such a try-hard." Rachel mutters as the three of you walk over to the couches.

You furrow your brows as you and Gar sit side-by-side, his arm going behind you as if to be an instinct. "I mean...he is Robin, though?"

"Yeah, but why does he think he should be able to help when none of us are?" Rachel argues.

"He has experience?" Gar questions, his expression matching the confused and defensive one you have.

"Not you, too!" Rachel groans out in frustration. She doesn't get why you and Gar almost always side with Jason.

"What?" Gar asks, unamused over this conversation.

"You guys defending him."

"Well, because we get it." Gar's eyes widen slightly, a hint of annoyance in his voice. The petty arguing and hatred between Rachel and Jason actually drives him insane. Sure, Jason deserves it sometimes but he's not even around right now. Why does it matter?

"Yeah, I mean, it's like important to him." You state, your eyes still slightly narrowed. When you told Rachel to talk to Jason about this, you did in fact mean it. You, too, aren't a fan of the petty arguments either between the two of them or about each other.

"It's important to everyone." Rachel urges. "Why does he think it's the most important thing to him?"

You and Gar stare at each other, as if to be silently communicating 'what the fuck'. Rachel is clearly still upset by Jason's words from the morning. Of course, neither of you blame her but you are Jason’s friend. You both defend Rachel when Jason gets all pissy with her and you both defend Jason. But, this is just annoying. The Titans have gone off to find Dr. Light, you're trapped in the tower without any power. Who even cares?

"You're not friends with him so you don't get it." You brush her off. "And not to sound a bit bitchy, but it's not our job to explain it to you." You shrug and pull your phone from your pocket. "I'm gonna turn my show on, you're welcome to watch with us." You pull up Netflix on your phone before handing it to Gar as he puts in the password.

You rest the phone on the ottoman, using one of the random books from the table to stabilize your phone. Rachel huffs a bit but moves closer to you so she can watch the show. She decides to drop it and maybe she is being a bit unreasonable. She doesn't understand Jason and she probably never will. But, she also hasn't taken your advice about talking to him yet. So, Rachel bites back the other comments she has about Jason and listens to you and Gar explain what she's missed so far.

Only a few more minutes go by when Jason and Rose come into view, the two of them heading for the opposite hallway. You’re the first to notice, followed by Gar. Rachel is too busy watching the show to even care.

"What's going on?" Gar asks, cautiously seeing the two of them walking side-by-side.

Jason looks like he's doing a bit better. "Going to train, nothing else to do anyway."

"You training, too?" You quirk a brow at Rose.

Rose tilts her head just slightly to the side. "Nah," She shakes her head. "I'm gonna kick his ass." 

"Fuck off." Jason huffs, but a smile is on his lips.

"Please, do. Someone's gotta kick him around now and again." You grin at Jason.

His eyes narrow at you. "Yeah, cause you never will."

"One day, Jay. One day." You wiggle your brows at him before looking back at your phone, trying to ignore the weird warmth in your stomach. That is not jealousy.

"When hell freezes over." Jason scoffs but you keep your eyes on the screen and there's a disappointment that bites Jason's bone. His smile falls and he thought you'd have some come back about beating his ass even when hell freezes over or something dumb. But, you say nothing and he's disappointed in that. "Whatever," He scoffs, jerking his head towards the hall. "Let's go." Jason and Rose leave the three of you to yourselves.

You think Gar doesn't notice the short banter that wasn't really banter. You think he doesn't notice the way your eyes narrowed and the way the grin turned stale. You think he doesn't notice how you are with Jason and it hurts Gar. He likes you but he thinks maybe you’re more into Jason than you'll ever be into him. Sure, you’re choosing to hang out with him more but you and Jason still do your flirty thing. It doesn't really make any sense to him if he's being honest.

After two hours, the power finally comes back on. Every light in the tower turns back on and the lights of the city start to shine through the floor-to-ceiling windows once again. The three of you breathe a sigh of relief, hoping that means the other Titans took down Dr. Light with success. You all move the show to the TV and wait on the edge of your seats for the other Titans to come back. Jason and Rose join the three of you just a few minutes later as if to also be waiting for the other Titans. Jason steals the remote and switches to the news.

"Well, you could have asked first, but sure." You quip but Jason brushes you off as he stands off to the side of Gar, arms crossed.

The news plays over footage of the Titans fighting Dr. Light and failing. Dick chooses to save a busload of people instead of stopping Dr. Light. Dr. Light takes off and he's completely out of sight. The news reports that he's nowhere to be seen but everyone on the bus is safe.

"And that's why they should have fucking let me go!" Jason complains, flinging one of his arms out.

All of you chooses not to argue or humor Jason. The rest of the Titans are probably going to be upset when they get back and Jason will have some sort of comment about it. It's not worth it for any of you to argue or agree with him. You'll leave that to Dick and the other Titans.

As soon as the rest of the Titans get back, you, Gar, Rachel, and Jason keep your places in the living area beside Rose who doesn't want any part of it, apparently. You all wait until Dawn and Hank head off toward the bedrooms, leaving just Dick in the living area. Jason takes the lead and gets up first, the rest of you following him

"Where's Dr. Light?" Jason taunts Dick as he walks closer to him.

"Jason." Rachel warns.

"A little stealth job on a guy who shoots what? Headlamps? I mean half the city's on fire and still no sign of Dr. Light." Jason is now about a foot away from Dick, Gar, you, and Rachel standing two feet behind Jason not liking where this is going.

"Not the time, Jason." Dick warns him.

Jason rushes Dick quickly, almost chest-to-chest with him. "Look, I don't take orders from you anymore, man. I do what I want when I want." Jason states, eying Dick with anger. You roll your eyes behind him and Gar sucks in a breath, knowing this is not going to end well.

Dick gets this smile that is almost his way of telling Jason how fucking stupid that is. He goes to walk past Jason but Jason puts his hand on his chest, stopping Dick in his tracks. Dick looks almost appalled. You thought Dick wasn't as great at hiding his emotions when you first got here but the more you watch him, the more you realize he's actually very good at it. He just has resting bitch face. But, it's obvious by the way his brows went up and his eyes widened just a little that he was shocked and appalled that Jason stopped him.

"Get out of my way." Dick's voice is stern and unwavering.

"I think you got it all wrong," Jason shakes his head at Dick, a little close to him for everyone's comfort. Jason hits Dick's chest again with an open palm. "You're in my way." The three of you behind Jason can feel this going south very quickly but none of you want to insert yourselves in it. You’re a bit interested to see where this will go and how Dick plans to de-escalate the situation. "Maybe you need a retirement package."

You and Gar glance between each other before turning back to Jason. You want to help break this up but how? This is not your battle and if you take Dick's side, you'll be hearing from Jason about it. So, you both stand back as Jason turns to look at you for just a second. He's got this determined look in his eye that makes you quirk a brow. He makes a fist and all three of you shake your heads slightly.

"Don't." Dick grits his teeth, his nose scrunching up. Yeah, tonight is not the night to pick a fight with Dick.

Jason tries to charge Dick but Dick is faster and takes an open palm to back of his head, pushing him to the ground. You let out a sigh, hanging your head and holding the bridge of your nose. Gar has resorted to looking down and running a hand through his hair, a look of exasperation across his face. Rachel leans forward, simply surprised.

Dick even looks a bit surprised. "Shit." Dick says softly as he reaches a hand towards Jason. "Here." His voice is flat.

Jason slaps Dick's hand away before getting up from the floor. Jason's heaving a few breaths as if the anger is consuming him from the pit of his lungs. He stands toe-to-toe with Dick but doesn't say anything. He pushes past him and heads off down the hallway. Dick looks at the three of you who all look like you're torn between second-hand embarrassment and yikes.

"What was that?" Dick asks, his eyes directly at you.

"Got me." You shrug. If Dick really can't figure out what Jason is upset about, he's actively choosing to be obvious or something because Dick isn't stupid.

Dick shakes his head and decides he'll deal with it later. "Gar, come on, need you again." Dick starts walking past all of you.

"I'll come to your room later." Gar gives you an apologetic look.

"I'm gonna check on Jason anyway." You roll your eyes and everyone goes their separate ways, leaving Rachel in the living room.

You head to Jason's room where his music is yet again blaring. You bang on the door and he doesn't answer at first. You suck in a breath and decide you’re just going to keep banging on the door until he answers it. It's a solid minute of knocking before the door swings open, Jason's cheeks red and his eyes wide, filled of rage.

"What the fuck?!"

"Move." You move past him and Jason wants to know why you do this? And why does he let you? You spin around. "What the fuck to you? What the fuck was that with Dick, dude?"

"Oh, this is about Dick, huh?" Jason yells, his face scrunching with anger as he shuts the door.

"You were going to fight him." You say through gritted teeth. "Why?"

"He thinks he fucking knows everything!" Jason swings his arm out. "But he got fucking beat by Dr. Light, a fucking dude whose power is a streetlamp." Jason scoffs, the very thought of this guy comical to him.

"Okay." You lower your voice. "So, why not let him wallow in his own mistakes then? Why do you gotta rub it in?"

"Are you fucking kidding me? You're taking his side?!" Jason’s voice goes up an octave.

"NO!" You yell at him. "I'll always take y0our side! Just..." You pause, letting yourself take a breath. "Just, fucking talk to me, Jay." You cave, chewing the inside of your cheek. He's never gone after Dick before. It's like all of them said, Jason gets mad and rants and raves, trains a bit, and that's it. He doesn't go after people, but tonight he did. You’re worried about him.

Jason shakes his head, looking to the ground and you have this way of calming him down. You’re just as hot-headed as he is but when he's screaming, you can just stay calm. It might take a minute, but you calming down and asking him such a simple question, gets him to cool off. It’s the way you call him Jay and it’s like it flips the switch. You call him that nickname, you’re the only one, and he knows he can talk.

"I just wanna fucking help." Jason scoffs, leaning against his door. "I feel fucking useless here and he won't let me fucking help. If I could show him what I can do..."

"Maybe he'll let you actually help." You finish for him.

"Yeah, Robin is like," Jason lets out a scoff. "It's the one thing I've been fucking good at. It feels like it's being taken away from me and there's nothing I can fucking do about it." There's a break in his voice and you feel for him.

It's the first time he's admitted any of that. The thing about Robin is Jason has always been a hothead. He's always liked attention. The world has been unfair to him his entire life. But, he puts on that suit and the hot-headedness actually comes in handy sometimes, dealing with these big bads like the Riddler and the Joker. The attention is on him because he's a hero with Batman. And he gets to level the playing field in the world that's treated him so poorly. He's so good at it, too and he knows it. But, it's all being ripped away from him. Sure, it’s his own doing but, maybe if Bruce or Dick offered him an ear every now and again, they would get why Jason does things like joyrides in the Batmobile and riding a motorcycle in the manor.

"Yeah, I get that." You nod and move to stand next to him, leaning against his door with him. "But, uh, for what's it worth, I would care to argue you're also a good friend. You're good at that."

Jason lets out a laugh. "Yeah, that's real fucking inspiring."

You shrug, laughing with him. "It's better than nothing, right? No, but you're a good reader and you are funny. You are a good Robin. You’re a better Robin than Dick was." You eye him, the laugh falling. "And I'm not just filling your ego." You give him a smirk.

"Aw, can't fill it even a little, babe?" Jason's brows knit together and he's got this half-cocked grin that makes your stomach twist. 

The nickname makes your knees weak. "Absolutely not, shithead."

Jason lets out another laugh. "Thank you."

"Yeah, no problem. You know I'm always gonna be here for ya." You give him a wink. "I don't think Dick's worth it anyway." You let out a sigh.

"Back to having an issue with him?" Jason nods with understanding. He's in a constant state of flip-flopping on having an issue with him.

"Nah, I just mean I don't think he's worth it. If you're gonna fight a Titan, at least make it worth it, ya know? Like, it's Dick. He's whatever and it's like tragic in a pathetic kind of way to watch two Robins fight each other. I mean how fucking cliche. Fight Hank or some shit." You scoff. "Or prove yourself in a different way, one that doesn't involve tagging along where they shove you into a corner anyway."

"I'd obliterate Hank." Jason chortles, his head is high and his chest puffed out with confidence.

"See, exactly!" You cheer.

Jason pauses for a second and maybe you have a point. Maybe he could find a way to show Dick in a different way. He doesn't need to rely on Dick to invite him out onto the field. He could just do it himself.

"Hey," Jason's brows furrow as he looks to you, an idea popping into his head. "Gar still helping Dick?"

Your eyes narrow at him, not liking the question. "Assume so...why?"

"We could help." Jason proposes the idea and you just know he doesn't want to sit in front of a computer as a way to help. Jason is a hands-on kind of hero.

"Mmm." You hum. "What's your angle?"

"You said prove myself in a different way." Jason give you an eerily innocent smile.

"Mhm." You hum. "Yeah, he's probably in the comms lab trying to locate Dr. Light again." You tell him, trying to figure out what exactly he's getting at. Jason is anything but innocent.

