#secret identity revealed

[onlybeeewrites]

Choose Me

Request: Heyyyyy….me again…can I request where the reader is crushing on aaric graycastle….like she's having a really really bad crush….the ending is upto you darling 😘…angsty or fluffy

Pairing: Aaric Greycastle x Fem!reader

Word count: 2.2k

Warnings: mild mentioned violence, cursing, Aaric’s true identity

A/N: this was so much fun to write!! This is also my first time writing for Aaric so please have mercy <3

~~~~~~~

The forest around you was thick with trees, their branches creaking in the wind of the early afternoon. You tried to ignore the ache in your side as you pushed forward, each step bringing a dull throb from the injury you’d sustained earlier thanks to that asshole from third wing.

It wasn’t deep—just a shallow cut from a branch that had whipped past you—but it still stung, especially now with the adrenaline of the Threshing fading away. Now leaving you with a deep toothed fear and anxiety of either not being chosen, or being burnt to a crisp if you did stumble upon a dragon.

Rhiannon seemed to leave out the part of how terrifying this actually was. The waiting. The stumbling around blindly. How your mind can play tricks and your thoughts become your worst enemy.

Your thoughts, however, weren’t focused on the pain. They were on him. Aaric Graycastle. The person who had haunted your thoughts for months since you crossed parapet. The same guy who was in your squad. The same one you’ve been in class with. Training with. Spending every day with for the past three months with. The one who always seemed to appear at just the right moment with his sharp wit and quiet confidence.

The one who, despite your best efforts, had wormed his way into your heart without even fucking trying. You knew you were being foolish. It was stupid. Ridiculously stupid.

Your best friend and squadmate, Sloane had pushed you to confess your feelings so many times. Almost too many times but you always hesitated. The idea of exposing yourself, of showing Aaric the depth of your feelings, felt like too much.

What if it ruined things? What if it changed your bond forever? You were squadmates. These were the people who you could trust and depend your life on. So would it be worth the risk? A sharp hiss of pain pulls your back from your thoughts, the sound slipping from your lips as you shifted the weight on your injured side. You winced, trying to ignore it considering you had bigger problems to focus on—like dragons to find and bond with, if you were lucky.

Then, the unmistakable sound of a twig snapping behind you caught your attention. You spun around, your hand instinctively reaching for the sword at your side. Your hand trembled as you prepared to fight for your life again.

But it was only Aaric who stepped out from the shadows of the foliage. His beautiful eyes softened when he saw you, and the concern in his gaze made your heart skip a beat. “What happened to you?” His voice was gentle but firm, and before you could even respond, his gaze dropped to the side of your body, where the fresh cut marred your leathers.

“I’m fine,” you said, trying to brush him off, but your voice faltered. “It’s nothing. Just a scratch from a run in with someone. I’ll live,” you insist. You didn’t need him worrying about you. Not when they had bigger things to worry about. Considering even less dragons are bonding this year, the odds weren’t in their favor.

He was at your side in an instant, his hands hovering over your injury before he grabbed your arm, his grip firm but not harsh. His brow furrowed, eyes flashing with something that looked an awful lot like panic.

“Nothing? That’s a gash, not a scratch,” he snapped, his voice sharp with frustration. You winced as he pushed back the edge of your leathers, his touch more forceful than usual, but not unkind.

“It’s not bad,” you insisted, trying to downplay it, but Aaric shot you a glare so fierce it nearly made you flinch more than the pain.

“It’s never ‘not bad’ with you,” he muttered, his fingers working quickly as he assessed the wound. “You always act like you’re fine when you’re not.” The warmth in his voice, the sheer intensity of his concern, sent a strange flutter through your chest.

But before you could even process it, he shook his head and went back to tending your wound, muttering under his breath. You swallowed, the heat rising in your cheeks. “It’s not your fault,” you reassured him, softer this time, but he didn’t look convinced. His focus was locked on you, like nothing else in the world mattered in that moment.

Then, a rustling sound broke through the tension. A low, rumbling growl followed. Your heart stuttered. Aaric stiffened beside you, his hand instinctively reaching for his weapon.

And then from the shadows, the dragon emerged. The moment was interrupted by a sudden rustling, followed by a low growl. Your heart skipped a beat.

From the trees, a massive dragon emerged, its scales shimmering like molten emeralds in the filtered light. Its amber eyes fixed on you.

