#jason never goes after his mom au

[amarachno]

<this is a part two, part one is linked at the end>

Bruce Wayne was missing something. A major piece of a puzzle, lost, as if it was never there in the first place. it had all started a few weeks ago. He and Robin had a fight that lead to his own son not feeling safe enough to tell him about Sheila Haywood. His son almost flew to Ethiopia. Sheila Haywood was involved with the Joker.

He could have lost his son.

Jason’s flight had been booked for the next day. Almost lost his son, his Robin, his Jason. The beautiful, exuberant, child that he is, almost lost to the Joker. Jason had even told Bruce that he almost hadn’t come to him about this situation at all. He had just said that he had found his birth mother almost went to see her. Jason broke down in his arms and apologized for almost running away.

Bruce was thankful Jason had come forward, but he couldn’t figure out why.

Jason’s history had led him to develop an “I can do it myself” mindset. It was deeply out of character for Jason to come to him about something. Especially during one of their fights.

But he had.

At first, Bruce thought it might’ve been Alfred. Often times to sit in Alfred time in the kitchen, Alfred, baking, and Jason doing his homework. But when he had asked, Alfred denied having a conversation like that. Had denied any knowledge of Jason’s plan. So what happened? Bruce didn’t know, but he would find out..

It’s a shame Bruce hadn’t learned to communicate better. Maybe if he had asked Jason about it, he would have found his answers.

“Say, Master Jason, whatever happened to that nice young man you stopped by with? What was his name, Tim?” Alfred asked, idly drying a plate.

Jason paused, hands frozen where they had been rolling cookie dough into balls. it wasn’t often Jason returned to the manor nowadays, but whenever he did, he always baked with Alfred. “Tim?” Jason repeated.

“He seemed like such a polite young man. What ever did happen to him?” Alfred asked curiously.

Jason furrowed his brows, attempting to remember. “When did you meet him?” Jason resumed rolling dough.

“Hmm. What a shame. You both stopped by before a sleepover at his house. Said you had some research to do?” Alfred replied.

Jason blinked, “Alfred why are you bringing this up? It’s been, like, years.”

“I saw something on the news a while back about the Drake family next door. Something about a plane crash involving the poor lad’s parents. I was wondering where he wound up. There was a ‘for sale’ sign up when I drove into town this morning and it had me thinking.” Alfred explained.

Panic surged through Jason’s chest, most of the time surrounding what had been dubbed ‘The Ethiopia Incident’ had been blocked out of Jason’s mind. He preferred not to think about that emotionally scarring time, sue him! Finding out his mom wasn’t actually his, biologically of course, thinking that he could have a second chance, only to find out that she was working for the Joker? She likely would have turned him over. What would the Joker have done to him? Would Bruce have made it in time to save him? Not exactly a pleasant time to remember.

Like a dam breaking open, memory started trickling through, flashing in front of Jason‘s eyes. A boy somewhere around Jason‘s age, the skate park, the kid’s surprising skill with a computer. The sleepover, where his mother’s work with the joker had been revealed. Going home early to tell Bruce.

“Oh FUCK” Jason gasped out.

“Language, young man!” Alfred admonished, pausing, “I assume you remember now?”

“I should find him Alfred! He lived next door for Fu- Fricks sake! He helped me so shouldn’t I try to help him?”

“Perhaps he would like some cookies, Master Jason. You could stop by after we’ve finished baking them.” Alfred nudged gently.

Jason turned to glance at the cookie dough he had forgotten about, the piece had had been rolling squished into the counter top. He grimaced at the sticky feeling. “You’re right, Alf. I should probably calm down first anyways.”

————————

Part 1⬇️

[brucewaynehater101]

Time traveling Tim AU, but he was never Robin:

In the first timeline, Jason never dies. For the plot's sake, let's just say Sheila was found out and arrested. Jason never runs away, but he does end up crashing at Dick's place for a while.

Jason eventually takes on a new mantle (not Red Hood).

A few weeks after this, Bruce sees a purple vigilante fluttering about. She thus becomes the third Robin.

That relationship isn't the best, so Steph eventually sheds the Robin mantle for a batgirl one (not sure how Cass fits in quite yet).

This is in time for Damian to pop up and become Robin.

All of that is background information that Tim keeps track of in the OG timeline. He never becomes part of the batfam.

When his mom dies and his dad is thrown into a coma, Tim does the fake uncle stuff. Tim's dad wakes up. They don't have a big blowup about Robin, but they also don't really know each other. They try, but it's intensely exhausting trying to navigate their grief, stress, lies, and lack of relationship with each other.

Tim goes out one night to hang with one of his friends.

He doesn't get his dad's call.

He comes home to his father murdered.

Batman puts Captain Boomerang away and doesn't look into Tim's established fake uncle. Since the uncle has already looked after Tim once, Bruce has his hands full with the other kids, and Tim is just a civilian, Bruce leaves him alone.

And Tim? He's fucking pissed. He was finally starting to get a relationship with his dad, and this guy took that away from him. Jail doesn't feel like enough.

Tim can't take him on like this, though. If Batman won't get him the justice Tim craves, the teen will just do it himself.

So Tim's uncle declares the teen is going abroad to get away from his grief as well as learn from an international boarding school. Tim manages Drake Industries remotely as he goes to Paris to train.

He gets much of the same training he did in his early Robin years, and that whole arc plays out. Tim isn't Robin, though. He kills.

He regrets it, he despises it, but he tries to convince himself it's necessary. If he's going to get revenge for his dad, he'll kill later anyways.

He, unfortunately, also catches the eye of Ra's. He accepts the man's offer to train and tries to becomes okay with killing.

Eventually, Tim leaves. He promises to return to Ra's at a later date after fulfilling his revenge.

When it comes down to it, when Boomerang is about to die from his own choices, Tim backs out. He becomes horrified with what he's allowed himself to become. His hands are stained red, and Tim doesn't believe he'll ever wash it off.

Batman finds out about Tim and tries to tell him he did good by letting Boomerang go (because their relationship is obviously different here. Bruce sees a kid used to killing refraining and not his son about to kill). Tim, so absorbed in his own guilt, flees.

He becomes obsessed with fixing his mistakes (which Tim... buddy... Maybe the issue is you getting so absorbed in your goals and losing sight of what matters/your morals). He accidentally slings his consciousness back to when he was nine.

He's nine, has the memories of an adult (he was about 19 by the time he got shot back), and thinks he needs to pay for his sins. Thus, he becomes an independent vigilante/informant. He drops information off with Batman or other heroes.

Most estimate his age to be between 25-30, and he's known for finding information, clues, and people when others can't. He is also known for vehemently being against murder (though, due to his time with LoA, he sometimes suggests cruel methods).

When Jason first goes missing, Tim instantly notifies Bruce.

Jason still dies.

Tim blames himself. By going back to the past, he's obviously condemned Jason to die. It's Tim's fault (butterfly effect sucks ass. Not Tim's fault, but guilt also sucks).

From Tim's time in LoA, he monitors them. He will thwart certain plans if he can get away with it without them noticing. He's also in their system.

This is how he learns about Jason.

His vigilante persona, known for finding even the impossible, brings evidence of Jason's existence to a grieving Bruce as well as proof of Damian.

[ghost-bxrd]

I just thought of this: Owl Song 🦉Ethiopia AU where Jason finds out Sheila Haywood is his mom and is planning on running away until he remembers Dick has an apartment in Bludhaven, so he goes there instead of Ethiopia because he knows Dick would never leave him meanwhile Sheila did leave him. So he goes to Bludhaven and is just chilling at Dick's apartment, waiting for Dick to get back to Earth.

Meanwhile, Bruce knows that Jason has run away and when he goes looking for clues, he sees Jason has been doing research on Shelia, who's in Ethiopia. The Joker is also in Ethiopia.

Dick gets back to Earth and sees dozens of missed calls from Alfred and Bruce, so he goes straight to Wayne Manor where he finds out Jason is gone and he might be in danger; when Bruce and Dick book it to Ethiopia, they find a burning warehouse and a broken body; Sheila Haywood. But no trace of Jason, so the Joker must have taken him somewhere else.

So now Bruce and Dick are going feral, Dick especially, trying to find the clown and Jason, meanwhile Jason is safely in Dick's apartment, reading or something ☠️

After who knows how long of searching with no trace of Jason, Bruce and Dick start accepting that they may find a corpse instead of Jason. I image Dick goes absolutely rabid in his grief and tears the Joker apart, and they go back to Gotham to begin planning the funeral.

Jason, still safe and sound in his brothers apartment, turns on the news and hears he's apparently dead, and now he has no clue what to do.

Dick, after a while, returns to Bludhaven and sees Jason and thinks he's hallucinating.

Omg Jason would be horrified at the state Dick is in, looking unhinged and covered in blood and very much like he’s on his last straw and when Dick sees him he just—-

Breaks down. Collapsing right there in the doorway. Apologizing and begging for forgiveness for not being there Jason needed him, making those broken little chirrups that are meant to bring Jason closer to him.

And Jason is freaking the hell out because Dick won’t stop apologizing and crying and calling for him even though he’s replying to every single chirp with his own series of trills and warbles. And Dick looks so scared when Jason hugs him, like he’s going to disappear or something, and just—

They’re both crying a lot by the end there.

[bettyfrommars]

Dirty Metal Summer

a Dirty Dancing au

Part 4: Never Say Never

18+ONLY, MDNI, eventual smut, mention of blood and violence, a knife wound, mention of wounds, Jason being a typical prick, mention of assault, Steve gets hurt, misogynistic language, some angst, hurt and comfort. Reader goes by the nickname Bird. Eddie is in his late 20's and Reader is 21.

word count: 4.3k

masterlist playlist

Summary: You learn everything you need to know about both Jason and Troy while getting a taste of what Chrissy has had to deal with. Eddie tries to push you away but fails miserably. Robin and Steve are in a dire situation, and you turn to one of the only people you trust. A new opportunity presents itself and you decide to take the leap.

A/N: It's been so fun to put all of these characters into the setting of this beloved film. For those of you who are familiar with Dirty Dancing, I hope you enjoy a few of the scenes in this that were taken directly from it.

