#next i explain how he started getting trained by catwoman

[brooke-burnes]

Brooke's Journal Part 1

Origins: "The Worst Birthday I've ever had"

I think the only way I'm gonna be able to cope with this is if I detach myself from it. If I treat it like it's something that happened to someone else, a crime scene I only ever saw pictures of, at an address I don't recognize, it feels less... personal.

Even if I know for a fact that it was.

Well, no matter how little I wanna talk about it, I'm probably gonna regret not writing this down.

I was going home late after work. A few of my co-workers made me a cake to celebrate my eighteenth birthday. It was good. They talked me into staying late with them to decorate the office for the winter holidays. Something about how my desk was always decorated the best. I doubt any of us were expecting that me staying late would save my life.

As the bus pulled up to the stop, I noticed the red and blue lights around the corner. It wasn't until I actually rounded the corner that I realized they were in front of my house.

I remember being confused and concerned. This is the point where everything becomes a bit of a blur.

They almost didn't let me in. It took a few minutes of convincing. I think Red Hood was there. He really didn't want to let me in.

Walking in was really jarring.

Everyone was in the living room. It looked like they were decorating the tree.

This would have been my second year celebrating Christmas with them. The only family that would want me around for more than a year. The only family I wanted to be around for more than a year.

It followed the Joker's typical M.O. in a few key ways: the "haha"s written on the walls, green purple and red spray paint, and the sides of everyone's mouths cut like that one Yo-Kai. That said, I'm honestly not convinced it was the Joker. He's not exactly the type to make home visits without being damn sure Batman would show up.

That aside, the entire house was completely ransacked. Furniture was destroyed, a few doors were torn off the hinges, plates and glasses were shattered on the floor.

By the time I went upstairs to my room to see what had survived, Batman had showed up. He and Red Hood insisted on sticking with me. I'm honestly grateful for it.

Upon opening the door to my shared room, a click sounded and before I could react, a bomb went off. I'm damn lucky batman was there. He used his cape to shield me from the blast. I remember wondering what the hell it was made of to be able to block a fucking bomb at point blank and have all three of us get out of it without a scratch.

The worst part was after the smoke cleared.

On my wall, in bright red paint, were the words "where did you go?" along with my deadname.

Everything of mine was torn to shreds. All I could salvage was a silver bracelet with red roses that was under my bed. I don't even remember where I got it.

That's not even the end of the story.

After all that, Batman told the commissioner to "call their mutual friend" and "let him know the bat's calling in a favor". Then he turned to Red Hood and told him to keep an eye on me until "he" got there. He drove off while I got taken to the police station, and I was wracking my brain trying to think of what I was gonna do, who was I going to stay with, my phone had died on the bus ride home and I didn't have any family I could reach out to anyway.

As I was spiraling I heard a car pull up outside, and moments later, Bruce Wayne sat down across from me.

He offered to let me stay with him until I could get on my feet, and without anywhere else to go, I accepted.

I write this entry from my bedroom in the manor. I have nothing to my name but the clothes I wore to work that day, the few things I had in my backpack, a bracelet I found under my bed, and my smartphone (but no charger).

At this point, I'm not sure what I can do. Tomorrow I'm going to get a charger, call my boss, and figure out where the hell I go from here.

-Brooke Alexandra Burnes

[cardcaptorsakura96]

Preparing for the Future-Chapter 1

Fandom: Supergirl

Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor

Characters: Kara Danvers, Lena Luthor, Rose Zen (Original Character), Marigold Zen (Original Character), Violet Zen (Original Character), J'onn J'onzz, Winn Schott, Bruce Wayne, Damian Wayne, Zatanna, Barry Allen

Summary: Kara, Lena, and the Zen girls start preparing for the upcoming battle. The training is hard, but they meet interesting new people along the way that will help them on their journey.

This is Part 2 of the World Collector Trilogy. Part 1 is Unwitting Rescue.

Lena leaned back and stretched in her chair. She closed her laptop and looked around her office. She was done with work-related activities for the day. Now, she had to handle personal stuff which she was a little skeptical about. Lena was startled out of her thoughts by a knock at the door. 

Lena looked up and said, “Come in.”

Lena smiled as she saw Kara come through the door carrying three cups of coffee and a box of donuts. 

“Hello darling,” purred Lena. 

Kara smiled and said, “Hello, my love. Hope I made it in time.”

Lena looked down at her watch and mused, “We still have five minutes before our guest arrives.”

Kara breathed a sigh of relief as she sat down and put the food and drink on Lena’s desk. 

“I was afraid I wasn’t going to make it. It took me a little bit to wrangle the girls to get them ready.”

Lena looked around curiously and asked, “Speaking of the girls….”

Kara smiled and said, “They are with Jess. She offered to take them to the conference room to get cake and hot chocolate.”

Lena breathed a sigh of relief and said, “I am glad that she was able to distract them. I thought about having them in for this conversation…but…”

Kara raised an eyebrow and asked, “You want to vet her first?”

Lena smiled warily and said, “Well, we don’t know that much about her. Plus, Batman just arranged this meeting. There is no guarantee that she will take on the girls as pupils. I don’t want to get the girls’ hopes up of meeting the woman and she just turns us down.”

Kara nodded and said, “That is very sound logic…” Kara looked up at Lena with a smirk and said, “…but that is your politically correct answer. What is the real reason that you want to vet her?”

Lena looked down with a slight pout and said, “I know Batman heavily vouches for this woman since they date, but his dating history from what you told me is…how do I put this nicely….”

Kara smirked and said, “Less than desirable.”

Lena sighed and said, “Well, yeah. You don’t think so?”

Kara looked up thoughtfully and said, “I know he hasn’t had the best track record, but this girl seems nice and Clark likes her even though he hates magic with a passion.”

Lena raised an eyebrow and asked, “Really? Are you really not concerned considering the last several people he dated? Catwoman is a kleptomaniac, Talia is a cult leader, Poison Ivy is an eco-terrorist….”

Suddenly a young woman’s voice said, “I know I tend to be secretive, but I believe that I have enough morals not to be grouped with the likes of those maniacs.”

Kara and Lena yelped as they turned to the right and saw a young woman who appeared to be in her mid-20s. She had tan skin, brown eyes, and long black hair. She was wearing a black top hat, black jacket, white button-down shirt, a black bowtie, black skirt, black six-inch high heels, and fishnet stockings. 

The woman took off her top hat, bowed, and said, “The amazing Zatanna at your service.”

Lena took a couple of moments to catch her breath and frowned. 

“I do have a door for a reason.”

Zatanna smirked as she went to sit next to Kara and asked, “What is the fun in that?”

Lena rubbed her head and muttered, “I am already regretting this choice.”

Zatanna chuckled and said, “I am sorry for the theatrics. I thought that Batman would have explained my…flair for the dramatics considering my background.”

Kara nodded and said, “He did mention that you are a world-renowned magician that tours worldwide. I heard that your tour made over a billion dollars last year.”

Zatanna smiled and said, “I have become quite popular.”

Lena leaned back in her chair while eyeing Zatanna carefully and said, “Which begs to question, why would you be willing to take on three students during the middle of your tour?”

Zatanna eyed Lena coyly and said, “Well, it is not every day that you get told that an evil being is going to just pluck up our world out of existence in so many years. I know I may come across as silly to you, but I do take something like that quite seriously. I think more heroes should honestly be training our children to be ready for what is to come. Zatanna leaned back, narrowed her eyes, and asked, “One thing I am curious about though. Considering your background, why don’t you just teach the children magic?”

Lena looked at her startled while Kara chuckled and said, “Lena doesn’t have magical powers.”

Zatanna looked back and forth between Kara and Lena frowning and said, “I don’t understand.”

Lena looked at her baffled and said, “I think you are confused. I have never used magic once in my life.”

Zatanna leaned back in her chair and tapped her fingers together. 

“Very curious indeed,” mused Zatanna. She got up and circled around Lena and said, “You have a huge magical aura that surrounds you.”

Lena chuckled nervously and said, “That can’t be right. I think that I would have realized if I had magical powers.”

Zatanna cocked her head at Lena and then shouted, “Laever Egaenil.”

Suddenly, Lena’s forehead glowed yellow before revealing an owl with a crown symbol on her forehead.”

Zatanna looked at Lena surprised and muttered, “Okay, I wasn’t expecting that.”

Read the rest on AO3

[the-atlas-sister]

First Kiss (Batfamily Preference)

(Y/f/h= your favorite hairstyle)

Bruce:

Bruce put on a fake smile, like he usually did at these galas. A handful of people approached him and asked him about his company or life, mostly old ladies asking when he was going to get himself a wife.

He let out a puff of air as the last group of old ladies walked away from him. He raised his glass of sparkling water to his lips, scanning the room for his special guest.

That's when he saw you. You wore a black dress that fit you perfectly and your hair was in (y/f/h). Alfred led you into the large room, saying something to you.

You looked around the room filled with people, anxiety rising in your chest. Your eyes finally landed on Bruce who stared at you with a loving expression on his face. You felt at ease as you stared at him.

Bruce approached you, taking your hand and raising it to his lips. They grazed your knuckles gently and you blushed as he kept eye contact.

"You look beautiful, my dear," Bruce said, spinning you.

"Thank you," you said, smiling gratefully.

"I want to show you something," Bruce said, giving you a boyish grin.

"Alright," you said, letting him guide you up the main stairs. He continued to lead you down the long halls until you reached a large terrace overlooking the garden and pool. "Wow," you sighed, leaning your elbows on the railing. You stared in awe at the beautiful sight before you, not noticing Bruce come up next to you.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked, making you look at him.

"Very," you said. "I can't believe this is all yours."

"It can be yours too," he stated, turning to you.

"That's very sweet," you chuckled, turning back to the garden.

Bruce smiled at you. "I mean it," he said, gripping your chin gently and making you look at him. "I love you, Y/N," he said honestly.

Your eyes widened. You stared at Bruce before leaning forward and pressing your lips against his. You pulled away seconds after. "I love you too," you said quietly, your face a deep red.

Bruce's face lit up before he wrapped his arm around your waist, pulling you into a sweet hug.

(Don't mind me. Just blushing because I'm imagining Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne)

Dick:

"You'll be okay," Dick mumbled, setting you on the guest room bed at Wayne manor. You had recently been kidnapped by Slade as bait. When Dick arrived, you were already bloodied and bruised.

"I'm fine," you said, sitting up, wincing as you did. "I'm Batgirl."

"Lie your ass down," Dick demanded, taking off his domino mask. You closed your mouth and relaxed against the headboard.  You watched as Dick pulled out one of the first aid kits that was held in every room (due to the family's tendency to endanger themselves), his shoulders tense.

"Calm down, Cereal Boy," you said, trying to make a joke. Dick sent you a harsh look, making you sink into the bed.

Dick noticed this and his gaze softened. He sighed and sat in front of you. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I used to love the idea of you being Batgirl. I loved to work with you, but after this- a-and after what happened to Barbra and Jason-"

"Dick, listen to me," you said, now sitting right across from Dick. "I understand your fear, but I'm not Barbra or Jason, and your not Bruce. You won't give up everything for the city. And I can take care of myself."

"But-"

"No buts," you interrupted. "I'm a little bruised but alive."

"Y/N-"

You rolled your eyes before leaning forward and pressing your lips against Dick's. He stiffened but slowly leaned into it. He placed his larger hands on your shoulders as gently as he could.

"Thanks for worrying," you mumbled as you pulled away.

Jason:

You smirked as you ran across the rooftops, Red Hood and Nightwing behind you. You had taken up the mantle Catwoman for a while, because your mother had been injured fighting Batman.

You had just stolen a golden cat statue from the Penguin, who was at large.

"Is it just me, or has Catwoman gotten smaller?" Nightwing said, doing a flip and landing in front of you.

"Is it just me or is this Nightwing's hairline reseeding?" you smirked. You watched as Nightwing's face contorted into one of fear, his hands going to his hair. You took that opportunity to jump down from the building. As you fell, you felt someone wrap their arms around your waist, catching you before both of you tumbled onto one of the lower buildings.

You jumped up, seeing Red Hood across from you. "Now, let's make this easy," he said, pulling out one of his guns, which you assumed had rubber bullets. "I got a date tonight and I can't be late."

"So do I," you stated before pulling out your whip. You snapped it around Red Hood's ankle, pulling him to his back. You yanked on the whip, pulling Red Hood towards yourself. You placed one foot on his chest and the other on his wrist holding the gun. "Now tell me, what's under that hood?" You leaned down, your gloved hands running around the metal hood, searching for a way to take it off.

"Hey-" Red Hood exclaimed as you pulled off the hood. Your eyes widened as your boyfriend's face appeared. You decided to put on a fake smirk.

"What a pretty face," you said, leaning down and placing your knees on his wrists. You smirked as you pressed your lips to Jason's. You placed both of your hands on his face, tilting your head to deepen the kiss. "Hope your girlfriend doesn't mind," you whispered before jumping up. You grabbed your whip and rewrapped it before jumping off the building. You let out a breath as you landed in a dumpster.

You jumped out and began running. My boyfriend is Red Hood, you thought.

Tim:

Where is he? you thought, looking around the cafeteria. You were waiting for your best friend, Tim. He had been incredibly kind when you first arrived at school and the two of you instinctually clicked.

You sighed after waiting a few more minutes before standing up and walking into the halls. That's when you saw Tim surrounded by three bullies.

"Look at this loser," the first one said, pushing Tim back when he tried to sneak away. "Bet he's never even had a girlfriend." Tim met your eyes. He seemed less scared or intimidated and more annoyed.

"Can I just go to lunch?" he sighed.  

"You could eat this," the second bully smirked, pulling out a stinky sock.

You scoffed, deciding to step in. "What are you, 5?" you said, pushing the bully's face to the side. He looked at you, extremely offended. "Come on Tim," you said, grabbing Tim's hand and beginning to pull him out from the small circle of bullies.

"Guess he can get girls to save him, but never sleep with him!" one bully yelled. You stopped, glaring at him before grabbing Tim's face and kissing him softly.

Tim panicked for a second, going stiff and not knowing what to do, but eventually placed his hands on your waist like Dick told him to when he explained how to kiss a girl.

"Come on," you grinned, pulling away.

"O-okay," Tim stuttered out before letting you lead him back into the cafeteria.

Damian:

"You're getting sloppy," Damian commented as you threw a punch at him. He had suggested a while back that you two start training together. You thought it was a great idea and would be fun. You were wrong.

"I am not," you defended, ducking as Damian threw a punch. He was going easy on you, and it annoyed you. "And don't go easy on me Damian. I'm Supergirl, I can handle it."

"I'm not going easy on you Beloved," Damian insisted, ducking down and going to trip you, but you easily flew above his foot. "Although we did agree no powers," he said, crossing his arms over his chest and looking up at your flying form.

"I'll stop using my powers when you stop going easy on me," you said, mimicking Damian's actions.

"Alright," Damian smirked, making you blush slightly. He quickly pulled out a grappling hook gun from who knows where and shot it. It wrapped around your ankle before you could fly away. Damian pulling on it, slowly pulling you down from the air until your feet touched the ground. Then, before you had time to react, he rushed forward, tripping you.

"Ow," you mumbled, looking up to see Damian pinning you to the ground with a smirk. "I knew you were going easy on me." Damian smiled slightly, admiring you. "Can you let me up now?" you asked, you face flushing pink at the newfound attention.

"Try and get out," Damian stated, apparently unsatisfied. You sighed before an idea popped into your mind. You leaned up, pressing your lips to Damian's. His eyes widened, unsure of what to do. He racked his brain for what Dick had told him to do in the stupid 'what if someone kisses you' talks. You then leaned back down.

"I'm sorry," you said, worried about Damian's reaction.

Damian stared at you before leaning down and recapturing your lips. You quickly reacted, lifting your head up to get a better angle.

You felt Damian's grip loosen as you continued and tried to slip your wrists from his grip, only from Damian to grab them again and press them to the floor.

"So close," he teased, pulling away slightly.

You rolled your eyes.

"SWEET JESUS!" Dick's voice yelled from the side, making you and Damian turn your heads. All of Damian's brothers stood there, staring at the two of you. Dick seemed horrified, Jason seemed both impressed and proud and Tim just looked confused. "YOU TWO NEED HOLY WATER!" Dick screeched, rushing forward and pouring his water on the both of you.

"Grayson!"

Terry:

"Terry," you said, looking up from your book as Terry walked into the living room of Wayne Manor.

"Hey Baby," Terry said, approaching you. "Where's the old man?"

"At some charity event," you stated, returning your attention to your book. Terry sat next to you, staring at you.

"What are you reading?" he asked.

"Y/f/b," you answered, turning a page.

"Well, can we do something together?" Terry questioned.

"After I'm done reading," you shrugged him off. Terry glanced at the book, raising an eyebrow at how much you still had left. He pushed the book down slightly, making you scowl at him. "Terry, I told you-"

Terry leaned forward, kissing you gently. You pushed him away. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked, staring at you with a hurt expression.

"I said after my book," you said, going back to y/f/b.

These aren’t fantastic- but thank you for reading

I take requests btw! <3

I take requests for the following fandoms:

Demon Slayer

Haikyuu

Hunter x Hunter

My Hero Academia

Studio Ghibi films

IT (the films and book)

Percy Jackson

DC

Marvel

Umbrella Academy

Harry Potter

Star Wars

Most Actors (not a fandom, I know)

Rise of the Guardians

Disney (some people like reading Disney character x reader things)

I do fluff, smut, lime and angst.

[themaribatpit]

Jasonette July Day 4: Game On

Written by: The Maribat Pit  @jasonette-july-event  Prompt: Game On Rated: T (for sexual references, mostly references to things that happened in the comics.  You have been warned.) “I can’t just go spilling my protégé’s secrets. I can barely send her out into the mean streets on her own.” she said with a coy show of innocence that she wasn’t even trying to make believable.

 “I’m not asking for her identity, all that concerns me is why you decided to take her in.” Batman explained.

 “She was in trouble, I was in the neighbourhood and I gave her a helping hand,” she explained. “That special claw of hers comes in handy, and besides we all know how you feel about magic users Bruce.” She wasn’t wrong about that.  Batman could never trust Constantine further than he could throw him. He could only bring himself to turn to Zatanna when he really needed her help.  Shazam was an exception, seeing as the limits of his magic were clear and simple enough to understand.  That didn’t make him any less formidable, but it didn’t make him quite as unpredictable.  He was, at the end of the day, a detective who was trained to think rationally and logically in order to get to the bottom of a situation.  Magic was the ultimate wild card, and the sooner he figured out this girl’s abilities, the better.  “You’ll be pleased to know she’s not a completely hopeless case, she’s been helpful but she doesn’t get quite the same thrill out of thievery.” Catwoman remarked, “but it’s been lovely having her around, and I’m not about to just hand her over to you”.

 “Then what would you have me do?” he asked, “I’m concerned your rivals might be a little less forgiving.”

 “Is that so? You don’t think she’s strong enough to save herself?”  Catwoman smiled, it was nice to know that he cared, just a little. “Besides, she’s already had years of experience under her belt, maybe you’re just jealous you didn’t find her first.” She taunted playfully. Goodness knows he was in no position to talk when it came to taking people under his wing.  “Tell you what, how about we have a friendly little wager?” Bruce saw her eyes light up at the thought, but he was undeniably curious about what she had in mind.

 “What do you propose?” he asked.

 “A fun little game, your boys against my little foundling. If any of them can take her down, then you can welcome her into your family with open arms” she explained.

 “How do I know she won’t just kill them?” Batman asked, it wouldn’t be the first time Bruce had to try and steer someone away from any homicidal tendencies.

 “She’s a lot of things, but let’s just say killing wasn’t really an option for her back in the day.” she explained, “She’ll fall in line with your ‘no killing’ rule quite nicely. Think about it, your sons versus my little girl.”  Her claws skated across Batman’s shoulders as he pondered this.

 “Anything else?” Batman asked, he had to know exactly what they were walking into.

 “Your boys can bring a second to their little duels, but only one.  No need to have the Titans ganging up on her.” she explained.  She left out the part about her protégé having other tricks up her sleeve.  With the power she had, they would be lucky to get a single scratch on her.

 “So be it then.” Bruce said, it would be an opportunity to see how this girl measured up against the boys he had trained. At that moment Catwoman decided it was game on.

 Marinette had just come home from her classes at Gotham University, and she was looking forward to a quiet night working on some designs that were due a few weeks.   A text message from Catwoman brought her plans to a grinding halt:

 “Mari dear, made a little wager with Batman.  You beat his four sons in a fight, and you get to stay with me.  If you lose however, he gets to take you under his wing (in every sense of the word).  They’ll be on the lookout for Lady Noire in the next few days, but I never said anything about only using her to win.”

 Marinette was really starting to regret being saved by Catwoman. That night, she was outnumbered by some muggers who thought she would be an easy target.  She was trying to find an opening, to make a break for it, maybe find somewhere to hide and transform if she really must.  Suddenly she heard a voice grab their attention, “I’ve always loved big strong men who aren’t afraid to show it with someone half their size.” she purred.  While they were distracted, Marinette decided to call on Plagg for some help.   She always loved how the Lady Noire suit made her movements feel lighter, plus the night vision and Cataclysm were useful too. Unfortunately for her, it meant that Catwoman saw her in action and decided to take an interest in her from that day forth.  Sure, she was a cunning thief and there was little that Marinette could do to stop her. At the same time, Marinette was a young woman in a city that was the polar opposite of what she knew in Paris. She couldn’t deny that there was something comforting about having someone in this city looking out for her. Especially since her parents were in Paris, and Master Fu was no longer around to help her.  She took the Miraculous with her to Gotham City, but none of the other wielders came with her.  She was still their guardian after all, but she had to be more careful about using them.  She wasn’t about to single handedly take on superpowered crime lords with their armies of henchmen. She had to be a lot more careful with her powers since other people could get hurt.  Besides, they already had a small group of vigilantes keeping the city safe, they didn’t need her.