The dragon puffed out a huff of steam, hitting you from head to toe. Before you could respond, another dragon appeared, slightky larger but no less magnificent. Its sapphire blue scales gleamed in the sunlight as it landed beside Aaric. The two dragons locked eyes with each other before turning back to you and Aaric.

You didn’t know if it was the bond with the dragons or the moment that had shifted everything. And fear gripped you tightly with these two unfriendly powerful beats that could kill you both in seconds.

Before you could stop yourself, the words spilled out. “I’ve had a crush on you for months. I couldn’t tell you before, because I was afraid… I was afraid it would change things.”

Aaric froze, his eyes softening as the silence between you grew. He opened his mouth to say something, but the dragon beside him gave a low, rumbling growl, as if urging him on.

“I… feel the same,” he admitted quietly, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. “I didn’t know how to say it either but I-“

Before you could utter another word, a low growl echoed through the air, a strange pull tugged at your chest. The hairs on your arms stood on end. Goosebumps rising on your skin.

And then, a voice, rich and velvety, echoed in your mind, “I have waited for you, sweet one.”

Your heart raced, the connection undeniable, the bond forming before you could blink. The dragon’s amber eyes fixed on you, and for a moment, everything else—Aaric, the injury, the chaos—faded away as the realization settled. Not only in your mind, but your heart.

A dragon chose you.

Now your focus was just you and the dragon, the one who had chosen you, the one who would stand by your side from this moment forward. The dragon dipped her head toward you, a soft rumble vibrating in her chest.

You blinked, unsure if the words you thought you heard were just in your head.

“I am Niranth. You are my chosen, my rider.” Your breath hitched as the voice echoed inside your mind, smooth and calm, but filled with a weight of ancient wisdom. Nirantha. The name rolled through your thoughts, both foreign and familiar.

“Nirantha?” you asked hesitantly, your voice unsure.

“Yes, sweet one,” Nirantha’s voice was warm, reverberating through your chest like a melody that soothed your racing heart. Her voice like a secure embrace. Firm, solid, but secure. “I have waited years for a rider like you. And now that time has come,”

A shiver ran down your spine at the words, at the rawness of the connection, but also at the comfort it gave. It was as though you had always known Nirantha, as though you had always been destined for each other, even before today.

You slowly reached out a trembling hand, your fingers brushing against her gleaming scales. The warmth of the dragon’s body seeped into your skin, and with it, an overwhelming sense of peace. A Comfort that you hadn’t known you were missing.

You leaned your forehead against the dragon’s side, letting out a breath you didn’t realize you’d been holding.

“You are not alone anymore, sweet one,” Nirantha continued, his voice a gentle reassurance in your mind. “I will protect you, guide you, and fight for you as long as you fight for me,”

A tear slipped down your cheek, but it wasn’t from fear or pain. It was from the overwhelming relief, the sense that a part of you had finally found its home. You weren’t alone anymore.

You took a shaky breath and whispered softly, “Thank you, Nirantha. I don’t know what to say…”

“There is nothing to say, sweet one. Just trust me, as I trust you,” The bond solidified as the dragon leaned down, nuzzling you gently, her massive head lowering to your level. You laughed softly, a shaky sound of disbelief and joy.

And then, just as suddenly, everything faded back to her senses as Aaric stepped closer, his presence breaking the intimacy of the moment.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, looking between you and the dragon. His voice was rough, full of emotions you couldn’t quite read. “You… you’re bonded with her?” Aaric’s question was a whisper, full of awe and something else, something deeper.

His eyes lingered on you, and you saw something you hadn’t before—genuine worry and tenderness.

You nodded, unable to form words as Nirantha’s presence flooded your mind once again, grounding you. You smiled, your heart swelling with gratitude, before you turned to Aaric. “Yes. This is Nirantha.”

“Your mate seems to be pleased,” Nirantha’s voice said with amusement. Your face heated up, as your head snapped towards your newly bonded dragon. And you swear you could see the amusement in her golden eyes.

“What?! No. He’s not-“

“What you admitted beforehand says otherwise,” she mused and you swallowed as you realized it too. You both had confessed your feelings as the two dragons had approached you.

You slowly turned to Aaric, flushing as his gaze was already on your own. Something unreadable in his gaze. You opened and closed your mouth, for once, completely speechless.

