#like. imagine if bruce had a kid who wasn't a vigilante.

[those-goddamn-bats]

i was telling my friend that i feel like the reason why bruce wayne can never be a perfect dad is because he's a vigilante / protector of gotham first and foremost. before being a son, a father, a citizen or a human, he sees his role as a protector of gotham- a soldier. that's why his robins and sidekicks are always going to be soldiers to him before being his kids. he'll give them harsh training, traumatize them, lick them into shape so that they can be the best soldier (in his eyes) they can be before they receive his care or affection. and... it's not right, but can you really blame him for ensuring his robins/sidekicks are on their toes at all times? they can't afford to make a mistake, they're only mortal!

maybe the mortality of his kids, the risk they face, is part of the reason why bruce can't be a gentle father. superman can afford to not train his kid so harshly because jon doesn't face the threats the batkids do. as long as bruce's kids are in this line of work, he can't assume the role of 'father' to them as much as he must assume the role of their trainer. they're his responsibility and each of their lives, if lost, is his failure. he can't risk that.

[steor-ra]

Bring back the dead (1) (2)

Y!batfam x neglected!Gn

(Read author's note in the end for more information/updates!)

Sometimes you've wondered if there's a another universe where you'd be happy.

Perhaps in another universe, you would have a loving, caring family, much like the other kids at the park who always have genuine smiles on their faces while you look on with enviousness and a heavy heart as a child. You've always wondered, though, what if things had turned out differently, what if your mother had truly wanted you as a child so you wouldn't end up with your biological father, or maybe bruce payed more attention to you instead of that stupid costume and crowl.

Your stomach would sometimes churn at the prospect of being loved; it didn't seem right. Perhaps you didn't enjoy the sound of being loved because you've become accustomed to feeling neglected. It no longer hurts when Bruce passes past you or you see any of your siblings hanging out.

Maybe you just don't know what it's like to feel loved.

you've seen how Bruce cares for others, including Gotham's villains, to whom he pledged to defend everyone strolling down the shallow street full of evil.

You've seen how he'd be there if Dick was seriously injured, how he'd be comforting Dick as you stand beside the bed Dick is lying on, completely discarding you, as if Bruce is presenting you with a reality you've always desired, shoving it in your face that the only time you'll ever receive attention from him is through your imagination. it hurts to see that Bruce could actually care if someone is hurt, no matter how big or small, whereas, despite being deeply scarred by an abusive drug addict mother, you knew that Bruce won't care if you are dying right now; there are other problems in Gotham he needs to deal with. Atleast that's what you thought, maybe there's a tiny bit of hope?

It's perplexing when you feel the green-eyed monster tighten your heart when you witness the Wayne 'family' joyful without you because your gut always tightens the same way when you imagine yourself standing alongside them.

It just didn't stick right to the fantasies of being doted on like Damian by his siblings, admired like Dick, constantly praised for your intelligence like Tim and Barbara, having your father's attention the same amount as Jason, being cared for like Stephanie or Cassandra, and being loved by your father, Bruce.

The family was odd, to be sure, but that didn't stop them from being so talented that you stood out like a sore thumb; sometimes you just wish that, aside from Alfred, at least one of them wasn't a vigilante who would rather fight criminals who killed a child than admit that they themselves had killed one.

But what if you had a much more different life than this one?

Maybe you'd be an only child; you've always felt like one, but maybe now that your siblings are gone, Bruce's attention would be focused to you, and maybe you two could finally go on father-child dates. You can't picture what Bruce would be like during it though; will he still be the cold 'father' to you? Or will he be compassionate, like he is with Damien? The questions wrecked your fantasies, so you abandoned them, just as your mother did to you.

Or perhaps you'd be the oldest; like Dick, you'd have younger siblings who would look up to you, see you as a figure, and possibly love your younger siblings in ways you never were. You'd adore your first baby sibling till the last, making certain not to disregard anyone, like Dick did to you.

Or maybe you'd be one of them, one of the bat-vigilantes, fighting alongside them, with many skills to blend in with them; maybe you wouldn't be neglected now that you're a vigilante; you'd be in Batman's care, and he'd give you attention through training; and maybe Damian wouldn't harass you for being "useless" just because you're not on their team. As a vigilante, you might get harmed all the time, but it wouldn't make a difference in this reality, would it?

It aches to know that the only way you'll ever be able to receive affection is through fantasy, even if the imagination felt cold and lonely, which probably because you didn't know what it feels like to receive warmth from your family.

It's complicated but that's okay. You won't ask for it now that you know you're dying without ever experiencing love from your supposed father, Bruce, or being saved by Batman, all in the name of protecting others who are worthy of his presence.

You are not afraid of dying, but the idea of being alone during it is frightening. You feel sorry for yourself, knowing that you will be alone until your dying breath.

Even until your last breath, you'd be mumbling their names like a broken mantra, praying for them to save you, the same way you had when you still believed in their promises.

It hurts so much. everything aches in both ways.

In comparison to the other kidnappers, the kidnapper is brutal and shows no mercy. This time, the adductor is the well-known Joker, and you're frightened This is the same villain who carelessly attempted to beat Batman nearly every day, who viciously murdered your brother Jason, and who rendered Barbara crippled. Joker is the guy who wrecked your family, so hearing his name should send shivers down your spine.

You screamed in agony as the joker tore your nails one by one; your head ached, and all you could hear was a loud pitch ringing. You're covered in bruises and blood, from head to toe.

It didn't help that all you could think about was the possibility of dying without anyone knowing, which terrified you. All those nights and days of ignoring you in order to save the city meanwhile when you're genuinely in need of help from your family whom are heroes, will also ignore it, and it breaks you.

Are you actually a burden to them? Are you truly that worthless that you can't be spared this torture? Not to be rescued by your own father? Is anyone considered part of a family? All you did was ask for a savior coming from your vigilante family. Was that a lot to ask for?

Suddenly, all of the pain felt numb, and a knife has been plugged into your chest, leaving an aching hole where your heart should be. The nasty, jagged bit of steel soaked in thick red that dripped from your chest became your best friend; it sticks closer to your heart more than anyone else has ever been.

The ringing drowned out Joker's maniacal laughter as he crackled at the way your eyes went blank and your body slumped.

"Aw man~ this bird is sooo boring" he sighs dramatically "no wonder brucie didn't care"

"Poor you~"

And with that, you fell unconscious

Dick has never felt so guilty since his parents' deaths and for making the Robin a legacy, causing some deaths and permanent damages, but those feelings fail in comparison to the guilt he is experiencing right now. The more he watches the videos you've made over your time at the mansion, the more he wants to scream and rip his hair out.

He thinks it's lovely at first because you enjoy capturing your life through vlogging; that was the first thing he learned about you, and if he brings you back, he'll make sure to learn every single action. But you're of legal age to do and go whatever you want, and he knows that, the guilt of not knowing your age is killing him, and the realization that he and others have practically disregarded you your entire existence stings. He's supposed to be a figure to everyone; he's become one to whatever child Batman comes, as well as others all across the world, so he feels bad that he wasn't a brother figure to you. God knows what trauma you've been through being neglected all your life.

But that is beneath the point. He's currently looking back to the day you were first brought to the manor. Alfred was the one who welcomed you and offered you a digital camera to entertain yourself. Dick knows this because he saw it at the beginning of the video.

The video quality is awful; he figured because this was filmed years ago, there isn't a date specifying when it was made; still, you're cute; the first time he sees your face, he's stunned. When did you get that cute?

When he first met you personally, you appeared lonely, shy, and sad. It's like he is witnessing a totally different person on the video. Was his first impression of you mistaken all along? He's ashamed to admit it, but the way he first saw you was one of the reasons he avoided you; he didn't expect to ignore you for the rest of your life though. He feels like a jerk.

"I'm finally going to meet my real dad; I can't believe it's Bruce Wayne as well! I wonder if I'll also meet his sons, or my brothers," you grinned at the camera as you showed around the house. "It's sooo big; I hope I could play hide and seek with them, I love that game"

Dick couldn't help but smile at your grin, which turned into a grimace when he realized they'd never engaged with you properly. He groaned and went to the most recent video. This time, you're older, with heavy circles under your eyes; you appeared exhausted, but you smiled at the camera anyhow.

Candles have laminated the room, and a little cupcake is placed in front of you. And Dick's heart dropped when he spotted the calendar behind you, only 5 months after you taped this, and it was your birthday. Dick remembers spending the weekend at the manor with his siblings and, apparently, everyone else except you. His eyes saddened as you began singing Happy Birthday to yourself. There are cracks between some lines, yet your voice is soulful, even if you appeared soulless at the time. Dick can't help but be impressed by the way your voice sounds in Harmony.

The video ended when tears has finally fallen from your eyes , and dick is a mess; he was sweating, his eyes were dilated, his hair was tangled from how much he was nervously pulling it, and he appeared to have witnessed something horrible. Oh God, his chest is clenching so hard that he can't breathe. He feels like a monster.

He grabbed his phone with shaking hands and searched for you on social media, but there was nothing. There is nothing for websites. There's some humor about you in papers, but whereabouts are you currently There is nothing. And Dick knows that he needs to ask for Bruce's help, your father. Dick is furious with Bruce right now; how could Bruce not be aware that you had moved out? If he did, why didn't Bruce remind him of your presence? Did your father also ignore you?

Do the family knows about your existence here in the manor?

Dick was about to have a panic attack if a notification hadn't appeared unexpectedly. Dick's heart breaks as he receives a text message from an unknown number with a photo of you unconscious and beaten.

(Next chapter)

(A/n: Thank you for all y'all support, I hope you enjoyed reading this🤗💞 and I'm really sorry for the wait, will repeat though 😓🥲 taglist is broken lol )

Taglist: @nosyrobin @dhanyasri @sheepintherain @hasty-desert @m3ntally-unstable @cupids-pretty-boy @bat1212 @illytian @lilyalone @lafemmii @sweetconnoisseurgardener @ch1cky-093 @shycreatorreview @tdickensstuff4 @vanilliona @theblonde777 @purplelady22 @imacollosssaltitan @brrrr-brain-machine-broke @pi1nkl0ver @fantasyhopperhea @caffeinatedvigilantewriter

[solar-wing]

⚣ Dick: The Popular Kid 😉

⚣😉 A/N → @swimmingpainterhandsfreak here you are! This is going to come in 3 parts, this one for Dick, and the next two for Jason and Conner separately. Every time I tried to do them all together, I kept getting stuck. They'll all be included in each other's in some fashion, but they'll still all have their own respective parts. Also, because I couldn't find it in my heart to do a fic where Y/N had to choose. Call me a wimp, IDC! Okay maybe just a little...either way, enjoy! WARNINGS: 18+ MDNI | Omegaverse | Courting Rituals | Highschool AU | Alpha Dick Grayson | Omega Male Reader | No one is a vigilante | Dick and Jason are not brothers | Dick is the stereotypical popular kid | Smut |

⚣😉 Summary → Dick, the most popular Alpha in school and one of the sweetest souls anyone will ever meet has his eyes on someone special. What's his plan?

⚣😉 Words → 7.0k

REBLOGS & replies are greatly appreciated, please! 💙

⚣ ENJOY 😉

Dick Grayson? Everyone knows who Dick Grayson is.

Everyone where he went, people swooned and fawned over him like some graceful dignitary or even divine being had just crossed their paths. His charisma was magnetic, drawing others into his orbit effortlessly.

With a smile that could disarm the most skeptical and a charm that seemed to flow from him like a natural force, he moved through the corridors as if he owned them, yet always with a friendly word or a helping hand for those around him. He wasn't just admired; he was adored, a living legend among ordinary teenagers.

And yet, you’d never know it from how Dick acted around others.

Dick Grayson remained remarkably humble and grounded. Unlike many in his position, he never let the almost worshiping attention warp his character. His kindness knew no bounds, and his humility was genuine.

Despite being the adoptive son of Gotham's beloved billionaire, Bruce Wayne, and having access to all the privileges that came with it, Dick never flaunted his status or wealth. Instead, he used his influence for good, often volunteering his time to help those less fortunate in Gotham City.

His actions spoke volumes, proving that true greatness lies not in the accolades one receives but in the way one treats others. In a world where fame and fortune often breed arrogance and entitlement, Dick Grayson stood out as a shining example of grace and compassion.

Bruce was the “Billionaire Playboy,” and Dick was subsequently deemed as “Gotham’s Prince Charming.”

And every prince needed someone to share their kingdom with; Dick Grayson was no exception.

Which is why Gotham’s most prestigious high school and its student population were positively abuzz with excitement at the rumors flying around that Dick was planning to court someone. While many had their own ideas (most being hopes that Dick would choose them), mostly everyone had one certain candidate in mind that had beseeched their heart of their school’s Prince Charming.

“Bitch, are you blind? Have you not seen how hot Y/N and Dick look together?” Sasha replied.

“OMG, yeeess! Like seriously, imagine how cute their kids would be. And Dick would probably be like the world’s best dad.” Manny screeched.

“Fuck all that. Y/N needs to give a real Alpha a chance.” Kevin proclaimed, puffing his chest out.

Everyone at the lunch table eyed the athlete while trying to hold back their chuckles, “Dude, no offense. But, you’ve got nothing on Dick. I wonder how Jason and Conner are gonna react.”

“Well, the four of them have been best friends since what, like the 1st grade? I’m sure they’ll be fine with it,” Ethan said bored, scrolling through his social media feed on his phone before coming across an interesting post, “Oh, would you look at that, Dick proposed to Y/N.”

“WHAT?!” Everyone collectively screamed at the table before Ethan’s phone was snatched out of his hand so they could all see.

“Rude,” The beta scoffed.

Dick had known Y/N practically since diapers after Bruce adopted him when his parents were caught in a fatal accident. The Omega’s parents, specifically his dad, had been classmates and friends with the billionaire.

From the early days of their childhood, they went from being adolescents who were thrown in the playpen together while their parents hung out and caught up, to being thick as thieves, joined at the hip, and now serving as constant headaches for the adults. They shared everything from toys and snacks to hopes and dreams, their laughter echoing through the halls of Wayne Manor as they embarked on countless adventures together.

Their parents often liked to joke that the two of them together were like two halves of one brain cell. Which, if you knew the two, it was nothing but the truth. Even worse when their other buddies Conner Kent and Jason Todd were involved, all four growing up with each other and causing massive chaos when together.

But, for Dick and Y/N, their bond had been special since day one.

From the earliest days of their childhood, Dick and Y/N had been inseparable. Under their parents' watchful eye, they had grown up side by side, learning and exploring the world around them with the curiosity and wonderment of youth.

As they navigated the trials and tribulations of adolescence, their friendship had only deepened, strengthened by the trials they faced together. Whether it was navigating the complexities of high school or grappling with the weight of their respective legacies, they had always found solace and support in each other's company.

In Dick, Y/N found not just a friend, but a pillar of strength, someone to lean on when he felt like he couldn’t stand so strong on his own. Dick's unwavering presence provided a sense of security and stability in a world filled with uncertainty. His caring sensibility and compassionate nature offered solace in times of need, a comforting reminder that no matter what challenges they faced, they would never have to weather them alone.

When they both reached the age of puberty where their second biological statuses would present themselves, their friendship remained steadfast and strong. As Y/N's presentation as an Omega became apparent, the dynamics of their friendship did shift subtly yet significantly added more depth to their relationship.

When there were sudden whispers and sideways glances, a subtle unease had settled in the newly presented Omega, shaking his confidence that had been strong up until then. For Y/N, the change was both bewildering and overwhelming, as he grappled with the newfound scrutiny and expectations that came with his new biological status.

But amidst the uncertainty and the whispers, there was one constant: Dick Grayson. From the moment Y/N's presentation became known, Dick was there, unwavering in his support and resolute in his loyalty. He stood by Y/N's side, a steadfast presence in the face of adversity, offering a shoulder to lean on and a voice of reason in moments of doubt.

When the bullies came, as they inevitably did, it was Dick who stood between them and Y/N, his protective instincts kicking into overdrive. With his new Alpha status and ever-growing popularity standing because of it, the bullying attempts were short-lived since none of their classmates wanted to commit what they considered social suicide by getting on the son of Gotham’s most beloved billionaire’s bad side.

Which, Y/N definitely considered them smart for it. Because, while Dick was always kind and pleasant to everyone, he was never a pushover and would always defend those he cared for with striking resilience.

Emphasis on the ‘striking’ part. Bruce had Dick put in self-defense lessons from the moment he could walk. An unspoken necessity considering the lives they lived.

But perhaps more than his physical prowess, it was Dick's words that offered the greatest solace to Y/N. In moments of doubt and insecurity, when the weight of expectations threatened to overwhelm him, Dick was there, reminding him that there was more to him than any title, rule, or expectation someone placed on him because of his status.

He‘d always repeat how he was strong and capable and that he didn't need the validation of others to prove his worth. And that he’d never know just how much he’d mean to others, especially the Alpha himself.

In Y/N, Dick found not just a friend, but a soulmate—a partner whose presence brought a sense of completeness to his life. As they navigated the complexities of adolescence and the challenges of growing up, Y/N became more than just a confidant; he became a source of emotional support and unwavering understanding.

When Dick grappled with the weight of his past, mourning the loss of his parents and struggling to find his place in the world, it was Y/N who offered a shoulder to lean on and a sympathetic ear to listen. With quiet strength and boundless compassion, Y/N stood by Dick's side through every tear shed and every heartache endured, providing a sense of solace and comfort that no one else could.

But Y/N offered more than just emotional support; he offered clarity and perspective in moments of confusion and doubt. With an intuitive understanding of Dick's innermost thoughts and feelings, Y/N helped him navigate the murky waters of identity and self-discovery, guiding him toward a greater sense of who he truly was.

And while Dick may have been the Alpha in their friendship, it was Y/N who kept him on his toes, challenging him to be better, to do better, in every aspect of his life. Whether it was pushing him to excel academically, encouraging him to pursue his passions, or gently nudging him towards self-improvement, Y/N was always there, helping Dick fill in wherever he was slacking and encouraging him to reach new heights.

