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[wildwildwasteland]

our bingo predictions for Season 2

[youwerenevermeanttofeelalone]

A Heartbeat Away | Damian Wayne

✦ pairing — older!Damian Wayne x gender neutral!Plus Size Reader

✦ word count — 2.7k

✦ based off the song I Should’ve Kissed You by One Direction

✦ summary — Damian is haunted by the fact that he only said good night when he should have kissed you.

✦ warnings — light angst, mentions of pregnancy (a minor character is pregnant), mentions of food and beverages, fluff.

✦ author's note i — randomly remembered my obsession with this song and couldn’t get it out of my head.

✦ author's note ii — the parts in italics are flashbacks.

════════════════════════

Ever since he started living with Jason, Damian found himself straying away from the things that held him back.

His life would never be normal, but in hindsight, he could admit things weren’t as bad.

The fallout with his father came crashing down in the worst moment possible — Dick was dead and his relationship with Tim wasn’t the best.

As little as he knew Jason, he was sure he could trust him so he asked for his help instead of somebody else’s.

And Jason didn’t say no. Whether he had the heart to do it or not was irrelevant because he still took Damian in and helped him find a job.

He hated said job.

‘It’s a job,’ you had told him, ‘you’re not supposed to like it.’

You.

Damian rarely stopped thinking about you. Calling it infatuation felt like an understatement, and yet he couldn’t find a better word to describe the whirlwind of emotions you gave him.

He still remembered the day he met you for the first time.

Jason paced in the living room, perking up every time he heard a noise outside the apartment.

You’re driving me insane,” Damian said from the small dining table.

”Roy’s late.”

”Why are you surprised?”

Jason glared at him.

Both of them heard somebody stand on the other side of the door. Their steps didn’t sound like Roy’s.

Pulling the door open, Jason was ready to snap at whoever had knocked.

“You ordered something and gave my apartment number instead of yours. Again.”

Damian didn’t recognize the voice so he slanted his body to the side to see who it was. He couldn’t stop staring.

”I’ll make it up to you.”

”Jay,” you sighed. “I’ve told you before, you just need to tell me beforehand if you don’t want things to arrive to your apartment. My roommate could have opened it.”

Damian chuckled, a single elbow resting on the table.

Jason craned his neck. “You think this is funny?”

”I think you’re a moron.”

”Shut up and come meet our neighbor.”

Damian didn’t have to be told twice. He stood up with an eagerness he hadn’t felt since Jason texted him to let him know he had found the materials so he could build a suit and go back to patrol.

”This is my brother Damian.” Jason turned around to place the package under the table next to the door.

He knew you’d either seen him before or heard about him the moment his eyes landed on you. People always had a visceral reaction when they met him, some found him attractive, others attempted to ask for favors, and some recoiled in fear.

But you didn’t. You held his gaze and stood in the same spot you had been since you knocked on the door.

And whether it had been in a newspaper or a gossip forum, he was glad you knew something about him. There was something about the way you stared at him that screamed for him to trust you. Wishful thinking, perhaps.

“Nice to meet you,” you politely said, smiling at him.

Stunned by the fact that you hadn’t mocked him, and now assuming it wasn’t wishful thinking after all, he tilted his head. Most people did mock now that he wasn’t under his father’s wing.

Still, he said, “Likewise.”

Your smile became warmer. “I live three doors down the hallway in case you need anything.”

He felt a pang in his chest at the gesture. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

Weird sensations in his chest were normal when he was around you. Befriending you was easier than he’d ever admit and talking to you became the highlight of his day.

The pangs in his chest turned into a fluttering sensation in a heartbeat. You’d make him feel breathless when you did the smallest things — when you smiled at him, when you complained about other neighbors with him, when you asked about his day.

He felt special. For once in his life for being the closest he had ever been to resemble a normal person.

And he also remembered, quite painfully, that night he let you walk away without mustering the courage to tell you —or show you— the way you made him feel.

The deserted hallway was yet another proof of how easy it was to lose track of time around you.

Damian hadn’t expected to get back home past midnight or to skip patrol, but 1:00 AM turned into 2:00 and he couldn’t part from you no matter how many times he tried to remind himself to do it.

He hadn’t even expected to enjoy the state fair as an adult, yet he couldn’t remember a time he had more fun than that evening.

You gazed up at him, waiting for him to either do or say something. Anything other than stare at you in the middle of the hallway.

You had already thanked him for making you company, there was no way you’d say anything. And he froze.

“Good night,” he sputtered.

Your brow twitched. “Night.”

He watched you unlock your door and get inside your apartment with a heavy heart.

You moved out a couple months ago and he hadn’t seen you since then. The texts the two of you exchanged were sporadic and they bordered in formal.

He should have kissed you, he was aware of that. And to make matters worse, Jason chewed him out when he found out.