But luckily you didn’t have to as he reached up, cupping the back of your neck and tugging you to him to press his full lips onto your own. Your eyes flutter shut as the butterflies erupt in your stomach. Your heart beating concerningly fast.

And you leaned into him, leaned into the kiss. Your arms moving around him and gripping onto his back. The warmth of his lips, his mouth on yours. You realized that you wish you could be there forever. Wrapped in his arms, his mouth on you or your skin forever.

“I rather like this Prince than the other one,” Nirantha’s voice muses fondly and with a bit of amusement.

But that caused you to freeze and pull back from his lips. Your chest rose and fell with breathlessness, your mind suddenly rather foggy and muddled.

Aaric pulled back with a smirk on his beautiful face. “What?” He asked, tilting his head, “I didn’t think I was that good of a kisser to make you pull back,” he said before lowering his head to steal another one.

But you stopped him, placing a hand firmly on his chest. Your heart pounded in your ears, your gaze trailing over him once more—closer now, as if seeing him for the first time.

The way his features fit together so perfectly, the sandy hair that framed his face, but most of all, the piercing green eyes, the eyes you’d adored for months Royal eyes.

You sucked in a breath, realization hitting you like a ton of bricks. “You’re Prince Camlaen…” you breathed out, the words escaping your lips before you could stop them.

As you spoke, Aaric’s expression shifted instantly. His smirk faltered, and there was a flash of defensiveness in his eyes. He stepped back slightly, his posture rigid for the first time since you’d met.

The playfulness from before disappeared, replaced by a flicker of tension in his jaw. And he stared at you. For a long moment. You could see the gears turning in his head as if he was debating something back and forth. And finally he spoke.

“I’m still Aaric,” he said, his voice a bit sharper now, though there was still a trace of softness beneath it, but not denying your claim.

“I’m not some prince in a castle. I’m a rider, just like you. I’m still me. That’s who I am.” He crossed his arms over his chest, a protective stance, his eyes now narrowing slightly as if bracing for your judgment. The weight of his words hung in the air, but there was a quiet intensity to them.

He didn’t want to be seen as anything other than the person you had come to know—the man who had fought beside you, the one who had been there when you needed him, the one who had dreamed of you. Fought every urge to get a taste of you. To be the same guy you smiled at so sweetly.

You stood still, heart pounding in your chest, but as you looked into his eyes, you could see the vulnerability buried beneath his defensiveness. The prince title may have been his birthright, but Aaric—the man in front of you—was still the same person you had cared for all this time.

Taking a steadying breath, you placed your hand gently on his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath your palm. “I know who you are,” you said softly, your voice calm but unwavering.

“Aaric, you’re still the same person I’ve been falling for all this time. Nothing changes that. And if you tell me this is who you are—who you want to be? That’s all I need…” Aaric’s posture seemed to relax slightly at your words, his shoulders softening as his gaze met yours.

He let out a breath he seemed to have been holding, the defensiveness fading slowly, replaced by something far more tender. “Good,” he murmured, his voice low and sincere.

And with that, he smiled—a real smile, one that reached his eyes. And as his lips brushed against yours once more.

[aventurineswife]

Hellooooooo! I rlly like your stuff and I don’t know if I’ve ever requested before, so I thought I’d send one in

Can I get a lil smth of Aventurine, Kaveh, and Alhaitham with a demon s/o who’s been hiding it? Like they get home earlier than the reader expects and they find them lounging around or napping without their human disguise? Please and thank ya!

Beneath the Mask

Tags: Aventurine x Reader, Kaveh x Reader, Alhaitham x Reader, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Secret Identity Reveal, Soft Moments, Established Relationship Protective Partners Light Angst with a Happy Ending.

Warnings: Mild tension due to the secret reveal, Brief mentions of insecurity and fear of rejection, Discussion of supernatural themes (demons, otherworldly abilities) Some suggestive teasing.

It had been a long, hard day for Aventurine—high-stakes meetings, an endless game of chess with rivals he knew too well, and his heart racing at the thrill of the gamble. Yet, there was a part of him that longed for more—a reprieve from all the tension.

As he entered his home, he expected it to be quiet as usual, the atmosphere rich with the lingering scent of expensive cologne and subtle elegance. What he did not expect, however, was to find you lounging on the couch, relaxed and unaware of his early arrival. The moment his eyes fell upon you, he froze in the doorway.