The next day, the three of you made your way to another spot on the lake in a rented boat for a picnic.  Under the shade of a tree while your dad napped and Kim read a romance novel, you tried to draw Eddie. The curve of his mouth, the way his bangs skirted his eyebrows, the blunt nature of his nose.  When you got home, you practiced in the attic for an hour, thought about throwing your cello off the balcony just to watch it splinter to pieces, and then you found yourself staring out the window, hoping for a glimpse of Eddie.  

After dinner, you were the last one to leave the table, and the waiter Jason nudged your shoulder.

“Your dad seems really cool,” he gave a toothy, golden boy smile. “He signed a copy of one of his books for my mom.”  

“He’s alright, I think I’ll keep him,” you said without returning the smile.  Kim stopped in the archway to the foyer to turn and check if you were following, but you waved her off.  Getting to know Jason was not high on your priority list, but you remembered Eddie flicking his cigarette at him that first day you arrived, and your curiosity was piqued.

Jason bent at the waist to stack some plates together, giving you a wink over his shoulder.  “Listen, I know you’re kinda seeing Troy and all, but if you ever want to hang out we can—”

“I’m not seeing Troy,” you hissed, making sure the last few tables full of people couldn’t hear you. You were about to say he was “just a friend” but he wasn’t even that.  “I barely know him.”

“Well, that’s not what he says,” Jason cocked his head, placing the used silverware on the tray as he moved around the table.  “But anyway, if  you ever want to have some fun, get away from this place or whatever, I could show you some stuff,” he lifted his eyebrows a few times suggestively.  “Wait, you’re over 18, right?”

You followed him, ignoring his offer.  “What did Troy tell you?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” he chuckled, as if it were funny. “Hey, I saw you talking to Chrissy the other day and, friendly advice? I’d keep your distance from that whole group if I were you.”

You held up the flower vase so he could pull the tablecloth off.  “How do you know Chrissy?”

Jason cleared his throat, glancing at the people eating across the way.  “I guess you could say Chrissy and I had some fun last summer.”

“She was your girlfriend?”

“She wishes,” he scoffed.  “God created girls like Chrissy for one reason and one reason only.”

“Oh? And what reason is that?” You stopped helping him and stepped back.

“C’mon Bird, I know you’re from the suburbs, but you’re not that naive,” he moved the bin of dirty dishes to an empty chair. 

He stepped closer and leaned in, whispering. “Girls like Chrissy, with serious daddy issues, they’re a great fuck, but no one wants to marry them. Same reason your boyfriend Troy had a turn with her.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” You said through gritted teeth, an internal rage building as you watched his mouth, picking up a piece of silverware as you went. 

“She hides it well at work, but Chrissy’s one of those satanic metalhead freaks you’d never want to be seen in public with.  Not if  you had any self respect anyway.”

He continued, and you followed him over to the alcove by the kitchen, out of view from the other customers.  “Some people matter and some people don’t, that’s all I’m saying. If she thought Troy would ever get serious with a girl like her, that’s her fault, not his.”

“Is that why I saw them arguing the other day? She wanted to be with him but he ended it?”

You were pushing the boundaries of gossip, but could tell Jason enjoyed the attention.

“I doubt it, those two were never serious,” he moved back for another waiter to pass by.  “Chrissy keeps threatening to tell Joyce that Troy forced himself on her the last time they were together, but we all know that’s a lie.  She was practically begging for it.  Plus, it’s her word against his, and everyone knows she’s a whore.”

“I see.”

Jason leaned in so close his lips were almost grazing your ear.  “If you want to come by later, my cabin number is—”

The fork you had in your hand jabbed between his legs, points finding their soft target with ease.  Jason let out a high-pitched curse that made a few heads turn, but he was helpless not to back up as you moved forward, forcing him further down the hallway, out of sight.  

“Whattt the fuck, shit, fuck you, bitch, what the shit—”

When you pushed the utensil in further, he whimpered a gasping plea to stop, but your aim made him too vulnerable to move. 

You leaned in so that your body was close to his in the darkness of the corner, close enough to smell the cheap cologne he wore.  “Do you have any idea how powerful the lawyers are that work for my dad? Try anything with me or Chrissy, and you’ll be sorry you ever met me.”

You stepped back and he coughed, bending over to cover his crotch with both hands, trying to catch his breath.  

“You’re a fucking cunt,” he spat.

You charged forward again, forcing him to stumble back, putting his hands up as a form of surrender.  

You winked, and threw the fork at him on your way out, letting it clatter to the ground.  

—-------

The adrenaline was still pumping when you were halfway back to your cabin on foot and spotted Eddie.  He was cutting across the grass from the sidewalk, heading away from you.

“Eddie!”

But he didn’t falter, as if he couldn’t hear you, but that was impossible.  Unless he had headphones on? Nope, you didn’t see any.  

He picked up his pace.  

Instinct told you maybe he didn’t want to be bothered, or he was in a hurry somewhere, but your buzzing brain overrode all of the logic.

“Hey, do you have a second?” You finally caught up to him on the lawn under the trees where the outside movie was usually playing.

He stopped abruptly and dropped his shoulders, taking a breath before he turned, albeit reluctantly, to look at you.  His expression was weary, if not wholly nonplussed.

“What’s up?” His tone was cold as he wet his lips and braced his hands at his hips.  His toolbelt and his staff shirt were still on, as if he were on the clock so late in the evening.  “I’ve got a…thing to get to.  But if you need something, you just gotta ask up at the front desk. Or dial 0 on the phone in your—-””

“A thing at the Hideout?”

The muscles in his jaw tightened at that.  You looked fucking adorable standing there with your hands balled into fists as if you were bout to punch him.  

He breathed out, looking everywhere but your face.  “Don’t you have some other vacation thing you should be doing right now? Like charades in the west lobby or salsa dancing on the veranda?”

You crossed your arms over your chest.  “I suppose anything would be better than this lame conversation.”

The retort made his brows jut up.  “Well, keep on walking, your highness,” he extended his arms in a flowing gesture.  “Don’t let a lowlife like me stop you.”

“Fine.”

“Good.”

So, he turned and continued on his way, wood hammer handle slapping his thigh from its side holster.  But it only took a few steps for him to halt, cursing through gritted teeth when he realized he couldn’t walk away from you, it just wasn’t that easy.

When he spun around, you were standing in the same spot but with your back to him.  “Was there something you wanted to ask me?”

You pivoted on your heel, prepared to be cunty right back, but you couldn’t help but soften once your eyes met.  You could’ve made something up in that moment, or you could’ve feigned forgetfulness, but instead, you told him the truth.

“I just wanted to see you.” You swallowed hard and so did he.

Eddie stiffened; a grin teasing at the corner of his mouth.  He didn’t smile though, he couldn’t.  Such a gesture would betray everything he did not want to feel at that moment.  A pregnant silence lingered thick in the space between you while he worked his jaw, once again trying to avoid looking directly at your face. He wasn’t ready to have those types of feelings, especially for someone he could never have.  

“There is something I have to do first, but I’ll be at the Hideout later if you want…I mean, if you want to walk down there and have a beer…that’s where I’ll be.”

“I’d like that,” was all you should’ve said, but then you added.  “I like beer.”

—-----

Your heart was in your throat as you made your way back from the cabin in a fresh change of clothes.  You practiced the things you would say when you saw Eddie again, in case your brain to mouth connection betrayed you again.  

The path you were on led down beyond the tennis courts and the golf course, and then along a strip of parking near the employee cabins. The Hideout was not too far off, you noticed, but then there were bright headlights beaming at you, and you kept your head down, pumping your arms to the beat of your own thoughts.  

But then you heard a scream.

It was someone in distress, and it sounded like…Robin? 

Stuttering to a halt, you squinted looking into the headlights that were a good many yards away, not yet able to make out a person or even what type of car was there.  

“Hello?” You stepped from the sidewalk, inching closer, but your words were only met with the sound of a door slamming. “Are you okay? Who is there?”

Robin came toward you then; there was what looked like blood smeared on the front of her shirt.  

“Bird!” She seemed so relieved to see you, hurrying forward with tear-soaked cheeks. She was speaking in a tense whisper, checking around to see if there were others who might hear her. “Have you seen Eddie?”

You forgot how to speak as you took in the situation, mouth agape.  “Are you…hurt? What’s going on?”

“I’m–I’m fine, it’s Steve,” a sob caught in her throat.  “I need to find Eddie.  Can you help me?”

“Yeah of course,” you gushed, following her to the van to maybe see what the damage was.  

She opened the passenger door to the van and Steve would’ve fallen out if she hadn’t caught him.  He was slumped there like dead weight, his face a sheet of white.

You hurried to help hold him up and your hand at his hip slipped along something warm and viscous over his jeans in the dark.  His head lolled forward and he mumbled something incoherent, but it was good to know he was conscious.

From what you could see, one side of his face was swollen, his lip split open and bleeding.  The hand closest to you looked raw and angry like he’s been punching a brick wall, and there were cuts on his arm from where he’d tried to block the strikes.

“One of them had a switchblade,” Robin gushed.  “Motherfuckers, they stabbed him and I—-there were too many of them.  We didn’t know.  My ex, she had all of her friends there.  She lied and told them Steve hurt her.  He’d never even met her before and then—-”

“Robin, we need to get him to a hospital,” you propped Steve back up in the seat, ready to get behind the wheel if necessary. “He looks like he’s lost a lot of blood.”

“No hospitals!” They both said in unison, but Steve’s voice was more of a groan. “I can take care of him.  Help me get him back to my cabin?”

“But, Robin—” you were genuinely concerned for his welfare, but also could not force them to go.

“This isn’t the first time Steve’s been hurt, okay? They find out he’s been involved in any type of fight and he’ll be on his ass. Help me, please.”

With Steve’s arms hooked around each of your shoulders, you went step by step.  Steve barked in pain a few times as your free hand hugged the clothing to his wound.  You could tell his leg was hurt too, as he was having a hard time walking.  

