#i’ll never get over jason being the oldest sorry

[scaryscarecrows]

Antoine doesn’t bother knocking. He hasn’t for years and he’s not about to start now. Besides, his hands are full. It’s all he can do to open the door in the first place.

No one’s in the hall, but he’s stolen from the kitchen enough times to know where it is. It’s in the back of the house, next to the dining room–

“Who the Hell–”

“Shit–”

Once the mutual flailing and terror stops (and the tart is unharmed!) he realizes the person he about walked into is just Dove.

…

She looks exhausted. He’s not surprised, given all that’s happened, but she really does look terrible; dark circles for days and the painful sallow color from not sleeping. He probably doesn’t look much better, though, so he keeps his mouth shut and holds out the tart in apology.

“My sister sent this over,” he says, like he didn’t almost just die of fright. “I guess the pear trees were a little overzealous this season.”

“I’ll thank her when I see her,” Dove says, sounding like she also almost just died of fright. “Come on, you can put it in the kitchen.”

The kitchen hasn’t changed. He remembers being ten years old and sneaking in here to grab fruit–or better, cookies–off the counter. The cabinets had seemed high, then, high enough that he and Jason had had to carefully sneak chairs in to get into them (and been caught more than once). Now, it’s just a matter of reaching up and pulling one open.

He sets the tart down and swipes an apple from the bowl (he’s had enough pears in the last four days to see him through the season, he will swear on that). Before he can bite into it to lay claim, Dove’s pulled him into a hug.

“It’s good you made it back,” she says roughly. “I didn’t see you at first and with Jason–” Yeah. With Jason. “Thank God you made it back.”

Some days, he’s not sure he did. He wakes up to squeaking so loud he’d swear they were in the house, to horses screaming in fear and to the overwhelming scent of blood.

He hugs her back all the same, wishing he could be ten again.

“How’s Jay?” he asks her, once he’s bitten into his apple. Easier to have the grounding apple flavor for this, because the last time he and Jason had any sort of conversation, Jason had been busy dying and making him promise to tell Dove m’sorry, m’so sorry, she was right, I never…

It wasn’t pretty, that’s all.

“Better,” she says. “A bit. The doctor thinks he’ll be all right.” It’s something. He’ll take it. “You can go poke your head in, if you want. If he’s asleep, out, but you can say hi if he’s not.”

“I think I’ll do that.”

“Only for a minute!” she calls after him, and yeah, sure, only for a minute.

He’s not asleep. He’s lying in bed, obviously, but he’s awake, looking at the fire with a closed book on his chest. He’s pale and his breathing is still rough and for one awful minute, all Antoine can think is that they never made it home, that they’re still in the damn woods and that he’s stuck here watching his oldest friend die over his stupid fucking heroics and–

S’okay. S’okay.

Antoine raps on the frame and informs Jason, because somebody should, “You look like complete shit.”

“Choke, asshole,” Jason says, but he’s grinning anyway. “How’d you get here?”

“Dove let me.” He pulls the desk chair out enough so he can fling his boots onto the footboard. “My sister sent over a pear tart.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re busy almost dying and she wanted to give Dove a break.” Jason throws a scrap of yarn at him. It…doesn’t even reach the foot of the bed, to be honest. “So she told me, ‘he’s your stupid friend, you take it over’, like it’s somehow my fault you got stabbed.”

“Your sister scares me.” Jason levers himself upright and stacks his pillows behind him. “The army should take her, this would all be over by next Tuesday.”

“It would.” Now that he’s sitting up, he looks…well, he doesn’t look better, but he looks less dead. “How the hell are you still alive?”

“God and the Devil are fighting over who has to take me,” is the flippant reply, like his face isn’t still creased with pain. “You didn’t run into any trouble, did you? With the kids?”

It had been a silent, frantic push. The girl–Amicia–had managed to get it together well enough, for the most part, but her brother had been a little more upset. Fair enough, he’s what, eight?

What kind of monster hunts down a eight year-old?

“Nah,” he says, realizing belatedly that he hasn’t answered, even though they had this conversation before. Jason was…really, really not okay, though, so. “Nah, didn’t even see a deer.”

The fire snaps and they both flinch, Jason’s hand going out to where his sword’s been for two years and Antoine reaching back on instinct for an arrow he doesn’t have– shit–

Just the fire. Just the fire. Not the rats, it’s not…

They’d both accepted, mostly, that there was a very real possibility of dying horribly when they left home. They’d agreed to that. What they hadn’t agreed to, what nobody had agreed to, was the possibility of being eaten alive by swarms of rats.

Here, now, it seems insane. Rats swarming over a grown man in full armor and eating him in seconds? Preposterous. He’s only brought it up once, to his sister, the night he got back. They’d both had a bit to drink and even then, she hadn’t really believed him.

Jason goes slack, breathing hard, and murmurs, “I don’t want it out, but I could do without the sudden noises.”

That’s the thing, isn’t it. Every little darting shadow, or sudden noise, and he’s straightening up and straining to see any place at all where the damn things could get in. And as terrible as it is, he’s glad he’s not the only one.

“Did Dove believe you?”

“Not really. I didn’t…she’s already upset. ‘Cause of me.” He gestures towards his stomach. “I didn’t push it.”

“Honestly, it’s probably for the best,” Antoine admits. “We thought we’d brought you home to bury you.”

“What about you? You share any fun stories?”

“My sister’s skeptical, and I don’t want my nephew hearing anything, so. I let it go.”

They fall silent. Jason returns his attention to the fire, breathing slowly. Antoine sighs, settles into the chair a little more, and tries to remember what it was like not to panic at sudden noises.

He can’t.

“Yknow,” Jason says suddenly, “I could still die.”

“Shut up.”

“No, no, no. Listen. Somebody sent muffins over yesterday, I know they’re down there. But I can’t exactly make it downstairs on my own.”

“Don’t involve me.”

“Think of the guilt you’d suffer if I up and keel without having one.”

Honestly, he wouldn’t. However, depending on where the muffins came from, they could be worth swiping.

“Fine,” he grumbles. “But if I get caught, I’m dragging you down with me.”

THE END

[powerosewaterpuff]

YO ITS ME AGAIN , so um , some fear gas content in your au please , like fear gased dick and big bro jason comfort him

i genuinely have no excuse as to why this is so late, but oh my god school has been up my ass lately and i haven’t been able to get back into the groove of writing so I took this as an opportunity to build on that a bit. so tysm for the prompt! i rlly rly appreciate it hehe and again this had no excuse to be as late as it was ngl. but again this is my robin reversal au with jason being the oldest (i cant think of a good early hero name though ugh!) and dick being younger than him so enjoy! also so dick isn’t officially robin (he only does that when jason dies), but the persona still exists and he will join on major missions but bruce still has him in training so casual patrols are a no unless they have no other option for back up yk?

tw// there’s a slight mention of needles! it’s super short but i wanna be on the safe side as well as mild mention of cuts and scratches!

it took prodding. begging. and absolutely pleading to get bruce to agree to let jason and dick patrol together on their own. dick and or robin was not a constant on patrols with jason and bruce, as bruce wanted to ensure dick was fully equppied and trained before rushing into the field. it didn’t matter how much dick whined, or complained, or did as twice as many flipping kicks in training, the answer was always a solid no unless supervised or it was necessary. so it was a massive stretch to assume that bruce would agree to let them patrol together. they were practically in shock as bruce gave a nod after a few moments of silence. he even surprised himself. maybe it was the puppy eyed stare (mostly dick), or the reassurances that alfred would be on their comms the entire time, or even the full promise by jason that everything would be alright, but something made bruce say yes. more field training would be more than beneficial for dick anyways, (and that bright smile his youngest gave him and tight squeeze of a hug from his eldest didn’t hurt either).

the only promise jason was going to be able to fulfil was that scarecrow was going to rue the fucking day he decided to rear his ugly face out of arkham. it didn’t matter that bruce was beating the living shit out of him, holding no punches. jason was still brimming with rage. he hopped rooftop to rooftop, whipping his head around wildly as he searched for a fear gassed blur of neon colours. he wished he had been fucking a nanosecond faster, to reach out and pull dick from the blast of fear gas that swam through his nose and induced him in this fucking crazed frenzy. dick had just taken off his mask, right as jason was telling him to wait before bruce gave them the signal, and now jason was scouring the streets of gotham trying to find his brother. (he was going to fucking break scarecrow’s face, if bruce hadn’t already)

jason’s life was never one attributed with luck, it seemed like every possible slot in his pile was stacked firmly against him. except for when out of the corner of his vision he saw a stumbling mesh of a yellow cape climb onto a roof to his left. jason, took this as his initiative to attempt to stealthily sneak up next to dick, using his dark costume as an advantage.

he crept gently over to the building as he saw dick stumble onto his knees and he winced a bit as blood began to trickle down dick’s leg from the gashes beginning to form. dick was looking around wildly, almost in a desperate search for something. now, jason would’ve waited. he should’ve waited. bruce has drilled into his mind that dealing with victims of fear gas had to be done as meticulously and carefully as possible. dick shouldn’t have been any different, jason was able to hold to hold himself back. or he should’ve been able to.

it wasn’t until he saw dick scream out for his mother in a guttural rasp and leap towards the railings of the rooftop, did jason feel his legs take off as he stretched out, and managed to secure an arm around dick firmly. dick screeched even louder, wailing for his mother as he dug his nails into jason’s arms. jason gritted his teeth tightly but held on, because fuck that hurt. dick struggled and pushed, stamping his foot against jason’s leg and attempting to squirm out of his hold. but jason held on.

jason began attempting to reason with dick, he leaned his head down and gently placed it against dick’s. he murmured a bunch of fucking nothing as dick sobbed his throat raw. jason leaned closer to dick’s ear as dick began to shake in fear rather than anger and shut his eyes tight.

“dick? it’s jason, it’s just me. we’re on some fucking rooftop somewhere, and you are safe. okay? i’m holding you, and you’re safe, nothing is going to happen. bruce is gonna be here soon, and everything is going to be okay. i know you’re seeing god knows what, but i’m gonna get you out of this alright? i-i promise.”

jason couldn’t say he wasn’t dumbfounded when dick stopped angrily squirming around and began pressing his face into jason’s chest, with fat tears streaming down his face as he let out a wet sob. jason hesitantly wrapped his slightly bleeding arms around dick even tighter, curling up around him as he tried to push out the sound of dick’s sobs. he was never exactly good at dealing with dicks tears, he hated them so fucking much.

it didn’t take long for batman to arrive on the scene, but it was a scene he didn’t exactly like. his oldest son was cradling his youngest son as he heaved and sobbed. bruce silently stalked over, tapping jason on the shoulder as he waved his hands quietly, indicating that he could take dick off of his hands. jason was, not surprisingly, hesitant. (that untrustful hesitance was something, no matter how far jason did with his recovery, would always exist. that need to protect himself, or anyone he could care about no matter who it was against. that deeply rooted and innate need for self preservation, it marred jason’s soul with broad brush strokes. fading, but never leaving. )

jason almost shook himself into realization, realizing it was batman who was standing in front of him, and not someone of possible harm. he slowly unfurled his arms around dick, but was once again left dumbfounded when dick gripped onto the back of his uniform even tighter. the once muffled sobs got louder as dick desperately tried to hold onto jason. jason felt bruce’s stare, fucking digging into him, but he found himself not caring as he quickly curled back around dick. rocking back and forth, not bothering with the useless platitudes but keeping a firm lock on the back of dick’s neck and his waist. he peered up at batman and caught his gaze, and with a hushed agreement, they nodded at each other.

jason looped his arms around dick’s legs, his face twisting into a deeply set frown as dick’s sobs began morphing into hacking coughs, harsh and volatile. he managed to get himself standing upright as he pressed a kiss onto dick’s tear stained check, whilst still rubbing his back. the pain of others always had physically manifestions on jason. he fucking hated it. his mother would be splayed out on the couch, muttering incoherent fucking nonsense and jason would feel bile sting at the back of his throat, almost tempting him to kneel over and lurch as his body shook violently. and now, hearing dick’s fragmented breaths and shaky sobs, he felt like doing just that.

it had taken an effort, to get jason and dick safely off of the roof, and at the end bruce opted into scooping jason up who had dick clinging onto him like a koala, and simply carrying them both into the batmobile. alfred has already been long informed of the situation and had been able to promptly prepare an antidote that would be ready for their arrival. that did not mean, of course, that dick was compliant in taking the antidote. it took shushing and holding and soft whispers to get him to stop squirming enough for the needle to safely prick through his skin. alfred had opted to use little superman stickers afterwards, they were always dick’s favourite.

it had taken a while for dick to become conscious again, as alfred had added just a touch of sedatives to the antidote. just to help dick relax. when he did wake up, the world around him looking slightly fuzzy around the corners, he found himself encased in two sets of arms. was he in bruce’s bed? dick attempted to sit up but was met with a hand in his face pushing him back down, he turned his head to the side to be met with hazy lime green eyes and a lazy smile.

“dickie, sleep. now. you’ll wake up bruce— dont look at me like that he’s a light sleeper and you fucking know it. now go back to sleep, we’ll talk in the morning.”

“I just woke up though, why am I going back to slee-.”

“sh. your voice is too loud this early in the morning.”

“you’re so annoyin—and get your hand off of me!”

“make me—slapping my hand isn’t doing anything, bud.”

“shut up. i didn’t ask.”

“you’re still not making me”

“i’ll kick you.”

“do it. c’mon. do it right now.”

“fine—stop pinching my cheeks, jay! ow, ow, ow.”

“stop kicking me, then i’ll stop pinching.”

“that’s not fair! who made you the king of rules, assh-.”

“boys.”

“sorry bruce.”

“i’m sorry, B.”

“i’ll whoop your ass tomorrow.”

“I’d like to see you try, you old sack of bones.”

and with a roll of the eyes, a feathery soft kiss was pressed into dick’s forehead. a soft smile curled at dicks lips afterwards, a warm fire nestling in his heart drove the lingering hazy darkness away. dick nuzzled closer into the bed sheets as the two sets of arms encasing him only held on tighter. all curled under the fluffy bedsheets as the morning sun began to rise on the horizon, seeping through the cracks of the dark curtains as a kaleidoscope of colours painted the early morning sky.

fin.

i rlly should’ve made this longer with a little more detail but i haven’t gotten back into the groove of creative writing yet so take this with a grain of salt lmao. but anywho tysm for reading and tysm for the prompt! again i rlly wanna get back into creative writing so hopefully i’ll written sm shit? hopefully? maybe? idk? but again tysm for reading and i am so so sorry for how long this took :]!!

[once-upon-an-imagine]

There Are Worse Things I Could Do (Chapter Two) - Eddie Munson

A/N: aaahhh I have no idea how this happened but I’m happy it did and how it turned out! thank you to everyone who showed some love to this story, I hope you keep enjoying it :) 

Warnings: bullying and reader being treated badly by ex (Jason) and former friends, reader falls off her bike and gets hurt (Jason’s fault) and I think that’s it but please let me know if I miss anything

Disclaimer: I don’t own Stranger Things :D gif isn’t mine :)

Your name: submit What is this?

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

There Are Worse Things I Could Do

Even though the neighborhood Thinks I’m trashy and no good I suppose it could be true But there are worse things I could do

“Hello?” Steve asked. “Hey, monkey, are you even listening to me?” he asked, standing in front of you, making you spill some of your cereal. “Jesus, what’s wrong with you today, kid?”

“What? Uh, n-nothing” you insisted.

“Really? What did I just say?”

“I don’t know, something about having sex with Linda-”

“Brenda-”

“Brenda! That’s what I said” you insisted. “Look, I’m sorry if I lost track of the girls that you have been dating, Steve, I just have a couple of things on my mind” you told him.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing” I had a dream about Eddie Munson last night. “I just… Nancy asked if I could help with the yearbook this year” you said. It wasn’t entirely a lie.

“Well, that sounds really cool” Steve smiled.

“Yeah, it is” you smiled nervously. “A-and I was thinking maybe I could… use mom’s camera?”

“No!” Steve instantly said, standing up and bringing his empty plate to the sink.

“Why not? It’s just sitting there, Steve-”

“It is one of the few things that we have left of mom and you are one of the clumsiest people that I know! Why can’t you just use one at the school?”

“But I would be really careful with it” you insisted, getting up yourself. “How come you get to decide-?”

“Because I’m the oldest and dad’s not here-”

“Dad’s never here” you rolled your eyes.

“Well, if he were, he wouldn’t let you take it either, so” he sighed. “Just go get ready okay, I’ll drop you off-”

“No, I’ll ride my bike” you said, upset.

“Oh, come on-”

“What? You don’t think my clumsy self is capable of riding my bike to school?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, just let me drive you-”

“I’m good! Have fun with Linda tonight” you said, walking to the door.

“Brenda!”

“THAT’S WHAT I SAID!” you yelled, slamming the door behind you.

You sighed frustrated and went over to get your bike. Maybe it would help to clear your head.

Things at school kept getting worse every single day. You wanted to tell Steve, but you felt embarrassed about it. He always loved to brag about how great it was when he was there and you just didn’t want to let him down somehow. Also, the fact that you kept thinking about Eddie Munson, so much that you even dreamt about him last night, wasn’t helping. You hadn’t really talked to him since the day he found you in the bathroom, but for some reason, you longed for him to talk to you every single time you saw him. You tried to tell yourself that it was because he was the only nice person to you in the school, who’s not doing it because of Steve, but sometimes you wondered if it meant something more. You were so distracted that you didn’t notice a car coming behind you and rear-ending you, making you fall on the sidewalk when you were almost at the school parking lot.

“Sorry, Harrington” you heard Jason’s voice. “Didn’t see you there” he laughed.

“Jason!” you heard Chrissy’s voice inside before she got out of the car. “Are you alright?”

“I’m f-fine, Chrissy” you said, smiling weakly at her.

“Chrissy, come on, babe, get back here” you heard Jason yell from his car.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure, Chris” you nodded.

“Okay” she said, unconvincingly. “See you at school?”

“Sure” you smiled weakly at her.

You quickly grabbed your bag and opened it, making sure that nothing happened to the camera. The camera Steve had just told you not to take because you were extremely clumsy. The camera that belonged to your mom and was in fact one of the few things that you had left from her. But, thankfully, it was okay.

“(Y/N)?” you lifted your head to see Lucas standing there on his bike. “Are you alright?”

“Lucas” you smiled, getting up. “Hi” you said, cleaning yourself up. “Yes, I’m fine, I was just distracted and I fell-”

“I saw it” Lucas told you.

“What?” you asked, pretending to be confused. “What are you talking about?”

“I saw Jason hitting you with his car” he said.

“It was… an accident… I think” you smiled unconvincingly as the two of you started walking with your bikes towards the parking lot.

“Look, I understand that you and Jason broke up, but why is he being such an asshole to you?”

“He’s an asshole to everyone” you chuckled.

“Not like this” he said, pointing at your leg, which was now bleeding. “And the things he’s saying-”

“What things?” you asked, already knowing the answer.

But you dreaded the fact that these kids would hear them. The kids that you took care of. The innocent kids that you tried to protect from the horrible world because they were all so pure and innocent.

“J-just” Lucas sighed. “Stupid things that are obviously not true” he assured you. “Have you told Steve about this?”

“No! And you’re not going to either, okay? I can handle Jason just… I know you’re on the basketball team now, and I’m really happy for you, Lucas” you smiled up at him. “Just please promise me you won’t change the amazing person that you are and you won’t become one of them” you smiled nervously.

“I promise” Lucas said, sticking out his finger and making you laugh a little.

You loved these kids. Whenever they were little and you let them have more ice cream than you should have or you let them stay past their curfew, you taught them the value of a pinky swear and why they should never break it. To this day, whenever one of them made a promise to you, they would pinky swear.

“Thank you, Lucas” you said, linking your pinky with him before hugging him. “Now go. Don’t be late for class” you said, pulling away.

As he walked away you heard loud music approaching and you saw Eddie’s van coming into the parking lot at full speed. You saw him getting down and you decided that you were being stupid. Eddie was a nice guy, you had no reason to avoid him, really, so today you would talk to him. You really just wanted to talk to someone who would be nice enough to talk back to you.

“Princess” he said, nodding his head towards you as he walked to school.

“Hi, Eddie” you replied, locking your bike. When he walked past you, he returned.

“What happened to you?”

“Excuse me?” you asked, confused.

“You’re bleeding” he said, looking at your knees.

“Oh, r-right” you said, feeling your cheeks burning a little. “I um… fell off my bike” you told him. It wasn’t a lie exactly.

“How were you a cheerleader, jumping around the air and everything, but yet, you can fall down walking on a flat surface?” he mocked you.

“Hey! That’s not true” you laughed.

“Want me to walk you to the nurses’ office?” he asked when you heard the bell ring.

“No, you can’t be late for class” you smiled at him.

“I can be a little-”

“No! You’re graduating this year, Munson! With me, so go to class” you instructed him before you started walking to the nurses’ office.

“Whatever you say, princess” he smirked, walking in the other direction.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

“Miss Harrington” Mr. Mundy said, as you entered the class. “So nice of you to finally join us” he said sarcastically.

“Um… sorry, I had an accident before school” you said quietly, handing him the note. “I had to go to the nurses' office” you said, hearing someone snort loudly and trying to laugh quietly.

You turned to see Jason and his friends on one side of the class. Eddie quickly picked up where you were looking and he felt his fist clenching at the sight of those shitheads.

“Fine… go take your seat” Mr. Mundy said, unimpressed. You walked over to the other side of the class where there was one empty seat. In front of Eddie. You smiled quickly at him before taking your seat. “So, as I was saying, you will be working in partners for this next project. You can choose your partner now and start working on it for the rest of the class since it’s going to take you a couple of weeks to finish it” he instructed and you heard most of the class groan in annoyance.

This was it, you thought. This was your chance to talk to Eddie and maybe even spend more time with him. Besides, he was the only one in this class who would talk to you, so he was pretty much the only choice you had. You turned around to face him with a small smile.

“Hey-” Eddie started.

“Hi-” you said at the same time. Both of you laughed a little. “Uh… you go first” you told him. Eddie just spaced out, lost in you smiling at him. “Um… Eddie?”

“Yeah” he snapped out. “Oh, well, Harrington I was thinking… since you're like the only tolerable person in this class and, you don't have any friends anymore” he said, and you glared at him a little. “Would you uh… like to be… my partner?”

“Are you always this charming, Munson?” you smirked.

“Only for you, princess” he winked at you and you hoped he didn’t notice your cheeks burning.

“Well, I was uh… actually going to ask you the same thing” you admitted.

“Really?” Eddie asked, feeling excited.

“Well yeah, I mean, I don’t have friends anymore and you seem to be the only person to talk to me, so… I guess that makes you the only other tolerable person in the class” you smiled.

“Well, it looks like we have no choice” he said, making you laugh.

You then felt a small ball of paper hitting your head. You rolled your eyes, knowing exactly where it came from and seeing that Eddie was tossed a similar one. You opened the paper and saw the word ‘FREACK!’ written on it. You then looked at Eddie’s and saw it had the word ‘HORE!’

“Um, I believe that one’s mine” you said, grabbing the piece of paper from his hand, but he pulled it away.

“How do you know? Maybe these pants I’m wearing are too revealing. I am showing all kinds of knee” he said, putting his knee up, displaying his ripped jeans, and making you laugh a little. “And… you are actually a freak, I mean you eat ice cream when it’s like 10° outside, what is up with that?”

“How do you even know that?” you chuckled.

“You don’t remember? That stupid rally or whatever we had to do for the stupid basketball team and we had to sell food? You were the only one eating ice cream because it was like 10° outside” he laughed.

You had no idea how Eddie could do this. If you would have gotten this by yourself, it would probably just made you feel horrible about yourself. Even if the word was misspelled. But Eddie just made it seem like… it didn’t matter.

You grabbed the paper from his hands and wrote the ‘W’ in front of the word. You then grabbed yours and crossed out the ‘C’ on it. You then made them little paper balls again and tossed yours to Jason and Eddie’s to Andy. They both stopped laughing when you did.

“There’s no ‘c’ in freak” you said, looking at Andy. “And whore has a ‘w’ in it” you smirked. “Learn to spell” you said, annoyed, before your attention went back to Eddie.

Jason and Andy quickly stood up, forgetting they were in class for a second.

“Mr. Carver, do you and your partner have any questions?” Mr. Mundy asked, making the boys stop glaring at you and Eddie and look back at their teacher.

“No, sir” he said, trying to remain calm. “I was just going to ask miss Harrington if she needed any help since I know she’s terrible at Math” he smirked, making some of the people around you laugh and you felt your cheeks burning a little.

“She doesn’t” you heard Eddie’s voice. “She’s got me as a partner, so, she should be fine” he said, glaring at Jason.

“You?” Jason chuckled. “The freak that has been stuck as a senior for over two years-?”

“Yes” Eddie smirked. “It shouldn’t surprise you, really since it’s what my little satanic game is all about, you think we could make sacrifices without Math?”

“Mr. Munson, Mr. Carver, that’s enough” Mr. Munday said. “Get back to work, I don’t want to hear another word out of you two” he said, turning back to the board. Jason threw one last glare your way before going back to seat with Andy.

“Thank you, Eddie” you said, quietly when he sat back down.

“Don’t mention it, princess” he smiled at you. “And I promise I really am good at Math” he assured you. “I mean this isn’t the class why I haven’t graduated” he told you.

“Well, I would assume so, with you being the Dungeon Master and all” you smiled at him, making him blush a little.

“How do you know I am Dungeon Master?” he asked, liking a little too much how it sounded coming from you.

“I have my ways” you smiled back at him.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

“Hey, (Y/N)!” you heard behind you and you found Dustin and Mike walking towards you.

“Hi guys” you smiled. “How are you?”

“Awesome! Eddie is planning this new campaign for D&D that is supposed to be the best one yet” Mike said, excitedly.

“Cool” you smiled. “Hey, do you guys think I could get some pictures of the Hellfire Club for the yearbook? I know usually Eddie doesn’t like it but, I mean you are a club and-”

“I didn’t know you were in the yearbook” Dustin told you.

“Yes! Nancy just asked if I could help with some pictures” you said excitedly, taking out your camera. “I’ve taken a couple of good pictures so far, I think I can-”

You were interrupted when you felt a ball hitting you on the back, making you trip and drop your camera to the floor, breaking it in two, followed by something cold running down your back.

“Shit!” you heard Mike's voice.

“Shit! Are you okay?” Dustin asked, kneeling to help you up while Mike picked up the camera.

You got up with his and Mike’s help as you heard the laughter behind you. You turned around and saw the ball next to you and the now empty glass of soda that had drenched your shirt. You then turned your attention to the guys not far from you. You saw Jason, Andy, and Chance laughing at you.

“Sorry Harrington, didn’t see you there” Andy laughed. “Could you pass me the ball?”

You felt like your hands shaking, seeing the ball and your now ruined camera in Mike’s hands. You slowly grabbed the ball and glared back at them.

“Don’t hurt yourself, sweetheart” Jason mocked you.

You threw the basketball with all your force. And then, you heard it. The guys’ smiles dropped off their faces when you heard a loud crash and you noticed the ball had crashed against the windshield of Jason’s car. Right in the middle, making the cracks go everywhere. In all honesty, you were aiming at Jason’s head, but your aim had always been horrible.

“Holy shit!” Mike said, smirking.

“WHAT THE FUCK, HARRINGTON?!”

“Did you just-?” Dustin with the same smirk as Mike. Jason and his friends turned to look at you and you knew that you were done for.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” you muttered, grabbing both Dustin and Mike and starting to run away when you saw the basketball team running your way. “Oh my God!”

“YOU FUCKING BITCH! I’M GONNA KILL YOU!”

You had no idea where to run and then, out of nowhere, you saw Eddie’s van stop right in front of the three of you and the back door opening.

“Get in!” he yelled and Dustin quickly did so with Mike behind him. You looked at him and back at Jason, who was running to you with Andy and Chance behind him.

“DO NOT GET ON THAT FUCKING CAR, HARRINGTON!”

“Harrington, get in!” Eddie shouted at you. This time, you quickly did and Mike helped you inside before Eddie sped up and drove out of the parking lot so fast, it made you fall back with Dustin and Mike.

“Holy shit! That was fucking awesome!” Dustin said, laughing.

“No, it wasn’t!” you said, getting up.

“Actually, yes, it was, princess, it was fucking badass!” Eddie said, looking back at you three.

"I broke his windshield!" you panicked a little.

