#oc: adam kelleher

[daughter-of-melpomene]

𝐑𝐄-𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆… 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑, 𝐀𝐃𝐀𝐌 𝐊𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐇𝐄𝐑

❝ Adam Kelleher was used to not being "good enough". A son of one of Gotham City's wealthiest families, he was never "good enough" for his father, a cruel man who seemed his son too weak to take the helm of the family's manufacturing business. He was never "good enough" for his teachers, who thought he spent too much time scribbling down chemical formulas and doodling inventions when he should have been paying attention to his lessons. The only person he'd ever been accepted by was Bruce Wayne, his best (and only) friend since childhood, who had shown him that being "good enough" was, frankly, a load of crock.

Now twenty-eight, Adam had found a good job at one of Gotham's engineering labs, spending his days bringing his boyhood doodles of inventions into being, using his free time to come up with gadgets for his vigilante best friend, and occasionally trying to set himself up on a date. But then Gotham's corrupt officials start turning up dead, a cryptic killer has started leaving riddles for the Batman, and Bruce needs Adam more than ever.

Adam may have never been deserving of the rest of the world's approval. But maybe, just maybe, he might be "good enough" to help his childhood-friend-turned-crush solve the Riddler's puzzles, take the psychotic killer down, and hopefully save their godforsaken city. ❞

General Taglist: @hiddenqveendom, @foxesandmagic, @artemisocs, @reyofluke-ocs, @endless-oc-creations, @stanshollaand, @ginnystilinski-reblogs, @luucypevensie, @ginger-grimm, @arrthurpendragon, @fakedatings, @impales, @claryxjackson, @dancingsunflowers-ocs, @eddysocs, @lucys-chen, @ocappreciationtag.

[ginger-grimm]

BIRTHDAY BASH EXCHANGE

Adam Kelleher for @daughter-of-melpomene

COLORING

I hope you like it!

[hiddenqveendom]

Okay, so for the Headcanons About Our OCs' Relationship thing, I would like to present some thoughts about Otto and my The Batman OC, Adam Kelleher! (I haven't posted anything about him yet, but his faceclaim is Andrew Garfield if you wanna picture him.)

Okay, so I feel like Adam and Otto obviously would've met through Bruce, seeing as how Bruce was pretty much Adam's only friend growing up. I'm not exactly sure how the meeting would've happened, maybe they were just around the manor at the same time and were like, "Oh. Hey."

I honestly feel like Adam might have wanted to be Otto's friend when they were younger, but they never really managed to connect, and when Bruce told him that Otto was attending the police academy, Adam wasn't really sure what to think, because he doesn't like or trust cops one bit; he's seen too many of them take his father's bribes to plant evidence with his business rivals or look the other way when he was doing something illegal. Of course he can see pretty plainly that Otto isn't that type of person, but he can't help attaching the words yet or right now to the end of that thought.

If he ever finds out about Otto's vigilante days, Adam would probably gain back quite a bit of respect for him - he admires anyone who's brave enough to go outside the law to get some justice. But he also hates hypocrites (another product of growing up around his father) and he doesn't exactly like Otto trying to convince Bruce to give up being the Batman when he was previously doing the exact same thing. This would, I imagine, lead to some animosity between them.

Honestly, though, Adam is a good guy and a very understanding person at heart, so I think that after the events of the movie, he would genuinely apologize to Otto and try to see if they could maybe start to like each other, if not for their own sake, then maybe for Bruce's since they're both important people in his life. How Otto reacts to this, and whether this lasts after Adam starts going out as a vigilante with Bruce (because yes I am dragging Spider-Man into the DC Universe)... well, I guess that's up to you.

Okay, this was actually really fun (😅). I hope you're doing well!! 🖤🖤🖤

OMG I am living for them already. Bruce, Otto, and Adam would make such a powerful trio ngl. I think Adam would definitely grow on Otto and they could grow to have a sibling type relationship. There are times where they would clash but its all love in the end.

Send Headcanons Of Our OCs Relationships

[daughter-of-melpomene]

🐱 + adam!

Oooh, of course, thank you so much!! And I’ll also tag Adam’s other big fans @xoteajays, @hiddenqveendom, and @ginevrastilinski-ocs. <3

If they're a light or heavy sleeper: He’s a pretty light sleeper, but he won’t exactly bolt up at any slight sound.

What they would do if they won the lottery right now: Given that he’s already pretty rich (not on Bruce’s level, but rich), he’d likely just donate all the money to various charities and nonprofits.

If they have a special item that they couldn't bear to lose: The first computer he ever successfully took apart and put back together - he sees it as a sign of how far he’s come as an engineer and tinkerer.

One negative personality trait of theirs: He can be a bit sensitive sometimes. Not that he doesn’t have a reason, given the way he was raised, but still.

Their favorite 70s song: “Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac.

The color(s) associated with their zodiac: White (Cancer).

Their favorite comedy movie: Cheaper By the Dozen.

About one person they've lost: Adam’s mother, Lorraine, died in a car accident when he was eleven. They weren’t exactly close or even loving with each other, since she’d never really wanted a child and especially considering how Lorraine never did a thing whenever Adam’s father verbally abused him, but he still misses her sometimes.

A quote I associate with them: “I want to be happy, but something inside of me screams that I do not deserve it.”

If they're a lover or a fighter: Despite the fact that he literally gets into a lot of fights as a vigilante, still probably a lover.

send me 🐱 + an oc!!

[daughter-of-melpomene]

🐢 + Adam?

