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smolla-than-a-bug · 4 years ago

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you’re definitely flirting with me

—jason todd x villain!reader

second and final part to are you flirting with me. can be read as a stand-alone tho

navi | bat boys m.list | are you flirting with me

content — language, blood, mentions of harassment, mildly suggestive (use of the word ‘daddy’ but ironically)

notes — i know that its literally been years and that i formerly posted a part two to are you flirting with me, but looking back, i didn't like how it turned out. i did find a fun drabble in my drafts with villain!reader as well, so i decided to rewrite it and use it as a continuation. i actually deleted the old parts personally, i prefer this version of the end!

"I'm in."

"Hot. You should be able to see–"

"Nothing?"

Silence.

"Is this your way of telling me you're visually impaired?"

"I will scoop your eyes out in your sleep."

"Please use an ice cream scooper. My eyeballs would fit so well, it would be so satisfying–"

"Harper."

"Okay, okay. What do you mean nothing?"

"By nothing I mean nothing, ball sack. The warehouse is fucking empty."

Frantic rustling of papers and violent knocking of objects could be heard on Roy's end of the line. Jason sighed, going to pinch the bridge of his nose before realizing he had a helmet on.

The whole situation was throwing him off his rhythm — that much was evident. The intel they had collected on the gang of criminals seemed too obvious, too predictable. Jason had his suspicions, but Roy was quick to shut him down. 'Dude, trust me,' he said. Famous last words.

A crackle of static sounded in his earpiece. Roy's voice urgent and choppy before completely dying out. Jason could only attempt to call out to his partner in the hopes of a full response, but his efforts brought no avail. That's another thing that went wrong today.

"Hey, sexy."

What in the fuck.

"Your ass looks great from this angle. The party you're looking for is in a bar on the other side of the city, by the way."

You couldn't actually see him, but he doesn't need to know that. It's just your thing to mess with him, and by the sounds of him cussing you out for hacking into his means of communication, it was working. It was amusing. He kept you entertained.

That was all you had to say to him for now though, so you bid him goodbye. The roaring of his motorcycle over his colorful language directed at you was the last thing you heard before you cut off and allowed his partner to get back on the line.

"Jaybird? You there?"

"Ah, you're back. I'm never trusting you with getting intel again."

"Whatever. Anyway, was that...?"

"Yeah. Y/v/n."

"Hm. I don't know what she's on, but you have no ass like–"

"And yet I have more ass than you, so shut the fuck up, paddle board."

“That... That was a bit harsh, bro.”

Soft gushes of wind blew against your masked face. You shut your eyes, feeling the breeze and relishing in your little moment of peace. Lazily pacing, you hummed a random tune.

Your mischief and cunningness is something your alias was known for. Most often, it's a convenient trait to be able to slip around with ease and get the job done in a snap, but sometimes you get bored. It can be such a drag when nobody tries a confrontation with you. That's why you're so fond of the Red Hood. It's a shame that it's been a while since you've seen him around, so imagine your delight when you feel a familiar presence behind you.

You took a seat at the edge of the building. To anyone, you would've looked like you were having your main character moment, peacefully looking over the city if not for the small pile of bodies rotting away not too far from you. The dried blood on your attire and your fingers no longer irked you in the slightest. It's something you've gotten used to, which lead to your habit of picking the blood under your nails. Red gets annoyed when you do this — all the more reason to entertain your habit in front of him.

You let your legs dangle over the edge without a care. You didn't bother to greet the vigilante, who currently had a gun aimed at your back. Sigh.

“Oh, I do hate the sight of blood.”

“Well then, maybe — just maybe — you shouldn’t kill for a living.”

That got you to turn your head to face him. You cock an eyebrow — doesn’t he kill for a living too? Sure, his victims are usually criminals and thugs while yours are people you’re paid to target, usually business owners and the occasional politician, but you digress. Details. The point is, he kills people too.

A few seconds of staring and prolonging the tension passed, and Jason weighed his options before eventually putting down his gun. He then opted to join you on the ledge.

“So,” he started, “what’s your favorite color?”

Funny.

“Sweetheart, if you thought you’d be able to keep me entertained with small talk... I think I’d rather you shot me.”

You stood up from your spot on the ledge and leaned over the rooftop to examine your altitude. You grin to yourself.

“What are you doing?”

You don’t answer. You want to see something. Instead you turn your body to face Jason and mockingly salute him before leaping off the building, though not before you heard him call out your alias’ name and yell a panicked ‘Wait!’

Immediately after you, Jason followed. You chuckled when you saw him get closer. You enjoyed fooling him around almost as much as you enjoyed fooling around with him.

With no time to waste, he pulled out his grappling hook, yanked your body by the waist, and zipped to the rooftop of the nearest building — one different from the last one you were on.

Jason‘s heaving chest radiated distress.

“You’re fucking insane! You could have died!”

You stood in front of him, arms crossed and your stance relaxed. Nobody would’ve suspected that you literally jumped off a building just a few seconds ago. Aw, you pout, he cares about me.

“Would’ve made your job easier. You know, you heroes are supposed to get rid of the bad guys.”There’s humor in your eyes. Jason knows you’re enjoying this. He hates how much you enjoy this. “So, why’d you save me?”

“Why’d you help me with my mission last time?”

He’s deflecting. Cute.

“Hey, I asked you a question first.” You know he won’t budge til you give him an answer. He’s probably been asking himself that question since it happened. You mentally pout, aww he thinks of me. Sigh. Okay, fine.

“The gang you were after just so happened to have given me a job a little while ago.” You recall some of the gang members attempting to grope you. Some unpleasant memories you’d rather live without. “Pissed me off. Now your turn.”

Why’d you save me?

A pause. He shifted to look to the side. Oh, this is interesting.

“You could have died.” Ah, this again.

“Well, you’ve died,” you remind him. “Not that it really stuck.”

He says your name — your real name. You wonder when he discovered your identity, but then again, you’re not all that surprised. It’s him after all.

He can see your growing smile the longer he refuses to answer your question. He knows you’re already thinking of something, and still opts to ignore your question, allowing you to further indulge in your thoughts. He dreads you enlightening him; he knows it’s coming. Jason could not fathom how one woman could frustrate him so much.

“You like me.” There it is, he thinks. There’s your stupid smirk and your dumb air of arrogance.

“Come on, just admit it, hot shot. You can’t live without me.” Okay, maybe that one’s a bit of a stretch (just a bit), but you stand by it nonetheless.

You grin wide as you approach him. Leaning slightly forward to grab Jason by the collar and pull him down to meet your eyes, you repeat yourself.

“You like me.” Stated with more emphasis, like a significant fact that you try to drill into your head when studying for an exam.

“I’ll shoot you.”

“Please, daddy.”

tags — @iwriteaboutstuff @comicsgirlimagines @httpfandxms

#bat family #batfam #imagine #jason todd #jason todd x reader #bat boys #red hood imagine #the red hood #red hood #red hood x reader #roy harper #arsenal #reader insert #dc comics

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river-bottom-nightmare · 4 years ago

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this was originally a bribe for @screennamealreadyused but since she already did the thing i wanted her to do, think of it as a thank you instead. this is kind of a mess bc it starts off as a hc and ends with a fic-style thing but whatever. accept my offering.

Jason had always been good with kids. No matter what others seem to think of “The Red Hood,” Jason knew that he’d been the sole reason some of those kids in Crime Alley had grown up okay, had grown up at all. And soon enough, the Red Hood developed a rep for helping kids.

Jason had seen himself reflected in those thin, hunger-stark faces, wary and untrusting but still holding out hope for someone to care. he’d become that someone for a good couple of people. of course he hadn’t expected his affinity for kids to stretch into almost all of them. and he certainly hadn’t expected his family to pick up on it.

But here he was, standing helplessly in the middle of Dick’s apartment in Bludhaven as he rushed through the different rooms, talking faster than the Flash. Rules for Mar’i and guidelines for dinner and where the first aid kit was and on and on and on. When he finally left, Jason turned to stare at his niece (his niece!), who was floating in the middle of the room, looking at him with her eerie green eyes. He’d met Mar’i a couple times, she was a sweet kid, but he’d never been alone with her for this long, and he had absolutely no idea what to do. This wasn’t a kid from Crime Alley that he could take to a seedy diner and feed them a burger and laugh about that old crappy corrupt pharmacy burning down on accident. This was a child that had grown up on an alien island, was now on Earth with her dad for the first time, and didn’t know what the hell was going on.

Then, Mar’i tilted her head and said, “Papa says you like books.”

Two hours later found them curled up together on the sofa, Mar’i in Jason’s lap as he read aloud Shakespeare’s King Lear. Mar’i was a good listener, gasping at all the dramatic parts and laughing at the funny voices he put on. And as she dozed off somewhere near Oswald’s death, Jason felt that familiar protective instinct somewhere inside him. It wasn’t helped by Dick’s smirk when he got home, that melted into a genuinely happy smile, despite Jason’s annoyed shaddup, dickface.

After that, it only got worse, because somehow, Mar’i Grayson and Lian Harper had become best friends. Jason had been a pretty consistent fixture in the Harper household, and now, both Dick and Roy would leave Mar’i and Lian with him whenever something came up.

But Jason could honestly say he didn’t mind. Those two were brilliant, and always fun to watch over. Case in point: they were in Roy’s apartment while Roy was off on a job for the Titans. Lian and Mar’i had long since outgrown the need for a babysitter, but Jason liked the fact that they wanted him around anyway. (It’s just ‘cause you can cook, Dick had said. Shut the fuck up, dickhead, Jason said.)

Mar’i had finished painting Lian’s nails and had moved on to Jason, and he had to admit the deep red Mar’i had chosen didn’t look half bad.

“Thanks for coming, Jayjay,” Mar’i said, focusing on his pinky finger. “Lian really needed this.”

Ordinarily, Jason wouldn’t have thought much of it, but when he looked up, Lian looked almost,,,caught. Jason narrowed his eyes at her, and she looked away.

“Lian. What happened?”

Lian just shook her head, lips sealed, but Mar’i let out a sigh and responded for her. “Lian overheard her boyfriend bragging to his friends about how he was only with her because she was ‘Asian’ or whatever. She dumped him, obviously, but still. It’s rough.”

Jason stared at Mar’i for a minute. Then he made an aborted movement and both Lian and Mar’i tackled him.

“No, Jayjay don’t-”

“You’ll ruin your nail polish.”

“I’m gonna blow that fucker’s brains out.”

“Seriously, it’s not that bad. Nothing I haven’t heard before. Besides, I just wanna watch a movie later and eat your mac and cheese.” Lian grabbed the gun on Jason’s thigh holster and put it on the coffee table. Jason had a couple more on him, but deflated at the pleading expression on Lian’s face.

“You sure? Absolutely? Because I honestly do not give a shit that he’s a kid, I will permanently incapacitate him if the two of you want me too.”

This brought a faint smile to Lian’s face, and Jason prided himself on cheering her up as she settled back against a pillow. “Thanks, but no thanks. Now pass me the black, I’m going to do an accent nail.”

“Ooh, fancy,” Jason said.

Later, when the two of them were curled up on the couch, Pacific Rim on the TV, Jason pulled out his phone. He sent off some quick identification, then followed it up with I want you to utterly destroy this fucker’s life.

Tim’s response was quick. Why?

Jason thought about sending a “because I said so,” but then realized Tim would probably go even harder on the guy if he told him what actually happened. He’s a racist asshole and hurt Lian.

At Tim’s quick message of Done, Jason smiled, then continued adding mozzarella to the mac and cheese.

And if Lian ran up to him and hugged him the next time they met, well, he’d keep how protective but happy he felt between the two of them.

Tag list: @comicsandhoney @anothertimdrakestan @birdy-bat-writes @yesboopityboop @dangerduckjpeg @astroherogirl @subtleappreciation

#jason todd #red hood #lian harper #mar'i grayson #scribbles from the swamp #jason todd headcanon #red hood headcanon #lian harper headcanon #mar'i grayson headcanon #dc #dc headcanon #jason todd ficlet #red hood ficlet #lian harper ficlet #mar'i grayson ficlet #dc ficlet

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anxiousnerdwritings · 4 years ago

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27 with yandere roy harper?

27. "Let's runaway together somewhere safe from here, safe from them."

Seeing you laying motionless in a hospital bed was one of Roy's top fears and he was living it right now. He knew that something like this was bound to happen given the field that both of you were in with the Young Justice but he never would have imagined it to be real, I guess you could say he was delusional in that aspect but then again he was delusional in a lot of other aspects as well.

In this moment in time Roy felt like he was at his most vulnerable, he felt lost without you there to guide him and he just didn't know what to do with himself at least not with you by his side. He's pretty much shut himself away from everyone, if he wasn't sitting by your side in your hospital room then he was shut up in his room or training intensely. Everyone was worried for both you and now him, he wasn't the same anymore and everyone was seeing that more then ever now, especially Oliver.

They had all already noticed some off things about Roy once you had join the team, it was no secret that he was quite smitten with you but you seemed to be the only one who didn't notice or didn't care. Roy hadn't left you alone the second he had met you leading to the two of you striking up a sort of friendship or at most a partnership, although it was obvious Roy wanted so much more.

Oliver was the one to encourage his little sidekick to really try and woo you but he would have never fathomed how deep Roy would truly drive into the idea of you, although should he really be surprised? He did know that Roy was absolutely head over heels for you, it reminded him so much of himself with Dinah, but Oliver did have to admit that he did see red flags in Roy's behavior both with and towards you. Pushing all his little worries and the overall flashing warning signs away Oliver just wanted his protege to be just as happy as he himself was with Dinah.

But now Oliver knew that that was probably the worst thing he could have ever done; allowing his someone so impulsive and young to delve into something that could become so serious. He didn't think any harm would have come from anything but it hadn't been his place to say otherwise, ateast that was his original excuse. Now Oliver knew he had to step in before Roy lost himself completely, taking you along with him.

"Hey Roy, mind if he step out for a bit and talk?" Really looking at Roy, seeing the overall change in both his sidekick's personality and presence, he didn't have to be Bruce to know that Roy blamed himself wholeheartedly for where you were now. There was no denying that Roy was eating himself with his guilt. It only went to show Oliver that what he needed to say and do needed to be done now before it was truly too late. He only hoped that none of this would backfire on him but fate sure loved to play with the hopeful's didn't it.

"I don't want to leave her, Olly, can it wait?" Roy was really starting to get tired of people trying to pull him away from you especially now. Coumdn't they see that his place was right here, right by your side. What if you woke up while he was gone? What if you needed him and he wasn't there for you once again? He couldn't leave you again, not when you needed him the most.

"I know, Roy, I know. It'll only take a minute, I promise."

Sparing his mentor one single glance, the most he'd spared anyone since you ended up in the hospital, Roy pushed himself out of the chair he'd been damn near glued to and lead his way just outside your designated room. He didn't want to be too far from you in case anything did go awry and also because he just couldn't bare being too far from you in general, especially now.

"As your mentor it's my job to look out for you, right?" Getting no response Oliver looks to where Roy had rooted himself, seeing that he was leaning against the wall staring straight at where you were still lying motionless. Oliver tried to get Roy's attention again but it was no yse so he just chose to continue on.

"I'm worried about you, Roy. We all are. I know that Y/n was-" that earned him a pointed look, "-is important to you but this isn't the healthiest thing for you. You've been cooped up in this hospital room since she was emitted and the time you can't be here you're training. None of this is healthy for you, I don't think so and neither do the other League members."

"So..what are you trying to say??"

Taking a breath and choosing his words wisely, "We-.. I think you need some time away from Y/n. Their going to be perfectly fine without you by their side, even just for a few days. If anything happens the doctors and nurses will take care of it, Y/n is in good hands. Y/n will be here when you come back but you need some time."

Was Oliver being serious??? Was he really telling him to just leave you?!?! What the hell did Oliver think he was doing trying to keep him from you?!?! No... no... NO!! He wasn't doing that, he wasn't doing anything that involved not being with you, not even for even a second. Oliver didn't know what he was saying, how could he? He didn't know what Roy was going through, what all he was really feeling. How was Roy supposed to just keep away from you when leaving you to go to the the bathroom (even the one in your hospital room too) alone was too much for him. He was suffering from separation anxiety, even the smallest space away from you was just too much for Roy. He wasn't going to leave you and that was that.

"Leave."

Finally back by your side, sitting in his same spot, Roy took your colder hand into his much warmer one bringing it to his lips. "I'll never leave you, Y/n. I'll never leave your side again. They don't know what they're talking about, Oliver doesn't know what he's talking about." Still clutching your hand Roy takes a moment to take you in; you looked so peaceful and serene, innocent and oh so vulnerable. How was he supposed to leave you when you needed him the most?

Roy only had a new found fire burning in him now, a determination to keep you with him, something that no one could extinguish not even his own mentor. Pulling himself up to lay next you on your bed, he was still clutching your hand but now he was able to be so much closer to you. "I know that you probably can't hear me but Y/n...let's runaway together somewhere safe from here, safe from them. I'll take care of you, no matter what. I promise."

Leaning in to place a lingering kiss on your forehead, Roy lays there with you until it's time for him to go but he'll be back. He'll always come back for you and next time it will be the last time he'll have to leave you again.

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phoenixstartedthefire · 4 years ago

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Hey! No one cares but I started rewatching the second season of Young Justice and I’m gonna talk about it. For those who don’t know, Young Justice is a cartoon show about DC hero “sidekicks” (for lack of a better term). You can find it on HBO Max is you’re interested. Spoilers for s1 ahead.