"Yeah, but he deserved it" Mike said. "He threw the ball at you and broke your camera!"

"And what the fuck else did they throw at you? Why are you purple?" Eddie asked.

"Ugh, is grape soda, it's Andy's favorite" you said, rolling your eyes.

"There's uh… a shirt there in the back if you want it" he said, clearing his throat. "It's a Hellfire shirt but... better than to be purple and sticky" he offered.

"Um, sure, thanks" you said, grabbing the shirt not far from you.

"Why do you have an extra Hellfire shirt? Do we have a new member?" Mike asked, confused.

"Nope" Eddie sighed. "Sinclair never came to pick up his" he told them.

"What?!" Dustin asked, upset.

"Um, could you guys… uh… turn around?" you asked and Mike and Dustin quickly looked to the front giving you some privacy.

You turned your back to them and took off your sticky shirt as quickly as you could, grabbing the Hellfire shirt.

"Ehem" Dustin cleared his throat when he noticed Eddie glancing at you through the rearview mirror and he quickly looked away.

"Looks like it fits" you said, turning around. "Thanks" you told Eddie.

"Looks good on you" Eddie winked at you through the mirror.

It wasn’t long before Eddie parked his van in front of Dustin’s house.

“Thanks, Eddie, see you tomorrow” Dustin said, getting down with Mike.

“Hey, guys wait” you called them. “Can you uh… not say anything about this to Steve?” you asked. “About Jason’s car or… the uh… camera?” you asked, sadly, placing it back in your bag.

“Uh, yeah, sure” Mike smiled.

“Pinky swear?” you said, striking out your pinky. Mike and Dustin looked at each other and linked their pinkies with yours without hesitation.

“Of course, pinky swear” Dustin assured you.

“Pinky swear” Mike repeated.

“Thanks, guys” you smiled. “See you tomorrow” you told them.

“Really? You made them pinky swear?” Eddie chuckled as you moved to the front seat and he drove off Dustin’s house.

“Well, in case you weren’t aware, Munson, I’ve known these kids since they were little and I taught them the value of a pinky swear” you smirked and he just laughed a little.

“You okay?” he asked.

“You mean after the fact that I broke a car’s window?”

“Is not like Carver didn’t deserve it” he told you. “If I had been there I probably would have thrown it to his face and break his nose” he laughed and noticed you look away. “You were aiming for his face, weren’t you?”

“It’s not my fault that I don’t have the best aim” you chuckled.

“You’re pretty badass, Harrington, I’m not gonna lie” he smiled.

“Thanks” you smiled back.

“So, where do I drop you off?” he asked, nicely.

“Oh, r-right” you said, feeling stupid. “You probably have better things to do” you chuckled.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that” Eddie said, cursing himself silently. “I mean, I just wasn’t sure if you had something to do or-”

“I don’t” you said, quickly. “And… to be honest I don’t really want to go home” you muttered.

“Well then, I don’t know about you, but I am starving” he told you. “Would you like to try the best cheeseburger in the world?”

“Wait, the best one?” you asked, mocking him a little and he nodded. “Well, I cannot say no to that” you said. “Just one question… do they have milkshakes?”

“Of course they do, princess” he smirked.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Soon enough, you were somewhere in the middle of the woods, sitting on the roof of Eddie’s van, with a milkshake, french fries and, you had to admit, the best cheeseburger you had ever tried.

“Oh my God” you said, with your mouth full and a big smile, making Eddie laugh.

He had never seen you so… carefree. You always seemed so perfect, not even a hair out of place. And now, here you were, wearing a Hellfire shirt, with your hair trying to not be as messy as it looked after being hit with a grape soda, and your mouth painted with ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise all over you. If he was being honest, you had never seen more beautiful than right now.

“It’s good, huh?” he said, taking a bite of his cheeseburger himself.

“Good? This is the best cheeseburger I’ve had in my entire life!” you said, taking another bite.

“I’m glad you liked it, princess” he said, as you cleaned yourself up with a napkin.

You had no idea what it was about Eddie that made you feel so relaxed. Like you could be yourself around him and you were sure he wouldn’t judge you.

“Hey, um… I don’t think I thanked you for helping me today” you said, turning serious.

“You don’t have to thank me-”

“Yes, I do” you interrupted him. “You stood up for me in Math and then you basically helped me escape a crime scene” you chuckled. “And I just… thank you” you told him.

“You’re welcome, princess” he smiled.

“You know, you're not what I thought you'd be like” you told him.

“What? Mean and scary?”

“Yeah” you admitted. “I mean... more like intimidating” you explained.

“Yeah, well, I actually thought you'd be kinda mean and scary too” he told you.

“Me?”

“Yeah, terrifying” he mocked you.

“Shut up, Munson” you laughed. “I like hanging out with you” you said, all of the sudden, making Eddie blush a little.

“Y-you do?”

“Yeah” you told him. “I’m sorry we didn’t hung out sooner” you admitted.

“What are you talking about? This isn't the first time that we've, um… hung out” he said.

“No?” you asked confused.

“You don't remember?”

“I'm sorry. I-”

“That's okay. I wouldn't remember me either, princess” he said before he punched himself in the chest and fell backwards.

“Eddie!” you laughed.

“Honestly, you don't remember me?” he asked, sitting back up.

“I'm sorry” you said, guiltily.

“Middle school, talent show. You were doing this cheer thing You know, the… the thing you do” he said, waving his hands as if he had pom-poms. “It was pretty cool, actually. And I… I was with my band-”

“Oh my God! Corroded Coffin!”

“Corro- you do remember?” he asked, impressed.

“Oh my God! Yes, of course. With a name like that, how could I forget?”

“I don’t know. You must just have really bad taste in music” he laughed.

“No, you just… you looked so… different?”

“Yeah. Well, uh, my hair was buzzed, and I didn't have these sweet old tatties yet” he said, showing you the one on his chest.

“You played guitar, right?”

"Uh-huh. Still do. Still do. You should come see us. Uh, we play at The Hideout on Tuesdays. It's pretty cool. We… We actually get a crowd of about five… drunks” he said, making you laugh. “It's not exactly the Garden, but you gotta start somewhere, right? So… You know…”

“Can I really come?” you asked, surprising him.

“Y-yeah, I mean, if you want to” he said.

“I’d love to” you said, grabbing one of your french fries and dipping it in your milkshake.

“Whoa, what the hell are you doing, Harrington?”

“What?” you asked, confused.

“Why are you dipping your fry on your chocolate milkshake?”

“You’ve never tried that?”

“No! I’m not a freak like you” he mocked you, eating some of his fries.

“Hey! Try before you deny!” you challenged him.

“No way!”

“Really? Wow, you’re not as badass as I thought you were” you mocked him, dipping more of your fries in your milkshake.

“You take that back!” he said, pretending to be offended.

“Make me” you dared him, grabbing one of his fries and dipping it in his vanilla milkshake. “Come on, Munson” you said, arching an eyebrow at him.

Eddie looked at you and then back at your hand.

“Fine” he said, grabbing it and eating it quickly. You tried not to laugh at his disgusted face before it turned into a surprised one. “Holy shit!”

“Told you” you said, proudly, eating more of our fries.

“You’re also kind of full of surprises” he told you as he dipped more fries in his milkshake.

“Steve and I used to do this all the time when we were kids” you said, with a sad smile.

“Can I ask what’s going on between you and your brother?” he asked all of the sudden.

“What do you mean?”

“It just seems like you’re avoiding him” he shrugged.

“Why would you think that?”

“Because you didn’t want to go home and you asked Henderson and Wheeler to not tell him anything” he said.

“I got into a fight with him this morning” you admitted. Eddie noticed your tone becoming sad and he was afraid he might have screwed up, making you upset. “I wanted to use this camera and he said I was too clumsy-”

“Which you are” he added and you glared at him. You grabbed your bag and took out the broken camera.

“It was fine until Jason and Andy threw their things at me” you said, sadly and you sighed. “Steve is gonna hate me” you mumbled sadly.

“Hey, no” Eddie said, softly. “Look, I know a guy who fixes stuff. Maybe he can take a look at it” he said, making you look up at him.

“Really?” you asked hopefully.

“Yeah” he nodded. “I can take it and I’ll let you know what he says, okay?”

“Y-you would do that for me?” you asked, smiling.

“Of course” Eddie said, a little confused. “What are friends for, princess?” he smiled.

“We’re friends” you smiled, excitedly.

“Yeah” he said, feeling nervous for a moment. “I mean, you’re already wearing the uniform” he laughed. “Which, don’t tell the other ones but… you’re the one that it looks best on” he winked and you laughed, feeling your cheeks burning a little. “Hey… um… would you- uh-” he asked, feeling nervous, suddenly. “Would you like to- uh… maybe join?”

You smiled, thinking how adorable Eddie looked when he was nervous. Something you had never seen before. “Hellfire?” you smiled.

“Y-yeah. I mean, Sinclair is supposed to but he rarely comes to the meetings, so we actually need a new member and… I don’t know” he chuckled. “We actually kind of have this rule of no-girls allowed, but I could make an exception for you" he smirked.

"Is it a rule, or just… something that keeps happening?" you smirked back.

"Damn, Harrington, you're breaking my heart!" he said, placing his hand over his chest and you laughed.

“Uh, I just have one question” you said, eating more fries.

“What?”

“Don’t you have to know how to play Dungeons and Dragons to join?”

“I mean… yes, technically that is the main rule but… I can teach you” he offered.

“You wanna teach me to play Dungeons and Dragons?” you asked. “Eddie, I babysat Dustin, Mike, Lucas, and Will for years and heard them play D&D like every night. And I still have no idea how to play” you chuckled.

“Fine” he shrugged. “I guess, you’re not as badass as I thought you were” he said, making you gasp, offended.

“Hey! Take that back!”

“Make me” he smirked, eating another fry dipped in milkshake. “Let me teach you and you can come to our next meeting, if you don’t like it, I won’t ask you again” he said.

You thought about it for a moment. You honestly had nothing to lose and it meant spending more time with Eddie which you had come to enjoy quite a lot.

“Pinky swear?” you asked, sticking out your pinky and Eddie rolled his eyes, smiling.

“Pinky swear, princess” he said, linking his pinky with yours.

To Be Continued

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

[Ch.1][Ch.3]

A/N: soooo what do you guys think? part 3? :) also, I of course I added parts of the Chrissy-Eddie scene because IT WAS TOO CUTE NOT TO! and let me know if you want to be in the taglist :D 

tag list: @lady-loves-a-lot , @rand0m--fangirl​ , @avitute , @lelenikki , @th0rswh0res

[mochegato]

Even the Losers

Chapter 11

Chapter 1     Chapter 10

“What do you mean he knew?” Dick asked, taking a seat in the chair across from Bruce.  He looked around for Alfred to make sure he wasn’t going to lecture them for talking about bat business in the manor when Bruce’s newest daughter could walk in on them at any moment.

Dick scrunched his face in thought.  That wasn’t right was it?  She wasn’t his newest daughter.  She was his oldest child.  Well, not oldest.  He was the oldest.  But she was the one he had the longest.  He had her before he took in Dick.  He’d given her up and then taken Dick in soon after and honestly Dick wasn’t sure how to reconcile that.  He was eternally grateful that Bruce had taken him in and helped him, dealt with his rebellions and helped him focus his anger.  But if he’d had such patience for him, why not his own daughter?

Dick was forced off of his thought process by Bruce, bringing them back to the topic at hand.  “He knew we were going there somehow.  He just thought it was earlier than we had planned.”  Bruce sighed and ran his hands through his hair.  “He was wandering through the museum looking for us, or more specifically, her.”

Tim stared at the coffee table in front of him trying to work out how the Penguin could have known.  “Did you talk about it?  Somewhere that could have been bugged?”

Bruce shook his head.  “I didn’t really have time to.  It was all last minute.  But I don’t know about Marinette.”

“When did you plan it? Was it in your schedule?” Tim pressed.  “Because if there is a leak at WE with high enough permissions to have access to your calendar, that is a big problem.”  His eyes widened immediately.  “Not that a rogue going after Marinette isn’t!  It’s just another problem.”

Bruce raised an eyebrow at him but didn’t say anything about it.  “Dinner…” he sighed deeply in realization.   “The waitress. Right.  We’ll have to talk to her tomorrow.”

“You think she sold information?” Duke asked.

“Or she told someone who sold it, or someone overheard her gossiping, or…” Damian listed off in a condescending tone.  

“Are you going to warn Marinette?” Duke interrupted, his brow furrowing in concern.  They should have anticipated this.  They’d taken precautions for him after the official announcement of his new status, but they hadn’t moved to protect her yet.

Bruce nodded.  “I’ll talk to her about expectations of being my daughter.  So far, this is fairly expected.  I don’t want to send her into a panic, but she should know the dangers she’s going to have to face now.”  He sighed guiltily and pinched the bridge of his nose.  This was exactly what he had been trying to protect her from all those years ago.  And the idea that one of the rogues might have taken his child to get back at him, a baby who had no chance of protecting herself, still haunted him.

Cass frowned at him.  “Not safe,” she chastised.

“I’m not saying we don’t protect her too.  I think it would be a good idea to make sure we can keep an eye on her and be able to track her so we know if she’s been taken or involved in a rogue attack.  I’ll talk to her about safety precautions, so she isn’t announcing plans where others can hear her.  She’s planning on moving into the apartment with her friends soon, so that should help at night.”

“Good,” Dick agreed.  “From what Jason said about the other day and the concierge just letting it happen, the sooner we get her out of that hotel the better.”

“What do we know about her ability to defend herself?” Tim asked.

“According to her mother, none.  She’s never had training.  Never had to defend herself,” Bruce sighed.  That was exactly the upbringing he wanted for her, to never need to defend herself.  But now, that was biting them in the ass.  Because now, she might need to be able to defend herself and couldn’t.

Damian scoffed.  “She’s weak and defenseless, is what you mean.  We’re going to have to spend our time and our energy protecting her because she isn’t capable of it.”

“She’s innocent,” Bruce corrected.  “That was the entire point of sending her away, so she could be.  And that’s supposed to be our entire job, protecting the innocent.  She is no exception.”  They all froze when the door to the sitting room cracked open.

<><><><><> 

Marinette took a calming breath.  Driving up to the manor had been impressive, entering the manor had been even more so.  The entire place was dripping with history and prestige.  All the touches looked highest class, highest quality, all well thought out and coordinated over years of design, speaking of bespoke everything. It was about as far from what Marinette grew up in as there could be.  It was somber and distant.  Sterile even in its lavish details.

And yet, it wasn’t the imposing design that had her heart racing.  She could hear voices echoing through the empty halls.  She couldn’t make out anything being said, only the variations in baritones and tenor pitches to them.

“Relax, Pixie.  They’re going to love you.  You could tell them to fuck off,” he took a quick look around when he said it before relaxing back into his motivational speech.  “And you’d still come out as someone else’s favorite too.  There’s nobody in there you need to impress.”  He patted her on the back and squeezed her shoulder.  “Just maybe stay away from Damian.  He’s a spiteful little shit.  Better than he was when he came but… just to be safe…”

He took off his jacket and motioned to hers.  “Also,” he continued as he took her jacket, “don’t say the word ‘pineapple’.”

Marinette laughed and shoved him.  “Stop messing with me.  I’m nervous enough already.”  Jason looked at her suddenly very serious.  Marinette faltered for a second before scoffing.  “Shut up.”

“I’m telling you, just don’t say it.”

She rolled her eyes.  This had to be one of the most ridiculous conversations ever.  “Okay, first, I still don’t believe you. Second, why would I?”

Jason shook his head and backed away.  “I don’t know.  It always manages to come up though.”  He pointed at her as he backed out of the room.  “Fight the temptation.  I’m going to hang these up.  They’re in that room.”  He motioned vaguely toward a room down the hall, which considering how many rooms were down the hall wasn’t actually all that helpful.  “Go ahead, they’re expecting us.”

“You’re kind of an asshole, you know that,” she called after him.

“Only kind of?  You might like me more than the rest,” he called back with a laugh.

Marinette shook her head and started down the hallway. It couldn’t be that hard to find, right. There had to be signs.  “What do you think, Tikki?” she whispered almost too quiet for anyone to hear.

“Jason’s right,” she assured Marinette just as quietly. “They’ll love you.  Just be yourself.  It’s the next door on the left.”

Marinette grinned at her and noted the light under the door.  Definitely the right door.  “Thank you,” she whispered.  “Wish me luck.”  She took another breath and bolstered herself for the next few hours.  Hopefully it would go amazingly, but even if it didn’t, she could withstand a few hours of awkward, uncomfortable conversation and looks. She survived all the Graham de Vanily parties Adrien dragged her to, she could survive this.  She nodded to herself, silently cursed Jason for abandoning her, and pushed open the door.

The room immediately quieted as Marinette walked in. Everyone turned to her as a unit, tight anxious smiles on their lips.  Marinette froze and tried to smile politely at them, but she was pretty sure it looked more frightened than polite.  The people in the room continued to stare at her almost analytically.  The intensity of the stares was unnerving and unsettling. She almost backed out of the room until she felt someone step up next to her and sling their arm over her shoulder. She looked up hesitantly but breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw Jason next to her.

“Stop being weird.  You’re creeping her out,” Jason barked at them.

Jason’s order seemed to break them out of their trance. Everyone moved at once, jumping up to welcome her or moving rapidly towards her to shake her hand, except for the youngest who frowned and crossed his arms and a woman, who must be Cass, Marinette reasoned, who just waved from her spot next to Bruce.  Marinette tensed up but didn’t back away, instead bracing herself for the onslaught.  The noise became almost overwhelming as multiple people were speaking at once and Jason shouted back, pulling Marinette away from them.

“Enough!” Bruce yelled, instantly silencing everyone in the room.  He turned to Marinette with a warm smile.  “Sorry about that.  I was hoping for a more welcoming introduction, but with this family…” he motioned to the rest of the room with a defeated sigh.  

He crossed the room to her quickly but froze when he got to her, uncertain what form of physical welcome was allowed.  A handshake seemed too formal and distant, but a hug seemed too personal for only their second meeting in twenty years, well, technically fourth, but the first two didn’t exactly count.  On the other hand, last time they did la bise, so that was more appropriate, right?  He decided to leave it to Marinette, but she didn’t seem any more certain than he did, judging by her awkward wave and quick looks to his hand and cheek.

He smiled in response.  They’d figure it out eventually, hopefully.  For now, he just needed to make sure she felt welcome.  He opened his mouth to welcome her to the manor and start introductions but got cut off by a very excited Dick.

“Oh wow, I didn’t realize how much she looks like your mother until now.”  Dick moved right in front of Marinette examining every centimeter of her face intensely.  “Her eyes look just like hers.  They could be twins.  Do you have any pictures of her when she was a baby so we can compare?”

Marinette’s face went blank as she stared back at Dick. She quirked her head to the side trying to figure out how to respond to that, or if she was even supposed to, considering despite the fact that his face was only a handful of centimeters from hers, he wasn’t talking to her.  Her quandary was answered when Jason shoved Dick away harshly.  “She has a name, Dickweed,” Jason growled.  “And she’s right the fuck in front of you, have some respect.”

“Language Master Jason,” Alfred admonished coming into the room.  “But he is correct, Master Dick.”

“Right,” Dick said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.  “Sorry, Marinette.  That was rude.  Hi, I’m Dick.”  He held his hand out for Marinette.

Marinette shook it with a smile.  “It’s okay. I’ve always wondered where I got my blue eyes from.”  She chuckled a little nervously and shrugged.  “Mystery solved, I guess.”

Bruce laid a hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention back to him.  “I can show you pictures later, if you’d like to see, or whenever you’re ready.”  He pulled his hand away and shoved it into his pocket awkwardly. “Or, at some point I, or somebody else can give you a tour of the manor and I’m sure you’ll see lots of pictures of,” he paused only a fraction of a second, uncertain how she would take the term, “your grandparents.”

Marinette swallowed almost imperceptibly, but covered with a smile. “Yeah, that would be nice.”

The pause she took to respond would be missed by most people but a room full of people trained to detect tells like that didn’t miss it.  Duke jumped up with a big smile.  “Hi,” he shot out his hand to shake hers, “I’m Duke.  It’s nice to meet you.”

Marinette smiled back at him and shook his hand.  “Hi.  It’s nice to meet you.  Sorry for ruining your introduction gala.”

Duke scoffed.  “Are you kidding me?  I hate attention.  Thank you for taking the attention off of me.”  He suddenly cringed realizing what he was saying.  “I mean… That’s not what I meant.  Sorry it had to land solely on you.  Want me to do something stupid to get the attention back?”

Marinette laughed at his attempt to cover.  For once it wasn’t her saying the wrong thing with the best intention.  “No, please don’t and don’t worry,” she waved him off with a smile, “I knew what you meant.  Not your fault.  Honestly, not as bad as it could have been.  I’ve dealt with worse.”

“You have?” Jason asked, his face scrunching in concern.

Marinette shrugged at him and turned back to Duke.  “Glad I was at least able to help a bit.”

Duke grinned at her.  “You did. You’re already more helpful than most of them,” he motioned toward the rest of the family.  “Definite contender for new favorite sibling.”  Dick let out an exaggeratedly loud offended scoff while Cass shrugged and bobbed her head in agreement.  Tim furrowed his brow and exclaimed, “Hey!”  But the corner of his lips quirking up betrayed his act.

Jason glowered at Duke and stepped between them.  “Back off!  I already claimed her.”  He turned back to Marinette.  “Now what is this about you’ve dealt with worse?  Is there someone I need to have a talk with?”

“I’m sorry for being rude,” Bruce interrupted before the conversation went down a darker path than he was hoping for this meeting.  “Welcome to the manor, Marinette.  Thank you for coming.  You’ve already met Jason, Dick, and Duke.  That is Tim,” he motioned to the teen on the couch who waved politely but awkwardly.  His eyes only flicked to hers a few times and only for a fraction of a second before flicking away, a pained look shooting through them.  

“Next to him is Damian.”  He rolled his eyes and looked away, but didn’t attack like both Roy and Jason warned her he might, so she was taking it as a win.  “Cass is there,” he motioned toward Cass, who waved again, just as kindly as the first time.  “And this is Alfred.”

Alfred stepped forward and bowed slightly to Marinette.  “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Miss Marinette.”

Marinette narrowed her eyes at him as she scrutinized his face.  “You look familiar.”

Alfred’s eyes sparkled at her recognition.  He started to say something, but whatever it was got lost when Dick interrupted.  “Wait!” He jumped in Alfred’s face.  “Is this why you took all your vacations in Paris?” he exclaimed.  His eyes widening in realization.

“It is indeed, Master Dick,” Alfred nodded.

“That’s why you look familiar!” Marinette exclaimed.  “You were a repeat customer in the patisserie.”

“I am very happy to see you back in the manor, Miss Marinette,” Alfred gave her a curt nod as a smile played on the corners of his lips.

Marinette tensed at the reminder that she may have at some point have been in the manor.  It ripped open a Pandora’s Box of questions, each one more unsettling than the last. Had she been in the manor before? Had she interacted with her f… M. Wayne when she was a baby?  Did he hold her?  Did he kiss her head?  Did he hold her for a few minutes and hand her back like she did to Jamil’s baby, feeling no more connection than she had to Remi?  Did he cuddle her to his chest and hold her close only to hand her back and walk away?  Did he feel nothing when he held her?  Did his chest feel less tight when she was no longer near him?  Did he heave a sigh of relief when he handed her back?

No. She had to stop focusing on those questions.  That was the past.  Nothing would be gained from asking those questions tonight.  He wasn’t ready to give an answer and she wasn’t ready to receive it.  He’d apologized and she’d accepted.  She would just… let the questions plague her and slowly drive her into insanity.  That was the plan.  She quickly plastered on a smile and nodded back at Alfred.  “It is good to see you again, M. Pennyworth.”

“Please, call me Alfred,” he said, his amused smile turning sympathetic seeing the change in her demeanor.  “All the children do.”

Marinette smiled back, her smile more strained than before.  Was she one of the children?  She guessed technically she was.  “Only if you call me Marinette.”

“Of course, Miss Marinette,” Alfred nodded.

Marinette raised an eyebrow but nodded back.  She understood deeply ingrained British upper class formality.  She hadn’t survived parties with Felix and Adrien for nothing.  But if he wanted to embrace the detached formality, so would she.  “Thank you, M. Pennyworth.”

Alfred raised an eyebrow but said nothing.  “Maybe we could plan for a tour of the manor and a look through photo albums at a later time.  For now, dinner is ready.”

At Alfred’s pronouncement, everyone started moving out of the room. Marinette watched them all making their way toward what must be the dining room, but didn’t move herself.  It still felt awkward to walk around the manor… again, apparently.  She didn’t move until Jason threw his arm over her shoulder and gently prodded her forward.  She gave him a small smile and threw her arm around his waist.  

She looked past him to give Tim who had also hung back a bit, a small smile. He gave her a guilty smile back and a little wave.  Marinette gave him a quizzical look, trying to figure out what he had to feel guilty about. But it looked like he didn’t want to get too close with Jason at her side.  And as much as she wanted to ask what Tim was thinking about, she was beyond grateful that Jason had taken up post at her side.  She didn’t know if she would have been able to make it through this without him.  She squeezed his waist and looked up at him with a smile.  He looked down with a questioning look that quickly turned into a smile and he squeezed back.

Chapter 12

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[ellana-ravenwood]

“Mom got lost again” - Batfam x Fem!Reader

Synopsis : Little snippets about how “Batmom” (reader) will never find her way in the Mansion. But it’s fine, really, because she can always count on her husband and children to “save” her.  //DRABBLE

So. I was watching one of those “Architect’s digest” video on YouTube where they visit houses that are millions and millions of dollars worth, and besides the fact that I was thinking “wow look at all those beautiful things I’ll never be able to afford”, I couldn’t shake another thought off…and that was that I would totally get lost in many of those houses. Like, the way some are designed, they’re literally Dedalus’ labyrinth my dudes. So anyway, here’s not-really-a-fic-nor-a-drabble for you, a sort of snippet kind of thing, about this. Hope you’ll like it : 

My masterlist blog : @ella-ravenwood-archives

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Before the kids

“Hey Alfred, where’s (Y/N) ?”

He asks, one early evening as he just got home from work and knows you were going to meet up with him at his place.

“Oh Lady (Y/L/N) wanted to go see the library, so I took her there.”

“Thank you.”

Bruce arrives in the library, but you’re nowhere to be found. Wondering where you went he calls you but it seems like your cell don’t have any battery anymore. He starts to walk around the West Wing, looking in every room and…Finally, he finds you.

You’re sitting down against a wall in the corridor, looking discouraged, staring at your dead phone. You spot him and jump to your feet, looking very relieved. You then rush in Bruce’s arms, he catches you in extremis and you exclaims :

“Oh my god ! Bruce ! I love you !”

Insert a lot of kisses on his cheeks a really huge hug, as if you haven’t seen him in ages. But I mean, getting lost any place is sort of distressing, and you looooove that man. So much.

A little confuse, although always happy to have your affection, he asks : 

“What…is going on ?”

“I got lost…”

“You got lost ?”

"You have a very big house.”

Highly amused, Bruce responds : “I do.”

“So I got lost.”

“Ah. And what were you doing sitting there ?”

“Well…My parents always taught me to stay where I was, if I ever got lost somewhere, so when they’d came to look for me we’d be sure to see each others instead of passing right next to each others a thousand times…”

Bruce can’t help but burst out in laughter. Even more so that you genuinely looks like a kid that got separated from her parents. And oh, oh you love his laughter. 

It’s always a feat, when you can hear it. Especially when it comes from the heart like right now, when he genuinely laughs this deep beautiful laugh, because he’s happy. Because you make him happy. 

He’s not laughing at you, he just laughs because...You’re too much sometimes. 

And exactly what he needs. Too much is good, for a man like him.

He takes your hand and shows you around one more time. 

But he can see that even so, you can’t seem to remember the layout of the house, and you getting lost will happen again for sure. 

And he’s right. He showed you around his manor so many times, yet it seems you just can’t remember certain places. Like you memorized the places you go the most, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, access to the Batcave...and most of the time you find your way around easily (albeit sometimes still a little lost). 

But there’s entire areas of the house you try not to venture in or...it ends with Bruce coming to your rescue. Or Alfred. But he usually leaves Bruce to do it, as the man just...loves the way you two love each others. 

It’s always rather cute. And it warms the butler’s heart. 

