#mooostly because it usually doesn't get to her

[b3ast0fburd3n]

Eden watches the other pirates snicker with a blank expression. She doesn't speak enough Spanish to parse out what was said. Even if she could, she was just too far out of range to piece together syllables.

Kids in the commune used to do it to her too. She's 'too weird', 'too rigid', 'too mean'. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Hasn't worked for her yet, but she's willing to try again.

Her stomach twists in knots as ENVY and PRIDE tie themselves together. She swallows it all the same, locking it away until she can deal with it later. There's work to do, fuck the rest. It can bother her when she's laying down to sleep. Doesn't matter, she could use the extra time to carve another tiger.

The scanning of Beth's eyes doesn't go unnoticed. Eden wonders what the woman is seeing. Or what she's looking for. Eden ducks her head, an unconscious attempt to avoid Beth's judging gaze. Her faux-sweet approach sets Eden on edge. The Locust in our garden. Every step closer has her fingers twitching towards to her knife. An outright attack would be welcomed. She can deal with that. She's almost excited at the possibility to fight someone so experienced. Either she'll come out victorious and not have to worry about the snide attitude anymore, or she'll go down fighting. They both sound just as good right now.

When no violence comes, instead a polite acceptance of her offer, Eden's frown deepens. It might be rude, but it would be on-brand at the very least. The thought doesn't cross her mind to watch what her expressions might be telling the other pirate. She watches Beth climb into the jeep, seemingly without a care in the world, blowing a frustrated puff of air out of her nose.

Eden makes her way around the vehicle, controlling her steps so she doesn't stomp like a petulant child. Two of the pirates get in the back of the jeep, the rest piling into another. Beth's immediate lounging and taking control of the space has her squeezing the door handle in anger. Fine. Fucking fine. Start the car, put on your shitty music, do whatever the fuck you want. She can tough it out for a little longer. Then, once they're back at camp, she can run away to hide in her room. Or bury herself in another task. Either way, Beth won't be involved, she'll thank God when that time comes.

Saved? Fucking saved? Ignorant little snake. She sighs, trying to control the boiling in her veins. "Thank you." She forces through grit teeth. God knows she's lying. He will forgive her. She will repent and He will forgive her fantasies of watching Beth bleed out from her throat. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

As Eden maneuvers the jeep through the jungle, she rolls her shoulders to try and ease some of the built up tension. It comes back quickly when Beth opens her mouth again. Eden wants to break that flapping jaw. She'll have to serve penance for that too.

"Most of us don't play around after or during an ambush." A lie. Most pirates celebrate for anything, especially surviving another battle. She's grasping at straws. Anything to feel superior over the woman. The PRIDE eats at her. He detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.

Beth said something in Spanish to the other living pirates, far enough away from Eden to make it impossible to make out exactly what was said. But judging by the men's laughter and nodding and returned, muffled behind fists, laughter, it was something funny. Or, at least, funny to a group such as them.

She took a drag of her cigarette and stood, stepping over the body she'd just looted to approach another. She nudged the corpse with her now dusty ( usually as pristine as possible ) boot. Then, the other spoke again. And Beth's head was quick to whip around and turn her body front and centre to face Eden.

There was something in Beth's eyes, beyond the humour, analysing, and rage — something dark, indescribable. Something you felt like you had seen before but were unable to place. Weathered by turmoil, weathered by age. Weathered by growing up far too quickly and horrid experiences left unsaid.

When you saw that look, a glimpse into something more, how she'd managed to THRIVE was apparent. Beth thrived because she WANTED to, beyond all else. She shouldn't be alive, let alone on the island as a pirate and someone who's FEARED. She was strong, ruthless — Beth wondered how much Eden had heard. From the Pirates. From the Rakyat. From Vaas.

Lips quirking into a grin accompanied her bending down and picking up the body she had previously nudged, slinging it over her shoulder. She gave a gesture and the pirates began picking up the others ( obedient ) . Strolling over, she nodded, a sickeningly sweet edge to her expression. She had noted the clear, inherent dislike and positively loved it.

"If you're offering, who am I to say no? It'd be rude," A shrug as she wiped her sweaty, bloody palms into her cargo pants. There was far less blood than she was expecting, which was always a good thing.

With a surprising amount of grace, the Pirate floated to the passenger's side and climbed in. She tossed her burnt out cigarette, uncaring of where it landed, and switched on the ignition. She put the radio on, humming in approval at the song playing.

