#sadly he needs to do it because of a bat man or something

[the-fandom-is-now-my-life]

Hello I love you and your tdbk cats sm can we put costumes on them? :3

I NEED to see sho dress up in ribbons and a little tutu, it's for my mental health (?

Will play dress up willingly

Kaito LOVES attention, as long as you are solely focused on him and nobody else he doesn't mind brushing his hair, dressing him up or putting bows in his fur. It might be because he was the runt of his litter and a stray but he loves the affection.

Leo is a mini internet celebrity! Every so often he does a photoshoot with so many different outfits and accessories. He is such a spoiled brat who adores being the center of attention and because of it loves every step of it

Haru and Towa have matching accessories!!! At first Haru refuses, he has to scout the garden!! But Towa manages to convince him after saving Peekaboo from Taiga. On the other hand Towa LOVES all the attention of getting brushed and styled and getting clothed!!

Romeo is a special case, naturally, he doesn't allow everything. He is strict with it being nice collars and ribbons, nothing too in bad taste. At most you could link a bejeweled bat charm in his collar but he does let you brush his .

Dress Haku as a caterpillar because he is a snuggle bug, or rather as a baby kangaroo given how much he likes to nap in your hoodies’ pocket. Regardless he doesn't care too much about it but likes the attention.

Zenji chimes in singing when you dress Haku so you assume he wants to be dressed up too, sadly anything you put doesn't stay long, any ribbons on his tail get undone and clothes slip off. He seems saddened by that so kiss and hug him.

Allows you to dress him up

Following the rule of the least effort, Jin doesn't want to move much from his loafing position next to the AC so if whatever you are doing isn't very intrusive (think crowns or headbands) he won't do much more than look at you nasty but if it's something you have to manhandle him in you might get a hiss or even a scratch.

Even if Thoma isn't excited about it he allows you to put him accessories or vests as long as they don't bother his movements too much

Luca doesn't really understand why you like to see him so much but he stands there like a gentleman.

Alan is so baby coded even if he is so huge! Even if he isn't especially keen on being a dress up doll he accepts it without any complains

I think that if you managed to put things on Romeo and Taiga he might understand and allow you something. Imagine Ritsu with a little tie!!!!

Old man Ed truly doesn't care as long as he can sleep jajaj so feel free to tie a cloak around his shoulders and call him a vampire

Is anyone surprised Jiro doesn't care? As long as it doesn't hurt him or Yuri doesn't pull it out of him he is keeping it

Get away from him

Sho is usually a very agreeable kitty so it's surprising when he hisses at you when you get closer to him with one of Leo's bows in your hands. He ends up being pinned down by Leo and you get to tie a ribbon in his fur. Even if it was against his will he keeps it on.

Ren is this close 🤏 to bitting if you get close with a costume.

If Ren was close, Taiga would maul your hand open if you attempt to manhandle. He isn't feral but he acts like that sometimes, don't test your luck.

Subaru doesn't like to be touched! He is very touch adverse and putting them in costumes requires a fair bit of touching, he already accepted it when he was an actor cat but he retired so don't force him.

Rui runs away when you attempt to hold him like always he runs off

Lyca doesn't have as much of a problem being touched for a long time but he is surrounded by cats he mimics that don't really allow you to (Subaru and Rui) so he doesn't allow you to put anything clearly costume-y just like them.

He is one of the smallest cats so Yuri hates anything that might make you think he isn't as imposing as any of the other cats, that includes most ways of baby talking and making him wear things

[batwritings]

Hii, I hope you're doing well! Can I please ask for headcannons for the brothers and dateables (if not everyone, you can choose, but please write for Lucifer, mammon and barbatos) would react if MC offers to put chapstick on their lips.

I know it's a strange ask, but imagine this scenario: It's gotten really cold suddenly (in? On? At?) the devildom and MC notices said character has chapped lips and seems very uncomfortable with it. She offers them her (can be gn!reader but I'm using she/her for better explaining) chapstick and they deny, but she insistist in putting on them, and they feel giddy because she's caring so softly for them 😭😭😭

I in the vibe of soft casual love, stay warm and hydrated 🫶🩷🩷🩷🩷

I don't think this is strange at all! Soft caring actions like that are honestly cute as fuck to me. Enjoy!~

Lucifer The absolute quickest to deny you. The great and powerful Lucifer? Receiving a smidgen of help??? The greatest travesty in all the realms, clearly. But bat your eyes and maybe bring him some Demonus and he might crack. Once you get it on, he didn't realize just how badly his lips were chapped. You'll be offered a small thanks, and a promise of something more substantial for a reward once he has more free time.

Mammon How could the cold affect the great Mammon so much? He simply didn't believe you at first. Fun fact, he knew damn well his lips were chapped as fuck. He just really didn't want to admit he needed the help. Simply subdue him with a kiss after putting on the chap stick and he'll be a puddle of grimm in your hands.

Leviathan <Insert MC doing the inhale "BOI" meme here> Being a shut-in means Levi doesn't exactly get out into the cold much. Therefor, he's a little more susceptible to the effects of the cold than his brothers. One trip to get a new Ruri-chan figurine and he's got chapped lips for days. Thankfully he has you to thoughtfully apply chapstick to his lips which leaves him with a persistent blush every time the two of you cross paths.

Satan Oh? It honestly hadn't crossed his mind. While he's no Asmo, Satan does take pretty good care of himself. He's actually the most lenient of the brothers in letting you help. If this were the Nightbringer universe, he's fight you a bit more. Yet the wrestle session would be a nice release for his anger, even if he couldn't go full force on you. He'd thank you by letting you put the chapstick on, blushing in denial of enjoying the attention.

Asmodeus Asmo, sweetheart, darling, you can't use lip gloss as chapstick, I'm sorry. And that'll be his excuse, mark my words! You have to explain to him that sadly, most gloss doesn't cover the chapping and he'll be more than amenable to let you put it on him. In true Asmo-chan fashion, of course he'll need to test it on you, just to be sure. A reward for helping him always look beautiful.

Beelzebub This man's gonna try to eat the chapstick, and no, you cannot convince me otherwise. You know how people see a big animal and go "if not friend, why friend shaped"? Beel, sweet himbo lad that he is will legit ask you, "if not food, why food smelling?". Did you have to reapply it multiple times because he kept licking it off? Yes. Did he complain to you every time that it didn't taste nearly as good as it smelled? Also yes. Did he learn his lesson? Nope!

Belphegor He spends ONE (1) NIGHT up in the observatory and ends up with chapped lips. It's rather annoying to him, and he genuinely doesn't hear you the first few times when you offer to put chapstick on for him. Belphie will deny it at first purely on the basis of "I'm not a little kid just because I'm the youngest". Just wait til he gets too tired to fight you on it and you'll get a mumbled little "thank you" before becoming his favorite pillow. Hope you have nothing to do for the next few hours.

Solomon Unsurprisingly enough, it wasn't the cold that got him! It was a spell gone wrong in trying to make a chapstick that would never let your lips chap again. Solomon sighs very defeatedly and sits back with a pout as he lets you put the balm on his lips. For practice purposes, he has you sit down and look over the ingredients to see where he went wrong. May or may not purposefully mess it up again to have you so close again.

Simeon You can't tell me this man wouldn't absentmindedly pick at the chapped parts of his lips. He can't be perfect forever ya'll, he's gotta be a little weird like the rest of us. (/j) You actually catch him in the act which makes Simeon fluster and admit to forgetting his chapstick in his room. His denial of attention and care for you is half-hearted and he very quickly crumbles at the chance to be so close to you. Maybe he'll have to forget his chapstick more often.

Barbatos This man is far too busy to realize his lips were chapped. It was one of those rare instances that you two crossed paths that you noticed and offered to put some on for him. In another rare instance, you notice Barbatos blush slightly because he didn't realize he'd looked so out of sorts. He had meetings with Lord Diavolo later that day as well, so yes! Please! Quickly! You make sure to add a generous amount in the hopes that it would last him through his meetings.

Diavolo His lips were chapped? Truly? It's only then that the demon lord to be realizes how absolutely flooded he'd been and that Barbatos had even told him about that earlier in the day. When you offer, Diavolo tries to politely decline, asking you not to waste what you have on him. It only takes a few minutes of remembering how busy he'll be and how this is absolutely a chance to know even a smidgen more info about you that he relents and lets you apply it gingerly to his lips.

[drama-glob]

SPOILERS FOR HELLUVA BOSS SEASON 2 EPISODE 7!!!!

Let me start off by saying F*CK YOU MAMMON!!!! >:( >:( >:(

Okay now, I LOVED THIS EPISODE because as much at it broke my heart with how much of a gut punch it was that Fizz has been putting up with Mammon for years, the fact that he got his freedom at the end with the constant support of Blitz and Ozzie, who genuinely care about him melted my heart as well. ^_^

I knew going in I was going to hate Mammon (because with how he runs his ring, I couldn't see how he could have any redeeming qualities), but he seriously was a bigger abusive d*ck and was way more blatant about than I expected. >:( Poor Fizz right off the bat with his unhealthy work ethic that he's not good enough and that his value is tied into his work, something that many of us (me included) have been guilty of. I blame Cash for being the most likely factor in why Fizz thinks that way, along with his idol worship of Mammon playing into it. >:( Also, that creep getting in Fizz's head was so messed up because we come to see how genuinely nice Fizz is and he sadly let what that guy said get into his head. ;_;

I'm so glad that Ozzie from the start is looking out for Fizz's well being and mental health, which is also really sad because he has no doubt had this conversation many times with Fizz about not needing to please Mammon and that he is good enough, only for Fizz to insist everything's fine when it's not. ;_; I also had a feeling Ozzie wouldn't be a fan of the Robo Fizzes given that he loves Fizz so much and knows what people use them for, so most likely it's part of the whole blackmail deal/Ozzie can't break out of making them so long as Fizz doesn't call it quits. ;_; I'm also happy that Ozzie clearly harbors no ill-will towards Blitz (which we already saw in "Oops," but it's nice that he knows Blitz wouldn't like the state Fizz is in and needs to cut ties with Mammon). :)

Fizz is just so talented with his craft, but the further pressure that he had actual competition from Glitz and Glam just made things so much worse, but of course Mammon don't care. >:( One of the absolute best moments though had to be the sweet little deaf kid signing to Fizz and Fizz signing back as well as sign his picture, so it was sweet and it helped Fizz's mental state temporarily. It was unfortunate that flipping creep came back and messed with Fizz once again, only adding to Fizz's panic attack that goes into overdrive once he sees Glitz and Glam perform. ;_;

My sadness only built as Fizz spiraled and tried to make himself "fine," but my man Ozzie being there as soon as he hears (from Blitz no doubt) that Fizz is not okay and him not leaving until he can get to the bottom of way Fizz is so adamant about doing this while trying to comfort him was wonderful. I legit cried, as I'm sure many of you did, when poor Fizz admits that he feels like practically nothing next to Ozzie and that without his job and the fame, he'd eventually leave Fizz despite how many years they've known each other and how much Ozzie does to remind Fizz that he loves him for who he is. ;_; ;_; ;_; It's sad too that Fizz has put up with the year of abuse because he felt he owed Mammon for leading him Ozzie, even though that's certainly not true. It really brought it in home just how much trauma Fizz has suffered and affected his mental state. I can only imagine how bad it'd be if he really didn't have Ozzie in his life. O_O The sweet, honest words from Ozzie afterward just reinforced my belief that Ozzie is the best boyfriend and their song "Crooked" was so saturated with lovey-dovey sentiment, I went awwww so many times and shows how lucky they are to have each other. ^_^<3<3<3

Fizz's "2-Minutes Notice" was absolutely incredible, (especially considering this was improv ;) ) and the fact Mammon didn't realize it was about him until the end was hilarious! XD But Fizz certainly proved how amazing he is and I'm sure Ozzie was more than happy to provide the magical backup to really stick it to Mammon. ;) ^_^ <3 It was really cool getting to see full demon Mammon and Ozzie, but it was especially amazing that Ozzie announced he loved Fizz to everyone so that he could no longer be blackmailed by Mammon and so Fizz could be free of that asshole; plus, he already seemed tired of hiding it. ^_^<3<3<3 Although Mammon will definitely come back for revenge on this sweet couple, Fizz and Ozzie get to at least have their peace for now and will face the future of their relationship being outed to all of Hell together. Also, those giant nuzzles from Ozzie are everything to me! ^_^<3<3<3<3<3

[badfictropes]

Savior Complex in Teen Mom Danny Dp x Dc

(Warning: I enjoy these type of fics and prompts just expressing some of my frustrations about certain things. No hate towards anyone.)

So I want to start by saying I love mom Danny who is the mom of Dani and Dan if they are deaged or not and Vlad as Dani and Dan’s father but I find when people mix in dc they tend to make Danny into some poor abused thing that needs the big bad bats to save him and his children. Which in itself wouldn’t be such a bad thing but add in the Batfam stalking and manipulating Danny and it just irritates me.

In these stories Danny and his kids are on the run from Vlad usually or his parents and they end up in Gotham, good so far. Then they somehow catch the attention of the bats which is where I stop, to be fair at least half the time Danny or the kids get mixed up with a rouge or are revealed to be metas(or at least dc characters think so) which is its own prejudice I’ll come back to. So catching the bats attention; now I don’t mean to be insensitive but I would bet cash money that a mom(young in Danny’s case) on the run and hiding out with his kids from an abusive baby daddy is a dime a dozen in Gotham, I just can’t believe that teen pregnancy or young parents let along someone on the run from an abuser is all that unusual in a city like Gotham that the bats would have their attention and pity so utterly caught by Danny.

This is usually where Danny, Dani and Dan being mistaken for metas come in and like making the bats so suspicious and curious of Danny and his kids because the bats think they’re metas and might be dangerous just gives me prejudice. Like I refuse to believe there isn’t a population of metas in Gotham, so the bats intense interest in the Dannie’s is just annoying. So what comes after that is the Batfam stalking Danny both researching him CIA extensively and inserting themselves in his life and trying to manipulate answers out of him. Now we all know in the real world researching and investigating an abuse survivor and escapee like people write Danny being in this way would be a sure fire way of his abuser finding him and his kids but we’re not taking about the real world so we’ll ignore this, we’ll focus on the fact that it’s just creepy and invasive especially since Danny usually doesn’t even do anything criminal which is what the bats should be focused on, you know crime.

Inserting their way into Danny and his kids life is the real thing that bothers me. The bats just come off to me as being invasive and manipulative by forcing their presence and help on someone who didn’t ask for it and doesn’t want it when it’s offered. The bats are purposeful in inserting themselves in his life and not even just in costume but as civilians to, poor Danny who just wants to be left alone and raise his kids can’t escape them. The Bats seemingly unstoppable desire to know Danny secrets and past as if he’s not entitled to have things he wants to forget or doesn’t want anyone to know. Like I said Danny story in this trope is sadly not exactly unique especially when you take the ghost stuff out it, Danny being a young mom who got caught up with an older rich man who took advantage of him and left him running with two children is not something I see being an unsual story in a crime infested corrupted city like Gotham. So the Bats intense interest in Danny and his kids should freak him the fuck out especially when you add him trying to hide his ghostly secrets into it.

What I’m trying to say is we need Danny being freaked out and scared of the Bats who for some reason will not leave him and his kids alone. Like Danny just wants to live an ordinary life with his kids and the Bats keep inserting themselves into it trying to help someone that doesn’t want their help like they’re intitled to do it. Now I love the Batfam but we all know that getting involved with them and heroes in general is just asking for trouble to invaded your life and I feel like this Danny has had enough trouble for a life time. Write a Danny going past fear into annoyance and anger at more people ignoring his no and not staying out of his and his kids lives when Danny tells them too. And instead of Danny putting up with the Bats shit he just uses his ability to create portals to leave to another dimension or world or into the ghost zone or just move into another city quickly and unnoticed.

And I know things with Danny and the kids and Vlad aren’t the misunderstandings(which I love) the Bats think it is but even if it was that doesn’t excuse their behavior. If I was Danny who just escaped a bad situation with my kids I wouldn’t want any of the drama and potential trauma being involved with the Bats and other heroes could bring. And the way that people write no hero in DC seemingly knows the meaning of no I don’t need your help and no you don’t have to save me, doesn’t help my annoyance. The last thing an abuse survivor raising two kids needs is a group of wealthy powerful men trying to play captain save a ho. After all drawing the attention of the Bats will draw the attention of their rouges and that’s the last thing Danny and his kids need.

All in all I just don’t like the stalking, breaking and ignoring of boundaries, lies and manipulation the Bats employ all under the guise of trying to save Danny, Dani and Dan. And this isn’t me dissing any stories just me ranting about some of my problems with this aspect of my favorite DP AU(mom Danny, dad Vlad and kids Dani and Dan).

[ingravinoveritas]

UMMMM DOCTOR AGREEING WITH DONNA SAYING ISSAC NEWTON WAS HOT?!!!!!!! AND THEN WHEN HE ASKS IF HE DOES THINGS LIKE THAT DONNA WAS SAYING SOMETHING ABOUT HIS SEXUALITY ALWAYS BEING ON THE SURFACE?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hoo, boy. Well, I just watched the second of the DW 60th anniversary specials ("Wild Blue Yonder"), and let me say...that was fucking awesome. As I've mentioned previously, I am a very casual Doctor Who viewer, but this felt so much tighter and stronger than "Star Beast" by several orders of measure. I know everyone talks about DW being owned by Disney now and how that has affected the budget, but this episode more than proved that you do not need fancy special effects or over-the-top action sequences when you have two actors who can just do what David and Catherine did.

I've only seen a few other DW eps, but I was amazed at how creepy this was, and having it be so intensely character-driven--that is, having the antagonists be copies of the Doctor and Donna and allowing David and Catherine to create two completely different other characters so that it felt like there actually were four different people on screen--was sheer genius. Absolutely brilliant and hilarious but also wildly unnerving at the same time.

Which then brings me to the moment you mentioned, which is thoroughly delicious on its own:

Right off the bat, what surprised me is how very not surprising this is, at least to anyone paying attention. We know the Doctor is an alien who transcends time and space, so there is no reason to think that he/she/they wouldn't also transcend sexuality. And again, not having seen as many episodes of other incarnations (Nine, Eleven, etc.), I have always seen Ten as being bi or pan, without any question. There was something about Fourteen saying this, however, that felt very akin to 57 academics punching the air, and I am just beyond thrilled that this made it into the show.

What's also been interesting to me is seeing the negative response to this development on Twitter, and the subsequent pushback to said response. I've seen a lot of folks saying the Doctor can't possibly be gay (nevermind that being into men doesn't necessarily make the Doctor gay, since bi/pansexuality is A Thing That Exists) because of Rose, and then other folks responding with examples from Ten's era showing all the ways in which Ten is not/has never been 100% straight. But as easy it is for these pushback people to see this as a possibility for fictional characters, they seem to have a very difficult time seeing that same possibility in real people.

To wit: I saw a tweet yesterday from someone who thought that Russell T. Davies was straight--much to my disbelief--and a subsequent reply on that tweet from another person who thought he was married to Julie Gardner. And sure, I'll grant you that not everyone is interested in the personal life of a DW showrunner/writer...but we are talking about the man who wrote the UK version of Queer As Folk, and gave the world Captain Jack Harkness, for crying out loud. The same man who made David/Ten look and act like the biggest bottom ever to bottom and earned the moniker "Russell T. Daddy" for a reason. Yet the grip of compulsory heterosexuality is so strong that all of these things (as well as the fact that he had an actual husband, who sadly passed away a few years ago) ceased to matter.

But...it also suddenly makes sense why so many people are oblivious to the fact that David (and Michael) are most likely not 100% straight.

If we are going to say that the Doctor is not necessarily automatically straight because of having previously dalliances with women, then it makes sense to say that David is not necessarily automatically straight for the same reason. I've talked previously on my blog about how assuming straightness when someone hasn't come out as straight or because someone is in a straight-passing relationship is a problem, and that people don't need to label themselves specifically to be who they are. Yet as willing as so many fans are to let fictional characters step outside of that confining box, those fans are equally willing to push the actors right back into it.

I still see people calling David a "straight man" when that very well might not be the case. When this year in particular, David has been more vocal than ever before about numerous facets of queerness in a multitude of forms (wearing badges, gay pride boots, t-shirts, etc). I've talked about how the clothes David wears seem to be reflecting who he really is more and more, and thinking about the roles he's played this year--Crowley, Fourteen--I see a similar pattern. And I keep thinking about that little boy in Paisley who was afraid to ask for a DW Leelah doll because he didn't want to be a "sissy." I keep thinking of David likely being told that his career would be destroyed if he was anything other than publicly straight, and especially while playing a beloved character like the Doctor.

For him to come back as the Doctor now--in the midst of a deeply charged period in history, with homophobia and transphobia spiking dramatically in the UK--and to mention finding another man hot in the most completely casual way is nothing short of astounding. And what better vehicle to potentially guide David toward opening up about himself than something he has loved for so long? What better show to serve as a lighted pathway, of sorts? Nothing Russell writes is not deliberate. Nothing being done in these specials is not deliberate. And if 900 years isn't too old to discover or become more open about a part of yourself, then why should 52 be?

So yes, those are my thoughts on this new DW 60th anniversary special, and this particular moment with Fourteen (Ten-Four) and Donna. It really does feel as though this is all leading toward something, and I am definitely looking forward to seeing the third and final special next weekend...

[gakusbearemoji]

Dive into You

wrng: cringe! fluff, idc I put my soul into it so it’s good , reader is turning 20

You have always been a little bit spoiled. Your father paid your tuition, being a coach at your school, your mother still did your meal planning and cooked for you while paying for groceries. You just had to attend classes and at least graduate. Not too hard, right? Sadly, there were a few more terms than that. Your mother didn’t care what you did, but your father cared very much. So much so, that he scares off every guy who has ever tried to date you. Because of this, you have been single your whole life. Since you were turning twenty in a month, you wanted things to change before your age did.