Alright, so right off the bat I was a little taken aback by the five year time skip. What happened to the characters I knew and loved? Why is there a new Robin? Where is Kidflash? Aqualad?

And I still miss them but some of the new characters are super cool. I love the new Robin(Tim Drake) so far. He’s adorable and insecure and I love how Nightwing tries to build his confidence. Beast Boy is amazing and funny and I love the depth they gave his character. A lot of times the funny goofy character is pretty flat and f only there for comic relief. But I love the relationship they gave him with Miss Martian and seeing how his mom’s death affected him. Also Blue Beetle! He’s great. One problem I do kinda have with him though is that, to my knowledge, he is the only hispanic person on the show. Which is fine. But they kind of stereotype him a little? It’s clear that spanish is his first language but he’s very fluent in english and is the main language he speaks in the show. Yet they feel the need to have him add small bits of spanish in his average speaking. Like they have him say “ese” or “hermano” in sentences for no reason. Now, english is my first language and spanish is my second and I’m not hispanic so I can’t speak too much on this subject but I just felt that needed to be addressed. Other than that though I love his character.

Okay, I hate La’gaan. And I know that we’re supposed to hate him. Ya know. Causing tension and making us ship Superboy and Miss Martian more. But honestly I’ve kinda lost some respect for Megan. I’m not sure what happened in the five years but she’s gone down hill. I honestly don’t know what happened between Conner and Megan and the one episode they really address it in so far doesn’t do a very good job of explaining it but it’s clear that they still have feelings for each other. And I feel like Conner just gets her on a different level than La’gaan would. That could be just me though. And what made her start...idk what to call it but like putting her enemies in catatonic state as a way of interrogation? She did that once kind of in s1 with Psimon but I figured that was a one time thing and it was in the moment kind of thing.she was scared of him exposing her secret and just acted quickly. But I never would have suspected it to become a regular thing. It’s clear that at least Superboy opposes to this but nobody is calling her out on it. So idk what’s up with that.

I miss Wally. I respect his decision to be “done with the hero game” but please I love you. I love the small little insight of him and Artemis on Valentines Day but please I need more. I love that he’s still there for Roy even after Roy has gone off the deep end. And speaking of Roy(clone Roy), when did he and Cheshire get married? They had some chemistry in s1. A little enemies to lovers. We love that. But after s1 I was under the impression that Roy kind of shut everyone out and had a five year long existential crisis. As one does when they find out their entire life was a lie. Was getting married to her like a spur of the moment thing? Or was there a long term relationship? If so, they were clearly together long enough to have a child. I just find that timeline to be a bit confusing.

HOW COME WHEN THE KIDS WERE ALL SAYING GOODBYE TO THE BIG SIX(plus Icon) AND EVERYONE WAS WITH THEIR LOVED ONES, WHY WAS CAPTAIN ATOM SAYING BYE TO JOHN STEWART(one of the many green lanterns)? ARE THEY IN A RELATIONSHIP? PLEASE GIVE ME A CONFIRMED GAY SHIP

Okay, this will probably be my last point because this is long enough already. But. Let’s talk about Aqualad. I’m 90% sure that he’s a spy and not really working for his father. But when did this start? I have a feeling that at least Nightwing is in on it but they still leave it pretty vague. And I know that’s on purpose to build suspense and keep interest. But I can still complain, damnit!

I think I’m halfway through s2? I left off where Roy found “the real Roy Harper” so who knows. I might make a follow up about how I feel once I finish it. I really do love this show though.

#young justice #dc universe #robin #tim drake #dick grayson #blue beatle #batman #miss martian #lagoon boy #superboy #conner kent #wally west #kid flash #spitfire #supermartian #artemis #aqualad #bat family #superman

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afaimsarrowverse · 4 years ago

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Arrowverse-Spin-Offs, we would like to see:

„Arrow“ and „Black Lightning“ are done, „Supergirl“ is in its last season and „The Flash“ and „Legends of Tomorrow“ will probably be over rather sooner than later. So it’s time to look at some potential Spin-Off-Ideas and the reasons why we won’t see any of those happening. But hey, I have been wrong before. The last time I did such a list, I wrote that Warner would never allow a „Superman“-Show to happen, because of them wanting him exclusive for the movies, even though at this point the Powers that Be were already working on getting „Superman & Lois“ on the way (because they have been working on that since around „Elseworlds), so maybe in two years one of those shows on this list will actually air at The CW:

Atoms: Since Ray has left „Legends“ I have been missing him, and since Crisis was the last we ever saw of Ryan Choi, yes, I still want „Atoms“, starring both Ray Palmer and Ryan Choi and their respectice wives, sciencing their way out of every problem and superheroing a little bit at the side. Yes, Fairy Godmother Nora would be a challenge to put into that concept, but if someone really wanted to find a way to integrate that storyline in the show, they could and if not, they could just do away with her powers off-screen. To bad Brandon Routh and Berlanti Productions did not part under the best terms and that the reason they got rid of him in the first place was that they couldn’t afford him any longer, so this one is not likely to ever happen. Also, I am not sure too many people are actually interested in a whole show about the Atom. Even if there a two of them.

Canaries: With „Green Arrow and the Canaries“ not picked up, they could return to this fan-favored concept: A solo show for Laurel and Dinah. Ditch the Future Crap or wrap it up in the Pilot, let them live in the present again and be a crime fighting double act. Or just set in the future, if you must, and let Dinah keep her club and just say good bye to the Queen-Kids. But since both actresses waited for a year to star in a show, that was not happening and said no to jobs because of that and the plotthreats of the „Green Arrow and the Canaries“ Backdoor-Pilot are still up in the air, it is very unlikely that we will get to see this one.

ThunderGrace: They should have aimed for that show instead of „Painkiller“, they might have had better chances to get picked up with it. Anyways, giving Anissa and her new wife Grace their own show, set in a different city of course, would go great with certain protions of the „Black Lightning“-Audience and might even attract new viewers. Having Jennifer and TC guest star regulary would also be great. Sadly this won’t happen of course, „Black Lightning“ already was very much Anissa’s story, giving her her own show would be like continuing „Black Lightning“ just without Jefferson, so it would basically be the same and therefore The CW would not go for it. Also, as long as „Batwoman“ is around, they would not do a second show with a lesbian Superhero Lead, who fights streetlevel, and since Season 2 also not one about a lesbian Superhero Lead, who is black on the top of that. So sadly, not happening.

Guardian and the Sentinel: „Supergirl“ is not getting a Spin-Off, but if we could choose, only Jessica Queller would go for the „Midvale“-One. Having Alex Danvers and Kelly Olsen als crime fighting partners in every sense on our screens would be great. Yes, the title might need some working on, but the concept would be great. They would probably operate outside of National City, there might even be a way to get the military angle in somehow. However as with „TunderGrace“, thanks to „Batwoman“ this one will never get made, because neither Alex nor Kelly have superpowers. Too bad.

Daughters of the Demon: I am very aware that I am the only one, who wants this Spin-Off. But I still want it. A show build around Thea Queen and the Al Ghul-Sisters (and Roy Harper of course) and their dealings with the League of Assassins in all forms and shapes. Katrina Law is of course not available right now, but the main reason we will never see a show around Thea, Nyssa, and Talia is that no one except me is really interested in it.

Dreamer (and Brainiac-5): This one has probably the best chance of ever happening from everything on this list, but given that it wasn‘t done anywhere outside this year’s Pride-Special, means that there probably are no actual plans for it. Anyways, a show about Dreamer with Brainy at her side, probably set in a new city rather than National City, would be great. Nia is still very new to the superhero-game, just finding her feet, and her romance with Brainy can go to many more places. But after the backlash in regards to „Batwoman“, The CW is probably hesitant to dare making a show about a transhero starring an actual transwoman. Nia might rather get moved to „Legends“ or „Superman & Lois“ or get to guest star on „The Flash“ next season than get her own show.

Next Gen: Mia Queen did not get her own show, when she was teamed up with the Canaries. However if you were to team her up with the Tonado-Twins and a Super-Spawn (not the Kent Twins though), she and Dig’s kids might just get another chance for their own show with William as their tech support. However the death of „Green Arrow and the Canaries“ makes that very unlikely, addionally we don’t know what will happen to Nora and Bart on „The Flash“ yet or where they will go with Kara or Clark for that matter in the future. And show set in the future would also cement that future, which would limit all the other shows somehow in storytelling terms, which might have been one of the reasons „Green Arrow and the Canaries“ was not picked up, so don’t hold you breath for that one.

Hall of Justice: Crisis established the League, but in a few months, only Sara, Barry and Clark will be left. But Nate is probably not the only one who applied for a seat. This one would of course have to take place between seasons or star everyone expect the heroes, who currently still have a show. I did name it „Hall of Justice“ on purpose, because there are many reasons, why this would never happen with the other name, but to be blunt, it would probably never happen under any name. However, this would be a good way to actually end the Arrowverse. To do a mini-series, where the League assembles after the last or most of the old shows are done. This could be one last Crossover with the potential of Follow Up- Features, if someone would ever want to make more of it.

An Anthology-Show:

Originally „Legends of Tomorrow“ was supposed to be an Anthology-Show, and while the decision to make an acutal show instead was the right one back then, the Arrowverse has grown since then, and the idea to do an Anthology-Show to keep it alive is actually a No-Brainer. Instead of whole Seasons, it would be better to go for Two-Parters, Three-Parters, Four Parters and even One Offs though, in order to get more stuff done in the span of a season. The main reason this will not happen is money of course - without standing sets this one would be hard to pull off, but I think it is necessary at this point. And they could even do only two arcs per season or only a hand full of episodes. This is where they could wrap up the open stortythreads from the failed Backdoor-Pilots – „Green Arrow and the Canaries“ and „Painkiller“ –and also where they could test out new Spin-Off Ideas, they could do my entire list here, plus more, like Slade and his sons, a story about the Hawk s, one about Kate Kane, or even Brandon Routh’s version of Superman etc. They could even go back and do in-between episodes about forgotten and dropped storylines, to which they never got around, like Roy’s death and resurrection or Rip’s founding of the Time Bureau. Additionally this is where they could do the Annual Crossover, they would not need to sacrifice episodes of the other shows, but instead air the Crossover as the Mid-Season Replacement in its own show, followed by some other storylines. But like I said, money is not on the side of this one.

Bonus: Show that will air on HBOmax instead and therefore can’t happen for the Arrowverse:

John Diggle, Space Cop:

This would be the Arrowverse Version of „Green Lantern“ and with a „Green Lantern“ Show heading to HBOmax it will of course never happen.

Hellblazer:

Not too long ago this was my top-bet for a new Arrowverse-Spin-Off, given that Matt Ryan’s „Constantine“ left a lot of unresolved storylines behind, but now that a new version of „Constantine“ with a younger John Constantine as the Main Protagonist in it, is heading to HBOmax, Matt Ryan’s version of the character may even be scrapped from the Arrowverse for good in the soon future. Let’s hope there is room for both versions of the character, but a Spin-Off for the Arrowverse is very much not happening any more.

Booster Gold (and Blue Beetle):

Wait, you might say, since when is Booster Gold getting his own series on HBOmax? Well, he was at least planned to get one. Alongside „Green Lantern“ another show was announced back then, remember?„Strange Adventures“ was supposed to feature Booster Gold. And while it has become kind of quite around this project, it was not officially scrapped. Given that it is very unlikely that we will ever get to see an Arrowverse-Version of Booster Gold instead, much less in his own show, and with „Blue Beetle“ getting his own show on HBOmax as well, Ted Kord will probably also never pop up in the Arrowverse, and Michael and Ted will never team up alonside the Legends. Too bad.

#Arrowverse #Potential Spin-Offs #Stuff we wanna see #Arrow #The Flash #Supergirl #Legends of Tomorrow #Black Lightning #Batwoman #Superman & Lois

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ao3-whump-recs · 4 years ago

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Young Justice (Cartoon), Batman - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Dick Grayson/Wally West Characters: Dick Grayson, Wally West, Roy Harper, Clone Roy Harper | Will Harper, M'gann M'orzz, Kon-El | Conner Kent, Artemis Crock, Jack Haly, Alfred Pennyworth mentioned - Character Additional Tags: Episode: s01e24 Performance, based on that, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Angst, Fluff, Protective Wally West, you can always count on wally!!!!, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt Dick Grayson, Vomiting, Sickfic, ish, Romani Dick Grayson Summary:

"Yeah, maybe you should just stay here and rest, let the others handle it." Wally suggests. "I can't, you know I can't. I need to help. Haly... he's-" "Family." Wally finish and Dick nods against him.

Based off of Young Justice S1E24 'Performance', but a spin-off since it needed some BirdFlash and angst to it. I just feel like the series could have done a better job with Dick's character, show his hurt and feelings a bit more. I don't know, maybe I just crave angst...

#fanfiction #fanfic rec #birdflash #yj #young justice #whump #whump fic #sickfic #dick grayson #wally west #hurt comfort

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peppersonironi · 4 years ago

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Batfam/Avengers Crossover Chapter Four: Growing Suspicions

Tagging (Let me know if you want to be tagged): @the-fair-maiden-of-fandom

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Category: Gen

Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types

Relationships: Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne, Natasha Romanov & Damian Wayne, Clint Barton & Cassandra Cain, Tim Drake & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tim Drake & Duke Thomas, Pamela Isley/Harleen Quinzel, Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent, Dick Grayson/Wally West, Roy Harper/Koriand'r/Jason Todd,

Characters: Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle, Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, Barbara Gordon, Justice League (DCU), Alfred Pennyworth, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Clint Barton, Thor (Marvel), Bruce Banner, Peter Parker, Alfred the Cat (DCU), Bat-Cow (DCU), Goliath (DCU), Selina Kyle’s Cat Isis, Kate Kane (DCU), Duke Thomas,

Additional Tags: Batbrothers (DCU), Avengers Meet The Batfam, MCU/Batfam crossover, Crossover, no beta we die like robins, rated T for Jason’s language, I bleeped it out though. Just to be safe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, canon? What’s canon?, Deaf Clint Barton,Deaf Character, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Happy Batfamily (DCU), Birdflash and joyfire are implied/referenced,

Summary: After some questionable comments from Jason regarding murder, some of the Avengers are (understandably) freaked out and untrusting towards the bats. They decide to research their hosts.

Natasha stood to the side as Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown finished sparring. Everyone else was either watching or warming up. Natasha was part of the former.

Their skill was undeniable. She had no doubt that if it came to a real fight, she might not win. They had fought hard for almost five minutes, though Nat could tell it was all in good fun. Their looks of concentration did not hide the easy-going eyes and smiles.

Natasha was honestly unsure of who would win, but then Stephanie pulled out of a flip a split second early and delivered a kick to Tim’s chest. A moment later she had used his off-balance to bring him to the floor. He quickly surrendered when she sat on him with her forearm to his throat.

“That was an interesting kick,” Tim said as Stephanie helped him up. “I wonder who you learned it from.” He glanced over his shoulder to glare at a smirking Damian.

“I’m sorry Drake, is there a problem? Aren’t we all supposed to help each other improve our technique?” Damian was smirking even more at that point.

Tim snorted then walked off to get some water, grumbling as he went.

Stephanie laughed. “Sore loser!” She high fived Damian.

“Could I perhaps have a turn,” Natasha asked when no one seemed to be ready immediately to fight.

Steve stepped forward. “Shall we?”

Natasha groaned inside. Steve was a decent fighter, especially with his shield, but she had been looking forward to a challenge.

Natasha nodded. “Sure, I’d like a warm-up.” This got some chuckles from the teens.

They faced each other and started to circle for a few seconds. When Nat grew bored, she darted forward and struck his shoulder. He twisted and she used it to strike the back of his knee. She delivered a kick to the back of his head and he was on the ground a moment later.

There were several appreciative claps and laughs from the kids. The rest of the Avengers just nodded. They were used to Natasha beating them up.

“Someone needs a better opponent,” Bruce Wayne said. He didn’t smile, but there was a slight upturn on the corner of his mouth. “Damian, why don’t you take a turn. I know you’ve been itching for a fight.”

The boy smiled dangerously, and several of the Avengers laughed. They underestimated him - most likely due to his incredibly short stature - unlike Natasha. There was something strange about him, She had sensed it from the moment she’d laid eyes on him. And she hadn’t forgotten that he was dangerous.

Damian strolled forward and took his position. Natasha followed suit. A moment later Dick gave the mark to start.

Damian was fast . He sprinted forward in an instant and struck Nat’s gut. She barely managed to block, and wasn’t able to dodge the next blow, this time to her shin. She darted out with a counterblow, but he stepped out with his back leg, bringing his arm up to block. A split second later his back leg darted out to land a blow on the back of Natasha’s knee, bringing her down. He smoothly transitioned into bringing a knee up and jumping into a spinning kick landing at Natasha’s head.

Natasha was on the ground for a moment before she rose and resumed her atack. Damian flipped away before advancing once again. He unleashed a sequence of torso blows followed by a front handspring finished with a double kick. Natasha spun to the side and attacked him with multiple strikes across his shoulders and head.

She could tell his style easily. He stuck with torso and leg strikes due to his height, and only used roundabout kicks, which utilized his leg strength. But he was also holding back. Some of his blows were clearly designed to kill, but had been modified to be non life threatening. Perhaps what had been implied earlier was true: the kid had killed.

