#me looking at bart: I want that twink obliterated

[necrotic-nephilim]

is this random?? maybe probably but the brain worms said Bart/Dick because maybe Wally didn't reciprocate and a lot of the younger heroes look up to Nightwing so like actually Dark Dick/Any of the younger heroes but for me especially Bart/Dick. Is Dick taking advantage of a crush? Yes. Is he doing it because he wants Wally but a younger more malleable speedster will have to do? ABSOLUTELY. anyway Dark Dick taking advantage of young people yadayada 🩷🩷

RANDOM YES BUT ALSO DELIGHTFUL??

first of all, i firmly believe Bart should be shipped with older men. i can't even articulate *why*, i just think he's a delightful lil guy who should be in more dead dove shit. it's fun to explore that weird balance he has going on of naivety fueled by growing up overnight, versus being very *very* knowledgable bc of the sheer amount of information he holds as well as how quickly he processes the world. he's treated like the silly, almost dumb one a lot. and certainly the comics will put him in that light, especially in how he approaches social situations and his lack of understandings on how social rules work. but he's *smart* in other ways, and it makes him delightfully fun to stick him in a position of being groomed. all it takes is for *someone* to finally compliment him on how quickly he thought through a problem, or how well he handled a fight and he's fucking putty. the manipulation goes straight over his head.

and i just. i adore a darker Dick. sunshine Dick is out. angry but still righteous Dick is also out. i need a Dick Grayson who is tired of having to be the good one. who is tired of serving others with no return. Bruce, the Titans, Bludhaven, all of it. i think a lot of times, people gloss over Dick being a cop (and the copaganda of it) bc it doesn't feel like it fits him and goes against a lot of the themes of the Batfam and how they stand against corruption and all. but i think it's fun to lean into cop!Dick. someone who's authoritative and "fixes the system from inside" and thinks "you can still do good with a badge". bc it adds that greyness to him. there is no *good* way to be a cop in Bludhaven, with the system he works for. so it creates some level of "the ends justify the means" mentality in Dick and what he'll overlook to get something done. back to the point of him and Bart: i think using that mindset for a darker Dick can easily make him willing to groom someone. especially someone like Bart. kill two birds with one stone kind of situation. the personal, selfish reason that he had a thing for Wally that never worked out and now he just for *once* wants something that's his, and who better than a little speedster who looks like Wally and already has a clear crush on Dick. and the more pragmatic reason: Bart has potential, but he lacks direction. no one is guiding him in the right way. you used the word malleable, which is so fun. Dick can mold the partner he wants, *and* the hero he wants out of Bart. there won't be any more complaining from Tim about how Bart screwed up a mission, or listening to Wally or Max Mercury go on about how hard it is to keep Bart on task.

i think Dick would be *so* methodical about it. he has the time, Bart is still young and if Dick starts things *too* early, it's going to cause an absolute scene in the hero world. so he starts with compliments. he's the one squeezing Bart's shoulder and saying "you did a good job out there, kid. that was smart thinking." and then just leaving it like that. the simpler the better, because it leaves Bart wanting *more*. craving scraps of attention and always being on his best behavior when Dick is around. or even when Tim is around, bc maybe that means Tim will tell Dick about the good thing Bart just did. i love a slow burn and i'd love if this took place over *years*. building up more and more, but staying within the realm of casual hero colleagues. it makes sense for Bart and Dick to run into each other a lot, with Tim and Wally, and even more so when Bart becomes a Titan.

i love if this intentionally drives Wally up a *wall* too. Bart would never shut up about Dick. he asks Wally about Dick at least once a week and Dick just shrugs bc *hey*, all kids have a favorite hero, Wally should see the way Tim talks about Ted Kord. he doesn't make a big deal about it.

once Bart is old enough, Dick really leans into it. he finds more reasons to "run into" Bart, starts inviting Bart over to have a place to crash while his wounds heal bc hey, even with the superspeed Bart needs somewhere to sit and let his body do it's thing while he inhales a lot of calories. Dick listens when Bart complains about Wally being too hard on him. Dick gives "sagely advice" and casually walking around without a shirt. (or: in his police uniform the first time he notices the full body blush Bart gets seeing him in it)

i think it's extra fun if Dick orchestrates a pretense like sex pollen for them to get together officially. which is tricky, bc how do you dose a speedster's metabolism. but he'd find a way. bc then, not a single person can blame Dick for it. Bart Allen of all people, in a "fuck or die" situation? just about anyone would end up so annoyed they'd cave to the sex. and it puts Bart as the one who "initiates" and feels the guilt of coming onto Dick. which is so easy for Dick to manipulate and mold into what he wants. he's got Bart in his hands and soothes him after the sex, saying that it wasn't Bart's fault and Dick doesn't blame him. after that, it's easy for it to become a repeat thing. Bart gets too wired or stressed or full of energy, and sex is a very easy distraction to mellow him out. then, before Bart knows it, he's pretty sure they're *dating* bc Dick is giving him flowers and gifts and taking him out to dinner. and Bart is still convinced he somehow caused this, so he's got that fun dash of guilt that Dick can use to get what he wants out of Bart. any time Bart acts out, Dick just has to give him a Look. just full-tilt manipulation and grooming. i think it's also fun if they publically date as civilians, bc once again, Dick being a cop, other Bludhaven cops are the last ppl to question the morality ambiguity of the age gap. they just laugh and clap Dick on the back for finding "such an easy twink". the news would filter into the hero world, but by then Bart's a (barely legal) adult and everyone knows about the sex pollen. there's not much anyone can do, and really, Dick doesn't hold blame bc he was in such an awkward situation. he has his cake and eats it too, especially everytime he sees that sour look on Wally's face, when Wally knows damn well he can't say anything.