You were going to get a boyfriend. You had about twenty days to do so. Seems hard, but putting your best foot forward you worked to change. You started caring about your style, wearing clothes that match aesthetically and having moisturized skin. You even noticed in yourself that it had made a difference. You liked this version of yourself better, so you kept onto the routine.

And it seemed to have worked, because when you walked into the library, a boy with frizzy, dark brown hair stopped you. “Uhm, excuse me ma’am? Could you help me with something?” He spoke softly, almost entrancing you to listen deeper and make sure you knew what he was saying. “Yeah, what do you need help with?” You questioned, the boy staring at his feet. “I know you’re in my creative writing class, can you help me with our projects? I just don’t understand the prompt.”

You cracked the boy a soft smile, leading him to a table in the library. “Of course! Here, first let’s see which one you’ve picked.” The boy progressively opened up to you, smiling and laughing at your jokes. “If you just follow my specifics, you should easily get an A plus.” You put your hand on his shoulder, and you noticed how the tips of his ears turned red. “T-thank you. My name is, um, Anton.” He spoke, making you smile even wider. “My name is Y/N, it’s been very nice to meet you. If you ever need help again, just ask.”

You walked away, leaving the boy staring at where you were sitting before. He was missing you as quickly as he met you.

-

“Let’s go, hurry!” Your father shouted, blowing his whistle from around his neck. You had finished your work yesterday, so you decided to sit in during your father’s swim practice. “Have you boys ever heard of a stroke? Cause instead of doing one, you're about to give me one!” He screamed, everyone in the pool climbing out.

Your eyes went wide as you saw probably the best sight of your life. Anton climbed out of the pool, hair wet and clinging to his forehead, with tight swimming shorts on. “ANTON! Get over here.” Your father shouted, Anton dragging his body slowly towards him. “Yes, Coach?” He muttered, looking up through his soaked bangs. “Talk to me like a man! Look me in the eyes and promise me you’ll fix this before regionals.”

“I..I promise.” He spoke, your father rolling his eyes. “Like. A. Man.” You had enough of watching your father verbally abuse that sweet boy, so you went up to him. “Dad, leave him alone! He’s trying his best.” You held onto Anton’s arm, batting your eyelashes. “You’re so mean.” You pouted, Anton’s face burning once again. Coach narrowed his eyes at Anton, almost baring his teeth at him. “Ten backwards, Lee.” He shouted, You let go of Anton as he walked away. “Thank you.” He mouthed to you, making you smile in return.

-

“Y/n! Hey wait.” He shouted, making you turn around while you were walking to the canteen. “I just wanted to thank you for helping me out earlier. I- I mean, Coach did give me a lot of back talk about it but I was able to get him to leave me alone.” He smiled at you, making you giggle. “My dad is like that. You just have to have tough skin. Anyways, want to have lunch with me today?”

Anton followed you to your mat, sitting under a random oak tree to enjoy your meal your mother made for you as always. Anton was eating a bag of chips from a nearby vending machine, his legs crossed as he admired the scenery. “So, you seem to like swimming. Never took you as the type. I thought you’d be a bookworm.” You stared at the water fountain in the field, admiring its flow. “Yeah, I’ve always found it easy to swim. The water is kind of my safe space.” Anton stared into your eyes, admiring their glow and how it reminded him of a beam of sun hitting the water, the reflection as warm as your presence.

You turned to look at him, making him redirect his gaze to the roots of the tree. “I’ve got to admit, you're starting to grow on me, Anton. I think we should hang out more.” You suggested, making Anton smile widely.

-

He gave you that same wide smile as he entered your dorm, large as ever, though your roommate was home. “Hi, Sullyoon. Me and Anton are just going to be in my room, so we’ll be out of your hair.” You rushed into your bedroom, slamming your body on your bed. “Ugh, it’s so comfortable here. Do you want to watch a movie? Here, you pick.” You tossed the remote to Anton, crawling under your sheets. “Just, nothing cheesy.”

The movie ended, and you ended up with your face against his chest. Suddenly, he got up to take a phone call. You sat down, facing your floor and waving your feet. You heard shushed talking, “Yeah ... .no just give me time. I'm doing it right now, so be ready for it, ok?” Anton giggled, saying bye and hanging up the phone. He came back into the room, and your mind started to race.

Was this all a prank? Did he know you were desperate for love and was using you to prove a point? You started to get a sick feeling in your gut. “Uh, I think you should leave, Anton.” You whispered, still staring at your feet. “Oh, uhm, yeah. Of course, sorry if I overstayed my welcome or anything. I’ll see you tomorrow?” He awkwardly gathered his things, standing at your door awaiting an answer. But you didn’t say anything.

-

The next day, you completely avoided Anton. You didn’t let him walk you to class in the morning, you didn’t eat with him during lunch. Worst of all for him, you never showed up to his swim practice. Because of this, his performance was off. His times were leaps behind, and his dives were uncoordinated. He couldn’t stop thinking about what he could’ve possibly done.

His coach blew the whistle to insinuate practice was done, everyone leaving the pool. “Anton! What is up with you? You can’t fall behind this close to regionals.”

“I’m sorry, Coach. I’ll do ten.” He sadly mumbled, inhaling deeply before turning around to get back into the water. “Wait.” He turned back around, an evident frown on his face. “You don’t have to do anything extra. I understand. Just take a rest day, okay?” Anton smiled with his eyes, drifting to the locker room.

-

After Anton was finished changing, his coach called him into his office. “Yes, sir?” He whispered, sitting down into the chair. “I give you my blessing.” He spoke sternly. Anton sat there in silence, processing his words. “To date my daughter. But god forbid you try anything.” Anton sighed, looking into his coach's eyes. “Thank you sir.”

-

You were wrapped up in your sheets, messy hair and tears rolling down your face. You really had a magic ability of pushing everyone who cares about you away over the dumbest things. You wanted to call Anton, to say sorry. To tell him it was wrong to avoid him and you were worried over nothing. But you weren’t even sure he would answer.

Sullyoon knocked on your door, making you groan. “What is it?” “A boy is here? He says his name is Anton.” Your eyes blew wide, jumping out of your bed. You put a hoodie on, going to open the front door. Anton stood there, confidently staring into your eyes. “Y/n, I just need to say I’m sorry. Whatever I did to deserve this, I am so sorry. These are for you.” He handed you a bouquet of bellflowers, with a note attached.

“Let me take you out tomorrow, to you know, make up for my mistakes?” He suggested, smiling carefully. You pulled him by the collar into your apartment, pressing your soft lips against his warm ones. “I think I’d like that a lot.”

<3

[britcision]

Okay so… today is a little bit of a long one, so we’ll see if we’re back at Tumblr breaking length or juuuust on the right side

But! Finally, much anticipated, we have the man himself: John Constantine! Here to share secrets and save the day! (Not)

And! This chapter got us right up to the edge, next chapter is gonna push me over to one MILLION words on AO3 y’all!! I’ve been flirting with it the past couple years but finally we’re here!

So. Might push the next one out faster. Might slow the next one down, since we’re in heavy waters again. And, since we are in the heavy waters, Imma tag on some warnings:

1) we gonna be speculating a little more on Jason’s death in this one, from a couple of viewpoints. We’re also discussing Cass’s in particular, and its repercussions.

No gore or details, just some death themes, mostly from Jason’s perspective after he and Danny leave the manor (Jason’s second POV segment)

2) Bruce is gonna make some very bad decisions about stimulants and concussions, mostly off screen but it is mentioned at the end of our first Bruce POV segment

And now the links!

First and link to AO3:

Previous:

———————

Never Make A Promise You Can’t Keep

Constantine hadn’t been looking forward to discussing Amity Park with the Justice League. Not the first time he’d been sent, and not for a single second after.

But hours turned into days, days to weeks, weeks to years. He’d almost thought he’d gotten away with it and that they wouldn’t ask.

Which was probably what had gotten the big Bat’s fuckin’ attention, wasn’t it. Couldn’t possibly let the universe have something nice for Johnny Constantine.

Luckily it was damn hard to lose something in the House of Mystery unless the House wanted it lost. Today she was feeling merciful and gave him the book on the second try.

It’d have been nice if he needed to refresh his memory of the case. If the knowledge of Amity Park hadn’t been sitting like a weight on his awareness since before he’d been.

Honestly he could probably point to it from anywhere on Earth. Most magic users could, if they had the faintest alignment with death.

Amity Park was goddamn wrong, even if it looked like things had turned out alright for now. Still, there were types of wrong you didn’t poke at.

Going prodding around would only make things worse.

And now he had to go explain that to Captain Prod himself, and try and persuade the fuckin’ Batman that no news was good news.

At least the Superboys had listened when he told them to clear off until he could visit in person. They’d pinky sworn they were back in Metropolis, and he’d heard enough traffic to believe them.

They could just as easily fly straight back to Alaska, but they weren’t stupid. They knew how to listen.

(Possibly from trauma related to the times Young Justice hadn’t listened to him, but he’d take what he could get.)

Now he just had to persuade the Bat that he knew what he was talking about.

Constantine hated debriefings with Batman. The guy had no grasp of magic, which was perfectly fair for most folks.

He preferred that. It kept them out of his kind of trouble, meant he didn’t have to worry about them until it got bad enough they’d accept whatever snapped sentence he managed.

Batman though. Batman treated magicians like it was their fault that the world didn’t work the way he personally preferred. Like they had any say in the how and why of magic.

Asshole.

And now he wanted to scold John like a naughty child about something he had no way to understand. Well, fuck that.

For better or worse, the Justice League made Amity Park his problem. Years late or not, this was his show, and he wasn’t going to take shit from anyone.

Thumbing quickly through the book, he kinda hated how easily it fell open to the relevant page. Like he’d already spent way too long looking.

Even he didn’t fuck with the Infinite Realms. Not if he could help it.

Stuffing in his notes from the city itself he closed the book, left the House, and hurried to one of the closer zeta tubes. Didn’t matter which city he was spat out in, he could find one.

His number didn’t coax even a flicker of the usual dry amusement as he stepped out into the bat cave, scowling up at the massive screen.

League records. Great. He strode across the floor, hoping they could sort this crap out fast.

“What the fuck’s got you lookin’ into Amity Park?” He asked as the Bat turned to face him, book tucked under his arm.

None of his usual prevaricating or fucking around. No chance for the fucker to try his usual “control the conversation” shit.

If it had any effect whatsoever, it didn’t show. Damn white outs. Batman just stared at him for a moment, then turned back to the computer, pulling up another page.

Constantine didn’t look. He didn’t want to know.

“Why did you mark Amity Park as a prank?” The big Bat asked in his stupid, gravelly tones.

Constantine rolled his eyes.

“I didn’t mark it as a fuckin’ prank, I marked it as a no fly zone for your little lot, so again: what the fuck came out of Amity Park?”

Batman stilled for a moment, doing that annoying “human computer” bit again. John preferred each and every one of the actual cyborgs, even the ones that tried to kill him.

Then he turned back, swivelling the chair around to fully face John like a movie super villain. Asshole.

“Over two thousand legitimate cries for help came out of Amity Park, and were ignored. If they were marked for the Justice League Dark, you should have responded, not deleted them.”

And that sounded way too much like an accusation. And completely fuckin’ irrelevant.

Something deeply unpleasant was tugging at the edge of Constantine’s awareness, just below the irritation he scraped over the sense of impending doom he’d been ignoring for the last hour.

He pushed it down, scowling at Bruce as he crossed the last of the distance and slammed the book down on the table next to the keyboard, gesturing up at the screens.

Still not bothering to look. He didn’t want to fuckin’ know.

“Years ago, Batty. This could be time fuckin’ sensitive, so quit pissing me about an’ tell me what. Exactly. Got you looking into Amity Park.”

There was a moment of hesitance, and he just fucking hated that. Nothing that made Batman hesitate could possibly be… good.

The feeling at the back of his mind suddenly clicked. His eyes widened and he groaned, wishing he had something stronger than a cigarette. Maybe a bullet.

“Great. Just fuckin’ great. They’re here.”

Groping around behind him, he grabbed another swivel chair and folded down into it, elbows bracing on the desk and burying his face in his hands.

Well, this was the nightmare situation.

From the fucking death taint seeping into his fuckin’ skin, something extremely fuckin’ big had oozed its way out of the Realms, and settled itself in Gotham.

Batman’s attention had snapped to, the man suddenly alert and watchful as Constantine slumped.

One hand dove into a pocket for the carton of cigarettes, Bat Cave rules be damned. Not much fuckin’ point, but he wasn’t doing this sober, and his flask was too small.

For once the Bat didn’t comment as he flicked the lighter open, lit up, and took a long drag. Just focused that laser stare on Constantine’s face.

At least he’d grasped the gravity of the matter.

“What is here?” The Bat finally asked when it became clear Constantine wasn’t elaborating, sounding annoyed.

Constantine took another drag of his smoke. Some days nicotine just wasn’t enough.

“Start from the beginning, Bats. Tell me everything that led up to you lookin’ into Amity Park, and everything you found since,” he demanded, hoping there was still a point to asking.

“If this is time sensitive, Constantine, you need to tell me what is happening,” Batman growled, tensed like he wanted to leap out of his chair and loom like one of his fuckin’ gargoyles.

The bat sounded cranky. Fuck him.

Constantine fixed him with a level stare.

“Then you’d better get fuckin’ talking, hadn’t you? I need to know how fuckin’ bad it is before I know first steps.”

Batman hesitated a moment longer, then turned back to his computer.

“I can summon the League-”

“No time,” Constantine cut him off acerbically, shaking his head, “and might make shit worse. Just fuckin’… report. Gimme yer damn report.”

For all that the Bat loved paperwork, loved to bury them all in bureaucracy, he dithered another moment before nodding, pulling up…

Well lookie there, he already had a literal report typed up. Great.

Taking another long drag of his cigarette Constantine leaned back in the chair and scanned the document.

Hopefully this wouldn’t take long. Or the extra details he could already tell he’d need, that had prompted the dull and clinical report.

**

Jason had tensed as Danny did. First because of the sudden alertness he could feel in Danny’s aura, even reduced back down to conversational levels.

(And that had been fun. The more times he felt Danny’s aura wrapped around him, the longer he spent with his chest tight and Danny’s presence right down to his lungs…

He felt cold when it went away. Almost lonely, surrounded by people. Fucking ancients help him, he was getting used to it.)

Was that what it’d feel like if he felt that Danny was in danger? A rush of adrenaline?

It was a little weird being so in tune with someone, but not in a bad way. Danny didn’t seem upset, just suddenly on guard in a way that the whole table noticed.

On guard, and… amused. And then he spoke and Jason tensed again.

“So that’s John Constantine… huh.”

Danny could sense John Constantine. That was… Really not the strangest thing, but it didn’t mean Jason had to like it.

If Danny could sense Constantine, could Constantine sense Danny? Jason wasn’t sure if he should ask in public.

Tim had way less reservations.

“Wait, what do you mean? What just happened?” He asked, breaking away from Tucker for a moment. But at least Tucker also looked confused.

Danny shook his head, chuckling softly and finishing up his food.

“Oh, sorry. It’s Sad Trenchcoat Guy,” he added for Sam and Tucker’s benefit, both of whom relaxed like that actually meant something.

Sam was back in her original clothes now, although Jason hadn’t given her the thermos back yet. Once her parents arrived, maybe.

Jason stifled a snicker, along with most of the Gothamites. It was a pretty accurate description of Constantine.

“Still in the dark over here,” Duke put in, a slight frown on his face.

Danny shrugged again and grinned at him.

“It’s kinda a ghost thing. I can sense other ghosts, or certain kinds of magic users. Constantine came to Amity Park not that long after I died,” he explained casually.

Tim and Dick shared meaningful looks behind Tucker’s head, and Jason stifled another chuckle. They thought they were so discrete.

Dick leaned in again, arms folded on the table as he gave Danny his best innocent interest.

“Oh? That’s kinda weird, do you know why?” He asked casually. Not questioning where Danny thought John was now.

He wanted to try and lead them away from the topic, probably. Too bad for him, if he’d asked he might have gotten some idea of how far Danny’s power stretched.

He’d explained to Jason about his aura covering most of the city, although he hadn’t claimed it as his haunt. But if Dickie didn’t want to know, Jason wouldn’t tell.

Sam fielded the question, rolling her eyes and folding her arms.

“We thought he might have come to help, since that was around when the ghost attacks started. He didn’t though,” she added bitterly, and Danny kicked her under the table.

“We don’t actually know why he came,” he explained, giving Dick a half smile, “he never talked to us. He did talk to some of the other ghosts though.”

“Wait, you can just do that?” Steph asked, her brows furrowed. Whether she was playing civilian or actually wasn’t sure, Jason wouldn’t put a bet on.

The amount most of the bat clan knew about magic and ghosts used to be that Jason was a zombie.

Which, as it turned out, was wrong.

Danny gave her a blank look, then shrugged again.

“I mean, yeah? You literally can just go ask half the time, but he was doing some fancy stuff. Binding circles and demanding truth, that kinda shit,” he added, making a face.

“He wasn’t popular among the living either,” Tucker agreed with a snicker. “Lotta weird questions for people, and no answers. We figured he was one of those occult nuts.”

“That’d explain the binding circles and truth thing,” Duke agreed with a solemn nod, folding his own arms. Honestly, watching them all play civilian was kinda adorable.

Tucker hesitated a moment, then shrugged and nodded, conceding the point.

“I mean, you’ve got me there. But he never tried to get anywhere near the fights, and then one day he just vanished. We got a ton more weird tourists for a while, but he was the weirdest,” he finished with relish.

Sam snorted again, clearly still annoyed about the whole mess. Maybe she’d been the one who actually wanted help.

Danny hadn’t mentioned how he felt about it yet, and Jason hadn’t asked, but they’d all been abandoned. Fucking Jason wasn’t happy about it.

“He was the only one who actually knew what he was doing,” she huffed, scowling at the table. Then she sighed, shaking her head. “So if he’s in Gotham, I’m gonna call it a bad sign.”

Privately, Jason was tempted to agree with her. John Constantine was a danger magnet, and Jason was half tempted to go and have a word himself.

Word in the Bat Chat was that Constantine was why Danny had never gotten any backup before. Danny himself might not be looking to start a fight over it, but Jason had Opinions on teen heroes.

And the adults who should have been protecting them.

Not with Bruce around though. He’d have to wait and see if Constantine stayed in town.

It’d give him time to ask Danny about the suddenly constant undercurrent of suppressed laughter he could feel.

**

In the bat cave, Constantine squinted at the picture Batman had pulled up from the gala. Not exactly the best picture on earth, but it was clear enough to tell. Shaking his head, he let out a sigh of relief.

“Alright, could be worse,” he decided, tossing aside his second cigarette butt. The report had been complete, he’d give old Bats that, and he’d even been allowed to smoke through it.

But a black gloved hand covered his when he reached for the pack again.

Fucker.

Constantine let it slide for now, raising both hands in surrender and then pointing at the screen.

“Looks like you’ve got the halfa. Not bad news, as it goes. He’s at least still half human, which is probably why your precious city’s still intact.”

He didn’t even want to think about what might have happened if another ghost tried to set up a haunt in Gotham. The old girl’s Curse would have something to say about it.

Batman didn’t look noticeably reassured though.

“Enough stalling, Constantine. What is this all about? What happened in Amity Park?” He demanded roughly, and Constantine was grudgingly impressed.

Seemed like that ol’ bat hyper focus was going to win out over even a threat to his own city. Or he hadn’t been fully listening.

No bet.

Constantine sighed again, gesturing to the screen.

“You got a ley line map somewhere on this thing?” He asked, mostly just to annoy the bat a little further. Not like he wasn’t gonna give him the answers.

Batman hesitated for a moment, then set to typing. Probably… yup, going into the JL Dark files. Zatanna kept a helpful reference folder for the mundanes.

Constantine didn’t think they needed any more help than they asked for, but she’d been right this time and he owed her a beer for it. A second later the map was on screen.

Constantine nodded again, pointing to the general area of Illinois.

“Pull up Amity Park on that map,” he instructed, wheeling his chair back out of reach to pull out a third cigarette.

Both got him an annoyed frown from old Batsy.

“What is this supposed to mean?” He asked in the old gravelly growl, the map already obediently zooming in.

Constantine lit his smoke and waved at the screen again.

“Y’know what ley lines are?” He asked back, watching the map scroll around.

Not one with a search function then. Batsy’d have to find it by hand. Sucks to be him.

It kept him from focusing much attention on John anyway, so that was a win.

“I know the places they meet are magical nexus points,” Batman admitted reluctantly, like he didn’t hoard information about everything on earth.

Constantine nodded, not willing to entertain his issues.

“Amity Park’s on a dozen of them,” he said bluntly, and watched the guy stiffen.

Zoom out a bit, find the flowering spot where damn near every ley line through that part of the world crossed. Zoomed back in to find Amity Park.

The bat scowled at the screen for a while, then at John, who’d put his feet up on the desk. Tough titties, they weren’t coming down.

“But what does that mean, Constantine,” he growled, and John sighed.

Cupped his hands in front of him, paused, and shook his head.

“Alright, I’m crap at metaphors so bear with me. You know about multiple dimensions?” He asked and the bat nodded impatiently.

Like he shouldn’t have asked. Like this fucker hadn’t just asked for the fuckin’ kindergartener explanation.

Whatever.

“Yes. There’s a different dimension on the other side of the ley lines?” He asked, and Constantine did his very best not to roll his eyes.

Well. Maybe not his very best.

But he didn’t do it as hard as he could have.