"Usually, people say ' thank you ' after their lives are saved. Not that I'm counting, or anything. This isn't Sesame Street," A pause as she then flicked on the awful air-con, lounging back without a seeming care in the world. "You alright? You look like someone shit in your cornflakes, mate."

[scattered-winter]

ok you know what? angst time

so obviously Red Hood has made a loooot of dangerous enemies in Gotham who would just LOVE to break him. Green Lantern (Kyle) has ALSO made a lot of dangerous enemies. but it wouldn't take long to figure out that they BOTH really care about those kids in that warehouse and that they BOTH also care about each other (even if they're too dense to see it smh). so Jason and Kyle's rogues (I still haven't figured out WHO, specifically, but this is a wip lol) put their heads together and work out a plan: they're gonna plant bombs into the warehouse.

somehow someone finds out (maybe one of the older kids sees something suspicious idk) so Jason is able to start getting kids out BEFORE the bombs go off. Kyle is currently in space but one call from Gotham and now he's zooming over there at the speed of light because those are his KIDS and his KIND-OF BOYFRIEND. anyway most of the kids have been evacuated and the bombs are ticking down to detonation and Jason realizes there's still a kid inside. so he does what he's always done: he turns around and goes back.

he finds the kid and is running with her toward the door when the entire building rumbles. the first of the bombs. Jason picks up the kid and just YEETS her out the door. he has enough time to see her land safely outside but then the walls crumble and the roof collapses and then he can't see anything at all

meanwhile Kyle is just entering Earth's atmosphere when he gets another call from Jason. he picks up with all the usual questions (what's happening is everyone ok are YOU ok) on his tongue but instead of Jason it's one of the kids crying into the phone and saying that the building collapsed and they can't find Jason. about four seconds later he's in Gotham following the column of smoke. the kids are all clustered outside the destroyed warehouse, and none of them are injured which feels like something loosening in his chest, but Jason isn't there which feels like something breaking. the power ring makes short work of the fires and the rogue stragglers who wanted to stick around and watch, and then he starts digging. there's nothing but charred rubble and splashes of blood and he almost can't breathe from the smoke but he's pouring too much focus on finding Jason and keeping the smoke away from the kids to make himself a gas mask.

and then! he finally uncovers Jason who's like. half conscious and delirious from pain and blood loss and he thinks he's Robin again, trapped beneath that burning warehouse. and he doesn't want to die again because it felt like he had just started to live. Kyle pulls him out and does his best to comfort him (cradling in his arms carding fingers through his hair the WHOLE deal) but he realizes like. this is Really Bad and Jason's gonna die if he doesn't do something

he remembered something about a lady named Leslie Thompkins who has taken care of Jason's worst hits in the past, so he sends the kids (the older/teens were put in charge to make sure everyone gets there) to one of Hood's safe houses, and then he picks up Jason (completely unconscious by now) and flies to Leslie's clinic as fast as he dares with Jason's injuries. cue the scene where he practically breaks the door down and rushes inside with Jason in his arms screaming for someone to help etc etc I fucking love that trope so it shows up in my writing a lot. what are you gonna do about it

Leslie starts putting Jason back together and Kyle refuses to leave because Jason might trust this lady but he sure as hell doesn't. and because the injuries are so severe Leslie has some of her people helping and there's no way Kyle's just leaving him with STRANGERS Jason's wearing his domino but Kyle isn't risking ANYTHING because the last time he left someone he cared about for just a few minutes, she ended up dead. he's not going anywhere.

they get Jason mooostly fixed up and leave him there to rest and Kyle sits at his bedside and brushes the hair from Jason's face and realizes. he REALIZES.

he falls asleep at Jason's bedside (another trope I'm weak for) and basically just. never leaves. the older kids pop in to check on Dad Number One and bring food for Dad Number Two because he's a stubborn bitch who refuses to leave for even a second

it gets fuzzy around here idk but Jason wakes up to see Kyle asleep at his bedside and he realizes. it took one of them almost fucking DYING for them both to realize they're in love with each other but we'll TAKE THE WIN

when Jason is recovered enough to go home he has to deal with Kyle being The Nurse(TM). he's annoyingly overbearing and bossy but hell it's kinda sweet and endearing too. anyway they have a homoeretic Bandaging Scene(TM) where feelings are finally confessed and a kiss is shared and one of the older kids walks in on them kissing and is just "it's about fucking TIME"

oh, you have to elaborate on single parent AU for jaykyle. Please. I’m also a major sucker for those

