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deadsetobsessions · 1 year ago

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“Tim. Timmy. Ancients, kid, what are you doing?!”

Danny Phantom smacked away the instinctual terror of seeing an eight year old dangling out of a third story window.

“I gotta go take pictures of Batman and Robin! They’re out tonight!”

Danny thought that his barely healed vivisection wound might bust open from the sheer stress.

“Setting aside how you even know the patrol schedule of honest to god vigilantes, why’d you choose the window? The house is literally empty, just walk out the front door, for Ancient’s sake.”

Tim paused, a motion Danny was overwhelmingly thankful for, and blinked sheepishly.

“Um… for the aesthetic?”

Danny allowed the silence to settle between them before dropping his head into his waiting hands. Tim panicked.

“You- you can’t stop me!”

And yeah, Danny really can’t. In the months he’s been mooching off of the Drakes (not that they’ll notice), Danny’s learned that Tim Drake is nothing but relentless in the pursuit of whatever he sets his mind on. Whether thet might be putting hot chocolate in his cereal (which Danny doesn’t actually mind) or, apparently, stalking a pair of vigilantes.

He wanted to hack into the library cameras? Danny had to hover just to make sure the kid didn’t get caught after arguing for an hour about it.

He walked out of that argument with a loss, yes, but he also let Tim know that Danny cared about him. Danny also walked out of that argument with a new hatred for Janet and Jack Drake and his mind (just as diabolical as Tim’s) whirring with plans to haunt them.

Tim is never ever introducing his new little brother to Tucker. Ever.

“Okay. I don’t want to see you take unnecessary risks, but I’m also aware that I can’t really stop you. So. I’ll go with you.”

Maybe this is like… Tim’s obsession? When he put it that way, Danny lost the fight to prevent this tiny kid from what clearly is the only joy in his poor life.

“But…!” Tim’s eyes darted to Danny’s chest, the vivisection scars still fresh in his mind.

“They’re healed.” Danny pulled his dumbass little brother off the window sill, core settling as Tim follows willingly. “I’ll make us invisible and fly with you behind Batman and Robin so you can get even better shots. You can’t make any noise, though. That camera got a shutter sound, right?”

“Yeah!” Tim’s face brightened and Danny melted. He shoved a bottle of the (incredibly stinky but helpful in a pinch) ecto contaminated tap water into a backpack, along with some snacks and a blanket for when Tim gets cold. Danny’ll be fine, he’s got a Space Core. The cold his kind of his thing.

“Cool. We’ll stay out of earshot. If things starts to get too dicey, we’re heading home, okay?”

“Okay!” The look Tim shot him is full of trust and adoration and it makes Danny’s human heart squeeze painfully. “C’mon! I don’t want to be late!”

“We need to talk about your stalking tendencies later,” Danny said fondly.

“I’m not stalking them! I’m observing them!”

“Uh-huh,” Danny drawled, picking Tim up and making them intangible and invisible. “They’re not a bird observatory and also, even the birds in the observatory knows they’re being watched. Batman and Robin clearly doesn’t.”

Danny felt more than saw Tim’s pout.

He laughs as they fly just below the Gotham-brand of toxic smog. He waves to the City’s Spirit as Tim cranes his head around to catch sight of Batman and Robin.

“There!”

Danny obliged. With Danny’s flight, Tim got much better- much closer- photos than he would have originally.

Danny hung back as the pair of vigilantes swooped down to take care of a mugging.

“Wanna mess with them?” He grinned down at his little brother, canines glinting.

Tim looked up at him, admiration and mischievousness in his gaze. “Yes.”

Gotham parted her clouds in response to their glee.

——

Dick Grayson, AKA Robin, finally understood why criminals are so creeped out by him.

Other than the whole flippy child kicking grown people’s asses and winning thing, obviously (that, and Batman loomed menacingly behind him everytime a criminal even looked at Robin wrong).

Batman had picked up on it first, but the for entirety of their patrol, they kept hearing eerie little giggles and laughter. Haunting them. Never distracting. But persistent. And so creepy. He got goosebumps.

“B, I wanna go home.”

“Hm.” That’s a resounding yes if Dick’s ever heard one.

Maybe Alfred can chase away the giggles and chuckles.

Robin shudders and follows the Bat home.

——

Danny lowered the temperature as he held Tim up near Batman’s cowl so his brother could giggle menacingly. He knew for a fact that any recording device would get completely cram led by the sheer output of ambient ectoplasm he’s emitting. Plus, it freaked Robin out and raised the hairs on the back of the vigilantes’ heads. He tones it down when he noticed Tim rubbing his hands together.

He let out a quiet laugh, enjoying the flight with his brother in his arm and the light of the stars (thanks, Gotham) at his back.

——

Danny: oh, this kid’s got an Obsession, gotta let him do it safely, he’s a liminal from all that tap water

Danny: *forgets Tim isn’t a ghost nor is he from Amity and is therefore extremely breakable*

——

Danny and Tim: doing crime is a good bonding activity

Batman and Robin, who wants to say no it isn’t but they’re literally a pair of illegal vigilantes:

——

Dick as Robin: *cackles*

Tim, learning habits from stalking them: *giggles*

Gotham Criminals: *fear*

#danny phantom #bamf danny phantom #dick grayson #tim drake is a menace #tim drake #baby tim drake #Tim Drake is a little shit #Danny Phantom is a little shit #they’re messing with the bats #and getting away with it #inspired by dick’s iconic Robin cackle #that creepy lil shit #i love them your honor #they’re brothers your honor #Gotham’s F grade tap water #thanks scarecrow #Gotham’s tap water #dc x dp #dp x dc

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strangerstilinski · 11 months ago

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𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙞𝙣 𝙗𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙚𝙮

summary: Steve gives his best friend some admittedly questionable dating advice — but it all works out in the end.

fem!reader ~ just a silly and awkward little meetcute. alcohol consumption. lots of pining. far too many mentions of robin's freckles. and i threw in a silly moment with steve because, well, this is me we're talking about and how could i not? fluff [1.9k]

a/n: baby's first robin fic — wow! as always, please leave some love in the form of comments and feedback if you enjoy xx

Steve has practically sworn on his life that the pick-up line will work on you. On the condition, of course, that Robin delivers it with the right amount of cool nonchalance, with just enough flirty undertone to let you know her intentions.

So, naturally, Robin is repeating the phrase over and over again in her head, because the last thing she wants to do is screw up this monumental opportunity her best friend has practically laid out in front of her. Though, now that she's making her way toward you, she's belatedly realizing that Steve's confidence is almost entirely based on the fact that the line had worked on him when a girl used it at a party. Which was... Decidedly not the most reliable focus group, but she's determined to push past her fear regardless. Plus, Steve has technically shared more words with you than Robin ever has — even if that does equate to a single conversation to Robin's zilch.

Was it against her better judgment to willingly accept dating advice from Steve Harrington? Maybe, but she manages to swallow past her anxiety long enough to push the words out anyway.

"Is this seat taken?"

The words pull you out of where you've been lost in your own head. The music coming from the boombox at the corner of the patio, paired with the raucous laughter from the group splashing around in the pool, had lulled you into a trance-like state.

You were third-wheeling beside Nancy and Jonathan, because you work with them and they're really the only people that you really know at this party. So you might kind of be clinging to them a bit.

You've let your mind wander in an effort to remain unbothered by their flirty laughter, especially with the way that light intoxication and the chaos in the Harrington backyard has slowly brought the volume of their conversation from hushed to outright loud beside you.

Before you knew it, you've spent a good fifteen minutes sipping steadily on your drink and watching the ants march in and out of a gaping crack in the cement in a mindless daze. So, when you hear the question, your head snaps up so hard it nearly gives you whiplash as you focus on the girl standing in front of you.

You've seen her before, but that does nothing to lessen the blow of just how pretty she is. So pretty. Her cheeks are still a little pink from the setting sun, freckles marking her skin everywhere your eyes land as your gaze rakes over her. A wonderfully short pair of denim cutoffs cover the tops of her thighs, and you have a hard time forcing your gaze to continue to travel upward. She's picking at the label on one of the bottles of beer in her hands, both of them dripping with ice water from the cooler she must've snatched them from. Her eyes are wide, a panicked little grimace pulling at her lips before she seems to shake herself off and school her expression into something more relaxed.

"Hey, Robin." Nancy acknowledges sweetly, Jonathan nodding in greeting beside her.

The pretty girl, Robin, smiles in response, albeit tightly, before her attention moves determinedly back to you. She blinks once, twice. Shifts on the balls of her feet and repositions her beers, the glass clinking as they knock together between cold fingers. Her gaze flicks just once to something or someone over your shoulder and she seems to nod to herself once before an adorably nervous little smile pulls at her lips.

You've only ever seen fleeting glimpses of her from afar as she re-shelves movie rentals at Family Video. You'd tried to catch her at the check out counter one time, but Steve Harrington had crushed your hopes the moment he had nudged his co-worker away with a not-so-hushed whisper about letting him test the waters that had your shoulders slumping dejectedly.

When he'd spotted the empty plastic case in your hands, he'd squared his shoulders, a poor attempt at nonchalence, "Gremlins, huh? Uh.. Gun to your head! Who's hotter — Phoebe Cates or Zach Gilligan?"

You'd laughed before correcting him, "Galligan. Gilligan is the guy on the deserted island."

He'd only waved you off, taking the crumpled dollar bills you pulled from your pocket with an oddly pointed comment about how pretty Phoebe Cates was though, right? You blame the way his eyes had flashed with something like excitement when you'd agreed as the reason for your next comment-

"But all time celebrity crush? Gotta be Claudia Wells." You'd paused after the admission before continuing somewhat nervously, "Y'know, from uh, Back To The Future?"

"Oh! The guy's hot mom?"

"Oh, no. His, um, Marty's girlfriend. I just think she's a little softer than Cates. Pretty but still approachable, y'know? Girl Next Door. That kinda thing."

He hadn't looked judgmental, but the moment you'd left the store and the adrenaline brought on by the absurd encounter had receded, you'd been mortified with yourself for being so goddamn transparent. You'd almost gone back a week later, hoping to see the cute mystery girl working the counter again — alone, preferably — but in the end you'd chickened out. Had a friend return your rental for you and you hadn't been back since.. Because she really was nerve-wrackingly pretty, and you were a coward.

But right now she's looking at you expectantly. Waiting.

"Hi?" You manage, words soft and unsure.

The playing field doesn't quite feel even with her standing above you. It's a bit unfair, you think as you blink up at her a little dumbly — It's hard to focus when her attention is on you like this. The sky is a backdrop of pink and orange behind her, stunning little shadows collecting beneath the bridge of her nose and the ridge of her brow. Perfect teeth dig in at the corner of her lower lip with her smile. There's a pale stripe of skin at the base of her middle finger, untouched by the sun and only visible because the chunky ring she's wearing has gone slightly askew against one of the beer bottles in her hand.

"Hi," Robin returns, just the single syllable sounding giddy on her tongue. Blue eyes drop to where you sit on the stone bench beside Nancy, gaze lingering on the bare skin of your thighs beneath your shorts before they travel back up to meet your own again. "Is this seat taken?" She repeats, a little more hopeful this time.

"Oh." It only comes out a little dejected. You look toward Nancy and Jonathan in your peripherals, as if willing another space on the stone bench to suddenly appear — When one doesn't, you sigh. The nearly empty plastic cup in your hands crunches when you clutch it a little tighter to your chest. Your jaw tightens, heel scuffing against cement as you kick your foot out in preparation to rise and relinquish your seat. "No, I mean.. Yeah, you can have it." You nudge Nancy with your arm, chin to your shoulder as you speak a little softer, "I'm gonna go grab a drink and, um.. Mingle."

The look on Nancy's face immediately gives away the fact that she knows there's no way in hell that you plan to do anything of the sort. You are not a person who mingles, Nancy and Jonathan both know this. However, before Nancy can say anything, Robin is speaking again.

"No!" She nearly yells, voice cracking. Her eyes have gone a little wide. She takes a small step closer, one of her knees knocking against your own and effectively impeding your ability to stand.

"..No?" You echo in confusion.

"Um," Robin swallows harshly, curling in on herself just a little. Her face scrunches with embarrassment, her teeth scraping along her lip. She blows out a harsh breath before thrusting one of the beers in her hands toward you, "Here! I, uh, I brought this over for you."

You bend to place your plastic cup beneath the bench in a flash, entirely too eager when you reach out to take the offering. You get a little distracted by the way her fingers glisten with condensation, and your stomach outright flips when they brush your own in the transfer.