Thanks so much for this, Greta!! Also tagging Adam’s other biggest fans @thedreadpiratevaldez and @xoteajays!! <3

Their favourite song: “Unwell” by Matchbox Twenty.

Their birth stone: Pearl (for June).

Their favourite school subject: Chemistry.

Their biggest talent: He has two that are pretty much tied: his engineering skills and his skill in acrobatics.

The meaning of their name: Adam is of Hebrew origin, and means son of red earth.

Something they've never told anyone: That despite all the pain that Bruce has been through, Adam has always been a bit jealous of him, because although his parents may be dead, they at least cared about and loved him while they were still alive, while Adam’s never did.

Their best friend: Bruce Wayne, the Batman himself.

Their favourite trip (if they've ever been on one): He’s never really enjoyed any of the fancy trips he went on as a kid; they were always for business reasons, and more often than not he was just left in the hotel suite and forgotten about.

What they would name their future child: Alfred for a boy, Daisy for a girl.

Their favourite season: Winter.

send me 🐢 + an oc!!

[daughter-of-melpomene]

adam kelleher, elias logan + elena isley for the ‘why the fandom would dislike them’ meme bc i love them but im curious why u think people wouldn’t — @xoteajays

Oooh, thank you for these!! I already answered Eli’s here, but here’s your answers for Adam and Elena!!

For Adam, I think a lot of the hate he would get would be for getting in the way of Bruce and Selina’s relationship. People really love their BatCat, and I find it likely that a lot of fans would see Adam and Bruce getting together as a kind of middle finger to their favorite ship.

A lot of people would also probably call him a hypocrite for always being worried about Bruce and fussing over him when he goes out as Batman and then deciding that he’s going to become Arachnid and be a vigilante too. Which, maybe he is, a little bit.

I also feel like some people would mistake his constant sarcasm for rudeness, which it isn’t! He’s just basically incapable of not being sarcastic every other sentence.

As for Elena, she would also definitely get some hate for “breaking up” a beloved ship, in this case Barry and Iris.

I feel like a lot of people would feel like, since she’s Bruce’s ward and also a vigilante, that she’s just a replacement for a Robin in the DCEU - never mind that she’s a capable and badass character in her own right and is no one’s replacement.

And on that note, I also think a lot of people would call in unrealistic that Bruce would take in the daughter of one of his most dangerous enemies, completely ignoring the fact that Bruce has always been proven to be kind to children, no matter where they came from, and the fact that Elena ran away from her mother to find Bruce when she was only six years old and there is no way Bruce would’ve turned away a scared little six-year-old girl.

The fact that I can actually think of a lot more than this... superhero fandoms kind of suck, man. 😅

Send me an OC and I’ll tell you what the fandom would dislike about them if they were canon!

[ginger-grimm]

BIRTHDAY BASH EXCHANGE

Adam Kelleher for @daughter-of-melpomene

I hope you like it!

[daughter-of-melpomene]

oc masterlist — superhero media

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐧.

name: adam kelleher. fic: goodnight gotham. alias: arachnid. pronouns: he/him. ship: bruce wayne. powers/abilities: engineering and weapons making, s highly skilled in gymnastics and hand-to-hand combat. faceclaim: andrew garfield.

𝐝𝐜 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐬.

name: donald “donnie” carver. fic: bleeding out. alias: sentinel. pronouns: he/him. ship: diana of themyscira. powers/abilities: enhanced strength, endurance, and senses. faceclaim: charlie cox.

name: paisley harlow. fic: the archer. alias: sagittarius. pronouns: they/she. ship: jason todd. powers/abilities: highly skilled in archery and hand-to-hand combat. faceclaim: hailee steinfeld.

name: ivana morozova. fic: gasoline. alias: whisper. pronouns: she/her. ship: dick grayson. powers/abilities: highly trained assassin. faceclaim: florence pugh.

𝐝𝐜 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞.

name: elena isley. fic: sunflower. alias: persephone. pronouns: she/her. ship: barry allen. powers/abilities: chlorokinesis, toxokinesis, trained in hand-to-hand combat. faceclaim: paulina chávez.

𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞.

name: theodore “theo” ester. fic: demons. alias: n/a. pronouns: he/him. ship: bruce banner. powers/abilities: n/a. faceclaim: hugh dancy.

name: elin eriksdottir. fic: don’t blame me. alias: goddess of chaos. pronouns: she/her. ship: darcy lewis. powers/abilities: asgardian physiology, chaos manipulation, skilled in dagger wielding. faceclaim: sofia boutella.

name: daniel garcía. fic: strange magic. alias: master garcía. pronouns: he/him. ship: stephen strange. powers/abilities: highly skilled in the mystic arts. faceclaim: diego luna.

name: helios. fic: time in a bottle. alias: n/a. pronouns: he/him. ship: kingo. powers/abilities: eternal physiology, heliokinesis, lumiokinesis. faceclaim: leslie odom jr.

name: dev kahtri. fic: superheroes. alias: n/a. pronouns: he/him. ship: sam wilson + bucky barnes. powers/abilities: aerokinesis. faceclaim: rahul kohli.

name: annabelle “annie” liu. fic: can’t fight the moonlight. alias: n/a. pronouns: she/her. ship: steven grant/marc spector/jake lockley. powers/abilities: n/a. faceclaim: phillipa soo.

𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐦.

name: riordan “rio” varma. fic: heathens. alias: detonator. pronouns: he/they. ship: eddie brock. powers/abilities: technokinesis. faceclaim: avan jogia.