Halfway to Robin's cabin, which was maybe a 100 yards up the sidewalk but felt like 10 miles, Jamie, Eddie’s new assistant came rushing down off of his nearby porch.

“What the fuck happened?” He moved to help you, to shift Steve’s weight onto him.

“Go get Eddie please? Tell him to hurry!”  

Jamie looked from you to her, calculating where he thought Eddie would be, and then took off at a jog.  

By the time you made it to the cabin, a handful of other employees were rushing in to help as well, following Robin’s instructions as she told them to put a clean sheet on her bed and boil some water.  Once he was safe on the bed, more people rushed in, and you sunk back in the crowd.

They said no hospitals, but you knew someone who could help.  

—------

You couldn’t remember running back to your cabin, it all happened so fast, your brain could barely keep up with your feet.  Not to mention that you hated running.  You paused at the door, hoping your dad wasn’t awake.  You couldn’t let him see the blood on your clothes, he’d overreact in the worst way, and then the cops would be involved.  Not to mention the fact that you’d lied earlier and said you were going to hang out with Troy.

Just in case, you took off  your stained sweater and tucked it under your arm, revealing a clean tank top underneath.  Thankfully, the house was dark and quiet, and you tip-toed in a rush to your aunt’s room.  

“Kim?” 

She was on her side with a pillow over her head.

You rushed up and sat on the bed, jostling her a bit until she pulled the pillow away and blinked at you.

“What the—what’s going on?” She sat up. “Is your dad okay?”

“No, he’s fine,” you whispered, tugging at her arm.  “But I need you to come with me.”

“You need me to come with you now?” she balked, swiping hair out of her face, scrambling for her eyeglasses to look at the numbers on the bedside clock.  “Bird, it’s almost midnight.”  

She kicked her legs off the bed with a groan, watching you dig through her closet.  You pulled out her leather, Swiss Army medical bag with all of her emergency travel supplies in it and slung it over your shoulder.

“I need your help,” you paused to make sure you were being quiet enough.  “Someone’s hurt.  I can’t explain right now, there’s no time. Please just trust me.”

She could see the fear and the emotion in your eyes, and didn’t ask any more questions as she went over to pull some clothes out of her drawers, removing her nightgown to get dressed as fast as she could.  

—------

You filled her in on what you knew as you both hurried along at a fast pace.  “Bird, a stab wound is serious.  We need to call the—”

“We can’t!” You barked it much more harshly than you’d intended.  “Please,” you softened.  “It would take another hour for an ambulance to get out here anyway. Plus, I don’t think he has insurance.”

There was a crowd of people mingling on the porch around Robin’s cabin, and Kim pushed through them.  The doorway itself was blocked by bodies, and once inside, the bed with Steve on it was at the center of the room.  The employee cabins were all small and quaint, with a kitchenette against the far wall, and a beaded curtain that led to a bathroom with a standing shower. Kim raised her voice to be heard over the ones still blocking her way.

“Everyone stand back, please? I'm a nurse.”

Eddie was almost as pale as Steve when you saw him at his friend’s side.  He was shirtless under his leather jacket, atop his black, belted jeans, like he’d left his cabin in a hurry. They’d removed Steve’s shirt, revealing an expanse of chest hair, cleaned him, and put a fresh towel over the wound.  The blood wasn’t gushing, but he was gritting his teeth in pain, and the puffiness on his face made him almost unrecognizable from one side. 

Kim looked from Robin to Eddie, rolling her sleeves up.  “I need a sink to wash my hands in.  Tell everyone else to leave, please?”

While Eddie forced all of the gawkers out, he made lingering eye contact with you, and you nodded to let him know everything would be alright.

Kim scooted a metal camp chair up by the bed and opened her medical bag, snapping her latex gloves on.  “Hi there Steven, do you remember me? I’m going to take a look at you, okay?”

He swallowed. “How could I forget you?” His voice was scratchy, and when he tried to smile, he blanched in pain again. “You should see the other guy.”

“I know that must hurt,” Kim pulled a vial of liquid from one of the many pockets in her bag. “I’m going to give you something for the pain.”

She was doing her best to soothe him, keeping him apprised of every move she made, keeping him comfortable.

Eddie shut the door, locking everyone else out, including Chrissy, and came to stand behind you, cupping his hands on your arms, his warm body pressing into your back.  The sensation made you dizzy.  Maybe he needed the comfort, or he thought you did, but either way—you were grateful.  

Kim looked up.  “Robin? Is that your name?”

Robin nodded, inching closer, her eyes puffy from crying. 

“You did a really good job of cleaning his wound.  Do you think you could stay and assist? He’s going to need stitches.”

Robin was quick to nod emphatically.  “You think he’s going to be okay?” A sob hitched in her throat. “He was protecting me.  If I’d never gone there…if I…then he wouldn’t…” You went over to put your arm around her as fresh tears fell and dripped down her chin.  

Kim caught Steve staring at her, dragging long blinks as the morphine took effect, his dry lips parted and pink with blood from his broken nose.  She didn’t like answering those types of questions when she knew so little about the internal damage, but she found herself brushing hair off his forehead in a way that was not normally in her bedside manner.  

“I have a good feeling he’ll live to make plenty more mistakes,” but then she quickly dropped her hand and went back to work.

“What can I do?” Eddie asked, stepping out from behind you, to the foot of the bed. 

Kim frowned as she inspected the two broken fingers on one of Steve’s hands.  “I’d like some coffee.  Black, two sugars,” she said without looking up.  “But the rest of you might as well go get some sleep.  This is going to take a while.”

—-------

Kim begged you to go home so as to not worry your father when he woke up to an empty house, being that the sun would probably be up before she was done.  You knew she was right, but you watched Eddie and Jamie go up the hill to the main house for a coffee run with longing reluctance.  He ended up grabbing an entire coffee maker from the kitchen and a pitcher of water to make sure Kim had everything she needed for the night.  

The next day, after pretending like nothing happened over brunch, and your dad went back to writing, you returned to Robin’s cabin with Kim to check on Steve.  

Before rounding the corner to the porch, you heard Eddie’s voice before you saw him.

“...Chris, there is no way we’ll be able to find a bass player this late in the game,” he huffed.

And then Chrissy spoke up.  “We can’t just bail on this gig, Ed.  This could be huge for us.  There has to be some—”

“Who?” His tone was annoyed.  Not so much at her, but at the situation. “Emily will be out of town and Sean has a gig with his own band. We are out of options.”

“We have two weeks to find someone,” she chimed, full of hope.

“Yeah. Barely two weeks.” He leaned back against the railing of the porch so he could see him from where you and Kim stood frozen.  “That’s not enough time.”

But then Kim stepped forward.  “Hello everyone. It’s me again. Nurse Ratched.”

They both turned to greet her with enthusiasm, and Eddie extended his hand to help her up the stairs, even though she didn’t need it.  

A smile quivered on his mouth when he locked eyes with you.  

Kim knocked first, and then you heard her ask how her patient was doing once Robin let her in.  

Chrissy and Eddie got quiet, possibly wondering how much you had heard.  He wore a black, ribbed tank top under his unbuttoned work shirt, and Chrissy was in her waitress uniform as if she’d stopped by on her way to the main house.  

“Everything good?” You broke the silence, feeling awkward. 

They both spoke at once, but then Chrissy gestured for Eddie to continue. “Everything is good, it’s great.  Your aunt, what she did for Steve last night, it was incredible,” he turned to snatch his smokes off of the table as he said it.  “I didn’t know there were still people in the world willing to help strangers like that.”

“She’s pretty terrific,” you swallowed, noting the looks that the two kept exchanging. “What about the two of you? I guess this means you are out a bass player for a while?”

Besides the obvious trauma to his face and stomach, fingers on Steve's hand were broken from how hard he’d fought back.  Even though Kim had been able to set them in splints, and they would eventually heal, it’d be a while before he could pick up a guitar again.  She couldn’t speculate on the nerve damage, but there was a chance the dexterity would never be the same.

Chrissy sat on the edge of the railing with her hands folded in her lap.  “Our band was invited to play at a show called Pedal to the Metal.  It’s a once in a lifetime chance to get our name out there,” she glanced up at Eddie but he was staring at the ground, working his jaw.  

“There’s always next year,” he deadpanned in a way that made you think he didn’t believe it.

“We won’t get invited again and you know it, Ed,” she tucked some hair behind her ear and avoided eye contact with you.  “The Dead Alive and Heaven’s Harlots will be there. I’ve been dying to meet them.”

“Who are The Dead A—-” you were about to ask but then Eddie interrupted.

“Fuck those bands and fuck that stupid festival,” he grumbled. “We don’t need them. When Steve recovers, we’ll figure out how to pick up the pieces.”

The wheels in your brain were spinning so fast, you wouldn’t be surprised if smoke came out of your ears.

You cleared your throat.  “Do you think maybe you could teach someone to play bass?”

Eddie barked a laugh out of his nose.  “In two weeks? Hilarious.”

“I mean,” you scrambled for the right words, hoping they wouldn’t laugh you off the porch. “W-what if they already know strings really well? Like maybe, the cello? Wouldn’t it be easier for them to learn?”

Chrissy shrugged, not sure where you were going with the story, but Eddie cocked his head at  you, eyes narrowing.  

“It’s possible,” Chrissy frowned down at her lap and then swept her gaze up to you. “Do you have someone in mind?”

Before you could answer, Eddie waved his hand in the air and leaned his shoulder against the cabin.  “Nope. No way,” he popped the “p” and shook his head, hair falling in his face.  “It wouldn’t work, we don’t have enough time.”

Chrissy got to her feet.  “C’mon Ed, someone like that could learn 5 songs in 2 weeks if they wanted to! But do we even know anyone like that?”

You swallowed hard, waited for both of them to stare at you, and then offered a nervous smile.  

-----

Thank you to everyone reading and enjoying this little world. You know I always love hearing what you think ❤️🚬

------

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[necrotic-nephilim]

Psst this makes no sense timewise but fucky Stephjay where teenage Jason briefly worked for Cluemaster to pay for food/rent.