He still looked for you every morning he left the apartment as though you’d remember you had forgotten something. That you had forgotten him.

Jon said it was for the best, that somebody as sweet as you didn’t deserve to carry with his baggage.

Damian knew his best friend to be right, but how could he let go of you that easily when you made him see he was more than his mistakes and regrets?

He didn’t need anybody to carry him, he could drag himself anywhere if needed.

He simply hated the hole in the pit of his stomach every time he entertained the possibility of having to see you one day with somebody else because he wasn’t brave enough to say what he needed to let out.

The idea of being out of time was killing him slowly, so naturally, he’d sought a quick death.

════════════════════════

You gasped upon opening the door. You weren’t expecting anybody to be outside — much less Damian Wayne.

“Oh!”

“Hi,” he softly greeted.

You blinked rapidly. “Did you need anything?”

“I wanted to... Are you on your way out?”

“I’m just dropping this off for my mom.” You momentarily lifted the bags you were carrying in one hand. “She lives nearby.”

He spared a look to the reusable bags in your grasp. “Is she sick?”

“Pregnant,” you explained, playing with your keys. “It’s high risk due to her age so we take as much care of her as we can.”

Damian walked backward, allowing you to come out of the apartment and lock the door.

As you pushed the door to make sure it was locked, he asked, “Would you care for some company?”

Turning around, you gave him a small smile. “That would be lovely.”

He reached over. “Let me help.”

“They’re not heavy.”

“I insist.”

”Okay.” You handed him the bags and took the initiative to lead the way.

He reached your side immediately.

Not knowing what else to do, aware you’d let something slip if you didn’t find something, you made small talk. “How’s Jason?”

“As annoying as always.”

You still remembered when he meant those words, when he complained about Jason and how often they butted heads. His tone was different now, lighter, almost playful.

“Good to know some things never change.”

You walked the streets with an ease you hadn’t been able to in years. Growing up in that neighborhood meant which streets to avoid, and sadly, most of them were unsafe.

There were many things you could have asked or said, perhaps apologize for being cold while texting.

You were in your right to be cold and you could have just not answered, but you wanted to keep contact even though you were hurt.

Damian was great company. It was a shame you misread the entire situation and couldn’t go back to chat with him like before.

It took you a few attempts to get them to talk comfortably, but once he was able to, he didn’t look back. He even gossiped with you.

Stopping in front of the house, you looked around to make sure your mom had the windows open. Once sure, you walked up the front steps.

You withdrew a single key from your back pocket and extended your other hand so Damian would give you the bags.

The floors were recently mopped which meant your aunt had visited that day.

“It’s me,” you yelled so your mom wouldn’t get up. It was her time to be watching TV in the living room.

Carrying the bags towards the kitchen, you caught the jingle from a commercial.

You filled a glass with water and added a couple of ice cubes.

Your mom was comfortably sat on a recliner, feet up and remote control on her thigh. “Hurry back before it gets dark.”

“Don’t worry, a friend of mine walked me here.” You handed her the glass. “Do you need anything else?”

She ignored your question as she took the glass. “Who is it?”

“You don’t know him.”

“Him?” She lifted an eyebrow.

You hadn’t mentioned a guy to her in almost two years now, her surprise was understandable. “Not now.”

“Oh, so it is like that?”

Maybe it was and maybe that was the issue. She wouldn’t blame you if she knew him like you did, if she heard him laugh or saw him change his demeanor to accommodate to somebody else’s sensibilities.

You didn’t think you’d witness anything remotely close to that when you met him for the first time, but you learned really quickly that Damian was full of surprises.

“I’ll call in the morning in case you need something. I’m working ’til 3:00 PM tomorrow.”

“It’s okay.” She took a sip of water. “Did you bring anything sweet?”

“Homemade muffins and a few chocolate bars. Do you want one now?”

She shook her head. “I’ll wait after dinner.”

You kissed her cheek. “Call me, please.”

“Go, go.” She ushered you to go with a gesture of her hand. “Don’t make your friend wait.”

It was your time to ignore her comment.

Damian was sat on the front steps when you came out, looking up at the darkening sky.

“Is everything alright?” you asked in a whisper as to not scare him.

“No.” He shook his head and stood up. “I mean, yes. How’s your mother?”

“She’s good. Having fun watching reality TV.”

Damian squinted. “Is reality TV really that entertaining?”

“It’s mindless stuff, but it’s fun sometimes. You get to judge other people’s lives without feeling remorse because it’s most likely fake.”

The walk back was way shorter and you didn’t want to part. It was time to swallow your pride and your feelings for him.

He didn’t part ways with you at the building entrance. He walked beside you until you reached the elevator — Damian extended his arm to keep the doors open and allowed you to get in first. He followed suit.