Never in his wildest dream would he ever have thought that his Master Bruce would find someone like you. Someone accepting and understanding, and loving him unconditionally. And someone that Bruce loved fully in return, and whom he cherished above all. 

Yes. Alfred often let Bruce go on the hunt for you across the Manor, simply because he shipped you both since the very first time he saw you together, and he thoroughly enjoyed when his Master Bruce was acting like a lovesick puppy around you. When he was acting like a “normal” man, just hopelessly in love with his wife. 

And it was so pure, and beautiful.

So what if sometimes you’d wait a little long, lost in those endless corridors ? Alfred knew that Bruce would find you. Always. And that when he did, as usual, you would make Bruce’s heart melt, and he’d feel happy just by seeing you and...honestly it was all wort it. 

Bruce sometimes suspect you do it on purpose. That you get lost just so he can find you. And honestly ? He really doesn’t mind... 

Saved by the little bird

"Over a year of living here, I swear I still can’t...where...wait, didn’t I just pass this damn yet-again-another-living room ?! Aaaah what the fuck why is everything looking the same. Fucking shit. What a shitastrophy. Fucking cockburger son of a bitchtits little f-”

“Um...Are you ok, mom ?”

Oh sssshhhh...Alfred wouldn’t be happy with you for swearing around your young son. Dick was only eight, after all. 

He had started to call you “mom” since very recently, and it always made your heart skip a beat. Made you feel utterly happy. 

As the boy came in behind you from the corridor, you were about to kick a potted plant out of frustration (another thing that Alfred wouldn’t be very happy about). You turn around, slowly get your foot back on the floor, and say : 

“Um. I got um...Lost...” 

“Lost ?” 

“Yes...I just...can’t get used to the size of this house. I wanted to get something that Alfred said was in the East wing, which is somewhere I never really go. And um...”

“You got lost.”

“Yes. Don’t make fun of me ok, your dad is already enough.” 

“I wasn’t going to make fun of you !” 

Your son says, a little virulently, as if offended you’d ever think such a thing ! You smile at him, because how sweet could this kid get really ? 

“Alright little buddy, sorry I ever made such an assumption. So, if you’re not gonna mock me...maybe you can save me then ?”

“Save you ?” 

“Well, I’m lost. And you don’t seem lost.” 

“That’s because I’m not, I always found my way out of the labyrinths in fun fairs very easily !” 

He tells you, smiling widely, excited at the prospect of helping you. 

“Where do you need to go ?” 

“Let’s try to get to the kitchen.” 

“I know the way ! Come on !” 

He takes your hand in his little one, and drags you behind him, leading you across corridors and rooms up until...

“Here !” 

He tells you, smiling widely. And it’s so cute, because he’s missing a few teeth and his smile is just so pure...You just want to squish his little face and hug him to death. 

“Ah my savior ! What can I ever repay you with ?” 

You ask, taking an overdramatic tone of voice, knowing little Dickie always loved when you two played pretend and such. He takes the gruffest voice he can and says : 

“Well, my lady can repay me with...um...Cookies, yes I think cookies will do !” 

“Cookies ? Well this sounds fair, for this dashing saving you just did ! Macadamia or chocolate chip ?” 

“Both ?” 

“Both it is !” 

It happened many times, that you paid your oldest son with cookies, after he saved you from getting lost in your own house...Even as an adult, he’d demand payment of fresh cookies, and then would go show them off to his siblings, refusing to share, as the “good” older brother he was haha. 

Lost together

You find Jason in one of the many gaming room, while you were trying to get to the kitchen. You know for a fact that there are no gaming rooms on the way to the kitchen, but you can’t really figure out where you messed up...Was it when you went left after the third bathroom ? Or when you took the stairs down right before one of the mezzanine ? Wait, did that mezzanine have a piano ? Because if it did then it was the right way, if it didn’t, then you were on the other side of the damn house. Or maybe just right next to...Yeah ok. Lost again. 

But you found Jason. 

Maybe he could help ? 

The boy was sitting in a huge comfortable leather armchair, reading a book. When he heard you come in the room, he snapped his head up and a huge smile illuminated his cute little face. 

“Finally ! Mom !” 

He jumps off the armchair, putting down his books, and goes to jump in your arms. Then he says : 

“I was trying to go to the arcade room ! Because I wanted to beat your high score on Tekken, but I always only followed someone there, and I can’t find it anymore...” 

Ah. The arcade. One of the only room you sort of knew where to find...If you started from the front door. Or your bedroom. Not from a random room god knew where in the mansion. 

Why was this house so big ??? 

“I’m sorry to bother you with this, I know I should’ve paid more attention when Alfred showed me, but it’s just-”

Oh no. Oh no the little one was looking at you worryingly, probably because you weren’t responding, and he thought he was being a pain. 

Little Buddy always thought he was bothering people...So hurriedly, you said : 

“Oh no no Jason, you’re not bothering me at all ! It’s just um..I’m um...I’m sort of lost too.” 

“You are ?”

“I am.” 

“Really ?” 

“Really.” 

“Well damn.” 

“Haha right ? Usually your father or Dick would save me. Or Alfred.”

“Yeah same.”

“I actually rarely walk around alone now that I think about it.” 

“Yeah same !”

There’s a short pause, where you look at each others and smile at this little moment. And then, as you slowly both realize that you’re lost, IN YOUR OWN HOME, and the ridiculousness of the situation down on you, you explode in laughter. 

You end up getting back to the armchair, and Jason settles comfortably in your lap as you continue to read the book he was reading, out loud, and he listens to you happily. Nobody ever really read him stories before you and Bruce... 

Bruce finds the both of you later in the day, fast asleep in the armchair, Jason latched on your arm as you hug him to you. 

He finds the sight so adorably charming. He sits down next to the two of you, enjoying this moment of quiet and peace. And then he picks up the book you were reading, reading it himself...Ah. It’s one of his favorite childhood book. 

He reads it, waiting for you two to wake up, not wanting to disturb your sleep. 

It’s rare, that he has some free time. And he really doesn’t mind spending it watching over his sleeping wife and son, waiting for them to wake up and guide their way back to the part of the house they know...

Damn. Damn he loves them so much. 

"I memorized the blueprints” 

“And see, here’s a secret passage !” 

The boy says excitedly, as he shows you and Bruce a hidden door in one of the wall, behind a heavy tapestry. 

“...Wait...I didn’t even know that was there...How did...What ?” 

Your husband asks, half-confused, half-impressed, with maybe a little hint of hurt pride in there as well...it’s his house after all. 

“I memorized the blueprints of the house that are in the library.” 

The little one says, smiling widely at his new father. Bruce responds : 

“I have those blueprints, I never saw this secret passage ever in my life.” 

“You must have the “official” blueprints, the one Allan Wayne gave to others. The blueprints in the library, the ones I found, were tucked away inside one of the book and showed more than the “official” ones. Your great-great-great-great-great grandfather was a very paranoid man, I assume he pulled a Madame Winchester on the builders.” 

“Madame Win...Huh ?” 

“You know, famous Winchester mansion ? Super haunted ? She gave instructions to many different people to build certain things and there isn’t really blueprints that shows a correct layout of everything ?”

“Right...Sure...” 

“I assume you were too busy building the bat cave to really pay attention to the house. But it’s quite a wonder ! There’s so many new secrets I haven’t discovered yet !” 

A soft, tender smile spreads on your husband’s face as he looks down at Tim. Bruce says : 

“That’s quite a discovery you found there my boy, and you say you memorized it already ?” 

“It was easy, I just had to keep in mind the-”

And then Tim started to get lost in long complicated explanation that you didn’t understand, while your husband seemed very interested. 

You couldn’t help but smile. How cute...

Today, you were sort of glad, that you got very lost in your own home again, and got saved by little Timmy. He hadn’t lived in the house for very long by that time, but already knew it even better than Bruce, apparently. 

It was so nice, to have such a sweet little on in your life again...Dick hadn’t been by in a while, busy with the titans. And Jason...

You didn’t want to think about Jason. 

Or at least, not in the way you would end up thinking about him. You wanted to remember his smiles, and how he always got lost too in this house. Not...Not...the broken body Bruce brought back...You...

You shooed the memory away, and focused on your son. 

Tim was now going on and on about how he found really cool places that weren’t on the normal blueprints, and how he wanted to show Bruce and you. 

And Bruce was smiling. For the first time in ages. Your husband was smiling, faced with such an excited little one. 

So yes. Yes, today you were glad you got lost in your own home, and that your tiny son found you and showed you the way. That it lead you to ask him how the hell was he that fast in memorizing the house’s layout, and then him explaining things about the blueprints. 

And consequently, how Bruce and him started to truly bond, started to talk about the house and about the Wayne legacy...

It was nice. To finally see your husband smile again. Propelled by a sudden surge of motherly love, you hugged Tim tight, and the boy, a bit confused at first, hugged you back without much questions. 

And this sight. 

His wife and his son hugging. 

It warmed Bruce’s heart in a way his heart hadn’t been warmed since he lost Jason. 

Yes. It was good, that sometimes you’d get lost in your own damn house. 

This is a fun game

By the time Cassandra came into your life, this “mom got lost again” thing became sort of a game. It was about who would find you first, when they realized you were lost. 

You’d be gone a little too long after saying : “I’m gonna go get the ice cream in the freezer”, and they knew. It was time to set a party to find you. 

“3, 2, 1...GO !” And they’d run in each different direction, searching for you. 

The winner gets cookies. Baked by you... 

Cass liked that game. 

Because even if she lost, she would’ve spend quality times with her family. Fun times. Looking for her beloved mother. 

Mother. 

The only mother she ever had. 

Mom. 

It’s a word that always easily rolled off her tongue. 

Mom. 

“Found, mom.” 

You jumped a little in the air, as your only daughter suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She was looking at you upside down, and it took you a little bit to realize she was actually dangling off in a very spider-man way off of the floor just above. She must’ve heard your footsteps (or more likely, your growls about being lost again). 

She jumped off, and you felt your heart stop, suddenly fearing she would fall down but..Not, she agilely jumps over the rail, and is in front of you, smiling. 

Finding you was Cass’ favorite game. Because when she did, you’d always look at her fondly, give her a hug, and praise her for being the best.

And for someone like Cassandra, who grew up treated like an emotionless machine by a man who never viewed her as more than a weapon...it felt nice, to have such a loving person in her life. 

When Cass thought of you, her mind filled with bright colors, and her heart with warmth. Because she grew up never learning how to speak, her thoughts didn’t quite work in words like most people, but in colors and temperatures. 

And you, you were reassuring colors and soothing warmth. 

Mom. 

Such a simple word. Yet it took her a while to be able to even say it. 

Now she could speak, in big thanks to you. And her father.

She loved you guys so much. So much. 

She loved you. 

“Mom.” 

She says, reaching a hand for yours. And you take it, smiling once more, shaking your head and apologizing that you made her look for you...Oh. 

Oh but she doesn’t mind. None of them do. 

Because when they find you. When they “save you”, you always look at them with such unconditional love. No matter what. 

Finding you is Cass’ favorite game. 

It always leaves her feeling nice and warm, loved and safe. 

Finding you is Cass’ favorite game. 

And one day, she’ll be able to tell you all of that. One day, she’ll be able to tell you to never apologize, because she loves to look for you. She loves you. 

One day. One day she’ll talk to you about all of this. 

But for now, it was fine for both of you that her feelings translated in only smiles, affectionate touch, and one very important word...

“Mom”. 

“I won’t let you get lost !” 

Damian hated the mere idea of you being in any kind of distress. 

ANY kind. 

So when he learned that you would often get lost in the Manor, and even as everyone assured him it just sort of became an inside joke within the family, your youngest son took it upon himself to make sure you’d never get lost again. 

He started to put up signs everywhere in the house, giving indications as to where you were and where was what. Detailed little maps, arrows and such. Drawn by himself. It took him WEEKS to finally cover the entire Manor. 

It’s something no one ever thought of before because...Although you often got lost, it was always nice to try and find you, and well, you would still know your way around the part of the house you’d most go to. 

In fact, when you got lost, it was often because you’d go in a wing you didn’t know much for whatever reason, and they’d know where to look for you. 

So they never really saw a reason to make signs telling you the right way. Or yeah, they never really thought about it. 

But Damian...Damian was set to make the house “lost proof”.

As a result, you definitely didn’t get lost as many times. Which was...nice ? 

But once, at dinner, Dick was reminiscing of that one time you got lost in the attic for some reason, and couldn’t find your way out, and him and Jason had to get you, and how they laughed a lot and you praised them for saving you...

And Damian grew quiet. And upset. When you asked him why, he refused to answer, but the next day, you ventured in a part of the house you rarely went to so you could go fetch something and...

All the signs telling you which way to go were gone. Which didn’t worry you much, you knew you’d be found by one of your family member before long, or would just find your own way out after a while. 

But it was odd nonetheless. 

It’s only when Damian found you, and “saved” you that you understood why the signs weren’t on anymore. 

Damian too, wanted to “save” you from getting lost. Wanted to laugh with you because it was silly that you got lost in your own house. Wanted you to bake him cookies as a reward for saving him. Wanted to share those bonding moments with you...

It was so cute, and showed how far Damian really went since Talia first dropped him on your door, that you couldn’t help but hug the hell out of your baby. 

He was a little embarrassed, but hugged you back nonetheless. 

Yes. Yes Damian had come along way, since he first came into your life. He learned how to love, how it felt to be loved, and how...how sometimes he would crave for your attention. 

And so he took down the signs. So he could save you. So he could share this with you, just like you did share those moments with all his other siblings. 

He took down the signs, because you getting lost was an important inside joke of this family...And because he was, now, part of this family. 

What even is this place...

Duke thought he would never EVER find his way back in this new house. 

His bedroom was in...east wing ? West wing ? ...SOMEWHERE. 

The first few days of living there were overwhelming, and he constantly had to make sure he wasn’t far from one of the other family member because he was so afraid to get lost. 

He couldn’t remember the right way to anywhere. This was all too big. 

He grew up in a small two bedrooms apartment, in the heart of Gotham’s sludge. He could find his way in this gigantic city easily, knew the place like the back of his hand but...

The Manor ? 

It was uncharted territory. In every sense of the term. 

First it was on the outskirt of Gotham, in the hills, a place he never set foot in.

And then the house, but also the land around it was bigger than his neighborhood ! It was so foreign for him... 

But he hid this well. He hid the fact he was overwhelmed well. And just made sure he’d always be with someone when walking around the manor. 

He tried to remember the way they took, he really did. But every time he thought he got it, they’d use another way and he was totally lost again. 

Alfred showed him around the first day, but it was too many informations at the same time. Him and his ADHD couldn’t process it.  

What would you guys say, if he mentioned he was getting lost in the house ? Surely, you’d mock him. Or just feel sorry for him ? 

He wasn’t sure, and he didn’t want to know. Acclimating to this new life was already hard enough, what with discovering his meta-powers, having to deal with what happened to his parents, and living in this all new environment. 

You made it comfortable and easy for him. You were just so welcoming and loving. But it was still hard...he was only a boy. 

And so he said nothing. And now...now, lost and walking through corridors that all looked the same, he dearly regretted it. 

He turned a corner, and...there you were. 

“Oh, hey Dukie”. 

He smiled shyly, afraid you would know he was lost, and said : 

“Hi.” 

“What’s up ?” 

“Nothing, I was going to- I was exploring the house.” 

He was about to say he was trying to get to the movie theater, where Damian  and Cass were surely waiting for him by that time, so they could watch a movie. But what if he was totally off ? Far from where the home cinema was supposed to be ? 

“Exploring the house” sounded like a safe thing to say. 

“Oh, careful not to get lost haha. Happens to me all the time...” 

Wait...What ? Were you joking ? He wasn’t sure. 

“Actually, I’m lost right now. I wanted to take a shortcut from the kitchen to the bat cave to see Bruce -I miss him- -Yeah I know only saw him couple of hours ago-, but I must’ve taken a wrong turn...Somewhere...”

You were holding your chin in your hand now, trying to remember where you could possibly have taken the wrong turn. And Duke realized you were serious.

“You’re lost ?” 

“Yeaaaah. Go ahead, you can laugh. I know I’d laugh at myself too haha. I just could...never quite figure out how this house worked ? I grew up in a one bedroom apartment, sleeping in the living room with my brothers. And then when I moved in on my own I had an even smaller place. So. It’s a change. Even after all those years I’m still not quite used to it.”

“Ah me too ! I mean, I just can’t figure out the layout of this place !”

“Ah ? Hey, for you too, sometimes you think you definitely know where you’re going and then you find yourself outside in the garden and you just have no idea how you got there ?”

“Yes !!!! I was sure of my way so many times but then one wrong turn and...here I am.” 

“Well Duke, believe me I get it. I get it haha.” 

You then proceeded to tell him all the most embarrassing stories of you getting lost, including that one time at a charity event held in your house, someone asked you to take them to a certain place, and your asshole of a husband let you do it just because he knew you wouldn’t find the way, and because you getting lost with their guest was the only fun entertainment of the night. 

And this. 

This simple shared thing, of you two getting lost...

It was amongst the first time Duke really felt home. Really felt like he wasn’t alone. 

Those past few days had been difficult for him. This was all so new. 

And yet, with a few smiles, silly stories and support..You made him feel like he was truly home. And he didn’t even notice the hours you two passed, sat on the floor in that corridor, before Bruce found you and took you back to where you initially wanted to go...   

Saved by the littlest bird

Thomas is about eight, and you’re about to have a heart pinching flashback as he’s going to remind you of your first baby...

Dick was going to be almost thirty, by then. He was married, and with a kid on the way (I’m not here for ship wars, you chose with who he is, wether it’s Babs or Kori, or whoever else). Oh, how long ago it was, that his little eight years old hand would hold yours to guide you across the manor...

Too bad. Because right now, you definitely needed some help navigating around. Lost again. Ugh. T’was getting old. 

“Mommy...You’ve been living in this house for over 15 years now, how can you still get lost ?” 

Your littlest baby. Thomas. Appearing from around the corner, and as he saw you, rolling his eyes like never before. Yet smirking, in a very “Bruce” way. Ah. Like father, like son. 

“...”

Is your only answer. 

You avoid his judging gaze, but did it in a way that was overdoing it, so he knew you were just pretending to be embarrassed haha. He rolled his eyes, and then takes out a walkie talkie and says : 

“I found her Damdam, she’s in the West Wing near one of the drawing room. Over.” 

“Ok, thanks little buddy, let’s meet up in the kitchen, over.” 

“Ok cool, be right there, over.” 

This little exchange made you smile, oh those two were very close. Well, all your children were close. But Damian and Thomas had a little something, because they were the youngest, and because Damian took to heart his big brother role. He was also the only one still living in the manor by that time, all your other children having their own place in Gotham, going to college or already working...a wave of nostalgia threatened to take over you, and you quickly thought of something else. 

“Little buddy”, Damian called Thomas. Copying you for sure. How cute.  

“Come on mommy, I’ll take you back to the kitchen. You can make us cookies then, yes ?” 

“Of course my baby, any flavor you want.” 

“Well Damian will surely want the white chocolate chip ones, so I’m good with those too.” 

Thomas was such a sweet consilient boy. He didn’t really mind anything, and would follow you guys anywhere...as long as he could be with his family, and enjoy their presence, he just never minded. 

He definitely had a stubborn and strong personality, but he was still oh so sweet. And nice. Even if he did mock you a lot for getting lost in your own home...

“Where did you get the walkies ?” 

“Dick gave it to me last time he came, so we could cheat at hide and seek. Don’t tell Tim.” 

You chuckle, imagining how nuts your kids would get because Dick always goddamn won...

Ah and of course Dick would give a talkie to his littlest brother. To be honest, Thomas reminded you of Dick in lots of ways. 

They were both gentle, funny, sweet and nice...with outburst of anger and pride sometimes. Ah quite like Bruce too. You loved them all so damn much. 

“Now come mom, I think dad will be home soon too ! We can watch a movie before the patrol ! With cookies !!” 

You smile, and you take your son’s hand. Your youngest boy. Reminiscent of when Dick used to do this. All those years ago. 

Reminiscent of a time you didn’t feel so weak... 

(I’M SORRY I HAD TO ADD THIS LAST LINE FOR IT TO FIT IN THE WORLD I SORT OF MADE !! If you know you know). 

And if you’re wondering who the hell Thomas is : Polichinelle, “Go away, you’re confusing my baby”, Shaky steps and bad teaching, Master of Diaper, How do you make babies ?, What it means to be a big brother - By Damian Wayne and After Batmom’s death)

Bonus : There’s a moment, in one of the video I watched, where the guy showing the house off is basically like : “You might think this is a beautiful dining room…but it’s not, it’s a breakfast room”, and I had random flashes of Alfred showing the manor to one of the kids, or even to Batmom as she first comes to the house, and him talking about the “breakfast room”, and the boys/Batmom just not being able to get over the fact there’s a room that exist just to eat breakfast in…(wait till they see the personal SPA floor uh). Only Damian would be like : “Tt. Only one breakfast room ?” XD. Anyway. I thought I shared, because it made me laugh to imagine how ridiculous Wayne Manor is. Wait worst, in one of the video the people living in it had a room bigger than my entire apartment that existed for the SOLE PURPOSE OF CUTTING BOUQUETS OF FRESH FLOWERS ??????? That I’m sure they wouldn’t have. I mean, a garden that Alfred would cherish, for sure. But...an entire room just to cut FRESH (the dude really put an emphasis on that) flowers...My guy...what...

_________________________________________________

Ok the end. Hope you liked whatever my thoughts were on this Saturday night. I didn't put as much effort in this as I usually do and wrote it rather fast, hope it’s still ok, I just wanted to share a little something that wouldn't leave my head up until I finally wrote about it :). 

PS : Also it’s all sort of a joke I thought about, I know most people would probably find their way after living for ages in the same place, but ah you get what I meant haha. Also I get lost in my own basement sometimes because of how the layout is, so ya know...hahaha. 

[salparadiselost]

little jason doesn’t feel safe without dick around for the first few (days? weeks?) he spends at the manor, but is worried he’s being too clingy. dick, meanwhile, is driving himself crazy trying not to make jason feel trapped and holding back from physical contact unless jason initiates

Jason hated when Dick left.

He wouldn't say that he particularly loved the human, but Dick felt safe in a way that Jason hadn't had since he was an even smaller impling. The human held his emotions out on an offered hand, and he never punished Jason for taking a taste.

And those emotions were always... affection, friendliness, and openness.

There was never the lick of lust that he had come to expect of humans. There were never any of the bad emotions that had always came from humans when they saw him. There was never any disgust or flinching away or whispering that Jason was something dirty.

All humans had always treated him like that.

All humans... except Dick

Dick was just food and love and someone who could fill the hole inside Jason's heart.

He was Jason's anchor in the chaos that was moving into a new home and living with humans that all towered over him.

He was someone that Jason thought he could trust.

So Jason got really anxious when Dick left.

He whined as he saw Dick's sleepaway bag get put out into the hall, already full of clothes. Jason was half-hidden behind one of the pretentious statues that Bruce had in his front entry, and glared at that bag like he could burst it into fire.

He had hidden it this time, stuck it behind a cabinet in an abandoned room far where he thought that Dick could find it.

But the human was trained by the "Greatest Detective in the World" and had found it after an hour delay.

Next time, Jason was going to throw it in the pond out back.

“I don’t know how it got there,” Dick said as he walked into the main room with Alfred. He had his bathroom items in a plastic bag, the last things he gathered up right before he left. "I swear that I put it by my bed last night."

"I might have an idea," Alfred said with a sly knowledge in his voice.

Dick raised an eyebrow.

"Master Jason gets restless. I imagine that this is a symptom of that agitation."

“Oh,” Dick said in a suddenly small voice. “Well… then I better be getting out of your hair quick. I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”

Alfred patted him on the shoulder, and gave Dick a gentle smile that made Jason’s own heart ache.

“My boy, you can never overstay your welcome here. Please return to us soon.”

“I will as soon as I’m able,” Dick said with another heart-aching smile. The emotions in the room were all sadness and don’t go. So many emotions that wanted to keep Dick here, and yet he still picked up that damn bag.

Jason had to physically hold himself back from crying for the human that was rapidly becoming the closest thing he had to a packmate. Dick was soft. Dick was safe. Dick was filling that space that had been empty ever since Mama died.

When he curled up on Dick’s lap, their emotions lapping at each other’s, he felt like he was in the safest place in the world.

And when Dick left, he took all that rare safety with him and left Jason desperate for him to come back.

“Alright, well, please say goodbye to Jason for me.”

Dick slung that bag over his back and Jason had to swallow down a pathetic impling whine. His instincts were screaming, and his emotions were bouncing all over the place because he couldn’t keep them in control.

He wanted to throw himself at the human, wrap his arms around his legs, and keen until his pack stayed.

But he didn’t. He held back because no one liking clingy implings. Especially Incubi implings who were already prone to being too needy.

So he stayed quiet when his pack opened the door and left him behind.

When the door shut, he burst from his hiding place and ran up to the front window, staring through it to catch the last glimpses of his packmate as they drive off without him.

And when Dick became a small dot in the horizon, Jason left himself cry. He cried, and cried and cried, his keenings filling every one of the mansion’s corners.

Bruce came and picked him up in that cautious, uncomfortable way of his. It was so obvious that he hated touching Jason, that both of the oldest men hated touching Jason. They were awkward and pulled their hands away as quick as they could from his skin. They never touched him outside of feedings, and whenever he tried to nuzzle against them (it was stupid. They weren’t pack. He didn’t know why he kept trying to do pack things with them.) they went tense.

Even when he fed, they only did so for as short of a time as possible and when Jason said that he was full they left the room as quick as they could.

They never stayed for the bonding, the quiet moments that were supposed to be used to strengthen pack bonds if they had any. They didn’t have bonds, but it would still be nice to curl up next to someone instead of being shut into a room by himself.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Bruce said as he tried to bounce Jason on his hip. Jason’s stomach rolled as he sensed the anxious coming from Bruce because he was holding Jason. And feeling himself cause if those bad emotions, he only made Jason cry more.

“Jason, Jason, please talk to me. You don’t have to cry, baby.”

Shut up, you stupid little thing.

“Master Jason, whatever is the matter?”

There’s nothing to cry about, sex toy.

“Please, sweetheart, calm down.”

Stop.

Jason couldn’t take it anymore. He twisted out of the human’s hood and fell to the ground. They looked even taller from his shorter height, and his heart raced faster. Hands were all around him, trying to scoop him back up, and he ran away.

He ran up the stairs and into the family wing and into the room that smelled like Dick and all his bubbly love emotions.

Jason heard them coming, footsteps hot on his heels, so he shoved himself under the bed. He wedged himself deep under it, with only one of Dick’s crumpled sweat shirts. It smelled like him and helped ease the terror.

He didn’t come out, even though the other men sounded like they were begging.

*****

Jason snapped awake to the sound of a familiar voice.

“Little Wing, what’s wrong? Why are you hiding buddy?”

Two blue eyes were staring at him and he had to blink to make sure they were real.

Dick.

He came back.

He scrabbled out of the bed and into Dick’s arms, making incessant little impling chirps as he shoved himself under Dick’s chin. Two warm hands caught him, held him close, and clutched him like they would never let go.

His instincts thrummed pack. Pack. Pack.

He flexed his claws and dug them into the jacket Dick was wearing. As if he could keep the human here by sheer force if will.

“What’s wrong?” Dick repeated.

“You left. You’re the only one who likes me and you left.”

Dick tensed against Jason and the felt the human’s emotions drop in shock. His packmate unconsciously held him closer and Jason purred into the physical contact. Something anxious that had been coiled up inside him finally loosened and fell apart.

“Oh baby,” Dick whispered into his ear. “I’m sorry. I’m here now.”

The human shifted, pulling Jason fully into his lap. His young instincts told him to fold up small, to tuck himself into his packmate’s chest, to purr impling sounds up at the man whose emotions felt like Mama’s.

The human wouldn’t understand the actions. He couldn’t know what it meant to have an impling pliant and purring in his lap like this. What a demonstration of trust it was for an impling. What kind of faith showed that a child of a species who guarded their young zealously and had been raised to fear humans, would willingly place himself in one’s lap.

But he liked to think that Dick did understand when he began petting Jason’s hair and washing over him in warm, loving emotions. Dick’s claws (no. Fingernails. Humans had fingernails.) began scratching Jason’s back and he absolutely melted.

“Jason,” Dick nudged just as he was beginning to fall asleep. “Why do you think that Bruce and Alfred don’t like you?”