Jason pushes himself from the door, gesturing for you to follow his lead. "So, let's help. An apology to Dick, offer my help here."

"Yeah, I don't believe your intentions are so pure if I'm being honest." You state, keeping your stance against his door.

Jason has a cocked grin, eyes devious. "You gonna stop me?"

You should but he didn't stop you. So, you roll your eyes and push off of the door. "Guess not."

Jason has this triumphant smile that makes your heart beat a little faster. Jason opens the door and you follow him. Something in you is saying Jason doesn't want to help with this. Not in this way. You worry he's going this to hunt Dr. Light down himself. But, he went with for Jerry. He never tried to talk you out of it because he knew he couldn't and you know you can't talk him out of this. You needed it and Jason needs this, too. Plus, you aren’t completely sure that’s what his plan is.

You get to the comms lab, Gar quickly typing away as Jason leans against the table, facing Gar. His hands grip the edge as he waits for Gar to look at him. You stand off to the side of Gar's chair.

"Hey?" Gar questions, looking between the two of you.

"Hey." Jason greets a little too kindly.

"You okay?" Gar asks, this time his voice has a little bit of concern. He takes a quick glance at you and then brings his eyes back to Jason.

"Yeah, yeah, I've been knocked down before." Jason nods his head, looking to you.

"Look, uh, Dick just reacted he didn't mean anything by it." Gar says, his voice soft and you want to melt. He's so kind and sweet and caring. He never wants anyone to hurt anyone, physically or mentally. He is so good.

"Yeah, he did." Jason keeps his voice level and honest. He gains this tired grin. "Look, I know what I am. I'm a dirty little favor to Bruce. And probably why they reopened this place." Jason looks around the room. "Scrap heap for rejects." You roll your eyes at the comment before you go back to eyeing him carefully.

"I'm not a reject." Gar shakes his head, his voice displeased and hurt by the remark.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean you." Jason shakes his head before looking at you. "Or you." He looks back to Gar.

"Look, you're not a reject, either, Jason. We're...we're Titans." Gar gets this huge smile, one of accomplishment and pride.

You keep your eyes narrowed as the smile falls from Jason's face. He's manipulating Gar. It's the way he spoke with ease. The way he smiled that wreaked of bad intentions. And that's when you know for certain. He wants to find Dr. Light so he can go after him. Jason wants to help in a different way, meaning he wants to do it all himself. That's the only reason why he walked in here the way he did, saying what he said and how he said it. If he came in here, immediately asking to help, a red flag would have been triggered for Gar. 

Jason turns to look at the large screen. "Hey, can I help you?" Jason asks, gaining the smile back as he pushes off the table.

"Uh, sure?" Gar says, leaning forward and wheeling the chair closer to the controls. "You okay?" Gar asks, looking back to you. "You're really quiet."

"Oh, yeah." You nod, glancing between and Gar and Jason. "It's nothing, it's fine." You’re not gonna get in the middle of Jason trying to find Dr. Light and him going off to find him. Gar won’t let Jason help if you say anything.

Gar eyes you with a bit of suspicion but decides not to press. He moves back to the computer and looks at the large screen that Jason is now standing just inches from.

"I'm just looking for heat signatures. After Dr. Light absorbed all that energy, he's gotta be radiation hot." Gar explains.

"What's that?" Jason points to a blank spot on the map.

Gar zooms in. "Emergency exits on the Bayline train station. Underground, so impossible to read."

"Train tunnels must have underground heat sensors." Jason looks behind him to Gar.

"Good idea." Gar gets this interested smile as he wheels over to the right and starts typing. "I'm just gonna piggyback on the Bayline system." Gar says and just like that, where there was once a blank spot, it's now glowing red. A large smile comes to your face and this is why Dick should give him a chance. He is in fact clever. Jason lets out a single laugh, a large and proud smile on his face. "Holy shit." Gar beams as a similar laugh leaves his lips. Gar wheels back over to the center of the control panel. "You're amazing, Jason. I think we got him." Gar says, barely finishing his sentence before he pushes off the chair, immediately heading for the hallway.

"Woah, where ya going?" Jason calls after him, quickly catching up to Gar before he can leave.

"To tell Dick." Gar states as if Jason should have known.

"I got a better idea." Jason starts and you groan internally. This isn't good. "Look, why don't we go take a quick look to make sure." Jason offers and you’re shocked he isn't going off on his own. You definitely expected him to try and sneak out of here. "Cause if we're wrong, we'll look like assholes."

Gar nods his head, an unamused smile on his lips. "Yeah..." He stops nodding, snapping his eyes at Jason. "No." He quickly turns back around to the hallway.

"Gar! I need this." Jason pleads and Gar stops again. "To make things right with Dick, to show him what I can do. Okay? What we can do."

Gar walks back over to Jason. "He knows what you can do." Gar's voice is sympathetic as he shakes his head. "You're Batman's guy." Gar's voice is quieter this time but still drenched in the same sincerity.

"Was." Jason corrects him. You raise a brow. This is the first time he's thought of Robin in the past tense. "I'm not saying we go rogue." Jason explains. "We'll just do some visual verification, lay eyes on the guy and call Dick. Look, help me out Gar." Jason pleads with him and this time, it seems Jason is being sincere rather than manipulating him. But, you know Jason won't call Dick. "I could use a win."

Gar pauses and looks past Jason to you, your feet seeming to be glued to the floor. "What do you think?" Gar asks. "You haven't said anything."

You let out a sigh, Jason turning and his eyes boring into you. If you say Jason is right, that'll be it. The three of you will go and it could end poorly. If you say Gar is right, Jason will be mad and probably go anyway. At least, if all three of you are there, maybe something horrible won't happen. You kind of owe him anyway and you do kind of agree with Jason. But, you feel like you’re not choosing on if you should go after Dr. Light or tell Dick. Instead, you feel like you’re choosing between the boys with both of them looking at you and expecting you to agree with both of them.

"I dunno." Your voice holds reluctance. "I just..."

"Come on, Y/n." Jason pleads with you now. "You wanna prove it to Dick, too, right? You just said you're tired of being cooped up here. When we went after Jerry, as soon as you said we should call him, we did. It's the same thing."

You let out a sigh because you know that. "Stop kissing my ass." You roll your eyes. "I mean..." You look to Gar. "We could be heroes tonight." You raise your brow at him and there's a drop in Gar's expression but Jason's brightens. You don't want to sit around helping like this either. You want to do something and you do not want Jason to get himself killed tonight.

"Really?" Gar's voice is filled of disappointment. He thought you'd side with him, especially with how you were right after going after Jerry.

"I mean..." You pause. "I've fucked up with Dick, too and it does suck. If we could do this for him, maybe it'll prove that we're more than just those fuck ups. You haven't done anything, of course, but you're like...the responsible one." You state before looking to Jason. "No offense." You look back to Gar. "If we have you with us, maybe Dick will appreciate the three of us working together and being there for backup, ya know?"

Gar pauses and he's not winning this. He can tell by the looks in yours and Jason’s eyes, you're both a bit desperate to prove something. Jason just wants to prove that he is worth something. He's worth the time and the effort and the energy. He's meant to be Robin. You, Gar isn't really sure what you want to prove. But, it's the way your brows furrow and your voice quivers that he can tell it means something to you. Maybe you just want to prove you’re useful. You’re the only one no one who hasn’t been in some type of fight that isn't training. Everyone even saw Rose on the TV fighting. So, Gar caves despite his better judgment.

"Quick look, then we call Dick." Gar's voice is serious and stern, as if he's really taking the comment about being the responsible one to heart.

Jason smiles casually as he nods. "I promise."

"Let's get going then and hurry the fuck up." You walk past Jason.

"I'm gonna grab something real quick, I'll meet you guys outside." Jason says before walking past you, jogging down the hallway.

Gar gives you a look as the two of you head down the same hallway. "Siding with Jason?"

You let out a sigh. "I get it, ya know?" You shrug your shoulders. "Like...I dunno just wanting to be good enough." Your voice is quiet. "We all just want to be good enough for something, right? And I have these new powers and I'm going stir-crazy over it. I feel useless. I'm the only one who hasn't done anything. I beat up some basic ass psycho. He never even put up a fucking fight." You scoff. "I owe him, ya know?"

"You don't." Gar shakes his head. "And you are good enough. Dick knows you are." Gar urges and he doesn’t want you making bad decisions to prove something Dick already knows.

"It's different, Gar." You lick your lips. "Jason never tried to talk me out of going. He knew he couldn't do it. He knew I wouldn't listen to him. So, he came with to make sure I'd be okay and that I wouldn't kill him." You shake your head. "Uh....just...I don't want to get into the nitty-gritty of it all that night but," You look to the floor, watching as your shoes touch the floor. "He did a lot for me that night, like what you do." You nod at him and Gar gets it now.

Maybe you and Jason do flirt with each other and maybe there is something going on. He doesn't really know and a part of him would like to be left in ignorant bliss about it but ever since that night, something was different between you and Jason. Gar can't put his finger on it, but it seemed different. And now he knows why. You got to see a side of Jason no one else ever gets to see. Jason treats you like a person and you do him. Jason makes you feel like a person, an important person just like Gar does. It's just a little different.

Gar nods with understanding. "For the record," Gar lets out a sigh. "I think you're both good enough."

Heat creeps through your cheeks as your face softens. "Thank you, Gar." You feel the giddiness course through your veins. "You are also plenty good enough."

Gar chuckles softly. "Thanks, Y/n." Gar reaches his door, opening it. "Just grabbing my jacket."

"Yeah, I'm gonna grab a different hoodie." You jerk your head towards your room.

The two of you part ways to grab your different clothes. Gar goes with his red and white jacket while you grab a black athletic jacket. It's warm, jet-black, and it's a zip-up. You tie a belt around your waist, the belt lined with varying knives you’ve been given over the last few months from Dick. And you hide it under your hoodie. You know damn well this is going to get ugly and if Gar sees this, he'll back out and tell Dick. But, you aren't going to go unprepared. So, you hide it.

Once the three of you are outside, you head off to find Dr. Light. Jason, naturally showed up in his Robin suit. You and Gar aren’t even surprised. It's completely on brand. You think Jason would sleep in it if he could.

Once you reach the tunnels, that's when things start feeling a little off. You have a bad feeling in the pit of your stomach. Something just doesn't feel quite right here. A part of you thinks you’re just anxious over facing a villain. You know Jason isn't going to call Dick. He's going to put up a fight because that's just Jason. He's going against all odds to prove himself and this is a perfect opportunity. So, maybe you’re just anxious about that. But, you try to brush it off because you’re with the two boys who would never let anything happen to you.

"I thought this was reconnaissance only." Gar states as the three of you head down the stairs into the tunnels. "You're overdressed." Gar sounds tired and like he's done dealing with Jason's shit.

Jason laughs. "Exactly reconnaissance on a homicidal psychopath." The three of you stop walking. Jason leans against the railing on his side, facing you and Gar. You stand right in the middle of them. "Safety first."

"Yeah...that's why you wore the suit." You quip as you cross your arms over your chest.

Gar looks at the two of you before shaking his head. "I'm calling Dick." He says, completely through with now the both of you as he goes to head up the stairs.

"Gar, wait." You call but you keep your footing where you are.

"Yeah, come on, man." Jason whines. "Okay, you agreed to help me out. Please?"

"It'll be fine." You assure Gar with the easy shrug of your shoulders.

"See, Y/n’s on board." Jason points at you with an open palm. "Let's go." Jason jerks his head down the stairs.

Gar is so fed up with this already. He just gestures lazily out in front of him for Jason to take the lead again. The three of you walk down the stairs together, Jason feeling fantastic about himself, Gar wants to go home, and you’re stuck in between the two of them, literally and figuratively.

"Alright," Jason says as you reach the bottom of the stairs, all of you coming to a stop. "Let's uh, let's split up."

"Huh?" Gar hums, his voice high-pitched.

You scrunch your entire face at Jason, appalled. "Are you fucking kidding me?!"

"What?" Jason scoffs.

"Bad idea!" You groan.

"Man," Gar puts a hand on Jason's shoulder. "Don't you remember any of the horror movies we've watched?" There's a bit of panic in his voice.

"One of the easiest rules to remember is to not split up, Jason." You explain dramatically.

"You both wanna get out here fast, right?" Jason nods his head slowly and dramatically. "The three of us will get the job done in half the time." Jason says as he starts walking off.

"One of us definitely needs to go with him." You let out a sigh.

Gar's face is panicked but he manages a frown at you. "No way."

"Hey, I'm not going alone and you and I both know Jason functions strictly on reckless abandon. One of us has to be with him for safety measures." You gesture an open hand down the tunnel. "He's already left us." Honestly, you’re not happy about the whole splitting up thing but Jason seemed to make that decision for the three of you.

Gar lets out a groan. "Fine, okay." He puts a hand on your shoulder and squeezes softly. "I just, I got a bad feeling."

You nod but you choose not to put more worry into him. You don't like when he worries so much. "It'll be fine. You can turn into a tiger, I can melt people, Jason is very good at kicking ass and he does have the Robin suit which has weapons. We'll be fine." You rest a hand on Gar's shoulder and give him a gentle smile. The action was supposed to make him feel better but something about it doesn’t.