You turned the lights on with Damian on your tail. He did wait for you to invite him in, but you were sure both of you knew there was no way you wouldn’t.

“I made muffins. Do you want one?”

Damian nodded.

You guided him to the dining table where a trippy vase in pastel colors rested with flowers.

He looked around the apartment as he walked towards the table. As he sat down, he fixed his eyes on the vase.

“Green or black?”

“Mmh?”

“Your tea.”

You could swear you saw him smile to himself.

“Black.” He placed his cellphone on the table. “You still have that thing,” he said, referring to the trippy vase.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

He huffed a laugh. “Jason said it was ugly.”

“Jason doesn’t have the best taste in the world,” you lightheartedly retorted.

The vase was precious to you, a gift from Damian who spooked you in the middle of a rainy night and made you knock your favorite vase.

You set a plate in front of him and placed the muffin there. “Your tea’s almost ready.”

“No roommate this time?”

“Nope. I miss Lou, but I don’t miss having a roommate that much.”

“I thought the move was temporary just so you could be close to your mother...”

“It is, but there’s still a long way to go. The baby should be here next month and she’ll need help around the house.” You disappeared for a moment as you looked for a mug.

Having found one, you dropped the teabag and poured the boiling water in.

“Sugar.” You put the sugar bowl down just in front of the mug. Feeling his eyes on the side of your face, you gazed at him. “It’s brown, don’t worry.”

He relaxed and uncovered the sugar bowl. “Is the father of your mother’s child around?”

“Yeah.” You sat down on the chair closest to his. “She remarried last year and her husband tries to help, but you know, work gets in the way.”

“Tell me if I can help with anything.”

“Don’t worry, you have enough things to juggle with already.”

“What’s one more? At least let me make you company or walk you home. These streets are dangerous.”

You softly nodded. From the day you met him you knew you would never be able to tell him no — and having his company after a long day sounded nice.

“So...”

“So,” you encouraged him to go on.

“Are you seeing anybody?”

“No. I thought I was a little while ago, but...” You hoped he’d understand what you were getting at. “I guess something got lost in translation.”

“Did it? Or was he too much of a coward to show the way he felt?”

“Don’t.” You hated hearing him talk like that about himself.

“You don’t know how much I regret not kissing you that night. I—“ He sighed, twisting his mouth as he frowned. “I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“At least now I know you did think about doing it.”

“I did. Many times throughout the night.” He turned to the side to fully look at you. “I wanted to find the perfect moment and became overwhelmed. Sounds like a bad excuse, but I swear it’s the truth.”

“I believe you.”

Damian scooted closer and reached over to place his hand on your face. Softly, he caressed your cheek. “I’ve missed you.”

You leaned onto his touch, tilting your head. “Me too. Sorry for being such an ass.”

“It’s fine. I would have reacted similarly.”

“Similarly or worse?”

“Worse.”

You laughed, making him smile.

“May I?”

“Thought you’d never ask.”

Damian leaned in, placing his free hand on the back of your chair as his nose brushed yours.

His lips softly connected with yours, but the slow pace didn’t last. The two of you had wasted too much time, thrown away too many opportunities to be this close —or closer— and patience wasn’t a virtue Damian possessed.

The chair was now balancing itself in two legs, making you interrupt the kiss with a squeal.

Damian then made you stand up and wrapped his arms around your waist. His lips were immediately back on yours.

Your hands went up to rest on his biceps as he kissed you again. His arms tightened around you as he deepened the kiss and you melted.

You melted into the kiss, onto his warmth, due to the fact that he wanted this as much as you did.

Kissing him had become a mere fantasy for you, and there he was, not only making it a reality but exceeding your expectations.

Grabbing him by the neck, you broke the kiss in search of air. His breath was barely ragged and you remembered he told you he could hold it in for a long time.

You needed him to teach you just to be able to kiss him for longer.

“That was nice,” you said, still breathless.

“Yeah, really nice. We should do it more often.”

“Are you asking me out?”

“I’m telling you I want you to be mine.”

All in or nothing, of course. Jason had warned you that Damian didn’t take things lightly.

But you were okay with that.