[daughter-of-melpomene]

CHARACTER MEME WITH MY OCS

LOOKS LIKE A CINNAMON ROLL, IS A CINNAMON ROLL: Nicky Bauer, Paisley Harlow, Ria Santos, Luci Evans, Annie Liu, Rhys Arcturus, Kelly Henderson, Betty Holland, Matt Vaughn.

LOOKS LIKE A CINNAMON ROLL, COULD ACTUALLY KILL YOU: Adam Kelleher, Dot Watanabe, Daniel García, Helios, Mack Mackenzie, Ivy Kekoa, Aquila Celestaire, Jandro Torres.

LOOKS LIKE THEY COULD KILL YOU, IS ACTUALLY A CINNAMON ROLL: Rhett McCormack, Genesis Welton, Mariah Wu, Laurens Gates.

LOOKS LIKE THEY COULD KILL YOU, WOULD ABSOLUTELY KILL YOU: Ivana Morozova, Samantha Ross, Elin Eriksdottir.

General Taglist: @hiddenqveendom, @auxiliarydetective, @foxesandmagic, @artemisocs, @raith-way, @reyofluke-ocs.

[daughter-of-melpomene]

🎲🎵3?

Thanks for this, Artemis!! 🖤🖤🖤

"hostage" by Billie Eilish - Ivana Morozova & Dick Grayson

"How to Save a Life" by The Fray - Adam Kelleher

"tolerate it" by Taylor Swift - Daniel García

General Taglist: @hiddenqveendom, @auxiliarydetective, @foxesandmagic, @artemisocs, @raith-way, @reyofluke-ocs.

[daughter-of-melpomene]

𝐨𝐜 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭.

because i am quite simply done with getting all my ocs’ birthdays mixed up, so here is a comprehensive list of all my existing ocs’ birthdays (or at least the birthdays of those in universes where time is measured the same way as ours, or who aren’t beings born centuries ago), so you know and i don’t forget!

bowie forrester (911): august 12th, 1991 (zodiac sign: leo).

dot watanabe (the a-team 2010): july 7th, 1978 (zodiac sign: cancer).

javi martinez (the a-team): october 30th, 1945 (zodiac sign: scorpio).

nicky bauer (brooklyn nine-nine): march 2nd, 1981 (zodiac sign: pisces).

felix wilkinson (back to the future): january 30th, 1969 (zodiac sign: aquarius).

adam kelleher (the batman): june 27th, 1994 (zodiac sign: cancer).

cher johnston (bill & ted): september 8th, 1972 (zodiac sign: virgo).

wyatt friedman (one chicago): april 3rd, 1979 (zodiac sign: aries).

kai hallows (the chronicles of narnia): perceived zodiac sign: gemini.

hemera (the chronicles of narnia): perceived zodiac sign: pisces.

alaric ryker (the chronicles of narnia): perceived zodiac sign: aquarius.

eli logan (criminal minds): september 30th, 1977 (zodiac sign: scorpio).

eddie baker (criminal minds): april 30th, 1970 (zodiac sign: taurus).

briar malcolm (criminal minds): january 13th, 1972 (zodiac sign: capricorn).

donnie carver (dc comics): february 9th, 1989 (zodiac sign: aquarius).

ivana morozova (dc comics): august 20th, 1998 (zodiac sign: leo).

paisley harlow (dc comics): may 11th, 2000 (zodiac sign: gemini).

elena isley (dc extended universe): december 1st, 1994 (zodiac sign: sagittarius).

greta dwarf (disney’s descendants): april 30th, 1999 (zodiac sign: taurus).

sebastian white (disney’s descendants): november 25th, 1999 (zodiac sign: sagittarius).

flo sánchez (fast & furious): may 29th, 1975 (zodiac sign: aries).

aj vargas (fast & furious): july 10th, 1976 (zodiac sign: cancer).

evie young (frasier): october 3rd, 1958 (zodiac sign: libra).

ria santos (friends): december 31st, 1969 (zodiac sign: capricorn).

samantha ross (ghostbusters): july 23rd, 1959 (zodiac sign: leo).

audrey beiste (glee): september 28th, 1994 (zodiac sign: libra).

leo cooper (glee): march 31st, 1994 (zodiac sign: aries).

parker holloway (glee): november 4th, 1994 (zodiac sign: scorpio).

bruno keeley (glee): may 10th, 1994 (zodiac sign: taurus).

ivy kekoa (glee): february 9th, 1994 (zodiac sign: aquarius).

bailey taylor (glee): may 31st, 1994 (zodiac sign: gemini).

mara yang (glee): september 17th, 1994 (zodiac sign: virgo).

luci evans (good omens): october 13th, 1983 (zodiac sign: libra).

zazzadon (good omens): perceived zodiac sign: leo.

ilya dramir (grishaverse): perceived zodiac sign: taurus.

catta rostova (grishaverse): perceived zodiac sign: virgo.

anastasia upland (the hunger games): perceived zodiac sign: capricorn.

lucy scrubb (indiana jones): march 12th, 1906 (zodiac sign: pisces).

willow madden (john wick): january 4th, 1974 (zodiac sign: capricorn).

marnie hoffman (jumanji: welcome to the jungle): april 2nd, 2000 (zodiac sign: aries).

enola holmes (the league of extraordinary gentlemen): september 29th, 1879 (zodiac sign: libra).

theo ester (mcu): july 12th, 1978 (zodiac sign: cancer).