“No. There’s way too many other dimensions. But what the ley lines do is weaken a place in this dimension, especially where they cross. Amity Park is a fuckin’ sieve,” he said with finality, waiting for the Bat to catch up.

And sure enough, those frown lines etched themselves deep again. This guy was gonna make John Fuckin’ Constantine look like a fresh faced baby.

“So other dimensions can cross through?” He asked again, and John sighed.

Reductive fucker.

“No. Yes. Sort of. Because some stupid motherfucker in Amity Park didn’t just use the natural portals or holes; they punched a fuckin’ permanent portal to the Infinite Realms.”

Honestly using the natural portals would have been bad enough in his opinion. Reality was basically swiss cheese in Amity, and getting anything’s attention would be beyond dangerous.

He hadn’t even liked visiting.

Batman looked more stoic, which John assumed meant he wasn’t keeping up. Scrubbing his free hand through his hair, he blew out a stream of smoke and frowned.

“So you get natural portals between our dimension other dimensions. It’s how all that “evil other self” crap keeps happening. With me?” He asked dryly.

The bat nodded without speaking, which was as close to an admission of confusion as Constantine figured he’d get.

Whatever.

“You get more portals on ley lines, and more again where two cross. About a dozen cross in Amity Park, so they get lots of natural portals. Yes?”

The bat nodded again, face pinching up like he resented John’s tone. Double tough, he’d had every chance to read Zatanna’s primers.

If John was doing Ley Lines For Dummies the dummies could keep their attitudes to themselves.

“Natural portals, they open and close on their own. Rest of the world, they don’t usually stay open for long. They need power to stop the world from… mending the hole.”

Which was the worst fucking explanation of all time and not remotely what happened, but who fucking cared. Batty wanted to weigh in again.

“So natural portals also stay open longer around Amity Park,” he growled, trying to get to the next step of the explanation.

Which, actually, John hadn’t really thought about. Pursing his lips, he let his gaze drift to the smoke swirling around the ceiling.

There were actual fucking bats up there.

Of course there were.

Dramatic bastard.

Forcing his attention back to the bastard in question, he waved a hand to dispel the last stream of smoke.

“Doesn’t matter what natural portals do. Some asshole went to the spot in reality most likely to break on its own, and decided to punch a hole. A permanent hole, into the Infinite Realms.”

Batman took a deep, even breath in, like he was trying to hold onto his temper. Yeah, well, he’d walked face first into Amity Fuckin’ Park, now he had to join John in Hell.

“What are the Infinite Realms?” He asked, sounding as patient as ever. Brownie points for trying, John wasn’t going to.

“It’s where the unclaimed dead go. Souls not ready to move on, souls that were never born, and, much worse, it occasionally pops out personifications of forces or belief,” he ground out the last words, teeth gritting in spite of himself.

The bat stilled for a long moment, drawing in another slow, steady breath. Probably counting to ten.

“What.” It wasn’t even a question really, a flat statement of dissatisfaction.

It meant not talking about Amity Park for a bit longer though, so Constantine leaned in.

“God shit. Concepts like Time, Hope, Growth. Anything that someone, somewhere, truly believes in. Well, not just anyone,” he corrected, and Did Not enjoy the way Batman’s jaw clenched.

Not even a bit.

“It takes a lot of juice, makin’ a whole entity. But the Infinite Realms are the core of all the dimensions, the intersection they all go through, and that’s where the belief settles. The more people who believe, the more clearly they believe it, and eventually you get enough to form a personality.”

He gave the bat a little time to digest that one. To really let it sink in what a fuckin’ problem the Infinite Realms could be.

And then a thought occurred to him.

“Your city’s got one, y’know?” He mentioned almost as an afterthought, and Batty Did Not like that.

His head snapped up, white outs narrowing to slits as he glared.

“What?!” He demanded sharply and Constantine waved a hand.

“Gotham. Dunno if it’s all the shit you lot go through, or the stubborn arseholes that live ‘ere, but Gotham has a city spirit.”

No need to mention the curse yet. Batsy was already having a day.

That’d be for the next time he ticked Constantine off.

This time, just that revelation seemed to have been enough to stun the bat. Constantine left him to sit in this one until he was ready though.

Processing.

He wasn’t completely heartless.

He was a little grudgingly impressed by how quickly Batman put it aside and refocused on the matter in hand.

“And that’s why the Infinite Realms are dangerous? These powerful personifications?” He asked cautiously, like he expected John to say no again.

Smart man.

Constantine gave him a dry smile.

“If fuckin’ only. There’s spirits in there, Ancients, and every one of ‘em could give Darkseid a run for his money. But even the ghosts of the Realms are a fuckin’ dangerous lot. You know Deadman?”

The bat nodded to indicate that he did, brows furrowing.

“He can’t be seen or heard without magical assistance,” he agreed, that same caution present.

At least he was a quick learner. Constantine nodded in satisfaction.

“He’s a ghost made by magic. Ghosts from the Realms don’t have anything like the same limitations. They can’t be seen or touched unless they want to, and they can damn well affect the world around ‘em.”

John shuddered, remembering some of the attacks he’d seen. Nothing stronger than a baseline demon, but the damage you could do when no one else could touch you, or stop you…

And he shook his head, locking the damage back down.

“And worse, they’re fuckin’ unpredictable. Demons, they’re easy. They all want the same shit. Realms ghosts? If one of ‘em decides fuckin’ cheese is their obsession, that’s it. They’ll drown a city in cheddar.”

The bat was staring at him again, back on that stoic “I have no idea what’s happening so I’ll look big and scary til it all makes sense again” bullshit.

Constantine sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Look. I ain’t even told ya the worst of it yet. How about we jus’ take it as read that the Infinite Realms are bad fuckin’ news, okay?” He asked as patiently as he could.

There was that little twitch, that little scrunch again. Not a happy Batty.

And he wasn’t gonna get happier while he made John teach him Magic For Dummies either.

But he nodded, folding his arms reluctantly.

“Then why did you leave the people of Amity Park to face them alone?” He asked bluntly, and… well, that was the question, wasn’t it?

Constantine stared blankly at him.

“You want Superman gettin’ body hopped by a ghostie craving all the cheddar in the mid west?” He asked in turn, and there it was.

The little indrawn breath. The fuckin’ scale of the problem.

Fuckin’ FINALLY.

“Look, Amity Park has a hero. Had. The halfa.” He waved vaguely at the screen again, the picture of Bruce’s mystery kid now buried several windows deep.

Didn’t matter.

“He’s got all the powers the ghosts do, an’ can’t be possessed. Last thing the poor little fuck needed was to face an overshadowed super.”

And yeah, the Bat still didn’t look happy (more to the better, that’d be a terrifying sight all on its own), but at least he had a reason for resting bitch face now.

Constantine sighed, waving a hand vaguely and tossing the latest butt down.

“Look, I can’t stop ya from pokin’ around. Not for lack of trying, mind. The Realms are a dangerous place, an’ Amity Park’s practically on the other side already. I dunno why the kid left, I don’t care. You though, Bats? You’re gonna do me a proper fuckin’ oath.”

He levelled his best serious stare, useless as usual against the damn white outs. It’d kill the asswipe to look human.

Batman shifted again, clearly feeling the weight of the last word.

Good.

“An oath?” He asked warily, and Constantine nodded, holding out his hand.

“On yer name, on yer blood, on yer tie to this fuckin’ city. No matter what you do lookin’ at the Infinite fuckin’ Realms. You do not. Fuck. With the Ghost King.”

The bat stared down at his hand like there was something wrong with it. John assumed anyway. The pissy face could be for anything.

And then he asked the question, because of fuckin’ course he did.

“What is the Ghost King?”

John sighed heavily, leaving his hand where it was, waiting for the oath.

“The prettiest fuckin’ princess of them all, what d’you fuckin’ think. The Ghost King rules the Infinite Realms, and by all accounts the last one was a bloody tyrant. Good news is he probably never noticed Amity Park yet, cuz America isn’t a smoking crater.”

Honestly, maybe he’d add a chapter to Zatanna’s document. Stamp it all across any reference anyone tried to make to Amity Fuckin’ Park so he never had to do this again.

He caught the Bat’s gaze again, weighting his words with enough power that every sound in the cave died around them.

“It took all the damn Ancients to seal Pariah Dark once. And someone’s beaten him, and taken his throne. I don’t fuckin’ know who, I don’t ask, but if they’re tough enough to beat Pariah, they are beyond what the League can do. Your only chance is to stay the fuck outta their way. Swear it.”

Batman stared at him for a long moment, and then down at the outstretched hand. Reached out and clasped it in his own.

“I swear. I will not knowingly upset the Ghost King.”

John gripped tighter, realized almost immediately that it was pointless against the reinforced gloves, and did it anyway.

“None of that, Batty. No bullshit. You do not fuck with the Ghost King. You hear the faintest goddamn whisper of their name, you turn tail and fuckin’ run. We will not survive their attention.”

He stared the stupid white outs down, as long as it took, and didn’t let go. Batman stared at him for a while, clearly absorbing the gravity of his words.

Constantine couldn’t remember asking a member of the League to swear to anything before. Usually he was the buyer in deals, not the keeper.

Woulda been nice to remain so, but nothing stopped the fuckin’ bat from sticking his nose in, so here was John Constantine, last condom of the universe.

Last desperate scrap of protection against a fuckin’ dick.

Finally the bat nodded, grip tightening in return.

“I swear. I will not engage with the Ghost King.”

**

Harley had gotten back just before Sam had to leave, with perfect timing to see her to the door actually.

The look on Pamela Manson’s face when Harley kissed Sam on each cheek and waved her off would keep Danny warm on cold nights.

A quick check of flight times back to Massachusetts (like Danny wasn’t going to take shortcuts) confirmed that Tucker could have one more night in Gotham.

Tim immediately offered to put him up in Wayne Manor again, clearly not allowing the chance to slip by him two nights in a row. Tucker was only too happy to accept, although Steph and Cass begged off.

Probably for their hero patrols. Danny wasn’t exactly sure how many vigilantes Gotham had, there seemed to be a new one every few months, but having eight of them at the gala last night probably meant all the rest had been out.

Obviously Red Robin wouldn’t be out tonight either, but there were enough of them to cover for each other.

Danny was kinda jealous of that. It had been just him for so long, and then him and Valerie, which hadn’t been better until she stopped hunting him too. He’d have loved a night off.

Still, their numbers meant that Jason probably wouldn’t need to go back to the night life unless he actually wanted to. He was definitely still built for it, but Danny couldn’t imagine anyone wanted to ask him to.

Most of the bats had clearly had their own run ins with death, but Jason’s had stuck in ways even Danny knew he didn’t quite get.

Jason had been so tense at just the thought of Danny being a teen hero. It wasn’t like that’d get easier when it was his little siblings swinging from rooftops.

Danny’s hero career might have started with his own death, but he personally was of the opinion that that’d be a perfectly fine reason to end one too.

So Dick, Steph, and Cass headed out not too long after Sam, and Danny wasn’t exactly surprised when Jason’s background angst jumped.

He’d stayed on edge since Danny and Bruce got back, even when Harley told them Bruce was off dealing with his own shit and probably wouldn’t be out of his room all night.

Danny’d bet fifty bucks that the arrival of Constantine actually meant Bruce was in the bat cave being suspicious, but he wasn’t gonna say it.

Tim had shown them to a games room, for all that he’d apparently also moved out. He still knew where everything was, and soon had them hooked up for Mariokart on the biggest TV Danny ever saw.

They’d played a couple rounds (Harley was expectedly devastating with red shells) and while Danny and Tucker were having fun, he could feel Jason stressing.

Like, even if he stuck his fingers in his ears and ignored the aura. The guy was tensed so tight his shoulders strained at his shirt, which woulda been visually interesting if Danny didn’t know why.

Cass was one near death experience from slipping back across the boundary for good.

Cass was off punching criminals with rocket launchers in body armour and spandex.

Duke was probably actually in bed, Signal did morning patrols, and Damian was obstinately refusing to play video games with them perched on the back of the couch, but still.

Dick and Steph had both given one life to the cause too, and for all Dick was a cop and in danger on his day job too, cops pretty famously showed up after the vigilantes ended the party.

More than half Jason’s immediate family were back in the line of fire and Danny could practically taste Jason’s Obsession eating away at him.

As much as he tried to pretend he was playing along and gave a shit about winning, the controller creaked in his hands more than a couple casual races should allow.

So, yeah, if he couldn’t get Jason to crack a smile with this one, he was gonna gently bow them both the fuck outta the manor.

He kept half an eye on Tim, who had a glass of water.

“Hey, you guys heard the theory about Batman?” He asked casually, just as another round of Mariokart started.

Jason kicked him in the ankle but otherwise ignored him, which was fair. He’d been exposed to Danny’s bullshit.

Tim stiffened and then forced himself to relax, Tucker rolled his eyes and jostled Danny from his other side, but it was Harley who answered.

Innocent as the day she was born.

“Oh? What? Is it that he’s a lizardman? Cuz I got right up on that cowl and he’s definitely a mammal,” she said casually, not even looking away from the screen.

Danny was pretty sure he heard Damian almost slip off his perch.

He was a little bit in love with Harley Quinn. He should get her number for Jazz, maybe his big sister would learn to have a little fun.

Grinning broad and only half fake, he drifted a turn to pick up a double item from under Tucker’s nose.

“Shit, yeah, you might actually know! It’s his secret identity!” He exclaimed cheerfully, and felt the tension in the room ratchet up.

From Tim and Damian. Jason… still wasn’t paying attention.

Not like he was deeply immersed in the game, for all he kept up he was nowhere near the speed demon that handed Danny his ass the night before.

Hmm. Better get his attention.

Tim and Damian had already settled again, probably remembering he was already In The Know even if Tucker wasn’t, and Harley had given him a very knowing look right before she fire flowered him.

Almost ready.

He waited until Tim had taken a hasty sip of water on a calm stretch, nudged Jason in the shins, and made sure he was louder than the music.

“So d’you think it’s possible that Markiplier’s Batman?”

Tim sprayed water across the couch, Harley fucking cackled, and Jason snapped his head around to stare at Danny so hard he cricked his neck.

Danny red shelled him for good measure, just so he wasn’t missing anything on screen.

Tucker rolled his eyes, also deeply used to Danny’s bullshit and much more interested in gaming revenge.

“Fuck off Danny, Markiplier isn’t even a Gothamite,” he said disdainfully and Danny shook his head, grinning.

“That’s why it’s the perfect cover. I mean, Batman wants to keep his secret identity a secret, right? So having an identity that very publicly “isn’t in Gotham” makes perfect sense!” He argued cheerfully.

Jason half snorted a laugh beside him, picking back up and speeding his way back into the race. Across the couch Tim wiped his face, still catching his breath.

“I fucking hate that that made sense,” he moaned, and Harley cackled again.

“Nah, he’s got a point! How does anyone know where a youtuber lives? We only see one room!” She agreed cheerfully, clearly leaning in.

It was so nice to have a true showwoman in the crowd.

Damian looked angry in the confused way now, and Danny would hazard a guess he didn’t watch youtube at all, let alone a lets player. That might have made it funnier, had there been no other concerns.

Beside him Jason huffed out another dry chuckle, shaking his head with the barest hint of a smile.

“I can’t believe Batman has an OnlyFans,” he said in a solemn, almost sorrowful voice… and dropped a blue shell.

Tim groaned like his soul had gone with it, clinging desperately to his first place lead. Harley cackled and added her own green shells to the mix, dropping all three as they came to the home stretch.

“Don’t forget the calendar of tasteful nudes! All for charity, just what Batsy would like,” she crowed with evident glee, and Tucker snorted a laugh.

“It’d explain all the surgeries,” he agreed reluctantly, and Danny had a sudden, utterly wicked idea.

“Hey… now that Batman’s on OnlyFans, d’you think he’ll convince the whole Justice League to do a pinup calendar, or just the other bats?” He asked innocently, watching said bats from the corner of his eye.

Well, Robins technically, but since only Tim was of age birds didn’t seem appropriate.

Tim himself threw his controller to the ground, abandoning the game and throwing himself over the back of the couch and almost hitting Damian on the way.

Damian definitely hissed at him like a startled cat.

No way Danny imagined that this close to the finish.

Tucker hesitated for a long moment, clearly considering his odds of winning, but when Harley blasted past Tim’s spun out corpse and across the finish line he abandoned his controller too to check on Tim.

Harley was surprisingly good at the game when flopped sideways on her chosen couch, laughing too hard to breathe. Danny breezed into an easy third behind her and Jason, giving the other man an assessing look.

A little wary of reaching out with his aura, especially when Jason was on edge. He didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.

Didn’t want to be too invasive, if he was honest. Danny had… kinda always been the one who was new to aura stuff before. And he’d gotten used to it, in the Ghost Zone.

He’d never spent this much time with another halfa before. Especially not without a single trace of punching or stabbing.

Except in Mariokart, where the Geneva Convention held no sway.

Jason had clearly noticed him looking though, and read the concern even without Danny pushing. He gave Danny’s shoulder a gentle bump, a nudge of fine-stop worrying alongside.

Danny nudged back, his own disbelief tinged with understanding-empathy-worried too.

But, that was kinda the other thing… the thing he didn’t really want to bring up around the other bats just yet.

And while Jason had smiled, Danny didn’t think he’d mind them dipping out.

Faking a yawn, he stretched, cracked his back, and looked over to where Tim had rejoined the couch.

“Honestly, I’m beat. I gotta try and get back into a better sleep schedule before classes start,” he said, pulling a face at the self-reminder.

Their break was coming to its end, and then he’d be back into university. His class schedule was flexible, more afternoons than early mornings, but he’d… miss this.

Free time to just spend the whole day hanging out with friends and catching up. Meeting Jason’s family, Jason meeting his.

Danny didn’t actually know what Jason did, whether he was working or going back to school, but it was gonna come up soon.

They had a trip to Frostbite to plan, some ecto shots from Danny’s fridge, and at some point he still had to introduce Jason to Frighty… and probably ask the guy if he wanted to be called that still.

It’d be a little weird to start calling him Halloween or whatever, but frankly him obeying Danny’s orders and calling him “my liege” was way fucking weirder so it’d be fine.

And about four more days before half of Danny’s time would be eaten by lectures, study halls, and projects. Fuck, maybe Jason would give him a hand with those too.

So long as he wasn’t sick of Danny by then.

Another quick glance showed that Jason’s face had reset into that tense almost-scowl again, staring past the TV.

At the other end of the couch, Tim gave a disgruntled huff.

“I’m gonna make you pay for that next time,” he grumbled, shifting to Tucker with an adorable moment of sudden concern. “Do you need me to show you to a room too, or…”

Tucker shook his head with a snicker, giving Danny a side eye.

“Nah, unlike that weakling I got used to the vigilante sleep schedule back in high school. I’m good for a couple more hours at least,” he bragged.

Danny flipped him off, hauling himself to his feet and giving Jason a nudge.

“Yeah, well, this weakling fought a croc last night and needs his sleep. Mind giving me a ride back?” He asked when Jason looked up at him.

Gently offered a touch of easy out-reassurance-trust me.

The deep furrows in Jason’s brows twitched until he caught on and his expression cleared. He nodded quickly and pulled himself to his feet.

“Yeah, we can take my bike.” Then he hesitated and looked a little uncertain. “You never told me where you live.”

It took Danny a moment to realise that… no, he really hadn’t, because that just plain didn’t feel right. But no, he’d met Jason again in that coffee shop, then come to the gala with Sam.

Hadn’t gone home last night, just stopped at one of Jason’s apparently multiple places; at least he was doing better than Danny had thought from the first apartment.

He found himself chuckling at the thought, shaking his head.

“Oh yeah, we’ve only been to your place… I’m at the south dorm at Gotham U, I can give you directions as we get closer,” he offered and Jason nodded.

He felt… weird? Like he was surprised Danny had told him where he lived, and ashamed of being surprised.

Danny decided not to dig into it, offering Jason his arm and bowing like all those Shakespeare plays he knew Jason loved.

“Shall we?”

Jason’s moment of surprise was quickly swallowed by delight and he bowed back, then tucked his hand into Danny’s elbow. Almost definitely knew etiquette better than Danny did, so Danny wasn’t gonna doubt him.

“We shall. I’ll drop you off and head home,” he agreed, then paused and glanced back at Harley.

Whose giggling had completely ended and was now watching them like her favourite sitcom. Chin in hands and all.

“Did you wanna meet up here tomorrow, or…” Jason trailed off, obviously also a little put off by her intensity.

She perked up when addressed, giving him a cheery grin and a double thumbs up.

“Here or th’ station, I don’t mind! Hey, did ya wanna come too, Danny boy?” She asked sweetly, head cocked to the side and just waaaay too innocent.

Not that Danny could work out what she was up to.

“Uh… to do what?” He asked carefully, head cocking to match hers before he noticed and straightened up.

Her grin widened, so she noticed.

“Oh, Jason an’ I are gonna go check on my buddy Waylon, see if we can’t work out what he was doin’ at the gala. If youse threw down he might like ta see ya there?”

Which honestly left Danny at a loss, until Tim explained.

“Killer Croc. His actual name’s Waylon Jones, and he was Harley’s tenant in Coney Island before coming back to Gotham,” he said casually, and Danny stilled.

There was an intensity in the room that hadn’t been there before, a sudden wave that sent a chill down his spine. Something from Harley, suddenly predator sharp in a way he hadn’t felt since Skulker had been a serious threat.

For the life of him though, he couldn’t put his finger on what though, since she didn’t move. Just grinned like she had been all along.

“People called him Killer Croc cuz of his skin condition. He gave up tryin’ ta change their minds,” she said with a light shrug, completely belied by the intensity of her stare.

Danny couldn’t look away until she released him, something satisfied in the quirk of her lip. Like she could see the sudden well of memory in his chest.