 Marinette reread the text message over and over again.  she was about to see what these vigilantes were made of, though it was just as accurate to say it was the other way around.  She opened the box, carefully choosing which ones she could use in a fight.  She usually used Lady Noire when she was with Catwoman, but by the sound of it she was counting on her to use all of her tricks to win.

 Damian never fully understood his father’s attachment to Catwoman, but this was a challenge he could not refuse.  They were told to keep an eye out for this “Lady Noire” character while they were out on patrol.  Oracle had agreed to referee this ordeal, Damian was absolutely certain he was going to be the one to bring her in.  They were allowed to bring a second, but Damian didn’t think it would be necessary. From what they were told she was a smaller Catwoman, though they were told to exercise caution because of her destructive abilities.  The last person Damian had expected to find was a girl in a red and black body suit, who looked nothing like the girl with long hair and green eyes that Batman had described.  Still, there was something odd about the girl and Damian moved in closer to investigate.

 Catwoman had given Marinette a vague rundown of who her opponents were.  There was Nightwing, the eldest of the four boys and a trained acrobat. The second eldest was the infamous Red Hood, Marinette had heard rumours about him and she had no way of knowing if the Kwamis could guard her against someone who uses firearms.  The third was Red Robin, Catwoman advised using clever strategy if she was going to get the upper hand on this one.  Finally, there was the current Robin, the son of Batman and Talia Al Ghul, the youngest of the boys who was trained by assassins before Batman took him in.

 She took the Ladybug earrings with her, seeing as they were more versatile for the occasion.  In addition to the earrings, she wore the Longg’s choker around her neck.  Master Fu had often cautioned against using fusions, considering how draining they were on her body.  Her new mentor advised her to use every tool she could in her arsenal, because they certainly would.  On most nights she noticed a small, hooded figure passing through her neighbourhood from time to time. She decided to see which of these boys would be her first opponent.  

 While she was standing on that rooftop, she heard a few footsteps behind her.  It was raining but through the mist and the rain she could see a small, shadowy figure watching her closely.  It made sense, she was dressed in bright colours and standing on a rooftop in the pouring rain.  She practically had a sign on her head that said “come and get me”, which in some way was part of her plan.  The question was, whether or not her first opponent would take the bait.  “I know you’re there little one, so are you going to stay there or come over and say hello?” she asked, Marinette tried to sound cheerful but she ended up sounding silly instead.  She tried to hide the burning embarrassment she felt at how silly that sounded. The boy could probably sense it too, because she turned around and saw him narrowing his eyes at her suspiciously.

 He leapt from his perch and landed behind her with a thud and splatter of rain water.  He was no taller than Marinette and he wore a red and green outfit, with a black hooded cape and a green domino mask. The red and green outfit had a golden yellow “R” on his chest, and she also noticed a sword that was sheathed at his side.  Marinette had to suspect this boy was the youngest out of the boys, Robin.   The two of them stood in silence for a long moment, she figured that someone who was formerly trained by assassins would be a little more hostile.  Then again, he was probably expecting someone else entirely.  “Aren’t you a little young to be out patrolling by yourself, little one?” she asked, trying to make some kind of conversation with the boy. She wasn’t in any position to say anything about this, considering she had been protecting Paris since she was 13.

 “What’s it to you?” He scoffed, “we’re looking for someone named Lady Noire, and you clearly wanted to attract someone’s attention by standing on a rooftop in that costume”.

 “Robin, can you not be a brat for like, five minutes?” Red Robin groaned into his comm, but Damian didn’t listen.

 “You can either state your business or stop wasting my time” he snapped, as Marinette chuckled.

 “So, you’re planning on challenging Lady Noire.  Tell me, what do you really know about her?” she asked him.

 “Only that father and that woman have taken an interest in her, and I intend to prove to both of them that she is nothing special.” he growled, “so unless you know something about her, stay out of my way”.

 “You seem certain, for someone who has never once faced her” she said with a smile.

 “I was trained by the best, I will not lose to someone who is little more than a foundling.” he was reaching for his sword at that moment.  Red Robin and Nightwing rolled their eyes at that comment as they listened in. They knew they had all bested their youngest brother at some point or other, despite being “foundlings”.

 “It would have been easy too just to hide from you and your brothers, but I’m going to enjoy taking you down a peg.” She braced herself for her first fight of the challenge.   She really could have, but sadly she had very little patience for people who thought they were better than everyone else.

 “I won’t lose to you Lady Noire, or whoever you are”, he growled as he drew his sword and pointed it at her.

 “Tikki, Longg, unify!” she called out, and a flash of red and gold light stunned Robin for a moment. The red and black bodysuit now had gold accents and a symbol on her chest.  The symbol was a lighting bolt, a wave and a gust of wind all swirling together.

 “What did you do?!” Red Robin yelled into his comm, “I swear if she kills us all just because you couldn’t control yourself…”

 Robin looked up to see that she had a yo-yo in one hand and the other reached behind her to draw a sword.  

 “And by the way, it’s Dragon Bug to you”, she swung her yo-yo with one hand and Robin ducked to dodge it. After dodging it, he charged at Dragon Bug, katana in hand.  She blocked his attack with her sword before kicking him back with her foot.  Dragon Bug pulled back her yo-yo and charged at him with her sword, when he blocked her, he spun around and kicked her legs out from under her.  As Dragon Bug fell to the floor, she raised her sword and yelled “Water Dragon!”.  There was more than enough to create a barrier that pushed Robin back before he could strike again.  Robin was knocked back against the wall, and she took out her yo-yo to make an escape to the streets below.

 This Lady Noire, Dragon Bug, whoever she was, had insulted his honor.  To him, that just simply would not stand. His father said that he wanted her alive, but he could barely get a scratch on her.  He got up quickly and used his grappling hook to swing after her. She was waiting for him, with her hair blowing in the wind, and a smile that Damian wanted to wipe off her face. He charged at her once more, this time sliding on the floor at the last moment and hoping to take a swipe at her leg. Once again, she managed to turn and block his katana. The pair of them traded blow after blow after blow, but he could only land a few scratches on her.  Marinette could use Lightning Dragon and shock the boy, to bring this to a swift end.  However, with all the water that was around them, she might end up killing the boy instead. Before she could try anything else with that sword, he blocked it and sent it flying off to the side. Marinette watched as her sword flew out of her hands before clattering on the ground next to them.

 Marinette had to admit that this kid was good and that the fusion was starting to drain her a little. She had to act fast as she dodged another incoming strike. She leapt backwards to dodge it but the boy took out a grappling hook, he gave it a few good spins before flinging it forward and catching her foot.  He pulled the wire taut and sent her crashing to the ground, hard.  “You may have your tricks, Dragon Bug, but I have skill, I have training, and now I have defeated you.” he called out as he tugged at the wire, pulling her towards him.

 “That may be true, but there’s something you should know…” she groaned as she propped herself up on her elbows, he stopped for a moment as he waited for her to tell him exactly what that was. Marinette reached for her yo-yo, she needed to finish this and safe her strength, “…you’re not the only one who’s had training.” she told him. Dragon Bug quickly spun her yo-yo and swung it at Robin, this time wrapping the wire around him and pulling the string tight.  He tried to free himself using his katana, while Dragon Bug unwrapped the wire around her foot.  As she stood up she said, “another one of my ‘magic tricks’” as she ran to retrieve her own sword.  She sheathed the sword and looked back to find a hog-tied Robin, desperately trying to cut the cord and free himself.  She wanted to enjoy this moment for just a little longer, there was always something so satisfying in moments like these.  She took a moment to send a quick message to Catwoman:

 “Dragon Bug: 1, Robin: 0” before sending her a selfie, with Robin tied up in the background.

 She glanced back at Robin who was now just scowling at her.  “You fought valiantly little one, but sadly you are not my only opponent” she told him as she unwound the string around him. When she had her yo-yo back, she flung it towards a street lamp and swung forward, lifting her up off the ground. There was one thing Damian was certain of, there was no way his brothers were going to let him live this down. With a good tug of her yo-yo, freed Damian, spinning him around in the process.

 Meanwhile, Jason and Roy were on a road trip back to Gotham, the two of them had just taken care of a Drug Lord in Starling City.  Jason’s phone buzzed with some news from Dick, something about how they had all been embroiled in a bet to take down Selina’s new protégé.  If any of them win, she has to join the Bat family, and if they all lose then she keeps working with Selina.  He could not bring himself to care, it was 50/50 on whether or not this girl was tolerable or if she was going to annoy him like the rest. Roy glanced over at him before turning his attention back to the road, “you look like you’re desperately searching for a fuck to give” he commented.

 “Just some dumb bet Bruce made,” Jason shut off his phone before reclining back in his chair.

 “That’s not like Bruce, usually making dumb bets was something you guys did” Roy wracked his brain trying to imagine the stoic and serious Batman making a dumb bet.

 “Something about Catwoman and her little sidekick.” he drawled, “If Dick, Me, Replacement or Demon Spawn take her down, she becomes Batman’s little sidekick.  Like he doesn’t have enough of those running around”.

 “Ah, I’m guessing you don’t want to fight her when we make it back to Gotham City?” Roy asked, “wouldn’t it be hilarious if you taught her how to win against your brothers?”

 Jason gave a half-hearted chuckle, moments later his phone buzzed with more messages.  He was really looking forward to this little power nap, but he checked to make sure no one desperately needed his help.

 He sees the picture that she took with Damian tied up in the background.  Babs, Steph and Cass had watched the whole thing, with popcorn. While Tim had made that photo the new wallpaper on the Belfry’s computer.

 “Well, says here she literally wiped the floor with Demon Spawn, before swinging away on a yo-yo.” he said and they both laughed “now I’m just mad I won’t get to buy the girl a few drinks”.

 “I mean either way, I’m sure you’ll get your chance if you’re both in Gotham City.  I’m just sad that I’ll have to be your third wheel.” Roy said wistfully.

 “Roy, I had to listen to you and Kory in the next room,” Jason recalled, “you have no room to complain about third wheeling.”

 “Awh was little Jaybird jealous?” Roy joked.

 “Hey you’re the one who assumed that we banged in the first place,” he said “all I said was I was with her, and you decided to interpret that however you wanted”.

 “Well, it doesn’t matter anyway because she ran off to Miami to work through some things, and we’re just over here thinking about the good old days,” Roy said.  The two of them continued to drive in silence and Jason leaned back, trying to get some sleep before facing whatever chaos was waiting to greet them in Gotham City.

  Tim has researched all he could on this mysterious Lady Noire, yet there are several reported sightings of different vigilantes all with the same height and build. Lady Noire, Ladybug, Dragon bug. Tim compiled all known sightings onto his corkboard to get a clear picture of who this person is.

The fight between Dragon Bug and Damian provided him with crucial information on how he could counter Dragon Bug. Tim then donned his Red Robin costume and began patrol of Gotham City. Gliding across he spotted an usual sight, a costumed person standing on a rooftop. It had to be the one Batman told him about, the person he was to fight because of the bet.

Tim landed on a nearby rooftop to reconfirm the target. "Same height and build, but this costume is different." Tim sighed, he had noticed that each costume had its own power and abilities, and made detailed notes on each. Codename: Polka-dot had the power to summon an unknown household object. Codename: Catwoman II used an indestructible staff and the power of disintegration, Codename: Drake used a sword and came with the power of hydrokinesis.

However, he had no intel regarding this new costume. He decided to press his luck and use stealth to take her down. He leaped off the roof and began gliding towards her with a kick.

To his surprise, his target shrank at the last second, he glided through and smashed into a skylight, landing inside an abandoned building.

Multimouse followed suit and jumped in through the broken skylight. Landing right at the centre of the room, she simply stood there arms akimbo looking at him. Red Robin threw a smoke bomb, grappling to the rafters. Multimouse did not pursue, no sense of panic she simply walked to a wooden crate and sat on it.

Red Robin, took the opportunity to launch himself off and glided towards Multimouse with a kick. He was shocked to see her suddenly turn around as if she knew he was there the entire time, with perfect timing she grabbed and judo flipped Red Robin through the wooden crate. Wiping her hands in a dramatic manner, Multimouse walked to the centre of the room and crossed her arms. Red Robin crushed a smoke bomb with his hand, obscuring the area and diving towards an underground vent.

He began to wonder how she was able to counter him so effectively. "The power of foresight? 360 degrees x-ray vision? No it can't be." Red Robin thought to himself. While crawling in the vents to a position behind Multimouse, he berated himself for pressing his luck without any information on Multimouse. He peeked his head out of the vent, Multimouse had not moved, she continued to stare at Red Robin's previous location. Taking another chance, Red Robin jumped out of the underground vent ready for a takedown.

Again as if she was a clairvoyant she countered him perfectly, spinning on the spot and delivering a crushing kick to Red Robin’s midsection. Sending him flying across the room, he took out his staff and slowly got up, using the staff as if it was a cane. He stood on shaky legs, in disbelief.

He then begins to notice something unusual hanging on the hem of his cape. His eyes widen as he takes a closer look. A miniature clone of Multimouse was hanging on, his eyes snapped up to the rafters and then the vents. There were several miniature clones all over the building, all about the size of a small insect.

Red Robin's jaw dropped as he had this epiphany. Seeing her cue, Multimouse shrank down and spawned a horde of miniature clones. Millions of clones rush towards Red Robin, he begins swinging his staff, stomping on any clones on the ground, flailing his arms like a madman. The horde bellows a collective “Surrender,” Red Robins defiantly continues to fight.

Soon the swarm begins to cover Red Robin all the way up to his neck, his body unable to move. The Multimouse arms pulls off the cowl and begins pulling all of Red Robin’s hair. Red Robin, facing the agony of Multimouse waxing his head. “Ok, ok I give up.” he cried. As he finished his plea, the swarm dissipated and reforms to the singular human sized Multimouse. Red Robin is then left kneeling and staring at the strands of his own hair left on the floor.

Multimouse, seizing the opportunity to obtain a trophy of her efforts, takes a selfie with a poor, disheveled Red Robin in the background.

  Marinette was really starting to feel the effects of using different Miraculous for two nights straight. Dragon Bug was draining enough, but she had to use Multimouse to take on Red Robin.  That left Nightwing and The Red Hood, and she was starting to wonder what was the point of this game.  She felt like she was just fighting to win, fighting so that the person who took care of her when she first arrived in Gotham could prove a point.  If she won, then she would stay under Catwoman’s protection, and the Miraculous would be protected with her.  Though she was lucky that the Miraculous themselves didn’t look valuable enough to pique her interest.  If she lost to one of them, she would be under Batman’s protection instead.  She would become a part of the group of vigilantes who operate in the city, and she didn’t know how she felt about that either. How would she feel about seemingly being the only magic user among them?  How would he feel about her being a magic user?  She hadn’t even met the guy, all she knew was that he took an interest in her dealings with Catwoman.  Maybe she would encounter the Red Hood and he would make the choice for her by putting her out of her misery.  She decided to settle this fight once and for all as Ladybug, maybe then someone would give her some answers.  

 She got a text message from Catwoman, telling her to meet her on a rooftop that had gargoyles glaring down at the streets below.  Maybe she had information on where her next fight would be, she didn’t say.  By the time she got there, she saw two people eating fast food next to the gargoyles.  The first was a redhead in red armor, and the second was…

 “Get your own brooding spot, this one’s taken!” He yelled. Marinette looked up to see the other guy had a red domino mask, and in addition to being dressed in Kevlar and leather, had a red bat symbol on his chest.

 Marinette spun her yo-yo, getting ready for a fight. The redhead continued eating, while his dark-haired companion gave her a swift once over.

 “So, you’re the girl who took down Robin and Red Robin?” he asked, as if struggling to believe it.  

 “And you are?” she asked, when he put on the red helmet that was in his hand, it suddenly became clear.

 “So, looking for me?” he asked, “Or are you on your way to fight the original boy wonder?”

 “Honestly, I’ll take my chances with you.” Marinette said as she launched her yo-yo at his companion and wrapped the cord around him.

 “Wait, wait, wait why me?” the redhead cried,  then she threw him and sent him crashing into the Red Hood.  The pair of them slammed into a nearby wall before she released the redhead.  She unwound the cord and was getting ready to strike again.

 Underneath the sprawled out pile of bodies, Red Hood grunted “Arsenal, get your ass off of my face or else…” Arsenal got up before he could finish his threat and they both stood up.

 “So who checked ‘Fights with Toys’ off their bingo card?” Arsenal joked.

 “Is that the best you can do?” Red Hood taunted. He came at her with a knife in hand, when she leapt in the air and wrapped her yo-yo cord around his arm.  She launched herself at him, landing an aerial kick on his helmet. Red Hood grabbed her by the foot and flipped her over, sending her crashing to the ground.

“If you came here to fight me that’s one thing, not many people get to say they took on someone with a yo-yo and lived, unless you’re Toyman.” he said, as he lifted her up off the ground.  “If you think this is what it takes to face Nightwing, then you have no idea who you’re dealing with.”

 Ladybug took a few steps back after he helped her get to her feet, “so are you going to fight me instead?”

 “Pixie, take it from me, it’s really not all it’s cracked up to be.  As fun as it’s been watching you kick my brother’s asses, they are nothing compared to Nightwing.” he explained as he took off his helmet and set it down next to him.

 “What do you know about Nightwing?” she asked, still understandably guarded about the situation.

 “Oh what don’t I know, he’s basically Batman’s heir.” he told her “I’m just one of the spares, and that’s on a good day when I managed to not die.”

 Dick had made it clear days ago that he wasn’t going to fight her, he already put his foot down at how silly this whole thing was.  Jason, however, decided to have a little fun. “Honestly, you might as well just walk right into the batcave and challenge Batman yourself.” he told her, “I mean you won’t die, that’s kinda his whole deal, but you’ll be eating through a straw for the rest of your life.”

Jason, enjoying the anxiety bubble in the young woman, and he decided to crank it up to eleven.

“Nightwing is equal if not better than Batman in every way, he once took up the mantle of Batman when he was injured. Not only that, he broke Bane’s back.  He lifted a 7ft tall 500lb big guy, snapped his spine over his knee as if it was nothing.”  Jason moves his arms, mimicking the motion of breaking something over his knee. Ladybug began to sweat even more, struggling to imagine the powerhouse of a man to even accomplish such a feat.

Jason’s grin widens, “not only that, he fought a giant mutated bat the size of a man. He wrestled Man-Bat, putting him in a full nelson and smashing its face into solid concrete” Ladybug cringes at the thought of feeling the full force of having your face slammed into concrete. Jason gets ready for the coup de grace. “In fact, when he was 10 years old, he watched his parents get murdered by mobster Tony Zucco in front of his own eyes. After being taken under Batman’s wing, he went out for revenge. He chased after Tony for hours and cornered him in Crime Alley.

Tony died that night when Nightwent went after him, the official cause was a heart attack.”

Jason stops talking to look around him, as if he was paranoid and there were eyes all around him. He walks up to Ladybug and whispers to her ear “but between you and me, it wasn’t.”

 He turns to Roy, “but if she’s gonna try and take him on after all that, then we might as well pull up some chairs and watch.” he said, giving Roy a knowing look.

 “Oh yeah, I mean he’s no match for a cute girl and her yo-yo.” Roy joked.

 “Come on, he’s probably waiting on top of the Iceberg Lounge, and he doesn’t like to be kept waiting” he declared, Ladybug followed as the three of them made their way to the Iceberg Lounge. She felt her legs shaking, but it’s fine, she would at least live to tell the tale...right?

Nightwing stood on the roof of the Iceberg Lounge, carefully watching the whereabouts of the people going in and out of the area.  He heard footsteps and looked up to see three figures landing on the rooftop in front of him. He looked up to see Red Hood, Arsenal and a short girl who looked to be in her late teens, maybe early 20s.  He looked between them, then back at the girl who was spinning a red yo-yo with black polka dots.

Nightwing waved to them, figuring she would be the short girl mentioned in the bet between Batman and Catwoman. As he noticed the three, the short girl visibly frightened as he walked towards them.

 Nightwing sighed “what did you tell her?” he asked, he had better things to than get involved in Batman’s dumb little bet.  The outcome would have been someone joining the Bat family by force, even he had put his foot down by that point.  

 “I mean, nothing that wasn’t true.” Red Hood told him, “she might as well know who she’s dealing with.”

 “Right, and you probably told her you are just a soft teddy bear compared to me.” Nightwing remarked sarcastically, “was it to keep her from beating the stuffing out of you?”. At that point Ladybug was visibly confused, so Nightwing looked over at her “so how did you get dragged into this? Got sick of having to share a litter box?”

 Ladybug eyes Nightwing cautiously, thinking his joking mannerisms are an elaborate ruse to lower her guard. “What, don’t tell my Catwoman’s got your tongue?” Nightwing jokes with a large grin. Ladybug begins to slowly walk back, confused at how expectations did not match reality.

Nightwing points his thumb at Ladybug and talks to Red Hood, “Alright what did you tell her about me?” Red Hood raises his arms innocently “Like I said, nothing that wasn’t true.”

Nightwing raises his eyebrow at Red Hood and crosses his arms. “Alright I told her how you took down Bane and Man-Bat by yourself” Red Hood admits. “And?” Nightwing begins tapping his foot. “I may have, insinuated that you may or may not have had something to do with Tony Zucco's heart attack”

Nightwing facepalms, “well so much for first impressions, let's start over shall we?”