[luwupercal]

the primarchs and the videogame i want to see them stream on twitch.tv

lion eljonson: dark souls 1

fulgrim: literally fucking anything with ferrus but i kinda want to see him play crusader kings 3. im a moderator on his twitch chat and discord server

perturabo: i want to watch him dead-eyedly nail the hardest rhythm heaven remix theyve got on tap and not even acknowledge the 600 dollar donations he gets w the entire chat going pogchamp. i also want him to react to jerma rat movie live

khan: not quite a videogame but recently i caught a cr1tikal stream where the guy just kinda watched internet historian videos about PR disasters and came out of them rooting for some guy who was an absolute chad and i think khan would be extremely fucking fun at this

leman russ: nier automata. cant explain it i just think hed enjoy moderately weeby videogames of that tier. he does like that stream matpat did of earthbound calling it “undertale zero!!!” but its with drakengard and he keeps making the chucky cheese eye stare face whenever the heroes talk about eating babies or whatever

rogal dorn: [looks you dead in the eye] kerbal space program. i’d be down to watch him play getting over it also but i think the stream would end up with a nc17 rating. if you dont understand this joke dont worry about it

(bonus: i want rogal dorn and perturabo to be forced to play mystery visual novels together. ace attorney, the 999 series and danganronpa specifically. in that order. i want dorn to react stone facedly to nagito komaeda)

konrad curze: Pathologic (Russian: Мор. Утопия, tr. Mor. Utopiya, IPA: [ˈmor ‖ ʊˈtopʲɪjə], lit. 'Pestilence. Utopia') is a 2005 role-playing and survival game developed by Russian studio Ice-Pick Lodge. The game was released in Russia by Buka Entertainment in June 2005, followed by a localised English release from G2 Games in 2006. An updated version, Pathologic Classic HD, was developed by General Arcade, published by Gambitious Digital Entertainment, and released in October 2015. A remake was developed by Ice-Pick Lodge using the Unity game engine and released as Pathologic 2 in May 2019 by tinyBuild.

sanguinius: any multiplayer videogame as a salty healer

ferrus manus: there are so many videogames i want to see ferrus manus play but the thing i most, in all my life, want to watch him do live on twitch.tv is browse the skyrim nexus female companions tag. alternatively i want him to play pathologic with konrad or mario party with fulgrim. fuck i actually kinda want to watch him play pathologic by himself. or Loop Hero. goddamnit. i want to watch him play bideo games. i also want him and fulgrim to do a Monster Factory type series and/or play increasingly godawfully-modded skyrim

angron: aminal crossimg... pleese... he gets raymond as a starter villager. hes always threatening him with an axe but then goes ha ha ha just kidding

mortarion: i am genuinely blanking on what mortarion could stream on twitch tv but i know in my heart of hearts hes an envtuber which is what really matters

magnus: league of legends with voice chat on that slowly turns into political debate. gacha whales live. 5D chess with multiverse time travel speedrunner

horus: he only plays shooters and its usually the flavor of the day like... apex legends type stuff, dips into fortnite/pubg type battle royales and valorant/overwatch type hero shooters, got his start on tf2. but hes got this miniseries where he plays slime rancher and its the funniest shit ever

lorgar: disco elysium (to watch the world burn), fallout 1, planescape torment, a bunch of visual novels like just throw higurashi at his face and go, maybe even put him in the pathologic squad, mother 3... i also want him to play mario party w Leman and Magnus because again watching the world burn

vulkan & corvus corax: they have an SMP server and their channels are genuinely extremely underrated. they have a running gag about treating dream the minecraft guy as their esteemed colleague but in reality corvus is starting to crave spilling his blood a little. corvus moonlights as an envtuber and vulkan does the best irl streams youve ever seen

alpharius: paint drying

[the-pan-ace-writings]

February 16th ~ Improvised Shelter

Fallout February Master List 

    They had been walking some lonely street in the evening, the sun was starting to lower and the air was cooling. It had been most uneventful, the roads in this area were unusually clogged up with fusion cars, the side of the road was lined with small stands that were dilapidated and a small cluster of those battered blue tubes that used to be advertised on the TV. Nate used to talk about them non stop when she would call, it was something she quickly learned to tune out. 

    Currently MacCready and her were walking over to a settlement that the General had sent her a message about, something about needed to get a garden established so that they could worry about other things. Cready wasn't the happiest about having to help a settlement but was persuaded when Riona mentioned the possibility of getting paid. 

    Things had been going smoothly, they had been chatting lazily keeping a lax watch around them, Riona had sent Dogmeat ahead to meet them there. They had heard a crash from behind them as they watched a Deathclaw tumble into the roadway they were on. Riona had already drawn her pistol and meant to take aim but was startled when another one crashed into the one that had crumpled a car. It was huge and stood on its hind legs and let out a chilling howl. She felt MacCready grab her arm and pull her towards the side of the road, and she felt her blood run cold at the “Pulowski: Nuclear protection on a Budget!” And the closing of the door as he wedged them into the tube. 

    Deathclaws typically were not something that Riona would bother avoiding, she would much rather just deal with the creature than hide from it. Unfortunately there was one too many for her and MacCready to deal with at this moment. 

    Although she would have prefered to try instead of MacCready just pulling them into one of those old pre war Pulowski tubes. She nearly screamed when it closed around them, trapping them in cramped darkness that wasn't meant for two. She had gone very still and pressed herself into the wall of the container, unable to drop down into a smaller position, she could hear her breathing became erratic and could faintly hear MacCready asking if she was okay. 