He’d never actually given in to all the things his parents had called Phantom. They’d been ashamed of all of them when the truth came out, and he’d only had to put up with them for a few years.

He tried to imagine decades of it, being called a monster for things he couldn’t control. For nothing more than a weird scaly skin condition.

He couldn’t imagine going full bomb vest over it, but Danny was man enough to admit he might just be a little touchy because of Jason’s death.

Which Waylon might not even know about.

Suddenly he actually did want to know why they’d attacked the gala.

Until now it had just been inevitable, someone was going to so why not them, but… well. He’d felt it under the whole plan, every stupid step.

Jason had trusted Waylon, not Danny, to keep things from getting out of hand. To know that a tussle was part of the fun.

Danny hadn’t planned on asking, but. Yeah.

“I’d like that,” he agreed quickly, nodding, at about the same time as Tucker found his own voice.

“Wait, that’s a skin condition? He’s just like that?” The techie asked sharply, staring around at Tim and Damian to confirm.

And got a disdainful look from Damian back.

“Tt, what else would it be? Do you know many scaled people?” He asked archly.

Danny’s mind snapped directly to Dora and her asshole brother. Knew Tucker’s had gone to the same place a second later.

“More than you’d think,” he and Tucker said in unison, and they shared a grin. If there was one benefit to their fucked up ghost hunting years, it was shutting down smart ass remarks.

Damian only looked more annoyed at being corrected, and Tucker shrugged.

“I thought he mighta been a scientist and tried to fuse himself with a lizard or something, like in Spider-Man,” he elaborated, and Danny kinda hated how much their lives resembled superhero movies.

Not that he’d say that in a room full of bats.

Damian’s brows drew down even further and he sneered, displeasure evident, but Jason cut him off before he could speak.

“Before you make a comment about mad scientists I’m gonna remind you we live in a city with Viktor Fries,” he said dryly and Damian’s mouth snapped shut.

Big brother privileges.

Wouldn’t it be nice if Ellie had given Danny those?

Tucker gave Danny a confused look, and Danny just shrugged back. He didn’t pay much attention to Gotham’s various rogues; he didn’t want to tempt his Obsession.

Tim chimed in again, without actually looking at Tucker which was kinda impressive. Guess they were just very obviously new to Gotham.

“Dr Freeze. He uses a lot of liquid nitrogen and freeze rays, he’s usually after money or diamonds to try and cure his wife,” he explained with a slight shrug.

Tucker made a confused noise.

“So… couldn’t Bruce just pay him off and keep him from bothering the city?” He asked carefully, glancing around the room.

Jason actually snorted a laugh at that, shaking his head.

“If he could, he would have. What Fries wants isn’t possible yet.”

Not possible for humans. Part of Danny perked up, wondering if Frostbite might have the answers… but no. It wasn’t his job to solve every problem in the world.

Bringing healthy humans to the Zone was iffy. An already sick woman… well, she might get hastened along her journey to the afterlife.

And this was a conversation he really wanted to keep away from, honestly. Gotham’s rogues weren’t his problem. Couldn’t be his problem.

Danny fought ghosts, unkillable entities who enjoyed missile attacks as sport. He wasn’t interested in learning how squishy human rogues were; it had been bad enough with his friends in the line of fire.

Mega pass on being the firing squad.

He almost reconsidered the trip tomorrow, but… he trusted Jason. Trusted Jason knew where he was coming from, and that neither of them wanted to trip Danny’s Obsession.

So he gave the big guy a smile and an elbow nudge, nodding for the door.

“Not that rogue chat isn’t fascinating, but you were taking me to bed?” He asked hopefully, and only realised what he’d said when Harley stuffed half her fist in her mouth to laugh.

And now, now Danny had a choice. He could feel the heat threatening to build, and blushing? Blushing would make things much worse.

Jason’s cheeks had pinked and that was adorable and Danny would ectoblast anyone who gave him shit for it, but if DANNY blushed, Tucker would never let it go.

No, the better answer had to be to play it off, and what did you do to counter red in makeup? You added green.

Not that Danny had used ectoplasm as a fucking colour corrector before, but he might as well try. So he let his grin go saucy, eyebrows waggling, and tried a teeny bit of spectral ice to cool his cheeks.

It made Jason chuckle again, so he’d take it as a win, and Jason gave him another bow, hand still tucked in Danny’s arm.

“Your chariot awaits.”

Tim and Tucker mimed puking almost simultaneously. They were perfect for each other. And had no taste, so that worked out well for them.

Danny ignored them all and gave the room a last wave, heading for the door and tugging Jason along with.

“Night all, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow Harley, and Tucker just text me when you’re up and we’ll see about getting you home,” he called brightly, definitely not about to stop no matter what anyone said.

Not even when Harley hauled herself vertical and call after them,

“Oh, Danny! If the bat calendars do come out, shall I grab you a Red Hood one?” She asked saucily and Danny felt Jason’s grip spasm in his elbow.

Which. He was gonna try putting together later, but tonight he really did wanna get out of there before long.

Who even was Red Hood?

Danny’d never seen him and he hadn’t turned up at the gala, so he didn’t have a guess ready, just like Batwoman.

A couple of people in one of Danny’s classes simped constantly over his thighs, but Danny now figured it was because they hadn’t met Jason.

It was probably easiest to agree, so he gave her a thumbs up over his shoulder.

“Autographed please!”

**

The headache that had lessened as he talked to Harley was back in full swing, along with a throbbing pulse in his temples and roiling nausea in his gut.

Constantine’s damn cigarettes weren’t helping, but Bruce just didn’t feel up to wrestling them away from him.

He’d expected… well. He hadn’t expected Constantine to come through full of fire and indignation, accusing Bruce of making the fucking mess.

His bad feeling had intensified too, not in the slightest relaxed that Constantine could feel that scrungly fucking kid all the way up in the manor.

No matter what Constantine said about the “halfa”, that could not bode well. Not with the look he’d seen on the man’s fucking face.

Steph called him an occult OSHA violation in a trench coat. Anything that scared him worried Bruce.

He could put up with some smoke and some pain to get the information he needed with a minimum of fuss.

He was beginning to wish he’d gotten some sleep though. Or could have someone get him a drink of water.

He’d shown Constantine the missed call logs from Amity Park, and the magician swore in ways that made Bruce see flashes of colour.

(That might have been the concussion talking, but Bruce could remember the almost buzzing swearwords he’d heard from Sam Manson and wasn’t sure. Nothing could be trusted.)

Not at the volume of the logs, that hadn’t surprised him. No, Constantine had gotten serious when Bruce shared the logs Tim had first shown him.

‘Earth is gone. The sky is green and Earth is gone.’

“Alright, that? That’s very fuckin’ bad,” the magician grumbled, reaching into his pocket for a flask for the first time since he’d arrived.

At least it wasn’t another goddamn cigarette. Little fucking meow meow magician.

(Bruce wasn’t quite sure what that one meant, but Steph usually said it with enough derision it had to apply.)

“So I assumed,” he gritted out, jaw clenching against another pang of pain.

Constantine levelled him with a blank stare. Bruce made a conscious effort to relax his face. The tensing wasn’t helping anyway.

“No, Batman. I mean really, really not fuckin’ good. They never called again?” He asked, and the sudden gravity in his voice sunk through layers of ache and irritation.

He sounded as serious as he’d been about the oath. That definitely wasn’t good.

Bruce shook his head, scrolling demonstratively to the end of the file.

“Not after this cluster of messages, all within the same day.”

Tim had all sorts of explanations for that. Bruce fervently hoped he was right and it was just pique on the part of Amity Park; he’d take them being angry with the League over anything else.

Especially anything that made John Constantine look that serious.

“An’ the town’s still there?” He asked, like that was a reasonable question.

Except… Bruce suddenly wasn’t sure. There were alumni from Amity Park, people who’d moved away, but the sheer lack of online information about the town itself…

They hadn’t even been able to get a clear satellite image.

He should have noticed that. He should have checked that. If he hadn’t been so twisted up in his worries about Jason…

But no, that wasn’t fair.

Bruce closed his eyes a moment, calming himself down. Breathing through the sluggish throb at his temples.

None of their Amity Parkers talked about the town like it was missing, or anything out of the ordinary. His children would have flagged it.

This wasn’t an oversight, but Constantine may know something that none of his family could have assumed.

He just had to get this finished. This briefing with Constantine, his report to the League, Jason… no. Sleep first, some pain killers, a more thorough scan.

Maybe a day of recovery, as soon as he could afford one. Wait until his head cleared.

Harley was right, Jason deserved the best Bruce could give him, and trying to talk to his son now would not go well. Bruce was only barely tolerating Constantine’s presence.

For all the man was alarmingly combative about this subject, he was a pussycat compared to Jason in a mood. Jason knew far more about what would hurt Bruce most.

Jason had always been what hurt Bruce most, ever since he’d held his lifeless body. Jason, and even the thought of one of his other children following him where Bruce couldn’t go.

No. He just had to get through this.

Refocusing on John-Bloody… no, that wasn’t helping either. On Constantine.

“From what we’ve gathered from people who have left Amity Park since, they still have access to the outside world.” He wasn’t quite sure what else he could commit to now.

It didn’t seem to satisfy. It didn’t satisfy Bruce either.

“Okay, but ya remember what I said about the fabric of reality bein’ swiss fuckin’ cheese around this city?” Constantine asked, his usual drawl starkly absent.

Bruce found himself tensing again. Wishing this was something he could fight.

“Yes. We haven’t been able to receive any satellite imagery of the town, nor any footage or communication online from within.”

He could pull up all the data, all the social media, but he knew Constantine wouldn’t care. It wasn’t what he’d asked for.

And sure enough, Constantine hauled himself back to his feet, striding towards the zeta tubes.

“Right. Well, guess we’re takin’ a field trip to th’ Watchtower, B-man, because you’re really not gonna like what I’d have to do to this lovely cave to get the intel I need. We’ll need every sensor you lot have, because that?”

Constantine half turned on his walk, finger jabbing at that last message. Barely even glancing in Bruce’s direction.

It felt like an accusation.

“That’s not fuckin’ good. That sounds like the Infinite Fucking Realms,” he declared darkly, trench coat billowing around him as he stalked across the cave.

Bruce almost flinched. Like he had no control over his expressions.

He needed sleep.

He needed answers. Needed to know what had happened, and what had to happen to fix it.

Needed to know they hadn’t let a half dead child take on an entire alternate dimension alone, because no matter how little he trusted the man Danny was, the thought of the child still ached.

Needed to know if that suspicion was actually justified by anything but his own inability to accept Jason’s clear. To have an unknown factor in Jason’s life.

Constantine’s reaction was one point in Bruce’s favour.

Whatever they found about the current state of Amity Park… would tell the rest.

He forced himself out of his seat to follow Constantine, hand straying to the pocket on his belt that held his emergency stimulants.

Alfred wouldn’t be pleased, the tiny pills carried an adrenaline boost that was wearing even at full health, but he needed to be sharp. Just for a few more hours.

He could pass what they learned off to Clark and Diana, and to his children when he returned. Just for a little while. A few hours.

Amity Park had gone unnoticed for years, as little as Bruce liked that fact. He could only hope that whatever threat it presented would lie dormant just a little longer.

**

Fuck the no killing rule, Jason was gonna murder Harley Quinn. And by that, yeah, he probably actually meant “seek vengeance in some small but annoying way”, but still.

He didn’t actually have a crush on Danny. It was a bit they were putting on to fuck with his nosey brothers, and it was probably a good sign that they’d apparently fooled Harley too.

But Harley was a hopeless romantic and prone to see romance where none existed, so maybe it wasn’t that good.

More importantly, Danny didn’t fucking know he was Red Hood yet. He’d have to text Harley tonight and drill that in, since she’d definitely picked up that Danny was in on the secret.

And since apparently they were all gonna be hanging out tomorrow.

He kinda wished he hadn’t brought it up. That Harley hadn’t asked.

He’d monopolised so much of Danny’s time already over the break, three full days and they still had to make that run back to Frostbite.

Danny must have had some other plans. Something he actually wanted to do with his time instead of just following Jason around.

The gala had been fun though. And so had today, it just… Jason couldn’t help feeling he was being too needy. Too clingy, with a guy he’d known for all of a week, if you were generous.

Being around Danny made him feel like himself for the first time in fucking years, and he knew what he’d have given up for that.

He didn’t want to be too much. Too pushy. Didn’t want Danny to get sick of hanging out with him so soon, and leave him right back where he’d been; bitter, angry, and alone.

At least Danny didn’t seem to be thinking too much about Harley’s parting shot. There was definitely something on his mind, but they hadn’t actually unlinked arms.

Jason could feel his aura.

Concern-worry-worry.

Shit, they hadn’t fucking unlinked arms. Should they? Should Jason have? For fucks sake he was literally clinging to the guy, this was fucking ridiculous, he should just.

But Danny hadn’t pulled away.

It’d be weird to pull away now.

Jason managed to keep himself distracted in that little spiral all the way to the garage he’d parked his bike in. Danny waited until they left the manor’s grounds to speak again though, arms tightening around Jason’s chest.

“Pull over a sec?” He called above the wind, and Jason very firmly did not let that pitch him further. He pulled over, still firmly in the heights and far from any living souls.

Unless theirs counted. Probably not.

He dropped the kickstand and pulled off his helmet, hoping Danny just wanted to talk. Maybe ask him to make his excuses to Harley.

Ask Jason to drop him at the university and not follow him home. That’d make sense. He didn’t need a wayward puppy.

He didn’t actually get off the bike. Didn’t want to give up Danny’s arms wrapped around him, even if it was just for expedience.

And maybe realised that wasn’t a great idea when Danny rested his cheek on Jason’s back and a warm wave of relax-safe-reassurance threatened to swallow him.

“I know what you’re thinking about,” Danny admitted softly, and Jason damn near bolted. Barely heard the next words, which…

Well.

He knew Danny tended to overlook things. But it turned out he could be pretty damn perceptive too.

“She’s gonna be okay, you know. Cass. I can feel her anywhere in the city if I try, and I’ll know if something happens to her.”

And just like that, the pit dropped out of Jason’s stomach.

He’d been trying not to think about it. Pretended he didn’t know what she’d be doing when she left, out in the city, one fucking accident from being like him.

Even worrying about Danny getting sick of him was better than that.

She might not even need the pit to bring her back this time. Gotham had a fuck ton of native ectoplasm even for a city; it couldn’t not.

Ectoplasm was made of and attracted to raw emotional energy. For all that people died every day in the city, more were born or moved in to join their ranks.

Gotham would be a metaphorical ghost town if they hadn’t, instead of the literal version slowly creeping across the city’s vigilantes.

From the rogues’ overdramatic schemes to the peoples’ undercurrent of rage and defiant joy, Gotham seethed with emotion. Most of the dead didn’t stay to use the ecto up, and every rogue attack brought a fresh wave.

Not clean ectoplasm like the realms, but tainted with their individual torments, the fierce glee, the desire to burn, it all churned into an ambient ectoplasm Danny swore he’d never seen in another city.

And that defiant spirit, the Gotham je ne sais quoi that made people put up with all the rogue attacks and dangers, was powerful too. Jason had known that even as a kid.

Now, it was literally the reason he was alive.

He might have a second core filling his system with pit water, but they’d both have dried up without the boundless “fuck off” energy Gotham was built on.

He’d felt it the second he returned. He was alive in Gotham in a way he hadn’t been in Nanda Parbat, anywhere but the fucking pit. It let him think clearly.

Well.

Apparently Danny let him think clearly. That still stung. But it shouldn’t have surprised him.

He’d never been much of anything that other people didn’t make him.

It was why he didn’t really mind Clockwork trying to make him Danny’s knight within a couple hours of learning he was half dead. It was kinda what he did.

People had been using him as a weapon since he swung a tire iron at Batman himself. Protecting the guy who gave him his fucking soul back?

He’d have done that anyway, for free. And he got a kickass gun and a supernatural sense of when said asshole needed him. Honestly, easiest job of his life.

The catch would come eventually, but this whole “feeling the intent of people you talk to” thing left him way less suspicious than he still kinda felt he should be.

He’d rather that than be left nebulously owing his whole self to Danny with no way to repay him and no idea where the catch would come from.

It had just… never occurred to him that the same way Danny could reach out and find Vlad, he’d be able to find Cass. Or Jason himself, probably.

Jason hadn’t realised how tightly he’d wound himself until the pressure eased.

He sucked in a breath that seemed to fill his chest for the first time in hours, folded his arms forward onto the handlebars, and let his head rest against them.

Danny followed him down, never losing contact but his face slipping lower and lower down Jason’s back. It almost made him chuckle, imagining how they must have looked.

Actually, he did. Just a moment, a soft and almost giddy sound that he choked back immediately. He sounded… well. Not like himself.

He’d been itching since the girls left to patrol, wishing he could join them. Be Cass’s backup in the field and be sure she wasn’t going in on anything big alone.

Cass was a step beyond competent, she was exceptional and she’d been doing this for years without a shadow. On a regular day, she wouldn’t need help.

But hearing how close she was to losing her humanity and not coming back right no matter what had him on edge. He wanted to shield her, protect her from what he’d gone through.

It wasn’t that he wanted her out of the fight. The idea of asking her not to go out hadn’t even occurred to him. She could make her own choices and he’d back her with all he had.

He just absolutely fucking hated the idea that she was out there alone, while he had fucking nothing on him that’d let him go after her if she did need backup.

If she needed help, he’d have to waste time gearing up before he could go out after her. The other bats would have her back, they all would, so long as they weren’t busy too.

It wasn’t like he was anyone’s first choice for backup even now, he just.

Yeah. He might kinda get what Danny meant about his Obsession being protection. Protecting the bats was a recent addition, but Jason had burned himself out on enough missing kids since he got back to suspect.

He’d have to ask what an actual capital-letter Obsession felt like, but that would wait for another time.

Just knowing that Cass would be safe, had another pair of eyes and more powers than a Kryptonian watching her back made him feel like he could breathe again.

Even knowing that though, he was glad to have left the manor. He could take Danny home, suit up, and… wait.

Danny had no choice but to move back as he straightened, half turning to frown down at the smaller man.

“Is that why you wanted to leave?” He asked quietly, gauging Danny’s face.

Had Danny worked it out on his own? Felt him stressing out about his baby sister back in the field?

Did Danny know that Jason wanted to join her, if not necessarily which costume he wore, and cut his night short?

Would Danny do that for him?

The answer was obvious in the other man’s face as Danny shrugged, even before he spoke.

“I didn’t wanna put you on the spot, and I figured you’d rather get out of there,” he explained casually, leaning just a little into Jason. Enough to feel what warmth Danny had.

Jason hesitated for a long moment, not sure what to say. If he should thank Danny. If Danny would ask, and if Jason should tell him he was the Red Hood now.

It’d be weirder the longer he didn’t mention it. Like he was keeping a secret.

The same secret Danny had kept as a teenager, so at least he’d probably understand, but Jason didn’t like how it felt. He wasn’t fucking ashamed of being the Red Hood.

He’d done shit no one else ever could have, and every inch of his territory was safer than it had ever been without him. He was proud of what he’d done, even if he wouldn’t brag about his methods.

It worked. It got him where he was today, where he didn’t need to kill anymore because people turned tail at the hint of his damn name.

He still didn’t know how Danny felt about killing. It wasn’t something that came up in conversation much. Maybe he’d find a way to ask first.

Tonight, he managed a stiff nod and leaned a little of his own weight back into Danny. Even if the guy thought he was just gonna go home and mope there instead, it was a win.

“Thanks,” he said softly, half wishing for his helmet’s voice modulator. He didn’t like hearing his own voice sound so… vulnerable.

Danny, fucking angel of mercy that he was, chuckled softly and gave him a gentle tap upside the head.

“Yeah, well. Also wasn’t sure how the others would react to “99% of you are permanently on my radar” anyway, and I wanted to make sure you knew for Cass,” he explained cheerfully.

And yeah, Jason still hadn’t really processed that yet, and wasn’t even sure how he’d react. Smart fucking call on Danny’s part.

Chuckling under his breath, Jason shook his head and flipped the kickstand back up.

“Anything else before I take you to bed?” He asked, half teasing Danny’s own unfortunate choice of words earlier.

They were absolutely still fucking with his family to think this was some kind of romantic relationship. Maybe a bit to punish Bruce, who clearly couldn’t handle the idea of Jason happy.

Danny laughed, a hint of something Jason almost identified behind it, then settled himself more firmly against Jason’s back, hanging on properly again.

“Not a damn thing. Oh, are you gonna come pick me up tomorrow or do I make my own way to the manor to join you and Harley?” He asked, snugged up tight.

Jason had almost forgotten that was happening. Apparently. And suddenly he was glad for at least the motorcycle helmet as his cheeks flushed pink.

Fuck he’d say he was trailing after Danny like a puppy, except Danny was the one going where Jason needed to be.

Another excuse to get Danny on his bike, arms around him.

Fuck off Jason Todd, Romance Heroine. It was a goddamn jailbreak, if a legal one. Not a fucking meet cute.

“If you actually want to come,” he agreed a little hesitantly, because the voice that insisted he was just a burden and Danny was only humouring him wasn’t all displacement activity after all.

Or pit related, apparently. Delightful.

He coulda tried to pretend it was, but that had been more convincing back when it was always a background grumble of anger, not the little calm pool of happiness now sitting in his gut.

Unforeseen side effect of getting his toxic sludge cleaned up: he was gonna have to own some of his own bullshit now. Work out what was his and what wasn’t.

Danny leaned back a little, grip loosening, and Jason could feel concern like a whisper soft touch.

“Yeah… I would, if you don’t mind? It seems like he’s important to you.”

Jason wasted a moment trying to work out what the hell Danny meant by that.

Did he want to meet Croc cuz he was important to Jason? Or did he think Jason wouldn’t want him to if he was important?