elin eriksdottir (mcu): perceived zodiac sign: aries.

daniel garcía (mcu): september 20th, 1987 (zodiac sign: virgo).

helios (mcu): perceived zodiac sign: pisces.

dev kahtri (mcu): may 5th, 1980 (zodiac sign: taurus).

annie liu (mcu): june 2nd, 1990 (zodiac sign: gemini).

mack mackenzie (m*a*s*h): august 7th, 1916 (zodiac sign: leo).

laurens gates (national treasure): may 23rd, 1971 (zodiac sign: gemini).

adachi star (one piece): perceived zodiac sign: leo.

hayashi lark (one piece): perceived zodiac sign: libra.

morvant bellatrix (one piece): perceived zodiac sign: virgo.

yami corvo (one piece): percieved zodiac sign: leo.

august cullen (outer banks): may 30th, 2004 (zodiac sign: gemini).

drew tanaka (outer banks): march 18th, 2004 (zodiac sign: pisces).

bird mcintosh (the outsiders): april 20th, 1949 (zodiac sign: taurus).

lake mcintosh (the outsiders): april 20th, 1949 (zodiac sign: taurus).

lydia chen (percy jackson): july 10th, 2011 (zodiac sign: cancer).

arabella larson (percy jackson): january 7th, 2007 (zodiac sign: capricorn).

noelle perez (percy jackson): november 12th, 2007 (zodiac sign: scorpio).

drew phillipa (riverdale): october 10th, 2001 (zodiac sign: libra).

molly perbesi (scream): november 1st, 1980 (zodiac sign: scorpio).

layla dupreti (star trek): perceived zodiac sign: aquarius.

genesis welton (star trek): perceived zodiac sign: capricorn.

zara dolomar (star wars): perceived zodiac sign: sagittarius.

cassiopeia jinn (star wars): perceived zodiac sign: capricorn.

lianna singh (star wars): perceived zodiac sign: cancer.

via winchester (supernatural): april 13th, 1990 (zodiac sign: aries).

will welton (ted lasso): june 10th, 1976 (zodiac sign: gemini).

tabitha “tabby” aquino (teen wolf): july 3rd, 1994 (zodiac sign: cancer).

marina azevedo (teen wolf): november 29th, 1994 (zodiac sign: sagittarius).

lucinda “hale” (teen wolf): perceived zodiac sign: leo.

april hannigan (teen wolf): october 27th, 1994 (zodiac sign: scorpio).

alex wan-stilinski (teen wolf): may 5th, 1988 (zodiac sign: taurus).

anubis “andy” zhao (teen wolf): june 11th, 1994 (zodiac sign: gemini).

morrigan ravenroth (tolkeinverse): percieved zodiac sign: taurus.

reyna "sweetheart" castillo (top gun: maverick): october 9th, 1993 (zodiac sign: libra).

clarke taleb (triple frontier): december 18th, 1986 (zodiac sign: sagittarius).

avi chawla (twilight): july 10th, 1799 (zodiac sign: cancer).

catie greer (twlight): january 31st, 1993 (zodiac sign: aquarius).

isaac holliday (twilight): may 22nd, 1967 (zodiac sign: gemini).

rio varma (venom): march 19th, 1987 (zodiac sign: pisces).

esther st. claire (wednesday): august 24th, 2006 (zodiac sign: virgo).

rosaline craven (wizarding world): september 11th, 1990 (zodiac sign: virgo).

cat holmes (wizarding world): december 31st, 1960 (zodiac sign: capricorn).

[daughter-of-melpomene]

"The Confession" - Adam Kelleher + Bruce Wayne

(A/N: Here is Adam and Bruce's confession-of-feelings scene, written for @malafvma's birthday. Happy birthday, Bess, and I hope you enjoy this!)

ADAM WAS SWEARING OVER HIS burnt fingers when Bruce reentered the cave. He’d figured out a pretty genius idea for a weapon when he hadn’t been able to sleep last night – a mechanism, to be built into the Batman suit, that would release pepper spray into an attacker’s face when triggered – and had started working on it the instant he’d arrived at the cave that night, so excited that he’d kind of failed to realize that the man he was building the weapon for wasn’t even there to be asked whether he wanted it or not. But his fingers had just slipped while he was attempting to solder two pieces of the mechanism together, and now he was clutching his injured hand to his chest, cursing under his breath, as Bruce made his mostly-silent entrance.

Mostly silent, in that Bruce would’ve gone entirely unnoticed by most people until he decided to either speak or start attacking. Adam noticed him, though. He always did.

“Hi,” Adam managed to ground out, fighting the urge to stick his burnt fingers in his mouth. He'd read that saliva was supposed to be able to soothe burns, but he genuinely couldn’t decide whether looking like a complete weirdo in front of his best-friend-turned-crush by jamming his hand in his mouth like a toddler was worth it.

“You hurt yourself,” Bruce observed, sounding concerned. His eyes – those beautiful, thoughtful eyes that Adam had come to love – roved over Adam’s hand and pain-twisted face, and Adam felt his cheeks heat up, the way they always seemed to when Bruce looked at him these days. This time, at least, he could blame it on the fact that he currently felt like someone was pressing a hot poker into his fingers.

God, why hadn’t he brought some water down with him to drink instead of his usual coffee? Wasn’t cold water supposed to draw the heat out of burns? Curse his caffeine addiction, he thought bitterly, as he decided to damn it and stuff the burnt fingers in his mouth, running his tongue over the stinging skin. Curse it to the deepest circle of Hell.