   She could hear the faint clattering of chains against bolted shelves, could feel the stain on her wrist and her back from being forced to remain in a stretched crouched for hours on end could smell the room, and taste the blood in her mouth. It swarmed her. She needed to leave. 

    “Riona!” his voice a harsh whisper cut straight through. Her eyes twitched towards his, his face was etched with worry. 

    “Cready! Cready we have to go.’ She was shaking, her grip on her sword was faltering, she could hear it clattering on the walls of the tube. He shook his head and moved so that he was in front of the release panel. 

    “You know we can't do that.” He gave her a sad look, He couldn't let them leave, not until the Deathclaws left or there would be no returning anywhere. She had tears welling in her eyes, and she reached out to him. He settled her against his chest and tucked her head under his chin, his arms wrapping around her. He could feel her crying against him, and she was mumbling something that he couldn't catch. 

   “Not much longer, everything is going to be fine. We’re safe in here, nothings going to happen.” He was working on settling them on the ground. It was awkward but they managed. She was practically sitting on his lap and his legs were pressed awkwardly against the walls but it was sounding like they were in for a long hall as he could hear the Deathclaws trashing the old fusion cars and the trees lining the road they were walking on. 

   Riona was slowly starting to get a grip on her breathing, her fingers were buried into his scarf and she had her ear pressed against his chest. He was running his hand over her back slowly and occasionally brought his other through the loose sections of her hair.

   He hadn't thought he’d see the day when something like this could draw out such a reaction, almost everyone in the commonwealth today had to deal with cramped spaces, they were the only things left often times. He wanted to bring it up to her but didn't want to create a rift between them, she didn't seem like one to want to share much about her past and she would likely deny that this happened in the future. She built up frustratingly thick walls around her that MacCready desperately wanted access to but refused to pry.

    Instead he took to playing with her hair, having pulled it from its bun so that he could run his fingers though its full length, he could feel her gradually slowing her breathing down and loosen up on his scarf. He had started braiding small strands of her hair repetitively and braiding those strands together and slowly undoing them. Riona silently adjusted herself that she was more comfortably straddling his lap, and had tucked her face into the crook of his neck and wrapped one of her arms around the underside of his shoulder, she could still hear the deathclaws moving about the cars and hoped that they would take their leave soon. 

   “How long do you think they'll be there?” She whispered and he could feel her talking. He shook his head and tried to stretch out his legs further. 

   “I don't know. I would have thought they'd leave by now.” He hadn't thought he’d seen them travel in very large groups but they way that one had callout out shook something in him, he knew it down in his bones that more were coming and it was best to just sit them out. They could stay in here till morning without trouble so long as they did not make too much noise or draw their attention. “I think we might have to stay here for a while, I think that one called others.” He felt her whine and her grip on him tighten, he just ran his hand over her back humming slightly. “We’ll be okay.” 

   She shook her head and tucked in against him more, trying hard to not think of the janitors closet, the chains or the month locked away. Instead she tried to focus on MacCready, the way he ran his hand up her back or through her hair, or how he immediately knew to wrap himself around her and settle them to the ground. How he let her rest on him and be a grounding force to her. She was grateful to him to know what to do in these moments and not to pry. She didn't know what would happen if he tried to delve into that right now while she's trapped her, but she was certain that it wouldn't be good. 

   She sat up momentarily, and tried to pull off her pipboy but had to let MacCready help her unlatch it from her wrist so that she could set it on the ground. She mumbled a thank you before turning on the dim screen to check the time. 

   It had been an hour and they could hear the Deathclaws become more rowdy, it was likely they were staying here for the night. And while she absolutely hated that she still had responsibilities to fulfill, one of them was messaging the settlement of their predicament. MacCready was watching her fiddle with the pip boy that lit the cramped area with a sickly green, which highlighted the stress and tear lines that contoured her face, and it took a lot in him to not clutch her back to him and try to relieve that stress but he didn't want to cross that line. 

    She sat up further leaning back on his bent knees to look at the surrounding tube with the light the pip boy cast, she noticed how banged up the tube was lots of dents littered the walls and loose wires hung down from the top and the fan that looked rusted still. It was completely different than the janitors closet, and she took comfort in being able to see the difference. 

   “Can I keep the light on?” she looked down at MacCready who was silently observing her as she looked around the room. 

    “Sure,” He nodded and took the pip boy from her hands to set it down next to them, pointing it upwards. 

   “I think you were right about having to wait till morning.” her voice was more steady than before but was clearly drained, She pulled her hair from out of her face and let it settle down her back before she tucked herself back into him. “Thank you” she spoke into his shoulder and was slowly starting to relax into him as he started running his fingers through her hair again. 

   “It's not a problem Riona,” he spoke into her hair and let the mostly quiet of the shelter settle over them. 