 Nightwing reaches his hand out to Ladybug, “Name’s Richard but everyone calls me Dick”

Marinette tentatively reaches out to shake his hand, “I know you aren’t enthusiastic about this bet, neither am I. I don’t want to knock your spots off, so how about I lie on the ground, you take a picture for Catwoman and you fly off into the sunset”

 “Where would I go?” she asked,

 “She could come with us.” Red Hood suggested, “nothing would annoy Batman more.”

 “Right, and next she’ll start asking me if I actually hypnotize people with my ass.” Nightwing said as he raised an eyebrow at him.  “Think Catwoman would let you take her?”

 “We already asked, someone has to look after this pipsqueak while she’s doing what she does best, alone”, Red Hood explained.

 Ladybug felt herself calming down a lot more at that moment.  She came to this city not really knowing anyone, feeling like there was no one else looking out for her.  Now, for the first time in a long time, she felt like she was going to be in good hands.

 Bonus 1:

Roy: So, should we call ourselves “Red Arse Bug” or “Lady Red Arse”?

Jason: Do you want me to throw you off this roof?

 Bonus 2:

Ladybug: So you all had to wear red, yellow and green?

Red Hood: Yup.

Ladybug: What was it like?

Red Hood: I did my time in the pixie boots, Pixie.  Doesn’t mean I like to talk about it.

[stxleslyds]

you know how dc keeps forcing this sudden "we're a family" narrative out of nowhere? I'd love batfam content but years of hurt among them make the recent content seem unearned.

bc you know more about dick and jason than the others, how do you think they would realistically become family to each other, or would it even be in character for them to be the "bros" they're written as now?

Oh anon, this question is amazing, I love it! I saw it when I woke up and since then my brain has been brewing this answer, I was thinking about it as I brushed my teeth and as I was making breakfast, and now I am ready to give you the answer, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed thinking/writing about it!

DC keeps forcing the wrong relationships, and they keep forcing the wrong centre of this supposed family, they make it out to be the Bat-Family when in reality the Bat (Bruce) should have never been invited to this party.

This is why I give you the… Dick-Family!

Oh yeah baby, I am going there. Dick is the centre of this “family”, he is the guy who is actually connected with everyone, he has been around for so long and he has been present when almost all of the remaining characters were introduced! Bruce might have come first but that guy has nothing on Dick Grayson.

Dick has cared and loved for everyone in this family in a true and beautiful way, no matter how much fanon and DC try to tell us otherwise. This man was an amazing son to Bruce and Alfred (my love for Alfred and Dick is brought to you by @hood-ex), a fantastic brother to Jason, Tim and Cass as well as a phenomenal father/older brother to Damian.

Dick Grayson is the centre of this whole thing, and thanks to DC now being an Omniverse I will be able to explain my line of thoughts. But first let me clear some ideas up.

The way I see it Jason would only get along good enough with Dick. I am not here for Jason and Tim having brunch together (honestly, Lobdell, what were you thinking), Jason never cared for Tim, and then writers that didn’t know how the Red Hood worked made him try to kill Tim so, to me, that relationship is non-existent, Jason doesn’t really perceive Tim (yet).

Jason and Damian, listen, I know that there is this fanon theory that Jason knew and cared for Damian while he was in the League, but that is just fanon talk and it doesn’t really fit in canon either. Jason wasn’t really capable of doing much other than fight, and after he was put in the Lazarus Pit he either had to leave because Ra’s wanted to kill him or Talia took him to the All-Castle. So, Jason’s only real interactions with Damian would be when Jason was written as a crazy, blood thirsty dude that actually tried to harm a child. So, him and Damian wouldn’t really have a good relationship (yet).

Jason and Cass… that’s just a no. Jason and Barbara, I mean Barbara was older than Dick when she first met Jason, so they wouldn’t have much of a relationship.

Now, lets move on to how I will make the Dick-Family work.

Dick (bless him) actually talks and listens to people, unlike Bruce, so the change would start there. Let’s set the timeline, I will stand right after the events of Under the Red Hood. Bruce just chose saving Joker over letting Jason kill the Joker and the building they were in exploded.

Batman keeps on being himself (trash) and Jason, having survived the explosion, moves on to keep on building his empire. He really wants to control the drug trade in Gotham, so he works on that, he slowly but surely takes his place as a drug lord again and is a constant pain in Black Mask’s ass.

While Jason is doing that, Dick is trying to put together his life after Bludhaven was attacked with Chemo. Let’s say that Bludhaven isn’t completely erased from the map but he does have to leave so the city can be re-built. He goes to Gotham, where the Red Hood works.

Let’s say that Alfred told Dick who was under the Red Hood, so Dick being a good brother goes looking for Jason. Their first interaction out of the mask wouldn’t be nice, Jason barely remembers his life before the pit and he really is convinced that Dick is the absolute worst.

But then Jason being a nosy man would make an appearance, for some reason, let’s say that he hacks into the Batcave and when he does that he finds some footage… The footage in question would be the one which shows Bruce punching Dick and sort of blaming him for Jason’s death. (Oh yeah, I am going there). The footage will make a memory come to mind, Dick taking Jason on a skying trip.

So, the next time that Dick and Jason see each other is because Jason went looking for Dick and here is where these two actually talk. The way I see it, Dick is more flexible with the no killing rule, he has worked many times with people that are villains or that just have different ways of doing things. So, I think that he would understand where Jason’s coming from with his ideas. As they begin to understand one another Jason begins to recover more and more memories from before the Pit.

They get together once a week and they chat about life as well as vigilante stuff. They become friends.

At the same time Dick is also very good friends with Tim and also acts like the amazing big brother he is with him. They chat, they sometimes work together and one day they come across a very complicated situation involving a new drug being introduced in Gotham.

Dick would call Jason and now both of them and Tim are reunited in a safe house working together so this new drug doesn’t fall in the wrong hands. Jason and Tim wouldn’t really like each other. Both of them are there for Dick and because they have to get the job done.

That’s how I see Dick forming the Dick-Family unconsciously. Hell, I will introduce Barbara now. Do you guys remember that in UtRH Barbara was mad with Bruce and didn’t want to work with him but she was still in contact with Dick? Well, I am using that so it can fit my narrative.

Dick, Jason and Tim need more intel so Dick calls Oracle (real Oracle) and because Barbara trusts Dick she works with them.

Here is where it gets interesting, through Barbara, Dick meets Cass, through Tim he meets Stephanie. You see that Dick’s connections are leading him to form a group of people. Cass and Stephanie are trained by Babs and Dick and they become the new Batgirls.

As all of that keeps developing Jason and Dick become “partners in crime” they help each other, they start building a brotherly relationship again. Although Jason refuses to say that out loud.

Then comes in Damian, a difficult child if there has ever been one but he has Bruce so Dick doesn’t have to jump in that fast… right?

Oh brother! Bruce is dead (omg what would we do? Battle for the cowl maybe? No!). with Bruce gone there is only one person who can take his place and everyone knows it has to be Dick.

Dick would feel a lot of things as he is taking Bruce’s place as Batman but he has a group of people ready to back him up (Alfred, Jason, Tim, Babs, Cass, Steph), and he also has to take care of Damian, he is a child and with his father gone then maybe his mother would want to take him back to the League of Assassins, Dick obviously doesn’t want that so he talks to Tim and tells him that he sees him as his equal and that he has a plan to make Damian stay and it involves making Damian his new Robin.

Tim would obviously be sad and a little hurt, but he understands Dick’s decision because they talked about it and Dick actually took the time to explain why he was doing what he was doing (really DC half of the problems you guys come up could be fixed in seconds if people would only take some time to just TALK!).

Dick and Damian work as Batman and Robin and Dick starts assuming the position of his father. They would live with Alfred in the penthouse and maybe Tim will join them from time to time (when he wasn’t busy with Young Justice/Teen Titans stuff). Slowly Dick and Damian will become the Dynamic Duo that we love today.

So, Dick would have his own Robin, Oracle (who is also managing her own team with Black Canary and (why not) the Batgirls), Red Robin and Red Hood working with him if he needs them. They are always a call away. Jason is the most difficult to reach and he will only involve himself in that kind of drama if its about controlling the drug trade or scaring the living shit out of some very shady people.

So, Red Hood wouldn’t be working with the new (and improved) Batman but Jason would hang out with Dick sometimes.

From there they build up. Dick renovates Arkham Asylum and makes it work they way that it is supposed to work. He might also recruit Catwoman when he needs someone really sneaky, they have known each other for so long, I bet Selina loves Dick, she would certainly help him out.

But as all things do, this happy and well-connected Dick-Family is disrupted when Bruce comes back, he inserts himself slowly back into his role as Batman and as he does that Dick starts to move away from it.

But Dick’s connections are strong and well cared for, so, even when he goes back to Bludhaven and starts fresh (again) as Nightwing those connections remain. Oracle still gives him intel, Robin and Red Robin come over to Bludhaven to patrol, maybe they even have their own rooms at Dick’s place.

With Bludhaven functioning again, all of the terrible people that were working there also come back, maybe some of them never left and they have been corrupting the city from its very core. So, when Jason tells Dick that he would like to expand his operations to Bludhaven, Dick says yes, as long as Jason keeps him updated on his work and also lets him know what is going on.

I think it works! What do you guys think so far?

From then on with the whole Dick-Family being connected and strong I think they can actually act and solve their problems as a family. All those arcs that didn’t work very well because Bruce was in the middle of it being a jerk, I think they will work if Dick is at the centre of it. Let’s say that Bruce hid the fact that Joker knows their identities and all that, with such a strong family the second that the Joker tries to manipulate Jason into believing that he created him, Dick will come out of the shadows and shut that bullshit down. If Joker tries to do something to the Circus, then the Birds of Prey and the Robins will be there in seconds helping Dick.

The Court of Owls, those little shits wouldn’t stand a chance against this team, this force of nature! Jason would be the one working from afar because you know my boy wouldn’t be subjected to the “no-killing” rule but if he does it, he has to do it away from the children (Damian) and away from Cass, if he doesn’t want to know real trouble. (He probably arranged those things with Dick a long time ago and he is happy with it).

Now, please forgive me but for angst reasons I will actually let the events of, Batman Incorporated #8, Forever Evil, Nightwing #30 and Spyral run its course.

Let me explain, after Damian’s death Dick holds the Dick-Family together, as well as Bruce because he is amazing like that, but then after Dick supposedly dies, things change just a little bit. Jason would retreat back to his own corner because the only thing attaching him to the Dick-Family was Dick but he would also keep his eyes open and he might also have a direct line with Oracle if things go south.

Aside from Jason, I do see the others working on keeping their connections intact. When Damian eventually returns the land of the living, I can see all of them coming together even more because that’s what Dick would have wanted.

And then Dick will come back from Spyral and here is where the Dick-Family will show the “Bat-Family” why its superior to it in every aspect possible.

The Dick-Family will notice that something must have happened, Dick would never play dead and leave them like that, but Dick loves Bruce and he doesn’t want to tell them the truth, Bruce has no memories now and his family doesn’t deserve that kind of drama BUT Jason and Tim are suspicious, they know Dick at this point and they trust him so they firmly believe that he is hiding something to protect someone. And here is where life repeats itself. Let’s review the Batcave’s footage, yes, I did it again, I just love the fact that Bruce has footage of himself being the absolute worst to his kids, how does DC not use it! Anyway, Tim and Jason find the footage from the events of Nightwing #30 and suddenly the Dick-Family have their “Dick defence squad” jackets on and they are ready to party.

After all that Bruce eventually gets his memories back and he is held accountable for his actions. Also, around this time the events of Robin War would have already happened so Duke is also introduced. Dick lets him join and all that, and then Duke and Cass become besties and they work together.

And yeah, as Rebirth comes closer the Dick-Family would be more united than ever.

The end.

That is how I would have done it. But this way is slow, and DC wouldn’t be able to monetize it as much as they would want.

Jason wouldn’t be giving hugs and calling everyone their brother or sister, he will only get along with Dick and he would be professional with everyone else.

Tim and Damian would get along but they wouldn’t go for ice cream together on a sunny day. Steph and Damian would and so would Cass and Tim or Cass and Duke.

Oracle would work with Dick and the others as a side thing because her main thing would be the Birds of Prey, this time with Helena too.

Alfred would spend his time with Bruce but he would also be very aware of Dick and his influence on everyone around them. Bruce eventually would be integrated to the Dick-Family because Dick is a sweetheart but Dick would also make Bruce follow his rules, Dick is a little bean but he is also the most badass person in the room (whichever room) so you better listen to what he has to say.

The Dick-Family would be something that grows silently and doesn’t need a “Joker War” in order for them to be there for each other, they would try their best each step of the way and they will talk things out when mistakes are made.

This is the way that I see this family dynamic working.

I would even go as far as to say that Talia can be part of the Dick-Family because she is connected to three people, Dick, Damian and Jason.

Dick is the person with most connections in the DC Universe, the Titans, the Justice League, Deathstroke, they all have connections to this treasure of a man. If he needs help in Gotham or Bludhaven then he can call people from the “first circle”, if things are beyond a “street level” threat them he can call the Titans and if shit really hits the fan, Clark and the others are a call away.

Anyway, this was unnecessarily long, I am sorry about it but I am also not because I really don’t know how to answer your question without going on a long rant.

In conclusion the Bat-Family doesn’t work and sadly it wouldn’t work no matter how much they force it. These people don’t have connections, Bruce is not able to make connections between people. And DC has erased entire relationships that Dick used to have. I mean, they got rid of Dick and Tim being close brothers just so they could give us a shitty brunch between Tim and Jason? Only yesterday we saw a true and beautiful interaction between Dick and Damian.

DC is handling the “Bat-Family” in all the worst possible ways. It just doesn’t work.

They should have used Dick all those years ago and they shouldn’t have destroyed Jason’s characterization with Lobdell’s ideas.

So, sadly, my dear anon, I don’t see the Bat-Family as a in character thing for any of these people as they are written currently, but I hope that you enjoyed my version of it. May the Dick-Family bring everyone who reads about it a little joy!

[mochegato]

An Irrevocably Gone Heart

Tim tugged on her arm.  “You’re coming with me.”

“What?” Marinette exclaimed a little louder than she meant to.  She immediately looked around to see if any of the other party goers had noticed them and cringed at the eyes on her.  She gave them a weak smile and moved closer to Tim, who was still pulling them toward the stairs. “No, no, no, no.  This is a family thing.”  She tried to pull away discretely but Tim had her arm in a firm lock.  Damn vigilante training.  She could break out of it of course, but not without making a scene in front of a growing audience, which was starting to include his family.  

They were all moving to the stairs like Tim was, and unwillingly her as well, to stand behind Mr. Wayne as he addressed the crowd at his New Year’s party. She briefly looked over to them to see if they had noticed her yet.  One of the brothers in particular, Jason, had observed the interaction between her and Tim and was watching her carefully.  She accidentally met his eyes and couldn’t look away.  She saw a flicker of interest and amusement in his eyes and blushed at the attention.  She was so caught up in his eyes, she stumbled slightly, giving Tim the advantage in dragging her the last few feet to the stairs.

“You’re like family.  In fact, I like you more than most of my family so… You’re coming.”  Tim grinned at her mercilessly.  She couldn’t get away now without causing a stir in the crowd, drawing all eyes away from Mr. Wayne and to her.  She was caught and they both knew it, trapped by societal convention.  He pulled her onto the stairs next to him and the rest of the family, facing the crowd of party goers and reporters.

“Okay first, I hate being in front of a lot of people.  Second, this seems incredibly counterproductive,” Marinette hissed quietly at him.

“Depends on your goal,” he said with a polite, fake smile, keeping his eyes on the crowd.  “Now smile for the cameras, Love.”

Marinette groaned quietly at him and turned to face the crowd with the practiced, PR worthy smile Adrien had taught her.  She stood a polite distance from Tim, making it clear that although she was here with him, she wasn’t here with him.  Tim chuckled devilishly and pulled her closer to him, slinging his arm around her shoulders. “I’m going to make you pay for this.” She threatened through gritted teeth and a beautiful smile.  “You know who I am but you won’t know where I am and you will never see me coming.”

“Calm down, Trevor.  And you’re welcome.” His smile turned real and his eyes glistened with mirth. “Tomorrow our picture, and more importantly your clothes, will be everywhere in Gotham.”

As soon as Bruce was done with his welcoming speech, they bolted from the stairs to escape his family’s and reporter’s questions.  Tim guided her as they ran through the maze of the manor. They finally stopped running in a back hallway, doubling over in laughter and out of breath.  “Oh man, my family is going to drive themselves insane trying to figure out who you are.”

Marinette closed her eyes and groaned.  “How did this help?  It’s only going to make Bruce more curious about me to make sure I’m not a gold-digger or using you.”

“Marinette, calm down.  You aren’t using me or abusing our friendship to get your name out there.  It was my idea and as I recall, to get you to let me commission you for the suit and come with me, I had to blackmail you int...”  She lunged at him to slam her hands over his mouth.

She glared at him as she looked around to see if anyone heard them.  As soon as she was sure nobody was around to hear them, missing the body listening to them around the corner, she batted at Tim with a pout.  “They don’t know that and how are you going to explain it?”

“I’ll figure it out without saying anything important.” He looked back in the general direction of the party.  “We should get back though.”

“Ugh, fine, but I’m not staying until midnight just for some trust fund prick to try to ‘slum it’ for a night with me. And next time, you come with your boyfriend, not me.  And I can design both of your suits instead.” She adds with a smug grin.

“If you can get him into a suit, deal.” Tim scoffed.  “Good luck with that by the way.  Come on, give me one dance as a reprieve before I have to be sociable. And if any other trust fund pricks try anything with you, I promise to destroy them.”  He gave her a wink.

“Like I need you to do that for me.” She snarked at him.

“Oh definitely not, but it would give me an acceptable excuse to leave the party.” Tim shrugged with a smile.

Jason watched them walk back toward the party from his spot tucked away in an alcove.  Well, this night was certainly more interesting than he had anticipated.  He followed them back to the party and kept an eye on the friends as they danced.  The woman, Marinette, seemed to be having an awfully good time dancing and joking with Tim considering he was ‘blackmailing’ her, but then again if they were friends, like it seemed they were, it was likely to be more embarrassing than damning.

As far as Jason could tell, despite how much she had complained to Tim earlier, Marinette was handling the crowd brilliantly.  She managed to make the rounds at the party talking pleasantly with quite a few people.  A few of her conversation partners had been attending Wayne parties for years and tonight was the first night Jason saw them give a genuine smile.  But, if anyone made the mistake of trying to touch her a little too intimately or make a comment that was a bit too suggestive, or just flat out insulting, she sent them a dark glare that would make Batman proud and crowded their personal space in a way that had the aggressor backing away intimidated and Jason impressed.

Jason tore his eyes away from Marinette and moved to the bar to get some liquid patience.  Tim might be a natural at mingling but he needed a little help to deal with this crowd. The only interesting part of the entire evening had been Tim’s friend.  She had wandered around the room with an effortless grace and stood up for herself with just as effortless strength.  It was a hard balance to maintain and she pulled it off beautifully, just like the rest of herself.  

Jason set his empty drink down and looked down the bar for the bartender.  He didn’t find the bartender, but he did find the stunning woman herself sitting alone with an empty seat next to her.  He moved quickly, seeing a few other men eying her with interest as well.  “Is this seat taken?” He asked with a charming smile.

“It is not.” She said tiredly, not even bothering to look up.  “My date isn’t using it right now.”

“Smooth.” Jason nodded in approval.  “Timbo would just push me out if he wanted the seat.  Well, he’d try anyway.” He took the seat and ordered another drink from the newly appeared bartender.  “Want a refill?”

“I’m good thank you.”  She continued staring at her drink.

Jason grinned at her.  She wasn’t remotely interested in playing nice just for the sake of propriety.  She wasn’t rude, just not easily impressed.  “I’m Tim’s brother, Jason.”

She looked over at him in surprise and immediately cringed internally.  He was the brother she had embarrassed herself gaping at earlier.  “Oh, I’m sorry.  Hi. Nice to meet you.  I’m Marinette.”  She reached her hand out to him with a smile.  “Sorry, I thought you were another… never mind.  Hi.”

He gave her a disarming smile and shook her hand.  “Don’t worry about it, I understand.  The kind of people who come to this are… rich is the nicest thing to say about almost any of them.  And you know what they say, eat the rich.”  He dropped her hand but kept his eyes on her.  

She raised an eyebrow at him.  “Aren’t you rich?”

He chuckled.  “No, Bruce is.  I make my own, significantly less red carpeted, way.”

She looked at him skeptically then eyed his tuxedo.  “Awfully expensive tux for someone who isn’t rich.” She commented wryly.

“Bruce’s party, he wants me here, he pays.  I don’t normally wear suits, let alone ones that cost more than six month’s rent.”

She studied the tuxedo again.  “Six months, huh?  That still affords you a pretty nice apartment by Gotham standards.”

He bobbed his head to the side in acknowledgement and studied her again, trying to make sense of her.  “So, what does he have on you?”

She cocked her head to the side and stared at him in confusion as she tried to figure out what he meant.  Her face scrunched in annoyance and her entire posture stiffened once she figured it out.  “If you think Tim has to blackmail me into being his friend, you vastly underestimate your brother’s charms.”

“No I don’t.” Jason scoffed at her.  “I meant bringing you here.”

She raised an eyebrow at him and set her mouth in a firm line.  “You think he has to blackmail me to spend time with him? How is that better?”

“I think he blackmailed you to get you to come to this specific event.  And I think that because I heard him say it to you in the hallway a little bit ago.” Jason responded matter-of-factly, taking another swig of his drink.