The fight dragged on, and Natasha couldn’t find an opening. Damian was ruthless in his attacks, and his form impeccable. There were times when Natasha was clearly losing, but she managed to pull back from the brink and keep going. She managed to get a decent combo in before Damian swiped at her head mid flip. She dodged to the side: a pivotal mistake. In the blink of an eye, Damian was at her. He brought her into a headlock, and Nat had no choice but to accept defeat.

They rose together, to the astonished faces of the Avengers. Tony was especially shocked. Apparently, none of them had ever considered that Natasha could be beaten. Let alone by an eleven year old.

“Great Job, both of you.” Dick said. “I haven’t seen anyone stand that long against Damian in a while.”

Damian smiled at her smugly.

Natasha smiled right back. The fight had been invigorating, and she hadn't had to work that hard before. But for the same reason, it was worrying. The kid taught with skill that would have taken years to develop. Damian had clearly been trained from a very young age, which brought a shiver down Natasha's spine. She had flashbacks to the Red Room. The bloody horror that has been her childhood.

No one should have to face that.

*****

They trained for a few more hours, and the mood gradually returned to whatever could be considered normal. The bats - Damian specifically - had declared the Avengers to be woefully under trained when it came to fighting. They did admit that Natasha was good, and Clint decent, however. They had everynight standards.

Everyone - even Banner, much to his dismay - had been roped into a basic hand to hand combat training routine, modified to fit each person's skill level. Natasha had enjoyed her's very much, but after three hard hours, she was grateful for the shower.

They had rejoined in the kitchen after everyone had a chance to bathe and chat for lunch. Natasha had found more clothes placed in her room, this time black ripped jeans and tank top. Nat wondered who they belonged to, they clearly didn't come from Cassandra, Barbara, or Stephanie.

Nat didn’t worry too much about it though. She just wanted food. Pretty much everyone was there, though Tony was behind her in the hallway. Natasha came and sat down on one of the stools, along with Tim and Cass.

Natasha had no doubt.

Wayne was wearing dressy casual slacks and a cashmere sweater, as was Damian. They truly looked identical. Everyone else was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, or some variation thereof.

“I have prepared a meal for you, do tell me if it is unsatisfactory,” Alfred the butler said as he set some food on the table. Everyone thanked the old man, who only smiled.

Natasha ate in peace, not ignoring anyone, but not partaking in conversation either. Then she heard Jason raise his voice.

“Come on Replacement, you know I’m about as dangerous as a butterfly.” He was speaking sarcastically, though Tim didn’t seem to notice.

“Tell that to Black Mask’s henchmen,” he muttered, taking a bite of salad.

Jason snorted. “That was a long time ago, and in my defense, it was his mother’s f***ing fault!”

Damian sat straight upright. “How dare you-”

“You know it's true Dami,” Dick said. “She is malicious, even for an assassin.”

“Can we not talk about Talia over lunch?” Wayne asked, his hands on his temples.

Damian made his t-t sound once again, and continued to eat. Jason shrugged and launched back into a conversation with Tim.

Nat glanced over at Tony and Steve, who were frowning, most likely due to the mention of Damian’s assassin mother. They would be talking about this later, no doubt.

*****

“Did you hear how casually they mentioned it?!” Steve was saying. He had gathered Tony, Nat and Clint with him in one of the libraries, desperate to talk about their hosts.

Tony was nodding while he replied. “This place seems more dangerous than we first thought. I’m not sure if we can trust these … bats .”

Clint frowned. “But they have not actually done anything to harm us. Sure, their methods are questionable, but they are our only way home.”

“The least we can do is gather information,” Tony said. “But be careful. If they really do kill, then they might harm us for questioning them.”

“But what behavior have we seen that would suggest they would do something like that?” Clint insisted. “Sure Jason swears a lot and carries guns, and Damian sharpened his katana quite threateningly, but that is not cause for mistrust!”

“They mentioned assassins! The kid’s mother is an assassin !” Steve said. “That in and of itself is cause for mistrust .”

Natasha chuckled lightly, and Steve’s eyes widened. The three men slowly turned to their resident ex-assassin.

“I’m sorry, Tash,” Steve said. “I didn’t mean you , of course. You’re plenty trustworthy!” Tony couldn’t help but chuckle.

“But that’s exactly what you said,” Cint snapped, growing defensive.

“Steve,” Nat said, sighing. “I understand your worry, I really do. But I’m honestly not worried about us.”

Steve blinked. “Why not?”

“Because when I fought with Damian I could tell his style. He had clearly been trained to kill,” This gained an outraged ‘ahah’ from both Steve and Tony, to which Natahsa shook her head. “He had been trained to kill, yes, but his style was adapted. It was like he was unlearning everything he’d been taught. And I know how that is.”

Clint nodded his head, remembering when he had found Nat, and the months afterward when she had been taken in.

“You’re worried about the kids.” Clint stated.

It wasn’t really a question, but Nat nodded anyway. “He would have had to have been trained for years to be that skilled. And he’s only eleven …” Natasha shook her head. “They mentioned the mother in a way that leads me to believe she isn’t really in his life anymore. If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say she’s the one that trained him, not Bruce Wayne.”

“So he probably isn't abusing the kid, that’s great,” Tony said sarcastically, though Natasha could still direct the relief in his voice. “But what about Jason and Cassandra? I wouldn’t put it past Jason to kill us, honestly. But Cassandra, I don’t know.”

“He mentioned something like manipulation while questioning Thor, so maybe he didn’t mean to?” Clint shook his head. “But he still talked about it so flippantly. I’m not sure about him.”

Natasha nodded. “I agree. Jason seems the most volatile. As for Cassandra, I am honestly not sure. I haven’t seen her fight, nor do anything violent. But the way she moves … in some ways I think she’s the most dangerous of them all.”

Everyone was silent for a moment, thinking. Natasha sat back, having done her piece. After a while, Tony spoke.

“I think we should do our own research. With a team this large, surely there will be plenty of information.”

*****

There was not, in fact, plenty of information. Tony had found a free computer on one of the desks in the library that was most likely meant for public use - it had a sticky note with the password (IAmTheNight) on it - and quickly set up a search.

They had started with the basics: Batman, Gotham Vigilantes. But there really hadn’t been much. The most they could gather was that Batman had been an urban legend up until he joined the Justice League. There had been sightings going back almost 15 years, which Meant Bruce had started when he was in his early twenties.

Robin had come in a few years later, and was clearly not Damian Wayne. But beyond that, there wasn’t much. Sometimes Robin wore pants, sometimes not. Sometimes Robin was even a girl. Tony could never find anything defininite. There were countless vigilantes mentioned, some nameless, others not. Some showed up for a few weeks, then disappeared.

Finally they found something.

“Ahah!” Tony said as he clicked on an article about Red Hood. “This should be worth our

time.” Tony pulled up the first paragraph, and began reading.

��It is well known to everyone in Gotham that Crime Alley is one of the most dangerous places in our already dangerous city. What is also well known is its protector: The Red Hood. The Red Hood has had a somewhat rocky past with Gotham, but unlike the other vigilantes that haunt the rooftops, it is relatively easy to follow.

Red Hood first came on the scene a few years ago and quickly made a splash. Hood quickly took over most if not all of Gotham’s crime organizations, and began to make immediate changes.

It is reported that all the drug syndicates halted dealing near schools or children. All human trafficking sceeced. Crime was managed, to a point that not even Batman had achieved.

Red Hood enacted a strict law: he only killed rapists, murderers, abusers, and drug dealers - only those who sell to kids.

But we can’t forget about the dark knight. Batman was seriously against Red Hood in the beginning, and there are several documented fights to prove it. Red Hood became the only major criminal to stay active with the bat’s knowledge, and not be defeated.

After a while, though, Red Hood left Gotham. No one is quite sure why, as he had built himself quite an empire. Later on - no one is sure of the specifics - he returned. Details are foggy around this time, but Red Hood started to appear again, back to patrolling Crime Alley. One thing was different though. This time he wore a red bat on his armor, effectively announcing his allegiance.

According to many Gothamites, Red Hood has not killed anyone since his return, and has given up his crime lord status. Some say he protects Crime Alley, and occasionally teams up with the other vigilantes of Gotham. Many eye witness reports say that Hood has a somewhat amicable relationship with the bats, and is clearly one of them. There are also notes of him using rubber bullets, proving even more that he has sided with the bats. Though this is uncertain, as others report he still uses lead, and has even continued killing.

At this point Hood is considered a hero by most of Gotham, with the minority calling him a plague upon the city. The Police themselves have even stopped actively searching for the red helmeted hero - whether this is due to their inability to catch him, or as a sign of friendship, it is unclear. Police Commissioner Gordan has not commented on the matter beyond a vague statement of Hood appearing with the bats when the bat signal is deployed.”

“Bat signal?” Clint asked.

Tony typed furiously for a moment before retrieving the answer. “Apparently the police have an industrial spotlight on their roof with the silhouette of a bat on it which they shine when in need of the vigilantes.”

Natasha smirked. “Overkill much?”

Tony shrugged. “Hey, apparently it works.”

“That’s beside the point,” Steve interjected. “We found barely anything on Jason. Sure it says he doesn’t kill anymore, but that doesn’t mean they can be trusted.”

Clint groaned again. “Let me guess, you want us to investigate the family personally?”

Steve nodded. “Nat, I want you to start, you are the intelligence expert after all.”

Natasha nodded, though inside she was in turmoil. She wanted to trust these people. She didn’t know why, but she felt connected somehow. Like they were similar in some core way.

Steve nodded right back. “Good. Meet back here in a few hours. See what you can find.”

#Avengers meet batfam #dc/marvel crossover #batfam #avengers #batfamily shenanigans #bruce wayne #alfred pennyworth #dick grayson #jason todd #tim drake #damian wayne #duke thomas #stephanie brown #cassandra cain #steve rogers #tony stark #clint barton #natasha romonova

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superboyz · 5 years ago

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clone/human error (timkon)

in which Damian plays inadvertent match maker but only so Tim will stop being such an embarrassment.

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

Damian’s mind had drifted off, brow furrowed and hunched in his patented thinking position. How long had he been staring at the same words? But he couldn’t stop puzzling over the odd behavior he had witnessed- a kind tone of voice shocked him out of it.

“What?”

Grayson leaned over the back of the chair and began reading the screen, “what’re you thinking about?”

“Nothing,” he responded, a gut reaction. But he soon thought better of it: Dick understood that some actions that might seem normal to other people were incomprehensible to a thirteen year old ex-assassin- no judgement if Damian asked. And he was sometimes the only one who could make sense of Tim’s actions like the time he had starting investigating the Illuminati and filled a board with red string and pictures of the Denver airport, Dick knew that it was time to feed him and put him to bed.

He cleared his throat and waited until Dick’s eyes were fixed on him expectantly before asking, “Drake, and that kryptonian clone… I don’t understand.”

“Yeah, Timmy and Conner- understand what?”

“Well,” he had to remind himself that Dick wouldn’t reprimand him for asking questions- force of habit. “Are we not supposed to acknowledge- is father-“ it was odd for him to stumble over his words, even more odd that Grayson was looking at him with a very confused expression.

“I’m missing something Damian.”

“Well,” he started impatiently, “I asked Jon about them, and he claimed that he was unaware they were in a relationship together. And Brown laughed, although it’s all very obvious… was I not supposed to mention it?”

Dick’s initial response didn’t help- he blinked listlessly before covering his hand with a guffaw. Damian’s face hardened and he quickly turned somber, “I wasn’t laughing at you Dami. It’s- well, Jon was right, they aren’t dating. What would make you say that it’s obvious?”

Now it was Damian’s turn to laugh, maybe Grayson was that obtuse. “Physical affection, pet names, dates, gifts: these are all signs of romantic partnership. You should know this better than me, Richard,” he admonished with a smirk.

“They’re just friends Damian.”

“He brought the clone as a date to the Christmas party,” he deadpanned.

“Not as a date per-say.”

“You would never invite Wallace to the Christmas party!”

“Exactly! Because- ... well-,” Damian smiled to see Dick falter for a few seconds. “Hmm,” he said finally, cupping his chin thoughtfully. “Good question,” he said finally.

“Well?” Damian prompted, impatient again.

“Well what?”

“Was it wrong of me to mention it? I’m aware father doesn’t allow meta-humans in Gotham, and they’ve somehow convinced people-“

Dick shook his head, "they aren’t together Dami.”

He sighed heavily, "Grayson, I find it hard to believe you already forgot our conversation of a few seconds ago-“

“They’re not dating."

“Well why not,” Damian exploded. He was even more confused than he had been before Grayson arrived, it didn’t make sense. At this rate he would never understand his peers, their actions were so counter intuitive. And just when he thought he might understand more than Grayson.

Dick laughed softly, "calm down Damian. If you care so much, why don’t you ask Tim? He’s coming home to pick up some things tomorrow.”

“I don’t care, only that it’s stupid,” he scowled as Dick continued to smile his amused smile, “and I will ask.”

“Good initiative Robin, tell me what you find,” Dick encouraged. Damian smirked ‘I will’.

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

“What are you starring at me for, demon spawn?” Damian’s gaze had been unsettling him all night, and did even more when he just smiled softly when Bruce yelled a half hearted ‘knock it off!’

Tim was confined to the table until he finished his food, a childish punishment that was sure to frustrate him in addition to Damian’s tactics to unnerve him, which seemed to be doing their job. The perfect conditions to launch his attack. Tim mocked Bruce under his breath but continued to sit petulantly, just pushing the spinach and bits of chicken across his plate with his fork. More confusing to Damian than his relationship-not-relationship was the fact that anyone would want to date Drake when he had such an affinity for acting like a petulant child.

“Don’t you have anyone else to torture,” Drake mocked with a mean smile. Damian responded tactfully with a kind one which made succeeded in making Tim even more frustrated and unnerved. “Fuck off.”

Bruce yelled something else unintelligible and Alfred peeked his head in to give Tim and his plate an unimpressed look before ducking his head out again.

“I’m hoping,” he started finally, “that you can answer a question for me.”

“Are you the worst Robin?: yes. Now leave.”

“You and your Superboy,” he continued.

“What do you want with Conner, demon spawn,” Tim snarled. ‘Protective’ Damian noted, as if ticking off a mental checklist.

“The nature of your relationship seems to be… close.”

“Yeah Damian, it’s called friendship- I’m sure its completely foreign to you,” Tim sneered. He punctuated this with a bite of chicken that he chewed noisily, and with his mouth open.

“Colin and Jon are my friends,” he pointed out good-naturedly. “But we’re not as close as to use pet names,” Tim cocked an annoyed eyebrow, suddenly clued into the line of questioning, “and I don’t take them as dates to social functions.”

Tim was silent, staring levelly at Damian and taking little bites every so often. After about a minute of the stand-off Damian finally continued as if Tim had replied, “those types of things could be mis-construed by some people, some very rational people, into thinking that the two of you might be in a romantic relationship.”

“Very rational is objective,” Tim said, suddenly calm and reasonable as if he was suddenly engaged in a debate in class, “for example I would say killing people isn’t very rational, but to a little psychopath like yourself, it could seem normal to a point of being instinctive.”

Damian felt a tt of annoyance if only because he found it irrelevant and unnecessary that Tim would dredge up the past, “killing is no longer something I can justify. I haven’t done that in a long time.”

“I’ve never killed anyone ever.”

“We’re not talking about me,” Damian said, trying not to let his frustration bleed through.

“Right,” Tim said, with his mouthful of a dainty bite of spinach. He punctuated his words with his fork, “we’re talking about how you’re obsessed with me and my relationship- I’m not entitled to answer any of your questions.”

“I only have one,” Damian tongued the inside of his cheek, “and I haven’t even asked it yet.”

“Fine, what is it?"

“What are you planning to do about your feelings for him?”

You could’ve heard a pin drop. Tim stared at him, eyes comically wide, before he suddenly started choking on an invisible bite of food. Damian smiled to himself, watching as Tim seemed to flounder.

“What the hell are you talking about,” Tim eventually choked out.

“Surely you don’t think that people wouldn’t notice,” it was his turn to sneer. “Physical affection, pet names, extended amounts of time alone, together, gifts, all markers of a romantic relationship. And if that wasn’t enough you talk about him incessantly, call for him in times of emotional distress, prolonged stares, and a rational person might say that when someone dies, the obvious next step isn’t attempting to clone them.”

“You wouldn’t know how to interpret that behavior, let alone understand it,” Tim said, face livid at this read.

“Wouldn’t I? For example I can interpret Graysons caring actions towards me and understand it as brotherly love. Maybe you’re just saying that because your actions aren’t being interpreted or understood by the clone, and maybe you’re too afraid to voice them aloud. Or maybe you never realized it, which would be surprisingly idiotic even by your standards, or you have never let yourself acknowle-“

Damian was cut off by the loud sound of Tim’s chair scraping as he pushed it back. In a tense moment Tim considered his now empty dinner plate for a second before lobbing it at Damian’s head and storming off. It shattered behind Damian’s head and from upstairs Bruce swore loudly. He had gotten too off track with his line in questioning, Damian concluded, and then became annoyed with himself, he never got his question answered.

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

“I just don’t understand why you’re pushing this unless, of course, you care about Timmy and want him to be happy because you’re his brother,” Grayson teased him. Damian didn’t feel the need to even justify that with a response.

“It’s just frustrating.”

“Frustrating why?”

“I find it insulting to Father that he would chose to entertain partnership with someone so stupid. And you too, Grayson.”