Cuz while yeah, Jason considered Waylon a friend (and thanks, Harley, for the new name crisis, love that. The guy introduced himself as Killer Croc but Jason knew all about controlling a narrative) it wasn’t like he was family. Not like Dick, Cass, or the others.

Except. Roy was family. Long before any of the bats made it back into Jason’s good books, Roy was one of the first people to be happy Jason was alive.

And Waylon had helped Roy get help when Ollie fucking kicked him out.

Waylon had been a restraining hand on Jason’s shoulder too, in the bad old days. Keeping him from pushing too hard, going too big, doing something he really couldn’t come back from.

Family didn’t have to mean annoying texts at four AM. Didn’t have to come around for dinner every Sunday; how often did any of them really see Harley?

Fuck, how often would they have seen each other if Alfred didn’t have them all firmly under his culinary thumb.

Waylon had to count as a reliable old uncle at least.

And that kinda made it a different question. Did Jason want Danny to meet his family?

It had been an easy “yes” with the bats, not least because the nosy bastards would muscle their way in regardless. Croc…

Waylon never judged Jason. From his highest highs to lowest lows, he never looked down on him. Not even when he was telling Jason to stop and think.

It kinda made Jason ache for what his life should have been. His, and Waylon’s if he’d never been called Killer Croc.

And maybe it’d give Jason a read on how Danny would react to the Red Hood thing. Or whether or not Danny already knew.

Jason was gonna blame Bruce for this chronic overthinking. Definitely not something he’d had on his own.

He’d thought about it long enough that he could feel Danny tensing, and he forced himself to snap out of it. In all honesty, it wasn’t his business what Danny thought he’d get out of it.

In the end, there was no point second guessing what someone else wanted to do with their time. It was Danny’s call. Not his.

And that kinda helped.

He half shrugged, leaning back into Danny for a moment and tugging him forwards again.

“I mean, we’re not “Thanksgiving at each others’ houses” close, but… he’s helped me out since I came back. More than I expected anyone to. I don’t mind if you wanna meet him,” Jason explained.

Danny obediently moved back into position to go, his aura a gentle hum of curiosity-concern-interest at Jason’s back.

“So do I make my own way, or…”

“I’ll come get you, probably around eleven?” Jason offered, definitely NOT thinking about Danny being back in this same position very soon.

He was gonna have to get another helmet for the bike. Immortal Ghost King or not, it just felt rude at this point.

**

After Danny and Jason left, Tim, Harley, and Tucker played a few more rounds of Mariokart together. Switched to a couple other games. Damian abandoned them almost immediately, disappearing half way through a round.

Probably to start a patrol of his own, or go try to spy on Danny and Jason.

Eventually Harley wished both the boys well and headed out with a cheery wave.

“Right, maybe I’ll see ya tomorrow or maybe not, have fun and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she called cheerfully, then paused and pointed at Tucker. “An’ keep an eye on Tim. Make sure he sleeps.”

Tim rolled his eyes, not looking up from their new round of SpiderHeck to wave her off. Tucker did, and Tim took advantage to swing across the map and cut him down with a lightsaber.

Amateur.

“Huh? Oh, sure! Fucking hell Tim,” Tuck complained as his attention switched back to the defeat screen.

Tim snickered, leaning back in his seat and crossing his legs.

“Hey, not my fault you can’t keep your head in the game,” he teased smugly. Tucker poked him in the face.

“Not my fault I have enough manners to look at people when they talk to me. So is Harley gonna be staying in the manor too?” He added curiously, glancing around.

They easily had the rooms for it, though Tim didn’t really wanna think about it. What might Harley get up to on a 2am snack run?

Although it wasn’t that far from 2am now.

“I don’t think so, she has a place in the city at the moment,” he mused, his mind beginning to shift.

It wasn’t that he’d been waiting for witnesses to clear out, exactly. Everyone was in on the secret, so it shouldn’t be a big deal to head down to the Bat Cave even when they had the larger group.

It was just… they’d been having fun. It’d be rude to leave their guests, and Bruce was already being cranky down in the cave.

Of course, Tim’d gotten another ping on his zeta tube monitoring program an hour or so ago. Constantine and Bruce both checking out, probably to the Watchtower.

So it’d be safe now, and they’d reached an okay stopping point. Tim had no doubt that Tucker would prefer checking out the cave over any games.

Tim couldn’t let him on the bat computer yet, but he could show Tucker a couple of Tim’s better scanning programs. Maybe even ping Babs and see how the others were doing.

See if she had time to talk to Tucker in person. Maybe he could show them both how he’d encrypted that server, which Tim suspected would involve ectoplasm.

Not like he couldn’t link the PDA to an un-networked monitor so that they could all see what he was doing though. Hell, they could record it for Bruce.

He’d love having answers to the Amity Park problem. If Tucker would let Tim run the PDA for a few minutes…

Still, it was just good manners to check in.

Alfred would be thrilled that they were learning to communicate.

Pulling out his phone, he shot Bruce a quick text.

‘Hey, we’re gonna head down to the Cave. You mind if I give a tour?’

It didn’t take long to get a reply, which was usually a good sign. It meant Bruce wasn’t hyperfocused enough to ignore his phone.

Maybe things with Constantine were going well.

The length of the reply wasn’t as reassuring, but not a surprise either. Bruce wasn’t exactly wordy in person, and only less so over text.

‘Go ahead.’

No indication of when he’d be back, but that was fine. They could compare notes whenever that turned out to be.

Tim turned to Tucker, grinning in anticipation of the other man’s reaction.

“So, wanna see something cool?” He asked, and felt gratified when Tucker’s eyes widened and a matching grin spread across his face.

But who wouldn’t be excited to see the Bat Cave?

“Hell yeah!”

**

Tucker followed Tim eagerly out of the games room, mind already buzzing with all the things the young genius might want to show him.

Did they have a tech lab in Wayne Manor? They definitely had the space for it, and it had to be safer than keeping one at Tim’s downtown apartment.

Bruce might not have been much of a techie but Tim was personally responsible for enough big developments that he was considered a prodigy even in Tucker’s circles.

Of course the guy had the advantage of near limitless money and resources, especially after Drake Industries merged with Wayne Enterprises.

With that kinda money, Tucker himself could have revolutionised the world. But, Tuck had the advantage of the Ghost Zone and ecto tech, so he wasn’t too upset.

Especially not if Tim was really going to let him see where the magic happened.

He did nearly let out an audible groan as Tim led him into an office and activated a secret elevator in a clock. Maybe Danny had a point… maybe all billionaires were dramatic assholes.

Maybe Sam had a point, and they were all evil. Maybe Tim was bringing him down to an evil lab.

Caution reluctantly seeped into Tucker’s excitement, but he fought it off sharply. Tim was a good guy, they were becoming real friends, and Tuck couldn’t believe a fellow techie would betray him.

Besides, no one in Gotham knew shit about ghost tech, or liminals. It wasn’t like Tucker would actually be in any danger from a scrawny nerd like Tim.

Even if he did have very nice shoulders. Shapely arms. An almost snatched waist that almost tipped to androgyny, but he carried it so well.

Anyway.

Tim definitely wouldn’t hurt him.

It was probably just a super secure underground tech lab, to keep anyone from stealing secrets. Tucker let himself hype up again, imagining the kind of security measures Tim could install underground.

It’d remove the chances of someone sneaking through a back window for sure. And sure, rock wouldn’t stop a ghost, but it stopped pretty much anyone else if you added seismic sensors.

It made sense, really, putting all Tim’s very coolest and most secret cutting edge tech experiments somewhere that no one would expect, and almost no one could get to.

Tucker found himself rocking forward on his toes as the elevator descended, and flushed a little when he noticed Tim smiling.

He was excited, sue him. It beat worrying that he was about to get his first go at the Danny Fenton Lab Experience.

Thankfully no one ever cared enough to capture the nerds.

Tim was quiet on the way down, clearly savouring the anticipation, and that suited Tucker fine. It wasn’t a long ride, and he all but bounced out of the doors as soon as they opened.

Stopped.

Stared around at blank stone walls, stalactites on the ceiling, and… a waterfall? A robotic dinosaur? A row of display cases?

This was not a super cool high tech research lab.

This kinda might be a supervillain cave.

Tucker’s heart sank for a moment, especially as he noticed more and more Batman themed pieces on walls and cases.

Bruce Wayne (please don’t let it be Tim’s secret project any more, Tucker couldn’t bear it) was obsessed with Batman. Collecting trophies.

Probably wanted to catch the hero himself and stuff him in a case. Rich people were all like that apparently.

Except… the locker room? Off to one side? Where a freshly laundered Red Robin uniform hung, neat and pristine?

Collector freaks never let anyone clean their stuff, especially if it might have had gross hero sweat to obsess over.

And that was the Batmobile, parked next to a large garage door. An array of motorcycles, and Tucker was no expert on Gotham’s heroes but there were at least three colour schemes.

Someone had been changing the oil on one of them.

A massive computer screen, surrounded by smaller screens at various angles, and as he approached in awe he spotted a bat sticker on almost every monitor.

No way anyone ever stole THE Batcomputer. People would notice. Someone would talk, there were legends about Batman’s set up!

Half Tucker’s class would have killed for a look at the tech, no way they wouldn’t know if it ever got loose.

Which meant.

Tucker knew his jaw had dropped. Couldn’t find it in himself to close it as he turned back to Tim, eyes wide, and watched all colour drain from the other man’s face.

“Is this the fucking Bat Cave?! Is Bruce Fucking Wayne actually Batman?!” He exclaimed eagerly, not even wondering why Tim suddenly looked so shocked.

This really was the best day ever.

Wait.

“You DO know the fucking Oracle!”

**

Well.

The curse of Robin had come for Tim at last. Bruce was absolutely going to fucking kill him.

But, okay, in his defence, it totally wasn’t Tim’s fault! He’d assumed Tucker already knew because Danny one thousand percent definitely did, he called Dick out in costume!

And Tucker was still trustworthy! Still an asset! And he’d help Tim get past the firewalls, get into Amity Park, all they had to do was get enough work done before Bruce came back.

And killed Tim.

For bringing an unknowing civilian into the fucking bat cave.

Best day ever.

Tim sucked in a great rasping breath, suddenly aware that he’d completely stopped breathing somewhere in there, and shook his head.

Okay. Snap out of it Tim.

Those nights with Alfred-supervision had made him weak, no way only thirty-six hours without sleep should have done this to him.

Too bad, sleep deprivation would have been a great excuse.

He wasted a moment lamenting his lack of immediate coffee and turned his focus to the actual problem: the Amity Park firewall.

Tucker was still staring at him in awe and triumph, though worry was creeping in. Tim pulled on a charming smile, walking to the batcomputer and gesturing for Tucker to join him.

“Uh… yeah, sorry, I thought Danny already told you or I’d have said. I didn’t mean to spring it on you,” he lied, like he’d have ever let the secret slip.

Tucker pouted then, folding his arms.

“Oh, of course Danny knows. Bet that’s how he and Jason met. So does that mean you’re…” he trailed off curiously, clearly hoping Tim would fill in the blank.

Tim considered being mildly offended that Tucker didn’t think he could be Oracle, but he valued his digital security. Zero chance Babs wouldn’t be pulling this video up later for a laugh.

He nodded to his suit instead, the new one hanging waiting. Probably for tomorrow night at this point, since there was no reason to change just to hang out in the cave.

��Red Robin. I ah… saw you last night at the gala,” he added sheepishly, wondering just how much of Tim’s minor breakdown Tucker had noticed while waiting to give Tim the tablet.

And Tucker’s eyes lit up, clearly remembering, and he grinned, clapping his hands together.

“Oh! That explains why you left, huh? I guess someone had to deal with the rogues and stuff,” he mused thoughtfully.

Tim had to hope he wasn’t thinking about the exact same thing. At least the discovery was going well so far; Tim couldn’t think of many people he’d had to share this particular secret with, and most of the ones who did had been villains at one time or another, but still.

Tucker was keeping up, wasn’t freaking out, and had gotten over his surprise in record time. Tim definitely wasn’t disappointed.

Tuck had been a vigilante himself after all, it’s not like he was a civilian. And had already admitted he didn’t pay much attention to vigilantes, so he might not even know which one Red Robin was.

It’d just. Have been nice if he was more impressed.

Not that Tim cared. He wasn’t Red Robin to impress people, and usually didn’t even think about it.

And Tucker didn’t seem surprised or upset when Tim steered him to one of the tables beside the batcomputer instead of the big baby itself, and got one of the un-networked monitors out.

“Pretty much. I get a little… antsy if a takedown goes too easily, because with Riddler it usually means we’re missing something,” he explained dryly, pointing Tucker to a second wheely chair to pull over, “but yesterday it was apparently just a shitty rush job on his part.”

Tucker snickered at that, wheeling the directed chair over and sitting eagerly beside Tim, still darting looks at the bigger screens.

“Should I be mad I didn’t get their best work?” He mock-pondered, and Tim snickered.

“Probably. But Riddler and Croc aren’t really A-listers or big on the mass destruction side anyway.”

“Waylon,” Tucker corrected almost absent mindedly, pulling out his PDA.

Tim missed exactly what he did next as he remembered Harley’s little tidbit, and he pulled a face.

“Yeah… I’ve not exactly had the one-on-one time with him Jason’s had, I don’t think we’re on a first name basis,” he explained, shaking his head as the monitor sprung to life.

Tucker snorted a laugh, flicking through screens on the PDA.

“What, Mr Jones then? Want me to just start downloading the Amity Park records first, then we’ll go hunting?” He added, and Tim nodded quickly, snickering himself at the vision.

Nothing threw a shining ball of confusion into a fight like calling someone “Mr Jones”. He’d have to try it if Croc… Mr Jones was gonna be back on the scene.

It was the name that went on all of his prison paperwork, so it wasn’t like it was a secret identity the same way the bats had.

“Honestly? Better than Waylon. And yeah, we can start with the government files and news reports, just so we have a backup. Then we’ll look around and find out what else B thinks we’ll need.”

Tucker snickered beside him, flicking quickly through screens on the PDA. Despite it being purely for his benefit, Tim pretty much ignored the monitor, keeping most of his attention on the device itself.

It was chunky and very retro, but given the processing power and space for storage? There was a definite charm to it.

Maybe Tucker would let him play around on it later.

But, in the spirit of not being killed when Bruce returned… there was one thing they definitely needed to talk about.

“I…” Tim sucked in a deep breath. He’d put good money on Tuck, Danny, and Sam being what actually solved Amity Park’s last calls to the League.

It might be a traumatic memory. Probably was. But he had to ask. And better him than Bruce.

Tucker looked up when he trailed off, making a curious noise. Not exactly asking what Tim wasn’t saying, but showing he’d noticed the pause.

Sighing to himself, Tim wheeled across to the batcomputer. Bruce probably still had the files up.

“I also think we need to talk about these,” he explained, pulling up the records for the Justice League’s missed calls. Hundreds of them.

Tucker just looked nonplussed for a moment, then sobered. Probably when the dates sank in and told him what they were talking about.

“Oh… yeah. Probably,” he agreed, sounding more serious than Tim had ever heard him. Which kinda proved Tim’s point about traumatic memories.

Leaving the records on screen, Tim wheeled back over, pulling out one of his larger recorders. This conversation might take a while.

“Do you mind if I just record what you tell me? B’s gonna want a full write up. He’s off ripping a strip off of Constantine as we speak, probably, cuz whatever he did… this lot went past voice mail and straight to the trash.”

It wasn’t exactly an apology, wasn’t exactly an excuse, and Tim cut himself off before it turned into whining. The past was past, and it was too late to change that now.

Something complicated crossed Tucker’s face as he spoke, and Tim tried not to look too closely. Didn’t want his overly analytical side latching on.

The only thing they could do was work out what happened, and if there was still anything the league could do to make up for majorly dropping the ball.

Tucker sucked in a deep breath of his own, letting it out in a low whistle.

“Y’know, I thought we were coming down here for fun and tech talk,” he said almost wistfully, and Tim chuckled wryly.

“We can definitely still do that. It’ll just unknot Bruce’s panties some if we’ve got this part out of the way before he gets back. That way you’re just telling me, no “swooping menace in the shadows”,” he added half sarcastically, and Tucker laughed.

He looked… well. Haunted. But that wasn’t exactly a sensible descriptor for a guy who spent years hunting ghosts.

Not too bad though. No tremors, no tightness in the eyes or jaw that said he was hiding something. His skin was still a rich, warm brown, no paler than before.

If he was having a deeper reaction than the tiredness, he was hiding it in a way Tim couldn’t hope to spot. That… was probably the best sign Tim had seen about this particular shit show.

Chuckling to himself, Tucker checked the PDA one more time, then set it on the table and turned to face Tim directly.

“Yeah, might as well do it during the file download. Your setup is gorgeous, but that’s still gonna take a while. If you ask me, you’re not gonna need to ask Danny about it later, right?” He asked, and Tim bit his lip.

Less good sign. Seemed Danny carried more of the weight of this one too.

“B’ll probably want his side, and to check the stories match, but Jason won’t let him push Danny into anything,” he offered instead of a blanket statement.

Tucker cocked his head a little, examining Tim for a long moment in a way that made him feel almost… dissected. Like a piece of tech Tucker had taken apart, and was looking for secrets in.

Finally the older boy nodded and shrugged, leaning back.

“Yeah, fair. It’s damn hard to pin Danny down if he wants to leave anyway. There’s some Fenton tech that’d do it, but it’s not like you can get that here. So… where do you want me to start?”

Filing away that comment about the Fenton tech for later, Tim jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the big screen.

“Do we have time to start at the beginning? The first calls?” He asked, half expecting the answer to be “no”.

Tucker glanced down at his PDA, and snickered.

“Well, I can give you the Cliff’s Notes version. And then if you have questions you can ask?”

Which… yeah, Tim glanced at their little offline monitor. It was a pretty big download; Tucker had meant it when he said he was grabbing everything for them.

That had to be a sign of good faith, right?

And then after that they’d have to shift everything over to an un-networked hard drive. After whatever Tuck had to do to de-ecto it.

Shoulders settling, Tim put the recorder on the table before him.

“Sounds good. So… Tucker Foley, current top student at MIT and soon to be receiver of a Wayne Enterprises internship,” he teased, enjoying the way Tucker snickered again, also visibly relaxing.

Might as well make this as comfortable as possible. They could break after Tucker finished for some drinks or something.

“What happened in Amity Park?”

**

On the Watchtower, Bruce slid his phone back into its pouch on his utility belt and returned his attention to the pacing magician.

He’d pulled up every type of reading they could gather from Amity Park for the week of the last distress call, and from their current logs.

Thermal imaging, infrared and ultraviolets, seismography, electromagnetic waves, spectrography, and several that Bruce wasn’t sure what they were, just that the Justice League Dark were the only ones who used them.

The fact that even Bruce could see extremely obvious spikes on more than half of them was not a good sign. It made checking the dates almost superfluous.

Nor was the way that even though those spikes had lowered within that same day… they’d never gone all the way back down.

In every magical sense they could detect (and half a dozen scientific ways he was actually comfortable with), Amity Park glowed like a cartoon nuke.

The only good news was that their radiation sensors had gone straight back down to normal after the initial spikes. Which made no scientific sense given the normal decay of radioactive materials, but Bruce was not going to argue.

He appreciated Tim checking in though. The gesture towards clearer communication. He wasn’t sure exactly what Tim would want to show Harley in a tour of the bat cave, but honestly?

He wasn’t going to ask. It was nice to have something that wasn’t his problem, and he trusted Tim and Harley, together or separately.

It wasn’t like Tim would bring anyone else down to the cave.

——————

😇

I regret nothing.

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Next Chapter:

[ravenmichaelisstuff]

"Better Late Than Never" Part 13

Father-son bonding time (Ghost learns about cars from Price)

Soap sat in one of the garages on their base, playing with some cables and trying to appear as small and unimportant as he could so no one bats an eye at the fact that he is once again playing with explosives. 

He was ready to connect the final wires when suddenly he heard someone calling for him. He hid the small bomb behind his back, as he stood up. He prayed for his creation to not blow up in his hands, surrounded by cars full of flammable fuel.

"Mactavish!" A man who Soap knew was a lieutenant of a different Task Force situated at their base came up to him. "You are an engineer, right?"

Soap's brows furrowed. "Well... I-"

"My mechanic is indisposed and I need that car-" He gestured to a truck behind him. "-working by tomorrow. Is that clear sergeant?"

"I'm n-" 

"Good." The man interrupted him once again. Soap had to take a deep breath and count to ten. "I will check on your job later." After that, he was gone.

Soap stood still for a few seconds, making sure that the officer wasn't in his earshot anymore- then he carefully placed the unfinished explosive in his bag. 

"What a fucking prick!" Soap shouted frustrated causing a few other soldiers in the garage to look at him. He looked at the car he was supposed to fix. "Ah am not a fucking car engineer..."

And that was a problem because he had no idea how to fix a car, that asshole didn't even tell him what needed fixing. He walked up to the truck and kicked one of its tires- which he regretted as pain struck through his foot. He grabbed his leg trying to collect himself before checking out the car.

"Ok.. let's see." He muttered to himself. Soap walked around the car, searching for something obvious- like a flat tire. Something he could figure out how to fix quite easily. Sadly he didn't spot anything so he got inside the car and tried to start it.

He twisted the keys that were already in the ignition.

Nothing.

He tried again... and

Nothing.

He put his head on the wheel- it meant that the problem was probably not easy to fix. He already can't wait for the lieutenant to come back and be pissy about the job not being done, but it's not like it was his fault. He would fix it- if it was a bomb that he was supposed to fix. That's what you get when you are disrespectful to others and interrupt them, ordering them around.

"What are you doing, Johnny?"