But amidst the laughter and the shared moments of joy, there lingered an undeniable tension—a spark of something deeper and more profound. It was a connection that transcended friendship, a bond that spoke of unspoken desires and unfulfilled yearnings. In Y/N, Dick found a kindred spirit, a partner in crime, and perhaps, if fate allowed, something more.

Their relationship was a dance of longing and restraint, a delicate balance of affection and restraint that left them both yearning for more. And as they stood on the precipice of adulthood, their futures intertwined in ways they could never have imagined, Dick couldn't help but wonder if perhaps, just perhaps, Y/N was more than just a friend—he was the missing piece of the puzzle, the one who completed him in ways he never thought possible.

While he may have been too young to really understand everything he was feeling, he knew he didn’t want the chance of him never getting to learn more about it ever become a reality.

So, Dick went to his dad, to ask him how he could properly court his friend. Of course, Bruce, being the observant one who always liked to play detective as his friends and colleagues would point out, was not surprised at his son's request.

Truthfully, he was waiting for the day when Dick and Y/N got together and even had a little wager going on with the Omega's parents. Speaking of which,  he'd won, making sure to have Alfred remind him to collect his winnings from the L/N's when all this was said and done.

Actually, he figured why not collect his winnings as soon as possible. Being a bit of a traditionalist, something he got from his own father, Bruce advised his son the best first thing for him to do was to get Y/N's parents' blessing before he committed to anything else.

So, while Y/N was busy hanging out with some friends for an after-school club, Dick and Bruce made their way over to the L/N residence, where the billionaire smugly watched his son ask the two males if he could court their son. Of course, they gave their blessings with joy, but they didn't miss the subtle smirk on their friend's face as Y/N's dad went to grab his wallet.

Bruce took Dick to the stores to find Y/N a special gift, something that would symbolize his commitment and devotion to his feelings towards the Omega, but would also be an accurate representation of them. The younger male was torn between the many options, unsure of what would be the best choice.

When his eyes landed on a shining, silver chain with a sapphire pendant cut into the shape of a bird, Dick knew this was the one. He made sure to wear it for about a week, using his favorite colognes frequently so it was covered in his scent.

Then, right before lunch, he'd presented the gift to the Omega in the hallway of their school with many of their classmates as witnesses.

"What's this?" Y/N asked, looking down at the velvet box Dick had handed him.

"Remember that history project we had for Mr. Kari's class, and you chose to do one on the ancient Kryptonian society and all its mythological lessons," Dick explained, smiling softly as the memories flooded back.

"I remember."

"Well, I happened to be out shopping the other day–"

"Uh huh, I'll choose to believe that,'" Y/N eyed him suspiciously, making the Alpha chuckle.

"And, I saw this necklace," Dick continued, taking the box from the Omega's hand and opening it.

When the male caught sight of the jewel inside, his breath hitched, unable to take his eyes off the shimmering blue gem.

"It reminded me of your research on the mythological lore of the two birds," Dick explained, pulling the necklace from its cushion, "Flamebird and–"

"Nightwing," Y/N finished his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah," Dick smiled, "I guess the jeweler was a fan of the story. But, I remember you talking about their relationship, how they fell in love and were mates, destined to always be reborn and find each other, and it made me think of us, and how I don't ever want to think of life without you."

Take notes folks. Dude's got game.

"Y/N, will you accept this token and allow me the honor to court you, with the hope of becoming your Nightwing?"

Dick knew the Omega was going to later berate him and possibly hit him over the head with a pillow or something for making him cry at school. He liked to refer to himself as an emotional thug, something Jason accurately always called bullshit on.

"You're lucky you're cute you jerk," Y/N sniffled, hugging the Alpha tightly, "Of course, I will."

"Thank you, beautiful," Dick whispered, hugging the male back, ignoring the whistles and cheers of their classmates.

Y/N turned so his back was facing the Alpha, allowing him to clasp the necklace around his neck, the jewel resting near his heart. Dick smiled, wrapping his arms around the male and nuzzling his nose against the other's neck.

"Ugh, I'm calling it. They're so gonna get married and have a bunch of model babies." Manny gushed.

"I can't believe Y/N didn't realize sooner Dick was into him. How oblivious can you be?" Sasha asked.

"He's an Omega. It's a blessing and a curse. Blessing because they're usually the most beautiful and have the best genes. Curse because they're the most clueless and naive. If an Alpha wants to fuck, they're the easiest to seduce." Kevin replied.

"You're a pig. You're lucky no one has tried to castrate you yet." Ethan deadpanned.

"I'm not wrong."

"Still a pig, and you definitely are," Kara replied.

"Whatever. I still think Dick is a weak choice of an Alpha—"

"You're just mad because Y/N didn't go with you to homecoming."

"I'm not—shut up, Ethan! All I'm saying is that Dick is not the ideal choice for someone like Y/N. He needs an Alpha who's strong, can put him in his place when needed, and doesn't put up with his shit. Not a rich pretty boy who's spineless and soft. I'd even say Conner would be a better choice for him, not before myself though," Kevin stated, puffing his chest out a bit.

"Yeah, uh huh. Whatever helps you sleep at night, babes," Manny said, rolling his eyes.

"Just wait and see. When this ends in disaster, and Y/N realizes Dick can't protect or provide for him like a true Alpha can, he'll come running straight into my arms," Kevin said confidently, smirking.

"Maybe this is why you never get invited to Dick's parties anymore and always have to count on getting in with the rest of the football team," Kara mocked.

Kevin rolled his eyes, "Whatever I'm telling you, it's only a matter of time. Yeah, Dick's cool and nice and all that, but that's only going to get him so far. Plus, all the expensive gifts in the world don't compare to the value of a real Alpha," Kevin said while flexing his arms under his varsity jacket.

"Yeah, a real Alpha like you?" Sasha snickered.

"Exactly," Kevin smirked.

"Uh huh, sure. Keep dreaming, sweetie," Manny laughed.

He along with many others would indeed have to keep dreaming. Dick Grayson was not one to do things halfway.

The teen Alpha spared no expense when courting Y/N, taking him on extravagant dates, and spoiling him with lavish gifts. Of course, much of this was being spent on Bruce's coin, but the billionaire didn't mind if it meant he got to see his son happy.

Y/N also knew how Dick was the perfect gentleman (having an English butler who knew everything about being prim and proper helped a lot), but what he was seeing from the Alpha now was a completely different level of chivalry.

He was pulling out the chair for him if he wasn't opening the door for him or offering his coat. If he wasn't paying for the food or dessert, he was giving him his own. If he wasn't helping him into the car, he was holding his hand and making sure his seat belt was fastened.

Y/N was practically never allowed to pay for anything while in Dick's presence, or even in moments when he wasn't. When Y/N accidentally shattered his phone, his parents didn't even need to call the store to order a replacement cause Dick had gone ahead and ordered Y/N the latest new phone.

Dick wasn't just spending Bruce's money willy-nilly. Since Y/N accepted his courting date, Dick got a job just so he could use that extra money to spend on Y/N. Bruce just tended to fund the really expensive dates and gestures.

It gets to a point where Y/N has to think about his words carefully around the Alpha because, within a span of twenty to thirty minutes, it would be presented to him with a bright, adorable smile that made it impossible to be mad at him. The Omega was craving Wendys for lunch and without thinking about it said it out loud. On his way to lunch with a couple of friends, he was confused because Dick wasn't with him since they always walked together from lunch.

But, his sudden disappearance was immediately explained when after arriving at the cafeteria, he turned to see Dick walking in with bags from Wendys.

"Really?" Y/N eyed him with an amused raised brow as the Alpha set the food and drinks on the table.

"What?" Dick responded, an innocent look on his face.

That became more of their routine, even in situations where money was not involved. If Y/N wanted something, he wouldn't need to say a word, and Dick would do it.

One of Y/N's favorite things in the world was Alfred's baking, especially his cookies. On days when the Omega was feeling up to it or was just down in the dumps about something, Dick would surprise him with the cookies. Of course, he was paying for the ingredients and materials and just having Alfred do the baking, but Y/N didn't need to know that.

Sometimes, Y/N would get into a depressive funk about something and would start forgetting to take care of himself. His parents knew how to handle it, but nowadays, they just called Dick, and in under an hour, the Alpha was at their house helping Y/N get back on his feet. Helping him clean his room, organize things around him, and get himself back on track.

If you thought they were inseparable before, well, that was nothing compared to now.

Dick and Y/N were practically joined at the hip, always together, and always touching. Holding hands, shoulders, thighs, waist, etc.

And just as much as there was a slight change in Dick's behavior (in a positive manner of speaking), in how he treated the Omega, there was also a slight shift in his attitude towards others when it came to him as well. It wasn't obvious at first, but to those who paid attention or knew more about them, many could also see how much more protective Dick had grown of Y/N.

Don't be misled, Dick never lost his friendly and kind attitude with others. But, it was easy to see the Alpha tended to become a bit more on guard when with the Omega and they weren't solely around family like their parents or Conner and Jason.

Dick was always at Y/N's side or close by, ready to jump in at a moment's notice if he noticed even the slightest hesitation or uncomfortableness from his Omega. Which, no one would actively fault the Alpha for it, knowing it was typical for Alphas to become a bit more territorial and protective in any matter regarding the Omega they were courting.

And it didn't help that their school was full of prideful, jealous, and horny Alphas along with envious Betas and bitter Omegas. Even more considering they were all hormonal teenagers as well.

When it comes to a courting ritual, there is no greater challenge than competing with other potential suitors.

Since Dick currently held the title of one the most popular Alphas in school, if not the most popular one, mostly every Omega and a significant number of Betas wanted him as their boyfriend. But, since his eyes were on Y/N, that made the Omega in question the recipient of many fake, cheery smiles tinged with jealousy and obvious, hateful glares.

Which, to be honest, he didn't know which one unsettled him more.

On the other end, there were no shortages of Alphas and would-be suitors who saw and wanted Y/N as their mate. And with Dick suddenly courting the Omega, he'd pretty much made himself an open target, even if the majority of them were smart enough to know the consequences.

Dick didn't blame them, of course. Even though he always thought of his Omega as attractive, handsome, beautiful, and every other adjective in a thesaurus, he could clearly see how much Y/N had grown into himself since their early years as teenagers.

Y/N went from being one of the many everyone picked on and pushed around, to being one of the few most sought-after Omegas in the entire school. While puberty could be the literal curse of inconvenience and interruption, there was no arguing that it had its benefits as well.

And many would attest to those benefits personally. Not too much though since they knew Dick was a black belt in martial arts. But, there were always those who thought of themselves as untouchable and would try to test the waters, not realizing the depth of the ocean they were about to dive into.

"Oh, hey, Y/N. You're looking pretty hot today. Maybe we should hang out later. Grab some food or something," An Alpha said, leaning against his locker, his arm blocking his exit.

"Uh, thanks, but no thanks, Mike," Y/N politely declined, trying to pass the guy's arm, but the Alpha wouldn't budge.

"Aw, c'mon, baby. Don't be like that. You know, I could show you a good time. Better than what you've ever experienced. I could treat you right," The male purred, leaning in closer.

"I'm sure you could, but I'm not interested, sorry. Now, if you would excuse me, I have class," Y/N said, trying once again to push the other away.

"Why are you playing hard to get, huh? We both know that's not who you are, baby," Mike replied, grabbing the Omega's wrist and pushing him against the lockers.

"I said, 'no,'" Y/N glared, pushing the guy off him, "So, leave me alone."

"Aww, don't be like that. Come on, let's go have some fun, baby," Mike smirked, pulling the Omega into him.

"Mike, stop," Y/N said, struggling in his grip.

"Excuse me."

Both turned to see Dick, the Alpha's gaze sharp, and his fists clenched tightly at his sides.

"Dick! Hey, man. What's up?" Mike greeted, letting go of the Omega.

"Not much, just getting my books for next period out of my boyfriend's locker," Dick answered, moving to stand beside Y/N, putting a protective arm around his shoulder, "How about you?"

"Oh, uh, nothing much. Just hanging out. I was actually going to head to the library, so I'll see you later," The male tried to quickly excuse himself, only to turn and bump into Conner and Jason who were both standing there with their arms crossed, glaring at him.

"Going somewhere, Mike?" Conner asked, stepping forward.

"Yeah, man. Why the rush? You didn't seem like you were in a hurry a few minutes ago," Jason added, taking his place beside the other.

"No, no. I was just heading to the library. Need to catch up on some studying but uh, I'll catch you guys later," Mike said, but was once again stopped by the two Alphas.

"Why don't we walk with you? Make sure you make it there safely. It's the least we can do, right?" Jason said, a nervous look painted on the other's face.

"You wouldn't mind, would you?" Conner asked, an almost sinister smile on his lips.

"No, no. Of course not," Mike sighed, defeated.

"Well, then. Lead the way," Jason said, motioning for the guy to continue, watching him as he walked away.

"You're coming with us, right, Dickie?" Jason asked, a mischievous gleam in his eye.

"Yeah, I can't let you two have all the fun," Dick smirked, before turning to Y/N, "Mind taking both our books to class, babe? I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Of course not," Y/N nodded, giving the three a small wave as they turned the corner.

The Omega sighed, shaking his head, "Bunch of idiots," He said fondly, walking to his next class.

No one was surprised when Mike turned up at school the next day sporting a black eye and plenty of bruises to match. The three Alphas would deny anything, but everyone could guess what happened.

"Still think Dick can't protect or provide like a real Alpha," Manny asked Kevin with a mocking attitude after they heard about the incident with Mike.

"Shut up, dude," Kevin glared, grumbling.

Dick would continue his courting, making sure to put the fear of God into any other Alpha who dared to lay a hand on his Omega. He was determined to prove his worth, not just to the Omega, but also to anyone else who doubted him.

After everything the Alpha had done, Y/N couldn't imagine anyone else better for him. Sure, Dick wasn't a traditional, stereotypical, and cliche Alpha. He was more on the reserved and kinder side of the spectrum.

But, that's what made him special. He was someone who could make you laugh, even on your worst days, and could comfort you without needing to say a word. When he wasn't the class clown, he was the one everyone could count on and rely on.

His patience was endless, his kindness boundless, and his loyalty unwavering. And, not to forget, the dude was super fucking hot.

Just as much as Y/N was emotionally and mentally attracted to Dick, not that he was looking at the Alpha in a different line since the beginning of this courting ritual, the physical attraction he felt was almost overwhelming.

Dick may not have been on any sports teams, but he might as well have been, cause the dude was fucking ripped. He had abs for days and a backside and thighs to die for. Not to mention, the muscles in his arms.

Y/N could feel himself salivate whenever he had the pleasure of seeing the Alpha undressed and was very lucky no one had ever seen him drooling over his best friend. And the same went for Dick, who'd always been attracted to Y/N but only had just recently started acting on those feelings.

And what did you get when you had two hormonal, in-love teenagers?

Two horny fuckers who couldn't keep their hands to themselves.

"We're going to be late," Y/N said, panting against the door of the janitor's closet they were in, his shirt discarded and pants unbuckled with Dick kneeling on the floor in front of him enjoying himself immensely on the Omega's arousal.

"Don't care," Dick murmured, the vibrations sending a jolt of pleasure through the younger's body.

"Someone's gonna find us," Y/N moaned, gripping the Alpha's hair tightly.

"They won't," Dick hummed, his tongue swirling around as he continued his erotic ministrations.

"Fuck," Y/N whimpered, his hips bucking forward.

"Any louder and you'll be the ones who get us caught," Dick teased, pressing a finger toward the Omega's slicked hole which pushed them over the edge.

"I hate you," Y/N panted, leaning his head against the door, his eyes closed as he tried to calm his racing heart.

"No, you don't. You love me," Dick smiled, the area around his mouth shiny with Y/N's arousal and cum as he stood up and pressed a kiss against the Omega's cheek.

"Ew! Dick, gross," Y/N whined, wiping and cheek and pushing the Alpha back.

"What? It came from your body! That's basically kissing you," Dick chuckled, fixing his clothes.

"That's not how it works and you know it. You're disgusting. I'm not doing this with you anymore," Y/N stated, cleaning himself up.

That was a lie.

Y/N found himself in a role-reversal situation as he was on his knees, forcing the Alpha against the wall while bobbing his head up and down on the Alpha's cock with unforgiving energy.

"Fuck, baby. She was only giving me her notes for the physics exam," Dick groaned, his hand fisting the Omega's hair.

"I'm sure," Y/N growled, his teeth lightly scraping along the length, his mouth still working, "That's probably why she was trying to scent mark you too, right?"

"She wasn't–shit, babe. Fucking hell, that's it. Right there," Dick moaned, his hips thrusting forward.

"Wasn't what? Going to try and get you to knot her in the bathroom stall after the test? Cause, I'm pretty sure that's what her plan was, right?" Y/N seethed, his hand pumping the Alpha's shaft, his tongue flicking the slit.

"Geez, who knew you could get so jealous," Dick chuckled, his breathing ragged.

"Shut the fuck up. Don't think I won't bite this thing off," Y/N threatened, his teeth lightly scraping the flesh.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. But, you don't have to worry, alright? There's no one else but you, Y/N. No matter how many Omegas try and throw themselves at me, my eyes will always be on you. Only you," Dick promised, caressing the other's cheek.

Y/N only gave him a look before his mouth was engulfing the Alpha's cock, sucking and licking the throbbing appendage while squeezing at the base to prevent him from cumming.

"Fucking hell, baby. I'm sorry, okay. I won't talk to her again. Promise," Dick whimpered, his orgasm feeling like he was going to collapse if he didn't cum down the Omega's throat soon.

"Damn right, you won't. This here belongs to me. Understand?" Y/N stated his tone firm and commanding while gripping the hard cock in his hand harder for emphasis.

"Yes. Shit, yes. Please, Y/N," Dick begged, his legs starting to shake.