"Okay." He nods reluctantly.

"Meet you after." You give Gar a wink before turning and jogging down one of the tunnels to catch up with Jason.

You catch up with Jason, Jason hearing your pattering footsteps behind him. He knows it's you by the lightless of your steps.

"Can I fucking help you?" Jason quips.

"How-how did you know it was me?" You ask as you catch up to him, coming to a walking speed.

Jason lets out a laugh. "You're not fucking subtle." If anyone was going to follow him, it’d be you.

"Ha-ha." You mock him. "I came to make sure..." You pause as Jason looks at you, eyes narrowed and this is like when you went to beat up Jerry. Him in the Robin suit, you in street clothes, going to find a piece of shit. Maybe there's a bit of comfort in reckless abandon. "You don't kill him." You flash him a smirk.

There's a prideful smile across Jason's lips as he looks forward. He got the reference. He remembers telling you that that night.

"Gonna be able to pull me off him, huh?"

"Well," You shrug. "I was trained by the best, ya know?" You lift your hoodie so he can see the knives. "I, too, came a little overdressed for the occasion."

Jason lets out a laugh, his nose scrunching. "Yeah? And how's Gar feel about that?"

"Oh, well, he doesn't know." You let outa sigh, a guilty expression on your face. "He would have told Dick if he saw but I wasn't coming unprepared."

A triumphant smile pulls at Jason's lips as he boasts his chest. "Well, hey, I'm just glad you finally fucking admit I'm the best." Jason chortles.

"Oh, shut the fuck up." You roll your eyes. "Seriously, though," You let out a breath. "This is honestly stupid, like you know that, right?"

The smile falls. "No, he's a stupid fucking lightbulb."

"Uh-huh, yes, but the other Titans seem afraid of him. You don't think that's the least bit weird?" You raise.

"Could just be that Deathstroke is out there and his daughter is at the tower." Jason snarks.

"Fair." You let out a sigh, knowing that might be true. Everything you’ve heard about Dr. Light doesn’t sound too terrifying in terms of bad guys. "You don't seem to mind who Rose's dad is." You look to the ground for a split second, Jason catching it and a smirk comes to his face. Game time.

"Jealous?" He quips, looking at you and you think the mask makes him look a little goofy and he knows exactly what he's doing because you asked him the same thing last time.

"You fucking wish." You mock him and Jason lets out this laugh that bubbles your stomach. You wish he laughed more.

"If I did?" Jason continues and this time you look at him. He's looking straight ahead with a smirk that makes you want to kiss it right off his face. Shut him right up. But, you don't because you do like Gar.

You roll your eyes. "Alright, you fucking smartass."

"You always do that." Jason remarks, his voice drenched in confidence.

"Do what?" You glance to Jason.

"Deflect, backtrack. We go and back forth, and when you get stuck, you backtrack." Jason tilts his head to the right and then straights it back out with a shrug.

"Your point?" You raise, curious where he's going with this, but give him a teasing grin anyway.

Jason shrugs. "No point, just pointing it out." He is curious why you always do it. He wonders if it's because of Gar. Maybe you'd commit a bit more to the flirty banter, keep it going, if it weren't for Gar. Or maybe it's because it's him. He doesn't know but he definitely likes trying to figure you out.

"Mhm." You hum, not believing him. "Well? You and Rose?"

You don't even know why you’re pushing for an answer but you are. They've been hanging out a little more and you’re curious. Rose is cool and you like Rose. You swear it's not jealousy, that's not why you’re asking. You’re just curious.

"Why don't you tell me why you wanna know so bad?" Jason's brows are furrowed as he looks to you, his smirk turning taunting.

You wave a finger at him. "Why don't you tell me why you wanna know about Gar and me so bad?" You match the smirk with pride. 

Jason's eyes narrow at you, a smile pulling up as he licks his bottom lip and turns forward again. He wants to know but only if it's the answer he wants. He'd rather not have to hear that you like him and he likes you. That you're some sort of couple or you want them to be. You are Jason’s friend so he'd suck it up for you, of course, but he doesn't want to actively hear it. The idea of rejection makes his mouth grow sour. But, he's not going to tell you that.

"You first." Jason states and decides to throw the ball in your court.

You shrug. The issue with the two boys for you is that Gar makes you feel stable and safe, secure. He makes you happy and you feel...content. You feel this weird feeling of peace with him that you can't quite explain. In a way, you feel kind of like your old self, but a more mature version of it. It's not about the games or jokes between you, it's just very soft. It is warmth like a fireplace in a brutal winter. You feel like nothing bad or dangerous could ever be happen with Gar because of the peace that just radiates from him. You can't even figure it out which is fun. He makes you feel comfortable, something you really miss. But, then there's Jason.

Jason makes you feel like you’re on fire. Every part of you is bursting into flames around him and it doesn't even hurt, it's just exhilarating. It feels like the two of you could burn an entire city down together. And yet, you feel safe with him, too. There is not a single doubt in your mind that Jason would protect you against anything in the world. And you'd do the same for him. Jason has this sort of recklessness about him that you find intriguing. You don't know what he's gonna do or what he's thinking, something about that is endearing. Jason makes you feel alive with the fire in your belly and that brings you this sense of comfort you have craved for years. And you don't have to hide anything from him, not any of the trauma because Jason has already seen it all and went through it all. He just gets you. But, then you come back to Gar again and the idea of just being soft. The two boys have pros and cons, every person does, and you know what you want but you’re not sure if what you want meets what you need. So, you shrug.

"I mean, she's pretty and you seemed into her." You let the words roll off your tongue as if it's not a bitter sting in your throat.

Jason nods once. "Yeah, she is." He chuckles softly, it's fake though. "Don't know." Jason huffs. "Don't really know her, ya know?"

"Mhm, yeah." You nod your head. "I get it."

"You seem into Gar. He's definitely into you." Jason lets out a breath, deciding to make something up, piggybacking off your reasoning.

"Yeah..." You let out a huff, a sad smile on your lips. "He does sometimes but I don't know."

Your lack of mention about your feelings doesn't go unnoticed by Jason. But, he doesn't say anything. He doesn't want to know. "Oh, no, he does." Jason's eyes widen. "Everyone can fucking see it." He chortles a little more bitterly than he intended.

"Not to me." You scoff. You look to the ground and back to Jason who hasn't taken his eyes off of you. You look forward and that's when you see a little bit of light from the end of the tunnel. "What's that?" You jerk your head forward, Jason shining the flashlight in that direction.

"Found him." Jason smirks, more to himself than to you.

"So, we're calling Dick, right?" You raise a brow at him as you both keep walking.

Jason just looks at you and he knows you’re being facetious. "You gonna call him? Or you gonna let me fucking do this?"

You sigh. "I'm not gonna stop you." You shake your head. "By the time I go call Dick, it'll be over. Go do your thing, I'll be here if you need help and to make sure you don't kill him." You flash him a smile.

"Thanks." Jason's voice is sincere as he walks further ahead of you, ready to take out the walking, talking lightbulb.

Dr. Light is using his energy or taking energy from the tunnels, Jason and you can't quite tell. But, while doing that, it sees he also sucks the energy from Jason's flashlight, it dying while Jason bangs it with his hand. This gets Dr. Light's attention.

"What? The big kids weren't available?" Dr. Light asks once he's on his feet. "They sent Junior Robin." The whole tunnel goes dark and suddenly you’re anxious. Maybe you should have gone with Gar. "Maybe you're just a fanboy."

Jason throws his flashlight off to the side, clearly not having whatever bullshit Dr. Light is going to keep throwing at him. The back of your head starts throbbing, the throbbing echoing to the front. Dr. Light starts firing light bursts, you and Jason dodging out of the way quickly. The throbbing in your head gets louder and more aggressive. Dr. Light lets out a sinister snicker as you move to Jason, grabbing his arm to try and help him up. Dr. Light towers over you both until you get to your feet. You let go and Jason lunges at Dr. Light, punching him in the face with a yell. Dr. Light puts up a good fight and overpowers Jason, throwing Jason right into the wall of the tunnel. He grabs Jason by the collar and throws him to the ground before moving to you.

Your hands glow at your sides, eying Dr. Light. You have no intentions of fighting him today. This isn't exactly what you signed up for but hey, if Jason and you get this guy, that's bonus points for you.

"Some competition." Dr. Light cackles before shooting a light burst at you but you’re faster because of the throbbing. You were out of the way before the light burst even left Dr. Light.

"Maybe for you," You snark, looking just past him where Jason is kneeling, getting to his feet. "Not for us though." You shoot acid at him, just missing as he dodges and he laughs but as he's turning around, you’re already throwing a knife, the knife grazing his arm.

Dr. Light glares at you, feeling the blood trickle down his arm. He's not going easy on either of you now, he will not be beaten up by two little Tikes. But, Jason is back on his feet now, a look of determination and stubbornness that you can make out even in the dark tunnel.

"Hey, Lightbulb." Jason snarks, getting his attention. "Pick on someone your own fucking size."

Dr. Light takes the opportunity to shoot light bursts at Jason but Jason is also quicker and dodges them and blocks them with his cape. You officially think the cape is the coolest part of his suit. The light didn't do anything to Jason or his cape. It's actually really cool.

"Is it light like light beer light?" Jason quips.

"Shut the fuck up." Dr. Light yells, shooting more light bursts at Jason. You stand behind Dr. Light, letting Jason do his thing as promised and you have to admit, this guy is a fucking idiot. Jason and you have him cornered and he can't even focus on both of you. The older Titans are so scared of him...because?

"Fuck you!" Jason yells before he storms Dr. Light.

Jason starts punching him and Dr. Light can't get a single hit in. You stand back and let him just go for it. He let you go after Jerry, so you let him go after Dr. Light. You do, however, stand with a knife in your hand, the other hand glowing faintly as if waiting for this to go south. If Dr. Light suddenly gets this burst of energy, you want to be prepared to step in and help Jason. But, by the look of Jason grabbing him and pining Dr. Light to the ground, you don't think he'll need it.

"This Titan's back bitch." Jason snarls before going in for more punches to Dr. Light's face.

You move closer anyway as Jason's punches get more erratic and aggressive, getting the sense you'll have to pull him off. As you watch, you get a glimpse of how Jason felt that night. Based on things Jason has said, you know he views Jerry like he views any other villain, a waste of space. There is not a single part of you that thinks he was ever against you beating him up. He only pulled you off so you wouldn't be a murderer and have to live with the repercussion of that. And you get it because while watching him is actually pretty badass and, albeit, very attractive, it is worrisome.

He's aggressive and filled of fire. It's like he could go through this for hours and not get tired. You don't want him to be so angry anymore. He doesn't deserve to have so much aggression in him. He's better than that, he's worth more than that. And you want to stop him because there's this throbbing starting again in the back of your head. Dr. Light is on the ground, Jason has him, someone is coming. The throbbing intensifies, right at the base of your head and you know.

You spin around, only to be met with Deathstroke, holding his sword out a centimeter from your face. Your heart stops, your breath caught in your throat while time freezes. This is so much worse than Dr. Light and it’s only going to get worse. Jason is going to turn around and probably lose it. And Dr. Light starts cackling underneath Jason as Jason pauses for a breath.

Jason thinks he's just a twisted fuck for a second. Surely, this guy isn’t crazy enough to think getting the shit beat out of him is funny. That's the only logical explanation except that you haven't said a single word and you’re not in his eyesight anymore.

"Jay?" You call and your voice is so small, Jason's heart sinks.

He turns around slowly and there's Deathstroke with a sword to your face. Jason's entire heart feels like it's been ripped from his chest. It's nearly paralyzed him. He didn't prepare for this and suddenly, he's drowning in his own regret. He should have known better.

"Drop the knife." Deathstroke says calmly.

You suck in a breath, eyes locked on Deathstroke. Jason watches as his eyes are filled with panic and you drop the knife, the metal clanking against the concrete beneath you. You both are so fucked. Dr. Light gets the upper hand now, grabbing Jason by the cape and punching him. Jason lets out a yell as Dr. Light attacks him.

On instinct, you take a step back, turning around to face Dr. Light. You don’t make any further movements, knowing Deathstroke could stab you and kill you at any point. But, you’re not going to face Deathstroke while Dr. Light decides he can target Jason now.

"Just stop!" You yell out. "What? Guys can't lay a hand on the other Titans so you target us?" You yell to try and distract Dr. Light but it's no use.

Jason gets knocked out with one of the punches, Dr. Light considering it a job well done and before you can even process anything else, there’s a harsh hit to your head, sending you unconscious as well.

Gar heard Jason scream and you yelling something incoherent from the tunnel he went down. His heart and stomach drop right to his feet. He immediately starts sprinting to where the two of you went. He knew this was a bad idea. He knew the second Jason brought up splitting up, it would be a bad idea. And he had a worse feeling when you remained silent. It's unlike you to be quiet and he thought maybe it was because you agreed with him, that you should tell Dick. You just didn't want to argue with Jason and only agreed to it because you feel you owe him. But, now, he's thinking maybe it really was just that you wanted this, too and Gar is kicking himself because he should have known. He should have known the two of you going off together would only end in a disaster and his thoughts are confirmed when he reaches the tunnel you were in.