Soap was startled when he heard a familiar voice right next to him. "Ye should start sprotin' collar with a bell, sae ye can't sneak up on people lik' that. Someone will die o' heart attack, ye will see." Soap poked at Ghost's chest.

Ghost blushed under his mask- for some reason. For some reason thinking way too much about the idea of a collar around his neck... for some reason.

He was thankful for the material on his face.

"So you have a casual mental breakdown in the car or...." Ghost leaned on the car's mask, as Soap got out of the truck. 

"Permission to complain about a certain officer, Lt?"

"As long as this certain officer is not me, I am listening." He crossed his arms.

Soap took a final look around to make sure that twat wasn't anywhere near. "This one lieutenant, from the other Task Force."

"Hill?"

"Yeah, that fucker!" 

Ghost put a finger to his covered lips, letting Soap know that he really shouldn't be so loud about his... aversion to the other man. Soap simmered down a little.

"What about him, Soap?"

"He comes up to me, in my free time and orders me to fix that damn car. I tried to tell him I am not an engineer, but he just kept interrupting me. So now here I am trying to fix that piece of trash."

"You are an engineer."

"Explosives engineer. If he wants me to turn the engine into a nuke I sure can."

Ghost smirked. "I don't doubt that." He also kinda wished that Soap did that, because he will have to have a talk with that man about respecting your subordinates. "What were you doing here either way? I searched for you."

He searched for him.

"Soap?"

"Nothin'" Soap eyed the bag in which rested the unwired bomb. Ghost followed his gaze.

"Price will kill you, Johnny." The lieutenant shook his head, knowing damn well what was in the bag. It wasn't the first time.

Soap was ready to defend himself when Price appeared from nowhere. Speaking of the devil.

"Why will I have to kill him?" The captain questioned as he approached them.

"Uhh... I- well-" Soap stumbled over his words, scratching his neck nervously.

"He is just behind on the reports from our recent mission, but I will make sure he will finish them today..." Ghost looked at Soap from the corner of his eye. "Right, Soap?"

"Yes, sir." And people said that Ghost didn't have a heart covering for Soap like that.

"Well, then why are you here instead of working, sergeant?" He put his hands on his hips.

 "I have to fix that car, lieutenants Hill order." Soap huffed.

"And he doesn't know how." Finished Ghost.

Price rolled his eyes. "You just have to jump-start this junk. Happens all the time. Help him Ghost."

Ghost narrowed his eyes at Price. "I don't know how to do that."

Soap chuckled. "Finally something Ghost can't do."

"It's not like you can do that either."

"Stop bickering you two, I have enough of that on coms." He sighed. "Come on, get me the booster cables. I will teach you."

***

"So first you have to connect the red cable to the plus on the dead car's battery, you do the same to a working car." Price gave the red cable to Ghost. "Do what I said."

They were now all standing on either side of Price, listening to him as he showed them how to restart the car's battery.

"Ahh... I think mah pa tried to teach me this once when I was a kid. I wasn't too interested in it though." Soap said as he watched how Ghost connects the cars.

"Well, mine sure as hell didn't." Ghost mumbled under his nose. He has no idea why he said that, recently things were just slipping out of him. Especially around Soap, but also around the rest of his Task Force.

He could feel Soap's sad puppy eyes on him and Price stopped in his tracks. Ghost felt a hand squeezing his shoulder.

"That's why now you have me, son." Price stated-like it was the most obvious thing. 

Why were Ghost's eyes suddenly a little wet? It was nice- nice to hear.

"Come on, now take the black cable and connect it to the minus on the working car..."

***

As Price and Ghost were working- Soap stepped back, letting Ghost spend some time alone with the older man. He leaned on a tool cabinet and admired the scene before him- Price explaining to Ghost every part under the car's mask, even though they got it working some time ago. 

Price was determined to teach him everything and while to everyone around Ghost might have looked just like always- simply listening to his captain. Soap saw how Simon rubbed his gloved hands over his jeans, he learned it was a little happy stim of his. It showed how truly happy it made Simon to share this moment with Price.

At some point Gaz showed up, standing right next to Soap- he also observed as the pair of men worked around the truck.

"He looks happier you know? Happier than when I first met him." Said Kyle with a subtle smile.

+

Ghost totally looked at Lieutenant Hills with daggers in his eyes, because no one gets to talk like that to his sergeant, to his Johnny.

Hi guys! I got this prompt from my favourite Discord server <3 I hope you like it, and forgive me for any inaccuracies. I know nothing about cars or the military for that meter. Just here to have fun.

Next planned: Tickling

[harrywavycurly]

Hi Sarah! I’m just wanting some convos between reader and her friends about husband Eddie. I know she gossips about their relationship to maybe Nancy and Robin? 😂🥰

Hiii babes!!! Oh yes of course she tells Nancy and Robin details about Eddie and their relationship! I hope you enjoy these😂💖

-find all things husband Eddie here✨

-I put a 💕 next to the convos that are with Nancy and ✨ means it’s a convo with Robin

*Robin wants all the details on your wedding night but instantly regrets it*

✨ “wait wait…you mean to tell me Eddie Munson did all that? No fucking way…” “you’d be surprised what he’s capable of.” “But he’s just…such a pushover…” “I mean yeah but that’s…outside of the bedroom.” “So what as soon as the lights go out he turns into this assertive dominant…man?” “Why did you say man like it was a question?” “Because i’ve always thought he identified as like a string bean but what you’re describing is…well no vegetable I know can do all that.” “You’re so annoying.” “So it was good then? Like better than it was before marriage?” “Oh totally better than before we were married…I don’t know why…maybe something about getting to call him my husband or something?” “I always knew you two were freaks.” “You’re the one who asked how it was.” “Yeah…I shouldn’t have done that.”

💕 “I’m going to kill him.” “What did he do now?” “He ate the last fucking bag of hot Cheetos and I don’t have a back up like I normally do because he’s making me lay off them for a bit.” “He’s making you take a cheeto break? Why?” “Fuck if I know! Something about it’s not good for me or some shit.” “I can tell you’re really mad…want to see if I have any?” “No…I just want you to tell me if it’s okay if I kill him or not.” “No you can’t kill him…you’d miss him the moment there’s a spider in the shower.” “That’s true he is good at killing spiders…damn him.” “You can always tell Wayne that Ed is being an asshole…” “i can’t use Wayne for everything…besides Wayne will be on his side he hates my hot Cheetos addiction.” “Those Munson men…what assholes.” “Right? So rude…and can’t even kill them because they’re so useful…so damn annoying.”

✨ “I’m sorry you said he did what now?” “He almost caught his hair on fire using the stove.” “Like…on fire on fire? Or it just got singed a bit?” “Oh it got singed a bit and set the smoke alarm off.” “I bet it smelled like ass didn’t it?” “It did…so from now on he has to have his hair up if he’s using the stove.” “And here I thought Steve was a fire hazard with all the product he has in his hair but turns out it was Eddie I should’ve been worried about.” “Steve keeps his hair short for a reason” “oh that makes so much sense! So it doesn’t combust!” “Exactly.” “That’s your man though…brunt hair and all.” “Yup that’s my man…gotta love him.” “I mean I don’t have to…but I get what you mean.”

💕 “Nancy! Guess what Eddie just got.” “A new hair mask?” “No…he does need one though his hair is looking a little blah.” “I liked the one he used to make his hair all shiny.” “Same it was nice…but it’s not hair related.” “Uh…new seat covers for the van?” “I fucking wish…the cracked leather is so annoying to sit on but he’s stubborn and super picky so sadly that’s also not it.” “Okay…a new guitar strap?” “God you’re not good at this…it’s a tattoo.” “Oh of what?” “He got my initial on his ring finger.” “Shut up no he didn’t.” “Oh but he did….” “Holy shit that’s…kinda romantic?” “Right? At first i was like what the fuck is wrong with you? But the more I was looking at it…it’s growing on me.” “Yeah? You gonna get his?” “Hell no…I already have a bat that matches his…that’s about all he’s getting.” “Let me see the font he used for your initial….oh that’s cute…yeah I like it.” “Yeah he said it’s mainly because he doesn’t like to wear his ring while at work so this will help keep the bitches away while he doesn’t have it on.” “Keep the bitches away? Does Eddie…get bitches?” “I mean he got me didn’t he Nancy? Edward James Munson would shock the shit out of with how many chicks are actually interested in him…so yeah he has to keep the bitches away.” “Well whatever works…is that the only one he’s getting for you?” “He has my name on his side…but yeah I think that’s it.” “I forgot about the name one…didn’t he get that when you two were broken up?” “He doesn’t like to talk about it…but yes.” “Right I forget he’s sensitive about that time in your relationship.” “He’s a sensitive little metal head.”

[hit-tab]

Guess who's back! Yep, it's @insufficientchill's Conall and @ritens' Lane! I took a few too many screenshots, so brace yourself. <3

Yeah, bud, that's the whole point of this party comp. I thought it'd be fun. Don't you worry about it! It'll be fiiine.

I'm sure Conall and Lane only have the best of opinions after seeing me fail this levitation-jump five times in a row because I refused to waste a harpy snare beacon. I mean, it's a jump over the brine so I can try as many times as I want without consequence...except for the rapidly dwindling respect of my pawn's friends.

Speaking of, check out this cool underwater shot I got while getting eaten by the brine. Neat, huh?

Here's a shot of Conall being awesome. Fire suits him so well! Mage vocations have such a cool aesthetic, I swear.

And here's Lane kidnapping a knacker(?) that knocked me down. It always tickles me when pawns do that.

"Lane, was that your arrow?" "'Twas not me." "..."

Guys I know you're very excited to pal around but please look out for monsters.

I think René misses being a warrior...

I managed to get a cool shot of Lane, finally. Look at him! He's so ready to wreck face!

My new favourite hobby...equipping a bow specifically so that I can kick rocky saurians. And maybe also other saurian-type monsters. I'm really not too picky.

The whole team is working together! Look how cool everyone is! It's so rare to get them all in one shot that doesn't look like they're all doing their own, random thing.

Conall helping me out after I got wasted by a goreminotaur...thanks, man. Sorry it wasn't the monster you were after. Where's Lane and René? Just over there? They're high-fiving and/or fist-bumping? Oh... ;-;

I was trying to capture a bunch of little victory poses and Lane was having none of it haha.

I don't think Conall knows how to deal with René's shenanigans, the poor guy. (Also check out Lane hiding in the tall grass like a wild pokemon pft.)

Look at these two and their lining up perfectly and their matchy bows. I forget what they were aiming at...probably a bat.

René, buddy, I'm not sure that's going to work. Max rank and he still isn't quite sure how to be an archer smh. Glitches are fun.

Er...Conall? I'm not sure we needed this spell for one teeny little minotaur that had a sliver of its health left, but at least we completed your quest.

René is way too happy about the meteors.

Camping: miserable and wet edition. The poor pawns sitting in the rain...

I had so much fun with Conall and Lane this past couple of sessions! We all got a little dinged up (no tank no real healer) but that might have also been because I went wandering around the volcano area and everyone kept stepping in lava rip. Nothing a little more resting couldn't solve. Sorry in advance if they complain about their burned feet when I send them back.

I actually did Lane's quest first, but sadly didn't get any pictures of us fighting the golem...s? I think we fought two of them. Yeah, one on the volcanic island and another in mainland Battahl, I'm pretty sure. Something about golems makes me forget to take pics I swear.

Anyway, this party comp is surprisingly viable. I only switched to my magick bow for things like spooky ghosts and dragonkin. Everything else was three bow one sorc baybee! SO much fun.

(I haven't sent them back yet! Will do soon.)

Bonus victory pose I have never seen:

Behold. René's applauding. And because there's an enemy in the distance, he's applauding angrily!

I love it so much?? He just-- looks SO mad haha.

[lazulian-devil]

Are y'all ready for Book 3? No? Well, I dont care, do I now. You're already reading, its too late for you to leave now.

The Villains of Skulduggery Pleasant 3 - Batu

We arrive in the third book, The Faceless Ones, which seamlessly incorporates the consequences of everyones actions into even worse mayhem.

Following Vengous almost succesful attempt at opening the rift, a mysterious man named Batu (who is also the guy dealing with Sanguine at the end of Book 2 being all ominous) is behind the kidnapping (and murder, lest I forget) of all remaining Teleporters. Because he needs someone to teleport something through a portal in a different dimension.

(Tangent: Im sure Shunters didnt exist yet in Book 3. I feel like this should have been a Shunter thing and I can neither remember nor bother to find proof why the Anchor needs a Teleporter instead of a Shunter. In Book 8, Crayfon Signate quite literally does something similar with the Sceptre of the Ancients, looking for a Signature and then finding the correct dimension. Im pretty sure its about it all being a gateway instead of a direct transferal. If anyone knows, do tell.)

Alright, so. We have Batu/Paddy as our main villain and he is a brilliant and excellent one. But lets get the honorable mentions out of the way, so no villains feel ignored.

Our boy Billy-Ray Sanguine is of course part of Batus Squad, but so are the remains of the the Diablerie with Jaron Gallow, Murder Rose and Gruesome Krav. I honestly admit that I feel they are caricatures and the screentime they have is sufficient not to make them boring. They all die in the end anyways and its a shame that it reflects in the way they are so very one note and almost ridiculously "evil". On top of that, we also have a Seahag (in a lake. With corpses. I do love how dumb that is). Then theres Scapegrace and the second buildup for Thurid Guild.

I will be honest with you: Batu is an exceptional villain in terms of motivation, speech and arc. His surrounding villains are sadly one note caricatures, besides those that get to live into the next book (mainly Guild, Scapegrace and Sanguine). The others are often played for jokes or just to make a point on how cruel, wicked and horrendous the Diablerie and the worshippers of the Faceless Ones truly are. Which, yeah. Thats fair. But I always love myself some three dimensional side characters, so let me be a little sad.

Now, lets think about why Batu actually works:

Hes mortal. Evil, yes. But mortal. But he could have been magic. Technically, its his birthright.

And thats all, really. Its man grasping for something he could have never had and that he could have never been gifted. Its another case of fanaticism. Fruitless, sad and deadly.

Now, the SPU has a long history of ignoring of belittling mortals in the way that they are and who they are. This becomes more apparent in later books (the xenophobia/eugenics in Phase 2 for example) but its also pretty evident here:

Batu uses his mortality, his frailness and his visual weakness as a shield. If, for example, Batu was young and fit, it wouldnt quite work the same way. His age and behaviour is a smokescreen.

Funnily enough, he even points it out in his first interaction with Skulduggery and Valkyrie:

"Reach a certain age and suddenly, you're a nobody, suddenly you're not even worth counting." - Book 3, Chapter 13

That combined with his somewhat senile mannerisms, the whole old-man schtick is so very stereotypical. Because of course it is. Both readers and heroes alike are blinded by how much of a an old man™ Paddy really is.

Contrast this with Batus first appearance in Chapter 7 and 14. The way he speaks ist fundamentally different.

"You failed me, Mr Sanguine. I paid you to do a job and you failed me. [...] You will have a chance to redeem yourself."

Paddy doesnt hold power in conversation, hes a silly little man. Its on purpose, of course. Authenticity breeds trust and everyone can relate to an old cynical man, stuck in his ways. Batu on the other hand commands a room. Speaks with a high tongue, with precision. Short and accurate, no breath wasted. Naturally.

When you read the books and you are aware of the twist, there are a lot of things, behaviours and sentences that could make you raise an eyebrow. But our heroes dont have the time to question anything, so they dont. They willingly accept that this man owns the land with the rift, that he doesnt panic at the explanation of magic, that his questions are a little suspicious. Because then they would need to stop. And neither Skulduggery nor Valkyrie do such a thing. They are cocksure of themselves, remember? And Batu knows. Batu even bets on that, as all sorcerers he has met have been equally cocksure. And all his henchmen are too. He's playing all of them, simply because he knows how they work. He has weaseled his way into their homes, has fed their cats (s. Chapter 36), has seen their arrogance and sadly his cynicism proves right at every turn. He really is invisible to them. A mortal obstacle, to be dealt with to safe the world. Always the roadstop, never the destination.

In Chapter 20, Paddys reaction to magic is a smile, not fear. He knows magic exists. It entices him. The shock he displays is - of course - an act, but a very believable one. Sure, yeah, the old man doesnt mind anymore. Hes too old, he has seen too much. Magic might as well exist to him. And he was horribly stubborn this whole time, so it makes sense that he would have an equally spiteful response to magic.

We even come full circle: Paddy asks Valkyrie if she despises mortals for what they are.

"Someone who can run fast dismisses the people slower than he is. What if its someone who can run really fast? Then the slower people become little more than an annoyance, and then an irritation. Superiority breeds contempt." - Book 3, Chapter 20

(Quick sidenote: Its like he wants to be caught when you start looking for it? He himself is the one who runs fast. He himself sees the others as annoyance, as irritation. What a beautifully wretched thing to say.)

Essentially, Paddy is justifying himself here, but, again, reader and heroes are caught up in this very relevant question that plagues Valkyrie: Being detached from Humanity, from Family. Once again, Batu is using his understanding of the magical world against them. He is one step ahead. He recognises Valkyries youth and asks her specifically. Not Skulduggery, who would dismiss it. Her. Even further, he points out the massive flaws in the systems to her, as one of the first in the whole bookseries:

"So magic people view themselves as mages and everyone else as mortals. And that doesnt sound like a group of people elevating themselves to godhood to you?" [...] "... They have the power of gods, dont they? They have magic at their fingertips. Their affairs affect the world. [...] You hold the fate of the world in your hands. If thats not godlike, I dont know what is."

Now the avid reader might have noticed that once Paddy speaks about sorcerers and magic users, his whole old man™ act falls away. His speech becomes more like Batus, because he is Batu in this moment. He isnt acting here.

And why does no one recognise it? Because its a justified question. Again and again, Batus line of logic proves true: All sorcerers are playing god to an extend. A theme that will be picked up far more heavily between Book 7-9 and the entirety of Phase 2. So, as readers, its enticing to see someone challenge the presented Status Quo and as Valkyrie, this direct confrontation helps settle her own views as a growing Teenager into this magical world of god-pretenders. Batu fulfills both the role of a mentor and a villain, pointing out the straw that will break the camels back again and again and again in the following books.

He himself fights like a mortal: There are no fancy gadgets in the big fight. There are machine guns and grenades, painfully mortal weapons. Painful is literal in this sense. Batu chooses reliable weapons of war and not unpredictable gods. At least, in the beginning. There are also the Hollow Men, a whole artifical army of them. Which, broken down, is hilarious. The sorcerers, capable of destructive magic and definitely murder, are using the mortal weapons against the heroes. The army that is there to support them is one of magical stupidity, literal child friendly canon fodder. His army of magic men is one without mind, without question. And his Diablerie, despite actually having a brain, never question him either. They're all hollow men, one way or another. Some of them by power of creation and some of them simply because they are blinded by their own fanaticism, blinded by Batu and the true fight. So, he doesnt fight like a mortal at all. He fights like a mortal that knows the sorcerers. Using the best of both worlds, the most potent startegies each side has to offer. Additionally, there is also the implication of him commanding a massive army without even being there, which does underline his godlike aspirations as well.

Finally, when its revealed that he is indeed Batu, he declares himself "not a mindless drone" and "someone with a vision" (Chapter 36). But what is the root of all his evil?

"Magic." He said. "My father was a sorcerer. So was my brother. But not me. I just didnt have the spark, you know? But now, its finally my turn."

Batu feels robbed of godhood. And that is precisely why he is summoning gods to overtake the world. If he cant reach for divinity, everyone else who can needs to suffer for it.

[Val] "You're going to let a Faceless One take you over."

[Batu] "And then I'll be brimming with magic that ordinary sorcerers would never even dream about. They're not gods, Valkyrie. They're as pathetic as the people you left behind in your old life. But me? I'll be a true god."

But that isnt everything. Despite how much his mortality annoys him, he sees it as the one defining strength that seperates him from sorcerers. His mortality makes him powerful.

[...] "I was born without magic. Ive had to be strong. My will is iron. Im not going to be simply erased - not like the others."

His mortality makes him so powerful that he will rise above the mortals, above the godlike sorcerers and be able to Neon Genesis Evangelion Pilot his way through the world as a Faceless Ones vessel.

So now everyone can agree that Batu is another insane man in a series of insane villains, right? I dont need to spell that out. But before I go and give you a nice little ribbonbow for the ending, lets look at Batus death and how its described.

"Batu turned, spread his arms and raised his eyes to his god, and as it rushed to fill him, he screamed with terror and exultation. And then Batu was gone." - Chapter 42

The Faceless One described here is the one that is responsible for all the mayhem at the end of the book. Its by far the strongest from the bunch. So maybe some part of Batus willpower speech is true. But the written text makes it very clear that this is not the case. Batu is an excellent vessel for the strongest Faceless One. But nothing more than that.

Which is horribly ironic. The man that gained the trust of dozens of sorcerers, has perfected being a non-threat to anyone but believes himself to be worthy of the power of a literal god vanishes instantly. Just like everyone else.

But I love Batu as a villain. Waving all the weirdness aside. He is compelling because in the few moments that he is actually authentic, he is terrifying.

Not to mention he actually achieved what The Diablerie and Baron Vengous couldnt. He manipulated Skulduggery into revealing where the gate was. He used the ressources of the enemy to his own gain. The saddest thing about Batu is, that if he had put his mind to anything but godhood, he would have ascended anyway. He has all the ressources: smarts, wit, the ability to plan longterm, not to mention charisma and leadership skills.

He would have made a magnificent sorcerer. And thats just... incredibly compelling. Batu isnt strong with magic. He doesnt throw flames around, he isnt a walking skeleton. He is a cynical, old man that despises the hand he has been dealt and instead of accepting what is, he cuts from the world the pieces he thinks he deserves. And in this incredible determination blossoms a man that could have been anything. That had the skills, the mind, the speech to become something wonderful, something progressive, a change bringer.