I doubt Jason would be a drug runner as a kid but I can see him as a lookout or maybe bodyguard/errand boy for the Browns.

YOUR MIND MY GOD THIS IS SO GOOD

Jason working for Cluemaster is *so* good, my god. especially if Jason doesn't want to be there and doesn't like it, but he has no other option to pay the bills (i think this would be a fun AU to keep Catherine alive in, maybe he's trying desperately to pay medical bills to ensure she keeps getting medication she needs which makes him even more desperate for money and willing to do things he wouldn't normally) so he starts working for small time villains, ones he thinks won't be as bad as Joker or the like. which lands him as a goon for Cluemaster and somehow, he's either useful or interesting enough to Arthur that he decides to keep promoting Jason. until one day, he offers a very high pay raise for Jason to look after Steph. it's not necessarily that Arthur cares about Steph or her mother, but he does care about his reputation so when someone threatens his family, he needs to save face.

i think this could be fun to explore before Jason becomes Robin (maybe making him Robin a *little* later just so he and Steph have a significant time together as teenagers). and Jason ends up sort of close to this spunky, angry kid of Arthur Brown who calmly tells Jason she is going to do everything in her power to get her father behind bars and she's sorry but not sorry if and when that lands Jason out of a job. bc maybe she's suspicious of Jason first, bc what kind of guy willingly works for Cluemaster, but then, as she learns more about where he is in life, she Gets it. she understands bc she sees the shady things her own mother, Crystal does to get by under Arthur's thumb.

when Jason vanishes bc he becomes Robin, Steph is disappointed but she gets it. Bruce Wayne suddenly publically has a new ward and hell, Steph can't blame a guy for taking that chance bc that kind of money will *definitely* help Catherine. Steph's life goes on with her father being her father.

it's a bit unrealistic but. i sort of like the idea that when Jason dies, Bruce is so caught up in grief and funeral proceedings and anger that he sort of forgets about Catherine. and Steph will be damned if Catherine Todd is forgotten about and left to rot as a childless mother. i'd love to write Steph and Crystal finding the money to manage to keep Catherine afloat as well and Steph getting really close to Catherine bc of it. also would be fun if Steph becomes Spoiler partly in honor of Jason bc (not knowing he was Robin) she wants to do the good he never got to.

and THEN the fucked up-ness of it all that Steph finds out Jason was Robin when she takes up the torch and so quickly dies afterward she never fully gets to process how she feels about that. how to handle her pride in Jason for getting to be more than what he was versus her anger at Bruce for letting him die. and on the horrible flip side, Jason comes back and finds out Bruce let another kid die as Robin, and that kid was *Steph*. he finds out it was Steph who kept his mom alive, Steph who died in a mantle that should've ended with Jason and he's even angrier at Bruce. i do think he'd kill Black Mask in a slow, painful way to avenge her since clearly, Bruce can't.

and then Steph comes back and there's all the complicated feelings i just. oh your brain this is such a good idea i want to write it so bad. anything that explores connections Jason and Steph could've had before Bruce because they truly deserve to be more entangled than they already are. let them be weird about each other DC.

[poppitron360]

So… my Married Valgrace AU got me thinking about the implications of wedding vows in the Riordanverse.

Like you know for a fact that there’s an afterlife, so “til death do we part” now gets a whole lot more complicated. Do you swear to keep loving them beyond death? What if only one of you ends up in Elysium? Or what if you both end up in Asphodel and can’t find each other again? What if one of you dies years after and now there’s an uncomfortable age gap? Is this something couples have to consider when writing their vows?

And don’t get me started on wedding vows that are sworn on the River Styx. You’re already making a vow you shouldn’t break. Now you’re making a vow that you can’t break, lest there be dire consequences. But it’s not like you can go to your betrothed when writing the vows like “actually, babe, I wanna say “I do”, but I don’t, like, wanna swear it on the Styx, just in case.”

Promises and broken promises are a definite theme in the Riordanverse. It shows up time and time again- Percy’s promise to Nico to protect his sister, the Gods’ promise to pay child support, Leo’s promise to Calypso, Jason’s mom’s broken promise to come back for him, Apollo’s broken oath to not play music or use archery, and his oath to Jason to remember his humanity. Swearing on the Styx is a BIG deal, promises in general, and I wonder how that reflects in a promise made, not only in front of friends and family, but also in the eyes of the gods. Marriage vows particularly being Hera’s department, Queen of the gods. It is taken SERIOUSLY in demigod culture. Especially since probably not many demigods survive long enough to get married.

Now, in Jason’s case particularly his whole identity has been shaped by a broken promise- his mom saying she’d see him again when she left him at the Wolf House- and also something about my theory that “trust” is Jason’s fatal flaw. Making a vow to Leo would be a big thing for him- a good thing, to show his devotion to the man he loves. But if he makes a promise, he means it.

And Leo, who has always been pushed aside, the Repair Boy, the Seventh Wheel, who’s nothing to no one if he’s not useful, can’t quite comprehend someone doing something that meaningful for him.

Similarly, Jason has always given his life for other people. For Camp Jupiter, the gods, his friends. His needs have always come last. In canon, his last act was to save his friends so that Apollo could continue his quest, his final wish being that temples were made to the gods at the two camps. For Leo to be devoted to him, to want to be with him, to vow to him- that’s the first time someone has ever done something that powerful.

I think in Valgrace’s case, they don’t need to swear on the Styx. In fact, I think it’s more meaningful if they don’t. Showing their dedication to keeping their promise without the incentive of divine punishment if they break it. Knowing how much making that promise means to the other one. Knowing that it goes without saying that they intend to fucking keep their promises. They’d swear to love each other beyond death, though. The consolation of “No, I’m NEVER leaving you. Not even if you explode again. I will go to the ends of the earth to be with you, and nothing is gonna stop me loving you, not even us being on different plains of existence.”

Anyway, there’s a lot to be said about the theme of promises in PJO, and how that applies to marriage. A lot of this can be used for Percabeth as well.

[starry-bi-sky]

more cfau miscellaneous things because Childhood Friends Danny and Jason have my head and heart always and I need to finish rewriting chapter two dammit (and redo the half-finished chapter 4 because its just Not The Vibes). i'm almost through I need to get through the graveyard scene. (i just stubbornly refuse to have it be shorter than the original chapter and thats the little death. that is the mind killer.)

Danny and jason’s ghost forms both smell faintly like burnt flesh and cigarettes. However, Jason has a more smokey smell while Danny’s smells almost,,, electrical? In a sense? Like he just straight up smells like burnt flesh and sulphur while Jason smells like someone put him in a smoker first.

It’s very much an unpleasant smell but Danny finds an odd comfort in it just as much as he finds a comfort in the smell of nicotine.

(Jason post-revival smells burnt flesh once and is immediately offput by the fact that it brings him an instinctive comfort. He doesn’t realize its because it reminds him of Danny, and is uncomfortable by it.)

-

In an au of an au, Danny’s altercation with Rath ends with Rath regaining enough of his sanity to snap out of the grieving state and ends with him breaking down. Instead of being souped and imprisoned, Rath, who is permanently 14, decides to Move On into the unknown. He’s exhausted, heartbroken, and tired.

(Is this influenced heavily by the ParaNorman scene where he talks to Agatha and helps her move on? Yes. But it doesn’t fit with the Original Storyline so im shoving it into an Au of an Au.)

Rath tells Danny that Jason lied to them (which he genuinely believes), and that he’s tired of waiting/looking for him/grieving. Jason is gone. He isn’t coming back, he abandoned them. And he wants his mom and dad, and his sister, and his friends. And he’s ready to join them.

He leads Danny out to Gotham, which other than Amity Park might’ve been the only city left untouched due to Rath’s own mental block on the place. They go out to the park he and Jason used to frequent or up to one of crime alley’s rooftops, and there Rath lies down and goes to sleep. Only to never wake up again, materializing into nothing as his soul moves on.

Before Rath leaves, he forces Danny to promise him that he’ll only wait for Jason for ten years. After that if he doesn’t find him, or if Jason doesn’t show, then Danny has to move on. Whether that be like how Rath does, or if its inly mentally/emotionally, doesn’t matter. He has to move on. Don’t wait for him. Don’t waste his time any more.

(“Oh, and if you find him, kick his ass for me.”)

Danny reluctantly agrees, and Rath lies down. Danny sings to him as he falls asleep.

(Angsty points if the vigilantes including Red Hood caught wind of their presence and were silently watching from the shadows. Rath might know they’re there, but Danny’s too focused on Rath to notice.)

(If only so that Red Hood realizes that this is what happened to Danny, and that Danny is gone before he can make things right. The tragedy, folks. The angst. The initial realization that Danny was Rath, and then also that Danny was dead and has been dead for years, and that before he moved on, he moved on believing that Jason abandoned him.)

(like i said it doesn't fit in the original timeline/storyline hence why its an au of an au and isn't nearly a fleshed out, but i was largely just focusing on the tragedy of Rath moving on and Jason being alive to see it and realize just who Rath is.)

-

Just like how the Lazarus pits shot Jason's twiggy 4'6-5'4 (depending on what you find) feet tall and 86lb ass up like a tree an essentially fixed his malnutrition, the portal did the same thing for Danny.

(granted i forgot about malnutrition and danny's likely stunted growth at first -- his family lived in crime alley and despite both his parents working, I don't think they had enough food all the time. He probably wasn't as badly malnourished as Jason was, but he wasn't healthy either.)

Granted his ghost in its "natural" state (14) is short, and his growth spurts were slow at first, it did result in him reaching his dad's height. There were points where it just happened overnight, like a baby. He went to bed one night 5’6 and woke up the next day 5’10.

Jazz is shorter than him. Although I have't decided if she's even liminal at all (and if she is, it didn't cure everything because she would have also suffered childhood malnutrition, and since in au canon their parents didn't get their hands on physical ectoplasm until after they got to Amity Park. So the exposure is less.)

-

Danny's voice absolutely sounds like canon Dan's. It kinda just dropped one day when he was 16-17 and never went back up. Sam and Tucker sometimes ask him to just talk about anything because they find his voice soothing.