He finds Jason’s tossed flashlight, one of your knives, and two streaks of blood on the pavement. Gar is about to lose his mind in a fit of panic. You and Jason have been kidnapped.

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[puppetwoman17]

Very tempted to write a Spectacular Spider-Man(cartoon) fanfiction taking place during Across The Spider-verse.

Most events are largely the same, but instead of traveling to 42, Miles is running around different earths. He ends up on the earth where TSSM takes place( don’t know the number, so I’ll just call it Earth tssm). The spiders have been dispatched to look for him, and some have been told to keep watch over their own earths for him.

On TSSM Peter’s end, he’s been in the society for about a year after the s2 finale, making him halfway to 17 in my fic. After all the shit he’s been through, he distances himself from everyone else, save for Captain Stacy and the Daily Bugle’s Foswell, (er, “Patches”), who are the only people who know(or have an inkling) that he’s Spider-Man.

He also tends to spend more time on Society work, limiting his time in his own earth. While this causes problems for his aunt and school, you can see this really take shape with New York. Especially the villains. People from Electro to Tombstone to fucking Silvio Manfredi notice that Spidey’s been showing up less and less, even disappearing for weeks on end. He rarely works with the cops anymore, and the battles have started to become less quippy than usual.

Needless to say, the villains are both scared, and pissed. Scared because if Spidey’s quiet, then shit’s serious. Pissed because they’re needy bastards who feel ignored.

Thus begins a manhunt for Spider-Man, from none other than the people he fights every day. Turf wars between the Six, Manfredis, and Big Man are put on hold for this one instance, all in favor of finding the wallcrawler and getting answers out of him(also cause they’re actually kinda worried about him, like, it’s SPIDER-MAN).

I’m thinking of getting the Lizard involved, maybe changing some things to make it so the Connors family knows Peter is Spider-Man because he came to them after he got bit and tested out his powers with their help. Connors can still turn when his emotions get the better of him, but he’s on the good side now. Through the undernet, he finds out something’s wrong with Peter and is like: why didn’t the kid call me when something went wrong? So he comes back to add more fuel to the fire.

Speak of the devil: Spidey returns from another awful—I mean, UPLIFTING week over at SS HQ. He’s tired, Miguel is his usual annoyingly loud self, and Miles is still not found. Even worse, it’s been found that Miles is in HIS earth, so it’s HIS responsibility to bring him back. Great.

You can imagine how hard it is to get back into a normal routine(for like a couple days at least). His aunt keeps asking where he’s been, his classmates think he’s a drug addict, his villains are starting to pry into his private life too much(which is kinda nice to know that they’re worried about him, but it tends to border on obsessive sometimes), and the other Spiders are getting antsy. Especially Miguel. Very much so Miguel. All the while, Peter deals with his own issues on the Canon. The good and the bad. The relief of finding out that his trials and losses are set in stone and not his fault, and the anguish that he could’ve been Miles, desperate to save Uncle Ben now that he knew what would happen.

All the while the villains of New York are trying to gauge why so many spider-like vigilantes are entering THEIR hero—ahem—nemesis’s turf and why he always returns to the city with bruises despite no one seeing him prior.

Trying to come up with a title is hard tho. Stuck between:

The Spider Society: Spectacular’s Story

and

Converge on The Spectacular Spider-Man

Now that I’ve written it down, there’s a lot going on here. I’m hoping to maybe start on this when I complete my other fic. No promises, but I’m interested.

[grimmcheems]

The blonde trio after the Quirk War

So I did a continuation of the my previous Villain Aoyama AU art lmao. Ig it’s not rly an AU canonically?? (Though idk how the manga has been handling my boi since I dropped it after his reveal oop) anywayyssssss…..these babies now have to live with new identities and frequently change jobs every year in order to keep a low profile.

Monoma works as a Cab/Taxi driver and street food chef(think like hole in the wall restaurant?/place with frequent customers but within the backstreets of cities) Toga is a Sales Clerk💀(don’t ask how she even managed to get the job, the hiring manager was probably too scared by her aura to refuse her) AND Tutor(don’t ask how she landed that either since she never got to finish high school to begin with) and Aoyama works as a Bartender in a HOST CLUB(Kurogiri helped him land the job and taught him some cool stuff from his experience of working their dingy bar they used to live in with the LOV[which has since been disbanded after the quirk war].

Btw I added the “Kumo/Kuro” bc Shirakumo and Kurogiri get it? Idrk why I decided to add him in last minute but I thought it’d be funny if he pretended/acted to be their dad when they escape during their trial and onto living in the streets (for the sake of being brief: which ends in them faking their own deaths. I thought to make an art of the events leading up to this but who knows how long that will take me or when I’ll get to it🗿it is also pretty gruesome with the way I imagined it for my AU so I’m not sure if many people would even be up for seeing that oop)

They have to frequently dye their hair since they can easily be recognized by just their blonde hair and facial features, which is also why Monoma and Toga wear color contacts. Aoyama doesn’t need them since he wore different colored contacts when he became a student at UA, so there’s no need for them since everyone remembered him to have the color contact eyes instead of his natural green eyes.

They all will work multiple part time jobs to keep up with their rent and budget etc. However there are times where they will all quit to just take time to themselves. They all live together in the same apartment. Everyone also thinks they are dead, so there’s no need for them to really hide, but they’re too traumatized by heroes and their peers(hero students) to not stay in the hidden parts of towns and cities and lowkey jobs. There’s more to that on the “trial” I imagined for them (I dropped the manga some time ago but I heard that my baby Aoyama may POSSIBLY get actual time in prison for his affiliation and that was the forefront of the idea I came up with that they would all go through a trial process as they are still just children)

ALSO, in my AU Aoyama ends up with Dark shadow at some point (don’t question it I’m still trying to figure out how to fit it in so it makes sense👩🏽‍🦯, but they sort of form a bond and Dark Shadow develops depression after his “death”. He does go back to Tokoyami at some point after Aoyama realizes that Toko must be in ruins not having his best bud anymore and ‘gives’ him back?

I also mentioned that this is AFTER the “quirk war” I’m not sure if they actually use that title but from what I remember they distinctly called it that when I last read the manga. I could be wrong though.

One last thing, idk how the whole Oboro thing would work out, since he can use his quirk on command in this(hence the lack of purple mist) but technically he IS dead canonically….LIKE FRFR. Bro ain’t coming back and his body was just harvested and being used, but ignore that for this……he was just in a deep slumber and awoke after breaking out of the high security quirk prison he was in and decided to take care of the three because he would’ve wanted someone to do the same for him when he was younger and “died”.😫🖤

I know I write a lot so I highly doubt anyone read all of this😅but it’s so hard to JUST post my art and NOT WRITE ANYTHING since they all spawn from these ideas I get and I NEED to provide the context lmao Σ('◉⌓◉’)otherwise I feel wack that no one will ever know what I was aiming for lol🥲

[remarcely]

After receiving a lengthy comment on one of my recent ao3 works, I’ve spent most of my morning thinking about how fanfic writers portray Jason Todd.

People write fanfic for a few reason, one big one is they don’t like the canon and think more can be done with the characters/plot. It’s not the only reason, but it’s fuelled plenty of fandoms over the years.

Jason is a difficult character to write. He’s been handed around countless writers, had some good stories and some bad ones. He was unfortunately relabelled as the angry Robin, killed off in a way that a lot of people were not happy with, and the legacy he left behind in-universe affected every character. 

I have mixed opinions on Under The Red Hood. I own the comic, I’ve read it, and I did enjoy it as a storyline. Do I like Jason as a morally grey antihero/villain? Yes. Do I think he deserved more than to be used as a pawn in the succession of Batman, Talia’s plan to send Damian off to Gotham, and essentially being a distraction? Yes.

Not that he could have been ‘good’. His anger was justified from his perspective- because nothing worthwhile changed. He died and, sure, Bruce changed the way Robins operate and the gear to add extra protection, but that’s still a child soldier. Jason was the first Robin in line to the grave, even if the major deaths were retconned later on.

It’s his anger at Tim- which yes can be accounted partiality to being replaced and pit madness- that I disagree with. Jason died as a kid because of Robin, no matter which way you spin it. That anger at the injustice should have been spun to his brutal protection of any child. Tim shouldn’t have been excluded, if anything he should have been protected more.

A lot of the stuff I write is AU I don’t write Jason as a villain much currently but I’ve always enjoyed the more anti-hero leaning Jason. I don’t care about him killing, being a crime lord, or antagonising the Bats.

I can see everything his character is and has been and still wish his hand of cards had been better.

My personal opinion, which means shit all to any one else and you are very welcome to take with a grain of salt, is Jason's villain-arc should have been him acting solitary, separate from the League of Assassins. One gripe I have with fanfic is others writing that a non-league affected Jason would go straight back to Bruce. I don’t know about you, but if I were in Jason's decomposing dress shoes I’d be pretty pissed.

As I’m writing this now, I really want to create that story myself- which is the whole point of fanfiction.

This is longwinded and could be put in better words, but these are the only ones I’ve got I’m afraid. Fanfiction can be a change to canon and it’s characters, some good and bad, but always different. It doesn’t mean we ‘don’t even like the character’ or aren’t a true fan. Every portrayal will variate from the original.

Robin in the past has been viewed as a generic side kick, with very little difference between Robin 1 & 2. Their designs were near identical, their creation based on being Batman's partner, and No.2 was quite literally voted by the readers to be murdered. Of course they will be different as they grow and change with their audiences, they are stories.

Jason Todd is not the same character he was 40 years ago and he will continue to evolve for the next 40 years. Fandom will defer from canon as it picks an audiences favourite parts and ignore the lesser liked. I don’t try to write Batman comics, I personally have no interest of doing so, I am perfectly happy writing short online works about what I like from the stories I’ve been provided with.

If you don’t like fanon, read canon. If you don’t like canon, read fanon. It is as simple as that, there is no need to start insulting peoples understanding of your favourite characters because they hold different opinions to you. Enjoy comics without policing others.

Do not send any hate to the comment I am referring to if you come across it, they are welcome to their opinion, even if could be construed as rude.

[retracing-my-steps-again]

Spider-Man: Expiation Ch. 2 Notes

My author and story notes on Ch. 2 of my spidey-deku fic (fic linked below)

Spoilers for Ch. 2 below

Author Notes:

I swear this whole fic is not just explaining and backstory. It's just the set up/origin chapters that have so much of it. There's plenty of action and dialogue to come, my friends.

I have a whole additional thing I want to say about the quirkless allegory but might just make that a separate post? I'll still link it to the fic I just think I have too much to say about that to put it here.

I feel like every single time I've gone on social media for MHA I see takes I disagree with, usually involving Izuku and Katsuki. They're surprisingly massively misunderstood characters. At least, that seems to be the case to me. I don't spend a whole lot of time online anymore though, so maybe that's changed. I hope to do the canon characters justice in this, even though it's both canon divergent and a fanfic (obviously).

I hope people are able to trust this fic a bit on character development. Since this isn't the same as the canon, I can't develop anyone in the same way but I do my best to do it accurately and with respect to canon. I also add in lots of parallels which showed up surprisingly often as I was writing all this. Hopefully that will keep people on board if they feel I'm not doing a good job? They'll be like well this is nothing like Izuku... oh wait here's a parallel I guess he's sort of like Izuku. Idk haha

Also, I wrote out an additional scene for this chapter that was literally just the beginning of the manga from Izuku's POV. Specifically, the beginning parts where he's in class the day of the sludge villain attack. All his classmates want to be heroes, Katsuki wants to go to UA and is pissed Izuku wants to as well, and then the whole exploding Izuku's notebook and Katsuki being like perhaps a hard reset via a swan dive? I didn't include it because I was worried it would be too boring to simply repeat a whole scene from the canon. I don't really do that anywhere else in the fic, I just considered it here because it's one of the few scenes from the manga that occurs before the canon divergence of this fic. I feel like it's a good starting point for Izuku and Katsuki's characters as well, and it would help emphasize how bad their relationship was at the beginning.

I still might go back and add it in. Mainly because even though it's in the manga, it feels like people seem to misunderstand that whole scene more than most. People are welcome to their bad takes, but I just wanted to establish a baseline for this fic, which is best done with my own interpretation of Izuku's thoughts during that scene. Idk I can't decide what to do about it. I feel like not including it and including it could both cause problems in different ways so idk we'll see

Also, no hate to the nickname "Kacchan" but I have to write it so many goddamn times in this fic and it sort of drove me insane. Actually, for the entire first draft I wrote Katsuki instead of Kacchan (unless Izuku was speaking to him of course) because I didn't want to type "Kacchan" that many times. However, it is technically Izuku's pov so I knew I needed to toughen up and just write Kacchan. I love the nickname in the context of the story and I think it's important for the sake of showing how Izuku views/wants Katsuki as a close friend throughout the years despite their issues. That being said... idk man. I'm gonna get hate for this for sure. Kacchan is Izuku's name for him and no one else uses that name in canon so even though it's his pov I'm like bro why tf am I calling him Kacchan? I don't know him like that. Blech idk how to say it but anyways I fixed it by now I just had to rant about it somewhere

Story Notes:

Funnily enough, out of every chapter I've written for this fic, this is one of the ones that makes me the most nervous for how I've written Katsuki's and Izuku's characters.