“Gee thanks,” Dick scoffed, “but I still don’t think that that’s the reason.”

“Think what you want," Damian said, combatively, “but I’m going to bed now.”

“Goodnight Dami.”

“Goodnight Richard." He ended the call and set his phone on his bedside table. He looked restlessly around the room. Of course Tim would choose to whine to Dick. The idiot had stormed off without even grabbing the files he came for in the first place and had to double back for them, more than that he broke a plate that had been in the Wayne family for generations- thoughtless. In hindsight Damian guessed he could’ve been less pointed, but he just wanted Timothy to realize how stupid he was being and hopefully push him in the right direction. It may even be a nice initiative, but as shown by tonight, Timothy was filled with so much spite he would sit in front of his dinner for an extra hour just because he didn’t like steamed spinach. It was embarrassing by proxy.

And hey- maybe if Timothy started dating Superboy he would come home even less. And maybe if Todd started dating his useless partner Roy Harper, he wouldn’t come home either…

Just as Damian was being lulled to sleep with the nice prospect, Titus, who was at the foot of Damian’s bed gave a start. He rushed to the open window, ears alert and eyes trained on something in the darkness.

“What is it Titus?” His ear twitched, but he wouldn’t move when Damian called for him again. Damian climbed out of bed and shuffled over to his pet, intent on making him settle on the bed so Damian could sleep without interruption but when he gazed into the night sky he could see two blurry shapes on the horizon. He shied away from the curtain on instinct but wasn’t very much afraid as Titus’ tail began to wag and he began to whine, the way he did when he saw someone he knew… Through the open window he could hear the latch to Tim’s balcony open and without any warning Krypto came sailing through the open window, immediately hyperactively jumping around the space between Damian and Titus. He tried to quiet the Superdog, giving him a hug to keep him still and shushing him, but it was no use- over the panting he couldn’t hear a thing. Krypto wriggled in his arms, trying to get to Titus or to Damian’s closet where he kept some dog treats but he kept a tight hold on the dog, straining his ears to catch the conversation next door, but it would be impossible to make out from in his room. And if he let Krypto go he would surely make enough noise to alert Bruce that Superboy was in the house and then it would all be over, whatever it was.

It was a dilemma, but ultimately Damian knew what he had to do, he had to keep the dog still. He spent a whole five minutes wrestling with the pup until he started whining and pulling Damian towards the open window. He tried to hold on but ultimately couldn’t as Krypto began to pull him off the ground. In a last ditch effort he grabbed the stupid cape the clone kept tied around his neck but it ripped with what seemed to be an earsplitting sound in contrast the the quiet night. Krypto went sailing out the window and crashed the glass balcony door, so eager to get to his owner. Damian face-palmed, there was nothing he could do now.

He walked to Tim’s door and pushed it open without knocking, but the sight inside gave him pause. Superboy was straddling Tim on the floor, the two of their faces only a inch apart and they only looked away when Damian announced himself to the two of them. “I hope it was worth it to bring that stupid dog.”

“He was only protecting me from the glass,” Tim stuttered pathetically.

“Whatever you say Drake, but father will see through that straight away if your boyfriend doesn’t leave before he gets up here.” That sentence was punctuated by Bruce’s feet thundering up the steps. Within a second both boy and dog had cleared and Tim was left laying in the middle of the floor when Bruce came barreling in.

“What the hell happened?” He didn’t even bother to grapple with which one of them did it, immediately and harshly yanking Damian around to face him.

“I’m sorry father, it was childish of me. I just wanted to give him a fright.”

“I thought you knew better than that Damian. I’m very disappointed in you- no patrol for a week.”

“Fine,” he said. If he sounded oddly compliant, or didn’t notice the way Tim looked after Damian as he padded off to his room, Bruce didn’t seem to notice.

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

The window was fixed within a week but by the time Christmas came around Todd not only knew about the incident months later, but kept bringing it up.

“-sent a drone to attack him in the middle of the night!” Dick didn’t even try to give the proper response to what Jason considered to be a very funny story, and just gave Damian a costly look. Grayson’s admonishments had hurt much more than Bruce’s and continued too. He almost wished had just told the Dick the truth in the moment, it would’ve even sounded more likely than the lie, but he didn’t for some reason. He just waited until Jason left to go get another glass of “adult eggnog” and avoided Tim’s eyes.

He honestly couldn’t tell if Tim was still preoccupied like the incident like Todd or if he just missed his boyfriend, but it soon was clear that the latter was the truth because Conner showed up a couple seconds later wearing a hideous ugly sweater, Tim didn’t look at Damian for the rest of the night. Their PDA had become more tolerable with time but Jon, who had tagged along, stuck out his tongue and mock retched when the clone pulled Tim in for a kiss under the mistletoe.

So his plan to get Tim out of the house had backfired, and now he had roped his stupid boyfriend into coming by too. Even if Todd became as annoying as Drake with his partner, Damian decided that he wouldn’t intervene in anymore romantic relationships, ever. Drake still wanted to rub his victory in Damian’s face however. When he got to his room in the evening the idiot had scrawled him a little ‘thank you’ on a holiday card. Damian put it in a box under his bed for safekeeping, but only so he would never have to look at it again.

#timkon #tim drake #red robin #superboy #kon-el #kon el #conner kent #timkon fanfiction #my writing #young justice #teen titans #robin #damian wayne

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stxleslyds · 4 years ago

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Robin Jason, a friend and ally of the Titans.

PART 1.

Last Friday I was feeling extra rage-y after the news about the Titans mini with the Titans show line-up of heroes. I still think that a) Jason shouldn’t be considered a Titan or be in the team as Red Hood and b) that him going back to wearing a bat symbol on his chest is just bad but as @randomlut said there is a possibility of that book not being set in DC’s current universe and if that’s the case then okay, I will not complain about it anymore.

But this post isn’t about that Titans book it’s about Jason’s Robin’s appearances in volume two of the New Teen Titans!

Now, this won’t be an in-depth review of those issues from a story point of view, it will be a post in which I talk about Jason’s characterization and interactions with the Titans. Maybe I will even dive a little bit into why I think that the interactions that Jason and Roy have in those issues makes the relationship that they had in New52 very out of place.

Let’s begin!

· NTT (1984) #19

Jason as Robin appears here only in the last page of the issue. After the current team of the Titans appears to be falling apart Donna calls Jason and others to help in a mission, this team that she puts together resembles the “original” line-up with Robin, Speedy, (Kid) Flash, Aqualad and Hawk.

· NTT (1884) #20-21

Jason appears in the Titans tower along the OG Titans, when Donna finally tells them what the mission is all about (stopping Cheshire from interrupting a meeting) she asks if they are in on the job, Jason is not only excited about being there but about Batman actually letting him come all the way to the tower. A little bit of what Jason thinks or saw in Bruce is shown when Wally says that he “didn’t think the Batman could be thrilled by anything. He is always so grim.”

Basically, what Jason says is that the Bat isn’t that bad if you get to know him and that he cares about Jason’s education outside of vigilantism. Also, Jason seems to be grateful and very receptive of the things that Bruce taught him, he regards him as a very good mentor.

After everyone decides to help, they get on their jet. Here we have a very important interaction between Jason and Donna, she is telling him how she is feeling about the attitude of the rest of the team and about how she is a little bit lost now that she is in charge of the Titans and then she asks what Robin thinks about the whole thing, Jason is obviously thrilled once more, someone as experienced as Donna is asking him for his opinion? It blows his mind away! Batman never does that, he is always following his lead and never has a say on what they do so, to him, helping the Titans is only getting better and maybe he will ask the Bat to let him join them permanently.

Because they were talking Donna wasn’t paying much attention while flying and after they barely avoid crashing the jet, she apologizes to everyone and once more looks for reassurance with Jason, this time Jason is caught off guard but after Hawk teases him about his hesitation he tells her that “everything’s okay”.

When they arrive to Switzerland (where the meeting will be held) we have Jason’s first interaction with Roy Harper and him also slowly transforming into a burrito, that boy was cold and pissed off about it!

It’s really funny to me that Roy talking about Oliver’s pervy arrows is his very first interaction with Jason, who would have thought that a mad man would later make them besties?

They all go inside a building to get warm and for a while Jason is just chilling while the other Titans are all having an existential crisis, because here is the thing, Jason is a kid, he was presumably 14 here while all the other are in their twenties. Donna is having trouble with her new position as leader of the Titans, Wally is trying to live up to Barry, Garth is grieving his love, Roy is still very uncomfortable about being on a mission that involves Cheshire and Hank is just crazy. The others are trying to complete a mission while their real-life problems loom over them and Jason is just on an adventure with cool people.

Its not much later than Cheshire attacks the Titans, she first takes on Wally because he is her biggest threat and then detonates a bomb, now here I will give a little bit of context, Cheshire does not want to kill the Titans as of now, she just wants to incapacitate them because them being there is making her own mission more complicated, all I will say is that she doesn’t truly have villainous intentions and that she has a very weak spot for Roy.

Anyway, the bomb incapacitates Garth and Roy and Cheshire also managed to shoot Wally so only Donna, Hank and Jason are left standing to capture Cheshire, but here is the thing, Hank doesn’t want to capture her, he wants to kill her.

Jason has interacted very few times with Hank so far and it has always been Hank teasing him but now as Jason is going to fight Cheshire Hank interrupts him telling him that he will do “what has to be done”. Cheshire of course wont fall easily and I think that at this very moment she is thinking that killing Hank wouldn’t be a bad idea because he is going to mess her plans up! But not to worry as she is raising her gun Jason comes in to save his ass!

Jason is not a match for Cheshire and after that she quickly subdues him. But what’s important here is two things, first Jason doesn’t want or consider the idea of killing Jade, he just wants to capture her and bring her to justice, secondly, he doesn’t even want her to kill Hank, who has been violent towards every Titan and rude to Jason every single time that he has interacted with him. What I am trying to say is that this IS Robin Jason, he doesn’t think or act the same as Red Hood will in the future, he has his opinions on what punishments killers should get but he is not there to kill anyone himself.

There is this whole page where Donna beats Hank against a tree so he stops killing, because that’s not what the Titans do, she explains that if they do that then the public (that is already quite afraid of them) will just fear them more and they don’t need that, plus she believes that he is acting that way out of grief after losing his brother, as she is saying all of this though she is putting quite a lot of pressure on his chest and that might have ended up in her actually killing Hank if Jason hasn’t been there to stop her.

Donna is obviously not having a good time and after this she says that she “has had it” and that from now on Robin should “take command” because “its his group anyway”. Oh man…its clear to the reader that Donna is not having a good time being team leader but she also misses a certain person a lot. She is obviously not seeing Jason there, she is seeing Dick, the person that she is used to take orders from but he is not there.

Jason is aware of this, he might be a kid and might not have as many problems as the other Titans as of now but he is not a fool and he doesn’t want people to see someone else when they look at him, so he confronts Donna about what she just said/did.

Jason is just great in this scene; he just doesn’t want people that he admires to treat him as if he were someone that he isn’t. Just because Dick isn’t there doesn’t mean that he (because he is Robin) can replace him, they are not the same person and they do not have the same experience. He calls out Donna on her behaviour towards him and Donna being an adult takes responsibly for her actions and understands that ultimately, she was hurting Jason’s feelings. We have a kinda wholesome moment when they hug but because this is written by Marv Wolfman and he just can’t help himself, he proceeds to write Jason as a horny teenager. What a way to ruin the moment Marv…

Back to Cheshire, she is about to kick Wally’s face in when she decides to first tell him what he has to tell the others when they wake up, which is “Cheshire remembers”.

Wally tells the Titans Cheshire’s message but none of them truly understands what it means, Hank says that he doesn’t even understand why they are alive. Donna comes to the conclusion that Cheshire might want something from them and this is where Jason gives his thoughts, he says “Doesn’t matter what she wants. We take care of her. She’s a killer.”, its clear once more than although Jason (as Robin) wouldn’t kill anyone he does feel a certain type of way about criminals and wants them to be locked up.

After yet another verbal fight between Hank and Donna the Titans take a cable car to their next location, Jason is shown as exited about the view and the whole experience once more. When they arrive, they find Faraday (the guy that called Donna for help in #19) and he explains a bit more the situation but Jason once more is having trouble staying warm so he goes to the cable car tunnel nearby, but he doesn’t go alone, Roy goes with him because his “costume wasn’t made for this kind of weather either”, in this second interaction between these two we get to see Jason’s detective skills shine.

Jason has been watching Roy and he found his reaction to Cheshire’s message quite sus. Not only is he showing his detective skills here but he also said in a previous panel this: “The Batman keeps telling me to watch people’s eyes. And every so often I notice you become awfully agitated…like something was going on you didn’t want to be part of”. Zdarsky, hey pal, I am talking to you, look at this dude! He read Roy like an open book, this is Robin Jason, he likes being Robin and he is brilliant at it, he is methodical because he learnt from paying attention and working with Batman, so, you sir are wrong, not only did UtRH disprove your dumb narrative but so does this interaction (along all his appearances in this book).

Roy is impressed by the kid, and yeah, he calls him kid because he is a kid…Roy is visibly older than Jason as he should, do you see it Lobdell? Yeah, there is no dubious age gap between those two as you made it seem. Roy is impressed because between both of them he is the one that is most experienced, not the other way around. How did Lobdell manage to make up a whole as run where not only were Roy and Jason close in age and besties but also Jason was better at vigilantism than Roy and Roy was the one being impressed. It’s wild, wild and bad.

Back to the issue, Jason taken out of the fight quite fast once more by Cheshire and she proceeds to talk to Roy, that’s where we find out that they were lovers and that she feels weak when she is around him because he makes her feel feelings but that’s not all, she tells Roy that he is “the man that fathered my child” …Oh and now she does want to kill him. That’s where #20 ends, so let’s see what happens with Jason in #21.

In the beginning of #21 Jason is conscious once more and when he hears Cheshire’s threat, he attacks her so she can’t shoot Roy, he also says this “Sorry ‘cat’ that’s a definite no-no. Don’t you know mommy’s and daddies should never fight” I, I don’t know why he had to say it like that…the 80s were weird. While Jason is being himself Roy is thinking “Don’t be cocky kid, Jade hasn’t got a sense of humour…” but because he wants to talk to Jade, he tells Jason to go, that he will handle Cheshire and he leaves.

Roy and Jade talk, Donna and Hawk are fighting bad guys and each other and at some point, Jason joins Garth and helps him take down a couple of guys, he also tries to make conversation with him but Garth is still not talking to anybody.

Cheshire tells Roy that he will never hear about their child again and that he needs to let her do her thing and stay out of it because he doesn’t understand what’s going on, Roy doesn’t do what she asks and she “poisons” him. Donna saves a guy that Hank was trying to kill. After Cheshire leaves Roy comes to the conclusion that she wasn’t there to kill the people from the meeting or that she poisoned him, but because they were there and everything went to shit now the people that were getting together are blaming the Titans for the interruption. The whole thing is a mess and the news channel are not nice about the Titans as a whole, but I am not interested in exploring that here. All you need to know is that the people that made Cheshire do what she did to the Titans were the Brother Blood people.

It’s on the jet that we see Jason again, he and the others are going back to the tower. Because the news are painting the Titans as bad when they are arriving to the tower Jason sees a lot of people protesting about them and he feels bad. This was his first job with the Titans and he is a kid, imagine how sad it would make you if you wanted to help and after getting the job done people were mad at you. But even though he is sad about that he takes time to ask Roy if he is okay after he sees him almost running away from the tower, he doesn’t get a response but he isn’t mad about it.

Jason’s stay with the Titans comes to and end and he says that he loved hanging out with them and is grateful for having been invited, he is so sweet!

· NTT (1884) #24

Here, for some reason, we see Jason saying goodbye to the Titans again and unlike at the end of #21 Roy is there to see him leave.

I am not going to lie though; I liked this goodbye better it feels like it’s more complete than the other one. Here he says that Batman wants him back in Gotham but that if the Titans ever need him again all they need to do is call. He also mentions Nightwing which is funny because he will be called by Donna again in #26 to help the Titans get Dick back from Brother Bloods Church.

I am going to cut this part here because issues 26 to 31 have a lot of Jason content that I want to explore and I can’t put any more pictures here, also this post is already long as it is now!

I just love Jason’s little moments in these issues, him confronting Donna and reading Roy like and open book in #20 are my absolute favourite, I just think this is a nice way to kinda show how wrong some current characterizations of Robin Jason are and what better way to do that than reading and looking into some good stories.

Oh! Before I forget, in #21 Roy leaves the Titans’ tower to go see Jade and he actually gets to meet his daughter Lian for the first time, so yeah, that was a wholesome moment!

#jason todd #robin jason todd #batman and robin #titans #new teen titans #donna troy #roy harper #cheshire #garth of shayeris #wally west #red hood #urban legends red hood

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fandompride101 · 5 years ago

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$3000 and I'm Sorry

Raven's POV:

"You six should be able to handle the situation just fine. I leave this in your capable hands." Batman said through the screen of the bat computer. "Damian, Dick is in charge."

"But..." Damian interjected.

"It is final." Batman's tone was firm. Damian nodded his head. "You can do this." Then he signed off.

It was just Damian and I with Kori, Dick, Kate and Roy Harper. We didn't mean to be here all at once, but it seemed like fate brought us to the bat cave today. Damian and I were going to do surveillance in Gotham, but as you can see, we were rudely interrupted.