“Was trying to work on a new weapon for the suit,” Adam muttered around his hand, somehow managing to speak pretty coherently despite the fact that he had three fingers in his mouth. To his credit, Bruce’s expression didn’t give any hint of the humor he undoubtedly found in this situation. “Had a great idea for a pepper spray gun built into the chest plate. My hand slipped.”

A few seconds of silence as Bruce took off his helmet, setting it down on the surveillance table with a thunk. Then: “How bad is it?”

Adam gave his friend an arch look, the effect of which was decidedly lessened given his fingers’ current location. “’M not an expert on burn degrees, Bruce. Hurts like a bitch, that’s all I know.”

It was kind of hard to tell through all the grease paint on his face, Adam could’ve sworn Bruce rolled his eyes. Which was fair, he supposed; pain had the tendency to turn him into a bit of a sarcastic bastard.

“Show me,” Bruce quietly requested, stepping closer to Adam’s work table. When Adam didn’t immediately comply, he gestured at the burned hand, the heavy suit gloves making the movement heavy and awkward.

Though he was loathe to do it (his saliva actually did seem to be soothing the pain a bit), Adam slowly drew his fingers out of his mouth, gingerly wiping them on his pant leg before holding them out to Bruce. His suited friend gently took his hand and looked it over, and Adam tried not to flush even further at the fact that Bruce was pretty much holding his hand. He was supposed to be hiding his feelings, damn it, not wearing them on his beet-red skin.

After about half a minute of examining the shiny red skin, Bruce gently set Adam’s hand back onto the table, and Adam tried desperately not to miss the way his friend’s hand had felt in his. Bruce turned away, walking toward one of the other tables in the cave and peeling off the suit’s gloves as he went.

Oh… kay. Was he going to say anything? What was the point of asking Adam how bad his burns were if he wasn’t going to tell the person with the actual burns? Was he just going to get out of the suit and not say anything else? And if he was, what was the point of looking over Adam’s burns at all?

“So,” Adam started, figuring he might as well make conversation if Bruce wasn’t going to say anything. That had pretty much been their dynamic their whole friendship, after all – Bruce would be awkwardly silent because talking to people made him uncomfortable, Adam would awkwardly ramble on because he hated silence, and they would both generally make whatever setting they were in, well, awkward. “How are the relief efforts going downtown? I’ll assume you stopped by there after your little chat with Selina.”

Selina. Adam hadn’t managed to meet the mysterious woman in person during the whole Riddler crisis, but he’d seen the recordings of her gathering intelligence at the Iceberg Lounge, had seen her through Bruce’s contact lenses while he watched his friend work through the cave’s monitors. She was beautiful, he could admit that, and he'd always admired a determined and badass woman. But the way she’d looked at Bruce (and the way he could assume Bruce at looked right back at her) stopped him from crossing the border into liking her. It was completely irrational, he knew that; he had no proof Bruce was even into guys, and even if he was, there was very little chance he’d ever think of Adam the way Adam constantly thought about him. Still, Adam supposed, feelings didn’t have to be rational, even if they were unfair to the person they were directed towards. (Or completely unrequited, but Adam chose not to think about that too much, lest he start to feel that visceral pain in his chest that started whenever he brooded about Bruce for a long period of time.)

“They’re going well,” Bruce responded. His gloves were resting on one of the worktables now, and he was clicking open some kind of small box on said table that Adam hadn’t noticed before. “GCPD’s managed to set up temporary shelters for everyone who lost their homes and can’t go anywhere else, and there's rumors that a construction company in Metropolis has offered to help rebuild the apartment complexes at no cost. I don’t think Mayor Reál’s confirmed anything yet, but plenty of the officers were talking about it.”

“Well, good,” Adam said, and he was about to ask about how the food banks were doing when Bruce shut the mysterious box and turned back around, holding a small jar of white cream and a roll of gauze in his now-bare hands.

Oh. Adam felt like an ass. Of course Bruce was planning to take care of his burns; how could he have thought he wouldn’t even say anything? Bruce had been taking care of him their whole friendship, just as Adam had done his best to take care of the other man, whether one of them was hurt physically or otherwise. Why should he have assumed Bruce would ignore him now?

Because you feel like he’s been ignoring the most important thing between you for two years now, a voice inside Adam whispered. You haven’t exactly been subtle about what you feel for him, and even though he probably just doesn’t notice, you feel like he’s ignoring your feelings on purpose because he doesn’t feel the same way.

Well, that voice could just screw off. Adam forcefully shoved it to the back of his mind as Bruce pulled up a chair on the other side of his worktable and sat down, taking his burned hand back up, even as his neck and cheeks flushed again at the renewed contact.

“Speaking of,” he managed to get out, trying to stop his arm from shaking as Bruce flipped his injured hand over and scooped some white cream from the jar. “How is Selina? The cat ready to keep her claws sharp by scratching Gotham’s unsavory?”

Oh, yeah, Adam, talk to your crush about the beautiful tough woman he no doubt has feelings for. That’s an amazing idea. Best you’ve had yet.

Without answering, Bruce gently smeared some of the white cream onto one of Adam’s burns. He couldn’t hold in a sigh of relief at the cream’s coolness, and almost instantly felt the pain of the wounds beginning to numb as Bruce rubbed the white goop into the inflamed red skin. He wondered exactly what was in the cream that made its relief so fast-acting, and resolved to ask Alfred later; it was probably one of the butler’s concoctions.