The difficulty with this fic is they've had this massive traumatic event right at the start. In this, the Izuku who is injured is all but exactly the same as the Izuku at the very start of the manga. He's had none of the development he gets from meeting and training with All Might. He's gained none of the confidence that he gets from training with his idol and getting a quirk and getting into UA (which might not seem like much at first glance ? but it actually seems to do a lot for him). In canon, Katsuki's character development mainly begins when he gets to UA, which he also has not yet done in this fic by this point.

So while I don't think I've written them incorrectly necessarily, they did feel somewhat OOC sometimes when writing because there's not really a canon reference at this point in time in any capacity. It's completely unique in a lot of ways. I could probably write a whole essay on why, but I won't bore with the details. I don't think they're actually OOC to the best of my ability, but I worry they come across that way. Largely because they probably seem really different from canon. So I worry that I'm starting off the fic and them acting strange might put people off. Hopefully, people stick it out and can see where I'm coming from both during the chapter and as time goes on. Also I tried to drive home how extreme the situation is, so hopefully people can at least give any uncharacteristic actions the benefit of the doubt for now.

I did a lot of revisions for the "apology" at the end. Again, there's no close reference in canon for something like this so I got stressed about it lol. Katsuki's apology in canon comes after a lot of development and is driven by very different motivations and understandings than this Katsuki. My references are my understanding of his character and comparisons to irl life experiences both for myself and others I know so idk I tried my best.

I've been writing this fic for a really long time so sometimes I forget how dark and dismal the very beginning is. Izuku has a rough time, and there's the beginnings of his mental struggles in this. I'll talk about it some more when I post about the quirkless allegory.

Honestly, as much as these first two chapters are a lot of explaining, they are pretty important setup for everything else. Because this fic is already so goddamn long I try not to include anything unless it has a specific purpose for the story

I had more thoughts but my laptop is trying to end itself so perhaps I will add more later if I remember to :)

[rezonan]

Ultimate(Alpha) DC

Oh boi this is gonna be a long series of posts.

With all the rumors of a new Ultimate DC universe coming by Scott Snyder and Mark Waid, I've decided to add my own shitty take on one to the endless pile I've seen. Probably gonna be Called Alpha DC based on that Alpha Earth tease.

So when making an Ultimate-Verse you gotta follow the rules based on the TV tropes one, but I've removed to lessened the ones that only the actual writer writing the works would care about:

1) You have to have an overall Meta Origin, this is something that for all the original Ultimate Universe got wrong, it got this perfectly right. If you're going to make a new universe to help readers jump on, you need to cut off the Kitchen Sink of superhero universes. Examples of a Meta Origin are how in the OG UU, every hero was tied back to Captain America's Super Serum tied to literally every origin from the Hulk to Spider-Man to even Iron Man, all being attempts to recreate the serum on a massive scale so everyone who isn't an alien, a god, or somehow involved with the Baxter Building teleportation experiment has their powers derived from the Super-Soldier project or one of its offshoots. And the reason I didn't mention mutants was cause in the mini-series Ultimate Origins elaborates on the Meta Origin and how it connects everything else; the mutants, too, owe their origin to the project, or on how Earth X everything is a direct-or-indirect result of Celestial manipulation, on The New Universe had the "White Event", a sudden flash of energy over the entire surface of the Earth that gave one out of every 500,000 people powers. You get the idea, it makes everything more cohesive if making the universe feel smaller. In general you gotta make the universe as cohesive as possible

2) Important characters may be Killed Off for Real, basically, Time Travelling should be limited same with just general resurrection should here.

3) Backstories are altered to have more depth or outline their progression to become closer to their original character, to make it feel like a fresh take rather than a simple copy. For example Ultimate Captain America is my favorite example of this, for those who actually followed his development, he started out as this jingoistic, angry maybe racist but still heroic guy from the 1940s calling himself Captain America but by the time the universe ended, his encounters with other attempts at him like Nuke(Cybernetic Captain America of Vietnam) and Spider-Mans death he had pretty much grown to his 616 self if a little grumpy.

4) Creating an Adaptation Personality Change with Adaptation Heroism or Adaptation Villainy, to shift perceptions of who the character is supposed to be. Basically you can have certain characters act differently than usual or switch sides and stuff like that.

5) Adding new or reusing old ones in completely new ways characters (heroes, villains, supporters, etc.)

6) A generally weaker universe, power wise, that means no moving planets or cracking the earth, no running at the speed of light and all that. Characters may be more powerful or weaker than the original version, relative to how their abilities would fare in different circumstances, so Captain Atom has a chance to be the strongest instead for example.

7) Last and not the least is the general drive for individual coherency, taking advantage of the Shared Universe and planning the Crisis Crossover ahead of time. Whereas the original work may have run against a Continuity Snarl, the Ultimate Universe has the benefit of hindsight. Writers can cherry-pick the best ideas from the preceding work and streamline familiar story beats.

So now for the actual way I imagine it working.

So one thing Ultimate Marvel got right was the way it was kept small, so I'm gonna limit it to 7 to 10 books(compare this to canon DC where this is the amount of Batman books alone), probably corresponding with the Big 7 and some others and their side of the universe not sure yet.

I don't want this post to be bigger than it already is so I'll actually split up, Post By Post starting with Alpha Batman.

[arttrampbelle]

Fuck canon shang got his crown back. Shang tsung is god of time,space,and souls.

(At least to me he is :') )

Fuck what nrs says.

Liu kang only THINKS he won.

But it is shang tsung who really won. And now all you see is just liu kang fucking up because shang tsung is a sadistic shit and loves seeing chosen dude stumble on his own feet. Basically mk12 should be shang tsung's sandbox adventure. Because if he is a God of space,time and souls. Then all bend to his will. Right? But he made the crown to specifically work for him. And the hourglass can only properly work with the crown. Right? So how is goku kang able to suddenly control things all peachy keen? Well my theory is liu kang fucked up so bad in destroying the crown and shang with it that he caused a butterfly effect and ended making shit worse because he thinks he's too big for his britches now.

And because of this. Now I'm thinking that there is no way shang didn't have a backup plan in case liu kang knew about it. This man is waaaaaaay to cautious. And them doing tagawa dirty doesn't sit right with me. Let alone the MASTER of manipulation shang mofo tsung!

So. I hc shang tsung is basically playing the "oh,you think you won? You think everything is so peaceful and perfect? Hahahaha....fool" game.

Which would make me feel so much better. Because wtaf nrs.

Like shang tsung basically letting liu thinking he's won. When he actually didn't. Is deliciously cold Blooded. Hee hee. No fr! Like that is something that is in character so much! Like ffs nrs what crack are you smoking thinking that shang wouldn't be smart enough to know this shit would happen? This man always thinks about ALL the possible scenarios and back exits. Otherwise he wouldn't get as far as he did. Fr!

And all his plan was and more likely he's done several times already. Is create scenarios for liu kang. Play them like dolls on a string. And steal their souls again,and again,and again just because of the satisfaction. I wouldn't put it past him either. The sinister little shit. I love you. But like dude i know villains,i know my bad boys. Nrs give me the bad guys fr! I could make them so much more justice,so much more sinister,make them more of a fucked up sad wet cat of a froot loop. Please!

Look I'm gonna be frank im trying to make it work better.

This is no shade to liu fans,other character fans,but....my man had this coming. He needed this win. Because almost every iteration of him he gets defeated or killed and im sick of it.

But whats worse is their excuse. "Well he's evil and a stinky villain,why should he win?" Why not? And why not make him more nuanced? Why not actually add something interesting WITHOUT declawing him or relying on stupid tropes to do it? Why not have him win even if he is a villain. Never have i seen a story where the villain actually fucking wins. And either the villain gets sad and bored now there is no challenge. A worse threat comes along and now the hero teams up with the villain(which has happened but never in mk since maybe deception but never done very well) or they genuinely have a story when the villain wins...there are interesting consequences. But mortal kombat has yet to really do this properly.

I was tired of liu kang always winning. Fr. 30yrs i have yet to see chosen bromie fucking crumble. It always was too nice,too easy,too neatly wrapped up,and too convenient.

Actually giving me a choice felt nice. Not just game wise. But narratively too!

I get to pick shang tsung?! Fuck yeah imma pick shang tsung!

Mk11 despite its flaws. Cary hiroyuki tagawa was the only smart thing they did. And his performance was anything but flawless.

So to me....shang won. Anything after is non canon.

"MK1" MK12 is NOT CANON!

[autumn-foxfire]

Ugh 😭 Literally missed opportunities. Even Ochako's speech included everyone smiling together after the war! Literally Hawks back in season 5!!! They should've gotten a chance to talk! "Thoughts of Himiko Toga filled my head." She says, when talking about everyone smiling together, LOST OPPORTUNITIES!!! Literally what Hawks went through with Twice, wondering if he could still fly freely with Twice after, thoughts of that guy had been filling his head up until their fight!! And dang, yeah. Every time Hawks experiences even a tiny bit of hope, Hori crushes it mercilessly. I'm now wary of whenever Hori gives him a monologue section, it was sooooo evil of him. He really had the boldness to make Hawks say "bright future" are you serious, Hori?!?! After all those gloomy chapter titles like "dark clouds" and "light fades to rain" and literally killing Bakugo and AFO laughing over the rise of villains diving headlong towards their dreams?? Cruel man, whose future here?

The fact that he does all this by bringing back Hawks' original dream from his debut for a triple double whammy of cruel irony really takes the cake. Remember how before it was him just "considering" a world where people have free time, that's a consideration, a thought. The way the sentence is structured makes it sound so far off. But then Hori lets the poor guy begin to see it as an "immediate future" after Ochako's speech. He's leveling it up, piling on the trope of "characters tempt fate by speaking of good things" IN SUCH A HEAVY WAY!!! He's going hard on it!!! Compare them!! "By the time the next cherry blossoms fall, I hope we'll all be smiling." VS "I can see a future where (skipped).....one so bright, you can't help but grin." LOOK AT THE HEAVINESS!!! SAYING YOU CAN'T HELP BUT DO SOMETHING ADDS SO MUCH TO HOW STRONGLY HE SEES AND BELIEVES IN THE POSSIBILITY OF THAT FUTURE!!! HIS LAST WISH HAS GOT NOTHING ON THIS!!! HORI REALLY IS LEVELING IT UP FROM LEVEL 10 TO LEVEL 100 Remember last time Hawks couldn't see anything when he "hoped for everyone to be smiling?" he only saw the Endeavor Agency Trio training to get stronger, because there was a war coming! He wasn't seeing what the other kids were doing! The scene was detached! And the context was gloomy! This time there's a more human and emotional context to it! He's actually physically there to see the citizens and kids being kind and empathetic to each other! Everyone can be someone's hero! But Hori is the Grinch that stole Christmas soooo, YEET- he tosses all the joys of that moment down the gutter. AND ITS RUINING ME ITS SO MEANNNNN ITS WORSE THAN LAST TIME-

Hori has a lot of missed opportunities in the story but at this point I've decided not to cry over spilt milk. Maybe it was sad that at the time I was still following the manga how every week I lowered my expectations every release until they reached rock bottom and Hori still found a way to make it go lower however now I've reached a point of acceptance that Hori hasn't took the manga in the direction I wanted and that it was okay that I no longer enjoyed it.

What I won't get in canon I can find in fanon too!

This ask is pretty old though it still rings true of how Hori can build up the hopes of the heroes (of Hawks) and then crushes them T-T The battle against AFO has been extremely brutal by the sounds of it.

[avengersrewatch]

"Meet Captain America'

Okay, I have lost all my will to live with all the mini-sodes. I'm going to do the Captain America one in order. It did air in order online, which ?? Why is Captain America the only one the series cared about?

OH wait. It's because Captain America isn't part of the first Avengers team. He shows up later and the viewer has to know who he is. That's why they need us to understand his arc. I see what you did there, show.

I do want to talk about the mini-sodes more, especially "Welcome to Wakanda" and how is it such a lesser portrayal of Wakanda than the Ryan Coogler movies. (Admittedly, it's a "child-appropriate" version of the comic book canon at the time, but it's still fucked up.)

The main difference from Captain America's backstory in "Meet Captain America" than Captain America: the First Avenger is that Bucky is a kid, like he was in the comics, and not Steve's peer. They brought on kid-sidekicks to draw in younger audiences so of course they keep him as a kid on the cartoon. (Nerd note: Young Bucky is voiced by Scott Menville, who you might recognize is also Robin on Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go. So really a classic Teen Sidekick voice.