"Suit up guys." Dick ordered. Damian and I were already in our uniforms, so we waited for the others to get ready. I could sense that Damian was holding back orders, but he was trying to follow his father's rules.

"Damian, give us the run down through our intercoms." Dick said running back. "Everyone else, turn your ear pieces on and get going to the location. Wait for further instructions there."

Damian started to talk about a group of one hundred men at this abandon wear-house. There was going to be an arms deal going on and we had to get in there and stop them from exchanging weapons.

When Damian finished talking it was only us left in the bat cave. I stayed behind to teleport Damian to the location. "Ready?" I looked at him.

He gave me one of his devilishly handsome smiles. "Ready."

I teleported us to the exact location, and we were the first ones there. Damian started to scout and I counted the number of souls inside the building. There was 84 people in there according to the soul count.

"The back is guarding and so is the surrounding area." Damian stood and looked over to me. "How many are inside."

"84 souls." I answer.

"Good number." Of course Damian would be wanting a fair and formidable fight, so it doesn't surprise me that he liked the odds of this fight.

"Robin, the intel." Dick came over with Kori just landing beside him. Roy and Kate came over, looking for themselves at the targets.

"84 people estimated to be inside. The place is surrounded and there are guards at every entrance." Damian concluded.

"Good odds." Dick nodded. "Okay, here is the plan, Starfire, Raven and Red Arrow stay outside and take out the guards. Robin, Batwomen and I will take them down from the inside."

"Oh, come one. Let's make this interesting." Kate butted in with a grin on her face. "Boys against girls."

"I don't..." Dick was cut off.

"I like the idea." Roy said, smiling at Kate.

"Alright fine. Girls are on the outside perimeter and Guards, and guys are on the inside." Dick gave up. "Everyone got it?"

We all nod.

"Go!"

I flew into the air and started a scan for guards in the wooded area. Once I found one, I slowly came down and attack them from behind. Once I got one, I moved onto the other. I saw Starfire on one side of me and Batwomen on the other.

Kate was smiling ear to ear. When she took out one, two more came at her. She was so much like the entire bat family, because she just smiled. Starfire took out a couple and then started to scan from above.

"Raven, it's time to take the guards out by the door." She said over the com link.

I teleported right in front of the guards. I let my raven out and it soared above me and engulfed the guards into a black hole. When I let up they were knocked unconscious. Then my raven came after another and another. Soon I was flying above the building, trying to check for any more survivors.

It didn't see it, but I heard it. One single gun shot. Then I felt it. I felt the bullet perce my side. My raven fell, and I with it.

"Raven!" Starfire came towards me. I saw in the corner of my eye that Kate had just killed my shooter. "Raven, are you alright?"

"I'll be fine." I lied, trying to sit up.

"No, we need to get you help." Starfire held me down and examined my side. I was hit just below the ribs on my right side. It hurt like hell, but I wasn't about to admit that. "We need to get you back. The bullet didn't come out. It's still in there."

If the bullet was still in there, that meant that I couldn't heal properly and I might bleed out. I knew Starfire was just looking out for me, but I wasn't going to leave before the mission was done. "No, I am fine. Just help me up."

Kate helped me to my feet. "Have I ever told you how much I like you?" She gave me a smile.

"Thanks." I hesitantly said.

"Well, out job is done. The girls won." Kate smiled. "That means I win the bet with Roy and he has to take me out to eat with his family."

"What?" Kori said beside me. She still had a worried face.

"Neither of us wanted to have a dinner with our families first, so we made a bet tonight that who ever caught all the bad guys first would win." Kate laughed. "So I get to meet his family."

"Clever." I grunt in pain.

"Save you energy little birdie, will get you home soon." Kate patted me on the head. I glared at her and she stopped. "I can see why baby bat likes you so much."

"I think we should go and see if the guys need help." Kori suggests.

"Fine idea. I want to see the look on Roy's face when we swop in and save him." Kate laughed.

We open the doors into the building. I am still holding my side, but I am trying not to seem as bad as it really is. Kori told me that I needed to stay out of the way. She didn't want me to get anymore hurt than I was. I wasn't planning on following her advise.

"Oh come on boys, why don't you want to fight me?" A girls voice giggled from the middle of the room. Everyone else in the room was knocked out, but this one girl. The guys had set down their weapons and were smiling.

"We would never hurt you, doll." Roy practically sang out to this girl.

"Oh, but that's a shame. I wanted to fight." She sank to the ground. The boys all ran towards her. I thought they were going to take her out, but instead...

"Don't cry." Dick lifted her head. I looked at Kori and she was fuming. Dick and her had been engaged for four months and this was what she got. He was fawning over this new girl. All the guys where.

"Here." Damian offered the girl a tissue. "Dry your eyes." He knelt beside her and caressed her face.

That's what he does to comfort me when I am upset. That small gesture always made me feel loved, but now seeing him do that to her made my stomach turn. I felt the anger grow inside me, but just as I was about to step in, a wave of pain came over me. I fell to the ground.

"Raven?" Kate whispered and helped me up.

"I'm fine." I stood up again. Kori was still watching Dick. He was looking at this girl and playing with her hair. "Guys, I want to go back. I think the boys will be fine here."

"Good idea." Kate's tone was dark and kinda scary. She was still looking at Roy who was head of heels for this girl.

"Yes, good idea." Kori said as she saw Dick kiss the girls cheek.

I looked over one last time at Damian, who was now smiling at her and holding her hand. Anger was rising in me once again, but I channeled it into magic. I created a portal and we all walked through it.

Back at the bat cave, Alfred came over and addressed us all. "Ladies, where are the rest?"

"They are other wise occupied." Kori walked away.

"She was shot, can you work your magic, Alfred?" Kate helped me over to a chair.

"Of course. Miss Roth, might I?" He asked.

"Yeah." I answered. He came over and inspected the wound on my side.

"It's is a deep one. I'm going to have to give you some numbing stuff to get this bullet out." Alfred helped me over to a medical bed. He gave me a shot.

Alfred was very gentle and said sorry whenever I winced. "Alfred, you don't have to say sorry every time." I told him.

"Of course." He went back to work. Within about twenty minutes I had the bullet out of me. I was already feeling better and knew that my healing power was already kicking in. Alfred helped me to sit up. "Take it easy for a while. I had to give you lots of numbing shots to keep you from feeling the extent of the wound."

"Thank you Alfred." I said, getting off the table. It was a bit of a jump down, so when I landed on my feet, pain shot threw my side. I grabbed it.

"Careful miss. I think you need to sit down." Alfred came over and helped me to a chair. It was Batman's chair. To be honest though, this was the nicest chair I have ever sat in. "Stay here and I will get you some food. You need to eat."

I nodded. Kate came over a few seconds later. "How's it going?"

"Besides the pain in my side and the fact my boyfriend was hitting on someone else..." I tilted my head. "Not too bad. And you?"

Kate laughed. "I like you." She leaned on the bat computer. "I am so going to kill Roy the next time I see him."

This time it was my turn to laugh. I laughed so hard I had to stop because it was causing my side to hurt. "Rich." I said when I recovered.

"Where's Kori?" Kate looked around.

"I'm over here." Kori came out of a door and walked over to us. "Raven, are you feeling better?"

"Yes."

"Good. I think we should leave for the tower then." Kori didn't seem to be joking.

"You guys can't go. We have to be here when the guys show up to give them hell." Kate stood up straight. "We are not letting those guys off the hook."

"I don't..." Kori started but was interrupted.

"Kori, I don't think the guys would even say something about it. I bet they are going to brush it off and not tell us. We have to be here and wait until they do. If they don't we have to rip them a new one. I am not going to let them get away with this."

"Your right." Kori agreed, surprising me. The two looked at me.

"Wait, what are we doing again?" I was seriously confused.

"We are going to be here when they come back. Kori explained. "And if they don't tell us right away, we are going to make them wish they had."

"That's right!" Kate beamed. "I like you, Kori."

Kori smiled. "Are you in?"

"Sure." I shrugged and then sank back into my chair. "But if we have to fight them, can you two take Damian for me."

We took a minute and then all started laughing. I laughed so hard my side started to ache again, but I didn't mind this time. Soon I would be healed, but I just needed time. Alfred came down with sandwiches and lemonade. We all sat around the computer and ate, talking about different ways we could act when the boys came back.

Soon we had a plan, all we needed now was the boys.

*****

My side was already feeling better, so by the time the boys showed up, I was walking around. Kori had told me to just sit and let myself heal, but honestly my anger towards Damian was growing. I needed to walk to distract myself.

"What the heck!" Roy said taking off his helmet. "You guys just up and left."

"We're sorry." Kate batted her eyes. "You see, we just thought you had everything covered."

"Did you complete the mission?" Kori said, her tone giving away her anger. I stepped over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She gave me a grateful smile.

"They got away." Dick said, handing up his bow staff.

"They did?" Kate turned to Dick.

"Yeah." Damian said, annoyed that Kate wasn't apparently getting it. Damian rode back with Dick apparently. I forgot that I had taken him there, but it serves him right to have to hitch a ride with his brother.

Damian looked angrily at me.

I turned away.

"How did 'they' get away." Kate said in air quotes.

" 'They' got away because they blindsided us." Roy air quoted back to her.

"Girls, maybe we shouldn't have left then." Kate turned to us and gave us a look that told us that she was about to kill them all.

"Maybe we should have helped them get the army of people there." Kori's voice was cold.

"What's going on." Dick said, looking at the three of us girls. It took him a minute before it dawned on him. "Shit, they know."

"What? How?" Roy stood up. Then he looked at Kate. "It's not what it sounds like."

"It's hard to tell when we both saw and heard you guys practically... fawning over that girl!" Kori said with such anger that I knew she could kill Dick.

Dick came over to her. "It's not what you think! I promise." He tried to hug Kori but she pushed him away.

I turned. Damian was right beside me. His face didn't give any sort of remorse. I turned away from him.

"Raven..."

"Shut up." I put up my hand to make him stop talking.

"Raven, please." He leaned closer to me. "I am not sure what you know, but please allow me to explain." He caressed my face. I leaned into him, but then I saw an image of him doing that to that girl again and I moved out of his reach.

"Leave me alone." I turned away from him.

He took a step back. I hadn't realized this but I was so angry I had my devil eyes glowing red. I took a deep breath and suppressed them. Then I turned at watched Kori and Dick.

"Please Kori, I didn't mean anything by it. I didn't have control." He doge a flying chair. "Kori please!"

Suddenly I felt a hand on mine. I turned back to Damian. "Look, let me explain."

I ripped my hand out of his. I temporarily forgot my injury, but with that fast movement, I was reminded. I clutched my side.

"Shit, Raven! What happened?" Damian tried to come closer.

"Stay away." I warned him. I was still holding onto my side, but now everyone was fighting with each other. I went over to Kori and grabbed her shoulder. She turned, and at first her eyes was full of anger, but when she saw it was me she melted. "Let's go."

Kori and I walked over to Kate. Kate turned and saw my clutching onto my side. "You see what you shit heads did! Raven was hit because you guys got distracted on the mission! You guys put your team in jeopardy!" Kate came over to us. "Let's get out of here."

I opened a portal to the Titan Tower. I knew that it would at least buy us a little time before they got up there. When we stepped in the place was empty. It was the summer so most of the Titans went home to visit their family.

"Nice place." Kate grunted. We were all still fuming.

"I have an idea. Let's go and have a 'girls weekend' I heard they are relaxing and most important, without guys." Kori suggested, trying to calm herself. "I hear you get relaxing spas."

"I do have Damian's credit card." I pull out the card that Damian gave to me to hold. "I think he owes us after that mess."

Kate smiled at me. "We are going to be good friends. I know it."

"Perfect. I have Dick's!" Kori waved it in the air.

"Am I the only one that doesn't have my boyfriend's credit card?" She laughed. "Doesn't matter. I have his car keys." She pulled them out.

"Where too?" I said, pulling out a map. "They will know where we are as soon as we use the cards, so we have to do the thing and then pay for it, and then move on."

"Smart." Kori nodded. "I think we should all choose three places we want to go."

"Ok, but where too first?" I gave them the map. "I can get us anywhere, just point."

Kate pointed to something. "How about Metropolis? I heard they have amazing food and I am starving."

"Perfect." Kori and I say at the same time.

I conjure a portal to Metropolis City. We all step through. The place is busy and we totally look out of our element in our super hero suits. "I got this." I say when Kori points this out. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" And then everyone was dressed in their everyday clothes.

"Perfect." Kori nods. "You are growing quite good at your magic Raven."

"Thanks. I try."

We walk along the street and point out different restaurants. We passed so many, but nothing really sounded appetizing until we stopped in front of 'Superman Restaurant and Cafe'. I heard about this place before, but it is really expensive.

"That's perfect!" Kate says after I told her the price.

"Then let us go!" Kori strutted into the restaurant.

I watched as Kori took her confidant steps. She was right. Kate and I followed her in the doors. A very nice waiter took us to very nice seats and gave us a menu. You could tell the meals here were expensive because there was no prices next to the foods.

I looked at Kori and Kate to see their reaction. They felt this was justified. I was mad at Damian, but was never the type of girl to enact vengeance over a guy. Damian had made me feel like it was just me and him against the world, but now it felt like it was me AGAINST him.

"Raven, what are you thinking about?" Kori put her hands on mine for comfort.

"I just... I don't want to talk about it." I said.

"I totally understand." Kori nodded. I knew she did. I knew all of us did. We were all hurt to watch the people we care about flirting with another girl.

"Change of topic, Ladies..." Kate banged on the table. "How about the best place you have ever been to?"

"I think my home planet is the best." Kori turned to Kate, "but on Earth, I think the mall."

"The mall?" Kate said like she was disappointed.

"I like to shop." Kori smiled. It was true. Every chance we got, we would load into the car and go to the mall. Kori would shop at different stores all over and spend so much money on things that you don't really need.

"And you, Raven?" Kate asked.

"I live Azarth's garden. When I was younger, my mother would take me and tell me all about the plants that grew." I smiled at the memory.

"That sounds wonderful. Where is that?" Kate smiled.

"On my home planet." I nodded. "I was born not on Earth." I explain when she looks confused.

"Oh, well that is a place I would very much like to see someday." Kate nodded.

"You can't. The planet died and there has been no life on it for a long time." I said to my plate. I didn't like talking about Azarth very much, but It was nice to at least have that memory.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Kate said.

"Don't be." Just as I said that our waiter came over with our food. It was delicious and the best food I have eaten in quite a while. Over the meal, we talked about our favorite missions and when Kori and I came to Earth. At the end of the meal we fought over who was going to pay (Damian or Dick). Dick won and paid for our dinner.

After that we teleported to our next location.

****

It was nice o'clock in the morning before we finally settled down. We had been to Paris, Egypt, France, England, Canada, Texas, and many more locations. I was starting to feel a lot better. There was still a small bit of pain when I walked, but I was healing.

"Should we pay for a hotel?" Kori asked.

"If we pay for one, the boys could figure out what hotel we are staying at and then find us." Kate said, almost fully asleep.

"I vote we do it." I said, standing up. "I don't have enough energy to portal us anymore. I need sleep."

"I vote we just go back to the manner. Sure the guys are there, but I just want sleep." Kate stood up.

"I'm okay with that." I shrugged. "I've spent enough to be satisfied."

"Well, I am not." Kori stood up. "I vote we go to the Titan Tower. At least we won't sleep under the same roof as any of them."

"Fine." Kate groaned.

"I will make one more portal." I sighed and used up what little I had left in me to make one. I was so ready for sleep.

When I stepped through the portal the lights were all off in the tower. I groaned as my foot his something hard. Suddenly the lights were turned on. Lucky for us it was just Super Boy.

"What are you guys doing here?" He said looking at the three of us.

"Having a girls night." I groaned as I walked past him and into my rooms. As soon as I closed the door I jumped into bed and fell asleep. Maybe it wasn't a smart choice to teleport around while trying to heal. Oh well.

****

The next time I woke up it was three in the afternoon. I guess getting to bed so late really does ruin your entire day. I got dressed into some comfy clothes and sat out for some food. All that magic I used last night really made me hungry.

When I opened the door, Damian was sitting on the ground reading a book. He looked up at me and within seconds he was on his feet.

"Let me explain." He stepped towards me. "It's not what you think."

"Oh really." I walked past him and into the kitchen. I was so hungry nothing could stop me.

"Yes." He followed me. "I really don't remember much of what happened, but I do know that that girl was not human. She put some sort of trance on us."

I looked at him. Was he really going to tell me that it wasn't his fault.

"Damian, I am an empath. I felt your emotions. I know for a fact that you were feeling love when you looked at her." I turned back to my task at hand. Food.

"You don't understand I didn't have a choice. I..." he faded off.

I grabbed my toast and sat down at the table. Damian slowly came over.

"Your right, I did feel something for her." He had feelings for her.

My heart broke.

"But it wasn't what you think." He quickly added when he saw my face.

"Damian..." I say, just wanting him to leave.

"I know it sounds messed up, but when I tell you that you are the only person I have ever loved... it's the truth." He put his hand on mine.

I moved my hand back.

"You just said you felt something for her." He was holding something back.

"I..." he looked down at his feet. "I thought she was you."

It took a moment for the words to hit me. He thought that girl was me?

"How?"

"I am not sure, but I didn't see anyone but you and you were so sad. I gave you my handkerchief and tried to make you stop crying. Then suddenly you where no where and some stranger was standing in front of me." He glanced up and me and then back down.