“She left,” Bruce said softly, not looking up as he grabbed the roll of gauze and started to unroll it. “Selina,” he clarified when Adam, who had totally lost all thoughts of their conversation in his thinking about the burn cream, didn’t respond. “She’s moving to Blüdhaven.”

“What?” Adam demanded, shocked. He and Bruce had been counting on Selina to stay on as another protector of Gotham’s streets; the whole Riddler fiasco had proven that it wasn’t a good idea for Bruce to keep going with only Adam for technical help and no in-field backup. And unless another vigilante suddenly popped up of their own accord (which Adam doubted, even with public opinion turned largely in the Batman’s favor since the flood), they’d pretty much be back to square one. They needed her. “What the hell? Why?”

“She…” Bruce trailed off as he snipped off a piece of gauze and started carefully wrapping it around one of Adam’s fingers. “She said that Gotham was beyond saving. Basically, that she wasn’t going to waste her time, and that I was wasting mine trying to save this city.”

“Well,” Adam snapped, surprised by the vehemence in his own voice. “She was wrong about that, wasn’t she? Nothing’s beyond saving.”

Even as he said the words, he realized, with no small degree of surprise, just how much he actually meant and believed in them. And from the way Bruce’s eyes flicked up to his face in mild shock, his caped friend realized it as well.

“You really think so?” Bruce questioned. Carefully, like he thought Adam might snap his answer the way he’d just done.

“Well… yeah,” Adam replied, slowly and just as carefully, trying to put his exact thoughts on the matter into words that wouldn’t seem confusing or stupid. “I just… I know you’re never going to be able to completely eliminate crime in Gotham. And I know you know it too.” A pause for Bruce’s nod of assent, then he continued once it was given. “And I know that there’s always going to be crappy people in this city, and that the Riddler probably isn’t the last hell-bent psychopath you’re doing to go up against, and even that sometimes – okay, most of the time – this city can be a real hellhole that makes you wonder how you’re stupid enough to keep living here.”

Okay, he was not making his point very well. Taking a moment to rearrange his thoughts, he took a deep breath and went on. “But despite all of this, the fact that you know all this, too, you still go out there every night. And I keep running surveillance and building your weapons, and Alfred keeps giving you advice, and even Gordon keeps getting you information from the places only he can go. And we’re all gonna keep doing all of those things, as long as we can, because we have hope that this city can be better.” He took another deep breath. Bruce’s eyes had been solidly on his face for the entirety of this little speech, and his face was practically on fire.

“My point is, as long as you and me and Alfred and Gordon, and anyone else who has faith in this city, keeps believing that Gotham can be better, than it still stands a chance. Because as long as even one person believes in something, or someone, there’s always hope. As long as there’s even one person with faith, nothing is beyond saving.” Wincing a little before he spoke the next words, he added, “And if Selina thinks otherwise, then I’m sorry, B, but she’s kind of an idiot.”

There was a solid minute in which the two men did nothing but look in each other’s eyes, Adam breathing slightly hard from the power of his speech as Bruce watched him with a blank expression. Adam considered speaking up to change the subject, given that he didn’t really know how Bruce was supposed to respond to something like that, but all of a sudden, a warmth entered Bruce’s beautiful eyes, and a soft smile tugged up the corners of his mouth.

“You really are the best person I know,” the caped man murmured, and all of a sudden Adam’s face was on fire again, because Bruce was looking at him with a look in his eyes that was almost… reverent. Which was nice, really, the kind of look that threatened to coat his insides with pure sunshine, but he genuinely couldn’t bear to have Bruce look at him that way, knowing his best friend wasn’t looking at him through the same lenses with which Adam had been looking at him for the past two years: a sweet lens, clear, but coated with soft feelings and genuine love.

“Well,” Adam responded, forcing an amused scoff and eying his now-gauze-wrapped fingers, wiggling them to test their mobility. “Kind of a pity about Selina, though. You two would’ve made one hell of a dynamic duo.” He let out a little chuckle, this one only half-forced. “The Bat and the Cat, imagine. We would've only needed to find someone with a hat-themed vigilante theme, and you guys wouldn't even have to fight. The criminals would've laughed themselves to death.”

It was the kind of stupid joke that normally would’ve gotten a soft laugh out of Bruce, but this time Adam’s friend didn’t make a sound. He just fixed his eyes on Adam’s face, with a newly blank expression that made Adam fear he’d accidentally said something wrong.

“You think I have feelings for her,” Bruce intoned quietly, seriously. His eyes locked onto Adam’s, and so intense was the look in them that Adam found himself unable to look away. “Selina.”

Oh, Adam did not want to have this conversation. Not now, not ever, really. Still, he was Bruce’s best friend, and it was his duty as such to listen to Bruce talk about the people he had feelings for, so he plastered on a half-smile, trying to ignore the sudden way his stomach was aching.

“Well, I can’t say I blame you,” Adam said, trying to sound like his heart wasn’t about to be cleaved in two. “I mean, she’s badass, and pretty, and she’s not afraid to put you in your place. Maybe not my type, but I can see where you’re coming fr-”

“Adam,” Bruce interrupted firmly, giving Adam’s wrist a short squeeze to get him to stop talking. “It’s not Selina. It was never Selina. It’s you.”

And for a moment, Adam sincerely thought he was going to asphyxiate, because at those words, the air rushed straight out of his lungs and he could not breathe. And even when he was finally able to draw breath again, he could feel it coming in short, shallow gasps, and he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Bruce, who was now looking at him with no small measure of concern.