We also see that Nathaniel Richards, aka Kang the Conqueror is sort of the narrator of Captain America's story. Although they also add an old-timey newsreel type opening, which is odd. Seems unnecessary to do two frame stories. Anyway, Kang is looking back into the past and apparently he's watching stupid newsreel footage instead of actually seeing through time, which he can do.

Kang's storyline has a lot to do with Steve in the EMHU . In the MCU we only so far know him as a villain of Loki and Ant-man (Scott Lang version). Though we know from marketing announcements he will eventually face the Avengers as a team.

Of course Kang in the MCU has to be involved with breaking the "multiverse" open now that Disney own all the rights to all the Marvel characters, including the X-Men and Fantastic Four.

This series, since it's a different medium, already had access to the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. We see Wolverine in a World War II flashback in this episode. (Which some people hoped Fox would allow when Captain America: the First Avenger came out, but they did not. It would have been cool to see Bucky, Steve and Logan just hanging out.)

However, since this is and Avengers show and not a Marvel Universe Show, Wolverine (the only X-Man to be part of the Avengers in this show), and the Fantastic Four only really show up sparingly.

I do wonder if the MCU will, at some point, be force to break the universe in pieces a bit. Some people only the the X-Men books in the comics and maybe major team ups. Can they do something like that in the movies? Find a way to make each franchise feel different from the others? Make mainstream audiences chose their heroes the way nerds always do every Wednesday?

(An example, make the X-Men films the darker and more adult stories, the Avengers series occupies this middle zone of big popcorn everyone comes out, and the Fantastic Four franchise is a more kid-friendly, younger audience?)

Under the cut I compare this more to Captain America: the First Avenger

Skinny Steve, scientists, Bucky and the Howling Commandos, Red Skull, group fight. That is pretty much the same structure as Captain America: the First Avenger.

Except CATFA needs to have a romance with Peggy Carter. The cartoons aren't entirely "ew cooties romance" as it could be. But here it finds no female relationship as important as the one to Bucky. (And I do think the MCU initially took that approach of a young boy that doesn't care about girls telling the story. And then they were a bit surprised female viewers of the films cared what happened to Peggy. Like the comics at the time just has Gail and there's very little we know about her.

(Like Kevin Feige was like, "wait the women have to be important in the flashbacks before the important stuff too?" Shit, give Peggy and show and the only way we can make Carol important enough to male viewers is to say she existed before. She's an old hero like Cap and Namor and Wolverine. ??? )

(Is being a hero during World War II the greatest honor we can bestow on our mainstream heroes? Wonder Woman, Cap, Wolverine, all have that element.)

I shouldn't get high and watch these cartoons??? What does it mean that they didn't give it to Isaiah Bradley in the show?

[qcomicsy]

Yes! Yes!! Yes!!!

ALL OF THIS SO TRUE!!!

I'm absolutely in love with your addition, it's so real!

I also would like to add my two cents!

Mostly of the Batfamily (if not all of them) could have a crooked noses from fighting. Since they are literally only humans with a lot of training and fight skill (most of them with short distance and hand combat).

Specially Cass, Spoiler, Nightwing, Damian and Tim!!! (the last three) from their time as robins, or from the trainings they had to endure before joining the Batfam (Cass and Robin), plus still not using masks that protect their whole faces until this day.

Arguably Bruce also could have it too back from his training days.

They all would also have terrible dark circles from their horrible sleep schedule.

Batman is known from having peak strength physic (something something he mastered that in all his sick crazy training yara Yara) so EVEN if he didn't had gymnast or martial arts body he would have strongman built.

Jason Todd also definitely has either martial arts body or a strongman body. And regardless of such, he still would have a soft belly and soft muscles. Because for you to have defined muscles you have maintain a series of conscious eating (or diet program created for such) and a damn well sleep schedule. Jason canonically doesn't do either.

(This man diet literally consists in hamburger, whatever is available and full big ass meals that he cooks himself).

It would be also very possible that he has stretch marks considering how much he grew from day to night. But I can't tell if that would be a thing™ because we have zero 0 clue of how exactly the magic of Lazarus Pit works on someone's body.

Dick would have a lot of scars on his legs, arms, hands and knees from his time as Robin, since his old suit didn't protected any it and he had to do a lot of parkour (and kicking ass). As Robin and Nightwing, scars on his face are a big possibility (but I really doubt it since he worked as a model, maybe people are afraid to mark his pretty face).

Batman would also had many scars, but since his suit is very well covered, it would probably be mostly on his arms, back or more "lethal" places (stomach, chest, etc). I noticed villains tend to go "go big or go home" when it comes to fight him and rarely he has big bruises in idk calves or something (also, Batboots)

Duke would had most of his scars from before he was Signal than from now (his suit has great coverage). So, it would mostly be on his face, arms and legs (like every person who grew up having to deal with many streets fights).

Steph being not only a self made hero, but also someone who had much less budget to afford a suit made to protect the person who's wearing it, would had too many scars in too many random places, not only from fighting but from basically learning the whole parkour thing by herself.

Damian and Cass would the ones with the more scars in the family :(

Clark has probably no marks or scars whatsoever at least until he started to get threats as powerfully as himself. His skin must be smooth like clouds and it must be a little unerving I mean c'mon (people probably keeps harassing asking him about his skin care routine and thinks he is lying when he says he has none, poor guy, never had a single pimple in his face).

Same thing with Diana, which probably makes the whole skin care thing even more annoying.

Peter Parker would have the worst posture known to man. He's always crouching and moving his body in a weird way, he also lives his life as a hater and the amount of panels of him his walking and looking to the ground is crazy.

He could also have a crooked nose, specially because he generally doesn't have no one to help him heal properly and most of the time he just gets back after the patrol and lay on his bed to die.

He's always stressed and rarely sleeps so I wouldn't be surprised if he also has dark circles.

Not mentioning how much calloused his hands must be from always sticking it on the ceiling or literally anywhere he can.

I will always be a normal guy defender, I don't want vigilantes who always look like super models unless it makes sense for their characters (Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Kori Anders). I want super-heros that look like the guy you could stumble on the supermarket. Your classmate. Your coworker. A random face in a ocean of people. Absolutely and completely forgetful unless you love them.

I want super-heros to take of their mask and the person be like "THAT'S JUST SOME GUY." their face leak and people be like "WHO 🗣️🗣️ THE FUCK IS THAT⁉️‼️‼️‼️🔥🔥" enough with conventionally attractive heros who look like bodybuilders more some heros who would be your Uber driver and you wouldn't pay attention to them twice.

[kitsunefyuu]

as much as I love dfo in fanfics, I don't know if I want I to be canon. Because like what exactly would it add to the story? Izuku doesn't care about his dad, it would just seem like pointless drama at this point. Maybe I can see it working if AFO doesn't care for him, maybe he was supposed to be an experiment to see if his quirk would pass down and it failed when Izuku was born quirkless, society and the king of quirks rejected Izuku for not having a quirk but Izuku rises past that and has all his dreams come true? I don't know, I just can't see it be thematically relevant in any other way.

That’s a perfectly valid feeling to have. Though I think calling it pointless is a bit much I understand some people just don’t like that kind of twist.

But it actually does work with the theme actually. If willing to indulge my thought process a bit.

I mean we already got the ‘pointless’ drama of Bakugou dying but now he apparently going to come back with open heart surgery nothing is really off the table. That provides theme of saving those that seem beyond saving which pisses Tomura off who had been abandoned and no one but AFO gave a crap. So Izuku just not caring about his dad and it turn out to be AFO wouldn’t really change the story direction.

But it WOULD provide another layer.

That EVERY villain, even the worst of the absolute worst, can have loved ones. That there is no such thing as a true monster, that a bastard can be someone you care or love. It can be someone you haven’t seen in a while.

It doesn’t need to be a huge kind of drama, even if AFO did ‘care’ about his son like he did with his little brother it wouldn’t make him kind. This is a man who hoards people like treasures and vaulted his brother, not kill. There is evidence that is how this man is even to those he seems to care about. He’s killed for less.

Honestly this is why I don’t really like a lot of depictions of DFO in fanfics since they don’t match the canon mood. He is either too nice(Again locked brother in vault) or TOO much of an aloof bastard(like dude he cares a wee bit too much). Don’t tell anyone this.

He can care and STILL be an absolutely irredeemable bastard because he was selfish. 

If is DFO he could be the antithesis of other parent heroes who sacrificed themselves for strangers like Nana who abandoned Kotaro, or Kota’s parents who died in the line of duty. Or Endeavor who so blind to heroism doesn’t even see the family he is hurting.

Because he ‘cares’ but he hurts people, he will do anything he can to KEEP the family without their consent. If Nana and Kota parents can be seen as selfless because they help ‘strangers’ then DFO is selfish for only ‘caring’ about family to the point of toxicity. I wouldn’t even be surprised if he used a quirk to make them forget or be unaware he ‘left’ so can insert himself back once it over.

It also be a interesting way to humanize AFO and I know people don’t like that but sometimes it important to make the villain ‘human’ so people know it can come from anywhere.

HOWEVER, it doesn’t mean you have to like it. I’m just telling you that if it happens it can be used as a way to show the other side of the spectrum. 

TLDR; DFO can actually provide layers and show that anyone obsessed or so selfish with their family instead of leaving for greater good can also be harmful. Also someone evil can produce someone good. As I’m sure him abandoning his family to fight All Might certainly is fucked up but he does it for the selfish reason as to keep them around.

AFO an entitled person who think family belongs to him even when didn’t do shit with them.

As All Might in canon said, “Justice is Born from Evil.” But I know it not everyone cup of tea~

[stellocchia]

Alright, now that I got some sleep, time for an overly long analysis on Tommy’s second prison visit!

I’m only talking about character in the rp from here on out, not the cc’s unless explicitly stating otherwise

-

First of all, a clarification is in order: was it Dream’s plan from the very start to get put in prison to end up in this situation? No. Does this mean he couldn’t have caused this to turn things in his favour? Also no.

Dream has proven before that he’s a rather flexible character (kinda has to be with a nemesis like Tommy), he’s been put multiple times in unexpected situations and managed to come out of top. We don’t know if he expected L’Manburg to be reborn after the 16th, and yet he managed to have the whole cabinet wrapped around his fingers. He didn’t expect Tommy to threaten him with Spirit, and yet he spun it around on him. We also know he didn’t expect Tommy to leave Logsteshire (he was talking about it with Punz, it’s the reason he went to check on him shortly after because he realized he may have stepped too far and broken Tommy out of his manipulation there) which offered him the opportunity to frame him for the community house disaster later on.

He is nothing if not resorceful.

Another thing we have to discuss when talking about the visit is the themes of their relationship:

- Dream’s possessiveness/obsession

- The whole Dream finding Tommy “fun”

- Their “game”

More under the cut

- For the first point, when I say “possessivness” I mean that Dream literally regards himself almost as Tommy’s owner. Don’t believe me? Let’s talk about how he treats Tommy’s canon life then!

Remember all the way back during exile? To keep Tommy in line Dream consistently threatened to take his last life, implying that he would have been fine with Tommy dying, yet, as soon as Tommy showed signs of wanting to take his own life, Dream bust out the line “it’s not your time to die yet”, 2 times in fact. Why? Well, Dream wants control in all things, not only that, but he clearly thinks he’s in the right in wanting it. Of course the life of his favourite toy is no exception. Also let’s not forget about the terrifying scene on top of the obsidian grid where, when Tommy said that their story would be over soon, Dream immediately took control again assuring him it would never be over.

There is also Tommy explicitly stating that Dream was “borderline his owner”, in case we needed an additional affirmation, in the stream where Mexican Dream made an appearance in exile. 

Also, I have to mention that during the first Prison visit Dream, when talking about what he missed, grouped Tommy together with “his stuff”... can’t get much clearer then that

- Dream’s describing Tommy as “Fun” has been a reoccurring creepy theme between them. But is it soley done out of manipulation or does Dream actually feel that way in his twisted world view? I’d say a bit of both to be honest. 

Clearly there is a level of gaslighting with it were he used to say it at the very start of Tommy’s exile to get him in the frame of mind of considering Dream his friend and trying to convince him that they always had fun together (trying to get him to switch his anger from being directed at Dream to being directed at his old friends), but that’s not all. 

Dream, in cutting all his known attachments, is left with only Tommy as an attachment, Jack is right on that one, which is the rason why his obsession seems so extreme. That said, it’s pretty obvious that he does sort of find his relationship with Tommy “fun”. It’s the reson why literally everyone else is a replaceable pawn, but Tommy isn’t. Don’t get me wrong here: he doesn’t see him as a human and, despite him “caring” in his twisted way, there is NOTHING healthy about their relationship. But it is still important to point out that Tommy is extremely important to Dream.

- Their game is something we’re all well aware of. They are regarded by so many people as the hero and the villain of the server, even though neither of them accepts their assigned role. That said they both view the other in the role assigned to them. Dream doesn’t see himself as a villain, but he does see Tommy as a hero and vice-versa. And, just like that, the stage for their “game” is set.