I'm not sure yet how Danny would feel about it at first considering Rath, but I imagine that Rath, when he did speak, would have had a quieter and scratchier/weaker voice considering he's spent the last decade shrieking and crying.

(and i suppose technically that shouldn't have any effect on his throat considering he's a ghost and idk if that would actually affect him, but i like the idea so im keeping it)

In the beginning you could hear him from a mile away by the sound of his loud, echoing wails, but ten years later you can only really hear him by the soft, shuddering sobs he makes. Like he's gasping for air that isn't there. The future is full of very quiet survivors.

And it's much easier to speak when you pitch your voice upwards (especially when whispering/speaking quietly) so he might've spoken in a higher, airy pitch in order to be heard. So Danny might actually find a comfort in having a lower voice.

[therapycat21]

All Right Now Part 10

Travis Kelce x Famous!Reader Description: The reader catches the eye of famous footballer Travis.

Warnings: None

Social Media AU

It has officially been a year we have been together and engaged for two months. And It’s been absolutely amazing. Travis and I have been talking and trying to jot down ideas for the wedding and trying to get a head start so It can be easier for us later on.

Everytime we sit down and scroll and try to find ideas it has been nothing but overwhelming, there is a lot that goes into a wedding. Everytime we look at places or themes all I want to do is elope somewhere with our family but I highly doubt Travis would be down for that. Since I was a teenager I always thought a big wedding was too much,

Too much time

Too much money

When all the other girls would talk about their future weddings it would be all out with the most outrageous stuff but me on the other hand, I loved simplicity, even now that I’m more known everyone expects the big and extravagant event, I mean I’m okay with a small quick ceremony and then a party that is more out there afterwards for everyone but other then that, I crave the normality and the simplicity of it, and If I’m gonna get married once in my life It needs to be exactly how we want.

“Why do you look so focused?” Travis breaks me from my thoughts from where we sit at the dining room table, I look up from where I was staring into space on my phone. I shake my head putting my phone down I sigh “It is a little overwhelming I guess, I don’t know I just think I’m overthinking it.” I tell him. 

Travis nods his head slightly “what are you overthinking?” he questions “literally everything, the venue, the guest list, the food, hell even if we do round tables or not” I snort “who said we have to do any of that?” he tells me, confused “what do you mean?” I asked him “I mean, why do we have to do any of that, who said we can’t get eloped and then have a party afterward” he smiles at me before grabbing his phone heading to the couch “just think about it” he says.

I sit at the counter a little stunned before rushing after him “Wait a second!”. All I hear is him laughing as I jog after him.

Time skip—-

“Are absolutely sure about this?” I asked apprehensive to Travis, In return all I get in response is a smile that takes over his entire face. Travis grabs my face into his hands “I’ve never been more sure about this baby” We smile at each other before Travis turns back to the open laptop resting on his legs, he taps the screen confirming the payment for the marriage license, I turn to him squealing “oh my god! I can’t believe we just did that!” I jump on him plastering his face with small kisses, laughing from excitement.

I pull away “so that means we can do it whenever we want?” I question he nods his head in agreement “Whenever we want baby” I smile in acceptance before smirking “so that even means today?” I ask he turns looking at me shocked “you would marry today?” he asks like that’s even a question.

I nod “of course I would, that’s never up for debate” I tell him, now waiting for a response. He nods his head slowly before belly laughing, grabbing me into a full bear hug and scattering kisses all over my face as I laugh. He let's go, jumping off the bed pulling me with him.

“come on, let’s go, we are getting married today, I gotta call mom, dad and Jason so they know where to meet us” he runs off into the bathroom excitedly to get ready. I laugh before turning to pick up my phone to call mom. 

The call finally connects and my moms voice greets me “so, you’re never gonna believe what’s happening today” I tell her smiling.

Time skip—-

I stare into the mirror at my reflection, I’m wearing a simple white dress from one of the many award shows I’ve gone to. The door opens and I see my mom’s head poke in with a grin “hey, how’re you feeling?” she asks fully entering the room, shutting the door behind her. I give her a shaky sigh in response “I’m so nervous, what if he changes his mind?” I asked her.

Smiling she brings me into a hug “seeing how that man looks at you and seeing how he puts you on such a high pedestal, I have no doubt in my mind that man will never change his mind about marrying you” she tells me, I can see tears starting to cloud her eyes, “Oh mama” I say pulling her tighter into the hug.

We hug for a little longer before she moves out of the embrace and slightly shakes my shoulder “Okay, let’s go, we have my son-in-law waiting probably scared to death” she laughs. I smile before giving myself a once over in the mirror and we head to the door to the ceremony doors.

My mom loops her arm through mine as the doors open and I’m greeted with the small Kelce family on one side and a few of our friends on the other. We start to walk.

I smile at the girls, Kylie and Jason before my attention is brought to the podium.

Travis wears a black suit looking absolutely amazing. I could see the tears forming in his eyes from the doors, causing me to start tearing up as we got closer to him. As I step up onto the podium with Travis’s help, I greet the officiant with a smile. Travis grasps my hands in his warm ones.

The officiant gives a brief smile to the both of us “okay, let’s do this shall we?”. I look over to Travis once more “you sure about this?” I jokingly asks he belly laughs “Oh baby, I’ve never been more ready.” I nod turning to the officiant “let’s do this”.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

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[dairy-farmer]

Jaytim half sibling au, where tim is catherine and willis todd's biological child. They put him up for adoption because they felt they couldn't support more than one child. Jason was only two or three at the time, and only has vague memories of his mommy's tummy being big.

Maybe tim always knew he was adopted, but didn't care much, other than the odd daydream when he was lonely. He loved his parents, so he mostly fantasized about long lost brothers or sisters.

Idk how this would progress into jaytim, but I feel like this is a deep well for exploring Jason's mommy kink lol (imagine if tim has her smile)

👀👀👀👀 okay so i had a jaytim thread fic about tim and jason being biological fraternal twin brothers here!!!

but here tim knowing he's adopted and always being curious about the family he would've had if his bio parents kept him. it had been a closed adoption. willis had insisted, told catherine it would make things easier because they couldn't afford another child. not when jason was already such a big expense, plus at least with the adoption they'd recieve some money and that would keep their heads above water for the meanwhile. catherine, of course, knows willis is right. she knows they can't afford another baby. but...this is the first baby she's ever carried and now she has to give them up. it takes a toll on her. jason recalls years later never really knowing what pushed his mom into her drug habit. as far back as he could remember he knew she'd been self medicating with drugs and alcohol. he thought his dad had been the reason. he'd hardly been a very pleasant person to be around. an asshole even. but...never a wifebeater. jason had always just sort of assumed his dad was the cause because he knows his old man had been a dealer at some point. jason only knew that because willis had harshly cautioned him against going down that path. it was one of the few times willis had tried to parent him by pulling jason by his ear away from a group of older boys that hung around a stoop across the street and harshly scolding him.

catherine never quite gets over losing her child. the only thing she has is the birth certificate and some papers from the agency that had set everything up. its what sits at the bottom of some forgotten box long after she has died and so has willis. it gather and collects dust in the closet of the apartment in the building jason grew up in. and it won't be until decades that jason scouts out the condemned building, feeling some sense of nostalgia as he determines the amount of work that needs to go into fixing the whole building up so that it can house new families. jason goes into that old one bedroom apartment, runs his fingers through the thick layer of dust. odds and end furniture that was never thrown out because that old landlord had never been able to find a new tenant after jason's dad was locked up and his mom died and no one was left to pay rent.

jason stumbling across that box, going through it, finding an odd set of papers and just...staring. remembering being two, nearly three and recalling how he'd press his ear to his mom's tummy and giggling along with her at the feeling of something pressing against his hand. its just bits and flashes like how its around the time his mom started on a downward spiral that ended up killing her.

jason finally figuring out this was the reason why. that somewhere out there was a little sibling he'd never known.

maybe he can't go to barbara with this because she'll likely spill to dick or run to bruce to tell on him. jason's options are limited and so he turns to the only other detective that might be discrete about it.

tim helping jason with his search because the adoption agency has long since shut down and were active during the time of paper record keeping.

the two of them growing slowly closer, getting to know each other better. jason thinking tim's not as bad as he thought he was that sometimes...tim might even...remind him of his mom.

he dismisses it because it was that visit to his apartment that makes him all sentimental...makes him think of his mom more often and the good times they had together like her warm laugh and the soft skin of her hand. and sometimes...when jason is dead tired and tim's is the closest place to crash...sometimes....tim does those little things that make the kid part of jason's brain just melt because his mommy is there.

jason and tim starting to sleep together and the the absolute ice bucket chill that hits them both when tim manages to track down the couple that adopted jason's sibling and it's jack and janet drake 👀👀👀

[pain-is-too-tired]

if you could rewrite the burning maze to give leo and jason the chance to see each other again (either before he dies or as a Jason lives au) how do you think it’d go? i imagine a lot of tears. less than canon but- yeah 😭😭

in a perfect world all three of them, like the og trio, would get to grow old together and learn about their place in the world and with each other. they’d never be alone. i’m sad now

If before Jason dies,I say before the head up to the ship or so, think Jason would definitely try hard to avoid Leo learning about him being told that either he or Piper was gonna die.

Cause Jason knows Leo will(and has) sacrifice for both him and Piper. He's not gonna have Leo put his life on the line again.

Also,Jason wouldn't express seeing Leo alive again with frustrated relief like what most everyone else does in TOA(the punch line was funny but gods I wanted some more emotional scenes from especially his siblings. But that's a different rant fhdh)

Jason gonna probably hug Leo still he's almost bruised tho. My boys a hugger.

Jason later dying tho would still absolutely wreck Leo. He's back with him just for him to be taken.

Now in Jason lives au?(hes saved last minute or Apollo manages to reawaken healing ability in some fashion in the moment) After everything settles and such Leo definitely gonna spend lot of time making up for lost time(as much as Leo getting two moms and such is sweet,Leo just not going back to camp or being seen with Piper again bugs me to no end. But again. Rant for another time dhdb)

Maybe during the time him and Calypso realize "Yeah we're better off as friends" and such so Leo gets even more room to catch up.