"I am so sorry." He said after I didn't say anything in response. This was a lot to take in. Damian's Ora was blue and sad. I knew he was telling the truth, but it was so strange.

"You thought she was me?"

"Yes." He looked up at me. "When I saw that she wasn't I knew I didn't want you to know about this. None of the guys wanted to admit they saw their girlfriends in front of them. We had all done some ridiculous things to try and make her feel better." Damian smiled at a memory. "I did a magic trick for you."

"Really?"

"I pulled a coin from your ear." He looked at me. "Well, it wasn't your ear, but I thought it was."

"Damian, I know you are telling the truth. I am sorry for how we left and didn't hear you guys out." I put my hand on his. "I... was hurt."

"I didn't mean to hurt you." He took my hand and kissed it. "Please forgive me."

"Only if you forgive me." I give him a small smile.

"Of course." He pulled me into his lap. "I also forgive you for spending $3000 dollars on my credit card." He joked.

I gasped. I had forgotten all about that. "I am so..." he cut me off.

"Don't mention it." He kissed my cheek. "How is your side? Alfred told me the bullet a shattered inside you."

"I am fine. Just have a scar." I nodded.

"It's healed?" He tried to lift up my shirt. "It doesn't hurt at all?"

"Maybe just a little." I admit.

He looked at me. "Raven, let's not do this again."

"Agreed." I said, kissing him. It was a warm kiss, and it made all of yesterdays worries disappear. We kissed for a minute longer before we heard someone walk into the room.

"You're forgiving that trader!" Kate pointed a finger at me. I tried to climb off Damian's lap but he held me down.

"Kate, if you would please leave me and my girlfriend alone..." Damian faded in a suggestive way that made me blush. He was giving a grin to Kate, who was only getting angrier.

"Raven, how could you?" Kate looked at me. Just then Kori and Dick walked into the room with a smile on their faces. It seems they had made up as well. "Not you too!" Kate pointed at Kori. "How am I the only one with brains enough to fight the guys looks."

I hid my smile behind Damian's neck. Damian held onto me as if not to let me go.

"Kate, please hear me out!" Roy ran into the room. Kate bolted for the door. "Please, we can go to my parents house tonight if you want. You win!" He chased after her.

"Brother." Damian said, nodding towards Dick as he sat down at the table.

"I see you got to finally speak to Raven." Dick nodded towards me, making me blush. I tried to get off his lap, but Damian held onto me.

"Yes." Damian said.

"He was like a lost puppy last night without you." Dick said to me. "He was very worried that you had gotten badly hur..."

Just then the salt and pepper flew at Dick face. He caught to salt, but the pepper hit him right in the side of the head. I turned to Damian, who was pretending he hadn't just done that.

"Not cool." Dick said, rubbing his head.

"Shut up then." Damian snapped back.

"Fine. I just thought she should know." Dick leaned back.

"Now brother, if you excuse me..." Damian stood up, me with him. "I have to go."

I tried to part myself from him, but Damian carried me out of the room and into his bedroom. He hasn't stayed in this room sense he left for Wayne Manner in two months. Still the room was clean and there wasn't even dust.

Damian plopped me on the bed, with a smile. "Now. I would like to show you how sorry I am." He kissed me.

#damian #damian wayne #raven #raven roth #dc comics #damirae #teen titans #dc animated universe

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heyitsani · 4 years ago

Text

Feel the Adrenaline Moving

Keep on Truckin’ AU Part 1

Word Count: 2494

Rating: Teen and Up

Warnings: Robincest (obviously even if they’re not siblings in this au), mentions of gunshot wound, mentions of past child abuse by a bad parent

Pairing: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd

Summary: Food Truck Owner!Jason and Police Officer!Dick have spent the last couple of months flirting with each other the few times a week Dick orders food from Jason's food truck. When they finally decide to go on a date and Dick stands him up, Jason is left wondering if he had been wrong about the other man all along.

Notes: This idea stemmed from the idea of a no capes AU where Jason owns a food truck with Artemis and Dick is a GPD officer who is obsessed with his food. Dick and Tim were both adopted by Bruce and Damian is still his son through Talia, a failed relationship years prior where she never told him she was pregnant. I have not introduced the other members of the batfam (though Babs is an exception because she’s mentioned as an ex and still friend in the current installment I’m working on), but have their introductions to the story already planned out.

Jason is softer in this AU because while he has some childhood trauma, it’s not nearly as bad as his canonical trauma. So I’ve been exploring the side of him that could have been, if you get what I mean.

Also, if you do not like the pairing then just move along. Or block me. I can and will block any rude or hateful comments. I have both traditional and nontraditional siblings and don’t need to hear about how I don’t support adoptive families. THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION. Just because I write murder doesn’t mean I support murder. Capisce? Good.

You can also read this on AO3 here

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“This is stupid. How do we even know this is the right truck?”

“Don’t play stupid, Harper. He was extremely specific. Egg rolls made with things like bacon mac or Reubens. Hot guy, dark hair, white streak in front, and arms to die for. This is obviously him.”

Jason raised an eyebrow at the two arguing redheads, curious why they were looking for him and his truck. Thankfully, the rush had passed and now it would just be the stragglers until they closed up shop for the day.

The pair turned to face the order window to find Jason there, arms folded on the counter and an amused smirk on his face.

“Jason?”

“So it would appear. That was an oddly specific description. Can I help you guys?” He watched the pair exchange a look before the more rugged looking of the two stepped forward.

“We’re here because of Dick.” And of all the scenarios running through his head, Dick had not been involved in any of them.

“I see,” Jason said sharply, smirk fading to a scowl. “He has made his point perfectly clear without sending his harem of redheads to clarify.”

“What point?”

“Harem of redheads?” But Jason just raised an eyebrow.

“Ah fuck, Wally. Dick was right.” The man looked to Wally and then back to Jason. “Look, I’m Roy Harper and this is Wally West. Dickie is our best friend and whatever point you think he’s making, he’s not. Trust me.”

“He’s in the hospital. Got shot in the chest on the job two weeks ago and just regained consciousness yesterday,” Wally relayed, and Jason had to grip the counter to keep upright.

“He…Is he going to be okay?” And wow did he feel like an ass.

“Yeah. Doctors said maybe two more days before he can go home. It was bad there for a while but they kept him in the medically induced coma so he could heal without his usual bullshit of getting up too early. But look,” Roy crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes at Jason, “You need to come to Gotham General. Once he was fully awake, he started freaking out about you. Something about a date, missed calls and texts, and you hating him.”

“Jesus, Roy. Dickie said to just tell him what happened. Not to guilt the guy into a visit.” Wally smacked Roy’s upper arm with the back of his hand. “Though, yeah,” he turned back to Jason, “Dick would probably weep tears of joy if you showed up. He was pretty wrecked.”

Jason wasn’t quite sure what to say, still working the fact that Dick had been shot and hadn’t just ditched him. He had spent the last two weeks wondering what it was he had done. He had gone over that last in-person interaction and the text message thread, wracking his brain for any kind of hint. And the first week had tried to text and call but had been met with silence. So, the past week he had convinced himself that Dick had just been fucking with him all along and never meant any of it. Now he was hearing the other man had nearly died and Jason had been the ass who had thought the man was just ghosting him.

“Did we break him?”

“Shut it, West. Look man, he’s in room 212 at GG. Give us a last name to go with Jason and we’ll put you on the visitor’s list.”

“Visitor’s list?”

“Comes with being Bruce Wayne’s son.” Jason gave Wally a weird look.

“His last name is Grayson…?”

“Yeah, but Bruce adopted him. Took him in after-“ Roy covered Wally’s mouth with his hand and glared at the other man.

“Shut the fuck up, West,” Roy growled and hell if that didn’t just pique Jason’s interest. “Now give us an order of whatever is Dickhead’s favorite so we can get a smile on his pathetic face.” Jason stood frozen for a moment before waving away Roy’s credit card and hanging the closed sign. He quickly whipped up an order of the bacon mac ‘n cheese rolls and an order of churros before bagging it all up.

“My last name is Todd. Get me on the list,” Jason said as he stepped out of the truck and handed the bag of food over. “I gotta clean this shit up because hazard and all that, but I’ll come by after I’m done.”

“Good,” was all Roy said as he grabbed the bag and turned to leave.

“Nice to meet you man! See you around, hopefully,” Wally called out as Roy grabbed his arm and dragged him away.

Jason wasn’t sure what he had been expecting once he finally got to Dick’s room at the hospital, but a fancy and very private suite was not it. And even less than that, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old kid fussing over Dick while Dick just smiled at the kid fondly.

“Dames, stop,” Dick laughed softly, reaching out to stop the kid from messing with the pillows again. “I’m good. Just go meet Jon already.”

“Tt,” the kid responded before turning to grab his bag from the chair next to Dick’s bag. When he tensed all over, Jason knew he had been spotted. “Who the hell are you? This is supposed to be a private room, not some free for all.” Wow.

“Jason,” Dick’s surprised voice cut in. Jason looked from the kid to Dick and practically melted at the look on his face. Surprised, yes, but the warmth was there and god if Jason didn’t want to just cross the room and press his lips to the other mans.

“Dick, I’m so glad you’re okay.” He took two steps into the room before the kid was standing in front of him, almost the same height as him but much leaner compared to Jason’s bulk. Raising a brow, Jason stared the kid down and waited.

“Dami, stop. This is Jason, my friend who owns the food truck.” The kid didn’t move or acknowledge Dick’s words. “Damian, knock it off.” Authority slipped into Dick’s tone and Jason wanted to smirk in victory when Damian tensed but backed off. “Jon is waiting,” Dick reminded him gently and with a grunt and one last glare sent to Jason, Damian was storming out of the room.

“Fun kid,” Jason commented, looking back toward the door before closing the rest of the space between him and Dick’s bedside. “Jesus, Dick. I almost dropped when Roy and Wally told me what happened. I’m so fucking glad you’re okay.”

“They didn’t guilt you into coming here, did they? They can be a bit much at the same time when you don’t know them.” Shaking his head, Jason tugged the chair closer to the bed and sat down. Without allowing himself to overthink it, he grabbed Dick’s hand in his and held it with both of his. The smile he got in return was well worth it.

“Nah, they just told me what happened. Said you’d like it if I stopped by and asked for my last name.” Dick nodded and sunk a little deeper into the pillows piled up behind him. “So, Damian is your…?”

“Oh. Brother. I know those idiots let slip that Bruce Wayne is my adoptive father, but Damian is Bruce’s only actual blood son. Tim and I were both adopted after our parents died.” Jason wanted to know more about that, but the look on Dick’s face told him he wasn’t quite ready to let him in on that darkness.

“He’s a very intense kid. How old is he?”

“Sixteen going on sixty,” Dick laughed. “He’s a good kid, despite the glare and protectiveness. He didn’t have the easiest beginning. B didn’t even know about him until he was eight. Lesson learned: protection is never a guarantee.” Jason laughed at that and shook his head.

“So, his mom was not a good parent?”

“The only person worse than her was her father.” Dick’s face turned from amused to angry faster than Jason realized he could and he was surprised at the fire there. “When LA Social Services called and told Bruce about Damian, he was…it was bad.” Jason squeezed Dick’s hand and the other man gave him a thankful smile. “Tim and I came from homes that knew love. Damian, I don’t think he had ever known love of any kind until he came to Gotham.”

“Poor kid.” Dick nodded sadly. “But he seemed pretty fond of you in the few seconds before he noticed me.”

“Yeah,” Dick agreed, and the smile was back on his face. “Bruce is a great man and a good father, but he’s not the most emotionally available man. He struggled with Damian when he came to live with him. Tim was a teenager already and I had moved out on my own, so B was pretty much on his own. But then he called me one night and begged me to help because he didn’t know if he was just screwing up Damian more than he already was.”

Well, fuck. How shitty was it that a man could tell he was not the best option for his own child’s mental and emotional health but that his older son was? Jason couldn’t imagine feeling so poorly about himself and that said something because he didn’t like himself most days.

“I moved back home and took a sabbatical from work in order to help. It was hard and there were plenty of times I would shut myself in my room and ask what the hell I was trying to accomplish, but Damian eventually improved.” Letting out a sigh, Dick looked down at Jason with a hint of sadness. “I think sometimes B wishes he hadn’t called me in. He and Dami…they’re not close. They respect each other, and B loves him like he loves Tim and me, but when Dami does something to be proud of it’s me who he comes to.”

“He views you as a father more than his actual father.” Dick hummed and looked over toward the window, avoiding commenting on it. “Is that a point of contention between you and Bruce?”

“Not really, at least not that he allows it to be. But like I said, he’s not good with the emotions. Its just, sometimes I can see regret so plainly written on his face when I’m talking to Dami. It’s hard to miss sometimes.”

“And that makes you feel guilty.” A statement, not a question.

“Yeah…” Dick’s voice is quiet, but Jason knows him well enough now to hear the regret.

“Have you talked to Damian about it before?” Dick shook his head and looked back to Jason with a curious look. “I was just wondering what he thought of it all.”

Jason can tell Dick is mulling over the idea of asking Damian about the fact that he viewed Dick as his dad and not Bruce, but he can also see the moment when Dick rejects the idea for now. Not that Jason blames him. The kid had been intense, and he had come across as smart, so part of him probably knew. If it had been Jason in Damian’s place, he probably would have some resentment toward his actual father for basically pawning him off to his brother when it got to be too much.

“This was so not the conversation I thought we would have when I came,” Jason offered as an out of the current topic. He could see the appreciation in Dick’s smile and the slight shift of his shoulders as he relaxed.

“What did you expect?”

“Profuse apologies because your redheads had made it seem like you were pretty worried that I hated you.” Dick laughed hard, holding his middle where Jason assumed were some of the wounds that had caused this whole mess.

“They made it clear that you weren’t mad. I figured I could save the apologies for when I wasn’t laid up in the hospital.”

“Fair enough. Though,” Jason leaned forward and looked at Dick closely, “you don’t owe me any apologies. This situation isn’t anywhere near being your fault.”

“Still upset I missed our date. I had the whole thing planned.”

“Well, you can go through with that plan when you are back to full mobility. Until then, I’d be happy to accommodate to your situation.” Dick’s smile was practically blinding, and Jason squeezed his hand. The intense desire to kiss the other man hit him suddenly but not too surprisingly. “I’d really like to kiss you right now.” The words came out before he could stop them.

“I’d really like you to kiss me,” Dick responded, smile growing even brighter. And Jason wished he could figure out how he managed to be so beautiful. But he would have to try and figure that out later. For now, he just focused on releasing Dick’s hand and pressing a palm to his cheek as he leaned forward and pressed their mouths together.

And god if it didn’t feel like coming home after being gone for years.

Dick’s lips were slightly chapped from the dry, hospital air and his breath was a little stale but the whole thing was so utterly perfect that Jason could feel his chest tighten with the emotion. Keeping in mind his still healing chest, Jason ended the kiss sooner than he would have liked. Pulling back, he pressed one quick kiss to the corner of Dick’s mouth before pulling back even further to look at the other man. What he found made him want to ignore the chest wound Dick had and just dive right back in.

Dark lashes fluttering against golden cheek bones and lips parted just slightly. He hoped he never forgot this image.

“I can’t wait until this heart rate monitor won’t alert everyone to just how much you affect me,” Dick muttered, opening his eyes to reveal sapphire rings around black pupils blown wide with lust.

“Just focus on healing that chest wound. Then I’ll happily let you figure out just how much of me you can and can’t handle.”

“Deal,” Dick whispered, pushing up to press their mouths together one last time before falling back into the pillows again.

Jason chuckled and ran his fingers along Dick’s cheek bone before dropping back down into the chair he had previously been sitting in and letting his hands fall into his lap.

“So, Wally and Roy aren’t my only redhead friends and the fact that you called just the two of them a harem was so accurate I thought I had pulled my stitches from laughing so hard when they told me.” Jason looked at him for a moment before laughing loudly and shaking his head.

“Well then the name is definitely sticking around.”

“I’ll be sure to warn the others.”

And Jason couldn’t help but chuckle as he reached for Dick’s hand again.

#dick grayson #jason todd #jaydick #fanfic #ao3 #nightwing #red hood #roy harper #wally west #dick's harem of redheads #au: keep on truckin'#food truck owner jason todd #officer grayson #damian wayne #dick is damian's real dad #don't @ me #batman au #batfam

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raywritesthings · 4 years ago

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Bird in a Storm 15/17

My Writing Fandom: Arrow Characters: Laurel Lance, Oliver Queen, John Diggle, Quentin Lance, Captain Stein, Lucas Hilton, Frank Pike, Moira Queen, Thea Queen, Roy Harper Pairing: Laurel Lance/Oliver Queen Summary: The confrontation between the Hood and SWAT on the roof of the Winick Building goes differently, altering the course of Laurel’s career, relationships and efforts to save her city forever, the shockwaves of such an altered path making themselves felt throughout her family and friends. *Can be read on my AO3, link is in bio*

Laurel was still having trouble processing what had happened at the memorial.

On some level, she knew Tommy’s dislike of the Hood wouldn’t mean good things if he ever found out Oliver’s identity, but to hear the words that had come out of his mouth that day had been another thing entirely. Where had that boy with the devil-may-care smile gone? Had she done this to him?

Laurel wasn’t naive enough to assume she was the only reason for Tommy’s new outlook and attitude. Her friend had always had an anger under the surface for what had happened to his mother, what his father hadn’t been able to be for him. There wasn’t anything she could have done to change those things, and so she had let it be. But maybe that had been wrong. She and Oliver had failed to be there for him, no matter their reasons for it, and now he apparently didn’t want or need their help. Who did they have to blame for it but themselves?