"Oh. Thank you," You feel a bit like a schoolgirl with the airy cadence that slips into your voice. Her touch lingers for a moment, blue eyes seemingly glued to the place where your index finger covers her pinky around the neck of the bottle. "You can totally still have my seat," You add quickly, "I don't mind! Like I said-"

"Actually-" Robin interrupts, "Well, actually, I thought- If you want, of course- I thought we could maybe, kind of, in a way, share the seat?" It comes out as a question and only serves to make you more confused. "I thought – again, if you want – I thought I could, possibly, sit.. on your lap. Just, because.. You know, that way you could avoid forfeiting your seat and maybe, you and I, we could get to know each other a little better? But we totally don't have to! That's okay too! Absolutely okay, in fact. You can just enjoy that beer and I'll go-"

She's already shuffling a small step back as her words bleed together in her anxious rambling. Your free hand catches her wrist to pull her back before she can get too far, your legs parting to allow her to slip between them. Her knees brush the insides of your thighs and your heart thumps entirely too obnoxiously beneath your ribs in response.

"I don't mind," You say quickly. Your fingers shake with the adrenaline that washes over you suddenly and you give a gentle tug to urge her to sit. "You can sit. You can absolutely sit."

She sits.

She sits and pockets of her denim shorts press into the top of your thigh, her knees knocking together as she tries to settle into a comfortable position. You surprise even yourself with the hand that lands on the small of her back to keep her balanced, and when she presses into your touch minutely you choose to leave it there. Your palm is without a doubt sweating where it settles against the cotton of her shirt, but you don't dare move it now that it's found a place there.

If you thought it was hard to breathe when she was standing in front of you, it's a whole new ballgame to have her face this close to your own. You're still looking up at her, neck craned back just a little to look at the cluster of freckles above her cupid's bow, the dark eyeliner smudged artfully beneath her lashes.

You watch her gaze drag slow over your own face — like you're something to be admired and, God.

You can practically hear your own blood pumping in your ears, and you will your excited nerves to settle, sipping from the chilled beverage in your hand just for something to distract you, even just for a moment. The glass catches the top of Robin's bare thigh when you lower it again and she gasps at the cold, the gasp turning over into a breathless laugh while you curse and stutter out an apology.

You miss the way her gaze flicks over your shoulder to meet Steve's watchful eye where he sends her a whole flurry of excited hand movements ending with an emphatic thumbs up. But, you do notice the way her toe nudges into your shin lightly, the shy smile pulling at her lips as she leans into you a little more comfortably, arm pressing into your shoulder.

"Hi," She starts slowly, "I'm Robin."

lovely dividers by @strangergraphics

#robin buckley #robin buckley stranger things #robin buckley fluff #robin buckley fic #robin buckley x reader #robin buckley x you #robin buckley x female reader #robin buckley x y/n #robin buckley x reader fluff #robin x reader #robin buckley fanfic #*

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leaf-line · 9 months ago

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Hello! Can i request some Yandere robin/Kafka and Himeko (seperate) x Gn reader, romantic hcs, please?

𝐒𝐡𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐲

Yandere! Robin/Kafka/Himeko x Gn! Reader

❏ You weren't staying away from them because you were 'shy', you have a perfectly good reason to.

cw: ooc, general yandere content.

w/c: 1,557

You were happy with what you have, you were happy with the many people around you, but you liked Robin too.

She was irreplaceable, along with all of the people you love. You cared about everyone.

Robin liked you too! She liked the way you told her not to push herself much and to not pressure herself, the way you were all worried and caring for Robin.

She relishes on your affection for her greatly, no matter how small or big it is, Robin would indulge in your attention.

Even if you give her the smallest affection, then the largest to somebody else, she's... she's... She's fine by it. Totally.

But later, you were suddenly down, refusing to pay attention to her, or anything for the matter, even yourself.

Thus... Robin thinks you need saving.

No, no, why won't you smile like you used to? Did something so bad happen?

Robin is appalled by the way you just won't help yourself or push yourself for the better and move on? Isn't that what you told her to do? Why are you opting to be a flesh rotting in your bed and not getting out of your shell?

She had problems too, she too were hard on herself when her mom died, but she used those experiences to get up and push further, why can't you do the same?

She thought that maybe it was her turn to give her full affection and attention to you instead. In a way to pay you back, yet... You won't allow her.

Robin is just concerned. Why won't you let her pamper you?

Why won't you let her sing songs to you?

Why won't you let her visit you?

How could you even refuse such an angel who's willing to drag you up when you're down?

Maybe you're shy. Perhaps she's way too overbearing for your mental capacity to accept her payback. She's sweet, empathetic, and extremely kind to you, especially you.

Why else would you avoid her other than the reason that you're flustered by her appearance? It's because of that, and that's the only reason.

"Oh... My love... Is there any other reason why you're avoiding me other than you think I'll over shine you? Don't worry, I won't do that. You deserve your own spotlight! I'll look at it, only me... I love you, alright?"

She says, clinging on your waist, holding it down enough for you to be thoroughly uncomfortable inside. She would then brush your hair with her hand as if you were a delicate being she needed to protect from danger.

Even after you have tried to escape her countless times, she still has you in her arms, begging for your attention every second, every minute, every hour. It's scary to know that with the snap of her fingers, all of her devoted fans would turn their heads at you, ready to strike with their pitch forks and torches for not accepting such an angel in your life.

Though... Has she ever stopped and thought that maybe, just maybe, the reason for you avoiding her was because you just figured out that she's the reason that the people you've recently been talking to disappear out of thin air? Even the ones you treasured and cared for?

You didn't find any animal fact that said birds are ruthless when they are jealous. You learned it the hard way.

Robin didn't even give you enough time to grieve for them before clinging on to you now that her 'obstacles' are gone.

She hums a melody. It's as if to comfort you from your loss, it feels mocking.

You found a lady so breathtakingly beautiful it captured your full attention.

You then would ask for her number, maybe start a small chat, heck, even standing next to such beauty would be enough.

If you found Kafka beautiful, then she finds you adorable.

She's curious as to why you would willingly march straight into danger, clueless and unarmed. She might as well give it a shot and try to get to know you better.

This isn't a part of the script. Plus, she finds your face and mentality cute. Is there really no way you don't know anything about her?

Perhaps you don't read the news or you haven't seen her wanted posters in all its glory. Perhaps you knew and are just dipping your hand in with hidden intent. Perhaps you're just dumb. Either way, she'll know soon enough.

Rather than subtly forcing you to outright say who you are, Kafka played the slow—yet fun—game.

You went from conversing, to going on dates, to walking together in the sunset.

And not once has she seen you feel threatened around her, or even show a hint of your plans to capture her. Every last bit of you was adorable as she thought. That surprises her for a bit. However, not for long.

"This gift is handmade, my efforts and results. Accept it, dear." People's fun has to end one way or another

Her voice makes your ears ring, it gives you a headache. As much you want to cover your ears and muffle her sickly sweet voice, you can't. Your hand is trembling. It is too heavy to move, and you already feel bile rising up on your throat.

It was going well. Now you're asking yourself why we're you sitting on the ground, bathing in a puddle of blood.

Huh...? She told you in one of your dates she was going to gift you a big surprise, you weren't expecting a surprise that makes you fall on your knees at the sight in a different way.

Why... Why is this happening?

You get up on your feet and run away as fast as you can, just anyhow to get away from her.

"Don't try to back out now... You're hurting my feelings." Her footsteps were slow, loud, impending.

Tap, tap, tap, tap—

"You wanted to get to know me too, didn't you? Are you not liking what you see? Are you not liking the real me?" She tries to convince you.

Tap, tap, tap—

"Come on, don't be shy, I don't bite, I promise, come out now. You can't hide forever, can you?" She hums, as if to harmonize it with her footsteps.

Tap.

"Found you."

Don't just walk straight into the cobwebs and try to leave so quickly, for the more you struggle to escape, the more you get tangled and stuck in it.

Himeko wanted you join her, to board the Astral Express, telling you all sorts of stuffs about how amazing it would be to travel all across the cosmos.

You were there to support her from the start, she wished the same for the end.

You admired her ambitions and pushed her up to reach it. Himeko wanted you to be with her when she does so.

Himeko loved you dearly, the way you would encourage her on her adventures, the way you'd still swallow the last drop of coffee she made for you even though it's hard to swallow, the way you would hold her hand and tell directly that things will go the way she would want it.

She loved the way you can easily melt her heart with those genuine words and touch.

But when you declined and said that you will only be there to watch her fulfill her dreams. It was difficult to take in, but she wasn't able to press further.

And so she conducts the train without you. Only occasionally visiting your home world, then to leave, for there's more other pressing matters.

But the more she embarks, the more she learns and develop her own mindset.

For Himeko, trailblazing follows an unspoken set of steps to commit. Board the train, build immovable and precious memories, then disembark.

In other words, leave. It's difficult, but Himeko's determination perseveres, no matter how many of her short time companions leave her, she will still traverse the stars.

Himeko is the conductor, the train needs her to move.

But she needs you to move. Right now, she needs to hear your voice, your way of lightening up her day with little to no effort. So things will be alright with her. No matter how lonely it gets, no matter how much difficult it is to preserve these memories, she can still retell those adventures with you.

"Isn't that right? [Name]?" She puts her cup of coffee, gazing at the coffee table, then takes a moment to admire the scenery of the window, showing the stars of the universe at full display along with the planet close enough to visualize, then you.

The couch you were sitting on were the same as where Himeko sits. You felt compelled to move away from her, yet she will only move closer. "Don't be shy, it's just the two of us here. The others are away." She gestures at the window. "If you're worried about PomPom, they're in a different room."

She holds your hand tightly, things will go the way she would want it, not the way you would want.

"Please don't leave me. You wouldn't wanna make me lonely, would you?" She holds your hand closer to her face.

Declining isn't an option anymore.

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oookaline · 6 months ago

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just thinking scary dog priviledge but its tim x kon vs red robin x superboy ig

like in civvies scary dog priviledge goes to Kon when someone is being just a bit too friendly with the Wayne kid

Or when he and Tim go to get some coffee and the bartender slips her number onto tims cup who gets picked up by Kon and thrown across the room in such a speed that you blink you miss but- is that coffee running down the window..?

Or in galas where Tim is charming some old ladies and entertaining their grandkids when suddenly they seem nervous for some reason so Tim turns around to see Kon standing behind him with the biggest smile ever just to turn back around and see that the girl/boy who was so willingly flirting with him earlier has gone pale and gave a quick goodbye, "Human disaster strikes again and fumbles badly-" "Shut it Meatsack-"

Or just walking in general, when Tim Drake isn't Tim Drake-Wayne and he doesnt have to wear gala smiles and expensive three piece suits so he's bundles in a hoodie and hunched and cluching his messenger bag like his lifeline depends on it; but to a passerby all they see is tired cat™ Tim Drake who looks delectable and- is that a monster behind him? (It's Kon who's making himseelf taller and puffing his muscles and making sure to hold intensive eye contact with every passerby who looks in Tim's direction with some kind of interest)

But when if their supersonas? Tim takes the scary dog priviledge to a new level.

They just saved some people from a collapsed building and some person is draping themselves all over superboy and exaggerating their hurt ankle. How do we know they're exaggerating? Well, purelly because Red Robin just appeared out of nowhere and slammed the head of his bo staff so hard on the ground near them that it made cracks on the concrete while makingg the pperson jump up and scurry away as well, ankle suddenly fine enough to move again. Red's excuse? "Oops. bug."

Patrolling toguether one night and people are asking for superboy's phottos and autographs and he laughs and smilles and poses and people question why he's alone while laughing and brushing their hands against his arms and he just cocks his head "alone?" and a presence is suddenly felt in the alley nearby and if you focus just enough you can see the outline of someone who absolutely looks and feels like they're planning a murder and everyone just respectfully tales a step back because what the fuck.

Or when they're either talking with new heroes/heroes who don't know them well and just get a bit too close to Kon and suddenly they feel a murderous aura around them just to look around and see Red Robin just staring them down with no smile on his face and they frown because surely this feeling is not becaause I feel threatened by a human out of all-

#I just find it neat #I live for feral super x feral bat #or any variation of possessive between the supes and bats lol #timkon #tim drake #kon-el #superboy #red robin #my headcanons #like imagine a villain is fighting them and they suddenly flirt with their respective other just to immediately get the meanest right hook #like one punch ko kind of right hook and theyre immeditely out and the one who punched just stands there for a sec #like if Kon was the one who punched I think Tim would laugh his ass off then flirt back while thinking holy shit thats hot #same for Tim tbh like he'd just stand there and then angry whisper “I have ten more ways to fucking destroy you don't test me”#kon swoons #HemWrites

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uramakimochi · 1 year ago

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my man my man my man my man🤤

WHERE YOU TRULY BELONG TO

Monkey D Luffy x Reader

Warnings: semi-long story i hope it doesn't bore you lol, fluff+little bit of angst, use of Y/n, fem!R who is a bit of a crybaby but everyone cries in this anime so idc. It should be an established relationship, but if it doesn't show it's because i believe that Luffy is not the kind of person that shows his love by openly saying "I love you" or calling you with petnames, i think he'd just do affectionate gestures that are completely normal for him.