Maybe he goes to the same school as Jason or something(or Jason's moves to go to a school Leo's going to that fits him better or something-)

Leo maybe helps him with building temples and honorary places for the minor gods. Jason quickly realizing that it didn't matter if he was greek or roman,his home was where those he loved were and Leo helping him find his place.

I don't think(in terms of Valgrace) that they would(nor should) figure out they like eachother quickly. Probably takes a year or so before they even consider they feel that way. They're too focused on having their best friend back. Any other feelings aren't really noticed until everything settles again.

They're attached at the hip tho. Both almost dying/dying for a moment really causes some attachment issues fbdbd Piper teases them all the time but she's just as happy that both of them are still alive.

When they do start figuring out that they might have a crush,either both go to Piper or Jason goes to Piper and Leo goes to Jake cause he thinks it might be awkward to tell one of your best friends that you might have a crush on your other best friend who's also her ex-

Either way,even when they do start dating not much changes. But they now go on double dates with Piper and Shel and Will and Nico ✨️

[sardonic-sprite]

Dad!Tim AU pt 6

Bc Q keeps randomly knocking down my door and screaming EIRA every few months/aff

Part 1

Within a week the family has worked together to craft an official statement for the press

If it weren't for goddamn ras tim would be advocating the "keep all reporters and paps the fuck away from my baby" approach, but as it is he just has to try to minimize damage

They hold a small press conference in Wayne tower, where they've got absolute top security around, and Bruce is right by Tim's side expressing unwavering support and 0 judgment as Tim states that he's stepping down from his position (not CEO he was in charge if like R&D since Bruce came back)... in order to care for his infant daughter

Dead silence. Wide-eyed stares

Tim takes a deep deep breath and says

"Her name is Eira Bahar Wayne. Her mother is my best friend *he's a bit choked up, because he's never going to get them to understand exactly what steph is, more than friend, other than lover, one of the most amazing women in the world* and if you will all take a moment now to turn off any flash or recording lights... they'll come out and say hello."

It was a calculated move, introducing Eira literally in Stephs arms. Tim's the famous one, no one will forget that he's a teen parent, that he claimed this kid. He's also eiras literal biological father, she has 23 chromosomes from him and sooner or later that's going to become apparent

She also has 23 chromosomes from a woman who is not steph.

There can't ve any doubt in the publics mind that steph carried and bore Eira, tho, or ras has an in. So Eira meets the world this way, so that the very first pictures to exist of her are *with her mother*, with Steph smiling so lovingly and holding her totally correct, eiras blanket and stephs dress even subtly matching and complimenting Tim's suit.

That's why he goes to meet them, arm around stephs back, and brushes eiras little Itty bitty curls that Tim thinks are from his mom, and they step forward as a unit

He thinks it works

Camera shutters are GOING OFF (thankfully no flash, he didn't want to go red robin on them) and several reporters are awwing and sighing

They ask a few questions, to Tim and to steph. They share facts - eiras birth height and weight, how long Tim and steph have known each other - but not stories - how long wad the birth, did you decide to have a child or happy accident?

Tim kind of wants to punch the guy who asked that but he forces a laugh and says it's rude to ask a lady such things

And then it's over and the next day 3 different newspapers have it as the headline story

Eira becomes a celebrity overnight. All of Gotham is SCREECHING about how adorable she is, how adorable their family is, how Tim is now a DILF (he blocks that tag) how lucky steph is to have Tim and eira

(There's other screeching too, about teen parents and recklessness and gold digging and debauchery and-- Babs keeps all that off Tim's and stephs feeds, monitoring it herself to ensure it never gets too loud)

Tumblr has an EIRA WAYNE PROTECTION SQUAD blog with over a hundred followers, #eiratheadorable is trending on Twitter, and they've recievied probably fifty handmade baby things in the past 2 months - blankets, hats, mittens, an empty scrapbook to fill, a nursery-appropriate superheroes painting

It's a little overwhelming but it's kind of nice

Tim and steoh make sure to go out and be seen every few weeks, together or apart, with eira on their hip, in a baby sling, in a stroller. For the most part people keep a respectful distance as they beam and coo and wave, and anyone who doesn't is quickly blocked by Cass or Damian, or dick when he's in town

(Jason isn't supposed to be alive and Bruce was found to be way too over protective. Tim AGREES but daaaad stop, you can't give away your batman voice bc one idiot had his flash on)

And exactly 3 months after eiras announcement, the perfect amount of time to cement her as part of the family, cute and tiny and lovable, an ideal in Gotham imagination...

Bruce and Talia announce their marriage and the date for a public, FANCY, vow-renewal, and take the people by STORM

Ta da?

[brucewaynehater101]

okay so I think I recall an ask here about Jason and Tim who got JJ'd having to work with an alternate Good Joker and it got me thinking about those actor AUs where canon is just a live-action piece of media, specifically this post

So now I'm thinking of Actor!Joker having just left the bar after a good day of drinking, not drunk enough to not get home by himself, only to get non-lethally isekaied into DC

From his perspective, one minute he was walking home, the next he started seeing himself playing the most lucrative role in his career. Dissassociation if he had to guess. He might need therapy

Oh, the Joker he plays is trying to kill him. Self defense it is-- he killed him. well he can't fault himself for it if he never learned self defense now can he :/

Is that a camera? Oh yeah, Joker and loads of his other roles break the fourth wall, and improvisation is expected of him

He looks straight into the camera, the audience, "this is why we don't method act kids. hallucinations" he points at not-him with that final word

"but you all see me pointing at nothing, don'tcha?"

Fuck it, for added humor, the minute Batman gets on the scene & Actor!Joker lays eyes on him, he say "now I'm hallucinating my fiance's role too, what a day," and also Jason and Tim and Duke are there for maximum psychic damage

Hey maybe the three were hostages because the Joker wanted to torment the top three bats he fucked up the most on live television for all of Gotham to see only for Actor!Joker to ruin everything

But also the three seeing this go down through the screen would be funny as shit too

Actor Universe lore; Actor!Joker and Actor!Bruce met through previous roles, kicked off a friendship that became a relationship and soon to be marriage and thats how Actor!Joker met Actor!Bruce hoard of children

this would lead to much of the quote on quote Batfamily Plotline being concieved, through Actor!Joker and Actor!Batkids scheming together to make the most drama-filled superhero story they could

So Actor!Joker and Actor!Batkids would cook up the most gutwrenching ideas, building of eachothers ideas, and cheered eachother on as the Batfamily lore became more and more emotionally devastating

Actor!Bruce can testify because years later into Batman, he still cries fountains of tears when he reads the script and something awful happens to the roles his kids plays, or Bruce Wayne is a shit father

actor!joker: my love, I have propositions the directors will grovel for

actor!bruce: oh no

his kids: daddy I have a new idea for my role >:3

actor!bruce: OH NO!

I think it goes without saying that the actors and characters they play don't have the same name, but I can't be bothered to come up with any mysel lol

Yo!!! This is a wicked cool idea. I dislike Joker/Batman (unless it's the Lego Batman), but I am vibing with this one.

To add on, what if Bruce and Joker became directors specifically so they could sort of adopt their kids? They would be those actors that also direct and screenwrite their own movies.

I want to see Crystal Brown being on set (not necessarily on scene) whenever Steph is, and Bruce and Joker chatting with her when they aren't working. Arthur Brown makes plenty of jokes and pulls pranks on his daughter.

Willis and Catherine cheer on Jason (and sometimes *can't* be on set when certain scenes play out) and smother him in affection after he's done.

The Drakes have their own careers they have to pursue while Tim is filming, but they try to make it on set at least once a week and watch every premiere with Tim. They are good friends with the other parents and only allow Tim to be on set without them because they trust Bruce and Joker.

The Graysons are acrobats in real life as well. Dick wanted to pursue a career in acting instead. They support their son, and he often does performances with them.

Would Damian still be Bruce's kid? If so, I wonder what Joker and Talia's relationship is like. Talia is obviously a fierce but loving mom in this AU. She viciously protects Damian, his privacy, and his ability to stop acting at any time. Damian enjoys acting and being on set with his dad. I also hc that Talia is famous as well. Maybe a model, maybe another actor, or maybe something else. Ra's is the owner/head of a really famous entertainment business. It has branches all over the world, including America.

The Thomases take turns with who's on set with Duke. They both work as well so that a majority of the income Duke makes goes towards his savings or his own spending.

I didn't talk about Barbara or Cass or Alfred or Kate or etc., but feel free to add more!

Actor!Joker would be appalled and disgusted with Batman. Actor!Bruce was playing a role. Yes, the role was somewhat based on Bruce, but he would never harm his kids. He would rather kill than allow them to come to harm.

When Actor!Joker gets transported to that universe, his distaste for Batman is the truly jarring piece of it all. He's not obsessed like their universe's Joker. Actor!Joker shows understanding for their hatred/distance from him. He accepts their boundaries and considers their feelings (in his own very weird way). He doesn't torment. He killed the other Joker.

Just Joker's mannerisms of "whelp, what can you do?" as he murders the other Joker. He still laughs a lot, does harmless pranks, and makes a ton of jokes. Somehow, he does this while lecturing Batman on treating his kids better.

[its-been-rose]

Ugh this is for the au where Marie and Jason get together after George’s death

There’s a knock at Jason’s front door kinda late at night in like Octoberish or Novemberish, months after Marie had told him that even though they were grieving the same person she blamed him and never wanted to speak to him again.

He tells his parents he’ll get the door and he opens it and it’s Marie shivering in the cold with a suitcase next to her

And Jason is like “whoa, Marie, why are you here? What’s going on? Are you okay?” And she shakes her head and says “I got kicked out. C-can I stay with you?”

And he’s like “kicked out?! Because you were upset at what happened to George?!” And she just looks at the ground in embarrassment and brings her shaking hands to her stomach and goes “no… something my folks actually cared about.”