"Who's is it, Dickie?"

"Yours,"

"Who's the only one who gets to taste, touch, or smell this?"

"Only you,"

"Good," Y/N purred, his tongue running to the shaft and its leaking head.

"Oh my god," Dick moaned, his breath coming out in heavy pants.

"You're all mine, Dick Grayson," Y/N declared, his lips wrapping around the swollen head, sucking and licking the precum.

"Yours. All yours, beautiful. Only you," Dick whimpered, his hips rocking gently, his eyes rolling back as he came into the Omega's mouth.

Y/N greedily swallowed, his hands moving to squeeze and massage the Alpha's balls, milking him dry. Dick stared down at the sight of the Omega with his cock still inside his mouth, the male's cheeks hollowed out as he sucked.

"Tastes so good," Y/N hummed, his tongue lapping up the remaining liquid.

"Jesus, babe," Dick groaned, pulling the Omega off the ground and onto his feet.

"What?" Y/N asked innocently, smiling at the Alpha.

"Nothing," Dick smiled, kissing him, "You're just amazing, that's all."

They couldn't get enough of each other, continuing their sneaking off to empty classrooms and bathrooms, sometimes even the gym showers and the locker rooms. They would usually do their "business" in the middle of the day, right after lunch or in the morning.

They would try to do it at each other's house, but would constantly get interrupted by their parents, who more often than not knew what their kids were getting up to. They were teenagers themselves once and didn't want to risk the young Alpha and Omega making a mistake.

It's why neither was allowed to hang out in the other's room without the door open. They used to sleep in the same bed when they were younger, but after they presented and especially started becoming a couple, both Y/N's parents and Dick's dad had to lay down some strict rules.

Didn't mean they would listen though.

"Dick, stop," Y/N whimpered, his hands gripping Dick's forearms as he laid with his back against the Alpha's shirtless chest, his hips rocking into the Alpha's fingers.

"Fuck, baby. So fucking wet," Dick groaned, his fingers thrusting into the Omega's slick, heated hole.

"Dick, your dad or Alfred could hear us and walk in at any moment," Y/N panted, his legs quivering.

"You should've thought about that before you teased me in the car," Dick whispered, his fingers curling and pressing against the spot that had the Omega crying out.

"Fuck!" Y/N whimpered, his fist flying up to his mouth and biting down.

"Yeah, that's it, babe. Stay quiet as you can," Dick husked, his pace increasing, his fingers stretching the Omega's hot walls.

"Mmph," Y/N moaned, his head falling back against the Alpha's shoulder, his hips rocking against the other's hand.

"That's it, baby. Just like that. Feel so good, babe. Gonna ruin this tight little hole of yours," Dick purred, his free hand tweaking and tugging at the Omega's sensitive nipples.

"Dick, please. Wanna cum," Y/N cried, his hand reaching behind and gripping the Alpha's neck.

"Then, cum. Show me how much you love it when I fuck you with my fingers, baby," Dick grunted, his fingers twisting and curling.

"Shit, shit, shit," Y/N chanted, his voice muffled as he bit down on his fist, his orgasm ripping through him, his cum coating his stomach.

"Hey dudes– OH MY FUCKING GOD!"

Both males froze, their heads snapping towards the door, their eyes widening as they saw Jason and Conner standing there, their mouths hanging open.

"Guys! What the fuck!" Dick immediately grabbed his comforter to cover Y/N.

"Dude! We didn't need to see that! What the fuck!" Jason shouted, his hands covering his face.

"This is the worst day ever," Conner mumbled, his eyes closed and shaking his head.

"Get the fuck out!" Dick growled, throwing a pillow at the two.

"Don't have to tell us twice!"

Both boys immediately turned around and ran out of the room, closing the door shut.

"Those two idiots. I'm gonna kill them," Dick grumbled, his arms wrapping protectively around the Omega.

"Well, we should've been more careful," Y/N said, sighing as he still was coming down from his orgasm and the shock of their friends walking in on them.

"Yeah, well. You were the one who decided to tease me the entire car ride," Dick defended.

"Whatever, I'm taking a shower. I feel sticky and gross," Y/N huffed, removing himself from the Alpha's grasp and heading to the bathroom.

"I'm joining you," Dick stated, getting up and following him.

"You're insatiable," Y/N shook his head, a smile on his lips.

"Only for you, baby," Dick winked, shutting the door behind him.

He was indeed insatiable, and it only got worse when they finally did the entire deed, Dick craving every touch and drop of the Omega he could get. It'd get even worse when his instincts and his jealous and territorial side would show when another Alpha would stupidly try to make a move on his Omega.

Now, that Dick had gotten a full taste of the Omega, outside and in, no one could compare. And the thought of someone else touching his Omega, made his blood boil.

Y/N's thighs had trembled as he lay back against the leather back seats of Dick's sports car, the Alpha's large firm, and sweaty body hovering over him as he snapped his hips forwards, inserting his full length inside the Omega. The car rocked back and forth with the force of his thrusts, making the tinted windows fog and preventing anyone from seeing the two teens inside.

"Mine. All mine," Dick growled, his nails digging into the Omega's plush hips, the sound of their skin slapping together echoing.

"Fuck, Dick," Y/N whined, his legs spreading wider, allowing the Alpha to reach deeper, his thrusts unforgiving.

Dick kissed the inside of the Omega's neck, bringing his sweaty body closer when he could feel it sliding up and retreating from his harsh movements. He pressed Y/N harder into the seats as he increased his pace, causing the Omega's moans and noises to reach a higher volume.

"Don't run from me," Dick grunted, his lips capturing the other's in a searing kiss as fucked into him at an even rougher pace.

He nudged Y/N's thighs apart with his hips that attempted to close from reflex, the Omega's body jolting with every deep, forceful thrust. Y/N let out a strained moan, his nails scratching down the Alpha's broad and muscular back as he was fucked like a slut, praying in the back of his mind none of their classmates would notice it steamy and rocking vehicle.

"No one else gets to have you. No one but me. You're mine, Y/N. Always have and always will be. Understand?" Dick's teeth scraped along the male's scent gland as he felt himself getting closer to his finish, "Say it. Say you're mine," He growled, his hands gripping the Omega's ass, pushing his legs further apart, and holding him in place, his cock drilling into the younger's abused and leaking hole.

"Yours," Y/N sobbed, his tears running down his cheeks, his face flushed red, his heart pounding as he was overwhelmed with pleasure, his body on fire, "All yours, Dick. Forever and always."

Dick smiled at the proclamation, eyeing the blew pendant necklace laying against the Omega's sweaty skin right over his heart, his chest puffing out, pride swelling within him, "My Omega," He purred, before delivering a few more thrusts, slamming into the Omega with a loud groan as he shot his load into the condom.

The pair lay there, panting, trying to regain their breath. Dick had his head tucked against the Omega's neck, his arms wrapped around him tightly, his knot keeping him connected.

"Are you satisfied now?" Y/N breathed, his eyes closed, his hands resting on the Alpha's broad and sweaty back.

"For now," Dick answered, smiling, pressing a kiss against the male's skin.

"I swear if anyone saw us and spread this around the school because you got a little jealous–"

"A 'little' jealous? I was not a little jealous. That guy was all over you and wouldn't take no for an answer. I had to step in," Dick defended.

"We were talking, Dick. He was asking me for notes about the history final. Not every Alpha or Beta that talks to me is going to be another Mike," Y/N explained.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Shut up and cuddle me. I need affection," Dick pouted, snuggling the Omega.

Y/N chuckled, rolling his eyes, but did as asked, wrapping his arms and legs around the Alpha.

"There, better?"

"Much," Dick smiled with another soft kiss to the Omega's chest, right by his necklace.

"Good. Now, when are we getting you the necklace to match mine?" Y/N asked, his fingers tracing the lines of the muscles on the Alpha's back.

"Patience, baby," Dick chuckled, his hand rubbing up and down the smooth and soft body under him.

"Don't tell me to be patient," Y/N grumbled, pouting, "If you're Nightwing then I have to be Flamebird, which means you need a necklace that looks like a Flamebird. We're a mated pair, remember?"

"Oh I remember," Dick smirked, flexing his dick inside the Omega's warm walls.

"Fuck. Don't do that," Y/N whined, his legs tightening around the Alpha's waist, his back arching off the bed.

"Sorry, baby," Dick apologized, not sounding sorry at all.

"You're not," Y/N rolled his eyes.

"Nope," Dick grinned, his tongue licking up the Omega's neck.

Dick continued courting Y/N throughout the rest of the school year. As expected, they were each other's date to the prom where they proceeded to have hot, crazy sex at their hotel, and then came graduation.

To no one's surprise, other than maybe Y/N's, Dick proposed at their commencement ceremony, in front of everyone, the whole school watching. The Omega said yes, of course, and they were congratulated and cheered by their classmates and faculty.

Their parents were surprised, not expecting the couple to take the next step so quickly. They were happy for their sons, of course, but wanted them to be sure. Dick and Y/N agreed to both wait till after college to actually get married, fine with just being fiances' for now.

Someone had caught a picture of them kissing after Dick proposed and replaced the photo they had initially of them in the school's cutest couple section of their class yearbooks. The bunch of saps.

It was a love story straight out of the books—wait a second...

...

Nah.

☀️ | Dick Grayson/Nightwing | ☀️

☀️ | Masterlists | ☀️

🏍️ | Jason: The Rebel | 🏍️ • 🏈 | Conner: The Jock | 🏈

[bruciemilf]

AU where Thomas and Martha don't die, but Batman's still a thing!

Instead of Bruce becoming Batman, its Thomas. He's already a huge help to the city, so this nocturnal passion is for sport.

If it wasn't obvious enough, he's not the most stable guy. But he's a loving dad and exemplary husband, so it's mostly fine.

God forbid men have hobbies.

He specifically picked up a bat theme to hopefully cure Bruce of his fear! Just imagine that 6'5 error of nature cladded in black, claws with his costume cause he's sexy like that,

"See? I'm not scary at all!" But Bruce is already sobbing and hiding behind Alfred.

"Martha, you'll never guess who I saw on patrol tonight. Bruce's college roomate! The blonde one with the glasses and gay vibes. "

" Oliver?"

"Oliver who?"

" Queen?"

" Well! I think that fits you better, amore."

" Bruce's childhood friend? Known eachother since infancy? Came to you for tech?"

"Bruce had FRIENDS?"

Bruce, from the other room, " Her name is Harley! You paid her college tuition and killed her dad."

" I've never met her in my life, and i keep my kill list detailed.Anyway, I adopted her. Shes seeing that clown boy and I think his superpower is boring me to death."

The batkids still get taken in, of course. Bruce is already a full adult and outgrew his Robin costume. He just barges in with a feral Jason and Dick, " Look, Brucie! Papa's got brothers for you!"

But Bruce? Looks at these two snarling kids, kicking, thrashing, clawing, and takes them in his arms, " Babies. My babies."

" Uh... Come again,,-" But Thomas raised a spoiled BRAT, so Bruce definetly bites him and throws a tantrum until he agrees to pass full custody. Naturally, Alfred and Martha have no sympathy.

"But you're too young to be a dad!"

" I'm 27."

" Young. A fetus. Cousin Gomez's newborn is older than you." Bruce is already drawing the adoption papers. Fight him about it.

Naturally, instead of dating his rogues, Thomas parents them. Imagine you're Selina Kyle and Batman scolds you for getting caught by the cops, " You know better. Villain privileges REVOKED."

Mr Freeze? Thomas gets it. Do what you gotta do, King. You need some pocket money?

Khoa? Problematic son. Thomas adores him and brags about him to every family reunion. "Your daughter tried to poison you for inheritance? That's adorable, Agatha. Khoa kidnapped Alfred last week. Beat that."

Ivy? Thomas invites her to beer and game night and plays matchmaker with her and Harley.

Waylon is his favourite. Naturally, he's the only one adopted legally.

He fist fights Ra's for Talia's custody and she is desperately shoving Damian in his face. Trust her. You don't want to go through with it.

the image of Batman not being a broody, stoic vigilante and instead Gomez Addams with a cape makes me weep

[bluerosefox]

The Drakes

It's been years since the Bats had seen Red Robin much less Tim Drake-Wayne. It started with a rather dumb argument that after years of holding back his tongue and the stress of being a TEENAGE CEO that Tim finally ripped into them.

They were too stunned by the end of his speech, him also admitting that yes he has his own problems and mistakes but at least he's trying to make amends or get over himself unlike others. It was their prolonged silence that was the final straw for him it seemed though, because Tim finally announced he was done, he was done bleeding for those that kept him on the edge of the family and that he wanted to rest, and with that Tim turned and left the Batcave for the final time.

They of course didn't take Tim's retirement announcement seriously, after all Tim was the last person other than Bruce they all believed would ever leave the life of a vigilante and a hero behind, and they all knew Bruce would keep working on the 'mission' even as a frail old man. It took them a few weeks before one of them finally decided to go see Tim and try to... talk about everything he said.

Only when they reached Tim's Nest, they discovered it was empty and he was no where to be found did they realize he was serious. It was a quick call to Wayne Enterprises to see if he was in and Tam no doubt holding back her sharp response to them that she told them that Tim had stepped down from CEO weeks ago and hasn't been heard from since. The one who went to see Tim immediately called the others, which sent many of them onto goose chase of false leads, arguments, and pointing blame.

Despite looking for their long lost Red Robin, he was good at hiding his tracks and any who might have an idea where he could be weren't talking.

So yeah it's been a while since the Bats had heard any news relating to their lost bird.

So imagine their surprise when Ra's latest attempt to upset the balance in their family again (did he want Damian to return as his heir? Take control over Gotham in the shadow? Upset Bruce? None of them honestly knew what his plan was anymore. Same old song and dance) and having captured them all that he brought up Tim to them. Or rather "shame the Detective is going to be late, but I'm sure his little family shall inform of things once he gets here."

None of them were expecting for Ra's to look away from them and with a snap of his fingers, three assassins brought forth into the room two others. One was being dragged by two assassins, black hair, pale skin, and lean swimmers build of a body. He looked roughly around the age Tim would be. He was placed on the floor right by Ra's boots, arms and legs tied up, clearly but alarmingly breathing low and slow from the raise and fall of their chest. He wore a simple T-shirt but had dark jacket that was covered in stars, NASA logos, and other galaxy themed patches all over it, his dark jeans also held some star patches but also held everyday stains from being outside in the grass and other normal day to day thing. All in all this person seems like a normal civilian individual and none of the Bats knew why Ra's had taken him.

The other assassin that had walked into the room was holding a toddler, a girl from the little pigtails on her messy head indicated. Her hair was just as dark as the passed out male by Ra's and her skin was shade healthier than him. She wore grass stained and messy paints caked overalls with a plan shirt under it and two different kinds of kids shoes (one was a green with dinosaurs and the other blue with little stars). She, unlike the young man on the floor, was awake and was looking around the room while sucking her thumb in clear distress, she also used her free hand that wasn't in her mouth to push the assassin holding onto her away from her as far as she could and was squirming her tiny legs enough to kick their sides. Thankfully the assassin didn't look too hostile or upset meaning she wasn't doing to much damage or being too annoying.

"What a lovely family the Timothy has gained for himself don't you think? I will admit Daniel put up a rather interesting fight, it was only due to us having the element of surprise that we managed to take him down and his little Eleanor has his fighting spirit it seems." Ra's said as he slowly reached over to the toddler to lightly fiddle (just to unnerve them as well) with her hair. However the moment he touched her hair, the little girl's eyes flashed from frosty blue to neon bright green and she had spat her thumb out of her mouth in order to hiss like a cat at him, her little feet kicking hard enough to cause a small 'oomph' from the one holding her.

Ra's gave an amused chuckle as he stared at the toddler in fascination before also casting his gaze down at the passed out young man, remembering the way his eyes also had flashed from blue to green and the amount of power he had saw bubble to the surface when they had ambushed the two in their home. As Ra's said before, if they hadn't had the element of surprise on their side when they went after Timothy's little family it wouldn't had worked. No doubt little Eleanor Drake was a hint of power Daniel Drake held.

Ra's turned to look at the Bats, and could clearly see the emotions on their faces which amused Ra's deeply, and couldn't help but say "Although I wasn't expecting him to marry a being with pure Lazarus blood flowing in their veins. Quite a interesting discovery that was. And that his offspring seemed to carry it also from birth. What lovely and priceless boons he has granted the League to have once he joins us."

Ra's could clearly see the questioning, fear (for the family in his clutches), confusion, and disbelief on the Bats faces and knew it would be so entertaining to watch the little.. family reunion he had set into motion.

He was so amused watching Batman the others he never noticed the light twitch on Daniel's face or the shifting breathing pattern. When he would later check to see of the large amount of tranquilizers they had given Daniel was still in-effect he was none the wiser that it had already wore off and that Danny was merely bidding his time for a opening.

[brucewaynehater101]

i want you to know that i scroll through your posts and interactions just to find all your fic recs and open new ao3 tabs.

your tim parenting Bruce au has destroyed me and I love it so much thank you for your service.

do you have any more particularly gut wrenching aus cooking up in your genius noggin?

Heeeey. How'd you know I had a new AU I haven't released yet?

But before we get into that, thank you for the compliments. Angst is my favorite flavor.

As far the AU, you know the saying, "You either die as a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain"?

I feel like that could fit Tim so well.

How I imagine the AU to start out would be Tim as Robin. He's in the batcave with Bruce as the man is showing him a particularly devastating case. Bruce, his mentor but not his father, turns to Tim with a grimmace.

"There's a reason we have a code, Tim."

They both glance at Jason's memorial and Bruce's hands start to shake.

"As much as we may want to give in to our desires and emotions, we can't stoop down to their level. There needs to be lines we won't cross, even for the greater good."

Azure eyes snap to arctic ones, begging for the younger to understand.

"We do this to protect others, even those who are twisted and foul. We aren't the judges or executioners."