This story is not canon, it has nothing to do with the anime/manga, but i took inspiration from the film Strong World. I'm sorry if this is shit, it actually took me a lot of time because i absolutely had no fantasy so i hope this came out at least decent lol. I invented the villain because yes and Y/n plays the part of the damsel in distress like Nami also because yes. I just like the stories where the hero saves the princess🤭

English is not my first language so feel free to correct me.

///

The Strawhats were traveling along the calm sea aboard the Sunny. Franky was at the helm while Brook played some sweet background music for the day, Nami was taking care of her orange trees, and Robin was reading a book on a lawn chair. Zoro was training alone, Usopp and Chopper were fishing from the edge of the ship, while Sanji had prepared some drinks to serve to everyone.

Finally, on the lion-shaped figurehead of the Sunny, Luffy was lying on his back, with his arms and legs open as if he were a starfish. You were sitting next to his body and while he had his eyes fixed on the blue sky, you alternated your gaze from the sea to his face, smiling. There wasn't a conversation between the two of you at the time, but that was okay. Although Luffy was one of the most extroverted and talkative people you knew, every now and then even those moments of comfortable silence accompanied you in your intimate moments. For both of them it was enough to be next to each other.

When you turned your head to look at the sea you realized the presence of an island on the horizon, which was getting closer and closer.

“Hey Luffy” you called.

"Mh?"

"I see an island over there. Shall we go and see or continue with our route?"

Luffy sat up, swaying forward. Then he made a thoughtful expression.

"Uhhh... Sounds like fun. I suggest we do some exploring!" He then exclaimed and you smiled, nodding.

So Luffy yelled at Franky to head towards the island and none of the crew protested.

After docking the Sunny, you all leaned out to see what lay before you, which was nothing more than an old abandoned town.

"It seems completely deserted..." Brook muttered.

"Look!" Chopper then exclaimed, pointing his hoof forward. "There's a palace up there!"

The road that ran through the abandoned city led to many flights of stairs that led to a traditional japanese palace built high up in the rocks, overlooking the small island.

"So? Who's going down to take a look?" Nami asked placing her hands on her hips, looking at you one by one. "I'm staying here"

"I-If Nami stays then i'm staying too!" Usopp stuttered with an uncertain smile. "We don't know if that town is truly abandoned. What if it's haunted? What if there are ghosts??"

"G-G-Ghosts?!" Chopper exclaimed in fear, then ran to hide behind Nami's legs. One could therefore guess that he too would remain on board.

"That's so cool!" Luffy then said with bright eyes, starting to jump on the spot. "I wanna see the ghosts!"

"If Luffy goes, i go too" Zoro said.

"I was about to offer to go too, but if there's that idiot of a swordsman then i'll stay here with my beloved Nami" Sanji then said with a grimace.

Zoro gritted his teeth, turning to look at him.

"So much the better, perv cook"

"Say it again if you dare, moss-head!"

While the two were busy bickering as usual, Robin raised a hand.

"I come willingly. In my opinion we can discover something interesting on this island"

"Robin can i come with you?" you continued, standing next to her and the woman smiled at you, nodding.

Don't get it wrong, you loved all of your crewmates, but the two people you had formed the closest relationship with were Luffy and Robin. Robin was like a big sister, almost a mother to you and you had grown very fond of her. From the moment you first joined the crew, she had always tried to make you feel comfortable (I'm sorry but i love her so much she's one of my comfort characters). Luffy on the other hand... Well Luffy was simply Luffy. Luffy was the one who had welcomed you into the crew with open arms without a second thought and his being himself was what was enough to make you fall in love with him.

When Sanji heard your voice, suddenly the argument between him and Zoro disappeared as if by magic and you saw him twirling around with heart-shaped eyes.

"Waah~ if sweet Y/n and beautiful Robin are coming, then i'll come too so i can protect them from the ghosts! Don't worry my ladies, your knight Sanji is here!"

You thanked him with a sheepish smile and Zoro crossed his arms, rolling his eyes.

“How many times do we have to remind you that Y/n is already taken? Tch, you pervert…”

"I'll kill you moss-head!"

///

So it was just the five of you who entered the "haunted" city. The island was abandoned and there wasn't a soul alive, what could have gone wrong?

"Yoo-hoo! Ghosts?! Is anyone here?!" Luffy shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth and looking around.

Sanji kicked him, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Stop screaming like that! You idiot!"

Luffy whined as he rubbed his head and you helped him to his feet, but you didn't say anything to Sanji. It was nothing new that your captain behaved in a childish manner that could get his crewmates into trouble and was scolded for it.

"How about we walk towards the palace?" Zoro then asked. "I believe that we'll find all the answers we seek on this island up there"

You didn't even have time to agree with him before Luffy started running in the direction of the palace with an excited smile.

"Let's gooo!"

And before you could even tell him to wait, he grabbed your hand, dragging you with him, while behind you the other three let out a sigh of exasperation and then they followed you.

Arriving at the foot of the mountain, you raised your head to look at the building above you.

“That's a lot of stairs” you muttered and even though you had no intention of climbing all those steps at all, you knew that with Luffy it was pointless. He would not give you rest until he reached the top.

And after climbing all the steps, you finally arrived at the entrance to the palace. It seemed empty, but its physical appearance did not give the impression of being abandoned at all, like the city.

Suddenly, the lights of the lanterns that decorated the palace all turned on and only in that moment did you realize how the sky, previously clear, was now filled with so many dark clouds that had covered the sun.

“I have a feeling we're not alone” Robin murmured, as around you, a light breeze began to pick up.

Then, a voice.

"WELCOME FOREIGNERS!"

The front doors swung open and a man slowly advanced towards your group.

"It's a pleasure to have guests on our island after so long" the figure said with each step.

Initially you thought you had imagined that voice, but when you saw his face light up under the light of the lanterns, you had the terrible confirmation that unfortunately it was not a hallucination.

Instinctively you approached Luffy and took his hand without saying anything. He turned to look at you, not understanding your sudden behavior, but the voice of the one who had just left the building called his attention.

"Strawhat Luffy, i didn't expect that i would ever meet you in person" the man said opening his arms wide with a fake smile. "Where is the rest of your crew? Why don't you all come to my palace and i'll offer you something to drink?"

Luffy stared at him in silence. Your terrified look and the hand that continued to hold his were making him understand that that guy was not to be trusted at all.

"Tell us who you are first" Zoro said with a firm tone, placing a hand on the handles of his swords. Sanji lit a cigarette instead, looking at him suspiciously.

"Me?" the man asked, turning to look at the swordsman. "Of course, it was rude of me to not introduce myself, you're right. Well i am-"

"Captain Xavier..." you murmured, feeling your heart sink, but your voice was heard by everyone.

It was at that moment that the man noticed your presence, turning towards you and he widened his eyes and then he smiled.

“My dear Y/n~”

Hearing him say your name sent a shiver down your spine.

"Do you know each other?" Sanji asked confused, but neither he nor Zoro noticed Luffy and Robin's surprised looks of realization.

"He... He was... My old captain..." you murmured, looking down at the ground, humiliated.

Put like that, it might seem like a banal and touching moment of reunion between a captain and an old member of his crew. But it wasn't about that at all. The only ones who knew about your past were Robin and Luffy.

Xavier took a step forward towards you and you automatically took one back.

“It's been so long since we've seen each other, my dear” he said with a grin. "All these years i have missed you since the day you left us"

"I-I didn't leave you!" You exclaimed, lifting your head to look at him. "I ran away! Because you were a horrible person!"

Xavier chuckled.

"We're pirates, sweetheart. And pirates aren't good people"

"Yes, they are! Because we are good pirates!" you exclaimed. "We're not horrible and dishonest like you Xavier. We don't kill innocent people!"

You clenched your fist at your side.

“Y-You destroyed my village…” you growled, feeling anger and sadness flood your body in unison. You hadn't felt this way in a long time, but you didn't miss that feeling of agony in your chest at all. "You k-killed my family and... And you took me away, to make me your slave. You are a despicable being, Xavier!"

Sanji and Zoro's eyes widened. Robin looked at you sadly and thought back to the afternoon when you told her everything in front of Sunny's aquarium, with tears in your eyes.

“And so you went to seek refuge among the Strawhats, my dear?” Xavier exclaimed, opening his arms wide with an amused expression. "Led by a skinny brat who thinks he can become the Pirate King! Congratulations, you've really made a big step forward!"

Xavier started laughing loudly and you looked at him with teary eyes. You didn't care how much he insulted you, but you hated how he was making fun of Luffy, he had no idea of his strength.

"My dear little Y/n" the man then said once he stopped laughing "Why don't you leave this bunch of losers and come back to us, mh? We all know that is your true place"

Your eyes widened when you saw him approaching you again, but suddenly Luffy stepped in front of you with a step and he raised his head to look at him.

“Stay away from her” he said menacingly, glaring at him from the shadow of his straw hat.

Xavier remained silent, but then he smirked, not at all intimidated by Luffy's presence.

“Oh my dear Y/n, i see that you are still a weak and naive woman, who cannot stand up for herself” Xavier said calmly, stepping back. "But i have changed..."

Luffy continued to stare at him, gritting his teeth.

"I have become stronger..." the other continued and Zoro slowly began to draw one of his swords.

What he was saying was true. When you were under his command Xavier was already strong and evil, but after all those years he had gotten physically stronger and you could see it clearly given his height, definitely taller than Luffy's, the muscles of his arms and the scars he had gotten all over his body.

"And now i'm even more bloodthirsty than i was before!" he exclaimed with an evil smile, making your blood run cold in your veins at the way he said those words.

Suddenly, Xavier's hands began to turn like smoke and then all that smoke began to spread everywhere. No, it wasn't smoke...

"Is this fog?!" Sanji exclaimed and you noticed that because of the fog you were finding it increasingly difficult to see his body.

The only one you could still see was Luffy because he was right in front of you, so you walked over to him to grab his hand again.

“You know i was lucky enough to have the chance to eat a devil fruit too” Xavier's voice sounded around you and you turned to look at him, but he was completely gone. "I honestly would have preferred a stronger power like fire, but fog also has its advantages"

"Where did he go?!" Zoro exclaimed in the distance.

"I can't see him! And i can't see you either!" Robin then said.

Both you and Luffy continued to turn your heads, trying to spot him, but it was impossible now. He had completely merged with the fog, he could have been anywhere, he could have run away.

Until you suddenly heard his voice right next to your ear.

"For example i can do this"

Your eyes widened.

“Luff-hmph!”

You opened your mouth to call out to Luffy, but a hand covered your lips and you were dragged backwards, your hand releasing Luffy's, taken aback.

“Y/n!”

In a split second you saw Luffy suddenly turn towards you and then his body disappeared into the fog, along with the ones of your crewmates.

"Y/n! Y/n answer me! Where are you!?" Luffy continued to scream your name through the fog, while Zoro, Sanji and Robin tried to reunite with him.

"What happened?!" -Sanji

"Luffy what do we do?" -Zoro

Suddenly the fog began to clear and Luffy and the others widened their eyes when they saw that they had just been surrounded by an army of armed men.

"Damn! Where do all these guys come from?" Zoro asked, drawing his second sword.

"Luffy!"

Luffy whirled around when he heard your voice shouting his name and his and the others' eyes widened when they saw Xavier standing behind his men, holding your body in one hand.

"You bastard! Let her go!" Luffy shouted and without hesitation you saw him leap with a jump over all the pirates and towards you.

Xavier smirked and dodged him without any problems, then he threw a punch from behind that sent him crashing face first to the ground.

"Luffy!" You exclaimed again, scared for him.

Luffy raised his head to look at Xavier and the man tightened his hand around your body, making you whimper in pain.

"If you want her back, come and get her, Strawhat" he said and after creating another wall of fog he disappeared into the middle of it, taking you with him.

At that moment, all the pirates started to attack Luffy and the others, but before they could even take a step towards him, Luffy knocked them all out in a matter of seconds thanks to the power of haki.

"Well that was easy, wasn't it?" Zoro asked.

Then all the doors and windows of the palace opened, accompanied by a multitude of voices that were getting closer or closer. Luffy and the others realized that unfortunately the enemies were much more of the first ones.

"They're everywhere!" Robin said looking around, noticing pirates coming up the stairs and exiting the building as if they were ants.

"Guys! You cover me!" Luffy said as he adjusted his hat on his head. "I'm going to Xavier!"

"Leave it to us!" Zoro said with a smile.