Jason scrunched his nose. “Humans don’t like touching Incubi and Succubi. They think we are dirty,” he spat the word. “Bruce and Alfred always get nervous when they touch me.”

Dick’s face scrunched now. “How do you know that?”

Jason’s face fell flat and Dick gave a sudden chuckle. “Right, Incubus. Sometimes I forget that you can sniff out everyone’s feelings.”

He fell silent but his fingers didn’t still.

“That must be pretty scary for you, huh.”

Jason nodded, not even embarrassed about being wary of the two larger men. Large men were scary. They hurt and held him down. They were the ones that picked off packless implings and locked them in basements to never see the sun again.

“I’ll talk to them because Jason, they love you. They don’t know how to show it, but they do. They are just worried about scaring you more.”

He didn’t know how to take that. He didn’t know what to think about that.

Humans… being scared of him? Being scared for him?

It seemed like an impossible thought.

But sleeping in a human’s lap also seemed impossible and that was exactly what he wanted to do.

Thoughts were hard, so Jason just stopped thinking. Dick was here again, after all.

He would keep Jason safe.

[squishneedsahero]

Really Really

Awesomest of Them All 2.0

Part 8 of 13

Word Count: 1166

Batman x Batmom!Reader

You know what the bat family needs? Someone to pull them together and give them all the love they deserve. Who better to do that than you? An author rising to stardom in Gotham who catches the eye of a billionaire with your standoffish attitude at a huge social gathering. You are yourself and never pretend to be more or less than that. Plus you're the most stubborn person in the world, refusing to let good things go without reason.

This is a rewrite of my story Awesomest of Them All, I wanted to see how much I've improved over 3 years.

"Morning Mom."

"Good morning Dick," you say hugging your oldest son as he sits on the couch next to you. You had been having a hard time since Jason died a couple months previously.

Bruce had thrown himself into being Batman to cope with his grief of not being able to save Jason. This hadn't helped you cope, since you relied on having your husband there when you needed him, just like you were there when he needed you. This had lead to Dick moving back in, worried about you not taking care of yourself.

"How'r you doing?" He asks for what feels like the millionth time.

You purse your lips and avoid the question, "How are you doing?"

"Mom."

You sigh, "I'm alright Dick, how are you?" You ask yet again, knowing that he isn't doing great after having lost his brother, despite the fact that he was trying to take care of both you and Bruce.

"I'm good mom," he says and gives you a kiss on the cheek, hugging you tightly.

"That's good, I need you to take care of yourself."

"I need you to do that too mom," he retorts.

You laugh, your weird sense of humor remained despite the grief, "no, I'm the mom I get to tell you what to do, you don't get to tell me what to do."

This joke relaxes him a bit, and lets him know you're doing alright today. "Fine, I'll drop it." He pauses before asking, "did dad talk with you last night?"

"No, why?" You ask.

"Uh, you should talk to him," Dick says.

You sigh and slump into the couch for a moment before looking at your now adult son, "I'll go find him and talk to him... it's about time I did that anyways. I'm getting tired of him ignoring me... you wouldn't happen to know where he is would you?" You ask as you kiss his head and stand up.

"He's in the cave, you can find your way there right?" He teases back.

You shake your head and laugh, "yeah I can find my way down there... thanks Dick," you say after a pause, glad he had motivated you to go talk with Bruce.

"S-so y-y-you're s-saying-g th-tha-t a thir-thir-thirteen," you can't continue because you're laughing the hardest you have in months.

"Yes a thirteen year old figured out that I'm Batman and all my secrets," Bruce says, trying to sound broody, but loving hearing your laughter again. You keep laughing and lean against your husband, and he wraps his arms around your waist.

After a few minutes you the two of you hugging each other in silence you mumble into his chest, "I've missed you."

"I missed you too," he says into your hair.

"So, who is the kid?"

"You know the Drakes?" Bruce asks, "yeah I know the Drakes I've had to try and hold a conversation with them many times..."

"Well, it is their son, Timothy. He's the one who figured it out. Came up to me last night on patrol and asked me where I learned to fight," Bruce laughs gently.

You laugh again, more gently this time, "I'm assuming he's keeping your secret?"

"Yeah, he said something about wanting to help me. He also said he hadn't told anyone else."

You grow quiet when he mentions the fact that Tim wants to help him, "I didn't give him an answer, but I feel he's stubborn and it would be better if I kept an eye on him than let him run off on his own."

You sigh gently, "I suppose you're right."

Your tone causes Bruce to pause yet again, he had been so caught up in everything going on that he had missed exactly how much you were hurting. He squeezes you against him before quietly saying, "my love, I'm sorry I haven't been there. Would you ever forgive me?"

You lean back to look at him better, "Bruce, of course I forgive you. We have to work through this for ourselves. How we do that is up to us."

"Yes, but I should have been there," he kisses your head.

"Bruce. Stop. I cannot handle you blaming yourself for everything that happened. We both know how impulsive Jason could be. He had a chance to save his birth mother, someone who had rejected him his entire life when he only ever wanted to be wanted. We tried to give that to him but that doesn't change the fact that woman hurt him to the point he felt he needed to redeem himself for her."

You take a breath, tears in your eyes but needing to finish your thought, "we cannot change what happened. We can only move forward and take his memory with us."

"I know, my dear, but I should have been there for you when you needed me. I've been so focused on everything else that I wasn't there for you, yet you've always been here for me," he leans down to kiss you.

You kiss back before speaking again, "you needed to grieve too. You can't keep living in the past and regretting things you should have done. You're here for me now and I need you to be here right now and that's what matters."

Bruce accepts your forgiveness and lets the subject of his many regrets drop. You were right. Regretting the past wouldn't lead to change, only moving forward would do that. He kisses you again, before offering to carry you upstairs so the two of you could spend some time together.

It's a few days later when you hear a voice behind you. You had been working on being around Bruce more, as it helped with your grief so you were sitting in the cave. You'd been working on your book again for the first time in a while.

"So this is the BatCave?!"

"Yes," you hear Bruce say in his broody™ voice. You turn around in the chair you had been curled up in in front of the computer, and raise an eyebrow at the boy who had come with him.

Then the boy notices you, "Hello, Mrs.Wayne."

"Hi," you say waving awkwardly and looking between the boy and your husband, a small smile coming to your lips.

"Tim?" You say walking up to stand next to the boy, your arm linked with Bruce's.

"Hi Mrs.Wayne," Tim says, trying to sound okay despite the fact that all of you had just attended his parent's funeral.

"How are you doing?" You ask the boy, unlinking your arm from Bruce's and putting your hand on Tim's shoulder.

"Good."

"Yeah?" You ask then continue, "Bruce and I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?" Tim asks looking up at you.

"It's probably lonely in that big house of yours, if it would interest you you're welcome to move in with us."

"Really?" He asks as he wipes a tear from his cheek.

"Really really," you respond.

[elareine]

If you could, can you please write JayTim or RoyTim (whichever one you want) trying to be romantic and woo Tim (maybe with some puns, I love puns), but Tim is a bit oblivious towards it, because the other is so cool, therefore they must be trying to make friends and be nice with him and nothing more. So when he does finally realize its an italicized "Oh" moment.

Hi lovely!! Thank you for waiting so patiently for this fill. I... ended up making it JayRoyTim, I hope that's okay? It just fit so well, but I can totally write something else with JayTim or RoyTim for you if you want :)

Also, it turned out to be about pick-up lines more than wooing, sorry. I might’ve gone overboard with googling the puns. It's long enough that I put it on ao3, too. What's your username on there? Then I'll gift it to you.

if you were a transformer (you’d be optimus fine)

“Well, here I am.”

Tim looks up, utterly confused. “I didn’t call for you, but… that’s… great?”

Roy waggles his eyebrows. It looks faintly disturbing. Redheads should maybe not do that. Or, actually, Tim revises mentally, thinking of literally every other redhead Dick ever dated—that’s just Roy. “What are your other two wishes?”

“Coffee and some silence to finish working this case?”

Roy looks weirdly deflated at that, but he does get him some coffee. Tim soon forgets about it.

—

(“How’d it go?”

“Does obliviousness run in the family?”

“Yes. Yes it does. Have you met Bruce?”

“…okay, fair. Your turn next.”)

—

“Jason? What’re you doing here?”

Sure, Jason and Roy have been spending a lot more time in Gotham lately. Something to do with a case, Tim assumes. Maybe even with the one that they worked on together in Star City five months ago?

Anyway. They’ve been around, is what Tim is saying. Not at the manor, but at Tim’s apartment and his workspace, cause apparently it’s not worth rebuilding their safe house after it went up in flames, and Bruce and Damian are too often at Dick’s place. He’s not exactly surprised to see either of them anymore. (Pleased, yes. But not surprised.) However, Tim has no fucking clue why Jason is currently grinning at him from the other side of the library desk.

At least Tim has the good sense to check his name tag before he gasps: “Jason?”

“Oh, hey, Tim.” Jason’s grinning. “Guess you figured out my new job, huh?”

“Yeah.” Tim shakes his head. “Color me surprised.” So this is what Jason’s spending his days doing. He’s gotta be shadowing someone, right? Tim’ll ask him tonight.

“I’ve always liked this place.” Jason’s gaze is far away for a moment. Tim badly wants to know what he’s remembering. Then the older man seems to come back to himself and gives Tim a weird—maybe angry?—look. “It’s a good thing I’m a librarian, too, cause I’m totally checking you out.”

“Alright, I can take a hint.” Tim grabs his book and demonstratively walks over to the self-service scanners. Really. How rude.

—

(“Are you telling me he managed to resist you in your cardigan?”

“Apparently.”

“Aww. C’mere, babe.”)

—

So Roy blows things up all the time. No, really, Tim now totally understands why Dick was so happy when he heard the duo is camping out at Tim’s place for a change. His older brother even gave Tim a thumbs-up, for God’s sake. He must’ve known.

Cause yeah, there’s at least one explosion every two days. Or Roy dropping something cause he’s too focused on what he’s thinking to remember what his hands are doing. Or something dropping on him. Jason seems used to it; he just catches whatever it is or laughs at Roy. Tim… is starting to learn to do the same, actually. Whatever Roy comes up with at that moment is usually worth it, and besides, he’s kinda adorable.

Aaaaaaanyway. (He’s using that word a lot in his own thoughts right now. Almost as if he’s avoiding thinking about something. Hmm.) Tim’s not surprised when Roy walks into a room, stumbles, and slaps a hand over his eyes with a dramatic exclamation.

Tim, in shorts and not much else cause he got drenched in pollen earlier, just raises an eyebrow. “Alright, Roy?”

“Nope.” Roy’s hand is still covering his face, but Tim can still see his grin underneath. “I’m gonna need your name and phone number for insurance purposes.”

“Roy. You have both of these things,” Tim explains slowly, wondering if Roy sustained a brain injury or accidentally dosed himself on something. “And why insurance?”

“I was blinded by your beauty.”

God. Sometimes Tim wonders about the original Titans and their socialization for the two dudes if this is how they think making friends works. Then again, Kori, Donna, and Dick probably appreciated constant compliments about their beauty. It all makes sense. Roy must be so used to it that he even uses those same methods when someone unexceptional like Tim is around.

He smiles gamely. “I’m looking forward to hearing that phone call. Must be almost as great as the time Bruce tried to convince his insurance company that Clark dropping on his car wasn’t an act of God because God is demonstrably not a Kryptonian. Neither was the giant ape punching Clark out.”

Roy drops his hand at that. “…Batman did what?”

—

(“You were doing so well, too.”

“I knoooow. How much more obvious can we get?”

“I dunno, but I intend to try.”)

—

“Do you like Star Wars? Because Yoda only one for me!”

“Haha. No. Star Trek or die.” Tim’s answer is automatic. He’s had these discussions soooo many times with Kon before. Of course Jason also goes for the space cowboy soap opera.

Besides, Jason’s boyfriend is standing right next to him. He doesn’t mean to sound flirtatious with Tim. Or maybe he does, and it’s just good fun? Or maybe teasing him? Tim can’t figure it out, but he knows he doesn’t like the weird hollow feeling he gets in his stomach when he thinks about it, so he changes the topic.

And makes both of them sit down to watch some classic Captain Kirk, of course.

—

(“Should I be insulted by that pick up line?”

“Nah. There aren’t that many lines that imply a polycule, though.”

A kiss. “Alright.”)

—

One of the things Jason and Tim have in common is their predilection for motorbikes and fiddling around with them. Not that makes them unique in the batclan; Tim has never spent days quietly working side-by-side with Dick, though, the way he does with Jason. They started out with separate projects. Then Jason saw this vintage Ducati at an abandoned warehouse he was about to blow up and, well… Would be a shame, right? Tim just happens to have had one of these before���regrettably lost to one of Harley’s exploding baseball bats—so he offers his expertise.

It’s not because it means bending over the engine with Jason, closer than they ever are, their hands brushing when they hand each other instruments. It’s not.

Roy doesn’t join them. He’s too polite to say so, but he finds normal cars and bikes boring af. Doesn’t stop him from popping his head into the garage and whistling when he sees that they are shirtless and covered in grease. It’s a damn good look on Jason, so Tim can’t fault him for that.

Roy follows it up with a: “Are you a parking ticket? Cause you got fine written all over you.”

Tim can’t help it; he blushes at the suggestive tone. Those two never stop flirting with each other, do they? So far, he has managed to avoid stumbling over them while they’re making out (not that they’re making that easy—the kitchen? Really?), and he’d like to keep avoiding that, thank you very much. He’s already feeling guilty enough for his fantasies as it is.

“Uh. I should clean up,” he mumbles and flees.

—

(“Dammit.”

“…do you think that was a rejection?”

“Nah. He was definitely checking me out before you came and fucked it up.”

“That’s saying something if you noticed it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”)

—

So Tim has magically acquired cat ears and a very fluffy tail. Don’t ask. They’re gonna go away in eight hours, and until then, he’s gonna stay in the cave and work himself to distraction. Jason seems intent on keeping him company, though.

(It’s nice. Tim loves hanging out with Jason—that’s not the problem. The issue is that Tim is looking ridiculous, and Jason is being nice about it, and none of this is helping his stupid crush go away.)

They’re absently chatting about nothing until Jason says: “Kinda a pity you’re a cat, though.”

Tim looks up. Huh? Admittedly, he never pegged Jason as the type to go for catboys (though maybe… he did hang out with Kyle… perhaps it’s just that he definitely doesn’t go for Tims), but that’s still a weird pronouncement.

Jason is grinning. “If you were a chicken, you’d be impeccable.” He pauses. “Wait. Like even more than you already are. Uh.”

Tim sighs. Great. And now Jason is making fun of him again. “Whatever.”

—

(“A chicken?”

“Shut up. I panicked.” A sigh. “He was so cute with these ears.”

“…yeah, he was.”)

—

“You must be tired. You’ve been running through my mind all night.”

“I’m not tired,” Tim says automatically. Why does everyone keep asking him that tonight? Surely the shadows under his eyes can’t be that bad? He used concealer!

Something in Roy’s expression softens. “Aww. C’mere.” He pats the space on the couch next to him, and when Tim sits down, Roy pulls him half of on top of him and into a hug. “Relax for a bit, little bird.”

Tim sinks into the embrace, boneless all of a sudden. Roy just has that effect on him. Tim vaguely remembers thinking of him as his oldest brother’s cool friend and then Jason’s cool boyfriend, kind of a fuckboy but clearly good for Jay.

Now? Now, Roy just makes him feel safe.

—

(“So you spent the night on the couch just so he could sleep in your arms?”

“Yeah. Totally worth it.”

“Duh.”

“I just wish we could do that with him every night. Bet he fits perfectly between us.”

“Yeah.”

A pause.

“We might have to up the ante or switch tactics.”)

—

They’re talking about their favorite books—Tim doesn’t read as much as Jason does, but they discovered a shared love of sci-fi weeks ago—when Tim says: “Actually, that book kinda reminds me of you.”

“Oh?”

“Overly dramatic but good.”

Jason makes an offended noise, and Tim grins.

“I’m not sure which part I should argue about first.” Jason pretends to think.

Tim is always down to tell Jason that fuck his self-perception—Jason is a good man, one of the best Tim knows; that also feels too revealing right now. Instead, he gets up from their comfortable position on the couch and grabs the first stack on the table, carrying them over to the shelves to replace the gaps. “What kind of book would I be?”

“Babe, if you were words on a page, you’d be fine print.”

“Annoying and no one reads it?” Tim asks without turning around, trying to ignore the babe. That’s. That’s gotta be a slip of the tongue, right? Force of habit from spending so much time with Roy?

“No, fine,” and the emphasis is clear this time. Jason continues before Tim can reply: “Though if we’re talking books…”

Tim whirls around. “Save it. You don’t have to make fun of me just because I—“He swallows down the words.

Jason looks alarmed. “Tim—“

As if he can smell trouble, Roy chooses that moment to enter the room. Tim has barely heard him approach, Jesus. He doesn’t want to have this argument in front of Roy, though, so he just stands there in the middle of the room. Jason, too, has stopped speaking.

Roy, of course, takes one look at the awkwardness and decides to make it worse. Or more confusing.

“Did you just come out of the oven?” he asks.

“As this isn’t Hansel and Gretel, no, I didn’t.” Tim checks his shirt, just in case this is an actual conversation opener and not just a weird attempt at a distraction. “Do I have soot on me?”

“Nope.” Roy shakes his head, and he’s smiling that smile again, the one Tim is startled to recognize, the one he thought is reserved only for Jason— “Because you’re hot.”

And finally, Tim gets it. “Me?”

“Yes, Tim.” Roy’s moving in closer. “You.”

There’s a soft touch to Tim’s shoulder, and Tim whirls around, expecting Jason to be mad, cause his boyfriend is—is hitting on Tim, right, that’s what’s happening, Jason can’t be happy—

Jason is smiling down at him. His hand is still resting on Tim’s shoulder, but it slides down to his collar bone, a gentle presence as he murmurs: “You’re so beautiful that you made forget my pick up line.”

Oh. Oh.

Tim says the first thing he can think of: “Are you a raisin?”

Jason starts grinning. “I’m not even gonna qualify that with an answer.”

Tim smiles back. “Cause you’re raising my hopes for a kiss right about now.”

And he gets one. And then another, and then Roy joins in, kissing Tim’s neck and then his mouth and—Yeah.

They’re too busy for any more pick up lines right now.

[batsandbugs]

The Great IKEA Game

Chapter 1 - Meet the Players

Marinette originally came to the IKEA an hour outside of Gotham to buy twinkle lights for her new living room. She eventually extended her trip into obtaining new dishes since all she had right now was empty takeout containers she kept rewashing. She would have been very content getting what she needed and being on her way, (no, she wasn't lonely Plagg, she had two dozen mini-gods to keep her company, shut up) but halfway between the bedding and lights sections, Marinette’s life changed forever. 

For the better, if she was being honest. 

She never would have realized it if she hadn’t ducked into a showroom to test out a couch. She settled against the fluffy folds, knowing it would be destroyed within minutes if she ever brought it home when she noticed him. A boy, no man, about her age, hiding behind a desk looking for all the world as if he were plotting world domination or someone’s demise. 

They looked at each other in shock for a moment. 

“Are… are you ok-”

“Shhh!” his green eyes narrowed, and boy, Marinette had been on the receiving end of death glares before, but this one had to take the cake. 

“Sorry,” she whispered. 

He rolled his eyes. “Do you see a group of dark-haired obnoxious idiots out there?” he asked. 

The request was an odd one, but Marinette rose from the couch and glanced around outside of the showroom. She didn’t see anyone fitting his description. She shook her head. 

He smirked. “My idiot older brothers dragged me along for a “family bonding experience”." He made the little quotation marks, and Marinette never thought anyone could look cool doing that, but somehow this person nailed it. "Tt. I’ve successfully avoided them for an hour. Didn’t know when the coast would be clear though.” He rose gracefully from the ground, looking all the more like a prince, rather than a crazy person hiding from his family. 

It was absurd. 

Marinette found herself instantly amused. 

“I have friends exactly like that, I totally get it,” she said, thinking how Adrian would be beside himself when she told him the story later. The pang of loneliness that had been present since she’d left her friends in Paris, for college in America re-emerged. She shook her head of the maudlin thoughts. 

The Kwamis would have had a field day with this idea too, thankfully she had left them in her severely under-furnished apartment for the day in order to avoid the squabbling that came with only taking a few of them out of the house.  

Marinette looked back out at the hallway again, wondering if the man's brothers would soon appear, finding herself invested in what would happen. “What are you going to do now?” 

“Well, Drake has the keys, and those idiots will be at their shenanigans till the store closes, so…” he shrugged. 

“Are they like… furnishing a whole house?” Marinette didn’t know how you could spend an entire day here. Sure, it was big, but… 

“No. We’re engaged in a no holds barred game of hide-and-seek.” Marinette’s mouth dropped open. “If one of them catches me I become the seeker.” 

“Why?” 

He smirked, “Because I’ve held out the longest.” 

"No, I mean, why are you playing hide-and-seek?" It seemed an odd choice for a bunch of adults. Well, Marinette and her friends would do it. But they also willing became superheroes at the age of fourteen so their judgment was already in question.   

He shrugged. "My oldest brother thought it would be fun, and our father is... out of town at the moment," he said with a bit of hesitation. 

“So, you’re just going to hide in this showroom till the store closes?” 

A devious smile spread across the man’s handsome features. “No. I intend to troll them. If Grayson wants my participation, I'm going to make him regret it.” 

It was at that moment she crossed the point of no return, not that Marinette knew it yet.

Throwing away any idea of finishing her shopping today she returned his smirk. “Any chance I could join you in your crusade?” 

The guy looked her over suspiciously. “Why should I allow a stranger to join me and potentially ruin my chances at victory?” 

Marinette thought for a moment. “Well, your brothers know you well?” He nodded. “Then they likely know what you’ll do to avoid and troll them. You need a fresh perspective. Plus, I can operate out in the open, I’m not officially a part of the game.” 

“Hmm...” his face was impassive; Marinette couldn’t tell what he was thinking. “You make some good points, but I’m not fully convinced.” 

Marinette huffed, “I also grew up in Paris without being akumatized.” 

He looked at her oddly. “What the hell does that mean?”

“Paris had a terrorist for five years that turned people into monsterized versions of themselves if they felt negative feelings. They were called Akuamas. Everyone in my class had it happen to them at least once. More for some particularly loose cannons.” 

The guy looked bewildered. “Why didn’t anyone hear about this?” 

Marinette shrugged, trying to play off her knowledge as what a normal civilian would know. “Combination of corrupt politicians, social media blackouts, and magic. People died during these attacks, but everything was put to rights at the end of every fight due to the superheroes powers.” 

His mouth dropped, but he recovered quickly looking contemplative. “I want to know more about this at a later time, but if what you say is true you can control yourself better than the average peon. But my brothers and I are a combination of street orphans, circus brats, gymnastics freaks, and geniuses - are you sure you can keep up?” 

Marinette nearly laughed at his description but managed to keep a straight face. “Positive.” 

“Alright, I'll do whatever it takes to win.” He offered her his hand. “I’m Damian.” 

She took it, feeling a slight shock as her fingers touched his. “I’m Marinette, nice to meet you, Damian.” 

“You won’t be saying that soon enough,” he said with a slight smirk. He looked over her shoulder. “Shit.” He dove beneath the desk he’d been hiding behind earlier. “Tall guy with the white streak in his hair.” Marinette turned to look. “Don’t make it too obvious,” he hissed. 

Marinette grabbed her phone and leaned against the desk. With small side glances, she saw a man probably mid to late twenties with two-toned hair. He wore a leather jacket and seemed to be searching for something, or someone. 

“Who’s that?” she asked quietly. 

“Second oldest brother, Jason Todd - arguably the most and least dangerous.” 

“Why both?” 

“He did not want to participate initially, so he’s reluctant, but at the same time, he hates losing.  He’ll hang on to the bitter end. More resourceful than the other two, and more violent, although less sophisticated.” 

Jason moved closer to their showroom. 

“Hush, he’s headed this way,” she whispered. Damian remained quiet and Marinette tried to make herself look busy. 

“Quick question miss?” Marinette glanced up from her phone. Jason stood at the entrance to the showroom. 

“Oh, uh, oui? Non, non, I mean yes?” Marinette said in an exaggerated accent, playing into the oblivious tourist stereotype always came in handy. 

“Oh French, shit, haven’t spoken that in a while,” he muttered. “Um...” 

“Non, it iz okay, I speak English well. Can I help you?” She batted her eyes just a bit. Marinette had long since grown from the days of not using all her advantages - courtesy of forced confidence from Chole. A friendship no one had seen coming but had grown quick and strong once they reached an understanding. 

“Oh, I’m looking for my little brother, about yay high, black hair, green eyes, permanent scowl. Have you seen him?” 

Marinette pretended to think for a second. “Non... I do not theenk so, perhaps help desk at zee front?”

“Yeah, maybe,” Jason said, Marinette could see he had already written her off as useless. “Thanks, anyway.” He walked away quickly. 

There was a minute of silence. “Coast is clear,” said Marinette once Jason was out of sight. 

Damian popped up, a gleam in his eyes. “Your lying skills are adequate; we may just win this yet.” 

“I’m glad to meet such high approval, monsieur. Let’s get going.” 

Chapter 2 

Chapter 3 

Chapter 4

[isthisthingeven0n]

you’re still here : s.r

spencer watched you die in his arms, believing you were gone forever. but when he learns the truth that you’re alive in london, he can’t help but wonder why you’ve hidden away for so long. (2.4k)

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Salem, Oregon

“No, no, no Y/n, please,” Spencer pleads as he holds you close, his arms wrapped around you as your body becomes weaker by the passing second. “please don’t go,” His cries intensify as his arms shake, watching as your eyes begin to close. “no, please.”

“I’m sorry,” You manage to whisper as tears fall from Spencer’s eyes, the last sight you ever saw as your eyes closed, and your head fell back.

“No,” Spencer mutters, shaking you lightly. “no, you can’t be, no!” His cries turn to yells as Morgan approaches him slowly, resting his hand on Spencer’s shoulder as it shakes violently.

“Reid,” Morgan sighs, afraid to look down and see you lifeless in Spencer’s arms. “it’s over, I, I’m sorry.”

Looking over his shoulder, the rest of the team with solemn faces walk over and shield around Spencer whilst the police take care of Jason Lodgings; your murderer.

“Come on, Spence,” JJ speaks softly as she kneels beside Spencer as tears fill her eyes.

“I’m not leaving her.” Spencer states firmly, still not letting you go from his embrace.

“Reid,” Hotch calls out, his voice firm as he stands tall, watching as Lodgings walks away in handcuffs, glancing down with sorrow at the blood oozing from your cream jumper, dripping onto the wooden floorboards. “we have to go.” Hotch tells the team as they slowly rise to their feet, not wanting to start an argument with their superior.

Closing his eyes, Spencer releases a shaky breath as he gently lowers you to the ground. He pushes your hair out from your face and brushes his fingers across your cheek for the last time.

“Goodbye, Y/n.” Spencer whispers to you as he stands up and turns around, ignoring JJ’s open arms and walks out.

*

London, England - Two years later

It was always going to catch up with you, this life was a mere facade for your sake to have a sense of normality, but normality was never something you wanted.

Nearly two years had passed by since they last saw you. You hadn’t seen Garcia flirting with Morgan, heard JJ talk about Henry with such joy or avoided the stern looks Hotch shot over when you joked with Rossi and Emily for two years. But the one thing you’ve missed more than anything was seeing Spencer smile. You missed everything about Spencer, but seeing his smile brought a sense of indescribable joy.

This was never going to last forever, and you knew that coming into the situation. Hotch and Emily helped you figure out what to do, where to go in order to keep you safe. But keeping you safe meant everyone believing you were dead in the eyes of Jason Lodgings and his team, otherwise, they’d kill your team, your family off one by one just to get to you.

Having experienced the trauma from Emily’s ‘death’ you knew this wasn’t going to be easy on the team. You were lying in Spencer’s arms, close to death as you heard him cry for you. Every part of your body screamed to react, to tell him you’d see him again soon. If only you could have, just to provide him with some sense of relief in the long term. Yet if you did, it would’ve ruined the entire plan.

Wandering through Hyde Park, you knew he was close by. Maybe he had seen you already and was too afraid to believe it. The last time you spoke to anyone you knew was a year ago in Paris with Emily.

* Paris, France - One year Ago *

“How are they all?” You question as she sits down opposite you, files in hand as she places them on the table.