“Ah…” She looked back down at her drink and took a long sip trying to figure out how to respond.  Well on the bright side, he wasn’t insulting Tim with his question, he was trying to understand if she was a threat.  But, she wasn’t going to make it that easy for him.  She looked back over to him and gave him a pointed look.  “If it was something I wanted to share, it wouldn’t be blackmail material.”  

Jason grinned at her “True.” Still staring at her expectantly.

“Let’s just say there are things I would rather… uh…” she looked around cautiously, “Bruce Wayne, not know about me.”

Jason raised an eyebrow at her. “Is that so?”

“Yeah… Oh! No.  Nothing like that.  I’m not like Catwoman or one of the sirens or anything.”  She waved her hands frantically in front of her.

He chuckled.  “Honestly I don’t think that would be considered an issue for him.”

She cocked her head to the side, “True.  The most bizarre relationship ever.”

“Not when Joker and Harley once existed.”

“Most appalling relationship ever.”

Jason chuckled and looked into his glass until he realized what she had said. “Wait, how did you know…”

“What?”

“Catwoman and…” he motioned vaguely with his hand.  She hadn’t confirmed she knew Bruce was Batman and he wasn’t about to out that particular secret if she didn’t know.

“Ohh,” She nodded in understanding and gave him a grin.  “Your family isn’t as slick as they think they are, Red.”

Jason stared at her dumbfounded for a few seconds.  She knew their secret and apparently Tim, the one person that matched Bruce in paranoia, wasn’t worried about her in the least.  “And he’s blackmailing you?” Jason asked incredulously. “How bad is your secret?”

“Not bad just… I don’t need someone critiquing all my life choices, you know? It’s a threat of annoyance, not retribution.”

“Mood.” Jason said lifting his glass to hers.  She clinked hers to his with a sardonic smile.  

She was beautiful, smart, elegant, tough, funny, judicious, cautious, and far out of his league.  But he was here now and they were having fun and he wasn’t stupid enough to blow a brilliant opportunity.  Jason gazed over his shoulder toward the dancefloor and back to her.  He looked her up and down and gave her a roguish smile. “Care to dance?”

“I didn’t take you for a dancer.” She responded as she moved toward the dancefloor and held out her hand for him.

He grabbed her hand, holding it close to his chest and wrapped his other hand around her waist, pulling her closer to him.  “It has its advantages.”

Marinette looked up at him with wide eyes, a light blush dusting her cheeks. “I see what you mean.”  She ducked her head trying to collect herself.  He wasn’t the first handsome man she’d danced with, why was this one making her lose her composure?  She wasn’t 15 anymore, damn it!

“So how did you figure it out?” he asked casually.  He clearly wasn’t upset, just curious.

“How does everyone not?  Seriously, Bruce admitted it under oath.” She scoffed.  “Plus you guys are terrible at hiding it.  You don’t even try to act or look different.  Oh look Bruce Wayne has a new ward or person who hangs out with the family all the time.  Oh look, there’s a new vigilante with the same build and hair color.  Pure coincidence surely.  Then there’s the whole butts match thing.”

“Wow, been studying Bruce’s butt that closely, huh?” Jason raised an unamused eyebrow at her.

“Who said anything about Bruce’s butt?” She asked without thinking about it.  Jason spluttered at her.  Her eyes widened and her face paled as she realized what she had just said.

“Forget I said that,” she pleaded, her face turning bright red.

“Oh fuck no.  That’s the best compliment I’ve ever gotten.  A gorgeous woman has been studying my ass so intently she was able to identify me by it?” He gave her a brilliant smile so wide, his cheeks would surely hurt the next morning.  “My ego will never come down from this.”

Marinette groaned in embarrassment and buried her head in her hands and then buried her head and hands in his chest, trying to erase all evidence of her existence. Jason wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly as he roared with laughter.  Marinette could feel his body vibrating with the sound.  The movement calmed her enough that she was willing to remove her hands from her face but not her face from his chest.  “I hope you’ll let me return the favor someday.” He whispered in her ear.

Marinette jerked her head back to look at him, her eyes wide and cheeks a deep crimson.  When her eyes met the wicked glint in his, she narrowed hers, a hint of a smile on her lips.  “Good luck with that.  Magic is a hell of a thing.”

Jason looked at her confused.  That was not a response he was expecting… or understood.  They stared in each other’s eyes for a few moments, both trying to figure out something about the other.  Marinette finally broke the silence with a teasing smile.  “So, you’re Jason, huh?  I’ve heard a few things about you.”  She chuckled lightly when he rolled his eyes at that and groaned lightly.  “Did you really do a flip off of one building to crash through the skylight of another and beat up a bunch of henchmen then set their drug room on fire all while quoting Shakespeare?”

He barked out a loud laugh and smiled brightly at her, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “It was Austen.”

She smiled back at him but quickly narrowed her eyes and quirked her head to the side.  “Prove it,” She challenged him, a playful lilt in her voice.  He looked at her questioningly not sure how exactly he was supposed to crash through a skylight when there wasn’t one here.  “Quote some Austen to me.  I have a hard time believing the formidable… you, is secretly a book nerd.”

A delighted smile creeped onto his face.  Marinette was the first person to ask him about his love for literature and encourage him to indulge in it.  He tried to remember all the many Jane Austen quotes he’d memorized through reading and rereading her works so often.  What would be the most impressive quote?  Which one would wow her the most?  He ransacked his brain, but suddenly his mind was blank.  He couldn’t think of anything.  The harder he tried to remember, the harder it was to think.  He opened and closed his mouth a few times.

Marinette watched the panic flit across his eyes.  She cringed internally.  She got anxiety when she was put on the spot.  Jason must be the same.  It was one thing to do it in the heat of the moment, without thinking about it, but being asked to perform on demand, was a different kind of pressure. She gently cupped his cheek and brought his eyes back down to hers and gave him a soft smile.  “Maybe you can show me later.  I’ll still be impressed tomorrow.”

He looked in her eyes and instantly felt himself calm down.  Her eyes were shining with compassion, like she understood exactly what was going on in his head and believed in him.  He pulled her closer and gave her a tender smile in return. He ran his fingers slowly up and down her back, “The very first moment I beheld you, my heart was irrevocably gone.” He quoted quietly.  

Marinette gasped at his frankness.  She leaned her head against his chest, trying to hide the deep blush that enveloped her cheeks and spread to her ears.  After a few moments of silent swaying in his arms, she cleared her throat and weakly spoke, “That… yeah, uh… that works.  Point proven.”

He chuckled lightly, a proud smile working its way onto his face.  He moved his hand so they were both wound around her waist, holding her close to him.  She settled further into his chest, causing him to sigh contentedly.  They danced together for a while, refusing others that attempted to cut in with either one of them, Marinette doing so significantly more politely than Jason did.  After a while, Tim tapped her on the shoulder.  “I thought I was your date.” He stated with a suspicious smile.

“Oh fuck off, Timbers.” Jason grunted at him, twirling Marinette so she was on the other side of him from Tim.

Marinette poked her head out around Jason’s side to give Tim a sheepish look. “Sorry, Tim.  You were busy.  Did you need a break from socializing?”

“Uh huh,” he responded sarcastically.  “No, I’m good.  And I thought you weren’t going to stay until midnight?  Something…” he eyed Jason meaningfully, “come up?”

Marinette looked at him in surprise and searched for a clock.  Surely it hadn’t been hours.  If felt like it had just been a few minutes with Jason.  She finally found the prominent clock that had been hung to countdown to midnight and gaped at it.  “Oh my God.  It’s almost midnight!”  She looked back to Tim in time to see him pulling back from whispering something in Jason’s ear.

“Well, I’m going to go call Kon so we can ring in the New Year together in some way.” Tim said tightly.  He leaned over and kissed Marinette on the cheek. “Happy New Year, Marinette.  I hope it’s a happy one.”  He gave Jason a pointed look.

“Happy New Year, Tim.  I hope it is for you as well.”  She smiled at him.  As soon as he left, Jason pulled Marinette back into his embrace.  “What was that about?”  She asked him.

“What?” He asked innocently.

“The whispering.  There isn’t a problem is there?  You’re not going to have to run off 2 minutes before midnight?”

Jason chuckled at her.  “No.  No, that was him warning me to treat you like you deserve.”

“Like I…” she thought about it and gave him a half-hearted smile before muttering. “Not sure if that is a threat to you or me.”  

“Threat for me, blessing for you.” Jason answered softly.

“You think too highly of me.” She shook her head with a small smile.

“Doubt it.” He answered back quietly.  “And it sounds like I’m going to be held personally accountable if your year isn’t amazing, so I better get on that.”

10

“Sounds like you’ll have to keep a close eye on me.  I can be a handful.” She said quietly, looking up at him from under her lashes.

9  

“Rough job, but amazing work environment.”  He answered just as quietly, pulling her even closer.

8

“And what are the benefits to giving you the job?” She gave him a playful smile.

7

“You get to see my roguishly handsome face and get Austen and Shakespeare quoted at you daily.”  He grinned back.

6  

“What if I prefer Verne or Hugo?” She asked with exaggerated innocence.

5  

“Then I’ll learn.” His eyes turned serious and his voice husky.

4  

Jason slowly moved one of his hands up her back, around her shoulder, and rested it on her neck, stroking her jaw with his thumb.

3  

Marinette parted her lips in surprise and leaned into his hand.

2  

Jason leaned down toward Marinette, stopping a bit short of her lips, giving her the chance to pull back if she wanted to.

1  

Marinette rose up to close the gap, meeting his lips in a soft, tentative, hopeful kiss.

The room erupted into cheers and applause at the clock striking midnight. Balloons dropped from the ceiling all around them, but the only thing Jason or Marinette noticed was each other. The feeling of the other’s lips against theirs.  The feel of the other’s hands on their bodies and the feel of their own hands on them. The warmth of each other’s bodies against their own.  The deep need that grew the longer they kissed.  When they finally broke apart, it was just far enough to catch their breath and stare in each other’s eyes.

“This was a great way to ring in the New Year.” She whispered against his lips.

He nodded absentmindedly, still in a daze from the kiss.  “There’s still a few more time zones that need to be rung in,” he said leaning down to capture her lips again in a passionate kiss.

[galactic-magick]

Fake Enemies: Catwoman x Reader

Request: DCAU fic? You (the reader) are friends with Bruce and run into Selina/Catwoman. You have to stop her from stealing something but instead you fall in love with her. Thanks if you write this!

Summary: You start fighting crime in Gotham with Bruce, and find some unexpected love.

Words: 1200+

Warnings: none, maybe a couple swears and a dash of angst

Author’s Notes: This was really fun to write! Feel free to send in more BTAS requests!

-

-

-

You’ve been friends with Bruce for years, so it was only a matter of time before you found out about his little nighttime gig, and only a matter of time after that before you begged him to let you join him.

He reluctantly agreed, but now you go out with him whenever you can, and he’s trained you to fight and defend yourself. You have your own suit and mask and access to the computers, and some villains have started to take notice of your abilities.

Especially Catwoman.

You’ve fought her several times now, sometimes stopping her from stealing but never catching her. It’s almost like a game, and honestly you don’t really care or feel bad that you haven’t captured her. It’s not like her motivations are sinister, and damn is she pretty.

An observation you will never mention to Bruce, obviously. Heroes aren’t supposed to fall for the criminals after all, right? You wouldn’t want to end up like that poor Harley, constantly pining for the Joker even though he clearly doesn’t give a shit about her.

But still, your ears perk up a bit every time you hear that Selina’s the one causing trouble that night.

You hop into the Batmobile next to Bruce, slipping on your mask.

“Are you ready?” he asks.

“Of course,” you smile.

When you arrive at the destination, you spring out of the car and split up to different floors of the building. You go upstairs where some rare jewels are stored, most likely one of them was stolen.

You see a shadow move across the wall, and you run towards the source, but you don’t find anything.

“Well, hello,” you hear a smooth voice, and before you can turn your head she pushes you against the wall. “My favorite sidekick has come after me again, how sweet,”

“Just give it up, Selina,” you groan, shoving her off you. She obliges, tossing a diamond in her hand.

“Is this what you’re looking for?” she smirks. “I assure you I only stole it for admirable purposes,”

You reach for it, ducking a kick and a punch from her, “Look, I really don’t care about any of the stuff in here, I’m just doing my job. Plus you knocked out and injured two security guards to get in, and I’m pretty sure that’s an offense too,”

“We both work outside the law, honey, no need to act like it applies to us,” she shoves you to the ground. “You’re the one that should give it up. We’re not so different, you and I,”

You press your hands to the floor, slowly moving upright, “I just want to make Gotham a safer place, why don’t you?”

“This place will never be safe as long as there’s cowards and greed,” she sneers, lifting your chin and caressing your face, “When you finally realize that, feel free to come find me,” she releases it and slips out the window, just as Bruce runs up the stairs.

“She got away, I’m sorry,” you mumble.

“Are you hurt?”

“Just a few bruises and a little dizzy,” you rub your head.

“Well, the rest of the city seems pretty quiet tonight, you should get some rest,”

You nod, gazing out the window once more, the wind hustling through.

 -

 You wish you could say you brushed off your latest failure to stop Selina, but it keeps sticking in your mind. What if she’s right? What if everything you and Bruce are doing to help Gotham isn’t actually helping at all?

Sure, overall crime rates are down since the Dark Knight first showed up, but the big criminals are only getting stronger, and none of the root problems have been fixed.

You wait until a night Bruce doesn’t need you to head out on your own, and you make your way to the one place you think she could be.

There’s a few alleys in Gotham that you’ve spotted Catwoman in when she’s not causing any trouble. She likes to pet and feed the stray cats whenever she can, away from anyone who might bother her or them.

You stay in the shadows, not wanting to draw any attention to yourself. You slide along the walls and hear a familiar voice.

“Do my eyes deceive me?”

“I’m not here to fight you,” your hands go up in the air.

“Oh, I know you’re not,” she smiles, walking towards you. “So why are you here?”

“I just wanna talk,” you sigh. “Please,”

“Hmmm,” she circles around you. “Sure you don’t just like seeing me?”

“I-“

“No need to be embarrassed, you’re pretty cute yourself,”

“That’s not-“ you feel you face grow hot.

“Please, how long have we been at this?” she laughs. “I’m not the only one feeling it, am I?”

You stand still, but eventually you shake your head, “No,”

“Hmm,” she brushes some dust off your shoulder. “I see,”

 -

 Seeing each other becomes a regular occurrence after that.

You meet with each other whenever you can, and you help her to not get caught whenever you and Bruce have to go after her. It’s quite a lot of risk, but it’s worth it.

You fall for her harder every day, and now you can’t imagine a life without her. She’s compassionate and driven, she speaks her mind, and she loves you more than anyone has before.

You’re happier, more lively, and Bruce happens to notice.

“What’s been going on with you?” he asks one day.

“Nothing really,” you shrug.

“You know you can’t hide anything from me, I know you too well,”

You exhale, deciding to settle for a half-truth, “I’ve started dating someone, that’s all,”

“Are they treating you well?”

“Definitely,”

“Good. I’m glad someone’s making you happy,” he smiles. “But I sure hope you didn’t schedule a date tonight, there seems to be an issue downtown,”

You gaze at the beeping screen, alerting you of a security breech.

Well, not exactly, you think.

Just as you thought, it’s Selina, as well as a few other criminals teaming up together. She takes you aside as soon as she sees you, kissing you fervently.

“Missed you,” she sighs. “The Bat will be distracted with the others, shall we go?”

You nod excitedly.

“What’s going on here?” Bruce’s voice calls.

You freeze, stepping away from your girlfriend, lifting up your fists as if you were about to fight, “I got this, Batman,”

“No, you don’t,” he walks towards you, “I understand what’s going on now,”

“Please, let me explain-“

“You wanted to be a team, and you weren’t honest with me,” he says, glaring at Catwoman. “How many missions have you jeopardized over this?”

“Oh please, Batman, as if you wouldn’t do the same if you fell for me first?” Selina cackles. “They’ve done nothing wrong,”

Bruce is silent for a moment.

“I’ll see you later,” he mutters, flying off into the night.

Selina kisses your cheek, “Hey, at least he didn’t try to take me away from you,”

“You really think he’ll come around?” you ask. Bruce has never been mad at you before, and it breaks your heart to have broken his trust.

“Let’s just say we’re probably the least of his problems,” she laughs.

“You’re right,” you nod, turning to her to kiss her again. “It’ll all work out.”

[elareine]

I know I already gave you one, but I just thought of this now, if you could, or ignore it, either one is fine, can you please write Nurse or Doctor Tim with JayTim or DickTim, or both go crazy with it, if you want. And Tim being so exasperated with them because they keep giving him the lamest excuses for their injuries, because they don't know he knows or they suspect he knows but both sides are trying to see who will mention it first. So its like a big competition of who will break first.

So the competition aspect got lost a bit? I hope you still enjoy it :) 

Warning: Some dark jokes about domestic violence, mostly borne out of my experience when I actually fell down the stairs. Also I blatantly did not care about the actual medical issues in this. 

“You fell down the stairs.” 

Usually, when Tim had to repeat these words to someone, he said them gently: telegraphing his disbelief as well as his willingness to keep up appearances as long as the victim needed to. With kids, he was a bit more direct, though only after separating them from the parent. He never spoke this sarcastically; that would be uncalled for. 

(Also, contrary to popular belief, some people actually did fall down the stairs.) 

Today? Today his words were dripping with sarcasm. 

The man—‘Richard Grayson’ according to his file, ‘Dick’ according to his introduction, ‘Gotham’s most handsome bachelor’ according to the gossip mags—rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I… maybe it was more, like. The roof?” 

“Did the roof use a whip, by any chance?” Tim asked, examining the welts. “What did you do to piss off Catwoman?” 

“Not—Nothing, because I fell down the stairs.” 

“The roof.” 

“The stairs on the roof.” 

Tim sighed. “Alright. We’re gonna need an x-ray because I suspect your muscle has been cut through. Please report to room three, and the nurse will take care of it.” 

“Sure thing, doc!” 

—

When Tim had been inspired by Thomas Wayne to become a doctor, this hadn’t been what he envisioned. 

Cure the sick? Sure. Fix bones and other injuries? As an orthopedic specialist: every day. Look at every injury Dick Grayson acquired during his totally-legal activities? Nope. What the fuck. 

The explanations became increasingly stupider, too, which was hard to believe seeing how they started with a chart-topper like ‘I fell down the stairs/roof and it happened to look like a belt from a whip.’ 

Tim had resolved early on that he wouldn’t ask. His patience for Dick’s weak-ass excuses was close to zero, sure, but it was safer  to keep away. This was a professional medical praxis that cared for everyone, no matter their allegiance. Tim didn’t even know which vigilante was sitting in front of him. 

…oh, who was he kidding. This was Nightwing. None of the other vigilantes in Gotham was that chipper. 

(Also, that ass.) 

Fine. Tim could deal with that. He might’ve even privately fangirled over the fact that he got to patch up Nightwing (the first Robin!) on a regular basis. Also, Dick was ridiculously charming; Tim didn’t mind spending time with him. It was a nice break in the middle of a hectic day. 

Except then Dick started bringing his brother/boyfriend along. 

(Yeah, Tim felt as weird about that ‘/‘ as you do. But they were holding hands, so…) 

He took one look at Jason Todd and asked drily: “So, seen any good zombie movies lately?” 

Dick choked on air. Jason just grinned through the bloody mess he’d made of his mouth and asked: “Do I look that bad?” 

“Worse.” Tim sighed and started examining the mess closer, carefully pressing along the lines of the other man’s jaw. “Let me guess, you’re also into parkour?” 

“Among other things.” 

“Hmm. Yeah, nothing broken, I think, but we’ll double-check. If not, ice, painkillers, and no ‘rooftop parkour’ for a while, alright?” He paused. Honestly, judging by Jason’s stature (too wide for most vigilantes) and age (too young to be Batman)… “I’d tell you to wear a helmet, but apparently, even that’s not helping.”  

Jason turned to Dick, grinning widely. “I can see why you like him.” 

Tim had no idea what to think about that, so he didn’t. 

—

It was supposed to be a quiet afternoon. Every Wednesday, Tim would close his practice at 2 p.m. and spend the rest of the day doing paperwork. A cup of tea and the tv in the background 

Except then the news started, and Tim heard the phrases “Nightwing and Red Hood,” “magician,” and “explosion.” 

Then, the footage—obviously taking from mobile phone recordings—began playing. He watched for three minutes, panic spreading through him. Nightwing limp on the ground. Red Hood, literally thrown through a wall. He knew that these men were terrifyingly well trained, that Red Hood must’ve had some beta modifications at some point in his life with the injuries he took in stride—

But on camera, they weren’t moving. 

According to the timestamp, the footage had been taken thirty minutes ago. 

“Clean-up has begun,” the reporter on the screen said. “There is no sign of the two vigilantes who have defended our community center to the last—“ 

Tim grabbed his things and ran. 

Tam, his assistant, looked up in alarm as he entered the waiting area. “Tim?” 

“I need to go,” Tim told her, not stopping. “It’s an emergency.” 

And because Tam was the best, she simply called after him: “Call me if you need help! I’ll take care of the practice.” 

Tim knew Dick’s home address, had memorized it just in case—just in case. That’s where Tim drove now. If they weren’t there, he would try Wayne Manor next, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. 

But when he pressed the doorbell at the apartment labeled ‘Grayson,’ he was immediately buzzed in. 

Jason was the one who let him in and led him to the living room, where Dick half-sat, half laid on a couch. 

Tim asked: “Okay. What hurts the most?” 

“His head,” Jason replied, and Dick glared: “I’m told you I’m fine, Jay—“ 

Tim walked over. Swelling, definitely, and something about that shoulder… 

“I popped that back in,” Jason explained. “But I think there’s something wrong with his neck.” 