   MacCready had tried to stay awake as long as he could in case something happened or Riona jerked out of sleep, but the quiet of the outside, and soft breathing of Riona lulled him into sleep. His fingers still in her hair and an arm thrown over her back to keep her from moving too much, a faint peaceful smile graced his face.

[loxare]

Harm

Chapter 5 - Run In 2 and Invading Eggplant

More than a thousand miles from Bludhaven, Wally West was doing dishes. Linda was out doing a report on the new rail system, Jai and Iris were at a friend's and Wally had the day off. So he put on the news for background noise and made supper, a nice lasagna that was currently in the oven. (Well, three lasagnas.) He mostly focused on getting cheese off of the grater, only catching snippets from the TV.

“...and the mayor had this to say...”

“...a minor fire that could have been...”

“...still standing thanks to the Flash...”

“...other news, it appears Red Hood is back in...”

Wait, what was that?

“...more than two months of silence, criminals have started dying in Bludhaven, in methods matching some of Red Hood's previous victims. Red Hood, for our viewers who are unaware, is a vigilante of the worst kind, killing criminals instead of leaving them to the judicial system. It is unlikely he will leave Bludhaven, but it has happened once before.”

“Kind of makes you grateful to the Flash, doesn't it Karen?”

“It sure does Al.” The segment ended, but Wally had already left the kitchen.

He was halfway across the country when his phone alarm went off. Making a quick dash home, he pulled the lasagna out, left a note for Linda and the kids, then ran out again. Then ran back in to grab his costume.

Wally ran around Bludhaven for an hour before stopping to rest. He'd already refueled several times, at that hot dog vendor Iris had gone to last time she'd been here, but now his legs were tired. So he sat on a bench for a few minutes. He was just about to get up and start his search when his phone rang.

Iris's exuberant voice greeted him when he picked up the phone. “Hi Dad! I saw your note and I think I can help.”

“You're not allowed to run to Bludhaven.” She had tried, several times while Red Hood had been missing, but he'd always caught up to her. Wally knew his daughter was worried, but Bludhaven was dangerous and he didn't want her anywhere near it.

“I wasn't going to,” she said in that tone of voice she used that said she had totally been thinking about it, “but I'm in contact with a bunch of kids in Bludhaven, and they keep track of Red Hood. But first you need to tell me what you need to find him for.”

Wally shifted, uncomfortable. “I'm not sure. I haven't really thought about it.”

“Are you going to punch him or throw him in jail or leave him tied up for the cops?”

“No!” As bad a criminal as Red Hood was, he had saved Wally's daughter. And while he would take anyone else in regardless, there was something about Red Hood that made Wally feel like it wouldn't be worth it. “No, sweetie, I just wanted to talk to him.”

“Mmkay. I trust you. But if the other kids start freaking out, I'm not talking to you for a month.” Wally would take that threat seriously if he thought she could actually go through with it. There was a minute or two of silence, followed by keys clicking, followed by more silence.“The kids say he was last seen heading west on Blue Line North. Probably heading for the rail yards. He's going by rooftop, like the Bats do, so you'll find him up there.”

“Thanks Irey.” Wally smiled as his daughter signed off. He'd bring home some chili dogs for her.

He zipped off, running up a wall. At his speed, jumping the gaps between buildings was no sweat, and the roofs were almost as good a track as the street. He just had to be careful not to make too much noise. It wouldn't be good to startle the people trying to sleep in the rooms below him.

Wally had just passed the Littleneck bridge when he saw the distinctive red helmet, attached to the much less distinctive jacket and jeans. Red Hood was headed for the edge of a roof, jumping with a familiar flip and landing in a roll, using that momentum to get back on his feet and keep running. “Like the Bats do” indeed. Wally hadn't seen anyone outside the Gotham heroes who could do that so smoothly.

Racing ahead, he slowed down so Red Hood could see his approach. And see he did. He landed on another roof and came up in a defensive position, low to the ground with one fist raised in front of him, the other dropping to his thigh holster. Not touching it, Wally was pleased to see, but close enough to have the gun out in half a second if needed.

Not that it would ever come out fast enough if things got dicey. But Wally was really hoping that they wouldn't.

“I come in peace.” Coming to a stop with his hands raised and open was the best he could do to diffuse the tensions right now. “Seriously, I promise, I'm not here to take you to jail or anything. I just wanted to thank you.”

Red Hood twitched in surprise, but it was minuscule, controlled. “Thank me?” His voice was more than a little surprised.

“Yeah, for helping my daughter out that one time.” By this point, Wally was four steps away and Red Hood had nearly relaxed out of his crouch. Not fully relaxed; he would still be able to react if Wally pulled anything. “You bolted before I could thank you properly, so I'm doing it now.”