Tim nods in agreement, and Bruce's shoulders lose a little of their tension. The older man pats the teen's shoulder in pride before his attention goes back to the murder case.

Tim, as Robin, had many interactions with Bruce that shaped who he was as a vigilante. How much force to apply when fighting, what lines to cross, and acceptable codes of conduct were taught to the kid in several instances. It didn't matter that Bruce himself had broken them or that, on very rare occasions, Dick also broke them. They were rules Tim was expected to follow, and they were reasonable lines. Of course, Tim did everything he could to meet those standards. He may have trained with Lady Shiva, and YJ may get into so whacky ordeals, but there's no excuse to go outside of those bounds.

It became difficult, though, when Jason beat Tim into the floor of Titan's Tower. When Jason, after hurting several family members, was welcomed back. It became a strain on Tim when Bruce enacted the 16th Birthday present fiasco or Tim found out about what the man had done to Dick (the bruise he left on Dick's face after Jason's passing). It was demanding to follow those rules when Damian came into the picture and when Dick handed him Robin.

When Tim found that painting of Bruce, when Dick and the JL turned their backs on him, when YJ wasn't there to support him, some part of Tim said "fuck it." Why should he follow standards he had to leash Bruce into obeying? The man wasn't even here anymore.

He still tried, but he gave less effort to it. He didn't want Bruce to find out when he returned after all.

But Tim? He never returned from that desert. As far as the Bats become aware after Tim sends them the data for Bruce and then blows up the bases, Tim died in the explosions he caused.

And the rest of the AU goes into Tim exploring how the guidelines Bruce gave him were bullshit, so he slowly starts to let more and more go until he has no moral bounds anymore. He's seen Bruce, Jason, Damian, Barbara, Alfred, and Dick all break one or more of these "rules" that were placed on Tim. So why should Tim go along with it?

What does it matter if he betrays, manipulates, tortures, and kills if it saves the most people? What does it matter if he commits suffering if he's helping people?

Until, one day, Bart and Kon are on the other side of the battlefield from Tim. While Bart is steadfast in defeating Tim (no matter how much it pains him), Kon is devastated that Tim never told him he was alive. He doesn't even care that Tim is a villain. If he had just asked, Kon would've joined him.

It's too late now. Bart needs Tim to stop, Tim can't let Kon join him, and Kon is torn between his duty and his friend.

So Tim does what he always does, he sacrifices himself. He allows them to take him into holding, executes his plan to murder all villains left, places restrictions on the JL (so they'll never hurt anyone the way they hurt Tim and abandoned his friends again), and then Tim disappears. Bart opposing Tim was the sign that Tim was in the wrong. He knows that. If he wasn't, Bart would've been on Tim's side no matter how morally grey he got.

Tim had crossed into the black.

He became what he always feared he might one day be.

[cassandracain52]

The Batfamily on a roadtrip:

Bruce: The Driver. You really thought his control freak ass was gonna let someone else drive? Be so fr. Has a migraine the size of the WatchTower and has been seriously contemplating pulling over, getting out of the car, and just walking. Not anywhere particular, just walking away. Has already had to pull over twice to swap seating arrangements around and they've only driven 3 1/2 hours out of 11. (They will do this at least 3 more times before they reach their destination)

Barbara: Shotgun. Declared that as second oldest and second most experienced vigilante that the front seat was her birth given right. No one contested it(successfully anyway). Has been helpfully navigating the fastest route much to Bruce "I know where I'm going" Wayne's annoyance. (Her way was in fact more efficient and she is incredibly smug about it.)

Jason: Behind the Passenger seat. Wanted the front seat but wasn't willing to physically fight Babs for it which was what she assured him it would have taken to get her to move. Brought a backpack full of nothing but snacks that he is only sharing with people that aren't actively annoying him aka Cass. Keeps playing words with friends with Roy on his phone and is Kicking Ass

Cassandra: Middle Left. Volunteered for the middle seat because she wanted to sit next to Jason aka the Snack Source while still being close enough to comfortably talk to Babs and Steph. Is one of the few enjoying the drive and just in general living her best life. Somehow painted both her own and Steph’s nails perfectly while the car was in motion. No one is sure how she did this and they were watching

Stephanie: Middle Right. Was originally sitting Middle Back next to Tim but caused the first seat swap when she got bored and decided Tim made suitable entertainment(imagine like in Detective comics #1000). Bruce declared the car a "No Flirting Zone" shortly after. Pouted for all of thirty seconds before she realized she got to sit next to Cass and abandoned Tim without a second thought. Is also the person pointing to the window and going “cows!” Whenever they pass some

Dick: Behind the Driver's seat. Chose his seat while everyone else was fighting for shotgun because he wanted to be able to see Babs during the drive so they could talk without shouting.(he knew good and well she was winning that fight). Has had a few arguments with Jason but they didn't last or get out of hand with Cass between them. Did manage to steal a bag of chips from Jason’s snackpack while he was on his phone. The roadtrip was his idea and he refuses to admit it was not well thought out.

Tim: Back Left. Was thoroughly betrayed when Steph abandoned him to be left with the two youngest bats and said so at length. Only quieted when Jason threw a pack of gummy worms at his head with a demand for silence. Brought an abundance of handheld electronics despite knowing he gets car sick. He threw up on the side of the road 90 minutes into the trip and Dick confiscated anything that had a screen until they reached their destination. He is his own worst enemy. Has since resorted to playing the license plate game with Duke

Duke: Back Middle. Was originally in between Cass and Dick but had to move to sit Back Left next to Damian when Steph took his spot. He stayed there for exactly 45 minutes before Damian caused the second seat swap when he attempted to strangle Tim with his headphones because he was "breathing obnoxiously". Is now a human barrier and he hates it. Jason offered him a small amount of sympathy by offering him some Sour Patch Kids. Duke accepted them. Bruce was more sympathetic and gave him DJ control. Is mostly just talking with Tim who is bored since his electronics were taken.

Damian: Back Right. Attempted to attack Stephanie with a pillow because he “couldn’t listen to her and Drake anymore and she was closer” before the first seat swap occurred. Did not regret his actions in the slightest. Warned his father that nothing good would come from him sitting directly beside Tim, was ignored, and then moved when "nothing good" did indeed come. Despite these to things, he actually spent the majority of the drive with his headphones on full volume and messing around on his phone while he pretended to be anywhere other than there.

Alfred: In The Car Following Behind Them. Yeah there was no way he was getting in that car. He knows a recipe for disaster when he sees one. Didn't hesitate to "offer" that he would happily transport all the luggage and supplies and meet them there. Was already loaded up and ready to go in a separate car before anyone could question him. Somehow got there first and had made dinner for them when they all finally showed up with half the car at war with the other half. Peace was made only in the name of Alfred’s cooking

[okeiglxg]

Day 3 of recommending 5 fics about JLA meets batfam with a plus one! 🤍

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

On the First Day of Christmas the DCU Sent to Me … A Hijacked Space Station by aestorian

- 3,385 words, 1 chapter, completed

-no ships

Summary- "The candle will burn."

If the Justice League didn't want people coming to the Watchtower than they should have upped their security. It wouldn't have saved them from the batfamily on a kidnapping mission, but that's neither here nor there

https://archiveofourown.org/works/52282147

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

Paranoia by BoredomBeckons

- 21,646 words, 14 chapters, completed

- no ships

Summary- Batman trusts the newest Justice League recruit almost instantly.

This is so out of character, it makes the rest of the team suspicious.

Who is this Nightwing, and what is he up to?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/40571238?view_full_work=true

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

Illogically? By Kiwiles01

- 5,825 words, 1 chapter, completed

- dick grayson/ wally west, clark kent/ bruce wayne

Summary- The boy looked up and stopped writing instantly.

"Dad!" Exclaimed the boy, who seemed to be scared and pale. "Oh God"

"Dad?" Lantern gasped, staring at the Flash with his mouth open. “Did he call him dad?”

“Impossible,” Flash denied. “We imagine it”

Or when the Justice League meets the Batfamily and they think that Nightwing and Batman are a married couple with kids.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/50032252

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

Gotham will survive by anonymous so no user

- 2,564 words, 1 chapter, completed

- no ships

Summary- The Metropolis was under attack. Clark was grateful that most of the hero community got together to help him. He just didn't except to learn that Gotham was being attacked too with almost double the forces and Batman left the city alone to fend for itself.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/48949135

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

What's in the cape? By Peppermint_Tree_Prince

- 5,038 words, 1 chapter, completed

- no ships

Summary- Batman hides the secrets of the universe in his cape. Hals is sure of that. Now he just has to convince the rest of the League.

There really is something in Batman's cape this time, but he's determined to Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss, his way out of answering questions.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/47987695

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

Plus one!

Of Birds, Rich Boys & Superpowered Teens by cherryousama

- 63,128 words, 19 chapters, completed

- no ships

Summary- Dick Grayson, older brother to three insufferable younger brothers (who he loves very much) and Gotham City's most eligible bachelor (or was it second? He didn't really keep track). Of course he had plans for a fine Saturday night.

Getting called out by Gotham's own maniacal terrorist—The Joker; yes, the Joker—on national television, was not one of them.

If that wasn't bad enough, now the Joker had all of Gotham City's criminals—or more than half of the population—right under his thumb. And you guessed it; now all of them are out to get the Wayne brothers!

But the Wayne boys are more than just pretty faces and pockets overflowing with money; they are the Batman's protégés, the elusive elite band of vigilantes who fight crime and protect the city every night.

With all of Gotham's worst criminals after them though, protecting their secret identities will be a challenge. So Batman has decided to call in the Young Justice team to help protect his sons.

The Young Justice team came in expecting to be protecting some rich kids who had the misfortune to catch the eye of the Joker.

What they hadn't been expecting was the utter chaos that was the Wayne household.

-young justice protects the wayne boys

- no identity reveal

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21013910?view_full_work=true

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

Thats all! I still have more to post so maybe it can go on till day 7 or 8. Like the post for more and dont forget to reblog🤍

Have a good day/night

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Lily of the Valley

Fandom: DC Comics, Batfam

Summary: Jason Todd dies and comes back to life. As the League takes him in, he navigates his morality and family values over the years.

Chapters: 10/?

Characters: Jason Todd, Talia al Ghul, Ra’s al Ghul, Damian Wayne, Barbara Gordon, Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Sheila Haywood

Relationships: Jason Todd/Original Character(s)

Additional Tags: Immortal Jason Todd, League of Assassins Jason Todd, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Protective Talia al Ghul, Good Parent Talia al Ghul, Jason Todd Needs a Hug, Good Sibling Jason Todd, Hurt/Comfort, Adopted Children, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Emotional Manipulation, Claustrophobia, Child Death, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Resurrected Jason Todd

Chapter Ten: Blue Iris

Jason woke up in his apartment and struggled to remember the most recent events of that night. His hands shook so violently he thought he'd died again, but his body didn't hurt. It couldn't have been death. The last thing he could remember was the sunset, but it was pitch black now. He finished cleaning the apartment and scrubbing it of any evidence of his existence before returning to the one place he could never imagine wanting to see. His old apartment. He climbed up the fire escape to the window and peeked inside. The apartment was empty, save a few candles and what appeared to be a vigil. He wondered who it was for. There were no pictures, just a few votive candles, flowers, and old beat-up shoes. It was when Jason noticed the sneakers that he put two-and-two together. They were his shoes. That was his memorial.

His head spun as he fled the area. Tears poured down Jason's face as he remembered how hopeless he felt the last time he was home. He remembered how he lay on the mattress on the floor, talking to Catherine, thinking that he'd join her and the noise of the world and all its sufferings would end. He remembered the dull ache in his chest as he slipped away.

That pain was cardiac arrest. Jason knew that now. Still, physical pain had a foreseeable end. Emotional pain persisted. It found new ways to puncture and bruise. As he ran blindly from the scene of his memorial, he ran into the street. He despised Gotham. The sound of car horns and cursing commuters pulled him back, and he made his way down an alley and up to the roof of one of the buildings in Gotham. He swallowed hard as he sat atop the industrial building, smoke in his eyes, hair, and lungs as he cried. "What do you want?" Jason wept.

"To talk... You okay?" a man's voice asked. Jason shook his head. "You've got good ears if you heard me coming."

Jason pulled his hood up over his head. He didn't want to be seen, but he wanted to look at the face of the man speaking to him. The man had a gymnast's build, and he was masked. A vigilante. "Who are you?" Jason asked.

"Nightwing," the man whispered, "I needed a new start a few years ago." Jason nodded.

"I had a new start too, but it doesn't make it any easier. Returning to Gotham is like returning to the scene of a crime," Jason muttered. Nightwing sat next to Jason on the ledge. "I haven't spoken to anybody since I've been back."

"Visiting?" Nightwing questioned. Jason shook his head.

"Working... Family business," Jason replied.

"Did something happen to you here?" Dick questioned.

"You could say that yeah... Wait. You needed a new start... You're Robin," Jason whispered. He would've been starstruck a few years ago, but he wasn't a child. Or at least he didn't feel like one anymore. "I dreamt about being you when I was a kid..."

"You are a kid," Nightwing whispered.

Jason drove his fist into the stone ledge, bruising his knuckles. "I'm not a child! I haven't been a child in years!" Jason yelled. Nightwing held out his hands to calm Jason.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by that," Nightwing whispered, "Can I see your hand?"

"It's not broken," Jason muttered, "And I know you didn't mean anything by it... I just-. I want to stop feeling like this, but the more I try to make the pain disappear, the worse it gets."

"Maybe you need to talk about it," Nightwing suggested. Jason shrugged and shook his head.

"No... I need to get away from here. I've gotta tough it out a few more days until I can go home," Jason whispered, "But I don't mind the company." Nightwing smiled.

They sat together until sunrise, and Jason whispered about finishing his work. He watched as Nightwing exited, and he disappeared into the alley. Speaking to another living person soothed him enough to help him collect his things. When he arrived back at the apartment, there were EMTs and police everywhere. A hand slipped off a covered stretcher, and Jason recognized the watch. Garzonas. Jason's lips twitched into a smile, and he went on to the hotel. He carried his gear out of the hotel and tipped the staff for their hospitality.

Once he got back to the apartment, the police and EMTs cleared out, allowing Jason to go back to his apartment. He took his bags and paid off the landlord on his way out. Then Jason went to the store. He'd be on his own in the wilderness outside Gotham for five more days. Jason bought some camping supplies and took a cab halfway to the location, choosing to walk the rest of the way. He hiked up a hill into a wooded area near the pickup site and made camp. There was a nearby stream where he washed up, and as the sunlight bounced off his skin, he remembered his training.

He remembered the feeling of the ocean on his skin back on the island and how he and Damian used to swim in the warm waters. Sometimes they'd lie in the sand, drying off in the sun. That was home. No memorials, no graves, and no smog. He couldn't wait to return there. Thoughts of his home gave him solace after a tumultuous five days, and it proved to be just enough comfort to get him through the next five. The jet arrived at three in the morning, and Jason awoke just in time to meet eyes with Talia. She stood at the bottom of the steps, waiting for him. "Mama," Jason whispered.

They ran toward each other and embraced one another. "Washatiini," Jason whispered. Talia squeezed his face in her palms.

"I missed you too, my darling... Why are you crying?" Talia questioned as she ran her thumbs against his cheeks. "Jason..." He hugged her a second time, but he refused to let go.

"I want to go home," Jason whimpered. Talia kissed the top of his head. "Mama, I'm so tired..."

"Come along," Talia whispered as she led him into the jet, and he took his seat. "I'm glad you kept your promise."

"Thank you for coming to get me, Mama," Jason whispered as he closed his eyes. She felt his forehead with the back of her hand.

"You're warm," Talia whispered. He'd already fallen asleep. Talia had someone bring him a blanket shortly before they took off. She tucked the blanket in around him before buckling his safety belt. When the plane took off, Jason's eyes shot open, and Talia placed a hand on his chest to steady him. "It's going to be alright, sweet boy. We're going home." Jason mouthed the word to himself before sinking back into his seat.

"Mama, how is Di?" Jason asked.

"He asks about you every day... He'll be so surprised to see you," Talia whispered. Jason smiled.

"I missed him so much," Jason whispered, "And Ra's... Is he-."

"Impressed with how quickly you've completed your mission... Jason, he's not upset with you for killing Garzonas's son," Talia whispered. Jason shook his head.

"I didn't-. Did I? How do you know he's dead?" Jason asked.

Talia knit her brows together. "Mama, I-. If I did, I don't remember. I promise I'm not lying-."

"Jason, you told us what you did. You called the other number. You don't remember?" Talia asked. Jason shook his head, and she gently parted his thick curls with her fingers as she looked for any scarring or bruises. She felt the side of his head, and he winced. "Turn toward me, little one." Jason obeyed, and she had him lay his head against the seat. Talia parted his hair to reveal a bruise around slightly broken skin. "Does this hurt?" Talia questioned as she pressed her fingers around the bruise. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"Mama, I-."

"It's alright, shǎ zhū," Talia whispered as she kissed his forehead. "When we get home, we'll have your head looked at." Talia held her palm to his cheek, and he leaned into her hand. It was warm and familiar. Finally, there was light again.

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

Clark and sister reader having a moment where he warms up to her.

"Mr. Kent," you say by way of greeting, before kissing Alfred's cheek. And Clark smiled a little when the dignified British man blushed, just slightly. "Has Bruce come up yet?"

"Not yet," Alfred said easily, handing you a cup of tea. "I'll just go set another place- I didn't think you were coming, Miss Y/N."

"I didn't call?" you ask, looking confused, "I could have sworn-"

"Whether you called or not it's a pleasure to have you home this evening," Alfred said, unperturbed.

"But you don't have to-"

"Nonsense," Alfred scolded. "As if you'd ever be turned away." He scoffed and patted your shoulder as he passed. And before you can protest or offer to go, Alfred slips out of the room. Leaving you to entertain your brother's guest.