Only problem? Only one of them is playing the game. We know this from the season 2 finale: the reason Dream kept coming down and trusting Tommy was because he thought Tommy was as attached to their “game” as he was, but he was wrong. Tommy HAS other attachments, plenty of them, he’s not dependent on Dream and that’s also probably why Dream is so obsessed with him in the first place: everyone else is predictable, easy to use. They aren’t surprising, they aren’t “fun” (remember that? Remember Dream goning “Tubbo isn’t fun” when Tommy said he had as much value as himself? Because I sure do) they are boring pawns. 

You’d think he may think differently of someone like Techno but, despite him acknowledging his strenght, he has no reason to think he won’t be able to use him every time at the smallest promise of violence as it worked every time before. George and Sapnap? When’s the last time Dream showed them he cared in any way? He used them time and time again and then left them behind when the relationships required work on his side to mantain. He didn’t even speak to Sapnap during his visit! He regards Quackity as barely an annoyance (remember what history left on him in the Lost City of Mizu? Just a Fool). Punz and Sam were both people he paid, only means to an end. They ALL played his game and followed his rules, which is what made them predictable. It's what makes them so replaceable.

-

Now that the themes are established, let’s move on to the analysis of the visit itself!

First of all: big foreshadowing from Sam with the missing books (which Tommy admitted to not remembering the content of) and from Tommy saying how much he trusted and appreciated Sam. It doesn’t have much to do with the analysis, but we all pointed it out.

That said, what was Tommy’s objective with this visit? Closure. Tommy wanted to make their game finally stop for good, he wanted to reclaim the control over his life that he hasn’t had for a while now. Not over his literal last life nor over hid day to day life. Both used to be controlled by Dream. 

Dream “loosing” his clock is the first information we learn. But, remember during Bad’s visit when Bad convinced Sam to give Dream one last chance to get his clock back if he behaved? And then again with Sapnap? Dream wanted the clock to go, that’s why he kept burning it despite the warnings. Why? Could it be that he was planning to get someone to stay with him in there? Isolation affects you much harder when you’re not aware of the passage of time after all...

“That’s the Tommy I know!” from the start of the visit Dream is trying to re-establish their “bond” and get Tommy in the mindset of them being “friends” again. I mean, it’s not a coincidence that he’s never been this talkative or friendly in any of the visits from other people. 

Other point in favour of Dream having planned this long stay is the sheer number of potatoes he had stored. Also, may I add that he immediately started giving them to Tommy? He started before the tnt and explosions, before he should have known Tommy was gonna stay. He never did this before during any of the visits we’ve seen. Establishing his role as provider again like back in exile I see...

Dream also started immediately demanding for Tommy to visit him more, but Tommy does turn it down just as quickly by explaining that that would be the last visit (if Dream wasn’t planning to act this time, he changed his mind in this moment. He’s very adaptable remember? And his main accomplice was online...). Of course, Dream isn’t happy about it. 

We already established that Tommy is the only one he finds “fun” (as far as we know), having him stopping visitations entirely wouldn’t be good for Dream. There is also the fact that Tommy is deciding to move on on his own. It’s Tommy’s choice under Tommy’s complete control and Dream has already shown he’s not too kin on that being a thing.

“Anything you want to say to me now, you have to say to me now, because I’m not visiting you again” “Why?” I’m highlighting this piece of dialogue because I think it’s pretty indicative of Dream still being convinced that they’re both still playing the game. Sure, Tommy outplayed him for now, but the game is not over, is it? Tommy can’t just decide to drop him can he? They both have so much “fun” after all... 

Of course though, to Tommy the “why” should be obvious. Because of Dream he’s struggling with severe ptsd. He’s afraid of plains biomes, of lava, of heights to a certain degree, of black stone (both because of the Attachments vault and the Final Control Room on this one), of tnt, of small holes (big enough to drop your items in as he said), of giving up his stuff and of Dream acting Friendly. Dream hurt him a great deal to the point were he’s not managing to settle down even now, he’s still afraid. How can Dream not see how he hurt him? How can he not understand? In Tommy's mind it just doesn't make sense.

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES (had to add this because it was just funny... why are there always bloopers with this 2?)

Potatoes again. Again the tnt had not started to go off yet. And Tommy eats them again immediately, of course. I can’t stress this enough, but this is done again to re-establish the dependency tommy had on Drem during exile. While he didn’t entirely depend on dream for food (he barely ate and he had Mushroom Henry), he used to be entirely dependent on him for protection, getting to the point where he would hardly defend himself from the mobs when they attacked him even when Dream wasn't around. Of course Dream can’t provide “safety” while he’s in prison, so he has to find something else.

“You had all this shit coming” “I did but... you know... maybe one day” “No! Have you seen this prison? It’s kind of the most secure thing ever” They are talking about two different things here. Dream is implying that, maybe, they’ll let him out in the future while Tommy, having already decided to move on and not worry about Dream anymore, is implying that the only way Dream is getting out is if he manages to escape, which he won’t. Quite different from the first visit were Tommy showed quite a bit of hesitance when asked if he would ever let Dream out.

“Unless you have extreme therapy” Tommy recognizing the importance of therapy I see! No, but, more importantly, this goes to show that Tommy is moving on from his exclusively vengful mindset he had at the start (which was more then understandable, btw). At the start of this visit he said he didn’t think that Dream deserved to die anymore and now he’s recognizing that he needs help, Tommy however also knows he’s not the one who should be helping him, he can’t. Still, he’s empathizing with him, because he can’t help doing so. Despite everything, Tommy always tends to see others as their own individuals, even when the same is often not true in reverse. 

“I mean exile wasn’t that bad... right? I mean, we hung out” again, tying it back to the themes in their relationship, this fits so well. Of course exile wasn’t that bad, right? After all: why would Tommy have needed anyone else when he had his Best Pal Dream? And here’s the thing: we can’t know how much of what Dream says is just manipulation and how much of it he believes, but Dream has shown enough signs of being dependent on Tommy as his only attachment that we can assume there is, at the very least, some level of truth in this. I mean, if you remember back when he blew up Logstedshire, he didn’t even wanna believe that Tommy was suicidal. Tommy told him directly, but was dismissed. Why? Not because Dream wasn’t extremely opposed to him taking his own life, he’d already shown that not to be the case. Perhaps because he actually didn’t think it was that bad? Maybe he didn't want to admit he pushed him too far? Did he actually view himself and Tommy to be Dream’s own twisted version of “friends”? It’s a possibility and it’s what this visit seems to imply. 

“When I’m around you I feel like my brain is conditioned to be your friend, but also when I have a knife I wanna just plunge it into your heart... you don’t make me a good person!” This seems to be a rather recurrent theme with Tommy and the mentor figures in his life. Wilbur trying to convince him (albeit not managing to) to just blow it all up and give in to his aggressive nature. Techno wanting to “bring him to the side of evil” and making him more violent in the process. Now we have confirmation that Dream himself makes him lash out more (though we could see this already when he was in exile in how he lashed out at Jack Manifold without the latter having done anything to deserve it). There is also the confusion to point out. While Tommy is trying to move on he’s clearly in no way “healed”, he’s still very much suffering from the consequences of Dream’s abuse and manipulation. He still doesn’t know exactly how to feel about him because, despite everything, he feels compelled not to hate him entirely. 

“You’re a bad guy” “Well I did bad things, but everyone thinks they’re right from their perspective” “That’s not true” I haven’t seen almost anyone talk about this exchange, but it’s such an important one! As we said, Tommy views Dream as a villain, Dream doesn’t (he admits to having done bad things, but not to being bad because of them). Dream also sees Tommy as a hero, but Tommy doesn’t (Tommy doesn’t even view himself as “the good guy” in his own story, which ties in to his big self worth problems). It’s an interesting dynamic to be sure. 

“Well I think I’m right. I did bad things, but I did them for good reasons” “What good reasons?” “I wanted to bring the server together you know? Make it a big happy family” This is the second time Dream brings up unity as his ultimate goal (the first being with Punz). Of course we know that the “unity” he wants it’s under his complete control. It’s not an objective that we can see as positive, but he does, or, at least, if he’s telling the truth about it, he may actually believe in it. Now, while this is the second time he brought up “unity” directly he did also strongly imply in the season 2 finale that that was his intention when explaining he was doing everything to get the server to “how it used to be”, back in the idealized past with no conflicts that never existed. Dream is deluded in the literal sense of the word, I would say it’s pretty probable there is at least some truth in his declared objective (truth in the form of him actually believing the bs he spews).

At this point Tommy is done. He’s drawing an end to the visit and Dream started getting more frantic. He started insisting on how he’s “changing” and insisting for Tommy to go visit him again. Ngl, I think this was probably to buy time for his accomplice (who is very possibly enderwalk!Ranboo) to get there. Because, if he let Tommy go, their game would truly be over, and Dream can’t stand that.

And cue the explosions! 

So: Dream managed to buy enough time and, by the prison's protocols, Tommy is now stuck with him up to 7 days. He can’t leave which means Dream gets another chance to force him into continuing their game. 

Quite a few people pointed it out, but, from this point onwards, Dream gets much more assertive and controlling in his demeanor. He drops the whole “insecure” act that he had going on in his enunciation and general behaviour and goes back to being like the old Dream (you would almost think that all that talk about “having changed” was just absolute bs, though he keeps insisting on it throughout) 

Tommy’s behaviour also changes. He gets much more paniked (no doubt a combination of way too many of his triggers being present at once) and pliant. He starts calling out for Sam and asking to be let out but, of course, that doesn’t happen as Sam has to take care of the security breach first and foremost. 

Dream starts immediately harping on Tommy being stuck there (probably to increase his panic, as he's easier to influence when he's distressed), first pointing out how “Sam can’t hear him” and then that the tnt must indicate a “security problem” (which he then explains he knows the consequences of because he wrote the book). By now he’s dropped his meek act entirely and he’s showing to be much more smug and self assured (a big contrast with Tommy having a very obvious panic attack). As we already said: he got what he wanted, he basically won already. All he needs to do now is get Tommy back to how he used to be in exile (”when they had fun” in Dream’s words...). 

At this point there is only one question left to be answered: Why did he do all of this? How does this benefits dream?

Clearly this didn’t help him to get out. The security may actually increase because of it. Right? Well...

“I mean... if you want a way to get out, let’s get out together! We can work it out, we can-” “Fuck off” “Then there is no way out” I’m going out on a limb here and saying that, perhaps, Dream may know a way to get out provided 2 people cooperate on it. Tommy wouldn’t help him yet, but, who knows what he may do after spending way too much time locked in a small room, with a lava fall on the side and Dream to top off the list of his worst nightmares... 

“Are you trying to get out?” “I’m not trying to get out, I’m not trying to get out!” a bit of a contradiction here, considering he proposed getting out together like 2 minutes before (coupled with his insistence on “one day...”)... however “I’m not trying to get out (yet)” may be a way to interpret his words more truthfully. If he just needed an accomplice to get out, he would have probably used Ranboo, but there is something else he wants as well... 

(btw, potatoes AGAIN multiple times, especially every time Tommy is particularly distressed, and Dream also brings up Tommy being on his last canon life again in the context of this being “just like exile”... man do be trying hard with those parallels...)

You see, he already told us that he still sees his objective as good. He still wants control. He still wants his game to go on. And there is one person he elected to be the key to everything...

“I’m telling you you’re stuck in here for a little while with me, were we can bond, we can talk, just like old times, right? You know... just like exile” “Tommy this is the best thing that’s happened to me since I got in this prison, because now we can be company, we can stay together!” “Fine, fine, you’re done with me in a couple days, when you get out of here” “Tommy it’s not that bad! We can- we have lot’s of time to bond” Ngl... something tells me his other objective is very obvious... and we talked about it to death by now. But, in case it wasn't clear to someone, he wants to get back what (or who in his case) he considers to be his most cherished possession (again, do NOT interpret this as a "good" thing. It isn't. Dream literally treats Tommy as his toy, it isn't healthy and I've seen way too many people in chat trying to imply otherwise and calling it "cute". It's not cute, it's abuse)

“Tommy you’re stuck in here with me wether you like it or not, ok?! Wether you like it or not you’re in here with me for a WHILE, we’re gonna talk, we’re gonna have lot’s of fun” I just wanted to point out again how much Dream’s demeanor changed from the start now that he’s back in control. He’s not asking Tommy to talk to him, he’s not giving him a choice in it. Tommy already said how he doesn’t wanna talk and “get to know him better”, but that doesn’t matter. He has no power anymore. He doesn’t have the power to leave NOR the power to ignore Dream, as much as he wants to. Also, after this, Dream seriously ramps up the whole “We’re gonna have so much fun!” shtick...

And you want to know the saddest part of the ending? Tommy is already cracking (honestly, not surprising. He’s been through WAY too much by now...) 

He started asking Dream for confirmation of whether all of this was “serious” (just like he needed to ask if things were real back in exile... or generally Dream’s opinion on everything). He also asked for more potatoes in a dejected tone (I know it may not seem that serious, but, as I said, it is just another way to create the dependency that Dream wants), showing a beginning of acceptance for Dream’s role as provider once again. Together with the very obvious “I can’t do this” and the black screen right after it creates a very worrying picture.