“They’re healing,” She answers, sliding the files across as you grab your bag, putting them inside without any hesitation. “it’ll get easier, but they’ll always miss you.” Emily sighs knowingly. “That contains everything you’ll need to get to London and set up a life there. But please, don’t trust anyone easily, Y/n.” She warns you as you nod.

Rising to your feet, you shrug your bag back onto your shoulder as you look down to one of your oldest friends for the last time. “Thank you, Emily.” You smile to her, wishing you could say more.

“Stay safe, okay?” She tells you, unable to form more words as thousands hover behind her lips. “I’ll be in touch soon.”

With a nod, you turn on your heels and walk down the street, not daring to look back as you’ve got to carry on.

*

Exhaling deeply, you bury your hands further into your coat pockets. Autumn was approaching as the Summer nights came to an end. You can’t help but kick through the piles of leaves that line the pathways as children giggle with their parents behind you.

“Did you know after June 21st, the Summer Solstice the sun’s direct rays will begin to shift southward from the Tropic of Cancer toward Earth’s equator?” You can’t help but tense as you hear his voice, filled with pain behind you. “As a result, the summer days become shorter, but that isn’t noticeable for a few weeks until late August when we near Fall.”

With a heavy heart, you begin to turn around and face the one person you owe the most to.

Your eyes remain locked on his feet, an old pair of sneakers lined with dried mud. Slowly, you raise your gaze past his trousers and toward the knitted sweatshirt vest, one you remember vividly even after all this time. As your eyes reach his shoulders, you can see his hair is long again and you can’t help but want to reach out and run your fingers through it like you once did.

“Hi,” You breathe out, unable to meet his scared gaze. “hi, Spencer.” You mutter, tearing apart the tissue in your left pocket as your nerves spread through your system, igniting undiscovered anxieties about this situation.

Spencer remains silent, taking in the sight before him. He never thought he’d see you again, the last time he saw you he held your lifeless body in his arms as he cried for you to stay with him. Yet you’re here, in London, alive.

“Do you wanna sit down?” You motion to the nearest vacant bench, and Spencer walks alongside you without saying a word.

Sitting down beside him, the gap between you feels too big. You’re used to the times of sitting together on the jet, resting your head on his shoulder and drifting off peacefully.

“Been up to much whilst here?” You ask, unsure what else to say. You can see out of the corner of your eye he’s looking straight ahead at the squirrels scaling the trees like buildings in the city.

“Why?” Spencer breaks his silence, his voice firm with you which takes you back by surprise.

“I,” You pause, lowering your head in defeat as you stare at the faint scar on your hand from the initial knife wound that Jason struck you with. “I had no choice.” You admit, hearing the gunfire as you blink away the memory.

“Everyone has a choice, Y/n, always.” He reminds you and just hearing him say your name causes your heart to drop. “You could’ve told us, we would’ve kept you safe, you know I,” Spencer pauses as he exhales his frustration. “we could’ve protected you.”

“I know, Spence,” You mutter, now turning to look up at him for the first time. “but I couldn’t do it, Hotch and Emily assured everyone would be safer this way.” You try to explain as you see the pain that lines his eyes, the heartache held in his gaze as he focuses on you.

He looks older, still sleep-deprived, but there’s a hint of happiness in the lines that surround his lips. A reassurance that he does have good days, the one thing you wished he'd have since you left.

“So you just left knowing we thought you died in my arms? Do you have any idea how I felt?” He’s angry, and rightfully so. “I, I thought I meant more to you than that, Y/n.” His anger subsides as his voice softens, his defences down.

You can’t help but reach out as you look at your hand on top of his, not daring to move it as you study his reaction.

“You’re the most important person to me, Spencer.” You reason, feeling his hand take a hold of yours, resting it in his palm as he curls his fingers over your hand, refusing to let go. “That’s why I had to let you believe I was gone, as Lodgings’ team would know, they’d always know and you would be in danger because of me.”

Spencer shakes his head. “We would’ve found a way, we, we,” He stumbles over his words as you squeeze his hand.

“You think me faking my death was plan A, Spence?” You chuckle, noticing a faint smile crossing his lips. “That was plan Z, actually version 3 plan Z if we’re being specific.”

“Did you ever plan on coming back?” Spencer quietly questions as his words linger around you for a moment as you slip your hand out from his.

“What did Emily tell you, Spence?” You ask, looking up at him as you hide your hands in your coat pockets, picking at the tissue once more.

“Besides the fact you’re alive and in London?” He nervously chortles, catching you rolling your eyes playfully. “She said you were doing okay, and that you were safe here.”

“I am, with Lodgings’ team having been sentenced, I’m no longer a target to them. My life is my own again, I can finally carry on living it.” Looking up, you watch as pigeons fly overhead, swarming down on the chunks of bread left for the swans. “But I made an agreement with Hotch, I’d stay away for at least three years. Three years to ensure my safety and for Lodgings’ team to be dismantled and dealt with.”

“Three years.” Spencer repeats, and you nod along. “You’re not planning on coming home, are you?” Your silence answers his question without you needing to respond. “I understand, Y/n. Three years is a long time to be gone from us all, and people change.” He reasons to himself more than to you. “I, we all thought you were gone, and finding out you’re alive I,” His voice trails off as he clenches his jaw, fighting his emotions that have been pent up for so long.

“Spence,” You mumble his name as tears fall from his eyes. “I want to come home, I do. I just don’t know if it’s home anymore.”

“Home is where the heart is.” Spencer comments.

“Elvis Presley.” You chuckle, lifting your hand up as you wipe away his tears, feeling him tense momentarily from your touch.

“Please don’t go, Y/n.” Spencer whispers as he lifts his hand up, resting it on top of yours as you cup his cheek. “I want to be selfish, I don’t want to lose you again if I don’t have to.”

Tears glaze your eyes as Spencer scans your face for any uncertainty. “Six months, Spence.” The words are barely audible for anyone passing by, but you know he heard you.

“One hundred and eighty-two point five days.” He nods as you lower your hand from his cheek, but he still keeps his on top of yours. “Then you’ll come home?”

“I can’t promise, Spence.” You know lying would be useless with him, you were never the most confident liar around him. “But before I go, I just want to tell you something.”

“Anything.” Spencer responds in a heartbeat, his entire body facing you now as you lower your gaze and take a steady breath.

“When you held me in your arms as I was,” Even after all this time, you still struggle saying the word. “well, fading, there was one thing I couldn’t help but think as you pleaded for me to stay.”

Spencer edges closer, your thighs touching as the previous gap between you both on the bench is gone. “What was it?”

“I wanted to tell you how much I care for you, how much I love you. And I wanted to thank you for being there for me through everything.” Your eyes remain locked on his as you pour your heart out to him, knowing if you don’t say it now, you never will. “But I didn’t have enough life in me to say all that then.” You nervously laugh. “So I thought I’d say it now, as it’s still true. You are a wonderful person Spencer Reid.”

A comfortable silence falls between you both as echoes of children's laughter surrounds you. And for the first time in years, you feel perfectly content.

“You know, Rossi once told me something,” Spencer speaks up, looking down at your hand as he brushes his thumb over the scar Jason caused. “scars show us where we have been, they do not dictate where we are going.”

“Wise words from a wise man.” You comment quietly as Spencer pauses.

“I know you have scars, Y/n. Externally and internally. But I’ll always be here, wherever you chose to be.” A small sweet smile lines Spencer’s lips as you focus on him, wishing there was so much more you could say. “And I’ll always love you, I’ll always miss you. But if I know you’re healing, then that is all that matters.” He lifts your hand up to his lips, kissing it softly before lowering it back to your lap, unaware of your heart-shattering in your chest.

“I’ll see you soon, Spence.” You tell him as he stands up, hands resting in his jacket pockets as he sways back and forth on his heels.

“One hundred and eighty-two point five days, Y/n.” He reminds you, and you can’t help but laugh and Spencer joins in too for a moment and everything feels okay again, just for a second. “I’ll be holding you to it.” He smiles to you one last time as he sees the glint in your eyes falter. “Bye Y/n.”

“Bye Spencer.” You wave to him as you turn around, walking down separate paths once more, unsure when you’ll next reunite.

[princessphilly]

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Word Count: 5118

CW: angst, smut but not super filthy smut (medium filth?), bad language

Dress and shoes that Nina wore in this chapter

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Only three more chapters and an epilogue left

Nina fidgeted as dug into her pocketbook for her keys to her parents’ house. It was time for Sunday dinner, the one meal a week that she wasn’t responsible for cooking and therefore, Nina never missed it. Cooking was not her forte and Nina had no problems with that. However, this Sunday dinner, she needed to talk to her family about their lives changing.

The smell of roast chicken filled the house and Nina took a deep sniff as she opened and closed the door. Aryanna and Dad were watching the late game aka hate-watching the Ravens vs Saints. The Steelers were playing on Monday night this week. 

“Heey sweettart,” Vernon said, getting up to give his oldest daughter a hug. 

Nina hugged her father back, holding him close for a second. “Hi Dad.”

“Oh no!”

Nina ended the hug, turning with her father towards the tv. Lamar Jackson had just run for a 20-yard touchdown. They all groaned; the Steelers needed the Ravens to lose as both teams were running neck to neck for the AFC North crown. As Nina got absorbed into the game, the situation with Sidney was still in the back of her mind. 

Nina had talked to her mom earlier in the day, explaining everything to her mother, well everything but the sex. Tracey had listened with an open ear before telling her daughter not to make a decision over her potential happiness just because of how it could affect her family. Tracey had reminded Nina that Jason, while he was at UNC now, had been a 5-star tight end prospect and they dealt with the media when it was time for him to sign with a college. 

After talking to her mom, Nina had taken a nap before coming to sunday dinner. As she watched the game, waiting to eat, Nina hoped for courage. However, she kept it to herself when it was time to eat, instead listening to Aryanna talk about school, her dad talk about his new position at work which meant that he wasn’t going to be going out on the road as much anymore. Nina shared some stories about her clients while Tracey talked about the switch to travel nursing over working in the hospital. But when it was over, Nina gulped and summoned her courage.

“So, I got news,” Nina started once dinner was over and dessert was served. She looked down at her glass of water. Before she could continue, Aryanna piped up. “Let me guess, you’re breaking up with Sidney Crosby because you’re a punk.”

“Aryanna!” 

Nina glared at her little sister while Tracey reprimanded, “That was rude, little girl.”

“Sorry,” Aryanna muttered.

“Anyway, before I was rudely interrupted,” Nina said, “I have news. After thinking about it, talking to Sidney, and going over the pros and cons, I’ve decided to give him another chance.”

Tracey smiled as Aryanna shouted yes. Vernon looked at his daughter and carefully said, “Are you ready for it?”

Nina grimaced. “As ready as I can possibly. Are y’all?”

“We only want you to be happy, sweetie,” Tracey consoled. “Plus, I saw those pics of you two. He’s smitten.”

Nina groaned while Aryanna laughed. Vernon added, “We were already planning to move soon anyway. We’ve been looking at homes in South HIlls and we just closed on a house in Mt. Lebanon.”

“Oh wow. When was I going to find out,” Nina said with a smirk. She knew her parents had been thinking of moving for a while but the market had been super hot for a long time. Before she had moved into her current apartment, Nina had heard of the different arguments her parents had about moving to different areas. But before they could find somewhere, someone else would snap it up.

Tracey grinned. “We weren’t going to say anything until we closed because of how long it took to find somewhere. It’s taken almost two years and we even saved enough to offer forty percent as a down payment. It’s a fixer-upper though but it has a bigger backyard for my garden and the schools are better.”

“What are you going to do with this house,” Nina asked before taking a bite of her sweet potato pie. Fuck, she wished she could bake and cook just so she could make herself sweet potato pie all of the time. 

Vernon replied, “Probably sell. There are people looking to buy even though this area isn’t that great. ”

“I guess it’s settled. This is exciting though.”

Tracey snickered before looking at her husband. “I hope you are still excited when we need you to help pack, Ni-ni.”

Nina looked to her right before taking out her phone and sending a quick message. Free monday? 12pm?

She received a quick response. Yup, just tell me where to meet

Vernon casually commented, “I’m also looking at it this way; this is a practice for when Jason is in the NFL and becomes famous.”

“Good point,” Tracey said. “I can start practicing telling people no even more now.”

Nina laughed. “Looks like I have nothing to worry about then.”

The conversation switched to the Steelers game tomorrow night as they finished dessert.

**

Honestly, Sidney was a bit surprised to get a message from Nina so quickly. He had fully expected her to wait until Wednesday and he had been preparing himself for the worst possible outcome. As a competitor, prepping for each game meant learning his opponents’ strengths and weaknesses. Nina wasn’t his opponent but Sidney was now very aware of the power she had over him with just one look, let alone her touch or words. 

Nina had asked to meet somewhere that wasn’t at their homes. Sidney suggested lunch but after looking at his schedule, he asked if Nina could maybe meet him at the Pens offices and then get lunch after. Fidgeting in the smaller conference room, Sidney began to worry that Nina wouldn’t show up when the clock showed that it was already five minutes past the time they agreed to. But then, Nina wasn’t the most on time person either so Sidney rationalized to himself, he should worry if it was fifteen minutes passed and she still wasn’t here. 

Then outside the door, Sidney saw Nina talking with Evelyn, one of their PR mavens. They were having an animated discussion and Sidney smiled softly. Nina opened the door and grinned at him. “Hi Sid, sorry for being late.”

Evelyn waved at Sidney and he waved back. After Nina walked in, Evelyn peeped in and said, “I was just catching up with Nina since it’s been a while since she’s been here.”

Sidney nodded as Nina replied, “thank you so much for the advice, Evelyn, I will definitely use it!”

Evelyn waved goodbye before closing the door firmly. Nina chose a chair directly across from Sidney and sat down. There was a brief pause before Nina giggled. “Oh my God, you looked like you were about to die before I showed up.”

“Well, I had to remind myself that you’d show up but part of me still was worried because of everything in our last conversations,” Sidney replied. 

The aura in the room turned serious as Nina bit her lip and folded her hands together. “Yeah, those conversations,” Nina started. “I like you a lot, Sidney Crosby, but… I hate this circus that surrounds you. I know that it’s something you can’t control but I hate it. But I realized, especially after talking to my mom, there’s nothing I can do about it now. My life’s forever changed.”

Sidney cleared his throat but Nina stopped him. “Let me finish, Sid because I can already tell you’re ready to make promises you can’t keep. So let me save both of us the headache.”

Sitting back, Sidney leaned in his chair. “What are your plans, pretty girl?”

“You have to get over being super private and claim me publicly. You want me to be yours, Mr. Crosby? Then you have to let the world know we are together. No are they or aren’t they bullshit.”

Nina glared at Sidney when she was done. Sidney flushed; part of him hated the idea of letting the world know more than they really needed to know about his personal life. At the same time, he already knew he was going to do whatever Nina asked him to, in his own way. “You know I don’t use social media,” Sidney began before trailing off. Then he smirked. 

Nina casually said, “you’ll find a way.”

“I already figured it out,” Sidney drawled. “What else do you want, pretty girl?”

“No more surprise meet ups with people from the team, let me know ahead of time. Just like I’ll let you know ahead of time whenever I decide you should meet my fam.”

Sidney actually blushed while Nina arched an eyebrow. “I know I’m amazing but that was a bit uncomfortable when I think back. At least you didn’t abandon me to talk to your teammates and let me fend for myself.”

“I’m sorry, Nina,” Sidney apologized. He felt really bad now: he had been so excited that he really didn’t think about how Nina would have felt. Nina shrugged; it wasn’t that bad to be honest because Sidney stayed at her side, introduced her to everyone, and made sure she was included. But that didn’t mean she wanted him to continue doing that. 

Nina smiled at Sidney and asked, “what do you think, Sid?”

Sidney scratched his jaw as he thought of his reply. It was relatively simple but it would also be life-changing for him. He finally said, “Yes, it all sounds good. But I have one thing?”

“What’s that?”

Sidney smirked as he looked Nina up and down. Nina rolled her eyes as she smiled. She could guess where his mind was, right in the gutter. But Sidney surprised her when he said, “Then let me spoil you.  I have no problem claiming you publicly, but I want you to let me treat you like I’ve been wanting to treat you.”

Nina gave Sidney a bashful smile before looking to the side. “I’ll never say no to purses and shoes but I don’t want you to buy out the store-“

“I already know that, sweetheart,” Sidney firmly said, “but let me treat you like you deserve.”

“Okay, okay,” Nina conceded.

Sidney pushed his chair back, making space. Then he patted his lap. “Come ‘ere.”

Nina got out of her chair and sat on Sidney’s lap. “You know where we are,” she hissed even though she had obeyed him. 

Wrapping an arm around her waist, Sidney smiled. Smelling her coconut-vanilla scent, he realized how much he had missed her. “I know, I’m not going to do anything inappropriate, pretty girl. Just missed having you close to me.”

Sidney kissed the back of Nina’s neck, causing her to shiver. “Watch the postgame of our next game, Nina. Now, what do you want for lunch?”

“Um, honestly, I want Chipotle. I have to get back to work in about an hour so nothing fancy,” Nina replied. 

Turning so that she was facing Sidney, she placed her index finger over his lips when he opened his mouth. “I forgot to add this earlier but I’m also going to say this now. I’m not quitting my job anytime soon. I’m going to finish my Ph.D. and if I decide to stop working, it’s because I plan to teach full-time. So, if you expect I’ll be waiting at home and living for you, now you know that’s not going to happen,” Nina stated. 

Sidney opened his mouth to reply but the door opened. “Hey, I’ve been looking for you, Sidney!”

Nina squeaked in surprise and Sidney sighed. It was Brian Burke and Sidney was sure that it was probably something important but this wasn’t quite the moment where he wanted to see him. 

Brian smiled. “It looks like you two have made up.”

Nina weakly waved. At first, she was going to move off of Sidney’s lap but his hand around her waist made that impossible. “I’d introduce myself but I figure I interrupted,” Brian continued. 

“It’s okay, I was on my way to get lunch,” Nina replied. 

Sidney added, “With me.”

“Don’t forget, you said you wanted to help with more planning for our pride game this season,” Brian reminded Sidney.

“Ohh, the pride game! You’re getting more involved in it? That’s awesome,” Nina exclaimed. 

Sidney blushed as he smiled under Nina’s praise. 

“Would you be interested in being involved, Nina,” Brian asked.

Nina paused for a second, her eyes wide. “Um, sure.”

“I can get your contact information from Sidney,” Brian asked.

Nina nodded as Sidney rubbed his hand up and down her back. Sidney said, “I’ll let you know,” as Brian closed the door. 

Placing a hand over her face, Nina sighed. “Wow.”

“It’s fine. Look, your first volunteer project,” Sidney kidded. 

“I need to eat.”

**

The game against the Isles had gone well. Sidney had tallied two assists and a goal in a 4-2 win after having a four game slump. Normally post-game interviews were a necessary evil but he was a bit nervous this time. Not because he knew they were going to ask about getting out of his slump, but because of what he was going to say. 

The first couple of questions were easy softballs. Then Sidney was hit with the question that opened the door. 

“Sidney, great breaking your slump. There were rumors that your personal life was affecting your game on the ice. What do you think about that?”

Sidney looked at the reporters, all ready for him to give a cliche. Instead, Sidney admitted the truth. “My personal life was affecting my game on the ice. But we’ve fixed our issues and I’m glad.”

There was a pause, as if the reporters didn’t know where to start. Sidney looked at one of the PR interns to the side. The intern gave him a slight smile and a quick thumbs up. Sidney decided to continue, “We prefer to keep our relationship private for now but she means a lot to me and is very important to my life. I will not be answering any more questions about my relationship at this moment.”

Luckily, the rest of the questions were about hockey but Sidney knew that his statement was going to be a big part of what everyone was going to talk about. Once back in the locker room, Geno gave Sidney a big grin. Tanger said, “You did it?”

“Yeah but I’m serious, I’m not going to answer a bunch of questions about my personal life,” Sidney replied. “Now though, every time we struggle, the dumbasses will start talking about it.”

Tanger grimaced as Geno said, “Fuck them.”

Guentzy laughed as he stated, “I agree with Geno. Fuck them.”

Sidney laughed as he pulled his shirt off before pulling off his pads. Sitting in his crocs, hockey pants and pads, Sidney pulled out his phone. There was just one message from the only person who’s opinion mattered to him, wow😍 .

Sidney replied back, made it official for u but in the way u wanted 😁😏

😘🥰 part of me can’t believe it but i’m happy u listened to me, was Nina’s reply. 

Sidney texted, only 4 u, before finishing getting undressed so he could take a shower.

**

To be totally honest, Nina thought her life would have exploded the minute that Sidney admitted that he was seeing someone in the post-game conference after the Isles game. It wouldn’t take much to put 2 and 2 together, especially when she went out with Sidney and the Malkins to a popular Shadyside restaurant the day after. But things were relatively calmer. 

There were still the nasty looks from other people, especially women when Nina was out by herself, running her everyday errands. But there were also people who seemed to defer to her and it felt so fucking weird. Like, if she wanted to, Nina felt like people were ready to let her do whatever she wanted because she was now Sidney Crosby’s girlfriend. 

Nina bit her lip as she waited in line to pay for her groceries. Then someone bumped into her and it was Ron. “Hey Nina, long time no see.”

“Hi Ron,” Nina replied with a strained smile. 

“Not everyday one sees their ex. Look at you, shopping like the rest of us. Your man ain’t ordering groceries for you.”

Nina resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She could feel the eyes of other people at Weis and she knew there were people looking for something to gossip about. Nina definitely didn’t want to give Ron the satisfaction of a reaction. She merely replied, “I have my own life I have to take care of on my own.”

“Oh wow, because I remember the way you two were looking at each other that time we went out on a date. Makes me think you were cheating on me with him,” Ron goaded. 

Nina gave him a blank look. “We were long over, for almost three years, before I went out with Sidney. But you had two other women when we were a couple,” Nina stated with a shrug. “Anyway, it’s my turn to check out. Bye.”

Nina tuned Ron out as she checked out. The cashier commented, “That guy seems like a dick.”

“You live and you learn,” Nina replied with a smile as she paid, unaware that someone had uploaded video of that encounter to the internet.

**

Sidney gulped down his protein shake, home after practice. The season was starting well but he felt like the team could be better. Sidney wanted another cup, one more cup and he felt like this was the year. Then his phone buzzed and he saw it was his mom.

“Hi Mom,” Sidney said, sitting on his sofa. He had some time before he needed to get ready for tonight and it was always good to talk to his mother.

Trina chirped, “Hi Sidney, how are you?”

“I’m doing good, short practice today before our game against New Jersey tomorrow,” Sidney idly replied as he turned his tv on. Flipping through Netflix, he chose an episode of How I Met Your Mother. 

He could hear his mother’s smile through the phone when she teased, “Your father told me you told the press that you are seeing someone last week. Is it that girl you kept talking about over the years?”

Sidney giggle-honked before admitting, “Yes, it is. I’m finally dating Nina.”

“Are you sure it’s a good idea? This is something totally different for you,” Trina asked, concerned. Her son had a relationship with Kathy but this situation with this new girl was something totally different. Part of her was worried that since Sidney had wanted this girl for so long, that he was diving into this without really thinking about it.

Sidney replied, “You sound like Nina.”

“Hmm, I do?”

“Yep, Mom, you did,” Sidney said, “Nina wasn’t sure if it was a good idea for a long time but I managed to convince her it was.”

Trina was still feeling skeptical. From what she knew, this girl was from the area, a fan of the team, a different race, and had worked for the team for a period of time. It was possible she could be playing the long game. “Is she there with you now?”

Knowing her son, Trina was convinced that Nina was already living with her son. Her son, when he decided he wanted something, went all out to get it. She was surprised when Sidney said, “No, she’s at work, then she has class.”

“Class,” Trina asked, her tone perking up. This sounded interesting. 

Sidney informed his mother, “Nina decided to get a PhD in rehabilitation science this year. She works as a physical therapist.”

“That sounds interesting, isn’t that how you met her,” Trina idly said. The door opened and Troy stepped in. Trina put her finger to her mouth to shush her husband. 

Sidney scratched his head, wondering where his mother was going with these questions. “Yes. Nina works somewhere else totally different now. But she’s looking into becoming a professor after guest lecturing at, I think, Pitt.”

Trina raised her eyebrows. That was interesting information. Switching the conversation to more mundane subjects, Trina filed that information in the back of her head. It sounded like this Nina was a bit more well-rounded than she thought. 

Sidney sighed when he hung up on his mother. That conversation felt like one thing but he could sense there was another undercurrent. Then he received a picture message from Nina and his mind went straight to the gutter. Sidney sighed; it was going to be a long night.

**

“You look very nice.”

Nina smiled as she replied, “Thank you,” to the guest. 

It was kind of last minute, this dinner that Nina found herself invited to. It was thrown by Nathalie and most of the top brass of the Penguins were here as well as Sidney, the Letangs, and the Malkins. Because Sidney had gone public with their relationship, Nina had found herself suddenly invited. Luckily for her, Nina already had an appropriate cocktail dress for the occasion. 

Her dress was black with an asymmetrical one shoulder with a bow but it came to just above knee level. Nina’s heels were gold, an impulse purchase several months ago that she was happy to have. The outfit was classy, understated, and definitely Penguins colors. 

Sidney seemed to like it as well from the way his arm stayed possessively around Nina’s waist whenever possible. At least it wasn’t a public event; the possessiveness would have looked bad. But because it was informal and in a private room at PPG arena, Sidney was able to get away with it. 

The length was a blessing and a curse. A blessing that it meant that Sidney couldn’t try to do any funny business during dinner but a curse in that the more he touched her, the more Nina wanted him. By the end of the night, it was obvious that Sidney was getting close to losing his cool and Nina was loving it. 

As soon as they got into the car at the end of the night, Sidney pounced. His lips touched hers, demanding and devouring as he kissed her. Then abruptly, Sidney let go. “You'd been torturing me all night in that little black dress. So sexy, the way it showed off my pretty girl’s body.”

Sidney already knew that Nina was perfect in every way anyway. However, as soon as he saw her step in with that black dress and gold heels, it took every ounce of media training and self-control for Sidney not to strip it off of her and fuck her right there. Right now, he was glad that he hired a car after this event. 

Sidney didn’t even do anything in the car other than keep his hand on Nina’s thigh. The difference was that he told Nina every filthy thing he planned to do to her once he got her home. Nina wiggled on the seat, her legs shifting as Sidney whispered what he planned to do to her. It was insane, what he could do to her with his words. 

Nina had expected Sidney to push her against the wall when they got back to his place but instead, he just guided Nina to the kitchen before taking out two glasses. Picking out a wine, Sidney poured two glasses. 

“I’ve missed you in my bed but I’m patient,” Sidney stated, his hands palming Nina’s ass before giving both cheeks a smack. Then Sidney picked up the glasses of wine and passed one to Nina.

Nina smirked. “I’m not,” she said as she took a sip. 

“Can’t be patient for me, pretty girl?”

Nina shrugged as she took another sip. Then she delicately licked a drop that was on her lower lip, causing Sidney to visibly grunt and shudder. “Maybe,” Nina finally replied. 

“Good.”

Sidney sat down in a chair and patted his lap. Nina sat on his lap, the hem of her dress riding up. “Did you have a good time?”

“I actually did for something that was pretty last minute. Don’t ask me if I remember everyone’s name yet.”

“That’s okay,” Sidney reassured Nina. “No one expects you to remember everyone, yet.”

Nina snorted before taking another sip of her wine. Idly, Sidney added, “Fuck, I love this dress.”

“Maybe if you move your hands higher underneath it, you’ll get a surprise,” Nina taunted. Licking her lips, she winked.

Unable to resist a challenge, Sidney moved his hand higher and higher. Then he whistled when he realized Nina’s surprise. “You went commando all night and didn’t tell me?”

“I’m lucky this dress was lined so well that no one could tell,” Nina admitted. “But it was worth it.”

“How,” Sidney asked as his hand touched Nina’s pussy. She was already wet.

Nina smirked. “Because I knew if you found out tonight, the look on your face would have been priceless.”

Sidney ignored that statement as he stroked Nina’s core with his fingers. Rolling her clit with his fingers, Sidney hissed at the idea that Nina was here, with him tonight. His pretty girl, perfect in his lap. "I love how wet you get for me, pretty girl."

"Only for you, daddy," Nina moaned as she clutched his shoulders. Sidney growled at her words, her pussy clenching harder on his fingers. 