Clark shifted awkwardly and cleared his throat, "Thank you, Doctor-"

"Y/N is fine," you tell him, feeling too warm. When he was scowling at you he was very nice looking.

"Y/N," he said. "Without your help-" Clark broke off and shook his head. "I'm just sorry I was so rude to you. I shouldn't have believed-"

"It's alright," you sigh. "Bruce and I have apparently been taking turns going to rehab for years-"

"But you don't-"

"No, we don't," you snort. "Alfred would have killed us. Rehab wouldn't have been necessary."

Clark smiled a little, "Do they ever get anything right?"

"My last boyfriend was secretly gay- but it wasn't a beard situation. He just wanted good connections for his tech start-up. And to try and blackmail me for having dated women before- just not publicly."

"Ew-"

You half-shrug, "What he didn't count on was Bruce's protective streak. And someone else forcing me out of the closet at the same time on social media."

"The horror stories I have from their teens," Alfred said, shivering. "Rehab, partying, constant speculation about them sleeping with someone inappropriate- it's appalling. Nothing was private."

"How many times was I pregnant?" you muse, "I feel like that was a couple times a year. At least for a week or two."

"I lost count," he snorted. "About the time you and Bruce got bored of keeping a tally of who had a drug problem."

"So much for journalistic integrity," Clark scoffed.

"Tabloids don't need integrity," you snort. "They just need to entertain."

"That must have been very lonely," Clark said, blinking. He couldn't imagine being a kid and trying to navigate the awkward, painful landscape of romantic feelings while under constant scrutiny. And suddenly, the way you kept to yourself made sense.

Bruce had a crafted public face. One to deflect from his identity as Batman. But you weren't- you weren't a vigilante. You were a doctor.

"It could have been worse," you shrug. "Alfred could have believed them-"

"Never," he snorted. "You spent your weekends volunteering and on the off chance you DID go out, Bruce and Oliver would have never let you get into trouble. Not that sort of trouble any way."

[boyfridged]

if you got complete control over DC and got to write a Jason solo comic, how would you go about it? or like what would be the story??

you're indulging me!

well, my first preference would probably be writing a jason-never-died elseworld and this is what i'm doing with my series robin vol 2. or something like 80s retroactive but longer, so essentially a robin jay series that we were robbed of.

but i'm presuming you are asking about what i would do with the main timeline... i guess if you've been following me for a while, nothing on this list will come as a surprise, because it's simply a combination of my own meta dressed in plot points... i'm just not sure how i would organise it, since i mostly think about these in terms of fanfiction, so it's a bit fragmented in my head. but i think it would be doable to combine those:

addressing the current mess in canon: unavoidable. i always imagined (and by always i mean i've had that image in my head for at least 5 years now) if i were to write a comicbook script for jay i would start with the classic simple layout showcasing the more sunny (early days robin jay's) version of gotham but with panels shaped like shattered glass imposing on it, displaying different contradicting pieces of canon and culminating with the question of who *the real* jason todd is, as a nod to countdown asking the same. dc actually attempted to do something like that when the infinite frontier was first introduced, it just wasn't very well executed... (btw. and as far as i know the hypertime is still supposed to be relevant so it would work...)

since i already started talking about countdown it could also contain some multiversal insight into all the other worlds in which jason todd is alive.

or maybe an idea i once dropped here, with the mystical serpentine of magical fog (the one from the lost days and the end of the utrh when jason presumably is brought back to life once again) traveling through the scenes of flashbacks of other characters (perhaps even just a reflections of retcons!) tarnishing jason's memory when he's dead, cut to kid jay literally stirring in the coffin, and finally an adult jason waking up with a jolt in the final scene. so many options.

you get the image. i wish that dc utilised the weirdness of the meta in a serious way, and that the talk of the past was a talk of the history of comics in a sense... as i previously expressed here.

as you all know by now my reading of jason (and batman in general even) is mostly based on the 80s... and so it would be a love letter to this era. i would definitely want to include some robin jay stories there as well, maybe make jason investigate cases that date back to his childhood and are somehow interconnected, creating a bridge between the narratives and reconciling them.

ending what i call the long funeral - jason's era of remaining dead both socially and to the narrative. what i have in mind is an arc in which he is working on a case that seems to have to do with magic/ghosts, but that ultimately turns out to be a case of corruption and plain police brutality. two things here: i would want him to fuck up spectacularly so that he starts questioning his modus operandi and dedication to vigilantism in general. and it would set up the ground for the introduction of abolitionism and link the story to his early ethical framework.

a retirement arc. jason's proper come back to the crime alley and reintroduction to the land of living (the alley might be a graveyard to bruce but it's a home to jason...) and very importantly, a cast of civilians! leslie is definitely back. i would also love to use dana & denise, and maybe even some pre-crisis characters.

i would fridge bruce. put him out of commission basically, death or not. and i'm not saying batman jay era but actually i am saying batman jay era. (i once again can't find a link to the post explaining my bat jay agenda but if it's of your interest i can elaborate.)

a two-face story. about forgiveness or rather about the fact that it never quite passed. and about willis.

the themes... the motifs... you know me. ouroboros and self-mythologization and the sacrifice and catholicism (probably not in a way you think) and family duty. and politics. here you can also guess what i'm thinking about, and it's a revolutionary abolitionist turn.

and to conclude: big words but i would use jason to bring love back to the gotham lore and batman titles in general. he is a character that has always stood in the centre of both values and challenges that the story faced. if he's not treated with consideration and not taken seriously, nothing in it is.

[thecatduet422]

Chapter Eight: Evening the Odds

Fandoms: Batman (Arkhamverse), Jessica Jones (TV)

Pairing: Jessica Jones/Jason Todd

Rating: Mature (for language, depictions of violence, and adult themes)

Tags: Slow Burn, Angst, Crossover, Alternate Universe- Canon Divergence, PTSD, Shared Trauma, No Beta

Summary: After escaping Kilgrave, Jessica moves to Gotham and starts her new life as a PI, even starting her own agency- Alias Investigations.

Yeah, criminals keep trying to hire her, and some bat-fetished vigilante keeps sending his kid over to "check-in" on her, but for the most part, Jessica's life is pretty stable.

Until some guy in a hood wants her to follow Bruce Wayne.

Chapters: 8/? (42,524 words)

One Two Three Four Five Six Seven

AO3 LINK

Chapter Eight: Evening the Odds (10.7 k)

What are you up to, old man?

It was a question that possessed him, even with the whole consumption of meetings, weapon checks, and training. Jason couldn't stop thinking about it. He had to figure it out. If the old man was onto him…

Jason shot at his target relentlessly, the sound of the bullets echoing is discontent. It was loud. Agonizing.

Fearful.

But he let the noise drown everything else out as the question started to make its own sound; a static, exactly like a broken TV. It would tighten, squeezing into this piercing pitch that made Jason almost wishing he was the target..

The shooting range was the only place where he felt peace now, as the panic of Batman potentially knowing what he was up to left Jason questioning everything.

And during the night, in the silence where Jason had nothing to fight them with, the questions really sunk in.

Do they have enough tanks? Enough men? Do they have enough tech? Is everything good enough-

His pillow ruffled against his ears as Jason helplessly buried his head under it. Eyes closed, the thoughts could take image now…

Tied down, helpless against the pain as he spat out blood and felt his ribs crack, his bones break. He would look up at Batman, begging for help, begging to be saved.

But Batman wouldn't listen, because he was the one beating him.

Jason couldn't let that happen. Not again. So he decided to strategize, to figure it out, to keep things even.

Jason figured that if Robin was around Jessica, it was because Batman ordered him to. But Jason figured that was more out of a precaution, not as an outright threat.

That's where Jason went wrong.

But at the same time, why? For the most part, Jessica wasn't a threat. Yeah, she was a metahuman and her occupation was unfortunate, but she's not really causing trouble. And even if she was, she wasn't Superman . She's not trained. Jason imagined taking her down wouldn't be too hard. So why be planning something now?

Unless something did happen at the gala…

“Did Bruce see you?”

"Nope. Too busy making speeches and whatnot."

A muffled chuckle broke the silence of his room. 

What a load of horseshit. Of course Bruce would've noticed. Like hell does Dick 'just so happen' to pop up.

Still using your sons to do the dirty work? Well, old tricks never die…

And Jessica decided to talk back, seeing if she could weasel anything out of him. Of course, Jason could've told her it was pointless. No way would Dick give anything up. At least, not to her.

“Nothing. Just that Bruce Wayne apparently loves cars and is asking his CEO for upgrades…"

A throwaway comment to play into Wayne's persona. Only people who knew the real Bruce would catch that Dick was talking about the car.

Jason briefly wondered if it was a throwaway at all. Maybe the old man was asking for a lot of upgrades…

He wondered why…

No. He's getting in his head. Batman didn't know… right?

And just like that, a whole domino effect of paranoia was created, causing Jason to toss and turn in his cot.

I know something you don't know…

Soon enough, nothing could calm him anymore. Dark purple circles rested under his eyes. The weight of his suit was making him feel sluggish. Jason found himself heading to the shooting range more and more, using the sound of his gun to keep him awake, but then it started to make the static in his ears worse.

He just wanted it to stop .

“I think we should move up the Batcave operation.”

An air of surprise hit the conference room. They were only a couple of weeks away from Halloween. Changing the timeline now would be risky.

“What do you mean? We're doing that next week,” Slade told him, as if Jason forgot .

“Yeah, and I want to do it now,” Jason argued, feeling irritated and worried. 

He could feel the room grumble, and Jason could imagine it was somewhere along the lines of, what's one week gonna change?

And what Jason wouldn't give to respond. 

Everything.

“And what, exactly, has brought on this?” Crane questioned, a lift of amusement peaking through his gravelly voice. “Is there something we need to know, Knight?”

Crane started to creep forward, slowly wrapping around the table. “You’ve assured us that we are prepared. In fact, you've made a point to mention it in every meeting. Why now, is that suddenly not the case?” 

He finally stopped in front of Jason, dangerously close.

Crane leaned down, red eyes taking over Jason's vision. Red eyes that flashed into a red smile. Just for a moment.

“What do you know?”

The question was asked softly, but it possessed the entire room.

Jason just shrugged, his mechanical voice coming out relaxed and cocky. “Nothing. Just a feeling.”

And he could see Crane’s eyes trying to pierce through, to find the lie. A tactic Jason was all too familiar with.

After awhile, Crane stood up straight, looking satisfied. “Fine, Knight. Infiltrate the cave if you so wish. But you will be doing it alone, and if you get caught,” his voice dropped into a whisper, “the consequences will be dire.”

Wow. So scary.

But that seemed to be the end of it. With Crane's seal of approval, everyone else seemed to back down, on the outside at least. Jason could still feel the pissed off glances thrown his way (most of them from Slade.) They prompted Jason to lag behind after the meeting, choosing to be the last to leave.

Or at least, he was trying to be.

“I’m not sure what you’re planning, Knight,” Crane said, back willfully turned towards him. Instead, he faced the hologram, where the Cloudburst's blueprint was displayed, zooming in on different aspects of the machinery. “But I trust your judgment remains untainted after Cobblepot’s little accident .” 

And there was something about the way he said it, as if Scarecrow knew about…

He was bluffing.

Jason stood up from his chair. “Just wanna make sure the job’s done right. Night, doc.”

It was then that Scarecrow turned towards him, the hologram's light shining on the hidden side of his face, the demented glow of his eyes popping out from his deathly sullen face.

"Sweet dreams, Knight."

Later, Jason was back in his room and his helmet was off. The ringing in his head had faded away, and the long-relief of silence convinced him not to go to his computer or to his gear, but straight to his cot, finally feeling the willingness to sleep . The type of sleep that brought nothing but mindless, pitch-black nothing.

As his eyes fluttered closed, Jason briefly wondered what Jones was up to, hoping she was laying low like he told her to. 

Then again, hope never got him shit, now did it?

****

Spat-out coffee splattered all over the magazine stand.

“The fuck-?!” Jessica cried, the inside of her nose burning from the spit take. She ignored it and picked up the magazine, cheesy yellow font now murky and limp.

Patsy’s New Mystery Man?!

The photo must've been taken by some pap. It was of Trish walking out of her building, her head down and sunglasses on. She was holding a guy's hand. He had his head down too, but Jessica could still pick out his face, clear as day.

“ Fucking Dick, ” she said his name like a curse, and conveniently for Jessica, it actually was one.

“Hey! You gonna buy that or wha’?” The guy at the stand asked her.

Jessica gave him a dirty look before rummaging through her pocket. She pulled out a wad of dollar bills and threw it at him. She glanced back at the magazine, shock settling into anger.

Jessica huffed arrogantly at the image before rolling it up, tucking it under her arm. “You fucking dick…”

She pulled out her phone and dialed for Trish. It rang once. Twice.

“Hey, it’s Trish. Leave a message.” 

“Trish, please call me .” Jessica begged after the beep. “I know I've been a bitch for the past couple of… months, but you have to listen to me. Do not trust that asshole . I’ll explain everything. I promise. Just… please call me back.”

Then something moved from the corner of eye, causing Jessica to turn her head. All she saw was the fire escape on the building across the street. No one around her seemed to have noticed it.

Fuck , it was probably just a cat or a raccoon or…

Heart racing inside her chest, Jessica continued to head down the street. She kept calling Trish. 

Gotham’s light turned from sky-gray to the fluorescent rainbow of the streets, highlighting all of the shadiness happening around the corners; dealers slumped against buildings began to stretch out, move, become more social. Scantily clad women seemed to get more brave, walking up to stopped cars and tapping on the windows. Cheap looking business men began to buzz through the streets, always with a hand shoved in a pocket. And sprinkled all around were the people just trying to make a living. The waiting staff for the bars and clubs, the twenty-four hour diners, all rushing to catch their train or wave down their taxi with a little more vigor than the regular nine-to-fivers.

Jessica couldn't blame them, not with all of the other crazy bullshit going on.

Normally, Jessica would maneuver around everything, keep her head down, beat the shit out of anyone who tried something. But right now, she was trying to reach Trish. The assholes were starting to unnerve her, their chaotic energy rubbing off, and Jessica had this feeling…

Eyes following her…

Fuck, it was crazy. It really was, but she could feel it; the heat zoning in on her back, prickling her shoulders and neck, tensing her body up like she was on a tightrope…

Jessica…

Was someone really watching her?

Jessica tried to shake it off, but she couldn't. Not even when the rain came in, providing a small shield between her and whoever it was. She put up her hoodie from beneath her jacket and tried to ignore it, to just mentally give them the finger and focus on Trish, but that was proving to be pointless as well when Jessica kept getting the her fucking voicemail.

“Hey, it’s Trish. Leave a mess-” 

Jessica grunted with frustration, wiping off the raindrops from her screen before trying again. She spotted a coffee shop on her right. Jessica ducked inside, and even then, under the warm glow of the café and comforting aroma of coffee, she could feel the gaze through the window, hidden beneath the darkness of the outside world. It was like she was stuck in a horror film, waiting for the jumpscare…

“Voice box full-”

Jessica hung up. She looked around the café. No one was here, not even at the registers.

Jessica looked back over her shoulder, glaring, as if the creep was somehow responsible for the lack of business. 

This is what they want, right? For her to be alone? Well, whatever. Sooner or later, the fucker’s gonna slip up and Jessica’s gonna catch ‘em.

She waltzed up the counter, hoodie up and hands tucked into her pockets. Jessica tried to act aloof while feeling the eyes on her. If she was a believer in the supernatural, she would say it was a ghost; some creepy spirit from Wayne Manor she managed to disturb. It certainly felt like it, but Jessica was realistic, and her main guess was that Bruce Wayne hired his own PI to follow her around. They must be good too, considering how Jessica hasn’t caught them yet…

Where the fuck was the barista?

“Uh… hey?! Can I get some goddamn service please?!” Jessica called over the counter.

A small “oh shit” came from the back, followed by the sound of something falling to the ground.

A young lady came racing up, securing her apron as she panted out, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t hear you come in.”

She seemed sincere, so Jessica let it go. “It’s fine. Just a small black coffee.”

The bell chimed behind her, announcing a new customer. On instinct, Jessica glanced back to see  who it was. A guy, wearing a long brown coat and very nice shoes, armored with a briefcase and a laptop bag.

The barista recognized him before she did.

“Oh, Mr. Drake! How are you?” she asked with a smile.

“Hey, Maddie,” Tim Drake greeted, taking a moment to wipe the bottom of his feet on the welcome mat. “Not much.”

“Long night?” Maddie joked, her little crush blatantly obvious through the googly eyes and the red cheeks.  

Drake shrugged obliviously, heading over to the counter. “I’m used to it.”

Maddie nodded, the dreamy gaze still on her face before she suddenly remembered that Jessica existed. “Oh! Uh, black coffee right?”

Jessica nodded as little as possible, not wanting Drake to notice her.

“Great! That will be four dollars.”

For a small black coffee? Fuck off.

Jessica sighed and rummaged through her pockets before remembering she spent her last bit of cash for the day on the magazine. Great, now she has to make a scene and fish out her card from her bag…

“Here, I got it.” And that’s when Drake walked up to her right, swiping his platinum. He glanced over at her curiously. Jessica tried little to move her head.

“Thanks,” she mumbled under her breath.

“No problem,” he said good naturedly and maybe because he seemed genuine about it, but Jessica thought she was in the clear for a moment.

But then just her fucking luck , when Maddie turned around to make their orders, the kid decided to start a conversation.

He nodded towards the magazine rolled up under her arm. “Good read?”

Jessica shrugged, trying to give off as many ‘ leave me the fuck alone’ vibes as she could. Which was a lot. It seemed to work 'cause the guy shut up for a moment.

“Small black coffee?” Maddie came back up, holding out Jessica's cup.

Jessica took it from her before turning away, starting to head out, but right when she turned around- she heard it. A small, very faint, “knew it.”

Oh. So the asshole was in on it.