She was tackling Oliver’s salmon ladder today. The nice thing about his setup down here was that there was plenty of new things for her to learn that weren’t in the classes she had taken in self-defense, from Ted or with Anita. She was going to keep learning whatever she could get access to, because if she couldn’t help her friend then she would do everything she could to be ready to help others.

Oliver and Diggle sparred down below on the mats. After giving her a demonstration and watching her get up onto the first rung by herself, Oliver had left her to it. She liked that about them. One good thing about the distance they had had the last few months and her suiting up on her own was that he’d already realized she could handle things. For her part, Laurel knew that if she couldn’t, he and John were ready and willing to help out.

Laurel breathed in and out once on the top rung, her legs swinging back and forth in a slow, controlled manner, before she prepared to head back down. A beep from the computers distracted her, even more so when Oliver called out a halt to Digg and headed over.

She exchanged a look with the other man before hurrying to get back down, almost missing the last rung with the bar. She grabbed her water and towel and walked over.

“Something about Athena turn up?”

“No,” Oliver said with a frown. She could tell it was bothering him, the lack of information on this woman who had replaced them both as Tommy’s confidant. “It’s the worm I sent into the SCPD’s computer system.”

Laurel felt both eyebrows raise. “You infiltrated the police’s computers?”

“Not the first time we’ve hacked them,” Diggle informed her.

“In my defense, this time was on your father’s orders,” Oliver added. “He’s worried about corruption and asked me to look into things.”

She was torn between laughing or screaming. “Okay, so my father, who had me surrounded by a SWAT team for asking you to help me on a case… wants you to help him on a case.”

Oliver blinked. “Uh… yup.”

“I can’t believe him!” Okay, maybe the anger was winning out. “He is such a hypocrite!” Even if she was at peace with how her life turned out, it wasn’t like it had been fun to get shot with a rubber bullet and lose her job, all for the exact thing her father was doing right now. It wasn’t like she wanted those things to happen to him, too, just some acknowledgement that maybe she hadn’t been wrong to do it. That there was a need in this city for vigilantes.

That he might not be angry if he ever found out what she was doing now.

“Trouble is, looks like he’s right,” said Diggle, who had taken possession of the mouse and was clicking through some of the data this data worm of Oliver’s had been collecting. “Look at this stuff from Nudocerdo’s time. Missing or deleted files on police misconduct, no records of disciplinary action, which means they either didn’t discipline anybody or they don’t want people to know if an officer’s been disciplined.”

“Lucky for us, it looks like Nudocerdo’s personal devices were connected up to the police systems at some point before he was fired. The worm got into them, too. Let’s take a look at his campaign finances.”

Laurel stopped pacing in order to come stand at Oliver’s side. He rubbed a hand up and down her back once in a show of comfort which she appreciated, especially since she was sweaty so it couldn’t have been very pleasant.

“You seeing what I see?” John asked a minute later.

“Yep,” Oliver answered grimly. “Tempest.”

“And what is Tempest exactly?” Laurel asked.

Oliver blanched, and Diggle sighed and looked down. “We should’ve told you this…”

“Told me what?”

“The reason Oliver agreed to interrogating his mother as the Hood,” Digg stated. “It was cause we found out she’d recovered the Queen’s Gambit wreckage, and it proved the boat wasn’t destroyed in the storm. It was sabotaged.”

Laurel felt her mouth drop open. “Sara wouldn’t have died out there?”

“Not if the boat hadn’t been targeted, no,” Oliver said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

She stepped back, trying to reconcile this was the anger and grief and the slow sense of a new normal she had been building for herself. Her sister had been murdered. Not intentionally — in fact, she probably hadn’t even been a thought in the perpetrator’s mind. But she could have come home. They could have had it out, the betrayal and all it had done. So much could have been different; maybe her whole life. Sara would have had a life.

“Laurel?” Oliver was hanging back, clearly unsure what he should do given the subject.

“It’s fine,” she said out loud, even if it wasn’t. But they were here to work. She could deal with her feelings in her own time. “What’s this got to do with Tempest?”

“It was the name of the shell company she used to pay to have the boat moved and stored somewhere. It’s been destroyed since,” John added before she could ask. “And it looks like Tempest also made regular contributions to Nudocerdo while he was Commissioner.”

“So he wasn’t just bad at his job, he was dirty,” Laurel concluded. “What about the other cops? The detectives, captains? How many of them can we tell are on the take?”

“I’ll have to comb through the files the worm grabbed. It’s gonna takes while,” Oliver said with a grimace. “I don’t think I can patrol tonight.”

He had gone out the last couple with her as she had been showing him her own method. Looking for crime as it happened rather than setting out for a predetermined target. Laurel couldn’t tell if he liked the imprecise nature of it or not, but she didn’t think he was saying this to get out of it.

“Maybe we could see if Felicity wants back in now that we know Tempest is still involved,” Diggle suggested.

“It’s not about Walter, so I don’t see why it would interest her,” Oliver replied. “And I’d rather not risk her feeling pressured.”

He’d been touchy about the amount of people who knew his identity and what they might do with it since the memorial. Laurel couldn’t blame him. It had to feel like waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“It’s okay, I can do a solo one tonight.”

She started to walk over to her bag where she’d stored the black, gray and dark blue clothing she typically fought in, though Oliver called out to her.

“Laurel, are you gonna be okay?”

She looked back at him. “Yeah, Ollie. Just as soon as we figure out what Tempest really is and what they’re up to.”

Just how Mrs. Queen was mixed up with them? Was she Tempest or was she under their thumb? Laurel couldn’t get a read on Oliver or what he might be thinking about his mother. Did they need to question her again? And if they did, should Oliver really be the one in charge of it? She didn’t doubt he wanted the answers as much as she or John, but this was his mother. It would be hard for anything to think objectively in that situation.

She went into the back to change and headed out for the streets. Oliver had indeed upgraded her motorcycle, which had been quicker for him to do than the suit he claimed he was getting her custom made from a few different sources in order to avoid it being tracked. In some ways, she felt a little miffed that her version of things was being deemed inadequate, but Laurel knew that was pride over practicality. This was dangerous work, and it was better to have the best quality tools and materials available.

And it wasn’t as if the stuff she had put together on her own was going totally to waste. She had kept the bike she had bought for cheap for her day job, which made getting to work quicker and also opened up the possibility for her to make deliveries. Pam had been delighted by the suggestion; a couple of her older customers couldn’t always find someone to drive them to the store, and this way new seeds, pots or plants could be delivered straight to them.

She refocused on the present as she came across a mugging, quickly driving off the attacker with the roar of her bike and her collapsible staff.

“Where were you trying to get to?” She asked the boy who had been held up. He was pale with dark blonde hair kept fairly long, sort of a bohemian-type.

“My apartment. It’s just up that way,” he said with a nod. “But thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Laurel kept up her patrol, sending a couple men running from a car parked on the street they’d been trying to jack. She was finding that with her swift approach on the bike, it tended to increase her intimidation factor. That or her reputation was growing. Maybe it was a little of both, and that thought made her grin. She had gotten her own police sketch, after all, she’d been amused to find out when John told her. That made her pretty official.

It also made her her dad’s problem to target. Assuming he was even doing that thing anymore. Dirty cops or no, this sort of thing he was doing with the Hood was so beyond what she ever would’ve thought him capable of.

Or what if it wasn’t? What if it was just another ruse, an attempt to lure Ollie into a trap? That sounded more like her father. He would never ask a vigilante for help; he’d deal with the dirty cops situation on his own. What had even caused him to realize it? Maybe he’d been making it up, only for Oliver’s computer virus to lend credence to it.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp whistle. Laurel glared at the mirror before catching sight of the red hoodie in its reflection. Her annoyance disappeared as she pulled the bike around and followed Roy Harper into an alley.

“Nice ride,” he commented. “Pretty sure it’s out of your price range.”

“Yes, well the Hood and I have come to an agreement of sorts.”

Roy’s eyes widened. “You’re not just working for him now.”

“We’re working together. I thought you’d be happy about this,” she remarked. “The more the Hood and I work together, the better chance I have of bringing you in on things.”

“Yeah, I mean, I do want in,” Roy agreed, scuffing his shoe on the ground. “But people need you here, you know? Stopping the small stuff. The things he doesn’t always notice.”

Laurel hesitated. She had heard more than once from people in the Glades that while they may have no objections to what the Hood did, that it wasn’t really reaching them where they lived. They weren’t exactly wrong, but there was so much about the situation they couldn’t know, that she and Oliver and John didn’t even fully know yet.

“I think he’s noticing more all the time,” she finally answered, which was the truth. Whatever her own indignation towards her father, Laurel couldn’t have imagined the Oliver of two months ago let alone last year getting involved with systemic corruption in their city’s police force. “But don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. And I did ask him about you. He’s thinking about it.”

“Thanks,” Roy said. “Guess I should get out of here before anyone spots me with you.” He pulled his hood down further over his eyes and slipped back out into the main street. Laurel sat back on the bike seat to wait a while before heading back out there herself.

Roy’s words remained on her mind, however. What did she look like to the people who had noticed her in the Glades, zipping around on her top-of-the-line bike? Some kind of sellout? As much as she appreciated Oliver giving her access to better equipment and gear, she didn’t want people to think she was losing sight of what she had set out to do.

“That’s really what people think about me?”

She jumped, one arm already pulling back to deliver a punch before her mind caught up to the familiar voice. Laurel blinked at Oliver in surprise. “I thought you weren’t coming out tonight.”

“I ended up showing John what to look for in the files. He said he could handle it.” Oliver walked closer to her. “He also thought I should see how you were really feeling about everything.”

Laurel sighed, leaning forward on the handlebars. “What do you want me to say? I already knew my sister was dead. Now I know someone was indirectly responsible. Are you ever going to ask your mother who?”

He looked down, the hood he wore hiding his eyes. “I should. I just… something has been off about her ever since I came home. And especially since we got the news about Walter. I guess I’ve been afraid to find out what that is. I already know my father wasn’t who I thought he was. If my mother…”

Laurel reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. In a way, she understood. After losing her mother all those years ago, she had been desperate to keep the peace with her father and probably put up with more warning signs than it was worth instead of forcing them both to acknowledge his problems. “Our parents are going to disappoint us at times. Sometimes in a bigger way than most people go through.” She doubted many people had to deal with their father using them as bait for a SWAT operation gone wrong, after all. “But it doesn’t mean the things you know about them suddenly stop mattering. Whatever else, your father loved you. Your mother loves you. And if you still want her in your life, I think you can make that happen. But ignoring the problem isn’t how to do it.”

He nodded with a sigh. “Soon as I help your father, I’ll take care of it.”

“You don’t have to do it alone.”

His lips pulled up in a half-smile. “Maybe not, but it isn’t exactly a part of your mission.”

“My ‘mission’, if we’re calling it that, is to help people. And you fall under that category,” she reminded him with a prod to his shoulder. “You’ve been doing things my way the last couple of nights. It’s only fair I return the favor. And that starts with my dad’s thing.” If he thought she was sitting on the sidelines while her dad got involved in all this, he had another thing coming.

Oliver was silent for a moment, which had her narrowing her eyes. “What?”

“Your father… he’s hoping by resolving this issue, it will mean the city won’t need people like you or me. That things can go back to normal.” He frowned. “But seeing how widespread the corruption is, everything with Tommy and my mother, I don’t know how it can.”

“And normal isn’t exactly a good thing,” Laurel pointed out.

They both looked up at the sound of a scream from what sounded a few blocks away. A depressingly normal sound in the Glades.

“No, it isn’t,” Oliver agreed grimly. He raised his bow and fired a grapple arrow. Laurel gunned the engine of her bike, and they each took off toward the sound.

Whatever came next in their personal lives, acting in the face of injustice had become their new normal. And as far as Laurel was concerned, that was definitely a good thing.

---

Quentin started in his chair early that morning when a phone in his desk drawer started buzzing. It was the vigilante phone, which meant he really shouldn’t answer it inside. He quickly stood, doing his best to avoid Hilton’s questioning look as he headed out of the bullpen and out into the back alley. He was lucky enough to find it free of anyone on their smoke break. Finally, he answered the call.

“Yeah?”

“I have the information you requested, Detective,” the archer’s modulated voice spoke. “When and where can I deliver it to you?”

He had a feeling the vigilante wouldn’t react well to an immediate request, considering how light it was outside. Harder to hide in the shadows when they weren’t nearly so deep. “Uh… tonight. Down by the docks. Eleven?”

“I’ll be there.” With that, the line disconnected.

Quentin let out a breath. Tonight. He would know just which members of the force he was part of were dirty and which weren’t. He could take the information to Pike — at least, he hoped his gut was right that Pike was one of the good ones — and they could start cleaning house and getting this city back on track the right way.

He went back to his apartment to sleep off the night shift, showered and got some food in him. Then it was all down to waiting, which felt like an eternity rather than the few hours he knew it logically was.

Quentin took his own car rather than one of the squad cars, seeing as it would attract less attention. He kept his badge tucked away for that reason as well as he made his way down to the docks. He found a stack of crates to wait by that kept him mostly shielded from the lane trucks traveled up and down picking up or dropping off shipments. Not that there was much of that going on just now, but better to be safe than sorry.

Quentin kept checking his watch. He’d shown up early, sure, but it was already five past and no sign of him. What exactly was going on here?

“Seems your friend isn’t showing, Quentin.”

He startled as a flashlight beam hit him and straightened up. “Captain Stein.”

His superior raised a hand, the signal, he realized, for a number of SWAT lead by Warner to move in, surrounding him. Quentin raised his hands; he’d be a fool to reach for his gun now.

“Just what is this?” He knew he hadn’t been followed, so where had all of them come from?

“Ever since one of the copycat’s arrows disappeared from evidence, I knew we had a leak,” Stein stated, an underlying smugness in his tone. “And given your possession of a phone with a direct line to the Hood, you were the most obvious candidate. So I ordered Brock to take it out of your desk to have Crosby in CSU put some additional spyware on it. You could say your maneuver with your daughter inspired me,” the man added with a smirk.

Quentin’s blood ran cold as he noticed Brock standing there with his weapon raised alongside Hester, Lopez and — least surprising of all — Daily. These weren’t really his people, not besides Warner, and given the harsh glare she was directing his way, he didn’t think he’d see any leniency from her. The lack of Hall, despite her recruitment to the anti-vigilante task force nearly two months ago now, told him that this was Stein’s own hand-picked crew.

“We weren’t able to crack the encryption to follow the calls back to their source, unfortunately,” Stein continued on. “But I’ll consider bringing you in just one step closer to bringing down these vigilantes.”

Denying what he had been doing would get him nowhere, so Quentin didn’t even bother. “Look, I am trying to do the same thing. By tackling the problems that created the Hood and those like him in the first place. Bringing him in by force wasn’t working.”

“Because you lacked the conviction to do what was necessary. It’s why I had Daily join the Winick Building raid.”

Quentin’s breath stuttered in his chest. “You put him there so he’d shoot my daughter?” The younger officer was smirking where he stood, and if there weren’t a dozen guns pointed at him, he might have gone for the cocky bastard.

“You’ve failed to handle the situation objectively, Detective. Things were running just fine before this vigilante menace showed up, and I intend to see it return to that no matter who gets in the way!”

“Because your backers at Tempest have an interest in seeing it return to business as usual.”

Quentin had never been so relieved to hear the vigilante’s altered voice. Apparently the guy hadn’t pulled a no-show after all.

Two flechettes were thrown into the wrists of Warner and Hester, both of whom dropped their weapons. There were a couple grunts as Quentin caught movement near the back-left of the group; two of the men had fallen down. A few more of them turned, and it was this break in the formation that allowed him to glimpse a woman standing up from a crouched sweep kick, her fists raised. Dressed in black and dark blue with a mask and long, blonde hair, Quentin knew this could only be the Woman of the Glades.

This break in the formation gave the Hood time to rappel down from the roof of the warehouse he’d been waiting on top of, though Quentin didn’t watch to see where he landed as he was busy ducking around the crates to avoid Stein’s gunfire.

He quickly got out his own handgun and raised it, peering around the side to locate his enemy. Stein had moved back, out of reach of the Hood’s blows as he engaged both Daily and Lopez at once.

The Woman had gotten possession of one of the SWAT shields and was using it as a battering ram on one side while she swung a staff with her free hand, throwing men twice her size to the ground. Quentin watched, however, as Cutter — the department’s first ever female SWAT member, battered the Woman back with her own shield. The Woman stumbled but kept her feet, her head giving a dazed shake for a moment. The two then circled each other before each charged.

Quentin circled around the other side of the crates, doing his best to crouch low in the hopes of getting the drop on Stein. The captain noticed him at the last second, forcing Quentin into a drop and roll as he fired on him.

“Attacking your own, Lance?”

“Trying to put a stop to this before anyone’s seriously hurt!” He called back. These people would have had enough evidence on him to arrest him at the station, but they’d waited to stage a sting operation with the clear intent of getting him and the Hood, and he doubted they’d stop at the Woman, since she’d been good enough to show. There weren’t rubber bullets in those guns, either, and judging by Stein’s attempt on his life just now, the order was shoot to kill.

An arrow sailed through the night and hit Stein’s gun, making him drop it. Quentin charged forward, knocking the older man to the ground and rolling him onto his chest. He wrenched Stein’s arms behind his back and got out his cuffs.