Suddenly, Sidney picked Nina up and placed her on the table. Nina smiled as she hiked up her dress and spread her legs. Sidney licked his lips. “We’re gonna see how many times you cum for me tonight, pretty girl.”

“Fuck, I can’t wait,” Nina moaned as his mouth met her core.

**

Sidney woke, at first disoriented because someone else was in his bed and curled up on top of him. Then he realized it was Nina and he relaxed. Her head was on top of his chest, one arm on him as she slept on her side. Carefully extracting himself, Sidney went to the bathroom. After relieving himself, he watched Nina continue to sleep, now curled into herself. Sidney took a quick picture, it was so cute. However, after taking the picture, he checked his messages. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he chanted.

Nina opened her eyes slowly, her body deliciously sore after last night. Stretching out her arms, she sleepily asked, “What’s wrong, Sid?”

“Seems like someone has something against you, pretty girl,” Sidney said, suppressing his fury. 

Nina’s eyes snapped open, sleep now forgotten. Sitting up, she queried, “What happened?”

“There's a video of you with some guy at a market.”

Grimacing, Nina sighed. “I ran into Ron while getting groceries. He was being a jagoff asshole.”

“You don’t look bad at all, PR thinks you handled it perfectly.”

Nina got off the bed and walked over to Sidney. Wrapping her arms around him, she pleaded, “Fuck him and fuck whoever took video.”

Snuggling into Sidney’s chest, Nina nipped one of his nipples. “Plot your revenge later, Sid. It’s eight am and I know you have a maintenance day today. Come back to bed.”

“‘Come back to bed?’ You know this is my bed,” Sidney joked. His anger was going away each second that Nina was pressed against him, her lips giving him little kisses and bites on his upper body. 

Nina looked up at Sidney, giving him soulful eyes. “Please, daddy?”

Trailing her hands around his neck, Nina murmured, “I’ve been so good. Please?”

“Fuck, how can I say no,” Sidney groaned as Nina giggled. Picking her up, he tossed her on the bed. 

Scooting back, Nina spread her legs as Sidney settled in the middle of them. “I love the way you fuck me, Sidney.”

Sidney smirked, his brown eyes smoldering as he crouched over Nina. “Oh do you?”

“Yes, I do,” Nina hummed, her fingers tugging on his chain. “You should do it again.”

Sidney settled between Nina’s thighs, pulling her legs around his waist. His lips lowered to hers in a gentle kiss. Slow and drugging, enough to make both of them red hot for each other, full of promise. Pulling away, Sidney nipped Nina’s lower lip. Nina sucked her lip into her mouth, her brown eyes meeting Sidney’s. Cupping Nina’s chin, Sidney reminded her, “How do you ask, pretty girl?”

“Please fuck me, daddy,” Nina asked, her body arching towards his. “Make me yours.”

“Good girl.”

**

Nina tried hard not to feel self-conscious as she made her way to the ice-level with Aryanna, Catherine and her children, and Anna with Nikita. It had been a week since that awful article with video from her interaction with Ron. It had been set up to make Nina look like a gold digging whore and it hurt to have guys, guys she had only gone out with once or twice, say things that made her seem horrible. Nina hadn’t admitted that part to Sid when he was in a fury about it. Lauren had reminded Nina that men tend to be assholes about women that they couldn’t have and that Nina was way beyond their level even before her current relationship. 

Even though Nina had distracted Sidney that morning, by the afternoon, that article was off the internet. A radio host had mentioned it and then within an hour, issued an apology for talking about it. However, it was forgotten pretty quickly as more people cared about the Steelers potentially staying undefeated with a game coming up against the Browns.

Nina smiled as they reached the ice. The team was doing warm-ups and Sidney was in the midst of his pregame rituals. She actually had more enjoyment from watching Aryanna react to watching the guys on the ice. Tanev gave the glass near them an ice shower while Geno and Kris had greeted Nina and Aryanna while saying hi to their families. Then, very unexpectedly, Sidney broke one of his traditions and came over. Giving the glass a small shower, Sidney waved at Aryanna before smirking at Nina. Nina smirked back before giving Sid a little wave. 

As people took pictures of Sid waving to her, Nina smiled. She could live with this, maybe. ‘No, that was a lie’, Nina thought as they made their way to the family box. She was going to have to live with this now, it was too far gone to go back. And she didn’t want to.

[purple-vixen]

Love is a Locked Door - Dick Grayson/Reader

Summary: Damian asks you and Dick to check if there are any monsters in his closet. Somehow the two of you end up locked in there.

_

You have been friends with Dick for quite some time now. He was definitely one of your favorite people in the world. Dick was funny, kind, smart and selfless, and also strong and very, very handsome. Though the latter ones you never dared to say out loud.

You were in love with Dick Grayson, and you kept this secret under lock and key. Making a move never really crossed your mind. You and he were friends for so long that you were convinced he would never see you in the same light you saw him, besides, you were afraid of ruining your friendship. No one understood you like him, there was no way you were going to risk it.

Being his friend meant you were a regular Wayne Manor visitor, consequently being able to witness Dick's crazy siblings. They all adored you, though Damian was the one who became most fond of you. In the beginning he tried to hide it, but eventually stopped doing so. It was very surprising for the batfamily to see Damian getting attached to someone so quickly.

Damian would show you his action figure collection, play violin for you, ask your opinion on his paintings and he introduced you to every single one of his pets. Not to mention the times Damian would show up in your apartment's balcony seeking advice or just someone to talk to and you two would chat and drink tea all night. You always scolded him for not using the door like any other normal person, but after seeing it was not going to work you decided to let it slide.

You saw Damian like the little brother you never had. He was a cute little cinnamon roll. A deadly cinnamon roll that knew how to kill a person with just two fingers, but a cinnamon roll nonetheless. Which is why you were not able to say "No" to Damian when he asked for you and Dick to check if there were monsters inside his bedroom’s closet.

You and your best friend were now inside there, each one holding a flashlight in your hand, pointing the beams to every shelf, hanger, pile of clothes and corners possible. You had to admit, you had the impression something was a bit off, considering that Damian and Jason were also in the room and they still haven't tried to kill each other yet.

Although the closet was spacious, you and Dick accidentally bumped into each other. He grabbed your shoulders to stop you from falling and you could feel your heart beating so fast it felt like it would jump off your chest at any second.

— Be careful. — He whispered softly. You were glad it was too dark for him to see you blushing as he wrapped his strong arms around you.

— Uhm… Found any monsters yet? — Damian anxiously paced back and forth as he watched his oldest brother and you turning his wardrobe upside down.

— Not yet. —

— And if we do, we're gonna kick its ass. — Dick added.

— Hey, (Y/n). —

— Yes, Damian? —

— Thank you for helping me. —

— Anytime, Dami. I'll always be there. — You walked up to Damian just to ruffle his hair, the youngest Wayne shyly grinned in response.

Dick let out a soft chuckle. Little did you know, to Dick Grayson, you weren't just his friend anymore, you became the one he fell in love with. Seeing you and Damian interacting always made his heart melt like crazy. He thought it was so adorable, you were so adorable. It made him want to kiss you even more than he already longed for.

— What is it? — You raised your eyebrows in confusion at your friend.

— Nothing, nothing. I just... remembered a joke. — Dick scratched the back of his neck, cheeks tinting a light tone of pink as the image of being close to your lips secretly ran through his imagination. — D-Don't stand too far from the door, Damian, you have to watch it for us.  — He changed the topic.

— I already am watching. Just keep looking, Grayson. — Damian answered.

— Aren't you too old for the "There are monsters in my closet phase? — Jason was plopped head over heels on the bed, playing Subway Surfers on Dick's phone since his had run out of battery a long time ago. His green eyes glued to the screen, tongue sticking out as he tried to beat his brother's record.

— Jason, take it easy, he's just a kid. — Dick sighed. Being the older one, it always fell to him to cease his siblings' bickering.

— Aren't you too old to be alive? — Damian snapped back to Jason.

— Damian! — Dick rebuked.

— Oh, I spy with my little eye a very ugly monster, he's 4 foot 8 and wearing a turtleneck. — Jason teased.

— And I can see a deadweight spreading germs on my bed.  —

 — Enough, you two! — Dick ordered with authority. — Jason, give me my phone. Since you and Damian will keep on arguing I want it back. —

On his way to his older brother, Jason winked at Damian, who nodded back. As soon as he handed the phone to Dick, Jason smirked at him and then quietly sat back on the bed like nothing happened, hands on his lap with a rather comical angelic face.

— Sorry about that, (Y/n). — Dick changed to a soft tone as he stared at you with puppy eyes.

— It was taking too long, I guess that's a Guinness record. — You joked, trying to lighten up the mood. — Don't worry, I signed up for this when I became your friend. —

— Yeah… Friend. — He mumbled to himself.

You two went back to searching Damian's closet. A couple minutes had passed when the young boy cleared his throat, trying to get yours and his eldest brother's attention.

— Father is requesting me for an emergency. I must go. — He announced.

— Well, I better get going too. Old man's request is an order. And who am I to say no to beating up criminals? — Jason instantly jumped out of the bed and put on his leather jacket.

Words weren't exchanged, yet with just one look you knew what Dick had to say when he turned to you: "I have to leave."

The moment Dick got up and started to walk away, Damian rushed out of his bedroom, leaving the closet door unattended.

— Damian, wait! The...— Before you were able to finish your sentence, a loud slamming sound reverberated. —...door. —

You pointed your flashlight to the doorknob and tried to open it.

— It's broken. Last time Alfred went here to put away Damian's clothes he ended up locked till someone opened on the outside. — Dick commented.

— I know, but it was worth a try. — You shrugged your shoulders. — Talking about Alfred, We could try calling him. I bet he's the only person in the Manor right now. You know, beside us. —

— Great idea! — He took his phone out of his pocket. Dick unlocked his phone and scrolled through his contacts until he found Alfred's name, he barely had time to hit the "dial" button before his phone ran out of battery and turned off. — Jason. — Dick growled, recalling the fact Jason borrowed his phone to play games.

— No prob. I can get my phone, it's in my purse… My god, I'm so stupid. I left my purse! — Dick burst laughing and you elbowed him, only causing him to erupt an even louder chuckle. 

— Well, that's better. — He shrugged his shoulders.

— How can it be better? We're locked in a closet! —

— There was that one time I got stuck inside a garbage truck with the Riddler. —

This time you were the one laughing. That's one of the many reasons you loved him, he always knew how to make you smile no matter what the situation was.

— I bet you loved hearing his riddles all night. —

— Believe it or not, that wasn't even the worse part. I had to soak my suit for an entire week. —

— But seriously, how are we gonna get out? — You asked as soon as the laughter died down.

— To be honest, I have no idea. —

You both tried yelling at the door to see if anybody would show up. Then Dick tried doing the credit card trick he often used to open doors, it didn't work. 

You started avidly searching for something you could pry the door open with. Eventually you encountered Damian's arsenal. The fact Damian kept a stash of deadly weapons inside his closet didn't surprise any of you.

Dick tried picking the lock with a sai and you tried slashing the doorknob with a sword. Dick would have found quite hot the way you wielded the katana and made a perfect dash attack, would have, that was if you didn't almost slice him with the sword on accident. As the last shot, Dick tried to force the doors open by throwing himself at them, the doors were blocked by something neither of you could tell and Dick lightly hurt his shoulder.

— Don't worry. I've been through worse. — Dick reassured.

— Dick, that does NOT leave me less worried about you. You could have a paper cut or a gunshot wound and I'd worry the same. —

— So you're worried about me, huh? — You could see his remarkable smirk dimly lit by the flashlight.

— I'm always worried about you, you idiot! — Dick's smirk grew wider at your reply. — Gosh, sometimes I wish I could wipe that smirk off your face. — You grumbled as you crossed your arms.

— Then why don't you try it? — Dick snapped in a flirty tone.

You inclined yourself towards him and your lips touched his. It was just a peck, it lasted for a couple seconds but for the two of you it felt like the time froze.

— Did that work? — You lifted an eyebrow. But then rolled your eyes when you realized that his wide smirk had become a full grin.

— I think you should try it again. — Dick pulled you closer to him.

Once again your lips met. This time the kiss was hungrier, needier. If only you knew that kissing him would feel that great, you wouldn't have held back for so long. Now that you were there, so close to him, you were free. And so was he.

Dick always pictured how it would feel like to slide his tongue in your mouth as you tugged his hair. And it was so, damn, good. Better than he ever wondered it could be. Dick felt in cloud nine, sensing goosebumps as your fingertips roamed around his abs. He grabbed your hips and pulled you closer to him, your chest was pulled flush against his, yet it still wasn't close enough.

You both pulled away breathless. The room was dimly lit, but as Dick tried to regain his breath, you could see his sapphire blue eyes with the pupils blown out.

— I guess that worked. — You joked.

— I should try being cocky more often. — He replied with that same flirty tone. — So… How long did you…? —

— For a while. —

— Yeah, me too. What took you so long? —

— Well... I was afraid things would get awkward between us. I wasn't sure if you liked me back. —

— Are you kidding me? I've been dropping hints for months! — He chuckled. — After all of this is over do you want to go on a date with me? —

— I'd love to. — You grinned.

You two were about to continue your makeout session when suddenly the creek of the door was heard, the bright light from the bedroom almost blinding your eyes since you got used to the dark from being locked in there. Both you and Dick jumped out of each other, in an attempt to not get caught.

— Okay kids, seven minutes in heaven is over! — Jason mocked after opening the door to your way out. Damian right behind him.

— Seven minutes? We've been locked here for two hours! — Dick protested.

— You say it like you weren't enjoying it. C'mon, just thank us. — He smirked.

— What do you mean by "thank" the two of you? Wait… You planned this? — You questioned.

— It was actually Damian's evil master plan, but I helped him execute it. Ya know, making Dick's phone run out of battery, hiding your purse, pushing the desk in front of the door so that you couldn't bust the door down. That kind of stuff. — Jason shrugged his shoulders.

— And apparently it all went well. — Damian nodded. — TT. Maybe too well. —

— Dami! — You rebuked. — Why did you do that? —

— I figured that if you started dating Grayson, you would have an excuse to visit us more often. — He crossed his arms as his cheeks blushed.

— You're aware that if that happens she will come here to visit just Dick, right? — Jason asked.

— Lay a finger on her and you're a dead man, Grayson! — Damian snarled and grabbed your hand, dragging you along with him as he started running. You couldn't help but chuckle at the fact the 11-year-old was so protective of you.

— Hey! I want my date back! — Dick whined and started running after you.

You rolled your eyes at the two boys as you ran, you knew tonight would be a long night since you first arrived at the Manor.

[ragingbookdragon]

The Accidental Wife PT. 1

A Bruce Wayne x Reader AU!

Warnings: Explicit Language Author’s Note: I don’t remember what brought this story into existence, but rereading the parts I’ve written remind me of how enjoyable it was to make it! Enjoy! -Thorne

Her hand pressed the button on her alarm clock, and she sat up in bed; her hand moved to her phone and she picked it up, looking at the time. Eight-thirty…Time to get the boys up. She rose from the bed and stretched, feeling her bones pop, then she folded her sheets up and moved into the hallway. (Y/N) opened the first door and peeked her head in.

           “Jay? Time to get up baby.” She heard a grunt and she smiled, closing the door and moving to the door across from it. She stepped inside and moved beside her son’s bed; (Y/N) placed a hand on his back and rubbed. “Timmy? Time to wake up Hun.” He groaned and she snorted, patting his back. “Don’t make me come in here again Timmy. I’ll bring cold water next time.” He weakly tossed a hand up and she laughed before walking to the hallway; she moved down the steps and into the kitchen, starting breakfast. A few minutes later, her second oldest stepped inside and moved to the table; she smiled at him as she flipped the bacon in the skillet. “Morning baby.”

           “Mornin’ Ma.”

           “Sleep well?” He nodded and set his books on the table; she eyed them. “History and Business Management?” Jason nodded again.

           “Midterm exams are today.” (Y/N) placed a plate in front of him.

           “You ready for it?” He huffed a laugh.

           “They’re my fortes Ma.” (Y/N) ruffled his hair and placed a kiss on his head.

           “I know they are. Your teachers always told me that when we’d go to parent-teacher conferences.” She moved back to the refrigerator and grabbed the orange juice, setting it down on the table. “You’ll do fine.” Jason smiled at her and she tipped her head to the stairs. “Timothy Jackson! Do not make me come up those stairs to wake you up again!” Jason laughed as she set another plate down.

           “Timmy stay up all night again?” (Y/N) shrugged.

           “Probably. Kid’s gonna run himself into the ground if he doesn’t sleep soon.” Jason chuckled, and a few minutes later, a groggy Tim came down the stairs, shuffling into the kitchen to the table. They watched him sit down and stare at his plate. (Y/N) set a hand on his shoulder. “Timmy? You okay?”

           “…ffee…”

           “What?”

           “Coffee.”

           “Magic word?”

           “Please.” (Y/N) smiled and set a cup down in front of him, watching as he picked it up and drank from it.

           “Better?” He nodded.

           “Much.” (Y/N) snorted and went into the kitchen again, putting dishes into the sink, then, the sound of the door opening and closing came into the house.

           “Mom…I’m home!” (Y/N) tipped her head into the hallway and smiled.

           “Dickie! What are you doing here all the way from Blüdhaven?” Dick grinned and put his hands on his hips.

           “Can’t I come home and see my family?” (Y/N) rolled her eyes and opened her arms, laughing as he walked into them. He picked her up and bear-hugged her; then, he put her down and moved into the kitchen. “Jay! Timmy! What’s hanging little brothers?” (Y/N) listened to her sons go back in forth as she stepped to the table and sat down; she stared at them.

  ��        “Mom? Is everything alright?” She looked up at Dick and smiled.

           “Yeah baby…just been awhile since all of us have sat down at the table for breakfast…I missed it.” They gave sad smiles and Dick took her hand.

           “Sorry Mom.” (Y/N) shook her head and squeezed his hand.

           “Don’t be sorry baby.” She paused and looked at her sons. “My babies are grown and living their best lives. What more could I ask for?” Her son’s smiles grew, and she leaned on her other hand. “So, what’s our agendas for today?”

           “I have my midterms today, then I’m going to work.” She nodded at Jason, then looked at Tim.

           “I have classes and my internship at Wayne Enterprises today.”

           “How’s that going?” He nodded.

           “It’s going well. Mr. Wayne is an excellent boss.”

           “Seems like you’re learning a lot from him?” Tim glanced at Dick and opened his mouth to speak, but Jason beat him to it.

           “I’m still surprised you’re actually working with The Bruce Wayne.” Tim shrugged his shoulders.

           “I’m still expecting the dream to wear off.”

           “How did you end up working with him again?” Tim glanced at Dick.

           “I submitted a plan to upgrade technology and save money at the same time, and he called me to his office and asked if I wanted to work with his team.” He paused. “Apparently they liked my plan.” (Y/N) smiled.

           “Of course, they did. No one knows tech like you Timmy.” They watched as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, and she turned to Dick. “So why are you here from Bludhaven? I thought you had to work?” Dick picked up a piece of bacon from his plate and popped it in his mouth.

           “Had the day off. Figured I’d come home and see how everyone is doing.” He placed a few envelopes on the table. “Picked up the mail by the way.” (Y/N) took the bills and stood up, flipping through them. “What do we have mom?”

           “A few bills and the survivor’s benefit from the VA.” She passed the bills to Dick. “Take my bank card and go pay those for me, please. I have to work the late shift for Darleen tonight…I won’t be able to get to the bank today.” Dick nodded and took them, then she passed the check to Jason. “Go with your brother to the bank and put this into yours and Tim’s accounts.”

           “What about you Ma?” She waved him off as she put the dishes in the sink.

           “Don’t worry about me Jay. Just put the money into your accounts.” Jason’s eyebrows furrowed.

           “But Ma.” She held up a hand.

           “You boys need to go get ready. You’ll be late for school.” Tim and Jason looked at the clock before rushing from their seats and up the stairs; (Y/N) snorted and began clearing the table, taking the dishes to the sink. She felt Dick stand beside her and she sighed. “Don’t worry Dickie…Everything’s fine.”

           “Is it?” She nodded and he reached out, turning her to him. “Mom.” (Y/N) sighed again.

           “We’re fine Dickie.” She paused and wiped her hands on the towel. “Just a few bumps. But we’ll be okay.” Dick stared at her.

           “What happened?” (Y/N) exhaled and looked up at him.

           “…Alex had to let me go the other night.” His eyes widened.

           “For what?”

           “Some asshole grabbed me, and I broke his arm.” She leaned against the counter. “To keep him from suing Alex and I, I agreed to walk. I’ve been checking the newspapers for job listings, and I’ve been pulling extra shifts at the diner to make sure we have money.”

           “That’s why you’re telling Jay to put the VA check in their accounts?” (Y/N) nodded.

           “If anything happens, and we end up in an unfortunate position, I want you boys to be able to stay afloat as long as you can.” She glanced at him. “I don’t have to worry about you in Bludhaven, because I know you have a successful job. But Tim and Jason are still in college, and I need to keep them going until they graduate and do the same.” Dick stared at his mother before pulling her into a hug.

           “I wish you would’ve called me mom. I could’ve sent some money over.” He felt her shake her head.

           “No. It’s my job as your mother to keep you boys safe and protected. Besides, your money is yours Dick. Keep that for your own.” Dick pulled away.

           “Mom…I make almost eight grand a month. My expenses are three grand a month. I can help out if you need me to.” She shook her head.

           “Like I said Dickie, that’s your-”

           “And if I’m not using that extra money to help take care of my little brothers, and the woman who has always kept food in my stomach, clothes on my back, a roof over my head, and countless other things, then what good of a son am I?” (Y/N) stared at him in shock and he spoke solemnly. “Mom. I can help you.” She held his gaze for as long as she could before sighing and nodding reluctantly.

           “If you could pay the electricity bill, I’d appreciate it Dickie.” He smiled and nodded before placing a kiss to her forehead.

           “I’ll take care of it Mom. Anything else?” (Y/N) handed him a grocery list.

           “Get groceries please. You can use my debit for that.” He waved her off and took the list.

           “I’ll take care of it Mom, don’t worry about it.” She huffed a laugh and moved past him, stopping at the stairs.

           “I always worry. Comes with being a mother.” He snorted and she looked up the stairs. “Boys! Put it in gear!”

           “Ma! Where’s my leather jacket?!”

           “I don’t know Jay! The last time I wore your jacket was…never!”

           “Ha-ha Ma…Very funny!”

           “I try! Tim! Are you done yet?!”

           “I’m about to brush my teeth!” She grunted and moved to the door.

           “I swear…you boys have no concept of time.”

           “Hey! I do to!” She glanced at Jason and held out his backpack.

           “Well take your concept and take it to school, else you’ll be late.” He grinned and kissed her cheek.

           “Love you Ma.” She smiled as he headed out the door.

           “Love you baby.” Tim came rushing down the stairs, adjusting his tie.

           “Mom, do I look alright?”

           “You look sleep-deprived.” Tim snorted and kissed her cheek before taking off after Jason.

           “Love you Mom!” She was about to respond when he stopped and turned around. “What are you doing Friday night?” (Y/N) raised an eyebrow.

           “Why?”

           “Mr. Wayne invited me to dinner and asked me if I would extend the invitation to you and the others.”

           “Really?” He nodded.

           “Yes ma’am.” (Y/N) went silent for a moment, then nodded.

           “Darleen owes me for her shift tonight, so I’ll ask her to take mine Friday. Tell him we’ll be there.” Tim grinned and waved before running after Jason. “Love you!” His hand went in the air and she closed the door; Dick stood beside her and she looked at him. “Mind helping me around the house?” He smiled and nodded.

           “Sure.”

           She stared at the mirror then turned around and tugged at the dress.

           “Should I go with the red one instead?” Her sons stared at her from their spots on the bed.

           “I think the black one looks good on you Ma. Makes you look slim.” (Y/N) raised an eyebrow.

           “Trying to tell me something Jay?”

           “What! No! I just meant that black makes you look slim. And most women want their figure to be flattered. Black does that.” She paused and turned around again.

           “You may be right.”

           “Why are you so concerned about this Mom? It’s just dinner.” She looked at Tim through the mirror.

           “Yes…Dinner…with your boss. Who happens to be one of the richest men in the world? I can’t look like a mess in front of him. It would be an embarrassment for you.” Tim snorted.

           “Mr. Wayne won’t be bothered by that mom.” She grunted and adjusted the dress.

           “You say that, but when he looks me up and down, the moment his eyes reach mine, they’re either going to indicate that he’s impressed by me, or not.” She met his eyes. “I’d rather it be the first one than the second.” Dick rose from the bed and moved beside her.

           “You look great mom.” She sighed and nodded.

           “Thank you, baby.” (Y/N) turned and looked at them. “Are you boys ready?” They nodded and she tipped her head. “Then let’s head out.” They followed her to the door and to the car.

           When they arrived at the restaurant, (Y/N) stared at it in shock.

           “Mom? You good?” She nodded.

           “I’ve never seen such a fancy restaurant…except in the movies.” Tim grinned and motioned them to follow; they stepped in and a waiter greeted them.

           “Mr. Drake?” Tim nodded and he motioned them. “Please follow me. Mr. Wayne is waiting for you.” (Y/N) began taking deep breaths as they walked through the restaurant.

           “Ma? Are you hypervenilating?” She looked at Jason and glared.

           “I’m fine…just a little nervous.” Tim snorted and glanced over his shoulder.

           “Mom. Mr. Wayne isn’t going to do anything.” She rolled her eyes but kept silent.

           Eventually, they moved into a secluded room, and her eyes fell on a man sitting at the table; he looked up at them and smiled, rising to greet them. He held out a hand and shook it with Tim.

           “Tim. Glad to see you could make it.” Tim shook his hand and grinned.

           “Thank you for inviting us.” He paused and turned to (Y/N), gesturing her forward; she stepped next to him and smiled. “Mr. Wayne, I’d like to introduce my mother, (Y/N) (L/N).” She held out her hand.

           “It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Wayne. Timm-” She caught herself. “Tim has spoken about you many times.” He took her hand and placed a kiss to the back of it.

           “Pleasure is all mine Ms. (L/N). And please, call me Bruce.” (Y/N) felt her cheeks warm and she let out a nervous laugh.

           “Can…do.” She heard a cough and her two oldest stood beside her; they held out their hands.

           “Dick Grayson.”

           “Jason Todd.” He shook their hands and turned back to (Y/N).

           “Wonderful family you have Ms. (L/N).” She smiled and looked at her sons.

           “They certainly keep me on my toes.” He smiled and motioned to the table.

           “Please, sit.” They took their seats and he looked at her. “Do you drink Ms. (L/N)?”

           “You can call me (Y/N), Bruce. Ms. (L/N) makes me feel old.” Bruce chuckled and he nodded.

           “Totally understand (Y/N).” He glanced at her. “You look like a white wine type of woman.” She grinned.

           “I’m more of red actually.” Bruce nodded and motioned to the waiter.

           “Montoya Cabernet, two glasses.” He paused and motioned to Dick and Jason. “Unless you two would like some also?” Jason shook his head.

           “I prefer beer.” (Y/N) elbowed Jason in the side and he grunted. “I mean, no thank you, but I appreciate you asking.” Dick snorted and nodded his head.

           “I’d like to try some.” Bruce smiled and turned to the waiter.

           “Three glasses then.” The waiter nodded and took off; Bruce leaned forward. “So (Y/N), Tim tells me you’re a waitress?” (Y/N) eyes darted to Tim who wore a nervous smile; she huffed a laugh and nodded.

           “Yes. I work at Tammy’s Diner on fifth and parks. Worked there for most of my life actually.”

           “Were you born in Gotham?

           “No, Blüdhaven originally, but my parents moved to Gotham when I was younger.” Bruce nodded and she turned to Tim. “So how is my son doing? No problems, I assume?” Bruce chuckled and nodded.

           “Your son is a genius (Y/N). I’m lucky to have someone so smart on my team.” She smiled as Tim rubbed his neck, and Bruce turned to the others. “From what Tim’s told me, you two are also making strides in your work. Dick, you’re a police officer in Blüdhaven, correct?” Dick nodded.

           “Yes sir. I joined a few months ago.”

           “Are you enjoying it?” Dick laughed.

           “I love my job…paperwork is a pain though.” They shared a laugh.

           “I know what you mean.” His gaze turned to Jason. “And you Jason, you’re majoring in history, aiming to teach?” Jason nodded.