Yeah, there really was. Tim recognized the beginning of some deep bruising—strangulation, his mind supplied, that magician had tried to choke Dick out—and the back of Dick’s head felt tender and hot. 

“I don’t suppose I can interest you in an x-ray?” he asked. 

Disagreement all around. Fine. Tim would write them prescriptions for braces, if they didn’t have them lying around in a corner, anyway. Unless something felt like it was broken or shifted out of place or actually torn. You didn’t mess around with that. 

Jason had sat down next to Dick, and Tim moved on seamlessly to checking him. Jason’s ribs were definitely not okay, but probably hadn’t punctured his lung or anything, or he wouldn’t be sitting here. Apart from that, he was one massive bruise and a fucked-up hit. No running for Red Hood for at least a week. (Six weeks for normal humans. Tim was used to the calculation by now.) Oh, and something had crushed his foot—“the building falling on me,” Jason very helpfully informed him—and they had both suffered fourth- and third-degree burns. 

Tim began dressing the wounds in silence. His hands were shaking. Why were they shaking, dammit. He was a fucking doctor. His hands were the steadiest thing about him. 

It felt like hours passed before he was done. 

“You need to stay awake.” His tone was too sharp; he could do nothing to soften it. “With a blast like that, concussions are a given. Is there anyone we could call to stay up with you?” 

Dick nodded, then winced. Yeah, he should avoid that movement for a while. “Yes, we could—“ 

“No.” Jason shook his head. 

“No?” Dick looked at him. Something must’ve been telegraphed in Jason’s eyes because Dick continued: “Oh, I mean, no. I’m afraid there isn’t.” 

“We’re all alone.” 

“Totally.” 

Tim sighed. “Don’t you have, like, fifteen siblings and a butler? I should just call Wayne Manor; I’m sure that number is on Google or something—“

“Tim,” Dick said very gently. His hand went up to grasp Tim’s. “Stay with us?” 

Tim blinked. “That’s. Really unprofessional.” He didn’t pull his hands away, though. 

“You’re in our living room.” Jason shifted—it looked painful—and continued: “Pretty sure nothing about this is professional, so…” 

“Please?” Dick asked. 

Tim inhaled deeply and shook his head. “You two are so—stupid.” They flinched. “Like, what’re you doing, getting injured like that every week? You’re going to get yourself killed, and then I will have to come up with an explanation and it’s gonna be better than any you ever came up with. You’re gonna be so bad for my blood pressure.” 

Dick looked crestfallen, but Jason was starting to grin: “So, you’re staying, then?” 

“Duh.” 

(I’m taking prompts until the end of the year.) 

[peppersonironi]

12, 21, 19

(Is this late? Oops. Sorry!)

12: Favourite character to write about this year

Stephanie Brown, easy. She's my spirit animal, so I might be doing a touch of projecting, but I honestly don't care. She's just pure chaos in the best way. Some of my favourite lines that I've written are for her. Such as:

"What's up bitches? I brought donuts!"

"My waffles await!"

"FEAR ME!"

"Welcome to Steph’s Glitter Bomb Palace, Where Snitches get Stitches™! So don’t tell Bruce or I’ll sic Jason on you."

She's also the character I've gotten the most comments on. People really seen to enjoy how I write her!

A close second would be Duke Thomas. Bliss, a fic I wrote for the 2020 Duke Week, was one of my favourites! Or maybe Damian? His dialogue just comes easy to me.

21: Most memorable comment/review

the batfamily exist:

everyone: is,,is that allowed?

On Code Orange (Batfam/Young Justice Crossover)

*Or*

I have wanted to read a DCU/MCU crossover for a VERY long time. This story is such a delight. Your characterisation (and for me an introduction to The Signal) was fascinating in the extreme. I loved the game playing and the fact that I could watch (open-mouthed) as Bruce Wayne enjoyed childlike fun with his children and Alfred(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) was the cherry on top of the icing on top of the cake. I look forward to your updates in a way that you wouldn't believe.

On Batfam/Avengers Crossover

19: Any new fics to start next year

Oh boy. So many. You know what? Here's a list. It'll be good to get these ideas out. Plus, you guys can tell me what you'd rather see first!

Gen/just Batfam

Crack fic based off this piece of dialogue (came from a convo between my sister and I): Tim reached forward and poked Duke's face. "You're right!" He exclaimed. "You really *do* squish like a block of wood!" Duke Centric.

Based on THIS Incorrect Quotes. Talia moves into the Manor because she's sick of Ra's. Featuring a bunch of good mom!Talia.

Based off THIS Incorrect Quotes. Jason runs for President as Red Hood. I have so many ideas! This'll be really fun.

Loosely based on THIS post. It explores Jason and Cassandra's relationship, and how it evolves.

Duke Thomas Big Bang Fic (can't say much, but it'll be great!)

Platonic (need to be certain you understand that. There were some misconceptions w/ my Discord server) Slow Burn between Tim and Damian. At the beginning the absolutely despise each other. But over time they realise their own insecurities, and how they don't actually hate the other. And by the end they fully admit and embrace their being brothers.

Reverse Robins with Damian as the oldest (I made THIS post talking about it a while back. But I've highly revised it.)

Reverse Robins with Duke as the oldest (I wrote THIS fic, but I think I want to change this into a series!)

Cassandra as Batman. Stephanie as Catwoman. Carrie Kelley as Robin.

5 Times Bette Kane was the mastermind behind the batkids' pranks without Bruce's knowledge, and 1 Time her brilliance was brought to light.

5 Times Duke thought that he couldn't possibly get any more siblings and 1 Time he met the cousins (AKA: Duke meets the extended family)

Birdflash

Birdflash in the JL/JLU universe (based off that one hexagon by @novaviis ! Super fun!). The league is inviting potential members to the Watchtower one day. Except Wally wasn't there during the choosing of said members. So he's completely shocked when his husband Nightwing shows up. They have to act like they don't know each other, which basically involves Dick flirting his butt off with Wally, Wally trying desperately to remain professional, Bruce digging in the corner, the rest of the League in varying degrees of disapproval and confusion (at least a couple have seen Wally's wedding ring. So that adds a while 'nother layer).

Young Justice soulmate au. Dick, and eventually everyone else, knows that Wally is his soulmate. Wally is oblivious. Lots of pining and angst in this one. Slow burn to an extent (depends on how long I make it). But definitely a happy fluffy ending in sight!

Batfam Meets Young Justice

THIS fic.

Duke gets yeeted into the YJ universe, and promptly passes out. He wakes up in the Watchtower, and breaks out of the confinement the Team has set up for him. Pulls shenanigans (some unwittingly) and used his powers. The Team and JL are confused, and panicking. Because this guy keeps muttering things about the Batfam. And he has a bat on his chest.

The Team break into some ancient temple after getting info on a new Supervillian plot. They find purple clothed woman draped across a throne. She talks, and they panic, as she knows all their secret identities. The only one who isn't, is Tim. He looks bored. Alternatively: Steph needs Tim's credit card to take his sister out on a date, and absolutely refuses to text.

While the Team is on a mission to stop Lady Shiva, a dimensional portal opens up and spits out a strange Robin (Damian) and what seemed to be a female Batman (Cass as Black Bat). This new dynamic due promptly defeats Lady Shiva and all the goons. The Team is freaked out, and 'apprehends' the dimensional anomalies, bringing them back to the Watchtower. Where the due promptly break and and start chaos. Featuring "Toxic" by Britney Spears. I will not explain why.

The Watchtower gets a sudden emergency message from the Batcave. They accept, to find a stranger calling himself Signal panicking about Robin being missing. They all look at Tim, who ignores them, and says that he doesn't know where Robin is. Some naming shenanigans occur.

(Not sure if this fits here, oh well) Set in Season One, Bruce is tired of Clark's attitude towards Superboy, and adopts the clone himself. Not sure how far this'll go, but at least goes through Dick's time as Robin. (Based on THIS Tumblr post)

(Also iffy on placement) a continuation of one (not sure which? Probably Damian as older) Reverse Robins fics. It's a retelling of Season One of YJ, with Dick as Robin. Nightwing (Damian) feels protective of his brother, and so takes on the role Black Canary had in the show, training the Team. But as time goes on, he ends up being more of a big brother to the group. Cameos from the rest of the Batfam as well! And an Identity Reveal (including finding out Dick and Dami are brothers) at the end!

Batfam Meets the Justice League

Cass takes over being Batman for a bit, because Bruce was an idiot and broke his leg. This happens to line up with when the Justice League reach out to the Dark Knight, in order to extend an invitation to the league. They eventually meet Bruce as Batman, and are confused as to why he is so tall. And male.

Joyfire

Lian accidentally reveals her three parents' relationship by calling Bruce 'grandpa' over dinner.

Museum Heist

THIS fic

Operation: Seduce Nightwing. Based on a post for an ATLA ot3, Wally and Artemis realise silumaneously “Hey, we kinda have the hots for Dick” and decide together to see if he likes them back. Which involves a heck ton of over the top flirting, and shenanigans. The Team is sighing on the sidelines at their idiocy. Dick is internally combusting and thinking “Do they like me back? I’’m not sure.” 

5 times Dick and Wally fought over being the middle spoon, and one time Artemis had had enough.

Set in Season 3 (but ignores some canon), Bart is kidnapped by some mad scientist obsessed with the Speed Force. The Team mobilizes, and gets Bart back from the evil base. But when they get there, they find Wally West freed from the Speed Force. He and Artemis reunite, and everyone is happy. They prepare to leave. Then the Pick-up Squad arrive in the bioship, and Dick gets out. Everyone is expecting Dick to give Wally a hug, because hey, he's his best friend! What they weren't expecting was him to run forward and pull the speedster into a passionate kiss. They go back to the Watchtower, and some more stuff happens.

Soulmate AU where the first thing your soulmate says to you after they fall in love with you is tattooed on your body.

Post Season Two Get Together. Starts with Artemis living with Dick as opposed to Will. Might be Slow Burn? (They come pretty close to kissing) Eventually Wally comes back. Arty and Wally are back together. They both live in the same house as Dick, for convenience. Then some more Slow Burn happens. Maybe some Birdflash moments. Arty tells Wally she kinda had a thing for Dick. Wally admits the same. Maybe a touch more Slow Burn. They Eventually get together.

Batlantern

AU where Bruce met Hal back when he first came back to Gotham. Fic goes through how their relationship evolves over the years (up until current time, when Damian is 13). I'm considering a relationship reveal with the Justice League.

Hal's interactions with Bruce's kids.

Green Lantern Corp acting protective of Hal when Bruce comes to Oa. This was an ask that I got, and I'm holding off on writing it till I get as much into on the GL's as possible, as all I know if their characterization comes from that animated series, and Guy Gardener's (Hilarious!) parts on Young Justice.

Marvel

Like 3 different versions of the Peter Parker Field Trip to Stark Tower Trope.

2-part Crossover with the Batfam (they exist in the same universe), where the Avengers go to a Wayne Gala, and interact with the family. The second chapter involves them heading out the next night to try and contact Batman.

THIS fic.

[nettles-bo-bettles]

Day 1: Best Friends

Maribat War Day 1: Prompt: Best Friends

Third Person POV:

Tim Drake and Marinette Dupain-Cheng have been best friends for as long as they can remember. It all started when they were five years old. Tim had been running around Gotham at night pretending to be Robin when he found Marinette scavenging a dumpster for food and perhaps clothing.

“Hi! What are you doing in a dumpster?”

“Oh...I’m looking for food and maybe new clothes if I can find any.”

“How come? Why in a dumpster?”

“Well, my parents died or left me before I was born...I’m not really sure but I’ve been a street kid all my life. I usually find everything I need in dumpsters.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t usually get to spend much time with my parents, they’re always busy but they let me do whatever I want and I usually got everything I need at home.”

“I’m sorry too, it’d probably be worse to have neglectful parents rather than dead parents.”

“It’s alright, I still got a roof over my head right? That’s why I feel bad for you. You don’t seem to have a roof over your head.”

“Yeah, I don’t but I’m used to it.”

“Hey! I got an idea! Why don’t you come stay at my house?”

“But wouldn’t that be intruding? And I don’t even know your name or anything about you.”

“Oh, I forgot about that. Well, I’m Tim Drake! My parents are Jack and Janet Drake, though, they’re always busy so you probably won’t see them around very often and I’m trying to figure out who Batman and Robin are!!!”

“I’m Marinette! I don’t know who my parents are or what my last name is and I think you’re pretty cool!”

Throughout the days Tim and Marinette spent together they grew closer, they were almost attached to each other by the hip. The only time you wouldn’t see the two together would be when they went to sleep, had to change or went to the bathroom. They named each other as best friends and swore to never leave the other’s side.

One day when Tim was sick and couldn’t go outside Marinette started wandering around Gotham again. Eventually it turned night and she started to head home, though, she got stopped by three adult men who looked to be drunk and in their mid-thirties, Marinette, at the time was 8.

The men were clearly about to rape her so she got into a fighting stance and got ready to teach them not to mess with 8 year olds, right before she punched the middle guy someone swooped in and knocked them all out. The mysterious person patted down the men, seemingly looking for something. Once the mysterious person found what it was Marinette discovered that this person was most likely only there for stealing valuable items from drunk men.

Although she was right the mysterious figure turned to her and looked her up and down, seemingly looking for signs of injury.

“Are you okay little kitten?”

“Uh yeah I guess I just stayed out too late, who are you?”

“I would’ve thought you would’ve known but I’m Catwoman, and you little kitten seem like you can be quite the feisty one.”

“Well I mean I was about to punch those guys but you got here before I got the chance.”

“How do you feel about me adopting you and you being my little kitten sidekick?”

“Um...I don’t want to leave my best friend. Can I talk to him about it first?”

“Of course little kitten, just meet back here tomorrow if your friend is okay with it.”

“Okay!”

And with that Catwoman left Marinette. Marinette walked back to her home and thought about what Catwoman had said. She went to her room and got ready for bed, contemplating about whether she would even want to accept her offer. A few minutes of thinking about it she decided that she did want to accept it and went to bed.

The next morning Marinette woke up and did her usual routine, grab an outfit for the day, take a shower, go to the bathroom, get changed and meet Tim out in the hallway.

“G’morning Tim!”

“Morning Bean!”

“So last night I ran into Catwoman and she wants to adopt me but I immediately remembered our promise so I wanted to run the idea through you before making a final decision about letting her.”

“I say go for it, we’ll still see each other all the time right?”

“Yeah!”

“Then go for it!”

“I will! I’ll let her know that you said that!!!”

They continued talking while walking down the steps and on the way to the kitchen for breakfast. Once in the kitchen they grabbed their usual breakfast foods, Marinette got her usual froot loops and Tim got his usual yogurt.

The day went on as usual until it was 8pm and it was time for Marinette to go back to the alleyway to meet with Catwoman. She grabbed a good amount of clothes and her favorite pair of shoes along with some slippers and put them in her backpack. She left and said goodbye to Tim, telling him that she’d see him the next day. Little did they know that they wouldn’t see each other until they were 15 due to Catwoman training Marinette to fight and to flirt for when Batman got a new Robin.

It was the day after Catwoman had adopted Marinette and Tim was waiting in his usual spot where he met with Marinette, however, she didn’t show. He went back inside, disappointed that his friend ditched him. He decided to try again the next day, and the next, and the next. This went on for three weeks before he decided to give up. Years passed by quickly and Tim was now thirteen and in the beginning stages of growing into an adult. One day he wandered around Gotham City and bumped into Bruce Wayne, the older man saw something in the young boy and decided to adopt him. Tim’s parents agreed to the adoption, though, they weren’t paying much attention.

When Bruce adopted Tim he told him about all of his nightly activities and asked if he would like to become Robin or to watch everything from the batcomputer. Tim chose to be Robin and Bruce gave him two years of training for it. Eventually it was time for Tim to go out as Robin for the first time and it ended up being against the Riddler. However, a few hours after the Riddler incident there was a robbery going down because of Catwomen who had broken into a jewelry store and stolen thousands of dollars worth of diamonds...at least that’s what she made them think. In reality she just wanted to see Batman and introduce her little kitten to Batman’s new Robin. And it worked. Catwomen’s new apprentice was going to use the tricks that Catwoman had taught her with flirting and everything but the minute she saw Robin she knew it was her old friend, Tim Drake. The one who she would trust with her life with no hesitation, the one she missed oh so much, the one that she would give anything just to see again.

“Long time no see Marinette.”

“I missed you so much, I thought I was never gonna see you again.”

“Me too, that day after you got adopted, and you didn’t show up I- I was devastated. And when you didn’t show up any time at a later date I just gave up all hope to see you again.”

“So...you’ve grown taller.”

“And so have you…”

“This is awkward so I’m uh- I’m just gonna go.”

“Yeah..OH WAIT!”

“Yeah?”

“Can we exchange numbers so we can still be friends?”

“Oh uh sure.”

The two teens exchanged numbers and went on their way, deciding that it was too awkward to continue being in the same place. Soon though, they ended up texting each other every night, they grew closer to each other yet again and the next time they met they ended up becoming inseparable.

One day, Selina decided to bring Marinette to the Wayne’s so she could meet her adoptive mother’s close ‘friend’. When they arrived at the Manor they were greeted by Alfred who welcomed them in. He led the women into the living room where Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson and Tim Drake stood. When the youngest of the Waynes saw Marinette he immediately ran up to her and hugged her.

“Um- Tim, buddy why- how do you know Selina’s adoptive daughter?” Dick asked his younger brother.

“Oh, we used to be best friends when we were little until I got adopted by Selina.” Marinette answered for him.

“Yup, she’s my best friend who also happens to be addicted to caffeine and an insomniac just like me,” said Tim with a grin on his face.

Dick and Bruce wanted to get to know Marinette better so everyone socialized for hours until eventually the Waynes had to kick Marinette and Selina out as they had to patrol Gotham soon.

~Time Skip~

It had been a year since Marinette and Tim got reunited and they were hanging out at Selina’s house and talking about everything and nothing at the same time. Soon, however, there was a knock at the door. Marinette opened the door to see who it was and surprisingly it was child services.

“Your name is Marinette Kyle correct?”

“Yes that’s me.”

“I apologize for any inconvenience but you’ll have to come with us because Selina Kyle is not fit for having a minor under her care. A couple in Paris, France has taken interest in adopting you so you will be moving there to be under their care for the next two years until you are a legal adult, you will then be able to move back here if you wish to do so.”

“Wait- WHAT?!?! YOU CAN’T DO THAT!!!”

“I’m afraid I can and it’s going to happen. Please come with me. And, young man if you could please inform Ms.Kyle of what has happened here.”

“I- but- she- she’s my best friend, my only friend you can’t take her.”

“Sir I’ve already explained everything please don’t make me do it again, now once Ms.Kyle arrives back home please inform her of what has happened here today.”

The man grabbed Marinette by the arm and took her with him, he drove to the airport and watched as she went into the plane.

After a long flight Marinette was finally in Paris. She got off the plane and the french couple who adopted her walked up to her and asked if she was Marinette. She said yes and they took her with them to their home, it was a bakery on the bottom floor and an apartment on the top floor. They took her to the room they set up for her, it was insanely pink but she didn’t say anything about it. A few days later she was enrolled in Francois Dupont Highschool, though she made many friends it wasn’t the same as Tim. Years passed and she moved back to Gotham, when she did, however, she couldn’t find her long-time best friend.

Eventually she did find Tim and they became closer than ever before, she met his other two brothers and his sisters and became their honorary sister. It was a few days before Wayne Gala and Tim still didn’t have a date, he told his coworkers who were going to be there that he would have a date but he still didn’t...until he got the best idea, ASK MARINETTE!! And so he did. He asked her to pretend to be his girlfriend for his coworkers and like the good best friend she is, she said yes.

They went to Wayne Gala pretending to be dating and managed to fool everyone, however, during the middle of the Gala when Bruce was introducing everyone, the Riddler decided to show up. He chose Tim to give his riddles to and told him that if he got any of them wrong that he would kill him. Marinette was just hoping that he was going to get them all right.

First Riddle, he got it correct.

Second Riddle, he got that one too.

Third Riddle, he got it again.

Fourth Riddle, and again.

He got them again and again and again. Eventually he was on the 15th riddle, the last one. At this point everyone was holding their breath. He answered it...but he got the answer wrong. It was wrong and before Marinette could even comprehend the fact that he got it wrong, Tim was dead. The Riddler had shot her best friend, he was gone, forever. Her best friend since she was five years old was gone. She would never get to make any more memories with him, all the time she had with him was over, she had too much to say and not any time to say it. He was gone.

[brokcnbutunbowcd]

she laughs like god (her mind's like a diamond)

Alright, so here’s the first part of the Meda Wayne story I was talking about writing! I had so much fun with this, and I really want to know what you all think so please do let me know, and feel free to reblog this if you like it! Just some notes about this story:

1. For the purposes of this story, I've aged James Gordon, Jr. from an infant to about eight years old. I have a very firm timeline for this story, and this is something that just made it work better.

2. In this story, Barbara Gordon is James Gordon's biological daughter.

3. I got the math wrong, so I'm just pretending that Anastasia came out in 1998 because I really like that theme for this story. Meda was born in 1993, which would've made her five in 1998.

4. Right now, the story contains elements from Batman: Year One, as well as Catwoman: Her Sister's Keeper and Batman Annual 13: Waiting in the Wings, if you want to read along.

I also cross-posted this to AO3, which I’ll link at the bottom if you want to check it out there!