“Make that bastard pay for hurting sweet Y/n!” Sanji continued, placing the cigarette between his lips and then kicking in the face the first pirate who dared to approach him.

Luffy began to run towards the entrance doors of the palace, defeating all the enemies who came in his path with punches and kicks.

"Get out of the way!" he shouted. "Y/n! I'm coming!"

From the highest room of the palace, you heard the shouts and clash of weapons of Xavier's men fighting against your friends and Luffy. But they would have made it. Right?

“Are you doubting them?” a voice asked from behind you. “Do you think your own crewmates won't make it?”

"No... My friends are strong"

“Stronger than you my dear, that's for sure” Xavier said with a chuckle that you ignored. By now you were used to his insults and the fact that he treated you as if you were worthless. "But do you really think that your captain is stronger than me?"

You slowly turned to look at Xavier with a murderous glare.

"I don't think so. I know that Luffy is stronger than you. And you will be another of the many people he's going to defeat before becoming the King Of The Pirates"

Xavier's smile slowly disappeared from his lips. He gritted his teeth and moved closer to you and before you could react, he punched you in the cheek, sending your body against the wall.

“You really are a pathetic woman, you haven't changed at all” the man said, tightening his hand around your body again and you squeezed your eyes shut in pain. “Do you know what i want right now Y/n? I want to kill your captain. And that's exactly what i'm going to do: his death will be the last thing you will see before you return with me to my ship as my slave. And i will make you regret to have escaped, believe me"

"XAVIERRR!"

Suddenly, the door broke into a thousand pieces and Luffy appeared inside the room, panting.

“L-Luffy…” you murmured with a smile.

Xavier composed himself and stood up, still holding your body in one hand.

Luffy clenched his fists when he saw your bloody mouth from Xavier's punch.

"Let her go. Now"

Xavier looked at him emotionlessly, as if he didn't care. Because that's exactly how it was.

"And if i don't?" he mockingly retorted.

Xavier tightened his grip around your body and you groaned in pain, coughing up blood as Luffy opened his eyes and gritted his teeth angrily. The man noticed Luffy's behavior, he was far too protective of you to just be your captain.

“Tell me Strawhat” Xavier then continued, loosening his grip on your body and you started breathing again. "Is she your woman?"

You weakly raised your head to look the man in the eyes with determination, despite your injuries.

"I-I'm not..."

"She's nobody's woman" Luffy continued, taking a step forward. "But if someone hurts her or my crewmates, you know what happens to them, right?"

Luffy cracked his knuckles, feeling the fury and adrenaline coursing through his veins.

"I will defeat you Xavier. I will become the King Of The Pirates. But above all: Y/n will never be your slave again. You'll have to walk over my dead body before i let you take her away!"

You looked at Luffy with bright, shiny eyes.

"Luffy..."

Xavier grinned, as Luffy got into a fighting stance.

“Good” he said, lifting the hand that was gripping your body. "Bring it on then"

Xavier threw your body backwards, out the window, so he could focus on Luffy and you let out a scream, followed by Luffy yelling your name. You hit the ground, rolling a few feet, as you heard Xavier's evil laughter echoing from the building.

“Y/n!”

Your head throbbed and you slowly tried to sit up, until suddenly you saw Luffy's worried face appear before your eyes.

"Are you okay??" He asked frantically, placing his hands on your shoulders and shaking you lightly. "Oi! Answer me!"

"Strawhat!" Xavier's voice boomed from behind him. “You can't allow to let your guard down for her!”

Only then did you notice the light layer of fog that was slowly enveloping your bodies and your eyes widened when you saw a figure suddenly appear behind Luffy.

"Luffy watch out!"

Xavier tried to attack him and Luffy managed to block his punch by hardening his arm with haki, shielding you with his body.

"Why do you keep to protect her?" Xavier asked, trying to push his fist forward. "She's weak. She's just a dead weight! You can never be the Pirate King as long as you have someone like her in your crew! Don't you understand that?"

Luffy gritted his teeth.

"S-Shut up!" if his gaze had been capable of killing someone, Xavier would have died at that moment. "You know nothing about her!"

Luffy managed to push him away and Xavier was thrown backwards, back into the palace, but he knew he wouldn't last long.

"He's right..."

When Luffy heard your voice and turned to look at you, he saw you with your head bowed and shoulders shaking.

"I-I'm too weak. Someone like me doesn't deserve to stay in your crew, Luffy" you murmured as you clenched a fist on top of your thigh. "You're just wasting your time worrying about me, you'll never be able to make your dream come true. F-Forgive me... Forgive me Luffy, you don't deserve this..."

You closed your eyes and began to sob, not noticing Luffy's serious gaze fixed on your face. At that exact moment, the image of another you crying out loud just like you were doing now crossed his mind, when during a moment of intimacy between the both of you, you had found the courage to reveal your past to him. Luffy may have been a childish and forgetful boy, but if there was one thing he would never forget, that was your face of that day, with red eyes and cheeks covered in tears. And he knew Xavier deserved a punishment for everything he did to you.

Luffy took off his strawhat and placed it on your hair. You raised your head to look at him.

"L-Luffy?"

“You're not weak” he said, looking you straight in the eyes. "If you are in my crew, it's because i know that you are strong. And as your captain, i forbid you to believe Xavier's words, do you understand me?"

The seriousness of his words and the determination in his eyes with which he was looking at you were making your heart beat faster.

“And then…” he said and he flashed you a smile. "As long as i'm here, you know you can always count on me. I told you, don't you remember?"

Your eyes widened and you remembered the words Robin told you that time at the aquarium.

“We are a family, Y/n. We always help each other in times of need. You don't have to be afraid to ask for help”

"R-Really?" you sobbed as you looked at Robin and she smiled thoughtfully at you, nodding.

"We all did it. And with Luffy as our captain, we know he'll always do anything to protect us"

And then, you thought back to Luffy's words.

“As long as you are with me, you will never have to be afraid again. I will always protect you, no matter what. It's a promise”

“It's a promise, Y/n”

Hearing Luffy say those words again you couldn't help but cry again, but this time from emotion. He didn't care about your weaknesses, on the contrary, he knew that you had a potential in you that, thanks to Xavier, you had never had the courage to show. But now you had confirmation of where you really belonged and that was with Luffy. He and the others were your new home, your new family.

“T-Thank you Luffy,” you said, your trembling lips lifting into a smile. "Thank you so much!"

Luffy chuckled lightly.

"Shishishi! Come on, don't cry Y/n!" he said reaching a hand towards your face to wipe the tears from your cheeks in a somewhat goofy way and you closed your eyes with a sniff, letting out a giggle.

Next you saw him stand up.

"Now i want you to stay here and wait for me while i deal with that guy. Okay?" he said, jerking his thumb at Xavier in the distance behind him. "I'll be right back. And take care of my hat!"

Those were the last words he said to you before throwing himself headfirst into Xavier and you smiled as you watched him go, clutching your hands to your chest.

"I will"

///

When Nami saw you all returning aboard the Sunny, she and Usopp were the first to run towards you, worried.

"What happened?! We heard bangs and screams!"

"Are you all alright!?"

Then Franky, Brook and Chopper also joined and the latter let out a scared cry when he saw you sitting on Luffy's back (he and Sanji had argued about carrying you since you were injured, but in the end Sanji gave up).

“Y/n!”

You flashed him a weak grin, climbing down from Luffy's body for him to have a look, but you waved a hand nonchalantly, not wanting to worry him too much.

"Don't worry about me, Chopper. I'm fine, really"

The reindeer didn't seem too convinced by your words, but when he saw you leaning against Luffy's side with a tired smile, he decided to let it go.

"So what did you find out? Who did you fight?" Franky asked curiously.

Luffy fixed his hat on his head and hugging your body against his he tilted his head so he could rest it on yours, rubbing his cheek against your hair affectionately.

“Oh no one important, shishishi!” he exclaimed with an innocent smile and the others looked at him in confusion.

From behind Zoro, Robin gave you a knowing look and a smile which you silently returned, before clasping Luffy's hand in yours.

The past was behind you. Your present was with your crew and your beloved captain. That was where you belonged.

///

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dearharriet · 1 year ago

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I Want Your Video; Steve Harrington x Reader 📼

summary: steve always takes care of you on a night out.

word count: 1.4K

warnings: drinking, smoking, swearing, fem!reader, fluff

a/n: inspired by a djo song with the same title. i’m such a sucker for steve <3

“I ‘ave to go t’the bathrooom,” you tell Steve, holding tight to the hot skin of his bicep. In a drunken stupor, your thumb swipes sweetly over it once, unable to resist.

His other arm, the one you’re not holding to, has your clutch tucked under it. It’s unclear if he’s being gentlemanly or if he’s monitoring your intake. He certainly didn’t take Nancy’s or Robin’s. Or Argyle’s belly bag.

“‘Kay, be safe,” Steve says, patting your elbow. He looks a touch hot, red-cheeked and a little damp around the edges. Dancing must’ve made a mess of you if he looks so disheveled from just standing and talking. You furrow your brows.

“Come with me?” Pouting, your grip slides down to take his hand, but he pulls away.

“Uh—maybe Nance or Rob should do that.”

He says it like such a request is verboten. You look back towards Nance and Robin, relentlessly moving on the dance floor.

“They won’t go with meeee—“ you whine, and then simper when he sighs in defeat.

Steve steers you toward the stairwell that leads down to the toilets. While you weave through the crowds, he stays behind you, a steadying force at your back.

The stairwell is much cooler than the bar. It’s a relief to suck in air that’s not muggy with sweat and beer. At the bottom of the dingey stairs a couple is draped over one another talking closely, and nearer to the bathroom there’s a trio of people sharing a smoke and waiting. Steve and you take up residence just next to them. The concrete wall is cooling on your hot back and it elicits a sigh.

“Having fun?” Steve asks, facing you with his arms crossed and a shoulder leant on the wall. Your clutch is shoved in his front pocket like a miniature Bible.

“Uh-huh.” You nod with exaggerated windedness. “Wish you’d dance with me, though.”

The bathroom door clicks open and a guy comes out, nodding awkwardly at all seven heads turned his way. The queue dwindles to three again—plus Steve, who is smiling at you apologetically.

“Nah, you wouldn’t wanna see me dance. I tend to intimidate people with how skilled I am.”

A laugh bubbles out of you. “Ohhh, right,” you nod. “Must be hard, having all that talent. And you’re s’busy keepin’ me sober.” You speak so fast the words slur on the way out, and Steve chuckles teasingly.

“I’m doin’ a shit job, aren’t I? You’re in a state already.” He reaches out and brushes your arm when he says this, his knuckles leaving goosebumps behind them. When he pulls his hand back he’s grown more sincere. “Who said I’m keeping you sober? I’ve let you drink all you want.”

“You let me,” you tease, “But you’re keeping my wallet. And you’ve been watching me all night.”

“Yeah, well.” He looks defensive. “Someone’s gotta have your back.”

The bathroom door opens again, and the line shrinks even more. You pick the conversation right back up.

“What ‘bout Nance and Rob? And the guys?” Turning toward Steve, your arms cross so you’re mirroring him. “They’ve all got their wallets.”

“They’ve got each other, too.” Steve playfully swings at your shoulder, and you take the hit willingly. “Who’s got you, huh, rockstar?”

A smile splits your face with glee at the nickname. You step closer and you’re about to answer—you, you’ve got me—when Steve clears his throat.

You frown, and Steve smiles, juts his chin toward the bathroom door. It’s empty, you realize, and Steve and you are alone. It seems the third member of the bathroom trio was only company, like Steve.

“You know what to do,” Steve mutters, and you reluctantly peel away from the wall.

“Oh, wait!” You whip around and offer a hand out for your wallet. Steve gives it over wordlessly, and then you’re locking the door behind you.

As suspected, you look a mess. Your hair is frizzed and a touch tangled. Dark mauve eyeliner has smoked itself out—all over your undereye—and your cheeks are red and dampened with sweat.

Despite it all, you feel good. You brought your clutch so you could touch up your lipstick, and you do, but you don’t need to. It’s almost like what Steve said; You’re a rockstar. You look like one, anyway.

After washing your hands, the only thing you do to your appearance is fluff your hair up even more, playing up this smudged version of your original look.

It feels impossibly easy to grin at Steve once you emerge from the bathroom. Steve laughs.

“Why do I feel like you got more drunk while you were in there?”

You tighten your smile primly. “Not drunker, just better looking.”

Steve pulls his brows together almost painfully, his features unreadable. You saunter over to him anyways, stepping into his bubble. His full back is pressed to the wall now, a leg kicked up, and you’re as close as you can get without being thigh-to-knee. Steve’s nervous eyes scan you.