He could not have just heard that right. He absolutely could not have. There was no way Bruce Wayne, caped savior of Gotham and his best friend since they were eleven years old, could possibly have admitting to having feelings for him.

“I – what – me?” he couldn’t help gasping, even though Bruce was bound to think he was being stupid, mishearing his friend so badly. Thinking, even for a second, but Bruce might have feelings for him over Selina.

And then Bruce said, “You,” and, well, Adam didn’t completely lose his breath again, but it was close. Dear God, he had heard him right. Bruce Thomas Wayne had just confessed feelings for him, Adam Benjamin Kelleher.

Holy actual literal shit.

“Me?” he whispered again, still having trouble forcing himself to believe it. It was as if his train of thought had slammed into a brick wall, so that the only thing he could thing was his most recent, incredulous thought: Bruce fucking Wayne has feelings for me.

Bruce’s eyes still wouldn’t let Adam’s go, even as the other man reached up to shove a lock of slightly sweaty hair out of his face. “It’s always been you,” Bruce admitted, and then he broke eye contact, looking at Adam’s wrapped hand on the table, and suddenly he sounded… shy?

Okay, why the hell was Bruce shy? Adam was the one who’d spent literal years pining for his best friend, convinced he could never have him because, for one, Bruce didn’t even like guys (except that he somehow did! And had never told his best fucking friend!), and for another thing, Bruce was way out of his league. He was the smart one, the athletic one, Gotham’s favored orphan. And what was Adam? A scrawny little nerd with an unnatural affinity for acrobatics, an awkward, anti-social tinkerer whose own father had never thought him worthy of anything.

And while Adam didn’t believe he wasn’t worthy of anything – that was a bit excessive, really – he certainly wasn’t worthy of Bruce.

“But why?” Adam demanded, unable to stop the words from bursting out. “Why me?”

Okay, wrong thing to say, because now Bruce was frowning in that determined way he did whenever Adam made a self-deprecating joke or muttered, after experiencing a failure with an invention, that maybe his father had been right. It was a frown that very clearly said, I care about you and you’ve put yourself down, so now I’m going to bring you all the way up. Whether you like it or not.

“Adam,” Bruce said, in a tone that left no room for argument. Now he was locked on Adam’s eyes again, and this time Adam was cursing those baby browns, because he really wanted to stare at his lap right now.

“I meant what I just said,” Bruce continued. “You are the best person I know. You’ve been with me through everything. You know me inside and out, and you’ve seen all my broken spots and been there for the dark patches, and you’re still here. You’re the only one who’s still here, besides Alfred, when everyone else has either died or left willingly. I know you. I can count on you. I trust you. And you know I don’t trust a lot of people.”

Here, Bruce paused for breath, the same way Adam had when making his earlier speech. “But it’s more than you just being here. You’re…” He paused again, this time to let out an amused huff and crack a small smile. “You’re amazing, Adam. You’re smart, and you’re funny, and you’re understanding and a good listener, and you’re… you’re just good.” Bruce gently reached out and took Adam’s uninjured hand, which was lying on the table next to his bandaged one. “Plus, your looks don’t exactly hurt.”

Adam let out a wet chuckle at that, and it was only then that he realized he was crying. Embarrassed, he went to wipe his damp cheeks with his bandaged hand, the one Bruce wasn’t holding, but Bruce beat him to it. Gently, so gently Adam had to bite back a sob, the other man raised the hand that wasn’t holding Adam’s and wiped a fresh tear from his face with a feather-light touch.

“I know you don’t believe all that yet,” Bruce said, in the most tender voice Adam had ever heard him use. “But I swear, Adam, whether you feel the same way about me or not, I’ll remind you of all those things every day until you believe them. Because whether you feel the same or we stay just friends, you’re worth it. You’re always worth it.”

God, what had Adam ever done to earn this man? This beautiful, courageous, perfect man sitting across from him, looking like a dark angel in his armor and face paint as he wiped Adam’s tears and said everything Adam had always wanted to hear.

No, Adam didn’t deserve Bruce. And he never would. But he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to try to every day.

“Of course I feel the same way, B,” Adam choked out, leaning into the hand on his cheek like a contented cat. “You massive idiot.” Unable to stop himself, he let out another wet laugh. “God, you realize this was the worst possible way to come out to me, right? You can’t just tell me you like men by telling me you have feelings for me, you’re lucky you didn’t give me a heart attack.”

“I know,” Bruce replied, giving him a smile that was so soft and so fond that the lump in Adam’s throat returned in full force. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, well,” Adam sniffled, wrapping his fingers around Bruce’s and feeling, for all the world, like his hand had been sculpted for the sole purpose of fitting with his best friend’s. “I might be inclined to forgive you. You’re also lucky I’m a nice person.”

“I am,” Bruce agreed, dropping his hand from Adam’s face to gently take his bandaged hand. “I really am.”

They didn’t kiss that night, despite the fact that Adam had never wanted anything more. A few minutes later, Adam would take a wet cloth and gently, slowly, wipe the grease paint from Bruce’s face, neither of them ever breaking eye contact, but that was as intimate as things got. But so much was exchanged in the few hours that they spent in that cave, no one to interrupt them, alone together. Not so much words, really – they hardly spoke – but so many feelings that had been festering for a long period of time were released into the air and multiplied, strengthened by the knowledge that these two broken, brave, hopeful men had finally gotten over themselves long enough to see what was in front of them.