You, normally composed, were in your true form—an ethereal demon, with wings folded lazily behind you and your human disguise nowhere in sight. The glow of your eyes, no longer concealed, cast a soft light in the dim room, and your horns—hidden under the weight of your mask—now proudly framed your face.

Aventurine's lips curled into his usual enigmatic smile, eyes gleaming with interest. He took a step forward, his shoes silent on the polished floor, a calculated glint in his gaze as he approached you.

"Well, well," he said, low and teasing, "I didn't know I had a demon living under my roof."

You shifted, not realizing he was standing there at first, and he stared at you with a mixture of fascination and amusement. You blinked, too late, and realized you were caught.

"Aventurine—" you started, scrabbling to return to human form, but he reached out and stopped you.

"There's no need to hide it," he murmured, sitting beside you. "I must admit, this side of you is... intriguing. You know, life's a gamble, and I've always been one for surprises."

A faint warmth colored your cheeks as you remained still, unsure of how he might react. But instead of fear or distaste, there was only curiosity in his eyes—a dangerous curiosity, but one that made you feel oddly safe. You relaxed again, the tension in your body easing under his gaze.

"You're a real enigma, you know that?" Aventurine chuckled softly, his fingers brushing lightly over your wing, feeling the texture beneath his touch. "Just when I thought I understood you, you throw in something like this. But don't worry. This is one gamble I'm more than happy to take."

You gave him a half-hearted smile, the burden of your secret suddenly lifting for just that moment under his banter.

Kaveh had not slept a wink all week, at least not with his eyes closed. His mind had been through cycles of juggling tough architectural details and overwhelming financial struggles, but he was greeted with your presence in your true self lounging on the chair when he walked through the door.

Your eyes glowed softly in the flickering light, no longer concealed behind the human guise that covered you at other times. The spread of your wings showed the relaxation of slumber as faint flickers danced across demonic features before you fell asleep, heedless of his arrival.

Kaveh froze. His breath caught in his chest. He wasn't unused to the pangs of surprise, but to see you in your most natural state—a demon, to say the least—was truly leaving him wordless for a moment.

He closed the door quietly, walking closer with hesitant steps, unsure how to handle the revelation. Your wings twitched slightly, as though sensing his presence, and you blinked open your eyes to meet his gaze. Kaveh's mouth went dry, a mix of shock and awe painting his features.

"You…" His voice faltered, then steadied. "You're—"

"Yes," you said, your voice teasing but a little embarrassed. "I was hiding it from you. I didn't want to burden you with... all of this."

Kaveh's eyes lost their intensity, melting from hard to something warmer and more compassionate. He rose and walked over to the chair, kneeling beside you.

"Burden me? No." He smiled, though the exhaustion in his voice remained. "You've been hiding this, all this time? From me? You know, I would've preferred the truth, even if it was shocking."

You blushed, shifting slightly as your wings fluttered. Kaveh reached out to touch one of them gently, the texture of the feathers beneath his fingers soft and warm.

"You're still the same person to me," Kaveh continued, his voice soothing. "Your form doesn't change that."

You felt relief wash through you as he spoke, the weight of your secret easing in his presence. He'd always been kind, but hearing him say that felt like a small yet significant victory.

"I guess that's one less thing to hide from you," you said softly, a small laugh escaping your lips.

Kaveh smiled, leaning over to kiss your forehead. "I think I prefer you like this—young, real, no pretense, no masks."

Alhaitham had an unremarkable day—calm, logical, a day with the usual boredom of routine work. Getting home before tea time, he settled in with his book, about to relax in peace.

You were sitting on the couch, lounging in your true form, with your wings slightly outstretched, your demon features showing without the usual concealing. Your horns were no longer hidden, curved from your head. Your eyes were soft and strikingly lit, and there was a faint hum of power emanating from you, filling the room.

Alhaitham stood in the doorway for a moment, surveying the view. He didn't flinch. He didn't look like he was surprised, as if he hadn't just come across something he would least expect. He was just composed, though his very sharp eyes studied you quite intently.

"You kept this from me," he said, his voice level and not even a shade accusatory.

You sat up, quickly realizing your secret had been exposed. "I—didn't want you to think differently of me," you stammered, but Alhaitham's gaze never wavered.

"You've never seemed like the type to hide things," he remarked, walking further into the room and sitting down across from you. "But I suppose I should have known."