In conclusion: Dream is already dependant on Tommy, but the opposite not being true was a big part of his downfall. So, before he can get out, he has to work on getting Tommy back to exile!Tommy only this time he’ll be even more careful not to do some dumb mistake probably... 

-

As anxious as I am to see how this will develop I do also think it’s one of the most interesting outcomes they could have had!

Also can we please take a moment to appreciate how WELL cc!Dream anc cc!Tommy manage to handle this incredibly serious scenes? Like, they bounce off of each other perfectly and, as someone who’s done theater themselves, I cannot commend them for managing to do so well in IMPROV enough!

They are honestly so great! Let’s get some serious love and appreciation for them to close on a positive note!

Also @mysweatymakerstudentworld

[hopelesshawks]

Ash and Dust Part 21- Toga

18+ Dabi x fem!reader (MINORS DNI)

Summary: You first meet Dabi on the worst night of your life after unwittingly walking into the very bar the League of Villains made infamous. That should probably be the end of the story. You stumble on the remnants of one of the most infamous terrorist groups in the history of Japan, get viciously murdered or call the cops and get them arrested, the end. Except that’s not the end of the story. It’s only the beginning.

Warnings: Graphic description of major character injury, blood, canon typical violence

Link to change y/n to your actual name (not mobile compatible)

Masterlist Kofi (Help Lulu)

If someone had told Dabi a year ago that he’d be sneaking into the youngest Todoroki’s apartment in order to work alongside the brat, he would’ve laughed in their face and then reduced them to ashes.

Now?

It’s the price he pays for being so careless with you.

It’s already been three days since he drove back from the beach to try and get you and he’s got fuck all to show for it. His old contacts claimed not to have heard anything about it from the grapevine, Spinner was entirely useless, and even his goody-goody baby brother had been coming up short. And each second longer you spend with psycho barbie the more likely it is that the you he gets back won’t really be you anymore. Toga will do her damndest to break you, of that he’s sure, and every time he recalls that fact it has bile crawling up his throat.

Because it is completely, unavoidably, and unequivocally his fault.

It’s his fault Toga had her eyes set on you.

It’s his fault she knew where your apartment is.

It’s his fault you hadn’t been staying in a different, safer apartment instead.

And it’s his fault that you were alone with no one to protect you from her.

“You look like shit,” Shouto says the minute Dabi gets inside.

“Fuck off,” Dabi growls back.

“Your roots are coming in and it looks dumb. It shouldn’t be possible for you to have bags under your eyes considering you burnt them to shit and yet there they are,” his little brother continues.

“I’ve been a little busy asshole. Watch it before I roast you alive.”

“You’re not going to do shit. You need my help because I’m the one with access to official channels.”

Dabi scowls. Shouto isn’t wrong. Dabi’s own contacts had been useless and while they probably had heard more than they were willing to admit, none of them had enough loyalty to Dabi to get involved in a conflict between him and Toga. He’d normally make them pay for not choosing sides but keeping a low profile is even more important than ever now. So Shouto’s contacts and capabilities by virtue of being a well-regarded pro hero were an essential part of the investigation.

“Speaking of, I think I might’ve found her,” Shouto adds.

In a second Dabi is in his little brother’s face, a hand fisted in his shirt.

“Why wouldn’t you start with that,” he growls.

“Because I knew you’d rush off if I did. If you want to get her out safely we need to be smart about this,” Shouto explains.

“You’re wasting time.”

“You’re not the only one who cares about her, Touya.”

The words make Dabi stop short, his grip on Shouto’s shirt loosening.

“I don’t know what you two were to each other but I consider her a friend. So pull it together so we can go save her. Alright?”

“Fine…”

The address Shouto had narrowed things down to turns out to be an abandoned apartment complex on the outskirts of the city. Dabi has been in the area before so he knows the layout decently well. There’s no easy way in other than through the front door and without knowing exactly where inside you are, it’ll be difficult to flush out Toga without potentially hurting you. Basically it’s an uphill battle and Toga’s quirk would only make it harder.

Still though, Dabi is determined and he can tell Shouto is too. It’s a mild reassurance even if he isn’t ecstatic about the idea of fighting alongside his brother.

“Split up and cover each apartment?” Shouto asks.

“I’ll start at the top, you start at the bottom. Signal if you find that psycho bitch.”

The inside of the building is dark and dank, the scent of mold permeating throughout. The concrete walls and floors do a piss poor job of insulating the building so if anything it almost feels colder inside than out. Dabi had rocketed himself up to the top floor and swung in through one of the windows, fully anticipating having to break glass to do so but instead had found most of the windows blown out already. It’s a miserable place and he’s eager to find you and get the fuck out. He moves quickly through each apartment, breaking down the door when necessary, all in his quest to find you. He clears the top floor and then makes his way down further into the building, moving systematically through. As he descends to the fourth floor he hears a faint sobbing, following the sound to one of the rooms. He tips inside only to find you collapsed over on the floor, bawling your eyes out. He steps inside and your head snaps up to look at him. “D-Dabi?” you stutter in disbelief as you train your watery eyes on him. More tears cascade down your cheeks as you extend your arms to him. “You came for me?” you ask, voice warbling.

“Cut the shit Toga,” Dabi growls.

Toga huffs, sitting back on her palms and brusquely wiping the tears from her face. “Well you’re no fun. How’d you know it was me?”

“You’re a shit actor.”

“I’m surprised you even care enough to tell the difference when you ghosted her. The poor thing hasn’t been sleeping well or taking care of herself since ya left y’know. Although it did make my job that much easier so thanks for that.”

Slowly your form melts away as Toga transforms back to her own appearance.

“Where is she?” he demands.

“She’s resting right now. We’ve been having such a fun time on our little sleepover that she’s quite exhausted.”

Touya doesn’t make the conscious choice to activate his quirk but finds his arms blazing with bright blue flames all the same. He dimly registers that it hurts at the fringes of his already burned skin but it’s a small penance for whatever you’ve suffered because of him.

“You know you don’t stand a chance of winning this fight,” he scowls, “so come off it and tell me where the fuck she is.”

“I don’t need to win the fight, silly. I’m just making sure by the time you get to her you’re too late.”

Touya lunges, tackling Toga to the ground and letting his flames roar even higher. She uses his momentum against him so the two tumble a bit, not that it stops him from allowing his flames to consume them both. He feels her skin shifting beneath his palms as they roll and he doesn’t pay much mind to it until suddenly he’s got her pinned but it’s your face looking up at him. “You’re not her,” he growls. “Please, it hurts, it hurts!” she cries out, skin burning as his rage and frustration and anger and pain turn his flames from blue to violet and he knows she’s not you but she sounds like you and looks like you and he’s so fucking pathetic because even though he knows he just can’t do it.

“FUCK!” he shouts in frustration, his flames abruptly localizing to his fist as he slams it into the concrete next to Toga’s head, blood dripping from the scars beneath his eyes and head hanging in defeat.

Toga’s cackle sounds especially cruel and ugly in your voice as she delights in his turmoil. She knew she could never beat him in a fight, she was fucking counting on it.

“You can’t hide behind her face forever.”

“I’ve had her for a long time. I can hide behind her face for longer than she has left.”

Suddenly the room is iced over, freezing both Toga and Touya in place.

“Set yourself free and find her. I cleared the rest of the building, she must be nearby,” Shouto commands, rushing into the room.

Ordinarily the command would’ve made Touya bristle but as is he says nothing, using his flames to melt the ice and escape. Toga tries to lunge out at him but a blast of fire from his little brother has her reeling back instead. Touya takes advantage of the opening to race deeper into the apartment, checking each room meticulously for any and all signs of you. When he finally finds you he can’t even bring himself to be relieved yet.

Touya finds you handcuffed to a pipe in one of the rooms, clad in only your bra and panties, slumped over. The floor and wall around you are both heavily smeared with your blood and even from across the room he can see several deep gashes in your skin that are still bleeding lazily.

He crosses the room in only a few steps, collapsing to his knees in front of you as he grasps your face in both his hands and lifts your head to face him. You’re unconscious but now that he’s this close he can tell you’re breathing at least, even if it’s worryingly shallow. He releases your face in favor of grasping hold of the chain on your handcuffs instead. Melting the chain is trivial, especially considering how keyed up he is, but without them you slump forward even further and he has to catch you. To his surprise you stir, suddenly shifting in his arms. For a moment you flinch, shifting yourself violently backwards and he has to reach forward to stop you from getting too far.

“Hey! Hey, it’s just me doll,” he assures and you blink at him slowly. Too slowly.

“Touya?”

“Yea it’s me. I’m gonna get you outta here but first I need to patch up some of those cuts alright?”

You scoff and it cracks him open in ways he didn’t think possible.

“Thought y’ used up all his blood,” you mumble.

“No it’s not- we don’t have time for this. I’m gonna seal the wounds now ok? It’s gonna hurt,” he warns.

“Y’ can’t mimic quirks Toga, ‘m not dumb.”

As much as he hates hurting you, he realizes that you’re both wasting valuable time now so he ignites two of his fingers and presses them to the deepest appearing of the gashes. You flinch at the pain, unable to muster up any more of a reaction from your bruised and battered body as he slowly cauterizes the gash. He repeats the process for all of your more serious wounds and by the time he finishes you’re trembling slightly in his hold. Despite how weak your body is, your arms come up to wrap around his shoulders and suddenly you’re gripping him with what little strength is left in you.

“Yer the real one?” you ask hesitantly, and for the first time you lift your head enough for your eyes to meet his, silent tears of relief starting to slip down your cheeks.

“Yea baby, I’m the real one,” he assures.

He’s never unironically used a pet name like that before but somehow it rolls off his tongue so easily for you as he brushes the tears away from your cheeks.

“You’ve been crying,” you note, reaching forward to brush the blood staining his cheeks away.

His gut instinct is to correct you. He can’t cry; he burned his tear ducts out to make sure he never could again. But considering the blood on his face he supposes it’s a technicality at this point, so instead he just pulls you closer to him, lifting you into a princess carry as he rises. “We’ve gotta get you out of here,” he mumbles instead of replying before making his way out of the apartment.

There’s no sounds of fighting so he moves back into the room he’d first found Toga in. Sure enough she and Shouto are nowhere to be found. He doesn’t have time to worry about them though, he knows his brother can handle her just fine. Instead he moves as quickly as he can down the stairs and eventually out the door. He finds a car to boost and hurries to settle you into the back seat so he can lay you down. Just as he’s got you fastened in with his jacket draped over you as a makeshift blanket, Shouto jogs up to him looking contrite.

“You lost Toga?” Touya guesses.

“She bailed out the window the minute you left. Chased her as long as I could but the minute we got to an area with more people-”

“She phased into someone else and you couldn’t keep track of her.”

Shouto nods grimly. He prepares himself for Touya to get angry or lash out but it doesn’t happen. Instead Touya just wordlessly opens the passenger side door before moving to the driver’s side to hotwire it. They both climb in and soon they’re on the road, more than ready to put the apartment complex in the rearview mirror.

“Not gonna say anything about me stealing a car Mr. Pro Hero?” Touya finally asks after they’ve been driving for a while.

“If it gets reported I’ll tell them I accidentally destroyed it trying to get Toga and cover the cost of replacement,” Shouto shrugs, “it was more important to get her out of there.”

“Toga will be back.”

“I know, I’m assuming that’s why you aren’t driving to the hospital right now.”

“Smarter than you look.”

“Drop me at my apartment. I’ll pick up Natsuo in my car and meet you at the beach house.”

Dabi shoots him an incredulous look before redirecting his eyes to the road.

“This isn’t a fucking family reunion.”

“She needs actual medical attention and Natsuo is an actual medical professional. Like it or not you need him to make sure she survives the night.”

Touya’s hands clench hard onto the steering wheel. He’s tempted to ignore Shouto. You’re not bleeding anymore, so you’ll be fine eventually. At this point your body just needs time to recover.

Right?

His eyes drift to the rearview mirror so he can see you. You’ve got a death grip on his jacket and your eyebrows are furrowed as if even the simple act of breathing is painful. If he’s being honest with himself it probably is. Sure he’d stopped the bleeding but what if one of your wounds is infected? What if he missed something?

His eyes focus forward again. He’s going to have to make a decision soon. He has zero interest in seeing anymore of his family. Shouto had already only gotten involved because it had been a necessary evil. But he also can’t fix this alone.

So Touya does something he hasn’t done in a very long time, if ever.

He puts someone else over himself.

A/N: This chapter was a bitch and a half to write but I'm v happy with how it turned out

Taglist: @thechroniclesofawriter @simpsfortodoroki @ahtsuwu @002opdestiny @larkspyrr @oikawaandkuroostan @tina-98 @vibesdontlie @clubfairy @oddball215 @myfavoriteficsandsuch @h0wab0utw3d0ntd0that @alyssa6marie @bleuchichiriq