“If you’ve been listening to that phone since the Winick Building, then you could’ve shown up to catch him at Merlyn Global. But you didn’t, because it wasn’t personal yet, was it? You got nervous when I asked him for help rooting out corruption. Well, I’m gonna look through the evidence, find out just what this Tempest is and then it’ll be over for you and them!”

He looked up to take stock on the situation. Officers were either knocked out or tied up with those cable arrow things. The Hood was lifting Cutter up and away from the Woman, who had a split lip. She hauled back and punched the SWAT officer right in the face.

Quentin stood up. “Hey!” He didn’t need them doing that!

The Woman startled and looked away from him, her shoulders hunched. There was something almost sheepish in the gesture. He could also see a small tear in the shoulder of her jacket.

The Hood placed Cutter back on the ground considering she was knocked out cold. Then he walked over towards Quentin, his head ducked to avoid showing much more than his chin.

“This flash drive contains everything you’ll need.”

Quentin took it with a nod of thanks. He couldn’t help noticing that the Woman was already retreating back towards where he could just see the handlebar of a motorbike sticking out from the shadow of a building. Even less talkative than the Hood, apparently. Though that didn’t match the scant reports about her they’d gotten.

Before the Hood could take his leave as well, Quentin gestured towards her retreating form. “So is this, uh, a regular thing now?”

“It won’t be easy cleaning up the corruption and its effects on this city, Detective. You’ll need people like me and her for a while yet.”

It was the opposite of what he had wanted to hear tonight. But the one comfort he could draw was that the Hood sounded far from smug about it. He likely longed for the days when this city wouldn’t need him, too.

“Alright. I better call this in.” He turned away to get out his radio and heard the Hood depart. Now what the hell was he going to say about all this exactly? Best thing to do, request Hilt and see what he thought.

Predictably, his partner felt Quentin had landed them in a whole heap of trouble. “Even if what’s on that flash drive is a hundred percent genuine, you did agree to meet with a vigilante to get it, Quentin. What are we supposed to say to Pike about that?”

“Pike’s gonna have to accept that cops on some special interest group’s payroll is a bigger problem.”

Sooner than he would have liked, they had more officers on the scene to help get the injured parties treatment and to bring Stein, at the very least, in. It turned out he hadn’t put this little raid on the books, so it wasn’t only Quentin who would be answering some awkward questions.

To his great relief, Kelton took the flash drive. He made the CSU promise to guard it with his life. Quentin didn’t doubt that Crosby or someone else in on all this would love to make it disappear.

He sat waiting inside Pike’s office for the rest of that night, waiting for his direct superior to go through all of the evidence and question who he needed to. Quentin knew this probably didn’t look great for him, but he also knew he had done the right thing, and if he could just convince Frank of that, then maybe he might walk out of here a free man.

His real phone buzzed with a text just as the early light of dawn was creeping in through the window. Quentin glanced at it, saw Laurel’s name, and sat up to rub at his eyes. It read how’s everything?

He felt the corner of his mouth twitch. Somehow his girl always knew when to check on him. He considered it a good thing Laurel was actually reaching out considering they’d still only made a few halting attempts each to patch things up. Quentin wrote back, long night, but fine. At least he hoped it would be. But considering he hadn’t been hauled into a holding cell yet, he had hope.

Like a summons, the thought was immediately followed by Pike opening the door to his office and coming around to his side of the desk. A large folder was under his arm that he set down and opened.

“Quentin,” his long-time superior sighed. “This would’ve been easier if you would have just come to me.”

“Maybe, but sir, I did point out my concerns about Daily in particular to you, which you said you couldn’t do anything about. Now we both know why. Stein was protecting his man.”

“But a vigilante? The same vigilante you told me you didn’t want to give up hunting even when I scaled back the taskforce!”

He winced. “Things… changed. I realized I needed someone independent to look into what was going on here. What did Kelton find on that flash drive? Did it say what this Tempest is?”

“I already know what Tempest is,” Frank answered.

That caused his mouth to snap shut for a moment. “What do you mean, ‘you know’?”

“I mean I was informed about this Tempest just this past evening,” the Lieutenant clarified. “If I’d known it related to the vigilante case, I would have called you in.”

Quentin sat back. “Well, hang on, what is it really about?”

“It appears there is a group of the city’s most wealthy who got together to form a bloq,” Pike explained. He passed over the file, and Quentin took it, flipping through. The bribes were there, though not just to the SCPD. As he continued reading, he also came upon a record of property purchases in the Glades. “They’ve been behind a lot of the decisions made in the last several years, deciding what they think is best. And I have to warn you, Quentin, their end goal is… I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around it.”

He flipped another page and came upon schematics. Bomb schematics.

“What the… what the hell were they doing with this?”

“Nothing, yet. We were informed about this with enough time to do something. Now that you and, well, the vigilantes, have taken care of the people on the inside here that were working for them, we’ve got the upper hand. Now my source has identified the ringleader of this high society club, and I’m sending you and Hilton with backup to make the arrest.” Frank leaned forward. “You pull this off, Quentin, and no one’s going to care who you’ve been enlisting off the books. We’ll be heroes.”

He opened his mouth to tell his superior to get on with it and tell him who they were bringing in, but then he turned the final page. Quentin froze, his eyes widening.

“I’ll be damned…”

He should have known.

---

Thea relaxed on her bed, taking full advantage of the day off from community service. She was enjoying CNRI more now that Joanna was back and they occasionally actually did stuff, but she wouldn’t be a normal teenager if she wanted to work every single day. Besides, she had a kind of special event planned.

Thea was finally introducing her newly-christened boyfriend Roy to her mother. Thea had never bothered running her previous relationships past her mom, partly because she’d thought she hadn’t cared and partly because Thea hadn’t wanted it to be anyone’s business but hers. But if Walter’s loss had reminded her of anything, it was that you never knew how long you had with family. And truthfully, she thought it might bring her mom some comfort to know that Thea had someone special in her life.

She’d bullied Ollie into promising he would actually show for this since he had a bad habit of ditching family functions at the last second. It had helped that she had pointed out he and Laurel had ditched them at Mr. Merlyn’s memorial, and thus she and their mom hadn’t had the chance to catch up with what appeared to be a rekindling of their own relationship. So Oliver was supposed to be bringing both Laurel and Roy over to the manor.

Thea heard the sound of tires on the drive, so she quickly got up, checked her hair in the mirror and then raced out of her room and down the steps. Just as she reached the foyer, she heard a knock on the other side of the front door. That was weird, unless Ollie was making Roy knock in some stupid big brother intimidation routine.

She wrenched open the door, the smile freezing on her face when she found not her boyfriend, brother and his girlfriend waiting for her, but Detective Lance and his partner Hilton. Both officers grimaced at the sight of her.

“Is something wrong?”

“Where is your mother, Miss Queen?” Detective Hilton asked calmly. Thea couldn’t help noticing, however, that there was another car and two more officers waiting further down the drive.

“She’s, uh—”

“I’m right here.” When she turned around, she saw her mother descending the stairs in an outfit she called her ‘casual best’. Thea had already told her Roy had never had much money. “Can I help you with something, officers?”

Thea watched as Lance gave a shake of his head. “Let’s not drag this out in front of your daughter, alright? You’re coming downtown with us.”

“Wait, what?” Thea asked, only to be forced back as both Lance and Hilton pushed their way through the door, Hilton taking out a pair of handcuffs.

“You must be very mistaken,” her mother said gravely, though Thea couldn’t help noticing how very pale she looked.

“Not unless the thing we found them building at Unidac was actually a piñata,” Lance quipped. “Moira Queen, you’re under arrest for kidnapping, murder, conspiracy to commit murder, hiring an assassin, and conspiracy to commit mass murder. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”

“Murder?” Thea echoed, somehow both hoarse and shrill at the same time. “No, no that’s crazy.”

“Miss Queen, if you could stay back,” Detective Hilton requested, gently buffeting her aside when she tried to move towards her mother, who had frozen in shock and only started moving when Lance marched her along with one hand under her arm.

“Mom!”

“Stay- stay in the house, baby,” her mother called over her shoulder.

Thea followed them out to the front stoop, her hands pressing to either side of her head as she watched them put her unresisting mother into the back of a squad car and drive away. The other two officers came inside and went up the steps, heading in the direction of her mother’s office.

How could this be happening again? Was she going insane with her life just repeating itself in circles? Her dad dying, Walter dying; Oliver being arrested for murder, her mother being arrested for murder. And how did that make any sense?

What was she supposed to do? Did she call Jean? Ollie? Thea sunk down onto the front step, her knees to her chest as cries were choked out of her.

How could everything have changed so fast and so horribly?

#lauriver #laurel x oliver #laurel lance #oliver queen #arrow #green arrow #black canary #my writing #bird in a storm

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alecmagnuslwb · 5 years ago

Text

Inked

Writer’s Month 2020 Day One

Read on AO3

The door swings open right on cue just like it has at three o’clock on the second Tuesday of every month this year.

Jason looks up from where he’d been sketching at the front desk when the little bell above the door chimes and he hates to admit he freezes for a moment. Roy Harper looks good, really good. He’s cut his hair since the last time he saw him for his monthly tattoo in July and it gives Jason a whole new view to admire.

The shoulder length red tresses are gone his hair now shaved down on the sides and a little longer at the top. Jason likes it, it gives him a view of Roy’s strong neck that had previously been covered. Roy lifts an arm running his hand through the top of his hair as he gives Jason one of those big beaming smiles he always seems to sport. The movement highlights his biceps which are blissfully exposed due to the oppressive August heat of the city.

He slips the beat-up grey trucker hat in his hand on his head backwards once he reaches the desk leaning on it with his strong exposed forearms.

“Hey, ya Jaybird. Ready for me?” he asks that grin still on his lips.

“Always,” Jason says closing up his sketchbook.

Jason moves back a bit so that he and Roy aren’t practically nose to nose. Not that he doesn’t want them to be nose to nose it’s just that they aren’t there yet. They might never be, he’s not really sure what’s going on between them if he’s being honest.

Jason and Roy have technically known each other since they were teens, back when they were Robin and Speedy the children of two of the most known superheroes in the world, but Jason made a choice to hang up the pixie boots before he graduated high school for his own mental and physical health and Roy chose the same after his first round in rehab had nearly killed him.

After that their paths had diverted. Jason had gone to art school and promptly dropped out a year later to pursue art on his own terms. Roy had attempted an engineering degree, but his mind was lightyears ahead of anything any college could teach so he’d flunked out for not doing his assignments properly ever.

Then came a dark year for both of them, a year that no amount of therapy will every completely wash away. Jason had hit rock bottom with is career and his estrangement from Bruce for choosing a world outside of vigilantism came to a violent head while Roy hit his own rock bottom at the end of a needle.

It took years of failed relationships, bad decisions and hard work for them both to pull themselves back up out of it all, only ever really hearing about each other’s struggles through the gossip grapevine that is Dick Grayson.

Eventually Roy made his way back to Star City. Upon finding out he had a daughter he had gotten truly sober and stable for the first time in his life with the support of his dysfunctional super family. He made amends with Oliver, primarily through Dinah’s stubborn insistence they work it out, took to single fatherhood in a way he’d never taken to anything so quickly and got a job at a florist’s shop giving himself a peaceful place to spends his days that allows him to tinker with every new invention he can in his spare time without the stress of making exploding arrows to fight crime at night.

Jason had had a similar path. He and Bruce still rest on shaky ground and he’s fairly certain they always will, but he’s good with his brood of siblings again and putting his art expression into something as permanent as tattoos has been therapeutic.

Moving to Star City for Jason had been a whim. He needed out of Gotham, he’d saved up enough to start his own shop to truly make a name for himself, but he couldn’t do it in a city that was swimming in Bats. Dick had been the one to suggest Star, at the time Jason hadn’t thought anything of it. Had just assumed he was sending him to a town that still had the comfort of rampant vigilantism, but with the advantage of being on the other side of the country from anything with the name Wayne slapped on it.

Ever since Roy came walking into his shop, Bat Tats a name he 100% chose to piss of his adoptive father, eight months ago on Dick’s suggestion Jason thinks maybe his overbearing brother had ulterior motives. That maybe there’s a reason Dick is one of the few people who understands why Jason and Roy have become so close.

So here they are now two former sidekicks with their fair share of daddy issues and trauma doing a little bit better in every aspect of their lives every day and finding a friendship in one another Jason’s come to treasure.

“No Lian today?” Jason asks as Roy moves on autopilot to his usual station to take a seat.

Roy shakes his head taking off his hat and throwing it on the wall ledge behind him.

“I love that little girl more than anything, but keeping her sitting still and entertained for an extended period of time can be a struggle, especially when she knows she could be playing outside,” he says chuckling. Jason smiles remembering some of the previous months when she had tagged along and the way Lian had twirled around on a swivel chair asking Jason a million questions and briefly running into one of the brick walls when she spun a little too hard. “Don’t need her distracting you so much you end up accidentally inking me with something that looks like a dick.”

“Lian is no distraction, trust me, she’s a delight,” Jason responds with a smile as he sets up his station. He means it Lian is a ball of energy with a smile like her father and wit far greater than most adults Jason has met. Roy is far more of a distraction, his tattoo in April which had been on his bare chest had nearly killed Jason. “And if I was going to tattoo a dick on you there would be nothing accidental about it.”

Roy full out belly laughs and Jason loves the sound.

“Speaking of dick’s,” he says as he rolls up his chair to Roy’s side snapping on his gloves. “You sure you don’t want that Nightwing tattoo? It’s a best seller.”

Jason tilts his head up to the wall where proudly, because Dick framed it the ass that he is, is the Nightwing symbol with a gold plate below it reading #1 bestseller. If Jason didn’t like paying his bills he’d probably stop offering it, but the last three months has seen a surge in his popularity since he and Babs essentially stopped an apocalypse on their own and Jason has found himself with at least a dozen requests for the symbol every week.

“Not a chance, I will not take part in fluffing Grayson’s ego, I refuse,” Roy says before gesturing down at his body. “This body is temple now.”

Damn right it is, Jason thinks eyes lingering a little too long at the body in question. Long enough that he’s pretty sure he’s been caught so he clears his throat not meeting Roy’s eye as he loads up the tattoo gun.

He doesn’t see Roy smirk as he stretches out his arm for Jason and he definitely doesn’t notice how Roy watches the white streaks at the front of his hair fall over his eyes intently as he bends his head to get to work.

Today’s tattoo is a simple one. A small date that’s just a few days away to be added onto his ‘Lian forearm’ as they call it, alongside her name, the word for daughter in Navajo and a handful of little drawings Lian herself has proudly designed. The date marks his fifth year of sobriety, the day he decided to be there for his little girl for the rest of his days.

They chat while Jason works, Jason trying to ignore the way Roy’s scars feel warm under his fingers at every pass. Roy gives an update on Lian as back to school nears and Jason updates him on the weirdest tattoo requests he’s had the past few weeks. His personal favorite being the 82-year-old grandma who’d come in requesting a tattoo of a lion’s head that her grandson designed.

Roy chuckles as Jason finishes up getting the materials to wrap up the new ink.

“Well she sounds cool as hell, any chance she’s willing to take on new grandchildren?” he asks.

“I asked, she said she could direct me to some equally as cool friends since she’s already got 13 of her own,” Jason chuckles as he finishes wrapping up. “All done.”

He pulls away with a smile snapping the gloves off and throwing them in a nearby trash can. They walk back up to the front together, Roy paying and tipping him way too much like he always does.

“You’re absolutely worth it,” Roy says when Jason tries to wave off the excessive tip. Jason’s breath catches, the context isn’t remotely what Jason’s dumb gay brain is thinking, but it feels loaded anyways.

Jason brushes it off best he can. “If you say so,” he shrugs.

“I do,” Roy says back instantly not missing a beat. Jason’s about to ask him if his tattoo streak is going to continue next month, but Roy beats him to it.

“I know we usually have a monthly date here and I do plan to keep that up, Lian has a killer new idea with a lizard wearing a top hat,” Roy says a little nervousness in his words. He reaches up adjusting his hat, a nervous tick Jason has picked up on over the months, it’s a little thing most people would overlook, but no matter how much time passes his training from Bruce is always there telling him to watch every little move and tick of every person he encounters. “But I was thinking we could have another date before that, you know not here and not you giving me a tattoo. Maybe over dinner?”

Jason’s eyes drop down to Roy’s at that quickly looking away from where he’d been watching him play with his hat.

Evidently Jason is quiet for far too long because Roy starts to fumble the hat around even more.

“Obviously if I’ve read everything wrong all these months then we can just act like this never happened and call it nothing more than a friend hang,” Roy rambles. “Or you know just let me die of embarrassment for a few more minutes and we’ll only ever see each other inside these four walls.”

“No,” Jason says finally snapping out of his shock that Roy just asked him out. “I mean yes, yes I’d love to go to dinner with you on a date.”

Roy puts his hat back on properly and smiles that big smile of his again.

“Great, how about Friday? Lian’s having a sleepover at Dinah and Ollie’s, so I’d be all yours for the evening,” Roy says, there is a little bit of implication in his words, months of built up charm and light flirting via friendship slipping in.

“Friday works for me,” Jason replies easy with his own smile no doubt as big as Roy’s.

#my fic #writersmonth2020 #jayroy #jason todd #roy harper #fun fact idk if i like writing jayroy but i've commited to three fics for them this month so i'm putting them out there #30 more days to go

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