Jessica abruptly stopped, slowly turning back around to face Drake. She pulled down her hoodie.

"Knew what?” she asked, her voice booming throughout the café.

He must’ve picked up on it, because Drake scrambled to explain. “O-Oh! Nothing. You just seem like a ‘black coffee’ type of person, is all.”

And then he winced, mentally clocking his own excuse. Jessica spotted the dark circles under his eyes, how his shoulders seemed to slump from fatigue. She could also see smudges of eyeliner.

Was he out partying?

Doesn't matter. The guy was clearly sleep deprived and it was making him slip up.

Jessica put her weight on her hip, questioning him loudly. "Cause I seem like a black coffee type of person?" She took a step towards him. "How?"

"How?"

"How do I seem like a black coffee type of person?"

Come the fuck on! Just say what you really mean, asshole.

But Drake just looked at her up and down, as if to say, because of your everything?

Jessica scoffed, looking away for a moment before staring back at him frankly. “And what the hell do you know about me? You know what, scratch that- how do you know me?"

She got in his face, threatening. "Just tell me, Drake. Who did he hire?"

“Tim! Small black coffee to go!” Maddie chirped out, looking cheerfully strained. Her grip on the coffee cup was tight, and she looked just about ready to chuck it at Jessica.

Drake calmly took the cup, shooting Maddie a small thanks before turning back to Jessica. He held up his own cup while looking at hers, a small smile on his face. “Well, look at that. We have the same coffee order.”

Jessica gave him a dirty look, declaring loudly, "It's a very common order!" 

Then, out of spite, she shoved the magazine right into Drake's face, the wet pages clinging to him.

Drake struggled to get it away, and Jessica allowed herself to feel amusement over the scene before telling him, “Stay away from my family."

She put her hoodie back up before stepping out. Heavy drops of water once again pelted the top of her head, her shoulders. Her feet gave away her anger, stomping hard into any puddle she came across and splashing her legs and anyone else’s walking by. She could still feel it, the eyes following her. It was seriously starting to piss her off. Whenever she waited for a crosswalk, she would look around, trying to catch them, but she still couldn’t find anything.

And everyone else walked around her, completely unbothered by her obvious case of paranoia.

Puddles grew bigger, their reflections mirroring the colors of the city, catching the lights of the buildings, the streets. Until they reached the sky, where a clouded moon hung above.

And lighting the black clouds next to it, the symbol of the Bat. Jessica's seen it many times now, but she tries not to think about it. Batman brought up too many memories, and besides, why give a fuck unless it messed with her work? Then Robin showed up, and then he started popping up regularly. Always while she was working. Always when she wanted to be alone. Always bringing up shit she didn't want to think about. Then Jessica started looking at the symbol with annoyance, wanting to cuss out the asshole who viewed her as a problem . Just because she was a metahuman.

But this time, with the eyes watching her, Jessica wasn’t in the mood to be pissed. At least, not at that . She picked up her pace, fueled by the nervousness soaking into her bones. Surrounded by the lights, and the overall feeling of being watched it… it was starting to freak her out

Where are you going? Get back here, Jessica…

She finally reached her building, boots squeaking with each step as she tracked water in the lobby. On the elevator ride up, Jessica could feel her hands shake. From the cold, or the oncoming feeling of panic, frustration, anger…

Probably all the above. Fuck , she needed a drink. 

But that became the last thing on her mind once Jessica reached her floor. 

Someone was waiting at her door.

Trish was leaning against the wall when Jessica appeared, wrapped safely in her high-end raincoat, umbrella held neatly in her hand. Though, Jessica could see that both items were completely dry, letting her know Trish has been waiting since before the rain.

Jessica sighed with relief, walking over while pulling her keys out. "Would it kill you to answer your phone?"

"Not so fun, is it?" Trish quipped, crossing her arms as she waited for Jessica to let her in.

Jessica nodded in acknowledgment before turning the key. The door swung open, and Jessica stepped inside to turn the light on, scaring away any ghosts or shadows that might've been lurking in the corners. Jessica headed in, making her way towards her desk when suddenly she slid.

"The fuck?" Jessica asked, startled, catching herself on the desk. She looked down.

There was water on the floor.

Was… was someone in her apartment?

She looked up, catching Trish's eye before storming through her place, roughly going through every hiding spot she could think of; the closets, under her bed, behind the shower curtain.

"Jess!" Trish called from the hallway. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Someone was in here!" Jessica barked, heading back towards the living room, ignoring the panicked look on Trish's face as she walked past.

What the hell would they want?

Shit. Her desk.

Jessica rushed over and began pulling drawers. Thank fuck she actually listened to Jason. The burner phone was hidden away in a vent, but Jessica had other shit hidden away. Personal shit. Pictures of her family, of other cases , the newsletter about Rita…

Pictures of Luke.

Fuuuuck.

"Jess-" Trish cut herself off, seeing how Jessica was just rummaging through everything. "What makes you think someone broke in?"

"There's water on the floor," Jessica told her, continuing to look through everything. She couldn't find anything missing.

"... You mean the water you tracked in?"

Jessica stopped, looking up at Trish in annoyance. "No. The water in my apartment before I walked in."

Trish smartly didn't argue, knowing it would only piss Jessica off more. Instead, she opted for reason. "And is anything missing?"

"No, I-" Jessica paused, eyesight catching on the beeper, still in its place in the first drawer. She mentally cursed herself for not hiding that as well, but then…

Wouldn't they have taken it?

Trish seemed to have sensed her doubt because she put her hands on her hips, as if waiting for Jessica to fess up.

Bullshit. Jessica knew someone was here.

She rushed over to the couch, maneuvering around Trish so she could get to it. She started taking off the cushions, letting them fall to the floor as she looked for a bug or anything . She looked underneath it, on the sides...

"Jess, you're destroying your own apartment," Trish told her, seriously concerned.

"If the asshole didn't take anything, then that means they left something behind," Jessica determined, putting the cushions back once she was sure the couch was clear. "Help me look."

But Trish stayed put as Jessica rushed over to the lamp, checking out the inside of the shade. She started feeling the end table it was sitting on, hands running underneath the edges.

Trish still didn't move, just twisted her face into a look Jessica knew by heart. Worry. "Jess… I was standing outside the door for almost an hour."

Jessica ignored her, moving back to her desk. Did she check underneath it? She couldn't remember. Maybe the bottom of the drawers?

"If someone broke in I would've heard them," Trish tried to convince her. "A-And if they came by before the rain, then there wouldn't be water on the floor, right?"

Jessica sighed, then stood up.

"Uh, they could've just been really quiet?" she mocked.

She headed over to the boarded up fireplace, feeling the mantle.

"Okay," Trish conceded, crossing her arms. "Then what about light? They would need a flashlight to see, right?"

Jessica paused as she thought about it. "Unless they had night goggles or some other stupid shit." Then she went back to searching, heading over to the windows, moving to pull up the shades-

"Jess!" Trish grabbed her shoulder, turned her around. "You need to stop ." Trish's other hand did the same, holding Jessica in place. "I'm really worried about you."

"For fucks sake, Trish!" Jessica shoved her away. "I'm a PI! Someone was in here. I know it!" She headed towards the kitchen.

Trish followed. "Are you in some kind of trouble? Did you make a deal with a mob boss or something?"

Jessica started searching the table, the chairs. Trish just watched her, leaning against the wall. "Okay, what about Dick then? You called him an asshole?"

"'Cause he is one!" Jessica called out from her spot on the floor.

Trish shrugged. "Seems like a good guy to me. What makes you think he's an asshole?"

"Besides the fact that he tried to get into my pants at the gala, and then he's on the front cover with my sister?!" Jessica asked sarcastically.

Trish winced. "Okay. That is kind of sloppy."

Jess sighed and stood up, empty-handed.

"I mean, that's it though?" Trish asked. "You said not to trust him. You need to give me more than that, Jess."

Jessica looked back at Trish, guilt ripping into her. After all of the missed calls, all of the attempts at pushing Trish away, she was still here. She refused to leave. Jessica didn’t deserve that type of dedication, and yet she had it.

She would be a dumbass to throw it away, but she couldn't talk here.

“Fine,” Jessica sighed, grabbing a hold of Trish to lead her to the bathroom. She shut the door behind them, turning around to run the shower and the sink.

As the sound of running water filled the room, steam slowly wafting in, Trish gave her a look, but thankfully, didn't argue.

Jessica leaned against the sink, facing Trish, who was standing in front of the door. She thought about it for a moment, then asked, defeated, “You ever heard of Jason Todd?”

Trish looked confused for a moment, trying to place the name. “Uh, no? But the name sounds familiar?”

“He’s one of Bruce Wayne’s sons,” Jessica told her.

Trish’s eyebrows shot up, remembering now. “Oh, that’s right . He’s the middle one. Didn’t he die in a plane crash or something?”

“Skiing accident."

"Okay…" Trish nodded carefully. "So what does he have to do with this?" 

Jessica winced before confiding in her. "I think he’s alive.” She shook her head. “No, I know he’s alive. I just need some goddamn proof.”

To her credit, Trish didn’t call her lazy. At least, not yet. Instead, she asked curiously, “What makes you think he’s alive?”

Jessica sighed, knowing this was where the real crazy bullshit starts. “One of my clients hired me to follow Bruce Wayne. His name is Jason.”

Trish crossed her arms, silent. She let it sink in for a moment before saying frankly, “Jess, that doesn’t mean anything.”

“I know ,” Jessica argued. “But the guy’s sketchy as hell! Plus, he has a ton of money, and he’s from East End, same as Todd.”

“And does he look like him?”

“I don’t know," Jessica whined. “That’s another thing; there’s no picture of Jason Todd anywhere on the internet. At least, anywhere I can find legally.”

Trish didn't respond, and her body language told Jessica that she still wasn't convinced.

"He has a scar," Jessica added quietly. "And it’s not one you find in a skiing accident, Trish. He looks… he looks like he’s been branded or something.”

“Branded?” Trish asked. “Like, human trafficking?”

Jessica sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe. If so, he fought like hell to get out.”

Gun cocked, ready to shoot. Face filled with rage…

“And…” said Trish, breaking Jessica from the memory. “You think Bruce Wayne is behind this?”

“Who else?" Jessica asked. “Who else has the money and resources to pull something like that off and get away with it?”

“But why?” 

“'Cause he's a rich guy with a very traumatic childhood?" Jessica suggested. "He has to be fucked up.”

Trish shook her own head, trying to make sense of it. “But Bruce Wayne is huge in the philanthropy scene. He puts a ton of money into the city. There are even rumors that he funds Batman-”

“I know. But that’s exactly my point; his claws are deep into Gotham, and with his shiny reputation? No one would think to look into it!”

"Vickie Vale would look into it," Trish mumbled, thinking of her competition. She sighed. “I don’t know, Jess. I’ve been to a couple of his events. He seems genuine.”

“Really?” Jessica asked, astonished. “You think that weirdo is genuine? He’s probably Gotham’s Patrick Bateman!”

Was she really the only one who could see it? From the Hogarth's office all the way to the gala, Jessica could smell the bullshit a mile away, and his behavior in the office…

Serious. Scary . Dangerous.

That was the real Wayne.

“And so you think he’s after you?” Trish asked.

Jessica nodded, still picturing that night, the glare on Wayne's face, how the shadows seemed to latch onto him like a magnet. “Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Because…” Jessica rolled her eyes, knowing how bad it was going to sound bad. “Jason told me he would.”

Trish's eyebrows shot up as she crossed her arms. Silence for a moment, then, “Wowww, Jess…”

Jessica groaned. “I know how it sounds, alright?”

“Oh, you do?” Trish asked skeptically. “‘Cause it sounds to me that this guy is a con man, and you’re falling for it.”

“No, I'm not."

Trish gestured around the bathroom, now completely filled with steam.

Jessica begrudgingly turned off the water. “Happy?”

“No.” Trish said honestly. “Jess, I’m… I’m worried for you.” She tightened her arms, leaning back against the door. “I mean, you quit seeing your therapist, you’ve been drinking, you moved away to Gotham , one of the most dangerous places in-”

“Okay okay!” Jessica interrupted, feeling on the verge of a migraine. “I get it. Just, spare me the lecture, please .”

Trish looked at her sincerely, pausing for a moment before adding quietly. “You haven’t even told me why . Why did you move?”

A lump ran down Jess’ throat, the pictures of Luke burning her brain.

When it was clear Jessica wasn’t going to answer, Trish gave up. “I have to go. Dick and I are heading back to Blüdhaven tonight.”

Jessica followed Trish out of the bathroom, feeling the cool air of the rest of her apartment. “Oh, so now you’re traveling together? How cute.”

“It’s a coincidence,” Trish turned back around, stopping in the living room. “We happen to be heading back at the same time.”

“'Coincidence' my ass!” Jessica snapped. “How am I the one being played? You just met the guy!"

"It's not like that," Trish defended. "Dick's just a friend. A friend who understands some things."

Jessica scoffed. "Yeah, like having a fucked-up sibling?"

Trish sighed, too tired to argue. She just adjusted the purse strap on her shoulder. “Bye, Jess. Hope you don’t get scammed." 

Then Trish turned around and headed out the door, shutting it behind her.

Jessica stood there for a moment, letting the quiet and the dark sink in before turning around, boots shuffling against the floor.

She wasn't crazy.

Jessica walked around her desk, grabbing the fresh bottle of Jack resting there. Back to the classics.

She slumped down in her chair and twisted off the cap. Jessica took a swig and swung around, facing the wall.

Clutching the bottle like a lifeline, her eyes strayed to the windows, thunder rumbling softly on the other side.

Jessica squinted curiously at it, the feeling of the eyes speaking to her in the outside light peeking through the shades. A hesitating hand hovered in the air, and then she thought, fuck it .

She pulled down a flap and looked out. Her apartment was at the level right where the light and the dark met, the multi-colored street lights below fading up into the night, revealing the bricks and last upper windows of the building across from her, and then nothing.

Pointless.

Then lightning flashed , striking a bolt through the sky, matched by a rumble of thunder just as fierce and sudden as its partner. The building across from her illuminated in full scale, just for a second.

"Jesus Christ!" Jessica reeled back in terror, the whiskey in the bottle swishing along with her. Heart thumping wildly in her chest, she found herself struggling to breathe.

That was…

Philip holding up a toy-

Jessica flinched, pushing the image away. 

That was-

Philip, dressed up for Halloween-

No.

Jessica lunged forward, pulling up the shades by the string. She looked again, another bolt of lightning coming through, smaller, but enough.

And nothing.

With a shaking hand, Jessica pulled the string again. The shades zipped down, landing on the window sill with a loud whack.  

The other hand, shaking just as much as its twin, brought the bottle back to her lips, taking a slow but large gulp of booze, letting it run down and burn her back to life.

The memory came back clearly then, and Jessica couldn't stop it.

Philip wearing the mask and the cape, holding up his pumpkin basket for candy. He would run down the driveway, screaming, "I AM THE NIGHT!"

"More like the Dork Knight," Jessica grumbled before yelling at him to knock it off so they could go .

Fuck, Trish was right. She was just being paranoid. A result of repressed memories and emotions finally spilling out, making her see shit.

That wasn't Batman.

****

“All units. We gotta code ten in Chinatown. Possible 2-11.”

Any second now.

Jason waited patiently in the shadows, bracing himself for the loudness that was sure to come. 

And it did. The heavy vroom of the car’s engine roared into the night sky, screeching as it made a turn. 

He could always count on Batman.

Once the sounds of the car died out, Jason jumped out to read the system.

His scanner told him it's been updated since he was last here. Gee, now it’ll take him a whole five seconds to break in. Whatever shall he do.

Jason snorted and did the work, disengaging the sensors. He walked down the path as silently as he could, but the cave picked up the sound of his boots regardless, small thumps bouncing off the walls, rustling the bats that slept above. That just proved that he had to take his time, to be careful . One small disturbance can catch Alfred's attention and then, Batman's.

He could feel the heat of his own breath from inside the helmet, a complete contrast from the cold, damp air of the cave that sinked into his hands, the gloves doing little to save them. The small twittering of the bats following the wind, and Jason carried this small sense of peace with him, letting his motor memory kick in and lead the way. 

After all, old habits never die.

He reached the Batcave, stepping onto the catwalks up above. The bats were more skittish here, having to deal with more noise disturbance and light, but they didn't bother Jason as he observed. 

Nothing but the small hum of the Batcomputer. No Alfred.

Jason ziplined down, until he was close enough to jump to the floor. Once he landed, he made a beeline for the computer, fighting the urge to look around. He only had a few minutes before Lucius' fail-safe kicked in.

Jason inserted the flash drive and started to download everything on the Batmobile. It wasn't a long download at all, and Jason even took the time to skim through some stuff.

Okay, Bruce. Jason had to hand it to you; this was a bit different from what he expected. It looked like Bruce was beefing up the car for heavy attacks, giving it the firepower of a tank but keeping its mobility…

Smart. Jason will make sure to do the same then.

He was about to exit out of the system when something caught his eye.

The Knightfall Protocol?

Jason clicked on it, but it came up empty.

Too secretive to have a file, but important enough to have listed under 'commands'? Oh, that's definitely something.

What are you up to, Wayne?

Jason sighed, deciding to let it go. For now. He ejected the flash drive and speedily went to the security logs. Once he stepped out of the cave, the sensors would engage again and boom- it was like he was never here. Erased from the world once again. Just how everybody liked it.

He turned around, helpless to his wandering eyes as they caught onto the things he missed before. The foundations were still the same. The Batcomputer was where it always was, as was the med area, and the parking spot for the car, the jet. The tech area expanded a bit, its table bigger than Jason remembered and with more blueprints pinned up on the board. He wondered briefly if that was due to the New Robin taking on his own ideas.

Jason remembered Bruce rejecting all of his.

He went to walk away before a flash of red hit his peripherals. Jason almost ignored it, but then he caught the yellow of the cape.

What?

Jason squinted, zooming in on his scanner.