He let out a snort, which sounded weird through the voice modulation on his helmet. “What, and me being a mass murderer doesn't bother you?”

Wally crossed his arms, thinking. “It does, and next time I see you, I'll definitely take you in. But I promised my daughter I wouldn't, so today I'm not going to. I mean, I wasn't going to anyways. I really did track you down so I could thank you.”

“Huh.” With a quick shift in balance, Red Hood moved into a stance that looked completely at ease, but one Wally knew would still allow him to react fairly quickly. “Well, you're welcome. Gotta say though, you're the first person over the age of eighteen to thank me for anything in the past few years and it's really weirding me out.”

With a laugh, Wally leaned on an air conditioner. “Yeah, Iris said you didn't have many adult fans, even in Bludhaven.” Wally had been following that story, kind of. The months that Red Hood was gone – probably in the hospital – following Superman's uncharacteristic beat down, the violent crime rate had gone way up. The theories went flying, the crime rate was only up because Red Hood brought more trouble with him, like most capes did, that crooks were taking advantage of his absence to rule the Bludhaven underground, that the gang war that had started in the Projects had only happened because Red Hood killed the top brass in both and blamed the other. Which... that last one was probably true.

Red Hood snorted again. “Nope. They liked me for about a day and a half, and only to use as fodder against your Justice League.”

“Yeah.” He sighed. That particular media fallout had been brutal. “Sorry about that by the way. The media ripped you apart putting us back in the public's good books.”

“No problem. Not the first time I've been tossed under the bus. Oh, and by the way, you told me your daughter's name a minute ago. Isn't that supposed to be secret?”

Wally laughed again. “It would be, if she hadn't told you already. If I hadn't told you mine over the phone. I suppose I owe you another thank you.” For not spreading it around.

A careless shrug from Red Hood. “No reason to give you hero types more reason to come after me.” He didn't mention that if he did get arrested, he could use the information to bargain for his release, or get special treatment from other inmates. And if he did get arrested, but still kept quiet, jail would be hell on Earth. Every inmate would be gunning for that information. Wally didn't know what Red Hood would choose, but he would have to make sure the League had precautions put in place for both.

Because someday, someone would arrest Red Hood. Some hero would decide enough was enough and take him out. Or fail, bringing more heroes to Bludhaven to avenge his or her defeat. Honestly, Wally was surprised it hadn't happened already. “True. You're probably walking on thin enough ice in the community as is.”

Red Hood nodded, then gestured in the direction he'd been heading before Wally had stopped him. “Nice chat and all, but I was headed for something.” Wally gave him a look, which Red Hood noticed, of course. “Nothing lethal, probably, so don't get your tights in a bunch. There's a bunch of people in a warehouse planning on robbing a charity, so I'm going to break all their arms.”

Wally grumbled. “That's not much better.”

“Better than the charity getting robbed. The money from that goes to helping women in abusive situations, and it's one of the few clean ones in the city.” Red Hood shoved one hand in his pocket, the other lifting to wave goodbye. “If you're not going to stop me now, better take off. Some media dog might paint you as complicit otherwise.”

It was tempting, to run up and stop him. But he had promised Iris. And Red Hood said he wasn't going to kill anyone. Still. “Maybe only break one arm each?”

“We'll see Flash. Run along home before your daughter comes looking for you.”

Two days later, when Wally caved and looked up the arrest report, he spit out his coffee. Half of the potential charity robbers had both of their arms broken. The other half, one each.

Jason's night had been going pretty good. Right up until he saw some kid try and stop a mugging. With any other age group, he would be applauding the citizen for taking initiative. Good for them! But for whatever reason, the kids in this city thought it was a good idea to copy him and try and bust drug rings. He really needed to have a talk with them about that. And if that talk made him a hypocrite, well, at least he wasn’t a hypocrite with a bunch of dead kids on his hands.

For now though, he needed to stop this blonde kid from getting stabbed. Again.

He landed on one of the thugs, eliciting a startled “Shit! Fuck!” from the blonde girl. The man who had been getting mugged was busy cowering in the corner and probably couldn't be startled if Jason tried. He had to admit though, the girl was pretty good. Even with a deep cut in her shoulder, she was taking out thugs like it was her job. But her fighting style was more city dojo and less Bat-trained, so she was probably just some kid.

Finally, all of the thugs were lying on the floor groaning. The mugging victim had scarpered a while ago, so it was just the two of them standing. Jason was looking through his belt, and the girl was holding her arm and looking awkward. “Well. This was fun. I should probably g-”

“Crap.” Jason looked up at the girl. “Sorry, I forgot to restock my first aid stuff.” He crossed his arms as he thought. He'd been planning on taking the girl to a well lit rooftop somewhere, but without his first aid, that was not an option.