It was a chilly December day before the night that Meda Wayne’s life was set on the course that would define it. Only, she wasn’t Meda Wayne back then, you see, Gotham’s beloved daughter and heiress to the Wayne family fortune. No, she was just a little girl named Meda Carter, and although she knew she didn’t have very much, she was happy. Her mother and father were the kindest, best people in the world in her eyes, and even though they lived in a small apartment in the Narrows, (which even at five, Meda could understand meant a not-very-nice part of Gotham) she knew herself to be very lucky.

On the particular morning our story starts, Meda was sitting on the couch in what could charitably be called her living room, bouncing up and down in anticipation. It was the first day of Christmas break, and her father had brought in enough money from his odd jobs around the city to take the little family out to the movies. The little girl had been wanting to see this particular film for weeks now, and she couldn’t believe she had to wait all day before they could leave. Her mother had suggested she distract herself by turning on the television, and so there Meda was, flipping through the channels when she stopped on something curious.

She recognized one of the news programs from the blue ribbon wrapped around the bottom of the screen, but instead of the usual flashing lights and crime scene tape that she’d come to associate with the news, the camera was focused on a man, walking through what appeared to be an airport. He was young and handsome, with dark hair and striking blue eyes. He was surrounded by reporters and cameramen, and a curious Meda turned up the volume on the television to hear what the reporter was saying about him.

“The twenty-five year old heir to the Wayne billions declined to comment on the rumors of romance in his life, or on his plans on his return to Gotham after twelve years abroad,” a woman with a short brown bob was saying.

“Who’s that, mommy?” Meda asked as her mother entered the room from the bedroom.

Eliza Carter glanced at the TV and blinked in surprise. “That’s Bruce Wayne.” She took a seat next to her daughter on the couch and stared at the screen intently. “Wonder what brought him back to town.”

“Probably got bored of running through his trust fund in Europe,” James Carter said as he came into the room. He leaned down to give his wife a kiss on the cheek and his daughter one on the forehead. “Morning, girls.”

“What’s a trust fund?” Meda asked curiously.

“It’s a big bank account that rich people have,” her father explained, lifting her up and settling her on his lap. “You know the big tower in the middle of the city?” Meda nodded, “That’s his family’s company. He owns it. And he lives in a big house on the outskirts of Gotham City that our apartment could fit in over a hundred times.”

“No way!” Meda exclaimed.

“Way!” Her father confirmed, then sighed. “And it all belongs to that one lucky S.O.B.”

“What’s an S.O.B?” Meda asked, confused.

“James,” her mother chided, with a glance in her daughter’s direction. “Be nice.You know what the poor man’s been through.”

“Bad things happen to people every day in this town,” her father countered. “The rest of us don’t have a mansion and a billion-dollar fortune to fall back on.”

“What bad thing happened to him?” Meda asked, pointing at the screen.

“Don’t you go giving a thought to people like Bruce Wayne, sweetheart,” her father said dismissively. “Lord knows he doesn’t give a thought to people like us.”

______________________________________________________________________________

Meda Carter had no way of knowing, but this day was significant for more than just Bruce Wayne’s return to town. It also marked the arrival of one Lieutenant James Gordon to Gotham City. He was met with far less fanfare than Bruce Wayne was, taking the train into the city and being joined by only one detective, Flass, before his meeting with Commissioner Loeb.

He’d had a bad feeling about the department from the moment he met Flass, and now he knew his first judgement to have been the correct one. After watching the detective brutalize a teenager for no reason other than standing in his line of sight, Jim knew this shouldn’t be the place he was raising his family. Still, he reminded himself that this was his best shot. After what had happened in Chicago, he needed it. His family needed it. And if all this fresh start required of him was that he keep his mouth shut, then he could do that.

He hoped.

He was called out to his first crime scene that night. Double homicide, the Narrows. Typrical, according to Flass as they drove their way to the scene.

Getting out of the car nearly before the car had even stopped, Jim approached the responding officer and asked, “What’ve we got?”

The officer looked young, and a little green. The violence that was so prevalent in Gotham must not have jaded him yet. Jim felt sorry for the poor kid. “We’ve got a double, sir, husband and wife shot in what we think was a botched robbery. James and Eliza Carter, both twenty-four. Husband worked as a handy-man around the city, wife was a store clerk.”

“Who called 9-1-1?”

“The neighbor, sir. She’s a hooker, was with a john when it happened. Didn’t see the guy before or after. She called the police when she heard the witness screaming.”

“Witness?” Jim was surprised. That hadn’t come through over the radio. He turned to look at Flass, who shrugged in a what-can-you-do type manner. “What witness?”

“Couple’s daughter.” The officer pointed to the crowd of vehicles with flashing lights surrounding the scene. There, in the center, was an ambulance. A small child was sitting in the back, shivering, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. “Looks like the family interrupted the perp when they came home. Place is ransacked.”

Jim cursed. “How old is she?”

“Five, sir.”

Jim sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. “Want me to take her statement, Jimmy?” Flass asked.

“No!” Jim said too quickly. Clearing his throat, he said more softly this time, “No. I’ll do it.”

“Suit yourself.”

He let out one more sigh before steadying himself and making his way over to the ambulance. As he approached, he got a better look at the girl. Her hair was plaited down the back in two neat, black braids, and her green eyes were filled with tears. Her jeans were covered in blood. She looked up as he approached, still shaking. Nodding to the paramedics, he took a seat on the back of the ambulance next to her, careful to leave enough room so as not to frighten her. Scared children were a bit like scared animals, he’d discovered. You had to work to earn their trust.

“Hi there,” he said gently. She said nothing. “Can you tell me your name, sweetheart?” She mumbled something that he couldn’t entirely make out. “What was that?”

“My name is Meda Carter,” she said, a little louder, with the pride that only little children could show for their own names.

“Meda,” he repeated it to himself. “That’s a beautiful name.” She murmured her thanks, and he had to smile a bit. Even after what she’d seen, she hadn’t forgotten her manners. She must’ve been raised well. “Can you tell me what happened tonight, Meda?”

She was quiet for so long that Jim wondered if she would speak at all, when finally she said, “We were coming home from the movies.”

He waited for more. When none came, he asked, “What movie did you see?”

“Anastasia.”

“Was it good?”

She nodded. “It was sad, but it had a happy ending.”

He hummed in acknowledgment, then lowered his voice. “What happened when you came home?”

Tears flooded her eyes anew and she started to sob. Jim instinctively put an arm around her and pulled her into his side, making soothing motions on her back the way he had with Barbara and James when they were very young. She wept into his chest for a long time, until she seemed to be all cried out and pulled away.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I got tears all over your shirt.”

“Don’t you worry about that,” he told her. “Don’t you worry about a thing. If you’re not ready to talk tonight, we can wait. We can-”

“No,” she said, surprisingly firmly. “You need my help, right? To find the man who hurt my parents?” Her voice quivered, but she met his eyes steadily.

Jim hesitated. “Yes, we do.”

Nodding, she took a deep breath before beginning. “We were coming home from the movies,” she said again. “When we got home, there was a man standing in our living room. He had a gun in his hand. My daddy went to stand in front of us, and then there was a really loud bang, and he fell to the floor, and then mommy screamed, and she fell to the floor, and he just looked at me and ran out of the room.” She said all this in a rush, as if to get it all out before she dissolved into tears again.

“That’s great, you’re doing real great, sweetheart.” Jim encouraged her. “Can you tell me what he looked like.”

She sniffled and wiped at her eyes. “He was young. Younger than my daddy, I think.” That was promising. Jim made a mental note of it before turning his attention back to Meda. “He had brown hair, and eyes too I think. I don’t really remember that well.”

“That’s okay. Just tell me what you can remember.”

“He was tall,” she continued. “And real skinny.”

“How tall? Taller than me?” Jim stood to his full height.

Meda nodded. “And skinnier than you, too.”

Jim laughed. Meda didn’t seem to know what it was she’d said that was funny, but she gave a watery smile nonetheless. “Lots of people are. Tell me, was he taller than Detective Flass over there?” He pointed to the tall blonde detective, still speaking with the responding officer.

She thought about it, before shaking her head. “About the same height, I think.”

“Good. That’s perfect, Meda, you did a wonderful job.” The adrenaline seemed to have drained out of her, and she slumped against his side.

“Lieutenant Gordon?”

Jim looked up to see a dark-haired woman looking at him expectantly. “I’m with Social Services. If you’re finished with Meda, we’d like to take her for the night, now.”

Meda started shaking again at the woman’s words, and Jim held up a hand to give him a moment. “Meda,” he said softly. “I’m going to go talk to this woman for a minute, and then we’re going to take care of you, alright? I promise.”

She still looked petrified, but she nodded bravely, and Jim gave her shoulder one last squeeze before getting up and leading the woman a short distance away. Lowering his voice to make sure the little girl couldn’t hear, he asked, “You’re taking her to a group home?” The woman nodded. “She’s just been through a massive trauma. She should be with family.”

“I agree,” the woman said, not unkindly. “But she has no family. We checked. Both parents were only children. Her last grandparent died last year. The Carter’s were very young, and seemed to have lost touch with a lot of their friends. There’s simply no one to take her in.”

“Lieutenant Gordon?”

Jim turned to see an older woman with graying hair and a warm smile standing behind him. “Yes?”

“I’m Dr. Leslie Thompkins. I run the clinic down the street. The Carter’s and their daughter were patients of mine.” When he nodded, she continued on, “I couldn’t help but overhear your discussion, and, well…”

“You’d be willing to take her in?” Jim asked hopefully. “Just for now, until we figure something out?”

“Not me, no,” Dr. Thompkins said. She smiled. “I think I know someone even better.”

______________________________________________________________________________

It was clear to even the most sheltered passerby that Bruce Wayne did not belong there. Everything from his salon-styled hair to his designer boots was stood out in this run-down, hopeless place. As he strode through the people in uniform and the paramedics, each one, without fail, stopped to stare. It was a good thing he’d driven his own car. He expected being chauffeured by your butler would’ve made him look even more spoiled and pampered.

He sighed. Another complication.

If he was going to go forward with his crusade, (and he was going forward with it, no matter what scheme Leslie had cooked up to dissuade him), he needed to be someone other than Gotham’s young prince. Too bad he couldn’t figure out what that was.

He pasted the careless smile on his face that he’d been honing to perfection as he made his way past the flashing lights and sirens to the ambulance where the little girl still waited. He turned to one of the officers posted on the street and asked, “Is that her?”

The man gawked at him. “Uh, yes, sir.”

“Great.” Bruce flashed a grin and strolled off towards the child, his careful mask slipping when he caught sight of her knees, painted red. And suddenly he was transported to another night, another street, another child kneeling in a pool of his parents’ blood.

The memories. He couldn’t escape them.

At his approach, the child looked up and stared at him with wide eyes. Whether she was frightened or in awe of him, he couldn’t tell.

“Meda?” he asked gently, getting down on his knees so he could be at her level when talking to her. “I’m-”

“I know who you are,” she cut him off. So she did recognize him, then. “I saw you on the news this morning.”

He gave her a small smile that she didn’t return. “I just got back into town. I heard…I heard that something really bad might’ve happened to you tonight.” She looked down at her feet and didn’t reply. “You know, when I was about your age, just a little bit older, something really bad happened to me, too.” She looked up at him then, head tilted in curiosity. “You see, a very bad man hurt both of my parents, too.” Her eyes widened.

“Did they die, too?” she whispered.

“Yes,” he said, ignoring the stab of pain he felt at talking about it. “Dr. Thompkins is a friend of mine. You remember her, right?” She nodded. “She thought…that is, she felt it might be good if you came to stay with me for a while. With someone who understands.” She continued to look at him, face impassive. “You don’t have to, of course. But is that something that might be okay with you?”

“Yes,” she said, surprisingly quickly.

“Are you sure,” he asked, startled by the rapid response and her quick trust in a stranger after what had happened to her. “Because-”

She looked up at him through tear-filled eyes. “I don’t have anywhere else to go, do I?”

Biting his lip, he shook his head. Meda let out one final sob, and looked up at him, her gaze suddenly steady.

“Then yes.”

AN: Next up is Meda's first introduction to Alfred and the Manor, so stay tuned for that! AO3 link is https://archiveofourown.org/works/29648013

[itsbajabitch]

You're my favorite thing to watch (Abed x Annie oneshot)

NOTES: So I like the concept of Annie not being skinny and basically just wanted more fat Annie content and was thinking about how I imagine Annie might remember the Abed insult episode stuff (S2E7 “Aerodynamics of Gender”) when they’re dating and get worried that he’s noticing all these ‘flaws’ about her, but never tell her. I imagine this is like season 4ish. There is discussion of body image and insecurity and that kind of thing but nothing graphic or detailed, it’s just a cute Annie x Abed comfort fic. Thank you to @s1owdanc32death for helping me get unstuck on the ending! Sorry if there’s weird grammar or formatting stuff, thats not my forte. Enjoy! 

...

It was another movie night in the Trobedison household.

I was perched on the arm of Abed’s chair and Troy sat in his own chair while we watched the Dark Knight Rises. This was a good day, or at least it should have been. Nothing bad happened, I had classes, study group and now I was in the comfort of my own home with my boyfriend and our best friend watching a movie. This should be enough to keep me happy.

It was one of those days though. A day where I felt restless and am hyper-aware of my body. A day where as soon as I woke up the feeling of hunger in my stomach awoke the part of me that makes each bite of toast at breakfast a battle and makes getting dressed take double the normal amount of time because I don’t like the way my body looks in anything. The kind of day that makes trying to sit through a conversation in the cafeteria so panic-inducing that I excuse myself to the library for some paper I have to work on. I know I can’t punish myself for having days like this, it's a part of the recovery process but that doesn’t make it any easier. 

And I know Abed can tell something is up, he’s been giving me looks all day, private check-ins. Each time I give him a smile and try to project some semblance of happy and normalcy. I don’t know how to explain that today some of, okay a lot of, my anxiety is Abed related. I don’t know how to have that conversation so I close my eyes tight in an attempt to center myself and when I reopen them I fix my eyes on the screen and try to focus on the movie. 

This plan instantly backfires.

On screen Anne Hathaway is in a skin-tight black bodysuit prowling around Gotham and immediately the comparisons and the insults come racing through my mind.

Abed had mentioned wanting to go to a convention together someday, what if he wanted me to dress like that, to be the Selina opposite his Bruce. What would he think seeing my body like that, completely on display with no cardigans or layers to shield me. I can hear it in my head, a ruthless cataloging of all my flaws in his cool monotone. Ever since Shirley, Britta and I used Abed as an insult wielding machine I’ve been thinking of all the things he might notice about me, but not say. It was getting better but then we started dating and I noticed myself thinking about it more and more until today and it’s like a damn broke and everytime I so much as breathe I’m imagining Abed picking apart my every imperfection. And it’s not fair. It’s not fair to myself or to Abed because he’s never done anything in our relationship to make me feel ugly or scrutinized but I can’t stop thinking about it and I don’t know how to stop and I’m to scared to talk to him about it and oh god what if I ruin the best relationship I’ve ever had because I can’t stop obsessing….

 “Annie?”

I move suddenly and my eyes jump back to focus. The movie is paused. I feel Abed’s hand on my back and realize Troy and him are both looking at me, concern etched on their faces. I straighten myself and start to sit up off the chair. “Gosh, sorry I just zoned out. I’m not feeling great. I think I’m going to lie down, but you guys should finish the movie. I’ll catch up later when I’m not so out of it” I say, trying to keep my tone even and not look so suspicious as I avoid eye contact and head towards my room.

As soon as the door closes I curl up on my bed and surround myself with my stuffies, clutching one to my chest. I feel like a kid again. I feel like it's high school and I’m spinning out of control using anything I can to try and get that control back. It’s really hard in moments like these to remind myself that I have grown and adapted and I don’t need that kind of control anymore. I sit up and force myself to do a deep breathing exercise. I’m focusing on counting each intake of breath, each hold, and each exhale. 

Time passes and I start to feel a little better, more grounded. My phone buzzes on the nightstand and I reach over to check it. 

A text from Abed, “water, tea, or special drink?”

I smile and think for a moment before typing my response, “tea” and then, “thank you” 

Barely a minute later there is a soft knock on my door and I look up to see Abed entering with two mugs, one gently steaming the other likely his special drink. He sets my mug on a coaster on my nightstand then turns to me,

“Do you want me to stay?” 

I nod and start to move over all my stuffies so he can sit beside me. As Abed settles in next to me I grab my mug, blowing lightly before I sip. 

“Did you guys finish the movie?” I ask, still looking at my mug. 

“No, we decided to pause and wait to finish it another night with you” he answers, no hint of annoyance in his voice. 

“We might need to start at the beginning”, I reply sheepishly, “I kind of zoned out”. 

“Are you feeling better?” he asks and I finally turn towards him, 

“I’m starting to. Thank you for this” I add, gesturing to the tea. 

“Of course” he says looking at me contentedly. 

I turn to set my mug back on its coaster, “I want to talk about something, but I’m pretty embarrassed and I don’t know exactly how to say it so is it okay if I just start talking and you listen for a bit?” 

Abed nods. I take a deep breath and face him.

“So I’ve been anxious lately, while more than usual, and it was really bad today and I guess I’ve just been really self conscious and stressing about how I look and that kind of thing except that now I’m worrying about how you think I look and I know it was a while ago, but I keep thinking about that time Britta and Shirley and I used you as some kind of take down machine, which I’m still sorry for doing that to you, but I can’t stop thinking about all the things you’ve noticed about me and didn’t say because you were being nice like do you really think that my laugh sounds like a piglet or do you think my face is too round or not symmetrical or notice that my clothes don’t always fit right and I know won’t look like Anne Hathaway in a catsuit and I…”

“Annie”

Abed’s voice pulled me back from my rapidly derailing train of thought speech.

Sorry I murmured 

“Thank you for sharing that with me. You’re right, I do notice a lot of things about you that I don’t say out loud, but it's not the way you think”

“What do you mean?” I ask trying to regain my breathe

“You’re my favorite thing to watch Annie. You read about 1 page every four minutes when you're studying, that's faster than the national average, and it's faster for non academic reading plus your forehead scrunches when you have to reread a passage. I notice which cardigan you wear most often and the different outfit combinations you favor. I don’t tell people these things because most people find it uncomfortable to be watched that closely, but I can’t help but watch you Annie. And I do notice your body. How soft you feel pressed against me when we watch movies or sometimes the light catches your face and it's so perfect I wish I had a camera on me to try and capture it.” 

I couldn’t help but smile. When Abed talks like that, so straightforward and sure, it’s hard to doubt what he’s saying, to not accept it as fact. I leaned forward to embrace him, but he stopped me holding me up instead and I looked up, finding his eyes staring back at mine.

“I am attracted to you, all of you, and I’m sorry if I don’t always verbalize that”.

He held my gaze for a long moment

My eyes watered and he loosened his hold allowing me to rest my head against his chest and wrapping my arms around him

“Thank you” I murmured, not moving my face from against his body. A moment later I part slightly to look back up at him 

“I’m attracted to you too”

A smile spreads over his lips and i can’t help but mirror it

We both let ourselves fall back onto the bed, lying down I nestle close to him

“For the record I think you’d make a great Catwoman, catsuit and all” 

I hit his arm playfully in response

“I’m serious. I’d never make you cosplay in something that made you feel uncomfortable, but it's all about commitment and character. We both know I don’t look like Batman, but when I put on the costume I commit so it works and Annie you’re so committed to everything you do so you’d be great. You as a Catwoman, hot. hot hot hot”

I grin again, pressing a kiss against his cheek then I whisper into his ear     

“Maybe for your birthday”

[kasdeyathebitterwoman]

A Ninja Warrior Love Story - Part 15

HELLO! It’s been a hot minute since I posted to for the Ninja Warrior fandom. I do apologize for the delay. I had quite a bit of this part written, but I definitely got distracted and felt a little distant from it. But I’m back! I’ve got a new chapter for you all! We’re getting further along in the story and I hope you like it! 

CW: abuse, family trouble talk

Word Count: 3,690

taglist

@maeleeme @henrycavillluv32 @andyrazzledazzle @blossom-a @fanfictionaddiction99 @jhenno2002

A week after getting out of the hospital, Henry surprised Lily with a single heart pendant necklace and a request to officially be his girlfriend. He was old-fashioned like that and it made Lily appreciate him further. Through tears and laughter, Lily accepted. About a month after that, the two of them drove up to Oklahoma to begin pre-shooting for the movie. Lily didn’t actually do much but spent as much time as she could with the lead stunt coordinator. She watched from the side as Henry began working on shots. He and Tom would perform a scene multiple times, often from different angles, but mostly just shooting the scene until Tom felt they had it right. She was fascinated but the process and loved talking with Henry about it all. She also knew when to back off after a long day.

On her days off, which were often, she walked around the cities they were filming in. Pretty often Henry’s local assistant, Sarah, and Kal would come with her. They walked around the Oklahoma City playing tourist for the most part. Lily liked Sarah. She was from Arizona but moved out to Texas with her family when she was twelve. Years later, she started working as a virtual assistant for several people before landing roles as an assistant for celebrities in the area. The two chatted about different things, what they studied at school, how they met Henry, etc. While out walking one day without Kal, Lily and Sarah found an old bookstore. Lily perused the shelves and found herself in awe of a vintage copy of The Velveteen Rabbit. She explained it was one of her favorite that Eleanor had given her years ago, but was lost after college. Lily didn’t have the heart to explain what exactly happened. It was too expensive to justify purchasing it, but just knowing she could find a copy again made her happy.

Both Henry and Sarah learned what a voracious reader Lily was when she wasn't working or training. During their first of three weeks in Oklahoma, Lily devoured twelve books during her downtime. By the fourth week, it was less because she found a ninja warrior gym that Donovan had suggested for her. She was able to get workouts in when she wasn’t on set working or studying.