“Want me to take that?” Steve points to your clutch. You nod, but ignore the hand he has waiting for you. Feeling bold, you reach around him and tuck it into his back pocket. Your chests meet, and then crush closer as you both gasp. Pulling away feels suddenly impossible, so you don't, and Steve doesn’t make you. He licks his lips.

“Y’didn’t lock the door,” he mumbles, but your brain jumbles as his hand smooths over your ribs.

“Hmm?” You can’t be bothered with words, feeling more intoxicated by his touch than the three drinks in your system.

Steve rubs a small circle over your side. “The bathroom door,” he says softly, “it stayed on vacant the whole time.”

Oh, yeah. It had. Your mouth pops open, and then you shoot him a wry grin.

“Whoops.”

Steve’s responding head shake is exasperated but fond.

“You trust me too much,” he sighs.

It’s not a joke. A string of insecurity holds the sentence together, and you know what it is. It’s easy to see that he knows, too. Moving closer, committing to the embrace you’ve found yourself in, you pin Steve with a sincere stare.

“Do I?” It’s excessively rhetorical, stilling any rebuttal he has. Steve purses his lips together, and then glances at yours. You toe up ever so slightly, in anticipation. Both of Steve’s hands are on you now, though they’re holding your arms, keeping you at bay.

“We can’t,” Steve whispers, glancing at the stairwell, and you realize the bar is still upstairs with all of your friends. They’d probably come looking soon, vying for another round, another dance. You look to the stairwell too, and then to the other side of the hall, and back to Steve.

“Yet here we are.” The murmur is sultry, luring Steve closer, tempting his hand to wind into the soft hair at the nape of your neck.

“Here we are,” Steve repeats, and then your lips are abruptly too occupied by his to respond.

Steve’s hand that’s not gripping your neck winds over your shoulders, keeping you close. His nose crushes to your cheek as he drags his mouth over yours again and again.

A part of you—the same part that’s observing how good of a kisser he is—can’t believe you’re mouth to mouth with the Steve Harrington from high school. The other half, probably the truer half, knows it’s been a long time coming. Years of patching up and skirting around each other, protecting each other because you had to, and now taking care of each other because you wanted to. Because no one else would.

When you separate, you’re both breathless and effervescent. Steve is staring at you like you hung the moon.

“You’re so beautiful,” he coos, his thumb caressing the rosy apple of your cheek. Steve has a way of marrying sincerity and charm, and it needles at your heart ruthlessly.

You beam and kiss him again as a thank you.

“Think you might be glowing,” he continues, speaking right into your mouth. His teeth clack against yours as the kiss grows too smiley for its own good.

“You look pretty, too,” you goad, tracing his lips. “Cherry’s a good look on you.”

Steve pinches his brow and then notices your smeared lipstick.

“Aw, come on.”

You laugh and help him wipe it off, but when you return to the bar later, Argyle still complements Steve’s beautiful makeup.

thank you for reading ! my requests are open :)

masterlist

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fic #steve Harrington x you #steve Harrington imagine #steve harrington blurb #steve harrington x y/n fluff #steve harrington x fem #Steve Harrington x reader fanfic #steve harrington fluff #steve the hair harrington #stranger things #argyle #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #king steve

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anselbun · 2 months ago

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Reverse age robins AU is so interesting to me, especially when you think about damian. I mostly see people talk about dick and Jason and how different their lives would be, but not really about damian.

Like, think about it. He’s still born of a messy relationship between Bruce and talia- but Bruce would have been so much younger then, after his first run in with the loa when he was trained by them when he was still just a teenager. Him being led to believe that talia lost the baby, and that’s part of the reason he eventually returns home alone and takes on the role of Batman. Not only has he lost his parents and gone through all of his struggles so far in life, he also has the knowledge that he could have had a son, who died before he could ever be born. He becomes Batman, he works hard to protect people but stays in that dark state he was in before he found hope in a robin.

And then one day- damian. Maybe much younger than he actually was in the comics when he is first given to Bruce. Bruce is hurt and lost not understanding why talia kept damian from him, and has to contend with the understanding that damian was raised in such a painful way, and that Damian’s views of the world are so skewed. But he doesn’t have the experience as a parent to help him. He doesn’t have dick Grayson to raise his son for a year and understand exactly what that child needs to be able to grow and change. He doesn’t even know that he IS missing that. He just knows he has this six year old with a body count higher than Bruce can even fathom and a skewed, painful view of life and death. But this kid is still a kid. Bruce’s kid. And he loves him and wants to be his father.

I don’t know where the name Robin would come from in this world if not from dicks mother, but let’s say it happens anyways and damian becomes robin. It won’t be the same robin that dick was- sure, he’s a child. He’s fast and taunting and draws the attention of the enemies, but damian isn’t immediately the same sign of hope that dick would have been. He becomes more like an extension of batman, if not a piece of the man’s shadow.

And then maybe he grows up and, just just as dick did, starts to see the flaws in Bruce as a parent. Struggles with the pressure of leading his own team of teen hero’s, the pressure of being Batman’s son, and he just. Needs to get away from that for a while. Needs to leave and find out who he actually wants to be. He loves Bruce, he loves Alfred. They’re both his dads in some way, but he knows he’s not the same as them. Does he want to be like them? Does he want to be like his mother and grandfather? Does he want to be something else entirely? He has no idea.

And In this case, where would tim come from? Would young tim have been as interested in robin if he wasn’t the same bright brilliant hopeful figure that was dick and Jason? Would he still feel the need to seek them out if there was no second dead Robin? This is something I truly want to just think about and explore forever because this family would be so different in the opposite way. If Jason was the third, would he still have died? Would damian willingly give the Robin mantle over to Tim after he left? Would a different robin have died in Jason’s place? It’s so interesting and there’s so many ways one could go with it. But just. Damian. How different his life as Bruce Wayne’s child would be if he didn’t have the big brothers who helped raise him into who he is.

#batfam #batman #batfamily #damian wayne #dc comics #jason todd #dick grayson #bruce wayne #tim drake #robin damian

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gffa · 1 year ago

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Damn, Dick didn't even hesitate with that. I mean, he's not wrong, Bruce spent those years traveling the world and obsessing single-mindedly over becoming the perfect fighter to be able to protect Gotham, he never allowed himself friends or teammates or truly relying on anyone but himself, he never got the teenager experience. He was a teenager, but he doesn't know anything about being a teenager, and that's sad, but it also means that Dick has to remind him that he's not the same, for all the weirdness that is Dick Grayson's life as Robin, he still grabs onto the concept of friends and hanging out and doing teenager things. Which makes Bruce's reactions all the more meaningful--he's always viewed Dick through the lens of being similar to himself just a little too much, sometimes Bruce has trouble letting go of that view of him, that they're mirror images of each other, especially when it overlaps with how this kid brought light and laughter and joy to Wayne Manor and Bruce's life, how hard it is for Bruce to love him and let him go, because he's never gotten that experience, either. Everyone Bruce Wayne has ever loved was either ripped away from him in bloody tatters or he's held onto them with an iron fist. Dick Grayson is the first one he's had to willingly open his hands with, and it's hard as hell when he never had or wanted those normal teenage experiences, when he never wanted to be the leader of a team of friends, when he doesn't want to open his heart to people who can be ripped away from him again. He never had the chance to learn how to do it like most people do. But he does do it. Because he also wants Dick to be better than him, the whole point of taking Dick in was to help him not be what Bruce is, to save him from that. And he has to let Dick make his choices, have his friends, let him go, even just a little, even when Bruce doesn't understand the appeal of wanting friends to just hang out with, he sees that Dick needs that, and so he asks, did your decision save lives? Yes. Will you do it again? Not without talking to you first. Then one month without the uniform. This moment is told from Dick's point of view, we don't know what's going on Bruce's head, but it's not a hard to leap to see that it's hitting every single exposed nerve he has--his secrets are what allow him to be Batman, this kid he let into his heart is slowly starting to step out on his own and go away from him, he did it without talking to Bruce first--that he's being asked to open his iron fisted grip to keep everything he treasures close. And still Bruce Wayne uncurls his clenched fingers just enough, against every instinct he has, and lets go a little, praising Dick for doing a better job than he could as he goes.

#lumi.txt #dc #batfam #dick grayson #bruce wayne #world's finest: teen titans

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frogaroundandfindout · 4 months ago

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I used to give the 'lazarus pit madness' trope for jason so much shit unless it was a REALLY good fic that did something interesting with the idea. But the more I read of pre52 red hood the more I'm just like "yeah no I have absolutely no idea how I'd reconcile all this heinous shit he's done without finding a way to make it not his fault actually"

I hate the 'jason was always a monster and bruce couldn't save him' nonsense so much, he was literally just a homeless little boy. MY BUDDY LITERALLY WILLINGLY WENT BACK TO BEING HOMELESS BECAUSE HE DIDN'T WANT TO HURT PEOPLE FOR MA GUNN EVEN THOUGH IT MEANT GIVING UP FOOD AND SHELTER AND DECENT TREATMENT

jason sweetheart I'm so sorry dc butchered you like this my god

When the characterization is so inconsistent the fandom has to resort to literal magic to explain it.

But seriously, I haven’t read a whole lot of Jason as Robin but from what I did read he was so tiny and just wanted to do good. It’s a disservice to every character involved for Bruce to adopt him because he thought he’d be a criminal otherwise. It implies Bruce thinks of every kid living in poverty as a shoe in for crime and not as some of the most vulnerable individuals in low SE areas. Which is just…so bad considering he’s 1) a rich white man stereotyping a large group of people and 2) someone that fights crime because of an act of violence commited in front of him as a little boy. A Batman that doesn’t believe in the goodness of a child (especially one like Jason who, like you said, gave up basic necessities for the sake of his morals) and protecting it in a way he wasn’t protected is a very very weird Batman to me. So it turns Bruce into a white knight and redhood into confirmation of Bruce’s stereotyping and paranoia.

If it was just Jason thinking that’s why Bruce took him in it would be a completely different animal. I might have even enjoyed reading about how Jason rationalized their changed relationship after he came back swinging (literally) and thinking that it’s some innate characteristic about him that drove the wedge between him and Bruce before he even realized it was there. But it’s very much not just Jason. EVERYONE. FUCKING. SAYS. IT. And tbh that kinda ruins everyone just a bit in my eyes. If not agreement and support for Bruce’s bs, they’re at least silently complicit in perpetuating it.

But beyond that, it also makes me think of Devin Grayson’s run where she kept talking about how dick was “meant for crime” or would have obviously been a criminal if it wasn’t for Bruce. This was built on frankly awful stereotypes regarding Romani people. I bring this one up because the combination of the two does not make Bruce look as good as the writers seemed to think.

But if we ignore the bs involved and take the reason for Jason’s adoption at face value, I think it offers an interesting comparison between him and Damian. Jason is presented a child destined for a life of crime who eventually became one of The Villains despite Batman’s efforts. Damian was an heir destined for crime who eventually became one of The Heroes because of Batman’s efforts. Idk it’s just interesting to me.

#I’ve thought about this too much #dc #ask #it’s not rly Jason becoming a villian that bothers me #a good kid can become a villain #that’s the whole tragedy of Jason Todd #and everyone has a choice #but rather its classist framing

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worriedvision · 5 months ago

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A romance with no romance - Sunday

Gender neutral reader, readers good friends with Robin here and they've had a big crush on Sunday, knowing he doesn't like them back. Angst lol, includes heavy spoilers from the most recent trailblazer quest (inspired by it tbh!)

You were a fellow singer, and you landed up meeting Robin and Sunday at the same time. It wasn't even related to your work, and at that point you were an upcoming vocalist. You didn't have a good time that day, your mentor seemingly disappointed that you couldn't find the confidence to wear an outfit too revealing to 'accentuate your voice'. Robin invited you to join the both of them, which you accept, and you start talking to the both of them.

Truth be told, Robin was such a lovely person to speak to. Free from the singing conversation, just talking as if you were just normal people. You didn't speak that much to Sunday, he seemed more reserved. It was when you saw him and Robin interacting that you foolishly fell in love. While he was embarrassed to say it out loud, you could feel how much he loved hearing Robin's performances. It made you want to strive to get an ounce of that attention, starved of positive attention in your pursuit for a successful career.

"Robin, I want to get better with my singing." You admit, Robin waiting for you to continue. "It feels like I'm trying everything I can, and I know I have some potential, but I'm so scared because nothing I do works."

Robin falls silent for a moment. She's smart enough to know that she is a very talented singer, but there's another factor that can be in play here.

Her influence from her brother.

Robin gives you an idea - ask out Sunday, and once he says yes you both will be out as a couple. You honestly didn't know what to think when she said it - was it really the fact you weren't being out there enough? Or surrounding yourself with the right people enough?

Regardless, you go ahead with the plan. Surprisingly, Sunday accepts. In any other scenario of this happening, you would be over the moon.