“No, really, I could just go.” She was from Gotham. Lower Gotham, judging from her accent. It was nice to hear again.

Jason frowned and walked a bit closer. “You have a hole in your shoulder. And trust me, those bleed a lot.” He sighed. “Look, if I take you back to my place to patch you up, are you going to rat me out to the cops? Because I just moved in and I like it.”

She snorted. “Pft. No. But really, I'm fine.”

Jason pulled off his helmet so she could see him raise an eyebrow at her. “The nearest hospital is a half hour walk, and trust me, you'll bleed out long before then. It's a five minute swing to my place, so come on. I promise I won't assault you if that's what you're worried about.” It was a legitimate concern, and if he thought that was the problem, he would just go to his apartment and bring stuff back. But she hadn't reacted when he'd moved closer, so he'd rather not risk her bleeding out while she waited. Still, he held out his hand and waited for her to take it. When she did, he pulled her in close and told her to hold on tight.

Five minutes later, they were at his apartment. He dropped her on the sofa – leather and black, so blood wiped off and didn't stain – then went to the fridge for juice. “Drink that, you'll need the fluids,” he said as he grabbed his medkit from behind the couch. Not a good idea to keep it too far away, especially when he couldn't find the energy to walk to the bathroom and back. The girl had already peeled off her coat. Luckily, she was wearing a tank top, so she didn't have to take off her shirt as well.

“So,” he ventured as he injected some pain killers into her arm, “what's your name?”

She seemed a little reluctant to answer, but eventually she said, “Steph. Stephanie Brown. What's yours?” Something about the name sounded familiar.

Jason just smiled, wrinkling his nose at the smell of the antiseptic. “Red Hood. But you can call me Red.”

Steph sat quietly for a few minutes while Jason worked. And while he worked, he started thinking up all the fun ways he was going to utterly destroy whoever had hurt this girl. She had almost as many scars as he did, and it looked like they were the result of torture. Recent too. Not much more than a year, year and a half.

“Is it true you were the second Robin?” She asked finally, breaking into his plans. “I mean, it's cool if you don't want to tell me.”

Jason tugged the last stitch through and tied off. “Yup. In the flesh.” He grabbed some bandages from his kit and started wrapping her injury.

“Hm.” She waited while he secured the bandages, using the excess as a sling. “I'm not here for long, just visiting for the weekend. Not really how I planned to spend it.”

“Yeah, getting stabbed will normally knock out your weekend plans.” He sat back, pulling her coat back on and buttoning it over top of her arm. “That's what happens when you try and fight crime without being ready though. I really need to sit you kids down and have a chat with you.” Jason sighed. The Red Kids, the ones who tried to copy him, do what he did, normally scattered when he jumped down. They knew he didn't want them fighting, but they refused to listen to his reasons why. “Oh well. Problems for another day. Do you have my number?”

She shook her head, so he grabbed a card from his belt and handed it over. Then she grabbed a pencil and his note paper from the coffee table and wrote her number down on it as well. “So you can call me. And make sure you do call me. I'm from Gotham, I know how you people work.”

Jason snorted. “Sure thing.” If it was an emergency.

Steph just rolled her eyes and stood up, pulling on her coat as she did. “Are you going to take me back down, or do I have to take the stairs?”

“No, the stairs are being renovated. I'll take you down.”

He put her down on the ground and then followed from the rooftops to make sure she got home safe. And then he went home and plugged in his flash drive for the first time since the hospital.

AN: Sorry this took so long! For more Flashes in Bludhaven, this chapter is your friend.

Oh hey, it’s that flash drive again. Weird. I wonder what he’s looking up on there? Mystery.

Read and enjoy you wonderful people! Loxie out!

[wildwildwasteland]

frankly still mad that the fallout show was like. not so good. because lucy and max are probably the first good characters in the setting since fnv and their weird4weird energy deserved more

[wildwildwasteland]

Like I WANTED to like the Ghoul so bad! But then he had to be a fucking pompous misanthrope designed from the ground up to channel prepubescent insecurity

[wildwildwasteland]

post-stream review of eps 3+4 : listen im having a fun time with this show but the Ghoul Man is so fucking annoying!! he's literally always saying some reddit/4chan ass quip about radiation or human nature like sir please just shut UPPP

[wildwildwasteland]

Finished the Fallout show and. Listen I'm ignoring the New Vegas shit since y'all will call me biased but that last episode was a trainwreck without any of that.

Turning on the fucking sodastream for unlimited power while Kyle MacLachlan desperately tries to explain everything while carrying the emotional weight of the scene single-handedly on his back

Anyway :)

[wildwildwasteland]

anyway im only going to post on it about once a week since that's the pace im watching show with friends but if you don't wanna see me be a cunt about the ghoul or whatever then blacklist fallout tv twitch chat. im using that in case fallout tv is the main tag or someth