When their first month of filming was up, Lily and Henry had about two days off before they were expected on set again. Henry was staying in a trailer on set while Lily commuted from a hotel nearby. On their first day off, Henry arrived at her hotel knocking on the door waking her up. Her sleep schedule was off completely with the random call times for shooting combined with the pretty consistent days off. She shuffled over to the door after Henry had knocked for the second time and opened it, squinting at him from around the door. Henry smiled wide and chuckled. He held a cup of coffee and the leash for Kal, who was sitting dutifully at his feet.

“Did I wake you sleeping beauty?” he asked, laughter tickling his voice. Lily grunted in response and stepped aside to let him in. He balanced a cup of coffee and Kal’s leash in his hands as he walked in. Kal trotted in and soon as Henry let go of his leash, immediately found solace next to the couch. He looked up at Lily as did Henry. She yawned wide and loud, stretching her arms above her head. Henry laughed as he closed the gap between them. Lily graciously took her cup of coffee and look-up at Henry.

“What are we going to do today, Brain?” she asked her voice heavy with sleep. Henry looked at her confused. “Sorry, old cartoon reference,” she replied and Henry chuckled. He reached out and pulled her hips closer to his.

“Well, funny enough, it’s National Comic Book Day,” he started. “I heard there was a comic book store in the city. I was thinking we could go there for a bit and then maybe find a walking trail for Kal to run around,” he looked at her expectantly.

“Sure, we can do that,” she said. “Plus, I think there’s a bookstore that Sarah and I went to not too far from the comic book store,” she said absentmindedly, missing the twinkle that flickered in Henry’s eyes.

“Oh yeah,” he said, smiling wide. “I remember you telling me about that store.” Lily nodded, then sighed.

“But if we go out, there’s going to be a crap ton of paparazzi,” she said and Henry sighed as well. Since arriving in Oklahoma, the paparazzi had been relentless. They even snapped several pictures of Lily and Sarah when they were walking Kal because they recognized the dog himself.

“True, but I don’t want you to think I’m hiding you away from the world,” he said, a slight plea in his voice. Lily shook her head no.

“Oh no, you’re not hiding me,” she replied. “I’m hiding myself,” Henry laughed loudly at that. So loud that Kal jumped in his spot. He looked down at Lily.

“Okay, how about a compromise?” he asked and Lily looked at him skeptically. “What if we go out this morning and then spend the rest of the day and tomorrow indoors?” he raised his right eyebrow at her, a gesture that made Lily weak in the knees. She thought about it some then replied.

“Deal, but snuggles come first,” she said, taking a sip of her coffee and looking at Henry over the rim. He smirked and laughed.

“Deal,” he replied. Lily nodded her head once then pulled away. Henry started to follow her until he realized she was gesturing to Kal to join her in the bedroom. “Wait, what?” Henry stopped in place and watched her confused. Kal padded into the bedroom and in the doorway, Lily turned around to look at Henry.

“Oh, you thought I meant snuggles with you?” she asked playfully, a smile she couldn’t resist crossing her face. Henry’s confused expression quickly turned to amusement as he understood what she meant.

“Oh you little,” he muttered, immediately chasing her into the bedroom. Lily squealed as she turned into the bedroom. She would have been able to evade Henry’s hands, but Kal was right behind her, desperate to see what was taking her so long. She almost tripped over his large frame and then suddenly Henry’s hands were on her, tickling her until she was short of breath. Henry held her tightly as he pulled her toward him. She lifted her coffee cup up and over his shoulder right as Henry leaned down to kiss her. It was rough and a little sloppy, but Lily didn’t mind because it was also real and passionate. Kissing him was her second favorite thing to do with him. He held her close and finally pulled back to look at her. She smiled up at him and felt her love for him stir in her chest.

—

As predicted, the paparazzi were out snapping photos, but they weren’t as bad as Lily had expected. Walking up to the comic book store in town, they were stopped once by a local. A father and a son, who was wearing a Superman shirt, asked for a photograph and Henry obliged. Lily offered to take their picture since there was no one else with them. She smiled at Henry as they continued to the store. He was so kind and generous to those around him. He caught her smiling and gave her a confused look.

“What?” he asked. Lily smirked.

“You’re adorable,” she said, low and only to him. Henry just beamed at her. They continued on to the comic book store. Henry went directly for the Superman comics and Lily wandered over to the graphic novel section and perused in their respective sections for a while. Lily then wandered around the store and found a section with old posters. She started flipping through them and got excited to see renderings and images from the Adam West Batman television show. There were great shots of Cesar Romero as The Joker as well as great images of Adam West and Burt Ward as their respective characters. Lily gasped when she found a beautiful, technicolor shot of Eartha Kitt as Catwoman. She pulled the poster up to inspect it further when she felt someone behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Henry smiling at her.

“What did you find?” he asked. Lily pulled the poster around to show him.

“Look,” she said excitedly. “Eartha Kitt as Catwoman. Did you know her first appearance as one of her most iconic characters was actually uncredited?” there was a passion in her voice that surprised Henry.

“No, I didn’t know that,” he replied, examining the poster. Lily bit her lip in excitement.

“And there’s more,” she turned back to the posters. She could feel Henry move closer to her. “There’s this one with Cesar Romero as The Joker. He never shaved his mustache so they just painted over it!” She laughed and Henry laughed with her excitement. “Oh, I didn’t see this one!” she pulled out a poster of Frank Gorshin. “Oh my gosh, the original Riddler!” she gasped as she pulled it up to show Henry.

“Wow, that’s so awesome,” Henry agreed. Lily did a little dance in giddy excitement and Henry chuckled at her. “I didn’t know you liked this stuff so much,” Henry said. Lily smiled up at him.

“Oh man,” she started. “Me, Mar, and her little brothers used to get up on Saturday mornings to watch this show. The Adam West Batman was my first superhero experience,” she smiled up at Henry who was watching her with intrigue and intensity. She blushed to realize how much she went on about Batman. “Um, what did you find?” she asked, glancing down at the stack of things in his hands. Henry jumped to it.

“I found these great versions of a few Superman comic books and these amazing art renderings,” he showed her the artwork. Lily looked through the artwork and smiled. They really were very well done.

“These are incredible,” she said, smiling up at him. He looked back at her warmly. They headed to the front to check out. Henry bought his artwork and comic books while Lily bought the posters of Eartha Kitt and Frank Gorshin. Then they headed over to the bookstore a few shops down. Lily was hoping to show Henry the copy of The Velveteen Rabbit she had found but when they got there, it was gone. Disappointed, she turned to Henry who saw her despair.

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m sorry,” he said, pulling her closer to him. “Maybe we can find you another copy.” Lily bobbed her head as she accepted his embrace. They walked back to Lily’s hotel hand in hand. Lily forgot completely about any photographers that might have been around.

Henry dropped her off at the hotel with a quick kiss then left to collect Kal and a vehicle so they could head to a park. Lily dropped her things off in the front room and sat on the couch. For a moment, she allowed herself to feel bad about this loss. It hurt not getting to see or hold the book again, but she decided to believe it went to a good home. A few moments later, she got a text from Henry that he and Kal were downstairs. Lily changed her shoes to her trainers and jogged downstairs. Climbing into the SUV, she was met with a smiling Henry and Kal. He told her he found a dog-friendly walking trail nearby, but they would have to drive to it. The drive was relatively silent with an occasional grunt or huff from Kal in the backseat. Henry did reach out to grab Lily’s hand and run his thumb over her knuckles.

At the park, they found a spot to park the car then headed out with Kal. They continued to be quiet in each others presence. After a while, Henry finally spoke.

“So tell me about watching Batman with Mar,” he prompted. Lily smiled. She told him about the year she had to stay with Mar and her family. And how on Saturdays, all the kids would get up to watch Saturday morning cartoons. After cartoons, old television shows would play and one of them was the 1960’s Batman show. Lily was enamored right away and it never left her. Mar’s brothers would drive her to the comic book store to pick up comics and graphic novels as well. “So let me ask you,” Henry started. “Would you be interested in reading Superman comics?” he smiled at her coyly. Lily threw her head back and laughed.

“I have read several Superman comics, but I’d be willing to read a few more,” she looked up at him and smirked. Henry smiled back.

“Good, because this,” he gestured between the two of them. “Wouldn’t work out otherwise,” he laughed at Lily’s expression.

“Oh, so that’s the dealbreaker?” she asked, her eyebrows raising. Henry just giggled. They continued to laugh as they walked. Kal trotted ahead of them taking in the area. He sounded like a pig sniffing around the ground. Henry reached for Lily’s hand and took it in his. They walked like this for a while, silently stealing glances at one another. Well over an hour later, they hot, sweaty, thirsty, and ready to sit down for a while. Lily and Kal at least seemed ready, Henry seemed okay. They trekked back to the car and headed back to the hotel. Henry grabbed Kal and the travel items he had for Kal and himself in the car. In her room, Henry got Kal set up for the evening then turned to Lily.

“So now what?” he asked, turning to Lily. He closed the small distance between them so Lily was forced to look up at him. She turned her face up to his and smiled sweetly.

“Well, to be honest, I’m thinking about a shower,” she replied and Henry smirked.

“That sounds like a brilliant idea,” he said to her, his voice low and husky. Lily ran her hands over his broad shoulders and down his arms. The tips of her fingers hovering along the top of his jeans. Henry closed his eyes and sighed, his head tilting back ever so slightly. Taking his hand, Lily pulled him into the bathroom. He watched with hawk eyes as she pulled the shower door open and started the water. Then, Lily turned around to him. He stepped forward and closed the gap between them. Lily's hands immediately pulled on the hem of Henry’s shirt. Between her efforts and Henry’s, they pulled his shirt up and off of his large frame. Then with nimble fingers, Lily began unbuttoning his pants. Her fingers quickly undid the button and began tugging on the zipper. Henry’s hands were on hers immediately, helping the process along.

Once he was down to his briefs, Henry wasted no time getting Lily out of her clothes. Just as she had, he started with her shirt. His hands pushed her shirt up and over her head then his warm hands rested gently on her waist. She looked up at him through her eyelashes and for a moment, she thought she saw him holding his breath. Then, slowly, he reached up and unhooked her bra. Gently, he pulled the straps down off her shoulders and revealed her breasts. He placed his hands so they cupped her sides and one thumb could gently trace her nipple. Lily shuddered with pleasure, the feeling of his hands on her body was one of the few things she craved most in the world.

“You said it to me once,” Henry said suddenly, his voice low. “And I liked it so much, so I’m saying it back to you. I love the way that you make me feel,” he said this, then moved is hands down to Lily’s jeans which he began to undo.

“And how do I make you feel?” Lily asked, stepping out of her jeans. She ran her fingertips down his abdomen and saw him relax into your hands.

“You make me feel,” he started. “Good - really, really good,” he looked down at her, his blue eyes shining bright. “I feel like a man that can do anything when you smile at me,” he watched her with a sweet intensity. Lily felt herself blushing as she smiled and bit her bottom lip. Unsure of what to say, she stood up on her tiptoes and pulled Henry in for a kiss. It was passionate and real, the kind of kiss between two people that love each other and love that they are together. Then she pulled his hand and they moved toward the shower. They removed their underwear and stepped in. It was a tight fit thanks to Henry’s size, but that just meant more of an opportunity to touch every bit of real estate that was Henry Cavill.

The two giggled through their shower. Henry enjoyed taking care of Lily and making her laugh. He covered her head to toe in suds and laughed hysterically when he was able to make her hair into a faux-hawk. When they were done, Lily got dressed in the plush robe provided by the hotel while Henry donned his sweat pants and nothing else. Lily’s hotel wasn’t nice enough to have room service, but she was able to find a place nearby that would deliver burgers for them. Henry was on a strict diet now that filming was in the swing of things, however, he hadn’t had a cheat meal that week, so the burger would be fine. While they waited, they sat on the couch in her room. Henry was at one end with Lily on the other side, her legs outstretched over his lap. He took her feet and began giving her a foot massage.

“Tell me more about staying with Mar,” he started quietly. “It sounds like it was pretty good,” Lily had been watching his hands work. For a moment she paused before sighing and responding.

“Yeah, it wasn’t bad at all,” she started. She looked up at Henry’s face. Though he was working out the knots in her feet, he was watching her intently. “The circumstances just sucked.” she shrugged her shoulders. Henry watched her, his blue eyes sparkling. “When I was 16 or 17, my dad relapsed. He started getting drunk as soon as he’d wake up. Since I was the only other one in the house, I took the brunt of his anger and pain. One night when he was really worked up, he kicked me out. He literally threw me out on the porch and locked the door behind me.” Lily paused, feeling Henry’s hands stop. She wasn’t looking at him, but off into the distance. Her head snapped back and she looked him in the eye. “I cried for three days straight. I didn’t go to school, I didn't get out of the little cot Mar’s parents set up for me in her room. I laid there for three days and cried. Then I got up, started running again, started working with Ray and I haven’t really stopped,” her voice cracked a little as she spoke, realizing just how much pain she’d been holding in all these years. Henry’s lips were open slightly, his brow slightly furrowed as he watched her.

“Lily, I’m so sorry,” he said quietly. Lily shrugged.

“It’s part of the past and to be honest, I’m really tired of letting my past hurt me,” she said as she looked at Henry’s hands. Then she shifted her eyes up and looked into his soft blue eyes. Then Lily stretched out her hands and gestured to Henry to come towards her. They shifted so that Henry was laying half on her, half on the couch. His head rested on her chest while her arms wrapped around his shoulders. She began running her fingers through Henry’s hair and felt him pull her closer to him. She smiled as she pressed her lips into his hairline. “Tell me about boarding school,” Lily murmured to Henry. He chuckled into her chest. He began to tell her how excited he was to be sent away. How it was a much-needed change of pace, albeit a tough one since most of the boys were rather mean to him.

“They called me Fat Cavill,” he explained, laughing with Lily. “Which wasn’t entirely wrong. I was fat and my name was Cavill,” he said. Lily giggled. Their food had come and they were sitting on the couch, eating, avoiding Kal’s gaze as he watched them from a distance envious. When they were done eating and had cleaned everything up, they moved their conversation to the bedroom. Again, Henry lay so his head was on Lily’s chest and her hands were running through his hair. They continued to talk and share more and more about their past. It was hard for Lily to be so open, but Henry said something that filled a crack in her heart.

“Honestly, you remind me quite a bit of my mum,” he said. “Like her, you are so smart and fun and interesting. And you’re both strong, but it’s not an obvious strength. It’s a quiet, dignified strength that can’t really be measured,” he said this so surely, with so much confidence it left Lily in shock.

“No one’s ever said that about me before,” Lily said, quietly, still in shock. Henry tilted his head so he was looking up at her.

“No one has ever called you strong before?” he asked almost incredulously. Lily shook her head.

“No, I mean,” she started. “No one has ever referred to me as dignified,” she emphasized the last word. “I’m usually just the poor girl who had to be strong,” Henry readjusted so he was leaning on his arm, looking at her intently. Then he pulled her in for a kiss that was sweet and passionate. 

“You are so much more than that to me,” he whispered quietly. Lily smiled and kissed him back, feeling her love for him grow deeper. 

[chronicbatfictioner]

Exchanges and Compromises - Chapter 7

Gotham City, Today

He is the Gray Son of Gotham, and he did not like having all these intruders coming into his city and steal from his people. The Court had made it clear that it would be his duty to clean up Gotham from those outsiders.

Over the years, Dick Grayson realized that the rogues coming to Gotham were getting progressively worse. If five years ago, it was the mafia trying to control Gotham; small, petty thugs trying to appear bigger than they are at the advent of machine guns and diminishing morale of the general Gothamites; today, there were costumed people. People wearing costumes and gimmicks, ready to hurt random people just to make a name for themselves. They'd feared nothing because there was nothing in Gotham that could hurt them back. Not like the Super-powered metahuman guy in Metropolis.

It all started with the shooting of Barbara Gordon, the daughter of a Police Captain. He had met her in person at the Circus and thought she was the most beautiful person ever. The only way he could keep his mind sane through the year was the hope that one day, he would be able to meet Barbara again. Cheesy, he knew. But it worked. Remembering Barbara meant remembering himself as Dick Grayson - the last of the Flying Graysons.

Dick was yet to get the taste of death at the time. But he was so furious, oh-so-furious that he had kicked the red-helmeted guy out of his fast-running motorbike after he saw what the guy had done to Barbara Gordon. To her body and soul as he desecrated her and took photos. Dick caught him and the camera - thankfully it was an old camera with films and not a digital one that could send its photos to the cloud - and has kept the film since.

Evidently, someone had beheaded the Red-Helmet guy after Dick left him dangled - suspended in the air on a lamppost with the gun he'd used to shoot Barbara Gordon for the cops to arrest him or whatever. Dick couldn't say he was sorry to hear that, though. It was much like that first time when he hung Tony Zucco upside down, and some enterprising soul had loosened the tie and sent Zucco flying to the pavement, some seven-storeys below.

He thought it odd that his masters have not allowed him to take a life - his other compatriots have taken lives after lives as ordered. But he, the one they actually named The Talon, had not. Sure, there might have been a number of targets whom he had taken to the edge of life at one point or the other. But they lived. The masters would promptly send out the cleaners - paramedics and other rescue people - to make sure his battered targets would survive.

Terror tactics, he was told. He had learned so much and so far to get the full understanding of how to work someone up to within an inch of their lives, leaving scars that would make them remember him always, but not take the life itself.

Nowadays, though, the policy might just need to change, if it hasn't already. His compatriots have eliminated a lot of people already, most were a costume- and gimmick-toting newcomers. They claimed to be 'inspired' by the legend of the Talon, yet they came in with the sole purpose of benefiting themselves on the blood of the common, insignificant people. They were not to be scared off, the masters decided. They were to be eliminated thoroughly.

He was getting antsy. There has been practically radio silence from the masters in the past week. He has tried to make himself useful - logging in the locations of the rogues the best that he could, so that... so that he was doing something, anything, during the radio silence. But it was getting... lonely.

He idly dropped by the Gordon lady's place again. She lived there, but she had made a plethora of security devices that he would have to carefully avoid to get to see her.

Her red hair looked like the sunrise in his eyes; warm, inviting, long. She had cut them short a few times, but they were always wavy and red and Dick wished he could run his fingers through them. He was happy that not only she had survived the shooting, she had also built something - a small business empire - for herself. She has friends coming and going, of all ages and genders. She would go out, sometimes with those friends, for a night out in the town, and Dick would follow them surreptitiously - keeping her safe if anything else.

Tonight, she seemed to be working intently. He couldn't see what she was working on, on the monitors before her. But she seemed preoccupied and rather angry; her face flushed a little, strands of hair escaping from her messy bun, her arms waving every now and then from whatever remarks she was making against whoever was on the other side of her headset.

Dick sat there quietly, literally enjoying the view. He deliberately trained himself to just watch her at work, not overstep the boundaries, no matter how his body wanted him to. Just a peek, it would say, into her bedroom, watch her change, sleep, get out of the showers...

He shook his head, snapping his thoughts. No matter what, Barbara has been violated before. He was not going to do that again, whether or not she knew it.

He touched one of his belt's pockets. The film was still there. No one shall take it from him, and maybe one day he could give it to Barbara herself and watch her burn it. Destroy the nightmare once and for all.

For now, though, Dick turned as a spark somewhere midtown caught his interest. With the costumed newcomers, there has been an increase of explodey-thingy each night. Scratch that, there has been an increase of explodey-thingy every night.

He went to the nest, where his band of talons should be standing-by, awaiting orders. There should be the masters, too, sitting around a roundtable, assessing the severity of the situation before they decide on the course of action.

He barely made it past the last of the buildings when he smelled it. The scent of blood - fresh blood - and burnt flesh. He stopped, settling down the shudder that overtook his body. He was not scared, not by a long shot. There have been numerous times where Dick witnessed bloody and/or burnt people - even before he was let out of his training pod. But this one... this one seemed... more foreboding. All of his survival instinct has kicked in all at once and told him to not meddle.

So he peeked around the corner of the building a few blocks away from the nest.

It was luck that he'd peeked instead of barging in, too. There was a very big man standing on the ledge of the next building - the one right in front of the nest. He was laughing - Dick could hear his laughter from where he was standing.

"That is all? That is all of the Court of Owls??" the man crowed. "I am Bane! And from this day onward, Gotham is mine!"

Dick sank back to his hiding place, after realizing that the round object in each of the man's hands were heads. One head of a Talon, the other the head of the Grand Master. He knew that the other Talons would have headed underground, which explained the complete radio silence.

Through the night, he went through the residences of the other members of the Court, only to find them dead. The ones he didn't find in their respective homes, he located at Dock 9C, the drop zone. They were all still sitting around the roundtable - lacking their heads. And Dick was pretty sure that the Court's revival pods would not be able to resurrect a person lacking a head.

He sighed dejectedly, realizing that - once again - he was alone. He would need to figure out how to take down the big man, 'Bane', and restore order. There were several issues with the intention: one - He didn't even know what this guy 'Bane' really wanted; two - his weakness; and three - how to exploit it.

And four- what is this shadow that has been following him from the Nest and is it dangerous.

He instinctively threw a knife toward the sound, a little confused when the shadow yelped indignantly and exclaimed, "dude! Settle down! I'm here to help!"

The moon took that moment to came out from behind the clouds, and Dick could see the small, black-leather-clad boy. With cat's ears.

"Oh, great... Catwoman's apprentice. There's nothing to steal here, boy; unless you're up to collect headless corpses." Dick snarled.