Instead of recognising the talents he possesed, he focused merely on what he didnt have. Turned to evil, to spite. To bitterness and cynicism. He almost became the downfall of the entire world in his quest to prove that he was, indeed, as godlike as the rest of them.

9/10. Go Paddy.

Wanna read more of my breakdowns?

Here is Part 1: Nefarian Serpine and Part 2: Baron Vengous for you!

[zuleyhasposts]

Stand By Your Man (Negan/You)

We're fully of stories about this hot man, but I think they are never enough. I posted already on AO3, but I want to give a try here on Tumblr too. If anything, please let me know what you think about the story and if you would change something. Sadly, I know that the first chapter is always "boring" because it's an introduction, but I promise you it'll be more interesting as soon as we get into it. You have my word!

I'll post the first chapter - even if I wrote and published the second one - and see people actually enjoy it. I'll give the AO3 link too, because you never know.

Enjoy!

Chapter One - Meeting

You both looked at each other, probably waiting for one to speak first. It wasn’t a matter of shyness, it was more about studying the person you have in front of you.

He found you in an abandoned house, full of walkers dead on the floor - even if they’re already dead - and he didn’t ask you anything. He was simply staring with a smirk on this face. It made you wonder what was so enjoyable to have that expression.

He lowered himself to be at the same height as you, directly staring into your eyes now. Before the apocalypse you would have called this behavior anormal, but now you wondered what was actually normal and what now.

“Look what we have here.” His smile grew bigger and you started questioning yourself if you should fear for your life.

“Look what? You never saw a person?” You tilted your head to the side and put your hands on your hips.

He started to laugh, as if he didn’t hear a good joke like that in a while. Problem was it wasn’t actually a joke and you were serious. “So, you do speak, doll.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Put your fucking attitude aside and tell me your name.” He said, pointing at you with the bloody bat he carried. If he wasn’t scary, for sure that bat was.

“(Y/N).”

“Full name, doll.”

You rolled your eyes at his wanting to know this much, forgetting for a second that there was a full bat pointed at you. You were lucky he could still handle your attitude; if he was someone else, there would probably be more blood on the floor.

“(Y/N) (L/N). What’s your name?”

You were expecting a bad answer to your question, something like “shut the fuck up, it isn’t your business”, but it didn’t happen. He actually told you his name and smiled after saying it.

“I’m Negan.”

You could hear different voices outside and you could understand that he was probably the leader of some group. It was for the best to play cool and avoid the risk of being kidnapped - and probably be tortured too - if you could. Let’s be clear: you could defend yourself, but you were too tired. You killed who knows how many walkers and there was no more strength in your body.

“So, Negan,” you started to walk closer to him, “how can I help you?”

“I don’t think you can actually help me, doll.” He smiled again, knowing he was actually right. “But I can help you if you accept my offer.”

You raised your eyebrow at what he stated and you already knew he wouldn’t have accepted a “no” as an answer. Crossing your arms, you answered. “What do you offer?”

“Come with me and be my wife.” He opened his arms as an invitation. “I can give you food, new clothes and protection. You couldn’t ask for more.”

Your mind was quite shocked by the request, but not that surprised. You were about to answer, if it wasn’t for your stomach that started to grumble. The fact that it made him laugh was enough to make the situation embarrassing.

“I was about to answer that…” you stopped for a second wondering if he could be offended by what you were about to say, “I don’t want to be your wife and I clearly don’t need protection, but I’ll gladly take the food.”

“And do you think it’s fair for you to eat without thanking me?” There was a bit of dislike in what he said, but still not offended enough to hurt you. You thought he was right though, you had to do something to make you useful enough to be taken. “I think you have people that work for you, right? Let me be one of them!”

He seemed to actually think about it. “And why should I trust you and your capacity doll?”

“I mean, look around! I killed all these walkers alone.” You didn’t want to sound like you were begging him, but you needed to eat something. “Give me a chance.”

He licked his lower lip and you could tell he was enjoying the image of you being desperate for his help. A shiver was felt in your bones, and it wasn’t because you felt cold.

“I’ll give you a chance, doll.” He cupped your left cheek, gently pulling it. “Just because I don’t want to say no to this pretty face of yours.”

You moved away his hand and went to grab your things, even if there wasn’t much to take. The most important thing you always carried with you was the two daggers that saved your ass until now.

“You should be fucking grateful to have my attention, doll.” He said while going out of the house. “You could have caught the attention of my beautiful Lucille here,” the grip of the bat was way more tense now and you understood that “Lucille” was the name of his weapon, “and I can fucking assure that you wouldn’t have liked it.”

You followed him outside, and you could see the sun was about to set and the air was becoming colder. You consider yourself lucky that Negan “found” you, it would have been a very dangerous night to experience again. You wanted to rest your eyes and your body just for one night.

“I can agree that I wouldn’t have liked it.” You said, trying to wash off the anger he was probably building in his body. First impressions are always important and you knew you had to put a grip on your attitude, at least for now.

He let out a laugh and you could feel your body lighter now. It worked, you thought.

You both walked for a bit until you weren’t in front of a few trucks and some men.

“Finally you are here, boss” a man spoke and he caught your attention because of his burned face. You hoped it wasn’t because of Negan. “Who is she?”

“We have a new guest with us!” He put an arm behind your back, guiding you to be in front of him. “Why don’t you introduce yourself, doll?”

He wanted to make you feel embarrassed and you knew it. It felt like when the professor made you introduce yourself in front of the class, you had all eyes on you and you didn’t like it.

“I’m (Y/N).” You tried to not raise your hand like you were greeting them, you didn’t want to be even more embarrassed. “Negan found me in an abandoned house and offered me to be one of you.”

“One of us?” Another man spoke and this one had a funny mustache, you better avoid pointing that out. “How do we know if she’s actually useful?”

“Simon, I didn’t ask for your opinion.” Negan said and you could see Simon actually backing out. I could see that all of them were actually scared of him. How much you wanted to yell to all of them that they were a bunch of pussies, but you shushed the thought to the back of your mind.

“When we’ll have the occasion, I’ll show you how useful I am, Simon.” You said moving out of the way and entering a random truck. At this point you didn’t care anymore, you only wanted to eat and sleep.

“Now I see why you picked her up.” Simon said, putting his hand on Negan’s shoulder. You could hear that they both laughed at the stupid comment that the mustache man made and it made you want to throw something at their heads. It was the worst mistake to accept this offer.

The drive wasn’t very long and you could wish it was more quiet, but the curiosity was enough to question you stuff. You couldn’t deny the desire to tell everybody to shut the fuck up for five minutes, but the least thing you wanted was to make Negan and his men angry.

When you all finally reached the place, it surprised you. You didn’t expect something this big and you neither expected Negan to be the leader of something this huge. You looked around and you felt like a kid entering a luna park.

“Do you like it?” Negan asked, proud same as a king proud of his kingdom.

“You actually surprised me, I didn’t expect something like this.”

You entered inside the Sanctuary and it made you even more impressed than before. While you looked around, Negan was explaining everything as rules, assignments and these types of stuff. As you understood: his wives didn’t work for any points, while others had to work to have them. It was fair for Negan, but not fair for the others, but you still didn’t say anything about it.

You both stopped walking when you reached what was your new room. You couldn’t believe you had a room for yourself only. You didn’t care if the room itself was overall a bare room, it was perfect.

“Well, doll, this is your room.”

“It’s perfect, thank you so much!”

He liked the fact that you were happy and grateful for a simple room like that. Negan almost made it a habit to hear people complaining at the beginning because they wanted something more. Who could imagine that people were still spoiled during an apocalypse?

He left you in your room, giving you the time to make yourself comfortable. He told you that in a few days you would have started to work with them, so it was important for you to feel good if you wanted to be one of them. You thanked him again like it wasn’t never enough.

[morgana-ren]

I think Tav is definitely developing a smidge of Stockholm syndrome with ascended Astarion. I love the idea that at this epilogue party the others notice just how disturbing their relationship has become. Gale or wyll trying to talk to her, to help her but she's too lost in denial or far to scared to say anything outloud, because He's everywhere.

Also unrelated, ascended Astarion can turn into a bat and it's freaking adorable

Speaking from experience, if someone tries to call out the behavior, Tav is likely going to shut that shit down immediately.

Why? Because you get in trouble.

You are held accountable for the actions of others. If Gale or Shadowheart or Wyll or any of the gang try to say something bad about Astarion or her relationship with him, depending on how far gone she is, she is going to immediately get nervous. She is going to change the subject, or just outright lie if they pressure her. No place is safe. He will know. He always knows. The best you can hope for is he hears you trying to defend him-- and even then, you are going to get in trouble that they ever question it in the first place.

It's not if Astarion overhears. It's when.

And guess who is getting punished for it? Because it's not Wyll. It's not Karlach. It's not Shadowheart. It's not the well-meaning friends who are trying to protect her.

It's her.

Whether it's physical or emotional or verbal, he is going to react. And men like that are smart enough to not react in front of people. He will wait until she is alone again, and he will unleash the fury.

And on top of that, isolation is inevitable if Astarion finds them a threat.

"They don't want us to be together. You heard what they said about me. They think I'm hurting you. Is that the impression you gave them? Is that how you show your appreciation for everything I do for you? You tell your little friends that I hurt you? Well, clearly, you must have. Why would they think that if you didn't? Are you calling me a liar? No? Well then clearly, they are jealous of what we have. You're going to be loyal to someone who doesn't want to see us together? You're more loyal to them than you are to me?"

Sadly, love for your abuser sets in quickly and swiftly. You don't even realize it's happening. She's going to defend him like she always has. She is going to say he is just rough around the edges, and that it's a part of his trauma. Excuse after excuse after excuse. No matter how absurd.

Even if she realizes it's absurd, she will defend him. She will shut down the arguments, the concerns, the worried sentiments. The hole is too deep. Even if she realizes cognitively that she is lying through her teeth, there's nothing she can do. He will hurt them; he will kill them. She has to protect them.

Perhaps she loves him. Perhaps she doesn't want to upset him. Perhaps the manipulations work so well that even she buys into his bullshit. Perhaps the emotional leveling is enough to keep her in line because not only does she not want to risk upsetting him, she doesn't want him to think she doesn't love him, or is abandoning him. Because if he feels unloved or hurt, it's her fault. It is always her fault.

Once he realizes the others are a threat, he is going to become the same charming, suave manipulator he always has been. It's likely too late, but it's good to keep up appearances. The real work begins once they are alone again-- and he will keep it that way. No matter what he has to do.

Aww fuckin' cute little bat-man. He just goes bat mode anytime he's irritated just "I need to do something!" turns into a bat.

[theresawritesstuff]

Midge Maisel "Why are you undressing?" "Because it's hot! And I'm hot!"

“Midge?”

Joel blinked bewildered at his ex wife as she puttered around unsteadily in the dim light of his living room.

“Hi Joel!” she chirped a little too brightly, the wide smile not fully reaching her eyes.

She looked as though she'd been crying.

Why had she been crying?

“What are you doing here?” he asked finally, setting the baseball bat in his hands aside. “It's late. And snowing for that matter.”

“Oh trust me, I know,” she sniffled with a laugh, fumbling clumsily out of her coat. “There are no cabs out there at all. Got turned around. Realized your place was closer... I lost my hat out there somewhere. I really liked that hat…I thought we had something special. Or we might have if I wasn't such a fuck up.”

She chucked a shoe across the room carelessly, punctuating the thought.

Her hands reached blindly for the zipper of her pale green dress. Certainly not a dress meant for this kind of weather.

“Man, it's warm. Would you mind?” she asked, enlisting his assistance.

Joel glanced nervously back at the bedroom. “W-why are you undressing?”

"Because it's hot!” she cried petulantly. “And I'm hot!”

“Normally I'd agree, but if I'm being honest, you've looked better,” Joel contradicted gently.

Midge rolled her eyes. “Nevermind, I got it…”

“Hey. Let's uh–let’s just keep that for a minute.” He caught her by the shoulders as she stumbled, her balance shaky. “What happened?”

She shook her head feverishly. Almost drunkenly, yet he couldn't smell any alcohol on her.

“Joel?”

The pair of them turned to see Mei wrapped in his bathrobe.

“Mei this isn't what it–”

“Mei?! Hiiii! You're here too!” Midge giggled deliriously. 

Mei crossed her arms tighter around her middle. “What's going on?”

“She just showed up, I swear. Said she couldn't get a cab in the storm.”

“I can't feel my toes…” Midge mumbled.

“Out there?! For how long?” Mei demanded, her anger shifting as she stepped quickly to look Midge over.

“I lost my hat, Mei…” the other woman sighed, slumping into Joel. “Why’sitso hot…”

“Shit…” Mei felt at Midge's pulse, assessing her vitals. “Okay. Give her to me and go run a warm bath right now,” Mei instructed, taking charge.

“A bath? Wh–”

“Because she's got hypothermia, you idiot. Go!”

Joel looked at his ex wife anxiously, passing her off onto his girlfriend to do what he was told.

“What were you even doing out there anyway?” he wondered.

Midge giggled against Mei's shoulder, shaking her head sadly. “Shoulda said yes to Tony Bennet…”

“You were out in that blizzard because of Tony Bennet?”

“Joel!” Mei hissed, glaring at him pointedly.

“Right. Right, I'm on it.” 

He nodded at the pair dumbly, turning towards the bathroom.

“Shoulda never taken me to see those strippers Joel!” Midge called after him weakly.

She swayed on her feet, letting the other woman lead her down the hall.

“I fucked up, Mei…”

“No kidding.”

“Shoulda taken that gig. He stuck his neck out for me. He didn't have to…Fuck.”

“Mhm,” Mei agreed absently, trying to haul the other woman the remaining distance.

She wasn't exactly heavy, tiny as she was, but she was rapidly losing her ability to hold herself up.

“You know what makes it worse?” Midge huffed.

“Hm?”

“I think I kinda loved him…”

Mei looked briefly at the other woman, fighting back her shock at the confession.

She knew it was just the delirium talking.

They didn't know each other that well.

God, how much did she really even know about Midge other than what Joel had told her? 

Who was this woman beyond a seemingly unattainable standard? 

“Yeah, Tony is a real treasure,” she replied.

Midge shook her head. “Not Tony…”

“Then who–”

Joel popped out of the bathroom just as they reached the door. “Okay I got the bath running. I can take her.”

“I got it,” Mei snapped without really meaning to.

Softening her tone she added, “Why don't you boil some water? Either for tea or a hot water bottle? She'll probably need both.”

Joel nodded shakily, looking at Midge.

He wasn't used to seeing her so helpless.

“Okay.”

He started for the kitchen but stopped, doubling back.

“Hey Mei?”

“What?”

“Just…thanks. I don't know what I'd do without you.”

Mei nodded, attempting to muster a smile before hauling Midge into the bathroom.

She managed to get the other woman undressed, biting back any questions she might have at the salacious underthings she was wearing.

Wherever she'd come from, Midge clearly hadn't intended on being outdoors much tonight. Or alone.

“Okay. Just…take it easy for a bit. I'll be here to make sure you don't drown,” she offered stiffly, sitting on the lid of the toilet once Midge was settled.

The comedian sighed as the warmth began to thaw her extremities.

“Thanks. You're gonna be a good doctor,” she murmured, her words slurring with fatigue.

Mei huffed out a mirthless laugh, hugging her middle a little tighter. “Yeah maybe…”

Midge sat up then, leaning her chin against the edge of the tub. “Hey now. You listen here.”

She pointed bleary eyed at the tip of Mei’s nose.

“There…Life has windows.”

“Windows…”

“Chances. Big ones.  And sometimes, for people like us…we only get one shot. And when it closes poof…that's it. And it might not ever open again. So don't–don’t waste it on maybe. Okay?”

Mei blinked, stunned.

She worried at the sleeve of her borrowed robe, turning this advice over in her head along with everything else she'd been wrestling with over the last few days.

The choices she knew she'd have to make very, very soon.

Before it was too late.

“Yeah. Okay.”

“Good…”

Midge sat back, satisfied, drifting off against the porcelain.

A quiet tap came on the door, followed by Joel poking in his head.

“Hey. I got ahold of Susie. She’ll be here soon to keep watch,” he said.

Mei nodded absently. “Oh. Okay.”

“Hopefully she'll be able to get some answers out of her,” he huffed, glancing worriedly at his ex. “Did…did she say anything else?”

Mei crossed her arms a little tighter, making herself look up at him.

One window…

“No. No she did not.”

[jellybean-supreme]

My poor little experiment (Simon ’Ghost’ Riley x reader)

Introduction

You were a experiment in a lab that ghost rescued.

“Don’t…look at that.” Ghost sighed, watching you stare into his drawer. His personal stuff.

“Y/n.” He grumbled, picking you up and placing you down onto the floor while closing the drawer again.

You were a rescued experiment, so you had to yet learn a lot about the real life…and Ghost was there to teach you (against his will)

“You’re a rescued experiment,” Ghost stated, glancing towards you with an expression of annoyance. He hated being forced to take care of ‘dumb people’. (That’s what he called you, after all.)

He ran a hand through his jet black hair, pushing it out of his face.

“So you obviously don’t understand much about the real world...so. I’m going to do my best to educate you, even though I absolutely hate this-“

"I sorry" i say trying to reply him. In the lab that they experienced on you never really thought you words, or how to talk properly so you tried your best replying to Ghost.

“Yeah, yeah...I expected that.” Ghost looked away, letting out a frustrated grunt. “Just...keep quiet for now, okay? I’ll go and…get you something.”

With that, he left the room. After 5 minutes, he returned. In his hands, he held a piece of toast, which he extended towards you.

“Eat up. You need to get used to eating, too.”

"Thank" I say again trying to say it the right way.

Ghost rolled his eyes and mumbled something to himself.

“Yeah...whatever-“

He took a deep breath in, trying his best to contain his annoyance towards you. “Right...let’s start from the beginning.

“In case they didn’t tell you anything about your past...you were an experiment in a lab.” Ghost explained, keeping the tone of his voice as polite as possible so not to alarm you. “But, long story short...you’re out of that place now and you’re now *my* responsibility.”

"What i do here? Why I responsibilities for you? I sorry I make you mad, " I say, seeing how annoyed he looks at me.

“Ugh...it’s a long story, okay?” Ghost snapped, clearly losing patience with you. “Long story short...the people back at the lab think it’s necessary for me to take care of you, otherwise you’ll make their work go to waste and they’ll have to put you back in the lab.”

"Why I in lab? Did I do wrong?" I ask him quietly

Ghost scoffed. “No-no, I mean...” he sighed, rubbing his forehead.

“You did nothing wrong...they just...wanted to do studies on you, that’s all.”

"Why me studied? I want home, " I say, remembering a house in the woods.

“You don’t seem to get it...you’re not getting home. You’re my responsibility,” Ghost said, making sure that your attention was on him this time.

He knew you wanted to go back home...but for his own sake, he had to make sure you understood that wasn’t going to happen any time soon.

"Why?" I say sadly

Ghost rolled his eyes. “Because I have to keep you under observation. The higher-ups said so themselves,” he said, his tone becoming colder with every word.

“Whether you like it or not, you’re mine now. And I’m your caretaker, understand?”

"Ok, but can know I happened to papa?" I ask, remembering a man that was supposed to be my father in front of me with a bat in hand coming closer to me.

I don't remember much more than the man beating me with that beat and that beautiful house in the woods with those beautiful big great Danes.

Ghost frowned upon hearing that...you seemed to have some memory, after all. However, the memory you have was rather unsettling.

“Your ‘papa’ was the one who sold you off to the lab, you know that?” Ghost asked, his tone still cold towards you despite you being a child. “He didn’t want you, you weren’t enough.”

"Wha- I do ?" I ask him as if he's supposed to know.

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s him. It’s your father’s fault. He sold you to those people to do experiments on you...he basically sold his own child,” Ghost elaborated. He knew it was a lot of information to take in, especially for a child, however he felt like you deserved to know the actual truth behind your life.

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong. It’s him. It’s your father’s fault. He sold you to those people to do experiments on you...he basically sold his own child,” Ghost elaborated. He knew it was a lot of information to take in, especially for a child, however he felt like you deserved to know the actual truth behind your life.

"I not child, I there been long," I tell him, making it known to him that I was not a child.

“You’re not a child?” Ghost repeated, confused.

...Huh..you certainly have a very childish mindset, given the tone of your voice and your way of thinking...

“How old are you, then?” Ghost asked, raising an eyebrow as he shifted his hands into his pockets.

"I not know, what year is it?" I ask him, trying to remember the year I was born, tho I think I might me 26.

26?...

Ghost raised an eyebrow, a bit hesitant at first, before realizing you might actually not be that much of a kid after all.

...However, why do you have some childish mindset if you’re 26?

“...It’s 2024,” he responded.

"I 26, I there been for awhile. Mayhaps 23 years I know not" I reply telling him my age.

26...and yet your way of talking is more childish...interesting.

“...If you don’t mind me asking...why do you have such a child-like mindset?” Ghost couldn’t help asking, wondering where that trait of yours came from.

"They not teach, I three when I came to lab" I say

“Three? As in, three years old?” Ghost asked you, raising an eyebrow. That made more sense now...you had three years of childhood development taken away from you, that was surely where your child-like mindset came from.

“They didn’t teach you anything? At all?” He asked, sounding surprised at that fact.

"Yes three years old. No not teach, I had learn from them speaking"

“...So you didn’t go to school, didn’t learn basic things like how to speak properly or to read and write?” He asked, surprised at the fact that the lab didn’t take the time to teach you basic things any kid should know how to do.

"No, they not care" I tell him

“Clearly...”

Ghost let out a frustrated grunt, shaking his head.