But you know Robin spoke to Sunday about the plan, and nobody was more important to Sunday than his sister. You weren't jealous of Robin, absolutely not, but you felt a twinge of guilt when Sunday accepted as you knew by the look in his eyes that you had some sort of feelings for him, and these feelings would never be returned.

He would hold your hand, tell people he loves you and you were like an obedient cat that would willingly curl up in his lap - leading to the inevitable 'thats so cute' reactions.

He did this publicly for months, but he wouldn't share any affection with you when it was you, him and Robin. He would always have Robin between the two of you, and you'd just hang out as you typically would before you became a 'happy' couple.

Fast forward to when Sunday had his downfall, you were suddenly in the spotlight for a strange reason - people were worried you were being used by Sunday as a pawn, as he would be projecting you out more than he did with his sister at times. When he got locked away, you got more popular. Your career was taking off!

But...you weren't happy. Neither you nor Robin were happy. Neither of you blame each other - you both know Sunday did those actions of his own discretion - but you silently thought to yourselves 'what if I did this differently '?

One night, you get visited by a strange figure. No features to identify by, you fear for good reason, and they give you a proposal.

"If you are willing to ensure your partner's punishment, Sunday will be set free." They state.

"...But how could I possibly help here? Even if I do that, isn't there a chance he gets caught and gets punished more?" You query.

"Sunday is a very capable man - he can survive." The cloaked figure replies.

"And what about outsiders? Won't they get suspicious when I disappear?" You tilt your head.

"That's a simple answer - people will pretend to care about your unfortunate disappearance, and then move on swiftly." The figure bluntly explains.

"...I'll do it. I'll take his place." You nod, the figure giggling before grasping you by the forearm. You lose consciousness, unable to stay awake.

When you next wake up, you're in a dark room. Thorns wrapped tightly around you, securing you as if you could run away. No windows, only a door in front of you somewhere, and even if you could get out of the room what was the chance of you getting caught?

Or of Sunday getting caught, as you were in here to essentially be a substitute.

Looking back at his way of describing you, you really begin to realise he felt hunted by you. As cute as his descriptions were, he described you as a cat as opposed to a songbird. He would talk about Robin as a songbird, perhaps he thought you were going after Robins career.

But it doesn't matter now. Your life as you knew it is now over. No career, no friends, pure solitude. The only thing you can truly yearn for is Robins wellbeing. You knew Sunday would be fine, and Robin would likely be fine, but you can't do anything more than what you have done already.

#sunday x gender neutral reader #sunday hsr #sunday x reader #hsr #robin #gender neutral reader #angst

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dwobbitfromtheshire · 5 months ago

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Part One. . .Part Two

Steve shuffled into Robin's room to find her hanging upside down on her bed.

"I sensed you were near," Robin said.

"Yeah, because you heard me, jackass," Steve said. "Eddie called. He wants to know if we can invite other people into our inner circle."

"Hm, how well does he know this person?" Robin asked.

"Well, he only met her today, but apparently, all it took was like an hour for him to trust her. Apparently, there's something about her," Steve said bitterly.

"Hm, risky, but let's see if this bitch is cheating on you," Robin said, narrowing her eyes. "If he is, he's out of the coven. I'll allow a meeting."

Later that evening, Eddie stepped through Robin's bedroom door to find them sprawled out on her bed.

"Are you guys wearing matching onesies?" Eddie asked.

"They're called long underwear," Steve scoffed.

"But essentially, yes," Robin said.

"We're also, wearing bears on our feet, bet you didn't notice that, did you?" Steve asked, crossing his arms.

"Are you mad at me, baby?" Eddie asked.

"You're bringing another girl home, and apparently, there's something about her," Robin said, looking at him in disbelief. "Of course, he's mad at you."

"Bet you didn't even notice that I'm wearing the lip gloss that you like," Steve pouted.

"Oh, sweetheart, no, it's not like that, I swear. I'm fucking crazy about you, no one can take your place," Eddie said and straddled his waist. "And you bet your sweet ass, I noticed the lip gloss."

"Really?" Steve asked bashfully.

"Really."

Eddie leaned in to kiss Steve, but Robin's hand shot out and dove between their faces. They ended up kissing Robin's hand instead.

"Not in my bed," Robin said.

"Can I come in yet?" A voice asked outside the door.

"Yeah, of course," Eddie said, squishing down in between Robin and Steve.

The door opened, and when Robin saw who it was, she tumbled right off the bed.

"Vickie!" Robin exclaimed.

"Robin! I didn't know this was your place," Vickie said, beaming. "When Eddie said he wanted to bring me to his boyfriend's platonic fiancée's house, I was really confused and also intrigued."

"As anyone would be," Robin said.

"I still can't believe that she went willingly with a formerly accused murderer," Eddie said, grinning. "She's very trusting."

"I never believed you could kill anyone. You were just the easier target," Vickie said.

"Still," Eddie said, and she laughed.

Robin stared at Vickie, her cheeks pink as she grinned. They couldn't take their eyes off each other.

"Hi," Robin whispered.

"Hi," Vickie said.

"I just realized that I'm wearing a onesie," Robin swallowed.

"It's long underwear, Robin," Eddie said with an amused grin.

"Not that I'm complaining, but why did Eddie bring you here?" Robin asked, blushing.

"Oh. We were in the library, and our hands reached for the same book. It was the only book, of course, so we kind of had this little fight, well, not really a fight, but anyway, we ended up sharing the book. We also ended up talking, and I sort of mentioned that I just found out that I'm related to Chrissy Cunningham, and it really sucks because I didn't get to know her. I mean, I talked to her a few times, and she seemed nice, but it wasn't enough to know her. I knew nothing about my own damn cousin, and that's when Eddie sort of invited me over," Vickie said.

Steve and Eddie shared a look after Vickie finally finished talking.

"Your cousin?!" Robin exclaimed.

"Yeah, she's the daughter of my father's twin sister," Vickie said. "Apparently, when we were like two, my father had concerns about how my mother was treating Chrissy, and instead of helping her own daughter, she placed a restraining order on my father. My aunt apparently had suffered from severe post partum that was left untreated. And anyway, we just weren't able to get close to her."

"I'm sorry," Robin said softly.

"Yeah, well, like I said, I didn't really know her," Vickie said. "And I think Eddie wanted to commiserate over that together. Although, I kind of thought that it was because he had a crush on her."

Eddie sighed and moved to sit between Steve’s legs as Robin climbed back onto the bed. He lowered himself down so he could tuck his head underneath Steve’s head, letting his boyfriend's arms.

"I did have a crush on her," Eddie said and frowned. "Or rather one was starting to develop. I'll never know where it could have gone. . .would I still have fallen for Steve?"

"You never said anything," Steve frowned.

"Well, we've only been dating like a couple of weeks," Eddie said. "And it was hard to talk about."

"I'm sorry, Eddie," Steve said and paused. "And I definitely think we would have worked something out if she was still alive. I wish I had reached out to her again before she died. Everything got into the way. It's a good time to tell you that I lost my girl virginity to her."

"Shit," Eddie said, swallowing thickly. "You probably knew her more than Vickie and I did."

"She had a big heart, and she didn't deserve to be treated the way she had been. I always tried to give her a place to run to when she needed it, and my parents were gone. I should have tried harder," Steve whispered.

"It's not your fault, baby," Eddie said.

"You know, the one thing that I do know is that she wouldn't want us to be sad. She'd want us to live," Steve said.

"Well, hell, I think I can do that," Eddie said, his eyes filled with tears.

"Me too," Vickie grinned.

"Me three!" Robin exclaimed, and they all laughed.

Vickie sat down in front of the bed, right down in front of Robin. She smiled softly.

"So, what do you guys usually do here?" Vickie asked.

"Well, we listen to music, paint each other's nails, and reveal intimate details about each other," Robin said.

"I was the most recent initiate. Steve was the one before me. We both realized we were bisexual in this very room," Eddie said.

"Oh, I am, too!" Vickie exclaimed.

"Damn, that was quick," Eddie blinked.

"No, Eddie, I think she already knows," Steve replied.

"Oh, she knows! You know?" Eddie asked.

"I know," she giggled. "Huge fan of David Bowie."

"Who isn't?" Eddie grinned.

"And James Dean," Vickie replied.

"Really? James Dean?" Steve asked.

"Oh, yeah," she replied.

"Nice," Steve and Eddie said.

"So, what made you realize?" Eddie asked.

"Peanut butter," Vickie blurted out.

"Really?!" Robin squealed.

"Yeah," she blushed.

"I'm confused. Is Robin's nickname Peanut Butter?" Eddie asked.

Robin threw herself at Vickie, hugging her and inadvertently pinning her to the bed. Vickie laughed.

"It should be. . .my sweet little piece of peanut butter," Vickie said, and Robin laughed against her neck.

"I guess that makes you my sweet bread," Robin said and pulled back.

"Totally," Vickie whispered.

Robin leaned down and kissed her, effectively shutting them both up. Vickie giggled and sighed against her lips as she responded back to Robin. She ran her hands down Robin's back as Robin's lips moved against hers. Eddie and Steve coughed loudly causing them to break the kiss.

"Not in front of your fiancé, Robin," Eddie cackled.

"Asshole," Robin said and sat up to hit him with her pillow.

"So, what's the whole thing about you and Steve being engaged but not really engaged?" Vickie asked.

She watched in amusement as Robin, Eddie, and Steve explained the plan of stealing money from Steve's asshole father. Judging by the way they talked about the plan, they weren't going to get far.

"So, she already knows she's bisexual. She already has her nail painted. . .what else?" Eddie asked.

"Well, there is the matter of whether she wants to be invited to join the coven," Steve said.

"Oh! Are you guys wiccans?" Vickie asked.

"Well, that's what we like to call ourselves," Steve shrugged.

"What do I have to do?" Vickie asked seriously.

"You have to go down on Robin. She's the leader of this coven," Eddie said seriously.

"Lucky," Vickie grinned. "And okay!"

"Edward!" Robin yelled and hit him with a pillow.

"Ow! This is the thanks I get for helping out a friend," Eddie scowled.

"You don't have to do that, especially in front of these dinguses," Robin replied.

"Maybe when they're not around?" She asked hopefully.

"Definitely when they're not around," she agreed. "But you don't have to do that to get in."

"I'll do whatever you tell me, too, Robin," Vickie said, biting her lip.

Vickie found herself in the very same position that Eddie had been in not too long ago, kneeling in the middle of a flaming circle. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Robert popped his head into the door. He set the fire extinguisher on Robin's desk.

"You forgot this," Robert told his daughter.

"Maybe you should just buy one for her room, eh, Bobert," Eddie said.

"You maybe onto something, Teddie," he replied. "Also, if you're going to add anyone else to your coven, sweetie, you should probably take it outside."

"Thanks, Daddy," Robin said.

"Don't wait up for us. Your mother and I are taking Eddie's uncle out to dinner," Robert said.

"Like a date?" Eddie teased.

"Exactly," Robert beamed and left the room.

Eddie and Robin shared looks of surprise.

"Uh, what are your parents' intentions with my uncle, Buckley?" Eddie asked.

"You're asking me?" Robin asked with a scoff. "Hell, if I know."

"I guess you guys should start calling each other cousins soon," Vickie teased.

"Hush, initiative," Eddie said, but cracked a smile.

"Okay, so just because Steve and Eddie took off their shirts doesn't mean - OH!" Robin squeaked.

Vickie smiled at her as she unbuttoned her shirt and slid it off her shoulders.

"What about my bra?" She asked.

"Again, your choice," Robin said, her voice getting higher and higher.

Vickie smiled as she kept eye contact with Robin. She unhooked her bra and dropped it on the floor.

"I don't want to get paint on my bra," she said. "It's new."

"No," Robin squeaked. "Wouldn't want that."

Robin knelt down in front of her and dipped the brush into the paint she was holding. She swallowed as she began spreading the paint all over Vickie's chest.

"Is that what I think it is?" Vickie asked in amusement.

"Well, we both have one so you tell me," Robin said.

Once she was done, she set the paint and brush aside. Steve handed her his potion.

"I figured that you'd want to do this one but you don't have to do what I did," Steve said.

Robin dapped the potion behind Vickie's ears and then on her neck before pausing to make a decision. Robin smiled before dapping the potion on her very own lips. She leaned forward and kissed Vickie, making sure to spread the potion over Vickie's lips. Robin gripped Vickie's hips, pulling her closer as they couldn't help but deepen the kiss. Robin pulled away quickly.

"Woah, head rush, was that the potion or you?" Vickie asked breathlessly.

"I think it might be both," Eddie grinned.

"What is that stuff?" Vickie asked.

"Oh, they won't tell me. I still haven't earned enough experience to level up," Eddie pouted.

"So, what does this all this do exactly?" Vickie asked.