           “I plan to teach at Gotham High…if I can get a teaching degree.” Bruce nodded.

           “You could teach at Gotham Academy if you wanted.”

           “I could…but I’d prefer to help the kids of Gotham who were like me growing up.” He paused. “Ma taught us to give back to those who need it. I plan on giving back to the kids of Gotham.” (Y/N) felt her heart warm at his words, and a smile crossed her face; Bruce caught this and smiled.

           “You seem proud of your sons (Y/N).” She nodded.

           “I couldn’t be prouder of my sons.” She glanced at them. “They’re my world.” The boys flushed at her words, and Bruce smiled.

           “They seem like good young men.” (Y/N) met his eyes.

           “They are.”

           After dinner, they sat around the table, listening to Dick tell a story about work.

           “And I looked at the guy and I said, ‘Man…What’s a drug dealer doing selling shoes? You’re tripping man.’” They burst into laughter, and he continued. “I mean, I still had to book the guy for possession, but the mood was certainly lighter.” (Y/N) laid a hand on his arm, the other wiping under her eyes.

           “Oh Dickie, you crack me up.” He smiled.

           “I try to mom.” Bruce watched them for a moment.

           “(Y/N)?”

           “Yes?”

           “If you don’t mind me asking, how did they come into your care?” The room went silent as the boys stared at their mother, and Bruce raised a hand. “I apologize, that was wrong to ask.” (Y/N) shook her head.

           “No, it’s fine.” She paused and looked at the boys. “Do you mind?” They shook their heads and she started with Dick. “Dick’s parents were…” She paused and Dick laid a hand over hers.

           “Mom…it’s alright.” She smiled sadly and nodded.

           “Dick’s parents were murdered when he was eight. GCPD placed him in the orphanage a few days after it happened. Eventually, he fled and somehow ended up at the diner I worked at. I’ve grown up around the Narrows, so I know homeless kids when I see them, and I knew he was one. So, I sat with him and talked with him. He said he didn’t have anywhere to go, so on a whim, I let him stay at my home.” She paused and looked at Dick. “And here I was, in college, with an eight-year-old kid to look after…But it worked out in the end.”

           “How so?” She glanced at Bruce.

           “CPS showed up, asking that I hand Dick over…that he was supposed to be at the orphanage. I asked Dick if he wanted to stay with me. He said yes…the rest is history.”

           “And Tim and Jason?” (Y/N) laughed.

           “Jason and I actually had a rather humorous meeting.”

           “Oh?” (Y/N) nodded.

           “I caught him taking my tires.” Bruce’s eyes widened and she continued. “Dick put him in a headlock while I put the tires back on my car, then we invited him inside for dinner. He left that night and showed up the next. Eventually, it became a regular thing, and he became part of the family too.” She paused and looked at Tim. “Now Tim on the other hand was actually a surprise.”

           “Really?”

           “Mhm. I was friends with Tim’s mother, Janet. When his father passed away, he showed up on my doorstep with a letter from his mother saying that if anything happened to her and Jack, she wanted Tim to stay with me. Dick and Jason immediately took him in under their wings, and that’s how the family is.” (Y/N) paused and looked at them. “I don’t know if I’ve been the best mother I could’ve been, but I made sure to raise them like gentlemen, with respect for people, and kindness to others. I don’t know who I’d be without them…They make me proud every day.” The smiles they gave her almost made her cry and she turned to Bruce. “Sorry…I’ve rattled on.” He shook his head.

           “It’s a parent’s job to praise and dote on their children.”

           “Do you have children of your own Bruce?”

           “A son, Damian.”

           “That’s a fine name.”

           “Thank you…his mother picked it.” (Y/N) raised an eyebrow.

           “I wasn’t aware you had married?” Bruce snorted.

           “Oh, she and I aren’t married.” (Y/N) nodded.

           “I see. Apologies.” He smiled at her, and the waiter brought the bill; she watched as Bruce put a credit card on it and hand it back. After a few minutes, they stood outside the restaurant, watching as Bruce spoke to Tim; then, they walked over, and Bruce smiled.

           “(Y/N)? May I speak with you for a second?” She nodded and handed the boys her keys.

           “You boys go ahead and get into the car. I’ll be there in a sec.” The boys said their goodbyes and she and Bruce were left standing alone; she looked at him. “Thank you for inviting us out for dinner Bruce. I think I speak for us all when I say we enjoyed it.” He smiled and nodded.

           “I’m glad I did. I usually invite my team’s families for dinner, just to meet them, and Tim was no different.”

           “How is Tim doing?” Bruce’s tone took on one of pride.

           “Your son is without a doubt, one of the best employees who’s ever worked at WE. He is so smart and so very capable of everything he’s given.” (Y/N) beamed with pride.

           “That’s my boy.” The two of them shared a laugh and Bruce looked down at her.

           “But the reason I wanted to speak with you, is because I was wondering if I could ask you to dinner again. Maybe the two of us?” (Y/N) eyes went wide and she gestured to herself.

           “Like a…date?” He nodded. “With…me?” He huffed a laugh and nodded again.

           “I enjoyed speaking with you (Y/N). I’d like to do it again.” She felt her cheeks warm.

           “…Oh…”

           “Unless you don’t want to. I’d never ask someone to do something they didn’t want to do.” She shook her head.

           “No! I’d…love to.” Bruce smiled and took her hand, pressing a kiss to it again.

           “Then I’ll speak with you later (Y/N).” She smiled bashfully at him as he walked off, then she called out after him.

           “But you don’t have my number!” He turned as he was climbing into his car.

           “I have my ways!” (Y/N) snorted as she walked to the car, climbing into the driver’s seat; her sons were on her in a second.

           “What did he say Ma?”

           “What did Mr. Wayne want?”

           “You alright Mom?” (Y/N) raised a hand.

           “Everything’s fine…relax.” They eyed her suspiciously.

           “You’re grinning Ma.”

           “Jay’s right mom. What’d he say?” She sighed and pulled onto the street.

           “He just…asked me to dinner.” Shouts of shock went around the car and (Y/N) thought Tim’s eyes were going to bulge from his head.

           “MR. WAYNE ASKED YOU OUT?! WHAT?!” She raised an eyebrow.

           “Am I not capable of being asked out?”

           “What?! No! I just meant…wow. I was not expecting him to do that.” (Y/N) shrugged.

           “He asked…I accepted.”

           “You sure that’s a good idea mom? He is Timmy’s boss.” She nodded.

           “Even if it doesn’t go well, he doesn’t seem like the type of man to give up a good team member to get back at someone.” Tim nodded.

           “She’s got a point.” (Y/N) raised a hand again.

           “It’s just dinner.” The boys seemed to accept that answer until,

           “I don’t like him Ma.”

[phantomchick]

Here's a snippet from a fic I may post on my ao3 at some point in the future:

"I was weak... that's why I died. You were weak too, that's why you couldn't save me."

"Jason-"

"No. No more. I'm tired of this. I'm tired of you, I'm tired of myself, my head, what the lazarus pit did to my mind. I'm tired of not knowing when it's me thinking something or when it's the magic influencing me. I'm just-" He pressed his hands to his eyes. "I'm so tired of it all. I don't have the energy to care anymore. I don't even have the energy to be angry, I think that's why I'm so sane right now, I think that's why I feel more like me than I have in years."

"What?" Bruce asked. He changed tracks, "Then you should talk to someone Jason, your brothers, a doctor from the league-"

"My brothers? I'm dead to them. I'm dead to you." Jason raised his head and stared at him. But it wasn't a challenge in his eyes, he was just - looking at him, direct and steady but just that. "I'm my own ghost, a shadow or a wraith clinging to what I could've been if I hadn't been killed, only I'm not what I could've been. And I'm definitely not what I should've been, if I'd lived. Jason Todd never killed anyone, Jason Todd loved helping people. I'm. I'm not me. And none of you have ever treated me like I was, you've tried, but you couldn't make even yourselves believe in the act enough to pass muster and that just made me angry which made me even less... myself." He continued to look at his father, tears winking threateningly from the corner of his eyes for a moment as if they might spill. "Jason Todd would've gone to college, would've been a doctor or a historian or an engineer or an english teacher or followed up on any number of the things he was interested in at school as well as being a hero."

Bruce swallowed around a sudden lump in his throat.. "You could still do those things Jason it's not too late and I can-"

Jason shook his head, "I'm not Jason though. Not really. I'm the Red Hood. I'm a resurrected victim of the Joker. I'm the spawn of the Lazarus pit made with what used to be Jason's body, what used to be his brain. I'm insane and I'm untreatable and I'm so so tired of not being good enough, whether it's at something specific or just in general as a person, because of what I am."

"Jason that's ridiculous, of course you're you and you know that's not how the Lazarus pit works. You need to calm down and let us help you." Bruce tried desperately, he felt like he was teetering on a precipice, like his words were scrambled and fogged as they left his mouth. Not enough. Not good enough, he knew instantly. But he didn't know where this sudden monologue was going, he didn't know where or how to cut it off and divert it.

Jason shook his head gently, everything about him was gentle right now even the small slightly sad smile barely curving his lips and the easy relaxed shrug of his shoulders as he gazed up at Bruce. It was such a contrast to his usual demeanour that Bruce couldn't help but tense, unnerved by the change.

"I am calm. That's the point. That's why I'm saying all this, I'm not doing it to lash out or torment you Bruce, though I get why you'd think that after all I've done." He gave a dry laugh. "But I have clarity right now, not the kind of clarity you get while focusing on a task singlemindedly though I've done that plenty - probably out of some misguided subconscious attempt at fixing myself come to think of it. But yeah I've got the kind of clarity you get when your mind is clear and you're stone cold sobre, I'm too mentally and emotionally exhausted from the last week to feel as strongly as I always always feel things and it's.. a relief but I can barely even feel that, it's like it's all..." He stretched for the word, "muffled. I can think right now Bruce and the pit's not involved in the process, it's nice." He added with some humour, some warmth, "But I can't focus too hard on that or I'll get angry about how it never should have been involved in the process and then it'll be back, twisting its way through everything with or without me noticing it or distracting me before I CAN take note of it."

"Anyway, my point is, I'm clear headed right now. And I'm telling you the truth. I'm tired of you and I'm tired of being in my own head. I don't think you're my dad and I don't think that I'm your son, I don't think I'm their brother or that they're mine either. The dad I remember having, the batman I remember working with is... so different to what you are even when you're acting parental to the others and I... am so far from that person you used to love. I'm not your family, I'm not anything of yours and it's lonely but I... accept that. You're not my dad Bruce. That might sound hurtful but it's just... true? In a family of choice what did you think would happen once we stopped choosing each other? Or maybe not each other for you guys, but for me."

"Jason."

"I'm weak, I'm tired, I want the Joker dead. These are facts." Jason listed, leaning onto his crossed arms on the table almost lazily. Shutting his eyes.

"You love someone who doesn't exist anymore; you love a boy you still have a shrine to in the cave, you love someone who I'm not. Who I barely remember being if I ever was him at all and that's alright, okay? I might not think so when I'm all green eyed and furious but... right now I can so I'm telling you - It's alright to grieve for the child you lost and the future that could've been, even now that I'm here. I'm literally the embodiment of grieving over could've beens. It makes sense, it's understandable and it's okay. But. At some point we have to accept that we're not what we miss Bruce."

Bruce stared.

This was horrifying and strange and he didn't understand why Jason's tone was so calm and reasonable when he was talking about things that were slicing open all of Bruce's oldest wounds or why he was insisting that he wasn't himself. Even if he entertained the thought to go along with his hypothetical, the Lazarus pit didn't work like that; he'd been around Ra's enough to know. What was this? What was driving this sudden identity crisis?

Jason opened one bright blue eye from where his head rested upon his arms and added, "And we're never going to be."

Bruce flinched back.

He caught a hold of himself and straightened.

"I'll admit, there is a possibility that your Lazarus syndrome's been influencing you more than anyone thought. But you're still the same person you've always been even before you were exposed to it Jason, just older, you've been through more and you've changed but that doesn't mean that you're not my son anymore. I know my son and I know you're him."

Jason shook his head, he sighed heavily and squeezed the watchful eye shut again to match the other, burying his face in his arms.

"Jason." Bruce tried to get his attention. "Jason!"

He continued to ignore him.

Bruce rubbed the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "This discussion isn't over. We'll look into treatment methods for your Lazarus syndrome, I'm sorry I haven't done it before now. I should have."

Still no reply.

Bruce decided that was all they could get through for now, he left the room without further comment from Jason and it left him feeling off balance and estranged.

[smellslikemultifandomimagines]

smut prompts  9, 10, 16, & 23

ao3 request: The reader is Jason’s lover and is very quiet and a bit timid, but at night, she is cold and collected to focus on her vigilante work. She and Jason only made love once and she wants to do it again, but she thinks she’ll be boring bc she doesn’t have much experience unlike Jason. Batgirl offers advice, which involves seducing and making Jason mad. For the next few days, S/O has pretended not to notice her tempting Jason, sitting on his lap, teasingly touching his crotch or other parts, usually leaving early for work or other chores, all increasing Jason’s temptation. Finally, one night, they had to investigate some illegal work in a night club, and Batgirl dresses S/O in the most tight dress that shows her curves and other things to attract her. In the end, S/O got the evidence and the illegal business was arrested, but that night, Jason couldn’t handle it anymore.

prompts:

9: “1, 2, I’m going to fuck you.”

10: “The cuffs stay on, until I say otherwise.”

16: “I want to be the only one you feel.”

23: “Stop talking and put it in your mouth already.”

smut prompts are from here

warnings: smut → use of handcuffs, daddy kink, rough sex lol, dirty talk, pet names, throat fucking  // fem!reader // mentions of violence / injury. // not proof read either lmao

word count: 2.9k

Kinktober has finished, so the prompts are no longer in use, but thanks so much for participating!!

•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:• ☾ ☼ ☽ •:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•

From the moment Jason met you, he knew you were special. Although you were quiet and a bit withdrawn, you were dedicated to your work and knew what it took. It almost amazed him how you could be so timid at home or around him and the rest of the crew, yet be practically another person while working. Your job as a vigilante often required you to take down illegal drug rings and other like-businesses, and you knew just how dangerous it can be. 

The relationship between you and Jason new over time, and conjured up into something special. Though you were still quite quiet as relationships were still a new thing for you, Jason didn’t mind either way; in his words, “I’ll love you no matter how quiet or loud you are.” The lack of sex, however, gets you worried sometimes. Despite only having sex with him once, you still can feel he wants more. Jason doesn’t really like to communicate the wants in his life; he’s very much a person to let things happen when it’s time. It can come to your advantage though. You’ve never once felt pressured to do anything you don’t want to, nor feel like you have to do something just to please him. He’s patient. He’s kind. He’s everything you need. 

Nonetheless, you still feel like you have to bring more to the table. Dialling Batgirl’s number, you asked her for advice. Batgirl, being your oldest friend in this industry, obviously knew of your relationship with Jason. You and him decided to keep everything lowkey — more for the bad guys than anyone else. Knowing Jason will be out later today to find out more information about an illegal business that’s operating, you invite Batgirl over. 

•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:• ☾ ☼ ☽ •:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•

A small knock was placed on the door and a smile appears on your face as you answer it. 

“Hey, girlie!” Batgirl greets gleefully as she embraces you in a tight hug. Both of you walk over to the living room couch, where you had already placed two glasses of wine on the coffee table. 

“oh god bless, I need this,” Batgirl chuckles as she sits down with the glass in her hand. She takes a sip before repositioning herself to face you. “So, what’s up?”

“I don’t know, I just-“ you struggle to find the words, almost becoming embarrassed from having to ask advice on how to basically have sex with your boyfriend. “well, Jason and I have only had sex once and — I don’t know, I just don’t feel experienced enough to know how to do…anything.”

“So you want to know how to have sex?”

“no, well, yes, but no,” you stumble over your words causing Batgirl to chuckle sweetly at you. “I just don’t know how to start anything, you know?”

“Oh girl that’s easy. Maybe try and seduce him a little bit.” My eyes widen at her words.

Taking a bit mouthful of the wine, I ask “how do I do that?” 

“All you gotta do is tease him. Rub up on his arm, or ‘accidentally’ drop something so you can bend down and pick it up,” she advises. 

Batgirl stayed over for a little while until you got a text from Jason asking what you wanted for dinner, meaning he was close to home. You both gave each other a hug and after she left, you knew what you had to do. 

Hearing the click of the front door lock, you know Jason is home and you immediately got to work. You bend yourself over the kitchen bench away from him so your ass is gonna be the first thing he sees when he walks in. You scroll innocently through your phone and feel your heartbeat increase with each movement he took. You listen carefully as he took his boots off, leaving them at the door so they don’t track dirt throughout the apartment. 

“h-hey, gorgeous,” Jason stutters, completely caught off guard. You feel like letting out a little squeal of excited as you could tell it’s already working. 

“Oh hi,” you turn around and innocently bat your eyes at him. “how’d it go?” 

“Um,” he coughs. “yeah good, we got the name of the business. So now all we gotta do is track them down, which won’t be too hard.” 

“Oh good, I’m glad. We’ll catch them before they even know they’ve been caught,” I joke.  You both made your way to the couch and Jason took the remote, flicking through the channels on the tv. You knew you had to start somewhere, so you place your hand high on his thigh. Your hand is so close to his zipper, you almost feel like just getting down on your knees and taking him here right now. But how would he respond to that? Would he even like that? You shake your head and regain focus, trailing your eyes up to watch his face. He doesn’t seem all that bothered by it which surprises you a little bit. You know need to turn it up a notch, so you stand up and “accidentally” drop your phone. 

“oops,” you giggle as you bend over to pick it up, giving Jason a perfect view of your ass. He coughs and shuffles in his spot, coughing again as he looks down at his phone. Jason subtly watches as you walk into the kitchen and open the fridge. Your pour yourself another glass of wine and sigh as you saw nothing that you wanted to eat in the fridge. Sitting back down next to Jason on the couch, you ask if he wants take out. 

“yeah, I don’t mind. What’d you want?” He replies and opens up the Ubereats app. You ‘accidentally’ pour the tiniest bit of wine onto his pants, causing you to let out a fake gasp.

“oh my god, I’m so sorry. Here,” you reach forward and grab a tissue, dabbing it dangerously close to his crotch. Jason swallows thickly.

“oh, ah, it’s okay. I was just gonna go and change anyway,” he stutters, feeling the room become hotter by the second. And that’s when you know you’ve got him right where you needed him to be. 

•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:• ☾ ☼ ☽ •:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•

It had been a week of teasing and nothing had happened. Jason couldn’t tell if you were genuinely being innocent, or if you were trying to tempt him. Either way, you knew it was working just as you’d planned. The way his hands would ball in a fist in an attempt to control himself, or the way his breathing would become shallow every time you ‘accidentally’ brushed your hand over his crotch. It was all working.

Tonight was the night of the big bust of the underground business. Batgirl had come over while Jason was out with Tim Drake to secure traps in the club. 

“So,” she wiggles her eyebrows at me, causing my cheeks to heat up. “How’s everything with Jason?”

“Um, yeah, it’s going better than I expected. We haven’t done anything yet, but I feel like he’s really getting worked up over the teasing.”

“Well then I feel like you should wear this,” she smirks, taking out a black leather dress. It looks like it’ll be tight on you, but you accept anyway. Though Batgirl is known for being tough, she loves having a friend like you to spend time doing girly stuff with. You let her do your makeup, smokey eye of course, and you’ve never felt you’ve hotter in your life. It is honestly a confidence boost, and it makes you feel even more excited to try on the dress. The dress has bra padding inside so you didn’t need to wear a bra — how convenient. 

Coming out of the bathroom, Batgirl’s jaw drops and her eyes grow wide in either shock or lust, you couldn’t tell. 

“holy fucking shit. Jason is going to lose his goddamn mind after he sees you in that,” she gawks. You feel the heat rise in your cheeks again and sweat begin to form on your palms from nervousness. 

“I don’t know, are y-“

“oh my god shut up and look at you,” she grabs my hand and pulls me to the vanity mirror. “you’re stunning in that dress, and I’m sure Jason is gonna take you.”

“Oh my god,” you laugh and swat her arm playfully. Putting on some heels, you text Jason saying you and Batgirl were on your way to the club. 

•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:• ☾ ☼ ☽ •:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•

The strobe lights dance around the club and the music can be felt thumping through your chest. Jason looks up and notices you and batgirl already in the V.I.P zone where you’re gonna meet with the boss of the illegal business. His jaw, just like Batgirl only mere minutes ago, drops when he sees you in that stunning dress that compliments your figure so well. 

The boss enters the V.I.P lounge and you seductively stalk your way over to him, purring how you’ve been “waiting to see him.” The excitement in his eyes, and pants, humours you because you know you’re gonna bust him. You look at the asshole with bedroom eyes, and you finger curls in a ‘come here’ motion. He follows you out to a private room, where some of the crew are already waiting. 

“what’s going on here?” The Boss asks, turning to face you. 

“don’t act like you don’t know who we are,” you chuckle darkly at him, pushing him down into a chair. Jason ties the Boss up with rope while you interrogate him. 

“you’re gonna listen to me, and you’re gonna listen good. Shut your business down or-”

“How about a little game first,” the Boss snickers as he interrupts you. He leans back in the chair to admire the view of your gorgeous body. 

“oh sweetie,” you pout, hands grasping onto the sides of the chair so you can lean down over him. “I don’t play games.” 

“that’s a shame isn’t it. Would’ve been nice to fuck that gorgeous pu-“

“alright that’s enough,” Jason interrupts. Although you couldn’t see his face from under his mask, you knew he was pissed off at this Boss asshole.

“shut this business down or we’ll take out everyone you love,” Jason threatens. 

“why do I have to listen to you?” The Boss rolls his eyes. 

“Because we’re your worst nightmare,” you purr in his ear. “And baby, you don’t wanna mess with us.”

•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:• ☾ ☼ ☽ •:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•

Throughout the whole car ride, Jason was teasing you, with one hand on the wheel while the other toyed and teased your clit. Getting you so close to the edge before pulling his hand away completely. You knew your teasing would eventually build up his sexual frustration and cause him to unravel at some point, but you never thought he would tease you right back. 

The second you and Jason enter his apartment, you jump and wrap your legs around his waist, which caused your dress to hitch up to your stomach. You grind your hips up and rub your crotch against him as your hands tangle in his hair and pull at the strands of hair, making Jason groan into your neck as he plants rough kisses into it. He carries you to the bed and throws you down onto it.

“get on all fours,” he demands in a low voice. His eyes burn into you, watching as you turn your body around and stick your ass in the air for him. Jason gets out of his Red Hood suit, placing it on the chair in the corner of the room before stalking his way over to you. He wants you to beg for him. 

“now, do you think you’ve been a good girl?” He asks while kneading your ass, trying to work you to your breaking point.

“no, daddy,” you breathe out, twisting your fists in the bedsheets to release some frustration. Jason smacks your ass suddenly, causing you to yelp from the stinging sensation. 

“that’s right, princess.” He smacks his hand against your ass again. You bite your lip to stop you from moaning, and you can already tell that your ass is red and raw. 

“jason, please,” you finally plead. He spanks your ass again, a smirk forming on his face as he hears you moan. 

“that’s not my name,” his low voice causes your pussy to get even wetter. 

“i’m sorry, daddy,” you whimper. 

“I want to be the only one you feel,” he growls. “you understand?” 

Letting out a small “mhmm,” Jason chuckles. 

“now count with me.” 

smack.

“1, 2, I’m gonna fuck you,” he leans over and whispers in your ear. A shiver runs down your spine and you feel like screaming ‘finally!’. Jason stands beside the bed and instructs you to kneel in front of him, already knowing what he wants. 

“Jay, when are you gonna fuck me. I need you so bad,” you practically pine for him. 

“Stop talking and put it in your mouth already,” he demands, eyebrows furrowing in frustration. Jason grunts as you take him in your mouth. A moan is suppressed as you bob your head up and down his cock, feeling his hands grip your hair. 

“fuck, babygirl. Your mouth feels so good on my cock,” he moans, throwing his head back. J bucks his cock into your mouth, smirking slightly as you gag. He lets out a grunt when he hits the back of your throat, and you hollow your cheeks so you can take more of him. His hips thrust into your mouth faster. His hands grips your hair so tightly, you let out a whine against his cock. 

Suddenly, he pulls you off him. Instructing you to lay on the bed, you do as you’re told. You watch in curiosity as he searches through his drawers, and your eyes widen as he pulls out a pair of handcuffs. Jason takes your hands and binds them to the headboard. 

“the cuffs stay on, until I say otherwise,” Jason instructs. He sits back on his knees and watches in amusement as you squirm underneath him.

“Jason, please,” you whine. 

“In a minute, princess.” he chuckles, tracing his finger up your thigh, stopping once he reaches your wet pussy. You continue to whine and sigh in pure frustration and your clit was throbbing angrily; just wanting and waiting to be touched. Being impatient was certainly an understatement at this point. Jason’s finger flicks your clit, and you gasp at the sudden feeling. His eyes never leaving your as he moves in closer, his tongue flicking up and down at a rapid pace. You gasp and moan, wanting to reach down and grip his hair, but the handcuffs on your wrists restrain you from doing such things. Jason’s tongue circles your clit, before he sucks hard on it, pulling back the skin and watching it snap back. His finger slams into you, causing you to let out a loud moan as he pumps it in and out of you. He proceeds to add another finger, curling it upwards. Your back arched and you once again, pull on the restraints, and subtly hissing at them.

“Oh Jay… please just uncuff me! I’ll be a good girl, I promise!” You beg, pulling on the handcuffs. You continue to whine he ignores you and pound his fingers inside you and hitting your g-spot. 

“Fuck!” you moan out, clenching around his fingers.

 “Can I cum?” You whine, rolling your hips into his hand. Jason grants permission and your vision turns to white. Your body has never shook so hard in your life and you’ve certainly never cum this hard before. 

“Thank you! Thank you!” You breathe out as you calm down from your high. Jason chuckles and sucks your wetness off his fingers. Reaching over, he pulls out a condom from the bedside drawer and rolls it on. A loud moan exists the both of you as he slides himself inside you.  Jason begins rocking his hips in a slow motion before gradually increasing the speed. 

“god,” he sighs into your mouth, pulling away and drooping his head into the crook of your neck, one hand gripping the bedsheet tight, while his other hand grasped your hip. Jason sits up on his knees and brings your leg up to his shoulder, driving his cock in deeper into you. He closes his eyes and lets out small grunts from the pleasure. He made you feel so good, you couldn’t help but scream his name and arch your back. Your hand came up to the headboard, gripping it tightly as he pounded into your wet pussy, making the bed squeak with each thrust. 

“Are you gonna cum again, princess?” Jason asks, holding your hips up as he gyrates his hips. You nod quickly, throwing your head back and rolling your eyes as you close them. Your body begins shaking as your orgasm took over you once again. Jason’s hips jolt as he cums inside you, his moans muffled through his lip which was sucked in and bit by his teeth. The grip on your hips softening as he calms down from his high. Jason pulls out and disposes the condom before cuddling into you tightly. 

“you know you can just ask for sex, right?” He teases, chuckling as he strokes your hair. Your cheeks flush a shade of red and you’re lucky that it’s dark in the room.

[ellana-ravenwood]

“It’s Alfred dayyyy” - Batfam x Fem!Reader

Synopsis : Every year, every single year, your family reunites to celebrate the marvel that Alfred Pennyworth is.

Because Alfred does deserve his own “holiday” really. This has been sitting in my draft for almost two years, someone send me an ask that reminded me of it and I just suddenly really wanted to write it. I hope you’ll like it : 

my master list : @ella-ravenwood-archives

__________________________________________________

Midnight, a new day :

“And we will be waiting for you at 8 am, your mom and I forced him to sleep in, but we all know he will be awake by that time anyway.”

“Ok, I’ll pick Jaybird on my way there.” 

“Jason is coming ?” 

“He said he would.”

“Oh. Good.” 

Dick did his hardest not to roll his eyes. “Oh. Good.” he says, as if the news didn’t make him wanna jump in joy. But of course, the Batman has a reputation to keep, if he showed too much emotions in one sitting, he’d probably explode. 

The truth was that if Jason was coming...Well if Jason was coming, it meant they were finally on the road to forgiveness. And Dick knew that Bruce had been waiting a long time for this. Bruce...and everyone else really. 

Especially you and Alfred. 