The boy tilted his head, looked behind Dick to the corpses, and looked like he was going to throw up. "Oh, god... would you... ew... would you mind if we go outside? Like, that -- ick. No-- Just..." he right out scowled. "Ugh, okay. Stray, where're your manners." the boy continued. "I'm... sorry for your losses, I guess? But can we please go outside? The cops are coming in a bit. I'm sure you don't want to be caught with like, twelve dead bodies around you."

Indeed, Dick could hear vehicles coming closer. The cops must have been alerted and kept their sirens quiet to catch the perpetrator. It would have worked, too, given the alcove location of the warehouse that would have trapped him - at the very least, he would have been seen.

He contemplated the boy's offer for a few seconds and then nodded. "This way," he said, leading the way to the least-used exits, the one that went to the sewers. "I hope you don't mind a little stink."

The boy whined, "man... the sewers? Don't you know there's a big-bad crocodile that eats humans in there? Not to mention how my dry cleaners' bills when they need to wash off the stink..."

"Really," Dick deadpanned dryly, glaring at the boy.

"No, I'm just trying to break the ice." he shrugged. "I'm Stray, by the way."

"They called me Talon," Dick replied, leading the way to the sewers, keeping a good fighting distance with the boy. He might be small and young, but Dick was certain that he would have some sort of weaponry on him that could hurt Dick.

The boy was quiet for a good six-second and then said. "That's alright, Dick Grayson, you're not a Talon, anymore."

For the first time in his life, Dick slipped and splashed to the floor of the sewer.

[apple-grass-and-smiles]

Shiny Toy With a Price

Once again I have committed the fandom version of a hit-and-run by delivering a single story based on a Taylor Swift song and then fleeing the scene of the crime. This one is based on/around Cruel Summer and there are a few little hints buried throughout the story that reference it. I hope you enjoy.

Summary: That summer was particularly hot and cruel and it hadn't rained since May. (Or Bruce wants to label his relationship with Selina and she is adamantly against such an idea.)

If asked to describe the summer of Year Zero, Selina would immediately respond that it was the hottest summer of her life. Whether or not this was actually the case is up for debate, but it certainly felt like the hottest summer. And a lot of Gothamites agreed. It hadn’t rained since May and by the time July rolled around, any plant that hadn’t been tended to religiously was dead and people were desperately praying for any amount of rain. The streets were full of people in as few items of clothing as they could be, water with ice in it was treated like pure gold, and people would huddle in groups to be in front of one of the few working air conditioners.

What only a handful of people knew, and one of the secrets you couldn’t pay Selina to spill, was that Bruce and Alfred’s small apartment was one of the only places with a working, refrigerated air conditioning system. Bruce has claimed the apartment early enough after the bridges blew and Alfred has booby trapped it enough that no one was ever able to really vandalize the small 3-bed, 2-bath apartment. That apartment, with it’s pink wallpaper that Alfred and Selina had painted a deep blue in the early morning one of the first days she was able to walk and the doors that squeaked no matter how much oil she and Bruce poured on the hinges, quickly became her refuge during the Hottest Summer Ever.

The apartment was about four blocks away from the GCPD and a five-minute walk if you used the roofs (seven minutes if you used the regular streets). It wasn’t unusual for Bruce to get up before the sun and head to the police station, at which point Selina, who had usually camped out on the small fire escape outside his window, would sneak in and take her turn getting a couple of hours of sleep. It was a weird set-up, which seemed fitting considering how Selina had no idea how this year would be remembered once the bridges were back and Bruce lived in a mansion that wasn’t full of board games with mismatched pieces and her clothes and the truly disgusting alcohol that Alfred had gotten from Lucius that one time. But then again, things had always been weird for them and there was nothing to indicate anything would change any time soon.

Looking back on it now, years after the incident and years after Bruce left and years after she became Catwoman and a socialite and years before Bruce will return dressed as a bat, Selina doesn’t know if she regrets the night they stole Alfred’s vodka or if she just wishes it has happened sooner so that maybe they could have figured everything out before he jumped on a plane headed to somewhere Selina wasn’t.

Rule one of nights that Alfred was out was that Selina must always supply snacks. The rule had started when they were much younger and Selina had taught him how to get snacks out of a vending machine without paying. He had, of course, refused to try this more than once because it was all about the “research” and would be “irresponsible to steal something as small as a pack of potato chips”. Selina had found the sentiment to be one of the most ridiculous ones he had ever shared and then promptly determined that she would always have some stolen vending machine snacks on her when she saw him. That had quickly stopped meaning that she brought the food back to her squat where he’d be waiting and started to mean that she snuck Twinkies and gummy worms and flat soda into his mansion where the small offerings seems stupid and inconsequential in comparison to Alfred’s expertly-made quiches and chocolates from Germany and steakss that cost more than Selina wanted to think about. But the bridges blowing had changed things and once again she was able to offer a valuable commodity and she certainly loved that more than shyly passing Bruce a half-eaten oatmeal creme pie when he could have bought the factory that made it with his pocket change.

So, it was for that reason that Selina snuck through the window that July evening with her arms full of treats with enough processed sugar to kill a man. She had found a vending machine a few blocks away that was mostly full since it has been vandalized past the point of being recognized as a vending machine many years earlier. Bruce, who looked like he hadn’t even considered sleeping for at least a month, greeted her with an exceptionally jubilant smile.

“We figured it out!” he exclaimed as he helped her unload the snacks on the small table.

“The water?”

“Yeah! We just altered one of the old water purifiers and then added on... “ he paused, looking at her with a slightly resigned face. “We made a new water purifier from some old ones and some other tech.”

“Thanks for the dumbed down version. Do you want Twizzlers or Red Vines?” Selina asked holding up one packet in each hand. Bruce paused for a moment, considering, before grabbing the Twizzlers. Selina smiled to herself; Bruce hated Twizzlers and must have known the ones he had just taken would be as hard as a rock, but he also knew that Red Vines were her favorite. Even if that wasn’t the thought process that had gone into his candy selection, she was going to assume that it was. She was in a city full of criminals, cut off from the rest of the world and would probably die of heat stroke if the weather didn’t let up soon; she should be allowed to entertain some slightly romantic ideas.

“So,” she said as she plopped down on the couch with Red Vines in one hand and her arms and legs slung over every inch of the piece of furniture. “What now? You wanna lose another game of Monopoly?”

Bruce shot her a glare from the kitchen before he came and settled on the coffee table next to the couch. “I would have won if you hadn’t cheated and you know it.” (Selina rolled her eyes at that.) “But I actually have something much better.”

“Do tell…”

“Yahtzee.”

If Selina’s eyebrows could have risen any higher they would have touched her hair line. “Yahtzee?”

“Yahtzee. Plus some gambling.”

“Okay… Explain.”

Bruce laid out the rules. The game would play normally, but they would have to place bets on what they would roll. Each round they would bet something small and as the game went on, what they bet would have to increase in value.

By the time they had finished the first game (Selina won), the pair had discovered some issues with the rules of the game as they stood. Namely, they ran out of things to bet very, very quickly and it had reached the point where Bruce was betting Alfred’s things and Selina was trying to bet random items she found in Bruce’s room (she had bet a very pricey watch his father had bought him for his tenth birthday and her heart had nearly stopped thinking about the price what she likely saw as simply a shiny toy) and it had simply devolved into a very low-stakes game once it became clear none of the items would actually change hands at the end of the night.

Bruce, always one to try and fix any problem presented to him, searched around the apartment to find any way to spice up this game that was rapidly becoming boring when Selina threw a couch pillow at him.

“I’ve got it. You remember that vodka Lucius gave Alfred a couple months ago? The stuff they found in that raid?” Bruce nodded slowly, not entirely certain where Selina was going with this train of thought but pretty certain he would be regretting going along with it in the morning. “We play the game the same way, but, instead of betting objects, we bet how many shots we take.”

“That seems like a great way to get alcohol poisoning.”

“C’mon! It won’t kill us and we can come up with some excuse about, I don’t know, someone stealing it if Alfred ever notices that it’s gone. It’ll be fun.” Selina, who at this point was standing on the couch to talk to Bruce from his vantage point in the kitchen, did her best to give him a sweet face. Instead of a response, Bruce simply grabbed the vodka and rolled his eyes as the setting sun behind him gave him a faintly angelic halo. One day, Bruce figured, Selina would realize she wouldn’t ever have to try and convince him to join her in things. One day she’d figure out that he followed her not because he thought her ideas were good or because he was curious or because he had no other choice. Hopefully, one day she’d realize that he was ready to follow her off of a cliff not to figure out what was at the bottom of siad cliff, but because she was the one to walk off of it.

Another hour passed and as the sun finally set a cool breeze began to blow through the apartment. It was with all the windows open in the apartment and the faint sounds of music coming from the apartment’s kitchen that Selina screamed ‘yahtzee’ and emerged from the game victorious once again. Both teens laughed as Bruce finished the bottle in resignation. Neither of them were strangers to alcohol, but this was the first time they had actually been drunk at the same time. Normally they simply had angry confrontations where one was sober and the other was not, but this situation, with both more than a little high on each other’s company, the sinking temperatures, and the relief of having survived another day, was infinitely preferable to their other drunken encounters. Bruce swept the dice into the mostly destroyed box they had found them in as Selina laid back on the couch, playing with one of the die she had snagged at the end of the game.

Once the game was put away, Bruce came to sit down, lifting Selina’s legs and settling down on the couch before lowering them onto his lap. The two sat in companionable silence for a few minutes before Bruce broke the silence.

“Hey. Are you okay?”

Confused what would spark such a random question, Selina looked at him quizzically. “Uh. Yeah. Why?”

“I was just thinking that I really don’t know where you sleep and we have an extra room here and it just seems ridiculous that you’d be wandering around Gotham where you can get hurt when you could be here and with us and safe and I just don’t know why you’d risk everything just to avoid staying here-”

“You think I’m avoiding staying here? Why would you think that?” Selina was sitting up on the couch now, curling her legs under her to look Bruce in the face.

Bruce played with his hands and stared out the window, “I just figured you wanted to keep us a secret, like you did when we were younger. You didn’t like labeling things and I figured you stayed away and didn’t live with us because you were scared of being labeled.”

“Okay,” Selina held up her hands. “What exactly do you think we are? Because I thought we were just friends hanging out and friends don’t live with friends when they’re stuck on an island full of criminals and separated from the rest of humanity.”

“Really? You think we’re just friends? Then what on Earth was up with you kissing me in Haven or sleeping in my bed when I leave in the morning or coming over for a date whenever Alfred is out? Do you kiss all your friends? What are the rules here, Selina? Because you may not need to know them but I do.”

“Why do there need to be rules and labels? Can’t we just be us? We’ve never needed rules before.” Selina tries not to shout but this conversation was tired and pointless the first time they had it all those years ago and it hasn’t gotten any better in the intervening time. He knows that labels freak her out and he knows that setting rules freak her out and he knows all of this because they’ve been over it so many times that she feels like she could have this argument in her sleep.

“Are you kidding me?” Bruce stands up and drags his hands over his face. “I’ve always needed the rules and the labels! And I can’t figure out why you don’t want them. Are you ashamed of me? Am I your dirty little secret?”

Selina is up in an instant, glaring up at Bruce. “That is insane and you know it! Everyone knows we’re connected. I’m not trying to keep that a secret.”

“Then why can’t I call you my girlfriend?” Bruce’s voice is raised at this point and it’s becoming painfully clear to both parties that this has escalated from their usual labels conversation to a drunken argument.

“Why does it matter that you call me that? It’s not going to change anything!”

“It’ll change everything! I’m tired of keeping you a secret!”

“From who? Who are you keeping me a secret from?  Because I’m pretty sure everyone knows that we’re-”

“We’re WHAT? When Jim asks me about you, do I say you’re just my friend? My girlfriend? An alley cat that spends more time in my apartment than Alfred does? I feel like I’m carrying us around as a secret everywhere and I can’t keep doing that. If we’re going anywhere with this, I need a label. I’m not going to keep you if it means keeping you as a secret.”

“Oh my… Bruce what does that even mean?”

Bruce’s hands are in his hair as he stares up at the ceiling in frustration. “It means that this is the ultimatum.”

Selina snorts before biting her lip and replying, “An ultimatum. Really? That’s where we’re at? I came over to hang out with you and now you’re giving me an ultimatum?”

“Yeah because every day I’m dying over trying to figure out what I mean to you and I can’t keep doing it. If I’m just your boyfriend then I’m happy to do that and if I’m just your friend then I’ll be honored to fill that role, but I cannot keep living in a realm where some days you’ll kiss me and other days you just want to be friends and then the other days where you’ll ignore me. I just need to know.”

For a moment, everything is silent except for the sound of the crickets outside and the quiet ticking of the clock. Selina shakes her head ever so slightly and stares at the ground as she whispers, “I could be bleeding and you’d be the last to know.”

“What?”

Slightly louder now as the tears begin to well in Selina’s eyes: “I could be bleeding and you’d be the last to know.”

“That’s ridiculous. What do you mean? We’re together constantly and of course I would know if you were bleeding and-”

“No,” there’s a small flame in Selina’s eyes now. “No, you wouldn’t because you don’t know that every day I’m bleeding and lying and saying I’m fine when really I'm dying and trying to figure out how I feel and waiting for you to cut me to the bone.”

“Then why don’t you tell me? Selina, I just want you to tell me these things so that I can-”

“HAVE A LABEL? Bruce, you want a label so badly and I don’t have one! We’re both feel like we’re always trying to make it work but we’re never making any progress and me sneaking in here every day is just sealing our fates so now we’re tied together and you want to know how I feel and I can’t tell you -”

“WHY? Why can’t you tell me? What could possibly be so bad that you can’t tell me?”

“What’s so bad? Bruce, don’t you get it? I LOVE YOU AND IT’S THE WORST THING TO EVER HAPPEN TO ME!”

Silence falls over the apartment again as Bruce sinks down onto the coffee table.

And then he looks up at her, meeting her eyes with his, and grins the most devilish grin she has ever seen and, for the first time since May, it starts to rain outside.

[batfamily-trash]

Brother?!?!

Warning: Language

Key: f/c - favorite color, italics mean your thoughts. f/t - Favorite Tea

Part 1 of 2

Being Batman’s and Catwoman’s daughter had its perks. For example, you were hella cute, extremely skilled in fighting and trickery, and people just loved you for no reason. Except for Damian. Oh no no no no no. He hated you. No, he despised you. And honestly, you couldn’t care less. Growing up with Batman as your father had that effect on you. You grew up not giving two shits about anything. Honestly, your mom and brothers find it hilarious.

So how exactly did you meet Damian? Well, you were spending the weekend with your mom and she decided to take you on a mission in Metropolis. It was quite amusing for you because you had to explain to your uncle supes what you were doing with Catwoman. After the mission, your mom dropped you off at the Batcave. You were quite surprised to see a mini Bruce managing to kick your older brothers ass.

You walked up to the training area and dropped your f/c duffel bag next to the railing. Apparently, this action had distracted Dick long enough for mini Bruce to knock him down.

“Tt, you are going to have to be better than that Grayson,” The new kid said.

“Actually, that was my fault, sorry Dick,” you apologized as you made your way to help Dick get up.

“Hey y/n, and it’s alright,” Dick said as you pulled him up. You turned to face shorty and studied him. He was about 4’ 6", he had jet black hair and green eyes. If he had blue eyes instead of green he would actually be an actual mini Bruce.

Mini Bruce studied you for a bit before saying, “So you must be my blood sister.”

You took a step back and looked at Dick then at the kid in front of you and exclaimed, “What do you mean blood sister. When did MY dad find the time to do the deed with someone, when he barely has time to do normal things!??!?! Better question, who the frick are you?!?!”

Dick laughed a bit and avoided your stare, “Well, um…”

“Well, um what Richard?” You said, “What are you guys keeping from me? You know what. Don’t tell me. I’ll find out myself.” You picked up your duffel bag and stomped away from the boys. Once you were out of the cave and back in the Manor you sprinted to your room almost crashing into Jason.

“Hey y/n! Why the rush?” He called out.

Looking over your shoulder you yelled, “I got homework!”

Jason looked at you as you ran into your room and slammed the door shut, then he looked towards the staircase just to see Dick running up yelling your name. “Y/N! WAIT I CAN EXPLAIN! Oh hey, Jay.”

“What did you do Dickie?” Jason asked him.

“She met Damian.” Dick said as Jason made an ‘oh’ face. Jason moved out of the way as Dick ran towards his little sister’s room. He rolled his eyes and went downstairs to alert Bruce of what happened.

Before Dick could reach for your bedrooms doorknob you opened the door and sighed. You looked at your brother and smiled at him. “Whatcha want Dickie?” You asked.

He looked at you confused. He thought that you would be confused and mad, but no. You were smiling and you had an evil gleam in your eyes. To be honest he was a bit terrified.

“I wanted to explain to you who he was….” He explained.

“Oh. That’s okay, dad can explain it to me,” You said as you walked past him. You skipped down the hall and slid down the stairs railing and began to look for your dad. Dick looked at you as you left, confused. He expected you to react differently.

When you made it downstairs you made your way to the kitchen and saw Alfred, Tim, Jason and your dad sitting around the kitchen island. You made your way to one of the open seats and sat down. Once you made sure you were comfortable in your seat, your smile turned into a scowl and you exclaimed, “I leave for the weekend and apparently there’s a new Robin?!?”

Jason muffled a laugh as the rest of the family members, except Alfred, glanced at you. They avoided your stare as you looked at each of them trying to read their body language. You groaned and laid your head on the countertop. You heard someone clear their throat so you looked up.

“I’m guessing you met Damian,” Your father said.

“Noooooo, how’d you know?” You asked sarcastically.

Bruce glared at you but you glared back. Tension began to form in the room. Stephanie was nervous, and Tim was on his eighth pot of coffee for the night. NIGHT.

“Miss y/n, would you like some tea?” Alfred asked you breaking the tension.

You looked up at him and nodded, “Yes, please and thank you.”

Alfred nodded and left to make you your f/t. You looked back at your family and glared at them.

“Who’s Damian and why is he here and why did he call me 'blood sister’?” You demanded.

Jason stood up from his seat and exclaimed, “WELLLLL, A couple years ago oooo, Talia and Bruce had a thing and one thing led to another, And BAM! Damian exists!”

You rolled your eyes and turned to face your father. “Is that true?” You asked him.

He sighed and looked at you. “It’s true but….”

“Well then! Now that this is all cleared up! I’m going to take my tea and go to sleep! See ya!” You interrupted as Alfred handed you a cup. You sprinted up to your room making sure to not spill any of the tea. Once you made to your room, you shut your door and made your way to your bookcase and pulled out a book. You took a sip of your tea and began to read your book. After getting halfway through it you began to feel sleepy. Minutes later you fell asleep on one of the chairs in your room.

You woke up with an aching back and neck as you fell off the chair you fell asleep on. You noticed your book and cup were on your nightstand and you were wrapped in a soft f/c blanket. Looking at your alarm clock you got off the floor, still wrapped in the blanket, and made your way to the kitchen.

Once you stepped foot in the kitchen you smelt pancakes and bacon being made. You let the aroma of the food guide you to your seat and you at down. Alfred placed a plate in front of you as you unwrapped yourself from the blanket.

“Thanks, Alfred!” You said as you started to eat.

“Your welcome Miss y/n.”

You looked out the window as you chewed on a piece of bacon (a/n: If you are a vegetarian, then change it with something else.) You could see the garden and its many colorful flowers. You also were able to see a kid cutting down the bushes with a sword. When you finished eating you washed your dishes because you’re not lazy and you went out to the garden. When you stepped a foot outside you were encountered by a very sweaty midget.

“Uh hi.” You said waving your hand a bit, “I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I didn’t mean to run out like that.”

Damian looked at you and rolled his eyes, “It was only expected. As seeing who your mother is.”

That message caught you off guard. You opened your mouth to say something, but instead, you just shrugged your shoulders and said, “Whatever floats your boat.” You turned on your heel and walked back inside the Manor.

Several weeks later-

You ignored the hell out of Damian, whenever he tried to insult you or your mom you would ignore him. You wouldn’t sass him back and you would always avoid his attacks. It pissed him off a lot. Until one night you had enough.

“Oh my freaking god, you little piece of crap! Will you just stop! I’m done!” you exclaimed, pacing around the training room, “I’m done with your bullcrap! I’m done with your crappy insults, and I’m done with you antagonizing me!”

“TT, weakling.”

By now your face was red with anger. Your siblings gathered around outside the training room to see what you would do.

You threw your hands up into the air and exclaimed, “Like I said, I’m done! You know what? I QUIT! MOM!”

You ran out of the training room and upstairs to your room. You looked for your duffel bag and threw in your suit, some clothes, and other necessities.

“Wait! Y/N!” you heard your other brother’s shout. You walked out of your room and collided with Dick. “You can’t quit!”

“Oh but I did!” you pushed him out of the way and sprinting downstairs and out of the building. You walked towards the gate and tried to open it just to hear Jason speak through the intercom.

“Shorty, please come back.”

“Hell no. Now open the gate.”

“No.”

You yelled in frustration and threw your bag over the gate, you were about to climb it when all of a sudden you heard a buzz. You backed up and picked up a random pinecone and threw it. The pinecone triggered the fence’s alarm system. Now you were screwed. You looked around you and saw the only weak spot the whole place had. You looked at the camera by the gate and flipped it off before running to the weak spot and make your escape. You heard yelling behind you as you retrieved your bag and ran down the road.

After a while of running, you slowed down just to hear a motorcycle behind you. You turned around and groaned as you face planted on the ground. “What do you want?” you asked the motorcyclist.

“If you’re not going back then at least let me give you a ride,” Jason said getting off the motorcycle to pick you up.

“Fine.”