A part of you couldn't help but fidget with your wings, trying to figure out how to explain yourself to him. Alhaitham's expression didn't change, though his sharp eyes were free of judgment.

"You're still the same person," he finally said, his voice firm and steady. "I know many people in my lifetime—some human, some not. In the end, it is the character underneath that matters. You're not different from before."

The weight of his words settled over you, and for the first time since your secret had been uncovered, you felt yourself relax.

"Thanks," you murmured, your voice quieter than usual.

Alhaitham tilted his head slightly, his expression softening just the faintest bit. "I don't waste time with unnecessary judgment. Besides," he said with a small, almost imperceptible smirk, "I've always appreciated a bit of mystery."

You couldn't help but smile back, calming down when you settled back on the couch. Alhaitham may not be the most expressive, but in some way, you had always felt he understood you.

[romancemedia]

I swear to think this old poster was the answer. It was staring at us right in the face the whole time! This poster revealed the connection between Shinichi and Kid! Their Dads were the key! It was so simple! It was right there the whole time!

[p96822]

It had been a week since Sam came to Paris, and she was now trying to save the park trees that were going to be cut down by the end of the month for a building that sells free air. Sam would not let any harm occur naturally, even on another side of the planet.

Besides Chloe, Sabrina, and Lila, Alya and her other classmates decide to help Sam to make petitions to give to the Mayor of Paris so he can stop the tree from being cut down.

Everything was going well on the petition, and they had over 2000 signatures to save the park trees from being cut down. She was at the park with the petition in hand before this happened to her.

"Daddy, there she is. She tries to stop you from building Fresh Air; she needs to be stopped." Chole pointed at Sam.

"Thank you, Pumpkin; I'll take it from here," Andre told her as he went over to the goth. "My daughter told me that you're trying to make a petition to stop the trees being cut down for the new Project Oxygen building."

"That's right, and I want to give you these petitions so you can't cut down these trees for a building, especially one completely useless." So Sam gave him the papers. However, the Mayor tore the papers in half. "Hey!" Sam yelled.

"I'm sorry, miss, but this petition cannot stop the building of Project Oxygen. These people have jobs to do, families to feed, and homes to pay for. This petition means nothing against the various companies and forces that already have things underway."

"You can't do this!" Sam yelled at the Mayor.

"I have, and you will not stop Project Oxygen from happening, not now or ever." The Mayor said as he left, while Chloe gave a smug grin at Sam before following her father.

Sam felt angry that idiot of a mayor ruined her hard work. She growled at the Mayor as he worked away. She wanted revenge on him.

Even here, the government keeps trying to get in my way! She thought angrily.

The goth girl then grabbed a megaphone that she bought a few days ago from her backpack and started to yell, "Stop Project Oxygen," repeatedly.

The Mayor saw this and decided to call Roger Raincomprix to get her to stop her protesting against Project Oxygen.

Roger came to the park and grabbed Sam by the wrist.

"Hey, let me go!" Sam yelled at the cop,

"I'm sorry young lady; you have to vacate the premises. You're not allowed to protest Project Oxygen on the Mayor's orders," Roger told her.

"I can say whatever I want," Sam retorted

"You can't say it here, miss," Roger said and took Sam out of the park.

"I'm only going to give you a warning. Don't protest, or I'll have to drive you back home. Do you understand?"

This made Sam even angrier than ever because all the hard work that everyone did was gone, and she was unable to protest about it. Instead, she grips the megaphone tightly.

Hawkmoth's Lair

The darkroom lit up with light as the window shaped like a butterfly opened up. The butterflies flew away when the light hit them. The villains Mayura and Hawkmoth felt the negative emotions of Sam and were ready to Akumatized Sam.

"Well, what do we have here? Is someone new? And hating how authority abuses its power?" Hawk Moth asks." This is the perfect chance to strike Mayura."

"Yes, Hawkmoth, we will win and have the Miraculous of the Cat and the Ladybug," Mayura added.

A butterfly flew onto Hawkmoth's hand, and Mayura plucked a feather off her fan. Both of the villains cover the butterfly and feather with their other hand then the feather and butterfly turn dark black.

"Fly away from my little Akuma and evilize that nature-loving girl," Hawkmoth demanded.

"And Flutter away my Amok and enhance those emotions," Mayura said.