And his eyes go big and he’s like “holy shit Marie” and she scoffs like “yeah, I’m in deep shit, you dont need to rub it in.”

And he’s like “but you… came to me for help?? I thought you never wanted to talk to me again.” And she’s like “believe me, if I had other options, I’d take them. So… can I come in or not?” And he’s like “of course, oh my god, of course, Marie”

And his parents are like “Jason who is at the door?” And he’s like “uh mom, dad, you know Marie, George’s girl, right? She… she’s gonna be staying with us for a little bit, okay?” And they stand up and walk over like “what?! Why?!” And he just looks back at them like “because she NEEDS to. I’ll explain the rest later. Just get to bed and we’ll talk about this tomorrow.”

[were-wolverine]

street kid dick au

aka some more stuff for a different au i have

ROBIN (dick grayson)

BLUEJAY (jason todd)

SPARROW (tim drake)

plot stuff below:

bruce never goes to the circus. he reads about the flying graysons in the paper a few days later, but by then dick is lost to the system. he’s put in what is essentially juvie, because social services was full, but escapes after a few days and hides out in Park Row.

a few families in Crime Alley let him stay with them in exchange for help with their kids/work/ etc. he never stays too long because he doesn't want to be a burden, but it keeps him going for a few years. eventually everyone in the area knows him and loves him like their own.

after a while of that, he ends up at Ma Gunn's School for Boys. he's a progidy- good at avoiding detection and light on his feet. he makes a great pickpocket for Ma Gunn

dick, in the meantime, is still working on his plan to go after tony zucco. the lessons help, though he only steals from people who are obviously well-off. he makes sure all the boys at the school get fed, and anonymously leaves money for the people nearby that are clearly struggling. he's a sort of Robin Hood (pun intended) figure in crime alley

anyway, flash forward a bit. dick has been working for Ma Gunn for almost a year, and has been looking out for the vulnerable people in his section of crime alley, and the other kids in Ma Gunn's "school"

enter one jason todd, 12 years old and dropped off by the Batman. him and dick become fast friends, and jason joins dick in his robin hood role

one day they realize Ma Gunn is doing far worse things than they thought (IDK SMTH BAD). jason convinces dick to let him contact batman and he agrees, but only after getting out as many kids as he can

the school is shut down, but they stay in the area and decide to protect Crime Alley themselves if batman won't do it. they don the masks more to protect their faces than to hide their identities. dick goes by Robin and jason goes by Bluejay

they become the vigilantes of Crime Alley, but they also help as their civilian selves by babysitting, helping out at stores/restaurants, teaching some basic self defense, etc.

batman eventually confronts them but they come to an agreement. tim, instead of fixating on and following batman, follows robin and bluejay. he realizes robin is dick grayson the same way as in canon but doesn't really have anything to do with the information (aka he doesn't figure out batman's identity)

dick and jason corner tim one night and are basically like "oh shit we gotta adopt this poor kid" when he explains himself. so they kiiiinda kidnap him (he agrees to go but like the cops don't know that). bruce definitely knows dick and jason's identities, and knows they took in tim but honestly agrees tim is better off with them than his absent parents (plus he knows he couldn’t stop them even if he tried)

(tim essentially goes missing according to the police, but it takes a while before anyone even notices he's gone- which just convinces them they did the right thing)

they have an actual apartment (it's not nice or big but it's comfortable and safe enough to live in) and a few safe houses across the Alley, and tim slowly becomes ingrained in the community they've built

(if anyone notices the new kid looks a lot like the missing Drake boy, they don't mention it)

dick and jason train tim and eventually clear him for patrol. he takes the name Sparrow.

jason never finds out about his bio mom (sheila haywood) but he is still taken by the joker and beaten with a crowbar (in gotham, not ethiopia). dick and tim find him just in time but he’s close to dying- even flatlines once- but they get him to the batcave & medical attention in time.

once jason is stable, dick goes back out on his own to confront the joker. since, in this au, dick was never raised by bruce, he’s a lot more morally grey. ergo, he kills the joker after jason almost dies by his hand.

jason and tim are honestly both like “good riddance” cuz, again, not raised by bruce. bruce himself is super pissed but dick (with tim’s help) gives a whole argument with a slideshow and statistics n everything. bruce cuts contact for a while but the three of them don’t give much of a shit, they still stop by the manor to see alfred and keep him company when bruce is out.

(alfred was in the army and worked for fucking MI5, the only thing he’s disappointed about is that dick, a child, had to kill the monster bruce refused to)

after dick kills the joker, jason stays in the manor with alfred for a while to recover. dick and tim visit as often as they can, even separately, and at any time of day. after a few months jason is able to go back to their apartment in crime alley, but is still benched until he’s fully healed. during that time he acts as their ‘man in the chair’ and learns a couple new languages to pass the time.

sidenote: babs has been working with bruce as batgirl for a few years (she starts at 16) when she is paralyzed by the joker and becomes oracle. the joker stuff with jason happens when she’s 19, but she’s doing a semester abroad for college at the time. she only meets the boys after she gets back, while jason is still at the manor recovering. jason and babs become good friends, and she teaches him how to hack/code/work with computers.

LATER

steph (14) comes in about a year later as spoiler, and pretty much forces bruce to make her his sidekick (babs gives her the batgirl mantle). dick (18), jason (16) and tim (13) meet her pretty much the same way they met babs- at the manor while visiting alfred.

tim and steph become best friends, as do babs and dick. jason is friends with both steph AND babs, but his brothers are his best friends. anyway, through those connections (bruce to the girls to the boys) they are introduced to the young hero teams. dick (18) and wally (19) become besties and so do jason (16) and roy (17).

[leoruby-draws]

in your training wheels AU w rose, jay, and eddie … i think it’s clear that eddie has a crush on rose, but who would end up being the pairing between the two boys with rose considering jason and rose are a “couple” in main continuity? also, love the au and amazing art! :)

Yes, there does seem to be something going on with all three of them, doesn't it? Atm, everyone's just kids, so romance won't really pop up (unless like, for a gag or whatever). Maybe as they hit their teens, there might be crazy love triangle drama going on. Its ok if it does, they are superheroes, dumb drama is the name of the game in DC comics lol. Lemme see if I can get my thoughts in order for this..

Your 100% correct that Eddie has an enormous crush on Rose, just like in canon. Also like canon, it was pretty much a love at first sight kinda thing. As for why, well there's the fact that he thinks Rose is very pretty and cute. But also he loves how skilled she is as a fighter and how dedicated she is to her craft. She can do anything according to him! Even as they grow older, that infatuation never really goes away. If anything, it grows stronger.

It's also extremely obvious to just about everyone on the team (and off!), only question is if Rose knows and just ignores it. Or if she's genuinely oblivious, she's pretty focused on protecting her mom and training her martial art skills.

As for Rose, she's not interested in romance at the moment (she is a kid after all), that might change as she gets older and gains more control over her life. And while she may or may not be aware of Eddie's crush on her, she might have a minor thing for Jason. It's not nearly as overt at Eddie's thing, so only some of the more perceptive team members might know. It's kinda of embarrassing for her to be all 'girly' like that.

As for why Jason, well not only is it a reference to canon JayRose, there's also the fact that in this au Jason was willing to help her out when he didn't even know who she was. He's a dedicated fighter like her, smart, and she thinks he's cute (at least once he reveals his secret id).

This crush is something that develops very slowly over the years, it kinda catches her off guard almost. I don't know if she ever tries to ask him out or anything, once Jason hits his fifteenth birthday, she might just miss her chance perhaps...

As for Jason, well that's just a mystery! But seriously, whatever his own opinions on all this, he seems to be keeping his cards close to his chest. Does he gain a crush on Rose too? Is it Eddie he has a crush on? Is he jealous of how easily Rose steal's Eddie's attention? Or does he see Eddie as competition for Rose? Every member of the Outlaws has a different idea on what's happening on Jason's end, and none of those idea's overlap lol. Just like in the fandom, every member of the team seems to read Jason differently (and for some, just straight up don't understand him).

It seems for now, Jason would rather not think about stuff like that and just concentrate on having fun with friends! He's just a kid you know!

Anyways here's a funny doodle that's just perfect for this question:

Thanks for the question, that was interesting to think about! Have a good day!

[formosusiniquis]

Role Swap AU where Chrissy Cunningham is the queen bee of Hawkins High. She’s bitchy and a little cruel and she runs around town with Tammy Thompson and Tammy’s boyfriend Jason. Everyone hates her, they love her, they want her, they want to be her. And Chrissy has set her sights on Jonathan Byers, the only guy in school who seemingly does not even remotely care about who she is or what she’s doing, she’s obsessed. She’s not used to having to make the first move, usually boys come to her and she decides who is worth her time, it’s a process this change in dynamic. So when Jonathan’s friend Nancy’s little brother goes missing she has her opening. She invites Jonathan and Nancy and Nancy’s friend Barb -- that she never goes anywhere without -- to a party, just to get their mind off of things. It’ll be fun.

Nancy doesn’t go, “She just doesn’t know how to let loose and have a little fun Jonny,” is Chrissy’s answer, “it’s so sweet that you brought Barb though I bet she never gets invited to parties like this.” Cause mean girl shit is always just a little different than mean boy shit. Barb still goes missing. Chrissy and Jonathan don’t sleep together but he does stay the night.

Meanwhile Will Byers has a lot going on. His best friend is missing, his mom just got remarried and now he has a sister that people keep calling his twin, and Max found a boy in the woods with a number tattooed on his arm. He likes Jane, they were friends long before Mom started dating her Dad but he doesn’t like that all of a sudden he’s supposed to act like they’re some big happy family. Luckily his Mom is still adjusting to housing and feeding two more people and Dus(ten) can hide out in the attic and Will can sneak food up to him without it being too suspicious. Dustin has weird powers, keeps tapping into the radio his Mom leaves on or accidentally making his walkie talkie pick up Hopper’s police radio.