“...This’ll be harder than I thought,” he admitted. “You’re not even literate.”

"I sorry" I tell him sadly with tears in my eyes, thinking he's mad at me.

“Hmph...no no, don’t cry,” he said, his voice becoming gentler as he saw that you were starting to tear up.

The last thing he wanted, was for you to believe that he was mad/upset at you...and he didn’t want to raise his voice either.

“Hey...don’t cry, it’s okay,” he said a bit gentler.

" I'm sorry," I say, trying to stop crying. I can't, I don't know how.

Ghost rolled his eyes, sighing. “Can you at least wipe your eyes?” He asked, his expression being softer compared to the one he had a few minutes ago.

I nod trying to stop and wipe the tears with the old dirty clothes I had on from the lad.

Ghost stayed silent as he watched you try to dry your tears. He didn't want to say it himself, but that shirt you were wearing did look extremely dirty...

“...Hey, can I ask you something?” He asked.

I nod still trying to stop the tears.

“Are these the only clothes that you have?” He asked, shifting his gaze from your tear-streaked eyes and towards the shirt you were wearing.

I nod again "only clothes I have, they never gave any other"

Ghost sighed. "Right.."

He walked over to a cabinet next to him, opening it to reveal a few basic pieces of clothes...from shirts, jeans, and even hoodies. "Here," he said, picking up a plain white shirt and handing it to you. "Try wearing this instead..."

"Thank," I say, wiping the last of my tears while taking the clothes from Ghost.

"...Yeah, no problem, go ahead and change..." He leaned back against the wall nearby to watch you. He was somewhat curious to see what you looked like without the same dirty outfit.

"No look," I ask while trying to change the clothes but struggling a little, but getting it at the end.

"Alright...that's good."

Ghost watched you as you changed your clothes, now wearing a cleaner outfit.

He looked away the moment you were finishing up, not wanting you to think he was a creep for staring at you while you were changing.

“You finished?”

"I finsh" I tell him

Ghost gave a silent nod, glancing at you once again.

“Right, you certainly look better in that…”

He looked you up and down. Your old clothes were dirty and disheveled...so it was an improvement from before, at least.

“Right...so..."

Ghost paused, trying to think of a topic to discuss with you.

“...Do you want some food? I’m also planning to make some coffee...maybe you could have some, if you want, of course...?”

"What coffee? And food?" I ask him. They (the people from the lab) never said those words before

"...Uhm...you...don't understand what food or coffee is?"

Ghost raised an eyebrow at you, not sure if you're just kidding around with him or not.

That wasn't possible, right?

I shake my head "no what that"

"...Right..."

Ghost was silent for a moment, trying to process that.

"...Can I ask you a question?"

I nod again

"Can I ask you, what did they feed you at the lab?”

"Feed? Do you mean nom nom ? They called nom nom feed. Nom nom they gave it in weird tube thingy. They said good for me. It hurt. "

"...They fed you in a tube?..."

Ghost asked that again, slightly horrified by the fact that they could even do that.

He had heard of stories about how the lab subjects weren't allowed meals like normal people, but tube feeds? That...that was something else entirely.

"Yeah, it look weird they said something about nutrition in it I not know more. Sorry "

Ghost sighed.

...It seemed like you were really neglected over there...more than he thought.

"Don't be sorry, it's fine," he said, before thinking of the next question to ask.

"Were there other people at the lab? Like...lab subjects like you?"

I nod sadly "Yes, but they gone. The people (the lab people ) said something about they death."

"...They *died*?"

Ghost frowned at the thought.

...Did this mean the lab was experimenting on people, only to eventually kill them?

Ghost didn't want to believe that thought...it was horrific.

"I not know word, the word they used was death, I don't know that word also".

"...That...that's disturbing..."

The lab was killing them...Ghost was just starting to realize how messed up this place was, and he started to feel anger building up inside him.

The way they treated you...it was horrible, and the fact that they even killed their subjects was even worse.

"They're...bad people, aren't they?" He said, with a cold tone.

"I not know, they played games with us, do bad people play games ?

"...Oh, so they played games with you?"

Ghost perked up at something positive...although, the games they played were probably some kind of sick, deranged experiments on you, since the lab never really cared about its subjects.

"What type of games did they make you play?" He asked.

"They took this weird sharp thingy and told us too stand still and new people (new lab people) would through it at us until they hit us on the hands or upper leg"

"...They made you stand still while being stabbed with sharp objects...?"

Ghost’s eyes widened in shock...they were using you people as practice to learn how to hit people with sharp objects more accurately.

Ghost had a look of disgust and pity on his face now, the more he was hearing from you

"Why you look so shock? That not game you also play?"

"No...! That’s torture, not a game!"

Ghost was starting to get really pissed off at the thought of that...they basically tortured you guys for fun, or for practice...either way, it was horrifying.

He took a deep breath in.

“...What other types of ‘games’ did they make you play?” He asked, using air quotes for the word ‘games’.

I look at him weirdly not knowing what torture meant. "There another game. Where they make us fight each other, most of them (the other kids) sleep during this game" I tell him

"Wait...wait, wait, wait a minute. You’re telling me...they made you guys fight each other?”

Ghost could feel his temper rising as he heard that...they made CHILDREN, who had no idea about anything, fight each other?

"So they made you guys fight...like a bunch of wild animals?" He asked, clearly angry at the thought.

"Yes?" I say cautiously seeing that he's mad.

Ghost was trying his best to contain his anger, and he was surprisingly doing a good job at it...though there was still anger left in his voice.

"...And you fought other children?"

"I had to, they almost kill me " I say softly

"They almost killed you...?"

So they forced you to fight other people for...what, an experiment? They were trying to find out who was the strongest out of the lot?

This was becoming more and more messed up, and he was now starting to wonder if the people at the lab were even sane...

"Had to survive," I reply nonchalantly

He went silent for a moment, realizing that for you- that was probably a regular occurrence...having to fight just to survive.

"Right...that. And...those people that died...they weren't killed when they were in a fight with someone...right?"

"That's how you win they have to not wake up. They (the lab people) said that they'd eventually wake up, so we had to do it as hard as we could." I reply to him

Ghost’s eyes widened in horror.

...That sounded more like murdering than a game...was the lab trying to encourage murder, amongst children, at such a young age...?

No, that had to be wrong. It couldn’t be real...

“It’s...it’s not. Right?” He asked, wanting to not believe that the lab actually encouraged children to murder each other...

"It's not what? Real? It is, there video that they show to people, they (the lab people) called them buyers"

"...They...they sold those tapes...to other people...so they could watch?"

...This lab was definitely messed up. More than Ghost could even imagine, and he had known that they were already messed up...but this was on a whole new level.

And Ghost had been around people that could be deemed 'messed up'...but he had never heard of anyone as twisted as what he was hearing now from the description of the lab...

I nod, signalling that what he just said was true.

His eyes widen further as he processed that information.

They not only recorded these horrible experiments...but *they were actually selling it off.*

This lab was beyond messed up...Ghost didn’t know if anything else could surpass this.

“...And the buyers...they actually bought these tapes?” He asked.

"They bought friends and tapes, depending on buyer"

Ghost stayed silent for a moment, processing everything you had said.

...It was all true...all of it...

“...You do know that what the lab people did was wrong...right?”

He asked you, hoping that you would say yes.

"What wrong, that what they done since little. How wrong?" I ask, not knowing that what I'm saying is wrong.

...This was worse than he thought.

You had never known a life outside of those lab walls, and yet, in your mind, what they did to you was considered normal. They had truly brainwashed you.

“What they did was very, very wrong...they abused you, hurt you...”

He sighed, not knowing how to tell you that everything they did to you was considered messed up...

"I hurt? I do feel pain. I hurt, but what abuse mean?"

"...Abuse is when someone hurts you on purpose...or when someone treats you badly, you know?”

It seemed like you really didn't know about what the word 'abuse' meant.

"Have you never been insulted before? Or called names...or even beaten...?"

"Of course.....they say it was good thing." I say sadly, realizing that what those people dis might not have been right.

"...They said it was a good thing?" Ghost repeated back to you, sounding even more horrified now.

...Did they really have you believe that the things they were...were considered 'good things'? Did they really brainwash you to the point that hurting you was considered normal?

...Did they tell you that they were training you when it reality they were just making you get beat up badly, physically and mentally?

I nod again. Telling him that what he just said was correct

"...Right..."

So you had never had any knowledge on what was right or wrong...and everything the lab people did was good, as far as you were concerned...

...This just made Ghost even more pissed off.

"I'm sorry if I'm asking too many questions but...do you remember a time when you had parents? Or...family?"

"I only remember papa, he I told you about. The one who I rembered with the bat coming closer."

"And you don't remember anyone else?..Not a mom, or siblings?" He asked, now curious about whether or not you had any other family outside of your dad...

"No mom. No sibling."

“No siblings…”

That made Ghost pause for a second.

“Did you have any friends? In the lab…”

"Had one, they died"

“Died...? Do you...how did they die?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at you.

"Had to kill them"i say with no emotion in my voice.

“What? You-...wait-...you killed them?” Ghost said, now looking at you with a mixture of fear, disbelief and confusion.

"They had sharp thingy to my throat"

"...They held...they held a knife to your throat?" He repeated, his tone of voice revealing that he was shocked at what you had just said.

"To survive had to kill"

“...Right…”

This was really getting messed up.

He took a deep breath in before asking you a question.

“...How about the people you fought against, or the people that fought you. Do you know what happened to them?”

"Died," I say

“…Right…” Ghost’s heart dropped slightly as you told him that.

So all the kids you fought against..they were also dead…

“And…the buyers…” He took another deep breath. “...Have they ever come to the lab?”

"Yes, they did. Though they were killed and money taken from their bodies."

“Wait…wait...the people who bought the tapes from the lab…the ‘buyers’…they were murdered when they tried to buy them?”

I nod

His eyes widening again in disbelief.

"...The lab people...they...killed the people that bought their tapes?!”

I nod once again

"...Are...you telling me...that the lab people were *killing the people that supported them?*"

I nod "yes, they are"

"...Wha...why?" His tone of voice had suddenly become serious- and confused.

...He just couldn't understand why they were killing the people that supported them. Or maybe these 'buyers' were there for some other reason, other than just buying the tapes.

"Why would the lab people try to kill them?" He asked you, waiting for you to respond.

"They only want the money" I tell him

"...Is that all they wanted?" He asked, starting to get slightly worried now. There had to be some other reason they were doing this...

"...So they killed the buyers...just for money?"

"Yes." I tell him once again

"...There has to be another reason...right?"

He paused for an moment, debating with himself about what his next question should be.

"...Were the 'buyers' actually buyers...or were they...people who were trying to stop them from doing all this stuff?"

"No other reason only money," I say, knowing that they don't care for anything else.

"...Are you sure...?" He continued to ask, trying to not sound too pushy.

"...Were these buyers just regular folks trying to buy the tapes from the lab...or were they people from the government trying to catch them for their crimes?"

"I not know" I tell him

"...Right..."

Ghost sighed. You probably didn't know the real reason either.

You might not have even known anything at all…

"...Have they ever done any experiments on you that weren't...fighting related?"

"Course, they inject me with different types needles" I say to him slowly

"...They injected you with different types of needles?"

He raised an eyebrow at you, his tone now getting slightly concerned.

"...What did they say they were injecting you with?"

"I not know" I say while my stomach starts to growl. "Can i have nom nom? " I ask him saying it quietly, he almost can't hear it.

"...Yes, you can have food."

Ghost glanced at your stomach, it wasn't hard to realize that you were suddenly pretty hungry.

"...Right, I'll go make the coffee and the food, just...stay here. I'll be back."

And with that, he rushed into the kitchen.

A few minutes later, Ghost came back into the room, carrying a small tray that had a plate of food, along with a mug of coffee.

He had made sure to make enough for you...just in case your appetite was large, given all you were used to eating was those meal tubes.

He sets the tray on the table, before looking at you.

"Here you go, food and coffee. If you want some water, that can be provided, too."

"Thank" I say to him with a small smile

"No problem." He responded, smiling back.

Ghost watched you eat, taking a mental note of how you ate and the speed of it…

“...Do you always eat this fast?” He asked, since he noticed your eating speed was pretty rapid.

"I always hungry......" You replied, as you ate at a pretty quick pace.

Ghost remained silent for a moment...noting the sudden hunger that you seemed to have, and thinking of how long it has been since you have had a real meal.

"...Right. Just...just take your time eating...don't eat too fast."

He looked at the food, and took another mental note of how quickly you started to eat...he didn't want you to accidentally end up choking on it as a result.

“You’re...you’re not used to having a real meal...are you?” Ghost said, as he continued to watch you eat quickly.

I shake my head while taking another bite.

Ghost continued watching, now realizing that he might not be able to get you to slow down, given your lack of experience around proper meals.

"Right...well, just, try to eat slower...do it at a...reasonable pace..." Ghost said, trying to get you to slow down.

I nod, eating slower.

"Good...that's better..." Ghost said, looking at you as you ate slower and not as quickly as before...

...Now that he was thinking of it, he realized that you didn't really know how to properly have a real meal, due to the food tubes you were fed while in the lab.

So he decided that he would just let you eat at your own pace, for right now...

After Ghost gave you food, and you finished eating it. Ghost starts to teach you English and about life. A few (like three ) years have passed since he rescued you, and you slowly realized that you were falling for him.

Over the years that he has spent teaching you, Ghost has noticed that you slowly started hanging around him more and more...

This had started to make him curious about your true feelings towards him...and he's noticed that he has slowly started to enjoy teaching you about life...and he’s also become quite attached to you as well...

...The both of you had certainly become close over the years…

...And while he's taught you about life, you've also taught him about having a more empathetic side to himself, and that he was actually able to fall for people as well...

...So the two of you eventually developed feelings of love, and that love slowly grew over the years...

...And here you both are, with the years gone by, still in love with each other and still being close...

Ghost and you have become a couple...the two of you living out your lives together...always there to support and love each other...always able to make each other laugh and remember about the important things in life...

...And the two of you were always by each others side, loving and caring...even when things got tough...you both were always there for each other, through the thick and thin...

...And here you both are, living your lives out, and still loving each other...

...And so the years continued to go by, the two of you now living in a cozy home, where you both are still spending your days together, and loving each other...

...And even though years may have passed since you left that lab...the love still remains strong, and the two of you are still together...

...You both lived long lives together...with each other's support, love and friendship...

And that was the ending of these two’s story.

It was quite the rollercoaster, wasn’t it?

From escaping the lab to meeting Ghost, to becoming friends, family and then finally, lovers.

These two made it through it all...through the thick and thin, they had each other’s support, love and friendship through it all…

...And now, they’re living together...with each other’s love still standing strong, and still enjoying their time together.

THE END

Words : 4408

[lec743]

Bloody Flora AU (FNAF Fanfic)

(cackles) I think this is my cutes story based on this AU~ Hey! Hey, @oobbbear! I decided to give Moon your artistic love~~ Enjoy this fluff y’all!!!

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           Moon wanted to do something special for you. Moon was under the impression that him and Sun were practically married to you at this point, and he wanted to show you all the love and care ten-fold onto you that you do for them. The problem was how to go about it. It’s not like he has money and Moon didn’t think it’d be very tasteful to go dumpster diving for loose items to make art from for you. He could ask Sun for advice, but that would ruin the surprise since Sun can’t keep a secret.

           Moon was out in the city in his tiny bat form. Clutched in his feet were advertisement posters for the Bloom and Gloom. Being so close to the inner city, with all its blaring lights, hurt his eyes, but Moon toughed it out. He wanted to make sure that the flower shop got enough eyes on its advertisements so that you’ll get more jobs. As he went from light pole to public corkboard, Moon ignored the distrustful side-eyes that were shot his way.

           As he was thinking about what he could do for you to celebrate your relationship with him and Sun, Moon heard a conversation that sound like a similar problem to his own.

          Moon flew into the night sky to get a better lock on the voices. Then he zeroed in on a woman and her little boy. He followed them as he listened in on their conversation as he was still in his tiny bat form.

          “But Mooooom! I wanna do something special for him!”

          It was a black woman and her son, a little Chinese kid. The woman was smiling down at her kid, placatingly, as he whined up at her. He looked like he was six, probably just starting school. It made Moon miss his parents.

          “You don’t need money to do something special for your crush, Baby.”

          “But the thing! That toy is perfect for him!”

          “I can’t afford to buy that for you.”

          “I’ll do extra chores around the house!”

          “No, Honey. What happened to that drawing you were working on for him?”

          The little boy crossed his arms in a pout. “It’s stupid.”

          The woman pulled her son closer to her so that she could pet his head as they walked. “I promise that it’s not. When you like someone, anything given to them can be precious, because you’re the one who gave it to them.”

          “My drawing is stupid though…”

          “Life is full of stupid things. It doesn’t make them any less loved.”

          The boy just pouted more, but Moon took this moment to butt in. He poofed into his normal stature and dropped down in front of them. “Hi. Sorry. But when you say “anything”, do you really mean that or—”

          Moon’s words were cut off by the woman’s screams as she picked up and clutched her kid. Then as she turned and ran, she screamed out, “Vampire!”

          Moon crouched in on himself as he clutched the advertisements to his chest. His ears pinned down to his head as he sadly watched the nice-looking lady and her cute kid run around the corner.

          “Hey!” Moon jumped at the gruff voice yelling at him and he felt his hackles raise on instinct. Moon turned to the voice and saw a large white man with a large beard covering half his face march towards him with a tire iron. “Get the hell out of our city!”

          Moon unfurled one of the advertisements and quickly said, “ComebuyflowersatourshopattheBloomandGloom;pricesare20%offwhenyoushowupwiththeseposters!” Moon then let it drop when the scary man hesitated in his confusion and Moon flew away, poof-ing down to his little bat size so he would be harder to see as he flies away.

          Having hung up the rest of his advertisements, Moon sighed as he rested on a random rooftop. That interaction didn’t go as well as he had hoped. He let what he heard of the conversation ruminate in his skull. His ears twitching with the amount of concentration he was putting into what he learned. The little boy was drawing something for his crush… Maybe it’s not so stupid to do that for you? His lover/spouse/human-thing? Moon wasn’t certain about it. He would have liked to have more solid answers but getting advice from people isn’t easy. He could go to the Internet, but he doesn’t like how impersonal it is.

          Out of the corner of his eye, Moon saw a cat walking nearby. Moon turned to the cat and said, “Hey Archie! Pretty kitty! Come here.” Then he made all kinds of cat sounds to tempt the cat over. The cat went up to him and started rubbing herself against his outstretched clawed hands. Fawning over the kitty. Moon told the cat of his troubles.

          “I just want them to have the best things.” Moon finished his heart-wrenching rant. “They’re so good. They even forgave us for attacking them even though they still have nightmares of us attacking them. I don’t know. A drawing just doesn’t seem good enough for them.” The kitty in his lap meowed up at him. “I’m thinking too hard about it?” The kitty purred louder in his lap. “Of course I think they love us. Moonflower feeds us and shelters us and has trained us in so many cool plant things. I now know the difference between a tulip and a rose.” The kitty meow at him. Moon rubbed the back of his neck. “Yah. I used to think all flowers were the same. I still get them confused sometimes, but I’m better than what I was.” The kitty gave him a long meow that ended in a yawn. Moon sighed. “Okay. Okay, I’ll do the drawing thing. It doesn’t feel good enough, but I’ll do it.”

          Three days later, Moon managed to finish his surprise drawing for you. It took three days because he had to find time to do it since he had to hide it from Sun and because it kept not turning out the way he wanted it to turn out. It was frustrating, but he finally decided to keep the latest finished drawing because he was worried, he was going to end up hating his finished work and start the whole process all over again.

          The drawing was a drawing of you in a flower field under a stary night sky. You were holding Sun’s hand as he stood with you in the flower field, and you were giving Moon’s little bat form a kiss on the head as he sat in your palm.

          Moon stared at it as he climbed up the stairs to the living room to join you and Sun for dinner. Before entering the softly lit kitchen, Moon took a deep breath and walked in. You and Sun were talking about the weather and how nice the nights were but how both of you were lamenting the daylight savings time thing.

          “Moonflower, I made something for you.”

          You smiled at him as Moon sits down on your other side at the table. “What did you make?” Wordlessly, Moon lays the drawing face down on the table and slides it across to you.

          “Awe, why didn’t you tell me you were making something. I could have helped,” Sun stated.

          “Then it wouldn’t have been a surprise,” Moon said flatly.

          Sun’s ears pinned back bashfully from being called out. “Ah.”

          You had picked up the drawing and you awed at the sight of it. “Moon,” you said as you put a hand over your mouth, “This is amazing.” You then clutched it to your chest and gave Moon your biggest and most beautiful smile. “I love it so much. Thank you.”

          A little part of Moon couldn’t help but doubt that, but instead he said, “I’m glad.”

          Moon and Sun watched you get up and walk to the fridge. Then they saw you pin it to the door of the fridge.

          “There!” You said with your smile still on your face. “Now I’ll be able to see it every day.”

          Moon didn’t say anything, but he still felt like it wasn’t good enough and that he should have done something else. He kept thinking about it all night as you slept, and he worked with Sun. When it was time to go to bed, Moon was up the stairs to get a glass a water, while also contemplating the idea of stealing the drawing to do something else when he saw you up.

          Moon quietly hid behind the kitchen door as he looked through the crack he made when he initially tried to walk in. You were disheveled in your pajamas with your hair standing up in two different directions. You had a cup of coffee in one hand, and you were sipping from it as you stood in front of the fridge. Moon could see the soft smile on your face as you looked at his drawing.

          Moon backed away and walked back downstairs as he felt a warmth spread through him at your smile. That pesky little voice in his head was thoroughly squashed, just from having the sight of your private smile looking at his work. It made Moon want to draw more things for you.