"Oh, they don't know," Eddie said. "We're all just making the shit up as we go along."

"Fun," Vickie said.

Robin stood up, flicking paint off of her robes. She grabbed Eddie's and Steve's hands, standing in between them. They held out her notebook for her. She looked over at Vickie, her hair looking even more like fire in the light of the candles. She looked beautiful, her pale skin dotted with freckles like dozens of stars. Her bare breasts. . .Vickie's sparkling blue eyes gazed longingly at her. Robin cleared her throat and looked back at the notebook.

"Steve?" Robin asked in a panic.

"Yeah?"

"Shit, I forgot how to read Latin for a moment, but I'm good."

The three of them began chanting and getting louder with every line. Vickie could have sworn she saw the candles flicker. Finally, the chanting came to an end, and Vickie let Robin wipe the paint off of her. To her amusement as well as arousal, Robin focused quite a bit on her breasts and cleaned them rather thouroughly. Robin wrapped her up in Steve's robe and kissed her again. They let her play some music since they skipped that part, and then they settled on the floor by the open window.

"Thanks for letting me into your coven," Vickie said as she leaned back against Robin's chest.

"Thanks for wanting to join," Robin whispered.

"So, what other spells have you created?" Vickie asked,

"Well, that's pretty much it," Robin said.

"We haven't really thought that far ahead," Steve said.

"Well, maybe you guys can think of a curse for Steve's dad," Vickie said.

"A curse! Of course, why didn't I think of that?!" Eddie exclaimed.

"Because you're not as smart as my sweet bread," Robin teased.

Vickie smiled as Eddie started talking about it with Steve.

"Steve means a lot to you," Vickie said.

"Well, they both do now but Steve. . .yeah, he means so much to me," Robin replied.

"Hm, I've never really had a friendship like that or a whole lot of friends, really. I've always been too much for people," Vickie said.

"You could never be too much for me, Victoria," Robin said.

"I usually don't like it when people call me that but when it's coming from you. . .say it again," Vickie whispered, looking at her.

"Victoria. . ." Robin whispered, inches away from her lips.

"Is Robin short for anything?" Vickie asked.

"No."

"Oh."

Robin giggled and pressed her lips against Vickie's. God, she could kiss her forever. A breeze rolled through the opened window, gently caressing them as the moon shone down upon the ever expanding coven.

Part Four

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ladykailitha · 1 year ago

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Icarus Part 10

Just a little metal band Steve while the poll for what do with boy w/a bat and werewolf Steve is ongoing. Here if you want to vote.

Corroded Coffin is almost done with their album when the shit hits the fan and Eddie soothes away some of Steve's insecurities (and accidentally creates one more.)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9

****

Eddie was grateful that with the album ninety-eight percent done the label had released Jeff and him from their jail sentence so that they could go out and be people again. Brian had also been released for good behavior, but Dr. Owens suggested that Gareth stay away from the booze and parties for awhile, so Gareth had chosen to continue the exile willingly.

So to say he was excited to see Steve without all that shit hanging over his head. It was like a rare cool breeze against his skin on a hot summer’s day.

He got a table at the bar he told Steve to meet him at and ordered their drinks. He looked around the room as his knee began to bounce. He didn’t think Steve would stand him up. Steve wasn’t like that. But what if something happened? What the new studio they got was in New York or London or Chicago? How could he suggest that to Steve? He nee–

A warm hand touched his shoulder and all anxiety vanished as Steve murmured his hello.

Steve tapped the center of his forehead as he sat down. “What’s going on inside that head of yours? I can tell you’re spiraling, you’ve got this wide-eyed panicked look to you.”

Eddie rubbed his forehead and pouted. “Everything.”

Steve sighed and tenderly took his hand. He brought it up his lips and kissed each knuckle separately.

“The music business isn’t a forgiving industry at the best of times,” he murmured gently. “But it’s really rough on relationships. All kinds of relationships. Family, friends, lovers. But you’ve got me, okay?”

Eddie let out a low shuddering breath and then nodded.

“So tell me about your day,” he said with a slightly crooked smile. “You talk to Robin and your friends?”

Steve looked around the bar and nodded. “Robin says she’s working on the change of scenery, but she’s not sure how long it’s going to take. As for the other thing... we’re split down the middle. Me and Spence want June, while Simon and Shane want January.”

Eddie cocked his head to the side. “Why the split?”

“Spence and I have hope we can get the,” he lowered his voice, “album,” he raised his voice again, “done and want the time to finish it. While the other two are clawing at the walls, chomping at the bit, and just begging for a chance to travel again.”

Eddie sighed. “I’m sorry, Stevie. We’re pretty much into editing portion of the album and agreeing on the song order. But we can tour whenever. That’s the best part about being us. We can take six months to do five shows if we wanted to and our fans would eat it up. But if your guys want to wait until next summer, then we can do that. If your guys want to leave right after the New Year, fuck we can do that too.”

Steve sighed. “The record label is just pushing us to the limits and I think even Robin is beginning to crack. First there was the mix up with our contracts then this new thing, plus the touring and everything else. It’s a lot put on her and she’s starting to go mad.”

“They like to do that, unfortunately,” Eddie agreed. “I know Celeste is a good manager, but I think that The Fallen could use an actual agent, someone to take the load off of her back.”

Steve chewed his lip. “But won’t they have to be brought in on the secret if The Fallen were to get an agent?”

“Not if you don’t want them to,” Eddie said with a shrug. “A lot people use stage names they have to have contracts. So...” he waved his hand. “I’m assuming Celeste has control of all the fiddly business stuff for each member of the band?”

Steve shrugged. “Pretty much I guess.”

“They could work through Celeste if the band doesn’t want them to know,” Eddie said with another shrug. “But I recommend bringing them in. They can’t put out fires if they don’t know there’s more than just smoke.”

Steve rubbed his bottom lip. “Yeah...I don’t know. I’m not in the band so I couldn’t say for sure, I’m only a lowly peon.”

“Maybe, but they trust you,” Eddie scoffed. “Look I get that you don’t feel like you think the band can trust someone else with this, but agents are there to protect the band. They could lose all their business if they went around blabbing shit about their clients.”

“Maybe they should just get yours,” Steve joked. “Who is it?”

“Nancy Wheeler.”

The color drained from Steve’s face and he shook his head. “We’ll find someone else. I don’t–can’t trust her with a secret that big.”

Eddie tilted his head to side as he considered Steve’s odd reaction.

“Oh shit.”

Steve laughed weakly. “Yeah, oh shit.”

Nancy was another one of Hawkins High’s alums. Bright and powerful, smart and capable. Steve could see why Corroded Coffin had gone with her. Only he couldn’t trust her to hand him a knife, much less a secret as big as this one.

They had dated before she decided that he wasn’t ambitious enough for her and dumped him for Jonathan Byers. But not before cheating on him with the guy first.

Nancy had stabbed Steve in the back once, he had no desire to give her the ammunition to do it again.

Eddie paid for their drinks, and then took his hand to lead him outside. He pulled them into a small alleyway, barely big enough to fit them both, where they would have some privacy.

Eddie took Steve’s face in his hands and pressed their foreheads together, letting their breaths mingle. Steve’s fast and panicked, Eddie’s slow and calm.

Eventually Steve’s breaths matched Eddie’s and Eddie sealed their lips together.

“You’re okay, baby,” he soothed. “I’ve got you. You’re safe in my hands. You know that right?”

Steve gasped, taking in air as if coming up from the bottom of a vast lake and break the water for the first time.

Eddie combed his fingers through Steve’s hair as the other man fought to get his emotions under control.

Steve let out one more shuddering breath and Eddie smiled. “There you are. I was getting worried for a moment there, sweetheart.”

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “Opening up our secret to other people is always terrifying, but Nancy? That’s monster level dread right there.”

Eddie continued to run his fingers through Steve’s hair. “I understand that, but do know what would happen if she did that? She wouldn’t just lose you as a client, she would lose her whole catalogue of clients. Corroded Coffin included. And not just because of who we are to each other. It would be such a serious breech of confidentiality that she would literally be scorch earth’ing her whole career.”

Steve let out a long breath. He knew that objectively. He knew that she also could just not take him as a client. Decide that The Fallen wasn’t worth the risk.

“What if we sent in Robin as Celeste Baptiste and see what she thinks?” Eddie suggested. “You know Robin’s instinct is killer. It’s why she’s such a good manager. Or even better, why doesn’t Robin meet with Chrissy and have Chrissy go over agents with her and see what Robin thinks? That okay?”

Steve smiled and brought their lips together. “You take such good care of me, Eds. I love you so much.”

“Back ‘atcha, pretty boy.”

Eddie’s phone rang and he picked it up.

“‘Ello?”

He pinched his nose and sighed. “Yeah. How long?”

There was brief pause as he listened to the other person on the line.

“I’ll check Mancharo’s and El Dios and you check out that strip of bars a few blocks south of the hotel.”

Again he listened, his brows furrowing deeper.

“Then I’ll just hit up El Dios and let you know if I find him,” Eddie muttered and then hung up.

“Fuck!”

Steve rubbed the wrinkles between Eddie’s nose until his pinched expression soften.

“That was Jeff,” Eddie murmured when he was calm enough. “Gareth stormed out of his therapy session today and hasn’t been seen since. They thought he was in his room, but when they checked, he was gone.”

Steve ran his hands up and down Eddie’s arms soothingly. “I’m sorry, Eds. Do you want me to go with you?”

Eddie wanted to answer yes, but if Gareth saw Steve he would absolutely pitch the biggest bitch fit outside of literal toddlers.

“Nah,” he murmured instead. “You’ve had a rough day. I’ll call you when I have news, okay?”

Steve nodded. “I love you, babe.”

“Back ‘atcha, darlin’.”

Steve sighed as he watched his boyfriend hail a cab.

He pulled out his phone and went right to Gareth’s Instagram. His location was off but Steve almost recognized the background.

He called Robin and sent her the picture. “We’ve been here before, right?”

“Uh...” she said. “Yeah! Dustin’s twenty-first! The Devil’s End!”

“If you weren’t a lesbian and I wasn’t dating Eddie I would kiss you on the mouth!”

“Eww...” she huffed. “You going to tell me what this is about?”

“Meet me at the apartment and I’ll fill you in.”

Then he sent off a brief text to Eddie.

-Try The Devil’s End. It’s where we had Dustin’s birthday bash.

The reply was almost immediate.

-God I love you.

-On it, babe.

Steve smiled to himself as he put his phone away. He couldn’t repay Eddie back for how kind he had been tonight, but at least he could help with this.

He just hoped Gareth was okay.

He knew that this business could and would chew up the best of people and spit them back out again without a single care.

Having a double life helped keep Steve and his friends humble. But he had no doubts in his mind that that could change at any moment.

Because if it wasn’t the business that would do the trick, it would be the isolation of not being able to tell anyone about what they really do for a living.

If he was being honest with himself, had it not been for Eddie figuring out who he was, Steve would have bet on himself being the first to fall to the Beast.

Both of his parents were raging alcoholics and he knew for awhile there when he was in middle school, his mom had gotten into some pretty heavy drugs.

It was why his high school days were so lonely. Because his dad was either hauling her off to rehab, or going on long trips where he would cheat on her and the cycle would begin again.

But now, with Eddie to keep him grounded?

His bet was on Simon. Hands down. The guy was very insecure outside of his alter ego Asmodeus.

If Steve only knew.

Trouble was brewing on the horizon, just not in the way Steve had thought it would go.

****

Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25

Tag List: @mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @emly03

@spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @gregre369 @a-little-unsteddie

@chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @danili666 @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach

@val-from-lawrence @goodolefashionedloverboi @i-must-potato @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

@justforthedead89 @vecnuthy @irregular-child @yikes-a-bee @bookbinderbitch

@bookworm0690 @anne-bennett-cosplayer @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon

@cinnamon-mushroomabomination @y4r3luv @dragonmama76 @scheodingers-muppet @ellietheasexylibrarian

@thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman @eyehartart @dawners

@thespaceantwhowrites @tinyplanet95 @iamthehybrid @croatoan-like-its-hot @papergrenade

@cryptid-system @counting-dollars-counting-stars @ravenfrog @w1ll0wtr33

#my writing #stranger things #steddie #ladykailtiha writes #rockstar steve harrington #rockstar eddie munson #rockstar au

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strangersteddierthings · 1 year ago

Text

February 1

rating: G cw: none prompt: Love is letting someone take care of you

It wasn't a lesson Eddie learned easily, or all that willingly. No one had cared for him after his Mama had died. Not for a long time after.

He dad likes to pretend he'd tried. When Eddie was feeling generous, he'd even say he agreed. His parents were so in love it was almost sickening. Losing her must have broken the part of his Dad that knew how to love fully. He didn't turn mean, not like some dads did, but he definitely cared more about his next scheme than he did about the kid that looked too much like his Mama.