Karen Wheeler is on her last fucking leg. Her son is missing, her baby boy, and Ted’s only suggestion for help is to keep plying her with uppers so she can stay awake longer wondering when her son is going to be home. Things come to a head when she faints in the grocery store, she’d been light headed all day and something about reaching for Mike’s favorite cereal had her giving way completely. When she comes to, she's staring up at Claudia Henderson, such a lovely woman, a nurse at Hawkins General she set Mike’s arm after he’d had an accident playing with Ted. She asks if she can go with Karen to search the woods again for Mike. Rounded curves, rounded smile, Karen can’t believe that someone believes her that something has taken her boy.

Nancy Wheeler just won’t stay out of Chrissy’s fucking way. She’s asking questions and poking her button fucking nose into everything. And what’s worse now she’s stealing her fucking boyfriend. Maybe it’s wrong. Maybe she’s let Tammy get too far into her head, but it’s a little satisfying ripping up her stupid little notebook.

Dustin can feel Mike Wheeler. Can feel that boy in the bad place who loves his friends and his dragons and his Mom. Dustin keeps trying to get to him, and his new friend Will keeps telling him to stop making all the radios in the house scream and fuzz.

Her head aches. She’s tired. Coffee is safer than those little pills that Ted keeps giving her. A new bottle every time he finds something he doesn’t like in the house. Dinner is late, more pills. The pillows in his chair are flat, more pills. They stare at her but they leave her unfocused and jittery. She has to be focused. Mike is so close, she can feel him. Claudia doesn’t judge her, but Karen can see the way she looks at those little bottles. So different from the way she looks at the lite-brites that are spread across the basement.

It’s not a smear campaign. Not when perfect little Nancy Wheeler is cornering her boyfriend in the dark room. It’s just the truth, Chrissy knows the kind of stuff she’s gotten up to in the dark room, or the kind of things she wanted to get up to if she weren’t worried about getting called a slut. Maybe Nancy should have worried a little bit more about optics and a little bit less about getting to the bottom of things, she’s a reporter shouldn’t she know how vicious the rumor mill can be. The sight of a pistol tucked into a pocket book, the feeling of well manicured nails against her cheek make her think for the first time that maybe she shouldn’t have let Tammy convince her to write rumors on the bathroom wall. 

Dustin says he can get Mike back. That the body they saw in the quarry wasn’t real. Will believes even if Jane and Max are skeptical.

Chrissy goes to the Wheeler house, she’s turned the tides of the rumor mill. Tammy has become a tonedeaf, jealous bitch -- and one of those things is true -- and Nancy has become the victim. Jonathan is there, and she tries to convince herself that there was nothing to worry about until he’s shoving her out the door telling her to run to get out. She does. She doesn’t. There’s a monster in the Wheeler house, it crawls from the basement.

And so it goes.

Then Claudia finds a rain soaked boy in the woods. He’s so small. She takes him home.

Then the Sinclairs move in down the road from Chrissy. A sweet family, it’s hard though to see a family with two small children moving in when she knows there are monsters in the world now. She tries to pretend that everything is normal, but the strain is there, and whether it’s her or Jon things are going bad. It’s hard to blame Nancy Wheeler for it this time.

There’s something wrong with Mike. Something is wrong with her baby. It’s so fortunate that Claudia is a nurse. She’s been cutting back on her shifts at the hospital, but she had told Karen that she could call anytime.

The shoe drops. Jonathan is sweet when he ends things, but Chrissy has never been one to let things go without a fight. She’s prepared to apologize. To ask for one more shot. When a red head with an attitude grabs her. She’s pretty sure her dog ate her step brother and Chrissy seems more capable than Hopper. Next thing she knows she’s got the Byers-Hopper kids, Max, and the neighbor kid from up the road hiding in the back of a bus while she tries her best to backhand spring her way into knowing how to swing a softball bat. Max’s dog looks an awful lot like the monster from the Wheeler basement.

And so it goes.

The summer comes and Chrissy needs to get away from her mom. She gets a job at the mall, but she’s waited so long the only places hiring are in the food court, absolutely not happening, and the record store. The record store where she ends up working with Eddie ‘the Freak’ Munson.

Eddie didn’t plan to work at the mall, he didn’t want to work at this neon colored capitalist hellscape, but if he gets busted for possession one more time he’s not sure that Hopper is going to look the other way. The record store is hiring at least, he plans on taking full advantage of the employee discount this summer. Then Queen Chrissy walks in in all of her Ralph Lauren Gap glory.

Chrissy was not a good person in high school, she knows that, but she put her head so far down last year that she managed to graduate early. The hostility coming off of her new coworker is a lot more than she expected. He’s started a board to count the number of times a guy comes in to hit on her and critiques each one ruthlessly. Nerd, jock, and tragic each category has several tallies in it. Maybe it’s the popular kid solidarity or maybe she is becoming a bigger person through the power of babysitting, she feels bad that Steve Harrington is the only one who ends up getting included in the Tragic category. He comes in a lot in his tiny blue Scoops uniform but he hasn’t tried to talk to her once.

Unexpected as it seems, Queen Chrissy is apparently the founding member of the Hawkins chapter of the babysitters club. It’s a never ending parade of children marching through the door and demanding to see her. The Byers boy is his favorite, but the Wheeler kid that had gone missing a couple years ago always has a haunted look on his face. The little curly haired one with the gap teeth seemed to startle her when he came running by, he’s loud and has no sense of what should be an inside thought and not an outside thought, but once he assures her that his mom knows where he is she’s letting him and the oldest Sinclair in through the back to sneak into the movies.

Something weird is coming in through the radio Dustin tricked out with his powers for her. It’s picking up a lot more than the rock station from Indianapolis. Max knows Chrissy will be able to help, she doesn’t expect her new neighbor to be working with her babysitter but she’s heard the shit he gets into at night he should at least be able to figure out if she’s just picking up a radio station all the way in Russia. She brings Erica with her, Lucas has been weird lately hanging out with Dustin a lot lately and ignoring her. She’s not jealous but if he’s gonna hang out with other people she can gossip with his younger sister.

And so it goes.

She’s got no right to be jealous. She is though. Who the hell does Robin Buckley think she is, stealing her kids. All Max can talk about is how cool Robin is. How she doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her. How she’s in the band. How she’s going to teach Max how to play the drums. Oh Chrissy, did you know that Robin speaks three languages? Chrissy, Robin’s gonna teach us how to say Italian curse words. Robin stood up to Jason for us. Robin, Robin, Robin. Who the fuck is this girl who can just swoop in an make her kids fall all over themselves to sing her praises. They don’t even like Eddie this much and he’s a DnD playing rocker with an unlimited stash of weed. But somehow a band nerd whose only friend is second year senior Steve Harrington has her kids wrapped around her stupid finger.

The last thing Eddie Munson ever expected was to stumble on Steve Harrington lurking at skull rock. Or at least not lurking alone. He startles when he sees Eddie, not fear, just surprise. There’s something desperate and haunted in his eyes when he looks up at Eddie. And then the captain of every team of Hawkins high is begging, begging for Eddie to hand over anything he’s got that will make him forget he’s even a person. He doesn’t deal anymore, not really. He’s promised Wayne and Chrissy and Red and even Karen fucking Wheeler that he would stop. Sticking to stuff that nature provides doesn’t feel like lying. Eddie really doesn’t want to leave someone as fucked up as Steve here alone. It doesn’t hurt that he’s pretty and that shaky little laugh that Eddie manages to pull from him. It’s only a little lie when he tells Steve Harrington to meet him at the trailer park after the game.

One more thing Chrissy can’t stand about Robin, she’s somehow got Eddie attending a basketball game. They’re all there to support Lucas but normally it’s a fight to get the nerdiest of them in the stands. Sure he’s spending more time looking at Steve Harrington, warming the stands with the rest of them now, than he is at Buckley but she knows the band geek is at fault here somehow. She’s really trying to not be a bitch about it but maybe jealousy like her hair and her eyes is just one more wretched thing she got from her mother.

Steve Harrington is floating, and not in the way people usually claim to when they come to Eddie. His eyes are blank and unseeing and Eddie is sure that he’s about to watch the once captain of the basketball team die right in front of him. Then Robin Buckley, screaming and inconsolable and inexplicably in the passenger seat, bumps the radio in her frantic rush to get to her best friend. Bowie starts blaring from the speakers, the neighbors dog starts barking, Max comes out of her trailer and screams. Then Steve Harrington falls out of the sky.

If she could get one thing out of life it would be to finally be free of the Upside Down. But instead she’s in a fiery red hellscape with her ex boyfriend, her platonic soulmate, her arch nemesis, and the human embodiment of a golden retriever. Insult to injury, injury being the giant fucking chunk missing from her side -- maybe now her mom will lay off for a bit, surely now she’s at goal weight -- and the insult being how hot Robin looks covered in the barest hints of demo blood. Even if she won’t shut up about rabies.

Steve is handling this much better than Eddie did the first time. Bouncing around literal hell, sticking very close to his side. It makes him feel a little braver, this beautiful boy looking at him like he’s an action star. He just hopes they all make it out this time. He’s got a bad feeling.

And so it goes.

Steve Harrington is probably going to be hard of hearing for the rest of his life, blood leaking from his ears and left arm broken in two places by the time they take care of Vecna. Robin lost a chunk of her large intestine -- and half a tit, let’s really focus on the important things here Cunningham, I was already only a B cup. But they’re both alive. They’re all alive. Eddie’s been posted up by Steve’s bedside, slowly and patiently teaching a prep sign language, something he wouldn’t have even thought about doing a couple months ago.

Chrissy, the most oblivious bisexual that Eddie has ever had the misfortune of trauma bonding with, has fallen ass over tit for Robin Buckley and refuses to do anything about it. It’d be sweet if it weren’t so goddamn sad. They’re holding hands on Robin’s hospital bed, laughing at a soap that’s playing on the TV. Until Steve screws his face up into the most intimidating little jock scowl he can, a look that doesn’t work as well outside of the locker filled halls of Hawkins High, and demands she stop stringing along his best friend. Robin looks mortified but the challenge lights something up in the late Queen Cunningham. She sets her sights on Robin now. Chrissy Cunningham may not be queen anymore, but she’s still a little bitchy and she always gets what she wants.