(aalghul’s main blog)

don't mind if I DO

so this is a canon divergence AU where Jason, as part of his whole crime lord thing, puts people under his protection. kids, specifically. street kids with nowhere else to go, orphans, kids who have been kicked out, kids on the run, etc. (this is the part based on my friend's fic that got me thinking about this btw.) he finds a place for them to stay. an old warehouse gets fixed up and furnished, and there's a small kitchen area, a dining room, bedrooms for the kids. they don't have to stay permanently; in fact, most don't. they come and go as they please and stay as long as they like, because Jason doesn't think kids should "age out" of a place to stay. there are a handful of regulars who don't have anywhere else to go so it's more of a permanent home for them, but there's also a lot of kids who stay for a few days and then leave again. Jason keeps the kitchen and pantry stocked with food and makes sure there's enough beds and blankets for everyone, and he keeps those streets safe from any other crime boss who might be muscling in on his territory. (he also keeps the Bats out because a lot of those kids might be hiding from them too)

he starts out being their distant and kinda intimidating protector, but eventually he ends up being the Dad of the entire group. he makes sure they get to where they need to go safely and plays board games with them sometimes etc etc because those kids grew on him, ok?! most of them have never had a positive experience w parents or have never had anyone to take care of them and he has the means to be able to at least give them a safe place to sleep and---oh my god he's turned into Bruce

fast forward to the final crisis shit, Kyle and Jason became....not Friends, per se, but Allies. people who are (usually) on the same side and can (usually) work together. anyway after that fun little adventure those three (Kyle Jason Donna) kinda just...check in every so often. make sure everyone's ok. they've been through a lot together so they just like to make sure nobody's dead or needs help (I don't think they ever interacted as a group after the search for ray palmer shit which is a CRIME.) anyway Kyle comes back from space and shows up to Gotham for the Annual Obligatory Check-In only to find that Jason has an entire warehouse full of kids. and now Kyle sees a completely different side of Jason that's....not softer than before, but gentler. he's still the fucking Red Hood, and comes home with blood and gunpowder on his clothes, but he also reads to some of the younger kids when they can't fall asleep. he walks the girls to school so nobody tries anything with them. he helps with homework and makes sure everyone's eaten enough.

after the first few visits the kids figured out that Kyle was friendly, and gave him the same treatment they gave Jason: treating him like a jungle gym. they found out Kyle could draw and make shit with his ring and they realized he was Really Cool. once they figured out he'd been to space it was all over. suddenly Kyle was the coolest adult in the world. even cooler than Jason.

so of course Kyle has to keep showing up to the warehouse or he'll disappoint the kids!!!!

and thus begins a new rivalry between them: who can be the Coolest Dad

in the meantime they're slooooowly falling in love and dancing around each other because "he only keeps coming for the kids it's not me" and "he has an entire horde of people to take care of he doesn't have time or energy for me" and like. watching each other interact/care for the kids in their own specific ways and sharing a space (because Kyle started staying at the warehouse because it's hard to pay rent when he's in space most of the time) and just. Being In Each Other's Space All The Time. them falling in love was inevitable, really. but because they're Like That they're dancing around the subject like the world's biggest elephant in the room

meanwhile all the kids just Know. they're sitting there watching this proverbial mating dance like "oh COOL we have TWO superhero dads now!!!"

some scenes that this fic will include (assuming I ever get my shit together enough to WRITE it):

one of the kids being mugged on the street and the poor criminal immediately getting curbstomped by Red Hood AND Green Lantern

Jason and Kyle cooking dinner together (because I'm a slut for domestic vibes don't touch me)

Jason braiding the girls' hair and calling the kids petnames

Jason sending Kyle pics and selfies of the kids while he's away in space and Kyle saving all of them <3

Kyle bringing space souvenirs for the kids (they go absolutely buckwild over them)

one of the girls (an orphan) having a Daddy-Daughter Date at school and she asks Jason to come as her dad (he cries)

Kyle tying Jason's tie before he leaves for said Daddy-Daughter Date

basically this whole fic is just

Jason: I gotta take care of my kids

Kyle:

"our kids"