Wayne taught him that people who care about you take care of you. They take care of you when you're barely nine and have burned yourself on the stove twice this week, even if you think you should have learned after the first time. They take care of you when you've been caught stealing candy from Melvald's, and skipping school, and flunking senior year (and then doing that again), and even when people accuse you of murder.

Wayne has taught him that people that really, really love you are there when you need them, care for you when you need them.

And Eddie's heart aches that no one seems to have taught Steve that.

Eddie's trying. He steps in to help with "babysitting" duties, especially when Steve looks particularly run down. He started inserting himself into the Platonic Soulmate thing Steve and Robin have going because he wants to be an established replacement Temporary Soulmate while Robin's at college. (Being fair, this was Robin's suggestion. She's worried about how he'll be when she's not around to look after him.)

He's started hanging out with Steve without Robin, too. They get along well, it turns out. Eddie loves to talk and Steve loves to listen. But, more importantly, Eddie's good at getting Steve to talk. As a rule in general, Eddie isn't a good listener, but he could listen to Steve read him the phone book and never be bored. He tries to take an interest in Steve's hobbies. He doesn't have the hand/eye coordination for basketball, or the lungs for swimming laps, but he does have the energy to keep going even when he's bad at those things.

Steve seems to appreciate it, if the soft smiles he gives Eddie is any indication.

And it's not all up hill. Steve's got hangups that seem to crop up when he thinks he's failed at something. He's got a quick temper but it's never physical anger. He's only ever yelled at Eddie twice, and being fair, that first was deserved. Eddie's pushed too far, in his desire to help, not knowing the limit yet.

Eddie gets pissy, too, he's no saint, either.

There's been no fight they haven't gotten through, though.

But the lesson, the thing Wayne was really trying to teach him, comes when Steve gets sick.

No one but Robin has ever seen him sick. She's off at college now and it's just Eddie, fumbling to make soup and not dribble water down Steve's front while he holds the glass Steve is too weak to and Eddie forgot to get some straws at the store.

Steve tried to get him to leave only once. It was the third day in a row Eddie was there.

"You don't have to be here, you know," Steve had whispered, throat still feeling like he ate glass.

Eddie just met his eye and gave a small smile, "I do know."

Steve looks surprised, which is ridiculous, because he had to of known the answer Eddie would give. But then that surprise softens to a new look. Sappier, eyes a bit wetter, and Steve must not want him to see because his whole face scrunches with how quickly he shuts his eyes.

Eddie sets the sleeve of saltines down on the night stand and reached for Steve's hand. Just to give it a squeeze.

He finds he can't take his hand back when Steve tangles their fingers together and drags their joined hands to his face, where Steve rests his feverish forehead against Eddie's hand.

Steve teaches him that, yes, love is caring for someone. But sometimes, it's also letting someone else take care of you.

@steddielovemonth @i-less-than-three-you @nburkhardt @afewproblems @skepsiss

#steddie #my fic #steddielovemonth

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superbat-lmao · 15 days ago

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Pt. 4 of this (now showing in select theaters near you).

Bruce's recovery took longer than he wanted it to.

The people that shared in the why of how long his recovery took were unabashed at his anger and frustration. Namely, Alfred and Clark. Although he had the distinct feeling that Dick, Barbara and Jason were also less susceptible to his thoughts on the matter. In that order.

Part of Bruce's initial training with the League had involved sensory deprivation. Compared to everything else, martialing his mind had been easy compared to the other types of endurance he had tested himself against. But then, he had only his own safety to contend with, back in the beginning.

Now, it was as though some spiraling thing lived inside him and could not be contained. It threatened at all times to come crashing out into the open, this nameless and painful feeling. He had seen Dick, standing before him in the cave as though part of a dream, and all Bruce could feel was this thing welling in his chest. At seeing his ward so close and unable to prevent him from leaving.

It had taken Dick being shot to realize it, that Bruce's ability to martial his thoughts slipped and shattered entirely if his safety was threatened. If Dick's life was at risk.

And Bruce couldn't shove this thing down. He had been fighting against it but it was a losing battle. Firing Dick from Robin had sated it for a moment until Dick had taken back to the scene as Nightwing. With Clark's blessing, no less.

He had no where to put this feeling, this desperate grief and fear of loss. This vulnerability.

For as much as it fought against him, standing there, high on painkillers in the cold recycled air, he had been unable to say anything. From the look on Dick's face, there was nothing he could have said.

The next morning, from the look on Clark's face, he hadn't said enough.

Like a trick knee, Bruce's barometer for reading Clark could always tell when a storm was coming. And one had been long due since he'd fired Robin.

Unlike Jason, who told Bruce in plain terms exactly what he needed from him, back before he knew Batman was Bruce, Clark and Dick were more circuitous in their anger and demands. Jason asked for things he could provide, like the inane chatter he had learned to do as Brucie, or for him to make his footsteps louder, or listen to him talk about books. There was no implication that Bruce had been expected to know this, just that once Jason asked, he try to stick to it. It felt like finally he could do something right for his children.

The feeling of accomplishment chaffed against Clark asking him to voice things he couldn't name, much less describe. And Dick, demanding he not just to accept his reckless behavior, but to encourage it. Unthinkable and unnamable things. Intangible. He didn't know where to begin in his thoughts, much less finding the words. And even if he did try and voice the thing in him screaming for Dick to be safe, it came out as taking away the mantle of Robin. Doing perhaps, more harm than good since now Dick was alone and unprotected in a city where he wouldn't willingly call Bruce for backup.

With the discomfort in his shoulder bled through the dawning realization that Bruce didn't know how to repair his relationship with Dick. That for once, he may have well and truly broken something he lacked the skill to rebuild.

It was on his mind incessantly, like sand on desert winds it grit through his thoughts, ever present even as they changed direction this way and that. He could finish reading no report without seeing the blank look Dick had leveled at Jason laying on the couch, quiet and warm next to him. Bruce knew only one person he could have learned that from.

But as much as he agonized over it, there was no solution.

The nightlife was too dangerous for his children. He could not risk them in his crusade. If he could find the words to tell Dick how much he feared losing him, only then would he be able to convince him to give it up. But he didn't have the words.

And that was how he healed. Slowly, and with much on his mind.

Only when Jason was asleep would he spend time in the cave with Clark, going over reports and sitting through his endless needling about Dick.

Clark handled his shifts as the Bat with his usual annoying grace. Reports written with the same fastidiousness he illustrated at the Daily Planet but his filing had the same quirks as when he worked at the Watchtower. File names and organization that he knew would make Bruce twitch. Because it was fine. Just fine. But not as Bruce would have done it. Which the man damn well knew.

What Clark had handled with less grace was Jason's presence and Dick's lack thereof.

It was why Bruce kept him in the cave. Jason had handled the topic of him being a superhero, but was still skittish around unknown adult men. Clark, with all his sensitivity as Superman, rarely reigned in some of his more enigmatic qualities, things that Dick had loved about him. In this regard, Jason was Dick's opposite and until Bruce was back on his feet, he couldn't handle the emotional clash between Clark and Jason. Jason's feelings of safety were hard won, and he wouldn't endanger that by bringing someone into their home who he clearly disagreed with and could be combative towards.

And they were definitely combative.

So Bruce was split in two. One half in the cave, listening over comms as his ward and teammate bantered and handled his city with a lightness that made him squint. And the other half, upstairs, stationary and confined but not alone.

He settled into the fact that he would have only Jason within arm's reach for the foreseeable future.

The only aspect of the nightlife that Jason remained interested in was checking up on his friends from the alley. Everything else was hit or miss. The current hits so far were Wonder Woman, the Batmobile, and Batgirl.

The current misses were Nightwing, "Batman", and patrol reports he and Alfred would loosely discuss since Alfred also had him in the dog house.

It was clear to him that everyone, save Jason, was unhappy with him about how he talked to Dick. Or didn't talk to Dick.

In fact, little progress was made on that front until Bruce's recovery was far enough along that he went out himself.

Until he was standing on a rooftop, watching Nightwing and "Batman" standing together on another rooftop, talking quietly between themselves.

In the silence, he remained still, even as he heard footsteps next to him.

When he turned, it was to the distinct outline of Batgirl against the Gotham skyline.

Pt. 1 Pt. 2 Pt. 3 Pt. 4 Pt. 5 (sold separately)

#batman #bruce wayne #jason todd #dick grayson #batfam #nightwing #batfamily #superman #clark kent #barbara gordon #batgirl #bruce thinks this is the kind of thing that needs to be fought out of your system. everyone but him knows that's wrong.#he will actually talk to dick before he goes back to bludhaven. how well will it go? ehh #for jason to become robin bruce would need to relent. the question is not if but how #i can promise you dick won't be happy about it.

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bigskydreaming · 2 months ago

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One of the most fascinating things about Dick Grayson to me, in universe, is how among those who know him well, he has probably the most famous origin story, while simultaneously he's the one who most famously has people fail to factor in how his origin story defines him.

What I mean by that is "everyone knows" the story of how Dick Grayson came to live with Bruce Wayne, and among the cape community who know their identities, this translates to how Dick Grayson came to be Robin.....

But over and over in his character dynamics and interactions, we see evidence of how thoroughly distanced he is from that origin, in peoples' eyes, compared to how Bruce and even Clark and countless other heroes are "summed up" by their origin stories and how they relate to and inform their drive as heroes.

Its in how people talk about how he's moved on from his initial tragedy in ways Bruce never has and likely never will, how seamlessly he fits in wherever he goes, how he's regarded as one of the world's most talented acrobats but how often that goes hand in hand with all the acrobatics he does as Robin and then Nightwing rather than because he was already that long before he ever put on a cape, etc.

People in universe, even while being AWARE of Dick Grayson's origin story in a way that they're rarely aware of the origin stories of more than five others of their close personal friends, rarely factor his origin story in to why or how he does various things, both as a hero and as just a person. Because there's this implicit perception among so many that he's the golden standard of Moving On, becoming more than his initial tragedy, etc.

And I think that's so fascinating to consider in light of the fact that I personally think this is the one area Dick himself will NEVER agree with anyone on. And its also why I think the Robin issue is such an unhealed wound for him, at least in any and all post-Crisis continuities that use a variation of him having been fired from Robin rather than willingly giving the mantle over to his younger brother Jason, as he moves on to a new stage of his life as Nightwing. (And there too, I think its unfortunate that so much examination/nostalgia for the original pre-Crisis Nightwing origin is focused on Dick's dynamic with BRUCE, as in 'originally Bruce did nothing wrong and Dick was ready to let go of Robin and made a choice to' vs focusing it on how the thing that was lost with the pre-Crisis origin of Nightwing is its probably the only time Dick actually DID demonstrate that he'd made a kind of peace with his parents' death and was ready to move forward from it on his own terms).

Because to Dick "I'm literally crafting my superhero persona in a way that screams You Can Drag The Boy Kicking and Screaming From The Circus But You Won't Drag The Circus From The Boy Until He's Damn Well Good and Ready" Grayson.....

Becoming Robin was his way of coping with his parents' murder and his initial tragedy, but no, he very much never DID get to part with the time capsule he'd made of that via the Robin Mantle in his own time and on his own terms (at least not in any post-Crisis continuity).

So every time someone takes it for granted that he's moved on or makes some reference to the idea that he's not defined or "held back" by his initial tragedy the way so many others are, especially in the Batfam, he just gets this wry smirk that doesn't touch his eyes, the most blatantly false mask a man known for his many masks has ever been seen wearing, and people just get very uncomfortable and hurry the conversation along, because there's an implicit hidden SOMETHING underscoring that interaction they just had with Dick, and like. They don't WANT to unpack it or examine it too closely because on an intuitive level there's this awareness that if they ever did, it would risk upheaving their entire understanding of who Dick Grayson is and what motivates him, and for so many members of his family and community who rely on him as a foundational support, a bedrock of the cape/Gotham community who they know and trust to be a certain way......that's not an uncertainty they want to contend with, an upheaval they want to make time for.

And if there's anything Dick truly resents his family and community for, I believe its that. The idea that all the information is there, to KNOW that there's a specific way in which Dick Grayson Is Not Okay and that he doesn't feel comfortable letting on about that because he keeps getting hit with signals from everyone he knows that They Need Him To Be Okay With This, and so this perception of him as the gold standard of Moving On With Your Life persists, all while he's like "I Very Much The Fuck Have NOT Moved On, and I Never Will So Long As Nobody Wants to Contend With the Fact That Its Explicitly BECAUSE I Was Never Granted The Opportunity To Do So In My Own Time and Way."

#you can feel free to disagree of course #this is just the Main Street or Grand Central Ave that defines how I approach Dick's character and his place in the family

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