How did Bruce get it back?

And before Jason realized it, he was standing right in front of the glass, seeing it all up close; the chewed up mask, the slashes on the arm sleeves, the bullet hole in the chest.

Bang.

Jason thought he was going to die that night… Come to think of it, he thought he was going to die every night…

What the fuck was this supposed to be? A show of remembrance? Of what, his failure as a sidekick?

He wanted to smash-

The heavy sound of a door creaked through the cave.

Shit. Alfred.

Jason ziplined up, anger forgotten as Alfred tiptoed down the stairs, and to Jason’s horror, immediately headed to the computer. 

There must've been an alert about the sensors.

Fuck.

Jason crouched down, hiding up in the catwalk. It's fine. This is fine. All he had to do was back away towards the exit.

Jason started to inch back. He could see Alfred typing on the computer below, and Jason could feel the incoming terror that was him being found out. It urged him to run, to just book it out of here and don't look back.

The bats twittered harmlessly above him.

No. He had to do this cautiously, slow. Jason took a careful step back, then another, his vision of Alfred slipping away.

"Alfred," Bruce's voice boomed through the cave, causing Jason to almost jolt up in fear. The bats above him shrieked, ruffling their wings.

Shit, shit, shit.

Jason remained crouched, holding his position in an attempt to keep them calm.

It worked. The bats settled down as the conversation continued.

"Sir," Alfred greeted. "I take it there's more trouble than usual tonight?"

"Hardly. The robbery in Chinatown was handled within seconds. The upgrades on the car have been more than beneficial."

"Well, I'm sure Mister Fox will be pleased to hear that. And, dare I ask, how has our 'friend' been tonight?"

"On edge. I think she knows someone's following her."

Are they talking about Jones?

Jason tilted his head.

"Hm. Master Drake did mention a run-in with her earlier. According to him, Miss Jones seemed pretty, on edge, to say the least."

"I saw. The photo seemed to have done the trick. Tim was right. The sister is the key."

They're going after her sister?

"I'm switching tactics over to surveillance. Oracle is tracking Jones through CCTV's, and I managed to plant a bug in the apartment while she was out."

"Probably for the best, sir. You don't want to waste all of your time following her."

Oh. That's not good.

"The only downside is Jones herself. She walked in and immediately caught on that someone was there."

"Getting sloppy, sir?"

"Well, it's not like I have a gadget that can stop the rain."

"Pity. Well, perhaps that should be the next project," Alfred quipped dryly. "Any updates on the panic button?"

"No. Jessica hasn't taken it out since the gala."

"Hm, someone who doesn't want Batman's help? That's a rarity."

"Or, she somehow knew we could track her with it…"

Oops.

Jason felt himself smirk a little.

"We need to keep in mind we're dealing with another detective. The usual tactics may not work…"

He could hear the frustration in the old man's voice. 

Jones not as easy as you thought she'd be?

If Wayne thought she was annoying, wait till Halloween.

"Don't worry, sir. We'll figure out who hired her," Alfred assured him.

Jason began to creep away, before he overstayed his welcome.

Besides, he had to get that bug before Jessica opened her damn mouth.

****

She was sitting in her chair, doing nothing, her heart rate incredibly fast.

She's scared.

Jason continued to watch her from outside, using his scanners to see. He couldn't call her without possibly being heard on the bug, and if he tried to catch her attention at the window, Jessica could freak out and scream.

And if he went in as a civilian, there's a chance Oracle could pick him up on the cams…

The bright blue outline of Jessica moved to bring a bottle to her lips.

And she's been drinking…

Shattering glass right next to his head-

Whiskey breath in his face, screaming about how they tried to sell him off, how he wasn't even good enough for that-

Jason hasn't seen drinking like that since he was a kid.

Jason couldn't make the first move. He had to wait. So he stayed there, perched on the roof across from her, waiting for her to get her ass up and look out the window.

He was totally going to be late for his flight…

And as if Jones could sense his irritation, she annoyingly stayed put, not getting up until the cold wet of the rain was thoroughly seeping through his suit. 

When she finally got up, Jason had to blink a couple of times to see, his eyes feeling dry from the scanners. As much as he was annoyed, Jason was genuinely surprised that Jessica was able to stand at all. He knew she was a drinker, but this…

Jessica swayed slightly before heading to the kitchen.

Jason followed her, swinging to the other side of her building as Jessica moved around in her kitchen. He was able to sneak down to a firescape across the street, facing a window in front of her sink. It looked like she was getting a glass of water.

Good.

Jessica went to fill the glass before her gaze naturally strayed up. Then she froze, heart rate accelerating once again. She saw him.

Don't worry. He comes in peace.

Jason proved it by giving her a wave.

Jessica tilted her head, but otherwise didn't move. Jason nodded his head to the side, telling her he was going back around. He's not sure if Jessica understood, but she started to follow when Jason swung to the otherside, back to the office.

When Jessica got there, looking out from the window he was facing, Jason pointed at it and motioned for her to open it.

Jessica hesitated, not sure if she should. 

Come on, Jones.

Finally, she pried it open and stepped back.

Jason shot off his grappling hook, latching onto the window’s ledge. He let the wire zip away and carry him over. When he got close enough, he pulled himself up and jumped through. He landed in the office silently, years of practice kicking in with ease.

Jessica stood in front of him, fists clenched at her sides, chest heaving with anxiety, waiting to see what the Strange Metal Man would do, ready to fight if need be.

Jason held up a finger to where his mouth would be, signaling for her to be quiet. He slowly crouched down to the floor and placed a hand under her office chair.

Gotcha.

Jason pinched the bug between his fingers and brought it up to show her. Jessica’s eyes widened in shock. She looked ready to berate herself.

She forgot to look there, didn't she?

Jessica exhaled heavily through her nose, looking pissed. When she looked back at him, she arched an eyebrow curiously.

Jason imagined it was something along the lines of, and who the fuck are you?

And yet Jason could see the slight anticipation underneath, as if she already had a guess.

Jason didn't answer, silently opening a drawer instead. He dropped the bug inside and carefully closed it shut.

The mechanical voice filled the room softly, capturing the sound of his relief. "There. We should be okay now."

The question still burned on Jessica's face, and Jason had a feeling she wasn't going to say anything until he answered…

Fuck, how did this become so messy? Jason's talked his way out of shit many times before, but explaining this? What could he even say? 'Hey! I know what this looks like, but I promise I'm a sane individual totally not planning on taking over the city. Please don't go to GCPD!'

Maybe he can bullshit- say he's keeping an eye out for Batman. Jessica already suspects that she's being followed. If Jason played it right, maybe it could come out convincing…

But then, there's always the chance Jessica figures it all out. She already had his name. She already knew he had history with Batman. It certainly wouldn't take rocket science to figure out Batman's identity now, and that's the type of leverage Jason really wants to keep to himself.

"Are we really going to do this?"

Jason sighed with defeat. The look of impatience on Jessica's face told him that his time was up.

The sound of air escaping from the helmet announced his surrender. Jason took off the helmet, expecting a lash of questions and accusations that he would have to maneuver like the Matrix.

But Jessica just looked entirely unimpressed. 

" This is your costume?"

Uh…

"Yeah," Jason shot back defensively.

Jessica looked him up and down, then snorted. "You look like an army commissioned dildo."

"Gee, thanks," Jason shot back, feeling insulted as he rested the helmet on the desk. "Only millions of dollars worth of the latest technology and combat wear, but yeah. Let's be reduced to a sex toy."

He walked over to Jessica, leaning in to sneak the bottle of booze out of her hand before marching over to the couch. Jason  plopped himself down, uncaring that he was drenched. Jason took a swig from the bottle, tossing his head to gulp it down, eyes and throat burning from his lack of practice.

"Hence, army commissioned ," Jessica retorted, sitting down next to him. She sighed, giving him a tired look before snatching the bottle back. “If you expect me to play hostess, forget it. I’m not in a very hospitable mood.”

“Yeah, I can tell,” Jason commented, watching guiltily as Jessica took the final swig.

She was just about to get water before he dropped in.

It was silent for a moment, the both of them just absorbing the other’s company. Jessica decided to be the first to break it.

"So, are you planning to fight crime or something?" she asked slowly.

Jason shrugged. "You never know who you're gonna run into…"

Jessica looked at him suspiciously. "Really? Like who?"

Her eyes strayed down to the patches of armor on the shoulders and chest before catching the red on the stomach.

The symbol of the militia.

Jason clasped his hands, resting them on his stomach in a show of casualness. As soon as he did, Jessica's eyes traveled back up, meeting him curiously.

The smart thing to do would be to tell her nothing, but Jason couldn't do that either, not unless he wants her running to GCPD.

What would Bruce do?   

And then Jason figured it out. He'd let Jessica come up with her own answers, feed into her own theories about him. Play into whatever act that was already there.

"You already know," Jason told her.

Jessica rolled her eyes, annoyed. "You mean Bruce Wayne?" she guessed.

Jason thought for a moment, curious. "How much do you know about Bruce Wayne?"

Jessica huffed. "You asked me this question before, remember?"

"Yeah, but I mean now that you've gotten to talk to him."

"Now ?" Jessica echoed. She thought about it then shrugged. "He's exactly how I expected him to be. Same as before. Billionaire playboy with too much time on his hands." She rested her chin in her palm. "Respectable gentleman on the outside, skeevy asshole on the inside."

"Skeevy asshole?" Jason questioned, slightly amused by her choice of words.

Jessica shrugged again.  "There's something fucked up about him, okay? He tries to hide it but, being a fuck up myself, I can see it. The dude's hiding something..."

Jessica looked back over to him, waiting for him to say something.

But Jason just gave her a grim smile. A silent confirmation that she was right.

"You know what I'm talking about, don't you?" Jessica guessed.

"Why do you think I hired you?"

Jessica sighed, leaning back against the couch to stare up at the ceiling. "Why am I the only one playing twenty questions here? Why won't you answer any of mine for once?"

"You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to." Jason copied her, leaning back against the couch himself. "I will say, you're right about everything so far." 

Jessica glanced back at him, sullenly silent for a moment before asking tentatively, "He gave you the scar didn't he?"

The red hot poker burning his flesh, just barely aware of the blood-curdling scream chasing after it…

Not exactly. But he might as well have.

Jason clenched his teeth, swallowing down the intensity of the memory.

And again, Jessica took it as a sign that she was right.

"Why? Did he try to sell-" But Jessica cut herself off, as if she was rethinking the question.

Jason picked up on it though. "Did he try to sell me?"

Jessica just shamefully looked back at him, eyes wide as if she was scared.

Scared that the answer was 'yes'?

The act that was already there. That was it. Bruce Wayne sold Jason off to, who? The mob or something? Funny enough, that exact shit did almost happen to him, but with his birth parents.

"So you know who I am?" Jason asked instead, unable to smother the strain in his voice.

Jessica pursed her lips, noting that it was another question. Still, she indulged him. "You're Jason Todd, his son." 

Jason didn't verbally confirm. He just raised his eyebrows in response, as if to say, And?

Jessica sighed, sinking further into the couch. "And I'm guessing you've been wronged. Many times." Her eyes strayed to the scar. "And I'm also guessing it was some seriously fucked up shit."

Thrown you away, like an unwanted puppy…

"Yup," Jason finally remarked.

"And he told the world you were dead so no one would catch onto him."

"Just like Bats and that new kid of his."

"Even got a new son and everything," Jason confirmed.

"And that's why you hired me." Jessica's eyes shined bright with validation. "You want revenge."

"Not revenge, no." Jason couldn't help correcting her here. "Justice."

"Justice?" Jessica asked dubiously. "Justice is going to GCPD, not to me."

"You know how powerful my dad is," Jason defended.

Here . He could catch her here.

"He even has Batman under his thumb."

Jessica reeled away, letting out a sharp breath. "Shit."

She stood up abruptly, running a hand through her hair. "He really was here. Fuck, I have the fucking Batman coming after me!"

"Hey, hey, hey," Jason stood up, trying to reassure her. "It's fine. I know how to deal with him, trust me. "

"Trust you?!" Jessica snapped. "Why should I? You're the one who dragged me into this shit!"

Jason went to grab her arm. "Jessica, listen. I-"

But Jessica pierced him with a death glare, warning him off. So Jason backed away instead.

He struggled to speak, unsure of what to say, but knowing he needed to calm her down, convince her to stick with him.

"When I found out Bruce pronounced me dead… I didn't believe it," Jason confessed honestly. "Bruce was my father . Not the asshole that tried to sell me off, but him-" An old feeling of hurt managed to creep up and make him croak. Jason watched Jessica, desperately searching to see if he won her over yet, but her face was unreadable. 

So he went on. "For the first time in my life, I felt accepted. That I had a place here. I…"

Grief clogged his throat, and Jason tried to speak through it. He really did. But it was coating his throat so much that Jason almost felt like he was drowning, unable to scream as water filled his lungs, rendering him helpless. 

"My own father…" he tried, but his voice died out.

Jason cleared his throat again. Harshly. His eyes burned from the intensity of it, but Jason managed to do it. He tried speaking again, having to take breaths in between to keep it together.  "During everything I… I still thought that Bruce would come for me. Save me. Get me out … But he never did. That's when… That's when I realized… He didn't care." 

Anger pinched his face, pricking his eyes, but Jason commanded to keep it in. For the sanctity of his mission. For now.

He let it turn into passion, determination. "That's when I decided that he wouldn't get away with it. Couldn't. You have to-" his voice cracked again. Fuck.  

"You have to believe me," he finished.

Jessica's face was still blank, and Jason couldn't help but feel how stupid he looked right now. She's going to run to GCPD. Jason's going to have to stop her. Do what he should've done before, but… 

Jessica stepped up, now inches away. She didn't move to comfort him or touch him, and neither did Jason want that. He didn't want to feel like he was broken. He was more than that.

But Jessica's eyes still dug deep, their own shine speaking with, what? Sympathy? Understanding? Whatever it was, it remained safely locked away in a stare. The boundaries were still up.

Nothing else will be broken tonight.

"You're not useless," she finally told him. "You're human. A complex, breathing organism capable of emotion and pain and a whole bunch of other shit."

Jason huffed in amusement, feeling the tide of emotion still receding.

"No one should be treated like that. You aren't some thing for people to own." 

And Jessica sounded so sure of it, so confident that Jason couldn't help himself from sinking into that energy, feeling his own dipleat.

Jessica nodded. "Okay, Todd. I'm with you. So, how do we deal with Batman?"

It worked?

Jason looked back at her quizzically.

"You know how to fight him, right?" Jessica asked. "That's what the suit is for?"

Jason nodded, coming to his senses. "Yeah. I do."

"Good. He's the biggest problem." Jessica broke the air between them, going back towards her desk to lean against the edge. "And then there's Dick."

"Dick?" Jason asked.

"He's after my sister."

Oh, right. Jason remembered the conversation in the Batcave.

"Dick was supposed to chase after me, remember?" Jessica reminded him. "Not my sister."

He glanced down, noticing the grip Jessica had on her arms, nails digging into her skin…

“He's not gonna hurt her," Jason assured her. “Bruce probably sent Dick out to see what she knows, but that's it. He won't do anything else. Once Dick figures out she doesn't know anything, he'll let her be."

Jessica nodded worriedly. "Yeah, I just… She's my family."

"I get it. I do, but trust me. She'll be fine."

Jessica’s eyes suddenly narrowed. “You say that a lot. Trust me ."

“Because you can. I'm the only one who really knows Bruce, right? You gotta believe in that."

Jessica sighed, adjusting so she could sit on the desk fully. "Okay, so what do we do about the other problem?"

"Batman?"

"Yup. The fucking Caped Crusade himself." Jessica drawled tiredly.

"Well, we've got his bug, and we know he's monitoring you throughout the city…"

"Oh, we do? " Jessica asked sarcastically.

"Oh, yeah. We do." Jason dragged out the guest chair, sat down. He took out the flash drive from his pocket. "We also have this. "

Jessica looked at it curiously. "What the hell is that?"

"Insurance that we're one step ahead." Jason put the flash drive back in his pocket.

Jessica snorted. "Doesn't feel like it."

"I know, but we are." He almost said it again, the urge to say those words almost rising up.

Trust me.

Instead, Jason analyzed. "Right now, his attention is on you. He's sure you're up to something, or at least, is working for someone who is."

"Funny enough, he's right," said Jessica.

Jason's mouth twitched up in amusement. Bruce was right. He was always right. 

"So let's ease his suspicions," Jason suggested.

"What do you mean?"

"We'll make you the sheep. You keep him distracted while I work behind the scenes."

"Behind the scenes?" Jessica asked skeptically. "What the hell does that mean?"

"In order to take down Bruce, we need to take down what makes him powerful. His company. Batman. His family. All of these things I know how to get to."

"And so you wanna work on that while I play the victim?" Jessica asked cautiously. 

Jason nodded.

"No thanks."

Jason sighed. "I don't want you to be, but at this point it's the only way. For now, you'll be the bad guy. Unless you can come up with another way?"

Jessica looked down. She couldn't. 

Finally, she said, "Let me think about it."

"Fine," Jason groaned, moving to stand. "But we don't have a lot of time. It's us versus him now."

Jessica watched as Jason made his way towards the window, feeling that something wasn't right.

Wayne made sense. He was weird and suspicious, and Jessica had a feeling about him from the moment they met.

But Batman… Why work for Wayne? Were the rumors about WayneTech true?

"Hey, you good?"

Jessica twisted around, finding Jason in front of the window, about to leave. His helmet was back on, but Jessica guessed he was concerned.

"Yeah," she told him. "Just been a long day."

Jason gave her a small nod, understanding. "Drink some water. Get some rest. You need it."

Jessica winced. "Gee, thanks."

"No, I-" Jason cut himself off, trying to explain. "I just meant take care of yourself, yeah?"

Jessica looked back at him thoughtfully. Even through the helmet and the voice filter, she could tell he was genuine. "Yeah. You too."