That night, the Batman didn’t take to the streets until almost two in the morning, hours after he normally set out for patrol. But despite that, everyone who faced him noticed an extra spring in his step, an added determination behind his punches.

The Batman was now more determined than ever not to lose faith that his city could improve. After all, he couldn’t go against the wisdom of the man he loved, now, could he?

[daughter-of-melpomene]

INTRODUCING... MY THE BATMAN ORIGINAL CHARACTER, ADAM KELLEHER

❝ Adam Kelleher was used to not being "good enough". A son of one of Gotham City's wealthiest families, he was never "good enough" for his father, a cruel man who seemed his son too weak to take the helm of the family's manufacturing business. He was never "good enough" for his teachers, who thought he spent too much time scribbling down chemical formulas and doodling inventions when he should have been paying attention to his lessons. The only person he'd ever been accepted by was Bruce Wayne, his best (and only) friend since childhood, who had shown him that being "good enough" was, frankly, a load of crock.

Now twenty-eight, Adam had found a good job at one of Gotham's engineering labs, spending his days bringing his boyhood doodles of inventions into being, using his free time to come up with gadgets for his vigilante best friend, and occasionally trying to set himself up on a date. But then Gotham's corrupt officials start turning up dead, a cryptic killer has started leaving riddles for the Batman, and Bruce needs Adam more than ever.

Adam may have never been deserving of the rest of the world's approval. But maybe, just maybe, he might be "good enough" to help his childhood-friend-turned-crush solve the Riddler's puzzles, take the psychotic killer down, and hopefully save their godforsaken city. ❞

[daughter-of-melpomene]

Assorted OTP Questions for Adam: Who is always cold? and Which member is always trying to bring home stray animals and which member always has to say no? please - from, Foxesandmagic

Thanks for this!!

The thing is that I think most people would assume Bruce is always cold, but he's actually a furnace. There is a reason he doesn't require any extra padding or lining in his Batman suit, even in the dead of winter. Adam is the one constantly shoving his hands in his armpits because his fingertips are always going numb, and once he starts going out with Bruce as Arachnid, he will definitely need extra lining when the nights start getting colder.

They are both guilty of bringing in strays, actually. Bruce probably does it more often (because, I mean, one look at the comics shows he has a problem with bringing in stray kids), but Adam also has a habit of finding soaked, pathetic-looking kittens or puppies in alleyways and bringing them back to his apartment (or the manor, once he moves in) to nurse them back to health. It's very lucky that they both have each other, or else Wayne Manor would likely be filled to the brim with all the stray animals they've both brought in over the years. But thankfully, whichever one hasn't found the stray is always there to be the voice of reason, encouraging his boyfriend to simply nurse the animal back to health and see if a good home can be found for it, rather than keeping it.

(SEND ME OTP QUESTIONS!!)

General Taglist: @hiddenqveendom, @auxiliarydetective.

[daughter-of-melpomene]

What reminds each of their partner? (for adam and bruce perhaps??) -[hiddenqveendom]

(OTP QUESTIONS)

Thanks so much for this!!

The thing that most reminds Adam of Bruce is old slasher movies. As weird as it sounds, the whole vibe of old movies like Nightmare on Elm Street and the original Halloween never fail to bring his boyfriend to mind; as scary as those pictures seem to be on the surface, all the scares are just fake blood and well-placed lighting and nothing is frightening at all. That, to Adam, perfectly encapsulates Bruce - scary and gruff on the surface when he's Batman, but completely normal underneath.

Bruce, on the other hand, is most reminded of Adam when he smells coffee. While on the surface the connection could be chalked up to Adam's caffeine addiction, coffee actually reminds Bruce of Adam because of all the possibilities it holds. Coffee can be bitter, sweet, light or dark, with any number of different ingredients mixed into it. It holds multitudes, and so does Adam, with all the different facets of his personality and skills, and so Bruce will always be reminded of Adam when the smell of brewed beans hit his nose.

Taglist: @hiddenqveendom.

[daughter-of-melpomene]

A LIST OF ALL MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS' "SONGS" WITH THEIR CANON PARTNERS (including some OCs I have yet to post anything about):

Helios + Kingo (MCU) - "Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce.

Aquila Celestaire + Rex (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) - "Angel With A Shotgun" by The Cab.

Rhys Arcturus + Cody (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) - "I Will Follow You into the Dark" by Death Cab for Cutie.

Jandro Torres + Jim Hopper (Stranger Things) - "Your Song" by Elton John.

Betty Holland + Max Mayfield (Stranger Things) - "Kid in Love" by Shawn Mendes.

Ivy Kekoa + Sam Evans (Glee) - "I Like Me Better" by Lauv.

Adam Kelleher + Bruce Wayne (The Batman) - "Glad You Exist" by Dan + Shay.

Dot Watanabe + HM Murdock (The A-Team 2010) - "Electric Love" by BØRNS.

Mariah Wu + Nancy Wheeler (Stranger Things) - "Unchained Melody" by Elvis Presley.

Kelly Henderson + Steve Harrington (Stranger Things) - "Sweet Creature" by Harry Styles.

Matt Vaughn + Eddie Munson (Stranger Things) - "I Think We're Alone Now" by Tiffany.

Annie Liu + Moon Knight system (MCU) - "I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz.

Daniel García + Stephan Strange (MCU) - "Latch - Acoustic" by Sam Smith.

Elin Eriksdottir + Darcy Lewis (MCU) - "Tough Love" by Avicii.

Taglist: @hiddenqveendom, @datasgirlfriend, @auxiliarydetective, @starlightocs.