“In any case, be there by 8. We’ll do the usual. Now that I think of it, could you maybe pick up his cake at West Side’s bakery ? Your mother was going to do it, but if you pick up Jason...I think he lives in the area ?” 

Of course, Bruce knew exactly that Jason indeed lived not far from Alfred’s favorite bakery. Because he was keeping an eye on him. Not out of mistrust, or thinking he would kill again (he promised his mom, you, he would stop, but the promise was still recent, so was his return), but because...Well, it was his boy. 

Ever since Bruce adopted Dick, he never stopped worrying about his kids. He never stopped trying to keep an eye on them. It got even worst after Jason’s death...He was actually overbearing many times, which lead Dick away more than once. 

But he’d always be back. 

Just like Jason, eventually, would be fully back. 

For the moment, it was enough that he’d come by tomorrow. 

For tomorrow was the one and only...”Alfred day”. 

“Yeah sure, we can pick the cake up.” 

“Alright. Well. I’m going home, and you lot should too. We promised Alfred, after all. An entire day without any vigilante’s business. Unless there’s an emergency of course. Good night.” 

“’Night dad.” 

Bruce turns to his youngest kids, expecting them to follow him, but Damian says : 

“We’re right behind you, we’re just gonna hang out with Grayson a little more. Since he moved to Blüdhaven, we almost never see him...”

“Guiltripping me will not work little brother.” 

“Are you sure ?” 

Silence. And then Dick turns to his father : 

“I’ll get them home soon, we’re gonna go get some ice cream.” 

Bruce smiles, of this small genuine smile he only has when around his children. He nods, tell them not to stay out too late, and leaves, on his way back to you. 

12:30 pm, Batcave.

“You are late, Master Bruce.”

“Only by half an hour. I had to see Dick before coming back. Logistic talk.” 

As he speaks, Bruce takes his armor off, stretching a little after this short night full of not much happening. As if every villain in Gotham knew this day was happening, and they too would give a break to the butler (because if Bruce was resting, then Alfred could rest too). 

“Well it means you’ll have to start half an hour late tomorrow, this is the deal. Where are the children ?” 

“Alright. I will. And they’re getting ice cream with Dick. Now please, go to bed before she catches you up.” 

“Lady (Y/N) will understand that I was making sure you are home on time.” 

“She does understand yes, and she’s also telling you to go rest this instant ! You have slept even less than Bruce this past few days for god’s sake !” 

Both Bruce and Alfred jumps a bit as you enter the bat cave, smiling at them. Alfred raises his hands in a sign of peace, smiles at you, gives you a kiss goodnight on your forehead (a nightly tradition, by now...you never had a dad, and Alfred took it upon him to catch up lost time), and leaves. 

You turn to Bruce, and gives him your hand. 

He takes it gladly, a smile on his lips. The kind he only shows when around those he loves... 

A “glad you’re here” kiss, and a few words : 

“You know, my favorite thing about this day is that you’re home all day long, and I don’t have to miss you...” 

As usual, your words grip his heart, and his arms tighten around you. Even after years of being together, you could always make his pulse race with only a few words. Sometimes just a look...

He doesn’t resist or look back, when you give his hand a pull and leave the bat cave. 

Rare were the occasions Bruce would forget about his vigilante work. In fact, only one day a year, would he completely forget about it. Because he promised. And because it was a special day. 

A day to celebrate the man he came to view as his father. 

Alfred day. 

1 am, in “Giovanni’s 24/7 gelato” shop. 

The waiter of the place didn't even blink, as he served ice creams to a bunch of kids at 1 am, in the heart of Gotham. Used to it really. Nothing in this city was like any other place. Most people were night dwellers, even children.

Probably because, thanks to a certain group of vigilante, they all felt safer when the sun was down. 

“So, how did it start exactly, this Alfred day ?” 

Duke asks, after taking a full scoop of his favorite ice cream, curtesy of a certain Dick grayson. 

You had told Duke, about a week prior to it, that he had to clear his schedule for this particular day but didn’t really explain what it was exactly. Just that it was to celebrate Alfred. Not giving much more context. 

Dick smiles, and say : 

“How did it start ? Haha, oh man, it’s quite the story.” 

With an annoyed sigh, Damian says : 

“Just out with it already Grayson, we know, you were the only one that knew them by then blahblahblah.” 

“Do I sense a hint of jealousy, little bird ?” 

Damian doesn’t answer, but plants his spoon a little bit more aggressively in his gelato. Ah yes, maybe he was a tiny bit jealous that Dick had the luck to have their parents all for himself, once upon a time...Maybe. 

“Well anyway, legend has it that mom chose the date.”

Dick takes a dramatic pause, making the siblings who already heard the story (so everyone but Duke) roll their eyes. Their oldest brother had a flair for dramatic retelling of past events. 

“A long long time ago, on this day, when I was only 8 and just came into the family, they got into a bad fight. When I was little, before Jason came in, they got on the verge of breaking up a few times. Even did really broke up once, worst fucking time of my life, feeling like I was losing another family (A/N : referencing this story : The break-up)...”

A shot pause, this time, not for dramatics, but because the memory was genuinely painful and Dick had to take a short break. He continues : 

“So anyway, on this day, a long time ago, Mom discovered how vital Alfred was to this family. She said it’d been a day where she wanted to literally kill our father because he was so damn annoying, and overly brooding, and stupid – her words not mine- and that Alfred calmed her in just a few words. I don’t quite know what he told her, or what he told dad. All I know is that he told me that he wouldn’t let them break-up again over a stupid fight, and um, next thing I know, I’m avoiding the East wing for a few hours.” 

“Oh...Oh no Dick gross !” 

Dick chuckles, enjoying a bit too much messing with his little siblings. 

“Anyway, mom decided that Alfred deserved a day, in the year, where we would do everything HE wants because without him, our family would crumble. It just sort of became a tradition. So from midnight right now, to midnight of next day, no vigilante business. And we spend the day all together with him.” 

“That’s actually...a really sweet story ?” 

“It really is Dukie, it really is.”

“Dukie ?”

“Ah sorry, you’re part of the family now, which earns you a nickname from me. Jaybird. Timbo. Dami. Cass or Cassie if I feel like being a particularly doting older brother. So...had to find one for you. It was between Dukie and Dukester so-”

“Dukie is fine.”

Everyone snickers as Duke rolls his eyes, and then he asks : 

“So...What exactly are we gonna do ?” 

“Oh, well it’s simple. It starts at 8 am when we arrive, and we kick off with...”

4 am, Alfred’s bedroom. 

You open the door to Alfred’s room quietly, as you would sometimes to make sure your children sleep. 

This time, you were checking to see if the butler did really go to bed. One of the point of Alfred day, was that he had to feel perfectly fine, and he never had a full night rest ! 

So if you had to make sure he did during that time, then you would. 

Your children had came home a few hours ago, happy they had some time with their oldest brother. Dick had been away often lately, and they missed him...You knew they were gonna guilt trip him into buying them a snack. 

You and Bruce had had some alone time before they came home, that you definitely took advantage of...But for now, you escaped your husbands grip to come and check on Alfred, making sure he was sound asleep. 

And he was. Good. Perfect. He’d have a good night sleep. A full night of sleep. 

Quietly, you left the room again, unaware that a smile slowly rose on the Butler’s face... 

8:02 am, Alfred Day : 

Bruce is the one that opens the front door for them. They have their own keys, of course...but they both forgot them, as usual. 

They’d normally just climb through a window, or sneak into the backyard, knowing where all the security devices were (the back door was never closed because of this), but decided that for this day, they’d just ring the bell and come in the right way. 

Without much surprise, Bruce answers the door. It’d either be him or you, during Alfred’s day. Or anyone that wasn’t Alfred really. 

Dick and Jason move to remove their shoes (house rules, NO SHOES inside) and coats, while Bruce looks at them, waiting for them so they can all walk back to the kitchen. 

Jason is the fastest, and there’s this embarrassed silence between the three of them. Bruce smiles awkwardly at Jason, who looks away as soon as their eyes meet. With a “tt” very typical of his little brother, Jason says : 

“Don’t misunderstand this, I’m here for Alfred. And...For mom.”

“I know.” 

“Good.” 

“Yes.”

Silence. Awkward, as Dick takes way too long to untie his shoes, and pretend he’s not hearing anything.

Bruce knows what he’s doing. He knows his oldest son is trying to give him some more time “alone” with Jason. But he’s not really sure what to say...

“I’m um...I’m glad you came.” 

Good. That was good. Keep going on that path Bruce, that’s actually-

“Yeah, whatever. I’m going ahead, you know the way Dick.” 

Damn. Almost there. Almost there with an actual moment between them two. Dick sighs, and puts a hand on his father’s shoulder. 

“He’ll come around.” 

Bruce doesn’t answer, he exhales slowly and nods, not very convinced...But today was not a day to dwell on the bad. Jason and him would make this work, if only for today. 

Because today was Alfred’s day.

8h30 am, the Kitchen. 

The butler came down in the kitchen, well rested and pleased to be greeted by his entire family. Your smiles already made his day perfect, and if “Alfred Day” was done in this instant, he’d still be happy. 

“Sit down Pennyworth, we have made breakfast for you ! Well...Mom and father did...but we helped ! I was in charge of making tea ! And I think you will appreciate the way I brewed it. I followed an ancient Japanese recipe, and I reckon an aficionado like yourself will appreciate it.” 

Damian bloomed when he was with his family. To people who didn’t know him as well as his siblings and parents, he could seem like a petulant and arrogant child, but he was the opposite of that. 

He was insecure, and unsure. Scared of being left alone. And so to overcompensate all the fear instilled in him by years of abuse from his “grandfather”, the infamous Ras Al’Ghul, Damian could be quite a little jerk sometimes. 

But when he was with his family...He opened up. He smiled. And he spend hours trying to brew the perfect cup of tea for the grandfather he actually chose to have. 

“Bruce made your favorite Alf’, didn’t do half a bad job either -you smile at your husband, and give him a quick peck, which have the famous result of making your children make their best “ew” face-. You taught him well.” 

You say, smiling widely at the butler.

It’s true, Alfred did teach Bruce how to cook really well. People often had the misconception the billionaire was bad at housework, which was wrong of course. 

When his parents were alive, they’d insist he still had chores to do, so he wouldn’t be too spoiled. And when Alfred raised him, he taught him as much as he could so that the boy could hold his own. 

Bruce was a great cook (you could definitely attest to that, what with him cooking your favorite meals on date nights and all). And he always made Alfred’s perfect breakfast for his special day. 

“Jason and I just arrived so we didn’t really participate, but we picked up your favorite cake so it counts right ?” 

Dick says, a wide smile on his face. Oh master Dick, Alfred blessed the day this little boy walked in their lives. 

He wasn’t so little anymore, but he was always such a joy to have over. Even when he had his tantrum as a youngster (and now sometimes too, although he became better in controlling his burst of anger), Alfred couldn't help but love that child. 

The butler turned to Jason, who shyly smiled at him and...Alfred’s heart was full. 

“I am very happy to see you in this house, Master Jason.” 

He said, as he sits around the kitchen table. Jason’s cheek tints slightly of red, as they always do when he’s a bit embarrassed and overwhelmed. 

Jason was such a kind and sensitive child. He never quite got used to compliments, having been used to abuse and hate, and he would always blush under them. Alfred was glad to see that, even after the horror Jason went through, small things could still make his cheek turn rosy...

Jason sat down at the table, looking happier than he had in ages. 

“For you.” 

Cassandra said, settling in front of him a plate full of food, while Damian put the the cup of tea down. 

Sweet little Cassandra. It was always a pleasure to hear her talk. Poor little thing was never taught love, or even how to talk...Having you in her life greatly helped. Having a family, greatly helped. 

She still didn’t talk very often, but when she did, all of her words truly counted. She laid a small kiss on Alfred’s forehead, to bid him good morning, and went to sit in her usual spot, right between you and Damian. 

“You will be happy to know, Alfred, that all of our electronic devices have been off since midnight last night ! Yes, even mine. Promise !” 

Tim exclaims, smiling at him. 

Tim was the only one out of all of Bruce’s children to have entered this life willingly. The only one that came knocking at their door, just really wanting to help. 

Unfortunately, him too lost his parents over time (although they weren’t particularly great ones)...But the first impulse the boy had, was that he just loved Batman and wanted to give a hand ! 

Tim was selfless, maybe a little too much, and often worried you to death. He would get wrapped up in his projects even more than his father, and needed a constant reminder to take care of himself...task that you, Bruce, Alfred and his siblings would share gladly. He would give back anyway, working his ass off and putting his own life on the line for them any hour of the day... 

At the furthest side of the table from him, sat Duke. 

This was his first “Alfred Day”, and he was looking at things curiously, nonetheless happy to be here. 

Young Duke’s situation was a little special. His parents were still alive, and he still hoped they’d find a cure for their madness. Because of this, the boy would often distance himself on purpose from some family events, finding it hard to find his own place. 

This was one reason he didn’t wear the Robin mantel for long, and almost immediately went to be The Signal. It didn’t help either, that he was the only metahuman. 

And yet...Yet as the days went by, Duke felt more and more at home at the Manor, and would more and more hang out with everyone. More and more felt like he was truly part of the family, now. 

Of course, him moving to Wayne Manor was all very recent, and he needed time. Time that everyone was giving him willingly and gladly. Time to adjust and find his place. 

But here, sitting around the kitchen table bustling with activity and laughter, Duke felt like...he felt like this Alfred Day brought him one step closer to truly be a part of it all. After all, to him too, the butler had been nothing but great. 

Alfred had that talent, to congregate everyone around him... 

You felt happy, there, sitting amongst your children, your love, and the man you came to consider your father. 

Alfred had a good feeling, when he first met you. He knew. He knew you’d be the one to “tame” the bat, to not take his shit when he was being a jerk, and to give him unconditional love. 

“Unconditional”. 

It was important, to be in a relationship with a man like Bruce Wayne. 

But oh. Oh he was giving you back every bits of love you ever gave him, times a hundred. He let you in in his world, and had no intention of ever letting you go. 

Breakfast went by fast, as everyone talked away, and enjoyed each others company. 

It was very rare, nowadays, that everyone could be in the same place. At least one of them would be busy normally. But on this day...on this day they surely made sure they would be free. 

And so here they were, having breakfast altogether, happy. 

If only people from the outside could see this scene; If only. 

Then they’d know, just like Alfred knew, that this family was the strongest, tightest that ever existed, and that there was nothing but love between all of them. 

************

11 am, the theater.

Before the first “Alfred Day” happened, Wayne Manor did not have a “theater”. 

It had a “Ballroom number 3″. 

It was your idea, to turn it into a small theater, so that Alfred could perform for everyone. 

Over the years, you had realized that Alfred was actually a very talented actor. After all, he filled in Batman’s shoes many times, to pretend that Bruce couldn’t possibly be him. And he might’ve use his dramatic talent to convince you and the rest of your family to do what he wanted you to do...

Clever man. 

On Alfred Day, the first activity, after breakfast, would be to take part in a monologue of his. Usually shakespearian. But sometimes he’d come up with small surprises. He once recited the “heaven” part of the Divine Comedy by Dante, because he knew you loved that poem. 

It was absolutely brilliant, and you almost wished he had pursued an acting career instead of becoming the Wayne’s butler...but then, you would’ve never met him. 

By 11 am, breakfast would usually be done and it was time for a performance of a year. By that time, Barbara and Stephanie would’ve join. 

They didn’t live in the Manor, but they were close friend of the family. Friends that definitely knew how precious Alfred was to everyone. 

This year, Alfred decided to entertain you with a series of short monologues taken from a wide array of material, from Shakespeare to movies. It was fascinating. They all had their snacks as if they were at the movie theater, and were captivated by his performance. 

For Alfred, it was a way to relive his youth, working in London’s east end’s theaters. And to perform his hobby in front of a live audience. 

So sure, maybe said live audience might’ve been a bit biased towards him, but he knew their applause and praises were genuine. 

************

1 pm, East Wing living room. 

Lunch was always skipped, as you snacked too much during Alfred’s performance, and he was never hungry after he acted. 

You’d directly skipped to Alfred’s compliment session. 

He both loved and hated this time. Loved it because it was a treat to see he positively impacted his family. Hated it because it was never comfortable to just hear people compliment you The moment they gave him a cherished memory they shared with him...

Each year, one by one, they would tell him something he did for them that really was important to them. 

It was custom that the youngest would start. So Damian stood up, and said : 

“My memory this year, is one that happened not long after I came to live in Wayne Manor. I had just gotten into a fight with Tim, and been mean to mom as she tried to talk to me about it...I felt terrible. I felt like I would never be someone good. Pennyworth came in my room, ignoring me when I told him to get away from me. He settled some cookies for me, and told me a story of my father when he was young. Of how stubborn he used to be, and how sometimes, he’d say very hurtful things he didn’t mean...Alfred explained to me that it was normal to feel angry, when we’re hurt. That it was ok to not always be on our best behavior. That the people who love us will understand, and do understand. That they’ll still be there if they really care. Then he left, and I went to apologize to my mom. And she was there. I also apologized to Tim, and him too, was there...”

Damian sat back down, avoiding everyone’s eyes, as he felt too overwhelmed with feelings. You threw an arm around his shoulder, and he instantly hid his face in your own shoulder, acting like a little scared kitten who’d hide under his mom. 

It melted everyone’s heart, but nobody would say anything of course. This was between Damian and Alfred. 

It was Duke’s turn, and he was a little nervous, as it was his first time : 

“Mine is...Well...It’s going to sound so silly, after Damian’s heartfelt story, but one of my best memory with you Alfred, is when I first put The Signal mantel, and immediately hurt myself that night. I came back to the bat cave early, feeling shameful I couldn’t finish my patrol. You took care of my wound, and simply reassured me. It was just...soothing. I didn’t feel bad, as you stitched me up and calmed me down. I felt at peace, for the first time since my parents went mad...I can’t quite remember what you told me, as you just talked about random things, to calm me down. And it worked. As silly as it can sound, it worked. And that’s um...That’s when I started to feel good, here. Ok. That’s all.” 

Duke sat back down too, hoping Tim would start speaking soon. Thankfully, he did. 

“The memory I chose to share today, is one that is rather recent. I was struggling with some...self-worth issues. I felt like I could never fill dad’s shoes. Or Dick’s. Or Jason’s. Or anyone’s. I felt like I was trash. Like I was wasting away. I felt anxiety eating me up, and I was too scared to talk to anyone about it. Even to you, mom. I knew you’d find the right words, but I was just too scared you’d be worried about me. I know you worry a lot. So I didn’t say anything. Alfred walked in on me having a panic attack...and he helped me fight it. Then he scolded me because I didn’t tell anyone anything, and that it was a bad habit to always take all the burden on my shoulders. He then brewed me some tea, and talked about my favorite TV show with me to take my mind off of things...” 

Tim smiled at Alfred, and sat down. You reached for him, and squeezed his hand, making him understand you too, were there. And you worried about all of them all the time anyway so, ya know.

It was Cass’ turn now. Cass always had some interactive things, because she never spoke too long. She held up some drawings she had made (with the help of Damian). It represented her at a ballet recital (to which you all went by the way, and which was amazing. Cass was a talented little star). She gave the small comics to Alfred, took a deep breath, and said : 

“Thank you for helping me work on my dance, even when you were busy. You are a good teacher. For everything, from dance to how to make a perfect loaf of bread. I love your bread. I love your dance lesson. I love eating bread after our lessons. I love you more than bread. Even the sandwiches mom make with your bread and my favorite homemade jam.” 

She then did a few ballet dance move, and sat down again, holding her knees with her arms, and breathing deeply. It was still a difficult exercice for her, to speak. And to convey her feelings through words. It was always difficult, and quite an exploit that she said that much. 

Alfred smiled at her, before turning to Jason. 

“I’ll never forget the day you yelled at Bruce because he tied me up after I stole the batmobile’s tires. How livid you were, and how you threatened him to tell everything to mom. How he instantly looked scared at the idea of her being angry, and how you made him realize he went too far. How you were there, every step of my way adapting to life in a mansion, after living in the streets. But yes, above all, I’ll never forget the day someone stood for me for the first time, when you yelled at da-Bruce. When you yelled at Bruce for me.” 

He almost said “dad”. And that alone, was making Alfred’s heart happy. It was proof there still was some hope to salvage their relationship... 

“Ok, well I’ll be quicker than everyone else. And just say : you’re the best grandfather I could ever ask for.” 

With Dick, there was only two solutions. He would either go into a lengthy reenactment of a very specific event, or throw affirmations like that that would make Alfred feel tears coming to his eyes. 

Today, Dick decided on a short and sweet version, and it fitted perfectly. 

It was now your turn : 

“Every year, I’m reminded how vital you are to this family. And every year, it is tough to chose just one memory I love about you. I always have to think, because there’s so many. But I think this year, I will choose that time I said “yes” to Bruce after refusing his marriage proposal three times, and you screamed in happiness, through your broom across the room, and ran to hug me. It was so out of character for you, it makes me happy just to think about it. But I mean, I can understand the excitement...I was pretty content myself.” 

You smile, looking at your love, and he rolls his eyes at you, before smiling too. Of this pure smile he only shows you. And then he turns to Alfred, and tells him : 

“You made the loss of my parents bearable. Without you, I don’t know what I would’ve done. I’d probably turn...very dark.”

There was a small silence. 

Bruce’s speech was always short and to the point. 

And every time they were all done talking, Alfred would find himself with tears in his eyes. With those last few words from his son, this time didn’t escape the rule, and he found himself dabbing at the corner of his eyes. 

Damian’s next word released the emotional atmosphere as he looked at his father and said : 

“Tt, show off.” 

Everyone bursted in laughter, and this great day continued on... 

************

4 pm, interlude. 

This was Alfred’s few hours of utter peace. Everyone would leave him alone, and he could relax doing something he liked to do (usually reading or something of the sort) while not worrying about anyone. 

You’d give him space. It was very rare, for Alfred to be all alone with his thoughts, thoughts that he was forced to NOT have about his family. 

It was even rarer that he wouldn’t think about Bruce or you, or his “grandkids”. So in this day, when he knew none of them were doing anything dangerous, he took full advantage of it to relax his mind. 

In the meantime, you’d watch a film or two. 

Damian and Tim were in the process of choosing when Duke turned to Bruce, and a smirk on his face asked : 

“Soooo…I heard Alfred Day exists because you annoyed (Y/N) ? »

Bruce glares at Duke, ah he never quite likes to remember why Alfred Day exists…But before he can answer, you enter the room (you went to get some snacks for the movies) and exclaim :

“Don’t let Dick downplay how truly unsufferable he was that day ! Dick always manages to forgive his dad, and make things less worst than they are. It’s a talent really. Annoying doesn’t even cover how awful he was. He had one of those « dark days », decided he should break up with me for my own safety out of literally nowhere, yelled at baby Dick, was mean to Alfred saying he could fire him…I swear I could’ve slapped him.”

“You tried.”

“And if Alfred hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve succeeded. Anyway. Yes. You see, Bruce and I almost broke up that day because he was being really stupid, and Alfred...salvaged everything.”

“I was being stupid indeed...I almost lost...I...”

Sometimes, when he would remind himself of that day he almost went too far and truly drove you away, Bruce would feel almost like an anxiety attack coming over him. Because if he had lost you, and had continue on the path he was taking with Dick...Well he wouldn’t have had that second shot at having a family.

And it was enough of a frightening thought to be overwhelmed with anxiety.

“To be honest, I also was quite stupid. I can be stubborn too, sometimes. And there were time, at the beginning, where I wouldn’t try to be in your place...” 

You say, letting soothing fingers run through his hair, a motion you knew always relaxed him. Bruce instantly calmed down, as your kids made some disgusted faces at your closeness, and the incident was over. 

It was good, though, that Duke asked. First because it was actually pretty funny to think of the fearless Batman getting his ass kicked by his wife...but also because it was a good reminder to him of what he almost lost, and who he used to be. 

Alfred saved him. 

You saved him. 

His children saved him. 

And now, he could appreciate a relaxing movie time with all of you (minus Alfred, who was in his room, probably devouring the cake you got him (because yes, that cake was for him and him only), finally relaxed). 

The movie chosen, everyone took their usual spot on the massive couch, that Bruce had ordered specifically so that his big family could all fit on. 

At one point, both you and Bruce drifted off to sleep, in each others’ arms, and barely noticed your kids placing a blanket on you, rolling their eyes at how teeth rotting sweet you two were. 

6 pm, a walk through the park. 

Alfred loved Wayne Manor’s gardens. 

And he loved even more peacefully walk through them with his family. 

This was the time you were always reminded how massive the “backyard” was, when you’d go through acres of it. 

The kids would play soccer, baseball, football, or anything really. Alfred would often join. He was actually very athletic, and the kids would fight to have him on their team. 

You and Bruce would take part in it too, and your children would always make sure you’d be in the same team. Sure, sometimes you’d stop playing to smooch each others, like two damn teenagers...BUT, having you both on the same team would avoid triggering your crazy competitive minds. 

For some reason, whenever you had to play against each others, you’d both get very ruthless and petty, and it would often time get annoying (for real, you were forbidden to play UNO since a long time by then). 

You’d all spend some times outside, no matter the weather, enjoying a normal family outing. 

Alfred loved this time of the day. 

Because he loved the gardens, but most of all, he loved seeing his family being happy and together... 

9:30 pm, the dinner. 

Dinner was entirely prepared by you, and Alfred only had to come at the table and wait. 

By then, you had a perfect system that made it so the meal was prepped efficiently. It was Alfred’s favorite, of course. 

The table would be filled with all his favorite meals, prepared mainly by Bruce with you guys’ help. 

Your kids would pretend to be waiter in a fancy restaurant, and exaggerate everything, which was very funny. 

And you’d all share a meal, something that was quite rare, in this day and age. 

In fact, you were pretty sure that your entire family being reunited for a dinner happened max three times a year. For the holiday season, for Alfred Day, and for Batman day (you just thought it was funny to celebrate it). 

This was just a time to catch up, and to be together. 

Alfred would ask countless questions to everyone, and everyone would be polite and listen. It’d just be so nice, and relaxing... 

11:30 pm, almost the end. 

The day would end in the batcave, with everyone enjoying each others’ presence for a few more minute before you’d go back to a “normal” life. 

You’d talk about your favorite moment of the day, and how you always really liked “Alfred day”. 

And then it’d be over. Alfred would retake his butler position, and the Batman would prowl the streets of Gotham once more. 

You’d be their home support again, working the computer often, and you-

Ah. Yes. But not yet. 

There were still a few minutes. And it sounded like the perfect time for you to finally talk about a certain news...

You see, Alfred was the one you went to to vent. You loved your family with all your heart... But anyone knowing them just à little bit knew they could be à handful. And Alfred, he was always there. 

So it just seemed fitted for you, that you’d announce this news on that day. While everyone was around, and celebrating Alfred’s existence. 

Because what you were about to say, was one of Alfred’s dearest hope...

12:28 pm, 2 minutes before the end. 

You waited the very last minute, because you thought the effect would be even better. 

And as your husband and kids were ready to leave, you said : 

“Oh wait, I have one last thing to say on this very special day !” 

They all stopped, and turned around, looking at you. You smiled. Nervous, but happy. You knew that you and Bruce wanted this anyway, so it would be fine. And you knew your kids...your kids would be happy. For sure. 

But Alfred. Alfred would be over the moon. And so, without further ado, you said : 

“I’m pregnant !”

Bruce’s eyes went wide, and his mouth opened dumbly. He froze on the spot, before smiling widely and starting to laugh stupidly. His first reaction was to go to Alfred, which you were expecting. 

Your children all reacted at the same time, rushing you like a wave of noise and excited screams and...pfiouh they could be overwhelming. 

Alfred was indeed over the moon. 

And he was the one calming your children, tearing them off of you so he could hug you, and give you some space, too. 

Because that’s what Alfred did. Take care of you. Of his family. 

And Alfred day, this year, ended with him looking at you and Bruce hugging tightly, overjoyed by the news of a future new little addition to the family. 

Up until next year, and this future baby’s first Alfred day...

_________________________________________________

Annnnd it’s 9:12 am, kept my promise to post something “today” haha. Probably not the best time to post. Buuuut...well, another sleepless night (or early morning, all about perspective really haha) of writing. I’m definitely back :). I hope you liked this story, I’m a little nervous after being gone for so long, I feel like I don’t know how to write anymore, and this is all very...mmmmbadhgezhe. I still do hope you liked it a little bit. 

Reblogs and comments are always appreciated <3.