Jason turned away, back towards the window.  “You’re probably not gonna he-”

“-hear from you, I got it,” Jessica cut him off. “Funny enough, I still do.”

Sitting on the ledge, Jason looked back one more time, helmet glowing under the night. 

“Good riddance then, right?” he joked before jumping out.

Jessica waited a moment before tentatively shutting it. Of course, when she looked out she saw no sign of him anywhere. She pulled the blinds down.

Yeah. Good riddance.

Her phone buzzed, blinking on with a text. Jessica looked at the notification.

Trish: 11:38 p.m

You’re right.

Followed by another.

Trish: 11:38 p.m

I’m sorry.

And then an attachment.

Jessica immediately unlocked her phone and clicked on it. 

It was a picture of a picture, the frame sticking out, letting Jessica know Trish found this in someone’s place. But she put that aside when she saw who was in it; Bruce Wayne, his hand on the shoulder of a boy. Jason, carefree and unscarred. They both smiled at the camera, openly.

Just looking at it, Jessica would never be able to tell that anything sinister was about to happen between them. Jason looked happy, and Wayne looked… carefree.

They looked like a regular father and son duo. So when exactly did it go wrong?

She wanted to find out.

****

After the long trip back to base, thinking about everything that happened, the last thing Jason wanted to deal with was Crane.

But alas, the good doctor was waiting for him at the landing.

Fucking great.

Jason walked up to him, not saying anything, and Crane waited until the plane engine died down to do so. 

“Arkham Knight. I trust your trip was a success?”

“You tell me." Jason spoke through the helmet, the filter hiding how tired he really was. Jason pulled out the flash drive and tossed it at Scarecrow. He didn't need it anymore. Jason already looked at it on the plane (and cleaned it up of any 'junk' the others didn’t need to know about.)

Jason began to walk away, towards his room.

“Knight,” Crane called after him.

Jason sluggishly swung around in response, only to find Crane posed, arms folded behind his back. “We have a problem.”

Fucking great.

They wordlessly headed to the control room, Crane slithering in front of him. 

“As you know, your information about Barbara Gorden has been extremely useful in preparing our efforts for Halloween. We’ve been able to analyze Batman’s informant and how she operates.”

Crane made Babs sound like a test subject.

Jason's stomach twisted inside him. Scarecrow shouldn’t know about Oracle. It felt wrong. The devotion to keep Batman’s secrets were still ingrained in hus skull, but after Arkham, Jason convinced himself to be more, lenient. 

And if Jason truly wanted to save Oracle, then he needed to rat her out. Just this once. She'll understand. Besides, they had a deal. Crane won't lay a hand on her.

So Jason nodded instead, letting Crane talk.

“Our hackers have been able to get into all of the CCTVs in Gotham, using Miss Gordan's own signal for cover.”

They reached the door. As Crane went to turn the knob, he looked back at Jason tauntingly, “We found something troubling.”

Oh shit.

They got to the room, Crane closing the door softly behind him. Jason was surprised to find two of his men standing at attention, facing him. The hologram on the table was turned on, showing footage of…

Yup. Just like Jason suspected…

Crane walked forward, hands still behind his back as his eyes glued to the image of Jessica. “It appears Ms. Jones is still alive.”

Jason’s hand remained calm and ready, discreetly hovering over his holster. His finger twitched, just slightly, brushing against the cool metal of his gun.

He tried to deny it. “I shot her."

“And yet she’s still alive.”

“I shot her in the head ,” Jason continued, seething with the lie. If he was right, thinking his men were loyal to him, Jason needed to keep acting innocent.

Crane just glanced back at Jason mysteriously.

Then, he moved, bringing up a hand to show the remote. Crane clicked it, and an old medical file popped up, replacing Jessica's face.

What caught Jason's eye was the logo on top.

Luthor Hospital?

“It seems there is an explanation for that," said Crane.

What?

Jason eyed Crane skeptically, but the doctor seemed to be absorbed with the file.

“Our new friend in Metropolis was able to find this for us when Deathstroke visited...”

Jason winced. Ah, so he wasn’t completely off the hook. Crane found out he's been passing off duties to Slade, but compared to everything else, that was nothing.

Jason stepped forward, reading the file through the scanners in his helmet. He could see Jessica's name, clear as day.

How did he not see this?

Jason zoomed in on the date listed. Sixteen years ago…

“The car crash happened in Metropolis?” Jason asked. But it was in the Blüdhaven newspaper…

“It turns out the good doctors at Luthor Hospital were focusing on some promising new medical tactics. That was, before the Daily Planet came out with an article denouncing it."

Crane scowled. "The fools…" 

He turned back towards Jason. “It appears that Ms. Jones was one of the last patients before the program shutdown. Hence, the coverup."

Another click with the hand, and Crane changed the hologram again. Sequences of DNA, RNA, doctors notes. They were all coming up so quickly, Jason didn’t have time to read them.

Crane spelled it out for him. “Super strength, flight… I wonder where Luthor got the inspiration…” 

Crane leaned in, telling Jason in a hushed whisper, "We are dealing with a metahuman. It is a high possibility her abilities saved her from your, dedicated wrath.”

The hairs on the back of Jason's neck stand up.

What was that supposed to mean?

“Luckily for us, I've reviewed her medical files, and have concluded that she's not immune to gas. My new strain of fear toxin should do the trick."

Crane shoved something into his chest. Jason grabbed onto it and looked down. 

A canister.

Crane smirked. “So the same mistake shouldn't happen twice…" He turned away, heading towards the door. “And I will need a very detailed retelling of Miss Jones’ reaction… for scientific reasons, of course.”

Fuck.

Jason felt the weight of the canister in his hand, letting it drop to his side.

How the hell was he going to get out of this?

[adhara2034]

I agree with what your saying, that Batman shouldn't need a Robin to be okay, and I've seen this lots before, but the thing is, the very moment the Robins met Batman, they were always going to need to be Robin.

Dick became Robin because he needed to put the anger of his parents murder somehwere, and Bruce decided that he should introduce Dick into becoming a crime fighting vigilante because that totally worked for Bruce. 😑

Jason became Robin because Bruce saw how angry of a child he was and went, 'damn, how do I help this kid with his anger? Hmmmm... Oh, I know! I should do the same thing that me and Dick did, because that totally worked!' 😑

Tim became Robin because Batman needed someone to hold him back. This Is something that's always so debated against. That Bruce shouldn't need a child to hold him back and that he really should have sought out therapy, but this is Bruce Wayne we are talking about, the man who could get over the death of his parents, -something he could do nothing about- ten years later when he decided to become Batman. He became Batman to avenge his parents, and to prevent stuff like this from happening, now imagine what he would feel when his son dies at the hand of a person he has fought over and over? When his parents died, it wasn't because he didn't try do anything about it, he was a child, he couldn't do anything to prevent it, but his sons death? That he could have prevented, had he been a little faster, had he just stuck to the promise he made all those years ago. He couldn't just seek therapy over this, this is Bruce Wayne we are talking about, he couldn't get over his parents deaths over ten years later, there was no way he was going to be able to sit down with a therapist a day or two a week to try help him through his sons death, not with the rage and guilt inside him. He bad to put that rage somewhere, so he stuck to his roots and kept crime fighting. Which lead to Tim's intervention.

The very moment the Robins ever came in contact with Batman, their fates were sealed. It shouldn't have happened, I agree with that, Bruce shouldn't of been a baby about his shit, but with the cards that were drawn, it was the only way.

I think Tim often listens to stories about Dick and Jason's time as Robin and feels so much envy.

When he was Robin, there was no hiding under Batmans cloak or saying crappy puns or laughing with him. There was just work and being alone.

Tim spent most of his Robin career either holding Batman together or doing things alone.

And then Jason came back, and Batman spent more time trying to unmask him, more effort into defeating him, then he had ever shown Tim.

It was only through so much time that Batman finally started seeing Tim not as his sons replacement, but as his Robin.

But still, Tim had the shittiest Robin run because he never truly got to be Robin.

[the-sprog]

I posted 5,937 times in 2022

That's 4,178 more posts than 2021!

160 posts created (3%)

5,777 posts reblogged (97%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@apinklion01

@dbphantom

@auroraphantasma

@suspiciousbluejay

I tagged 1,011 of my posts in 2022

#danny phantom - 49 posts

#dpxdc - 40 posts

#dcxdp - 36 posts

#yes - 26 posts

#billy batson - 18 posts

#omg - 17 posts

#goncharov - 16 posts

#unreality - 16 posts

#dc - 13 posts

#captain marvel - 11 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#im so sorry for my friends that have to deal with me talking about daredevil and doctor who all the time in the past 6-months i am so sorry

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Billy learned how to embroider because he needed a way to fix his clothes that also didn't make them look just like he had mashed random fabric together.

He got taught by an old lady who lives near the diner he goes to most days (she has no grandchildren and Billy has been great company).

He got into the habit so now he does it everytime there's something to repair. Little flowers, birds, tigers and (most prominently) lightning bolts start appearing on all his clothes.

When he joins the Justice League he starts trying to figure out how to do little designs of everyone's logo and when the time comes he uses his skill and the hero's respective logo to help fix their clothes and uniforms.

He once stitched back Batman's cape, even though the next day he was saddened by seeing that Bruce was using a new one (the fixed cape was secured inside a glass display).

Flash starts bringing him all the stuff he tears because he loves the little additions. He even buys the thread and needles for the Captain since he's making him use so much of it. Cap's fine with it, it's a good way to spend monitor duty.

Diana once payed him (she insisted because no labor should go unrewarded) to decorate a dress for an upcoming event she was planning to go to.

677 notes - Posted June 9, 2022

#4

Characters who are overpowered children and the only thing that's stopping them from obliterating anything and anyone is their overwhelming sense of duty and responsibility >>>>>>>>> literally anything else

864 notes - Posted May 11, 2022

#3

Bare w me because I'm a newbie DC fan

But

What if Danny's connection to the JL was Flash? Iirc Bart is a forensic scientist. So...

Danny being the victim of a homicide and taking too long to regenerate because he's too far from Amity and the portal's constant stream of ecto. So Bart gets put in charge of figuring out who he is and what happened to him. and he realizes "oh fuck the kids a meta" because... Danny's blood.

And then Danny wakes up, freaks out because he's never woken up in a morgue before and runs before the police notices and contacts the GIW

Now Bart has a meta runaway victim of homicide in Central city and he has to decide whether contacting the JL Dark is worth it.

1,215 notes - Posted July 26, 2022

#2

Imagine if Danny ends up in Gotham and starts vigilante-ing. The bats let him, so they must know him, must approve of him in some way.

And, well, Danny is not shy to say he's a ghost or make death jokes. Kid seems to particularly dislike the Joker...

Rumors start going around. People connect dots (are they right though?) And well... A dead kid, who the bats help out, seems to really hate the Joker most of all, seems to be fixated on helping people...

They assume this new vigilante is just the ghost of Robin, who died not too long ago (iirc Jason stays dead for like a year. But like sliding timeline. It's confusing)

Now, the question is: do the bats also think this? If so, they probably don't mention Jason's name or call him Robin. Kids going around calling himself Phantom, least they can do is respect his wish. He doesn't seem to remember his life (because he wasn't the one who lives it but what do they know) so they try to not mention that either.

Jason comes back and is very confused when he hears about this new meta who people seem to be certain is the second Robin.

1,262 notes - Posted September 27, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Still thinking about the fact that in the movie this is basically how Billy gets chosen

Shazam: i need someone pure of heart to inherit the power of the champion of magic and protect the world

Billy, a little confused, slightly excited at the idea of superpowers: really???

Shazam: yes! But we're running out of time so you'll have to do

strucks Billy with a lightning

Dies

Billy, now 6'2: what the fuck

1,861 notes - Posted May 4, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[im-totally-not-an-alien-2]

Halloween prompts no. 14

Danny gets thrown into the Blue Exorcist universe, saw how Rin was being treated and straight up kidnapped him when no one was looking and took him to another dimension/reality/whatever to keep him safe.

Rin, as you can imagine, doesn't take kindly to being kidnapped and tries to roast Phantom. The fact neither understands the others language did not help. Danny, taking a gamble, dropped his phantom form and raised his hands in surrender.

Rinse eyebrow twitched and he asked wtf he thought he was doing. Danny got an idea and raised a finger ask if asking one moment please before bringing out his phone and typing into Google Translate.

Things go better after that, Rins still kinda mad and demanded to be taken home but Danny refused, saying he wasn't going to send him back to a place that would treat him like that! The fight escalated until Danny confessed he died because people ignored the abuse and neglect from his home situation and he terrified Rin will face a similar fate. This finally took the wind out of Rins sails. Rin comforts Danny who may or may not be crying.

This is when the local heros show up because it turns out they landed in the dc universe. They realize they've pretty much melted part of the city they were in during thier fight and scram before anyone can get a good look at them. They're branded as mysterious villains almost immediately.

Danny and Rin take to stealing in order to survive and start teaching eachother thier language so they don't have to keep relying of the translation app. (Also they can't reliably recharge the phone) They're bonding and building up eachothers self esteem. Rin enjoys having someone who let's him protect them as a big brother should and Danny enjoys feeling safe and protected for once in his afterlife. They both start wearing masks and start stealing bigger marks as supervillians in order to survive.

The Justice League Dark is absolutely freaking out because why is a Gahena demon and some kind of Lazarus Pit child working together?? Demons from Gahena never come here cause they shouldn't even be able to and they had no idea Pit People even existed up until now. And why are they stealing such strange things? The bank robberies they understood but the baby food incident? (They stole a bunch of baby food to help the homeless and low income population) The lab thiefts? (Danny recognized the type of machine they were making was designed to be a portal when the press conference about it said nothing about portals. So he stole it and destroyed it cause it was sus.) The JLD knew they were missing something.

Batman himself eventually tracks them down and finds out

1. They are 14 and 15 year olds.

2. Both are traumatized

3. Black hair blue eyes

4. Both have supernatural abilities they can't fully control

5. Both are very sweet and are being more vigilante than villain

Bruce has already mentally signed the adoption papers.

Unfortunately, Danny has bad memories of another billionaire who kept trying to adopt him and is avoiding both him both as Batman and as Bruce Wayne. The boys run in to Harley Quinn and she figured out these kids needed help. She aids in thier language endeavors and if the only reason she knows Japanese as well as she does is from her binging anime for a few months during a quarantine caused by Scarecrow then thats her business.

Anyway, she gives them not-therapy since she can't ethically give them therapy therapy and in exchange they pay her with cash they stole. Neato. Rin eventually gets onto an ADHD medication that suits him and he's doing so much better. He uses a lot of the coping skills aunt harley taught him and its like hes a totally different person. Granted Rin has to take an ungodly high dose for it to work due to his demonic heritage but they make due. They already rob banks, whats a few pharmaceutical companies?

Ivy and Harley pseudo adopt Rin and Danny and sometimes the boys would just come over to Gotham to hang out or play with the pets. Rin loves cooking and has taken over the kitchen in his and dannys safe houses. He does most of the cooking and keeps the kitchen spotless. Danny does the laundry and dusting and they share most other chores. Rins used to having Yukio sleeping in the same room as him so sometimes he sneaks into Dannys room in the middle of the night to sleep on the floor.

Danny keeps waking up and moving him to the bed. Neither say anything about it and Rin assumes he slept walked into the bed and flees before Danny can be woken up and weirded out. Miscommunication! Yay!

Meanwhile the birdie brigade are on thier tails and watching/spying on them every chance they get. They're already making preparations in the manor for two more people.

[kiyterra]

Ooooo civilian!Bruce got me thinking about Jason,,, like how does his death go down here? Did he die in uniform and the others (at this point it would be just Dick and Barbra I think??) have to cover it up??? Did he only become a vigilante post-death?? He wouldn’t have as much (if any) angst with Bruce because Bruce is just A Guy here so does he stay away post coming back because he thinks he doesn’t belong anymore????? I’m just imagining the others dragging him back to the manor by the scruff of his neck because god dAMN IT JASON BRUCE AND ALFRED MISS YOU

(Also, you might already know this but: anon is off for your blog! I know from experience people are wayyyy more likely to send asks when it’s on)

so i already answered the first part of this ask earlier and @fanaticalthings made the most AMAZING addition that answers the second part <3 like literally took the ideas in my brain and wrote it out word for word for me thank YOU

jasons motivations are very different since he doesn't have a reason to blame bruce/batman for not avenging him, and instead during argument he has with bruce before he runs to ethiopia, jason says a lot of things he doesn't mean in the heat of the moment. he tells bruce he doesn't want him to be his dad, and that bruce didn't actually want him anyway. this is all wrong of course, but freshly resurrected and traumatized jason can't get over the fact that he yelled all those things at the man who did so much for him. had told his older brother he didn't want him either.

jaosn is so ashamed, so he stays away. he makes his debut as red hood in the narrows, and he almost breaks down when he sees nightwing again, but he goes on. he finds a crappy little apartment, does his dues, and watches over the waynes from afar.

but it's inevitable that dick and the tiny sherlock holmes replica tim drake find out who he is. and dick cries. a lot.

"baby brother, i'm so sorry. i'm sorry i wasn't there, i'm sorry, im sorry."

jason is a bit scornful towards tim at first, with the whole poster rich child replacement, but he warms up to him because tim is a good kid. hes curious and quiet but sharp and not afraid at all to sass jason as much as he respects him. they both try to drag jason right back to the manor because having their brother think he wasn't wanted, had been replaced, had been forgotten- that wasn't just untrue, it was fucking stupid.

but jason just isn't ready. he doesn't feel like he deserves to face alfred again, to face bruce again.

"please, just give me some more time. i need more time before- before."

and when could dick deny his little brother anything? so he stops being so adamant, but he sets a hard limit of two months, because

"bruce deserves to know, jay. he missed you so much, he misses you so much. there wasn't a day dad didn't think of you and wish you were here with us. come home soon, jay. please."