As Sam growled, gripping her megaphone tighter, she didn't notice the purple butterfly or blue feather flying into her device. Instead, within seconds she heard voices in her head as her eyes darkened.

"Greetings, Ragtash! We are Hawkmoth and Mayura. I understand you want to protect the environment. You can make the environment protect itself with your words! Go forth and defend nature, and if you want to go the extra mile, I can assure the protection of the trees. First, you have to get me Ladybug's and Chat Noir's miraculous." Hawkmoth wickedly smiled as he spoke.

"And take this amok. Let your anger and rage make it grow as you command. Your Treantrance," Marius continued with a sly smile.

"They've to listen now with this now they have to listen to me," Sam began to transform into Ragtash and the creation of the Sentimonster.

Amity Park museum

Danny went back to the Egypt exhibit. But, first, he had to find out why Hotep-Ra was after Marinette, something she might know.

"Danny, shouldn't we head back to the group?" Marinette asked.

"In a little bit Marinette, I have to find out why that ghost was after you so that it won't happen again," Danny answered.

"R-Really?" Marinette asked nervously.

"Yeah... and this was the exhibit he popped back to life in, so maybe there's a clue here." He explained as he took out his phone and took pictures of both the sarcophagus and some tablets.

It made Marinette worried that Danny might find out that she is Ladybug, so she had to think of something to get Danny off that trail. Then an idea came to her.

"Paulina said there was going to be a dance this Friday. So are you going to the dance, Danny?" Marinette asked, trying to get Danny from finding out she was Ladybug.

Danny pulled away and started thinking.

"Well, since the last time I went to a dance, Paulina asked me to go with her, and she only did that so she could spit Sam for calling her shallow and had no problem turning her back on me," Danny explained.

"That's just awful, and she shouldn't have done that. You're such a nice guy, and you shouldn't be treated that way. You deserve someone who wants to go with you." Marinette said.

"I can't believe I still had a crush on her after that whole thing. I'm never getting back in those months of my life," Danny said.

"How long did took you to get over Paulina?" Marinette asked him.

"Well, it took about three or four months to get over her, and it was really hard to get over her, mostly because she was that hot," Danny told Marinette.

"I can understand that because I'm trying to get over someone too, and it's too hard." Marinette thought about her crush on Adrien.

"Was that person nice, Marinette? Or was he just a jerk," Danny asked, wanting to know if the person that Marinette was trying to get over.

"No, Adrien is the nicest guy you'll ever meet. The only reason why I was trying to get over him was that he liked someone else over me. I don't know who, but it's clear who he's at least not in love with." Marinette explained.

Marinette's face lowered, and it took on a more heartbroken look when she felt a hand on hers, making her look up and see it was Danny doing the deed.

"Well, if this Adrien can't see how fun, nice, and pretty you are... it's his loss. Maybe give him till College to figure that out?" He suggests playfully.

Hearing that, Marinette smiled warmly.

"Thank you..."

Danny looked around and nodded contently.

"So... I'm all done. And speaking of that dance... do you... wanna... umm..." He started before turning as red as Ladybug's suit.

"Do I what?" Marinette asks.

"Well, since we're living under the same roof for now... wanna... be my date?" He asks.

"Yeah, I'll go with you to the dance," Marinette answered.

Danny gave Marinette a big smile that made her blush red, then her suit.

came and told the two that it was time to head back to school.

A few hours later

It was now three-thirty, and school let out. So Danny and Marinette headed home.

As the two made it to Fenton Works, Marinette remembered that Danny had pictures of the sarcophagus and the tablets. So, Marinette had to find a way to get rid of those photos. So Danny didn't learn her secret.

Okay... what do I do? Marinette thought.

"You okay?" Danny asks, noticing how quiet she is.

Marinette gasped upon realizing how she was saying nothing.

"I'm fine. Really..." She said.

Danny didn't look like he believed her but shrugged.

As they got into Fenton Works, Marinette went into her room and tried to think about how they could get those photos.

Okay... how do I get those photos? I could just go in while he's asleep...

But unfortunately, her thoughts were interrupted by the cat alarm she had started meowing.

"Oh no, not an Akuma, not now..." Marinette said before a thought came to her. "Wait... how am I gonna handle an Akuma on the other side of the world?"

As she asked herself, Tikki flew out of her bag once it was clear it was safe to come out. "Calm down, Marinette. We have to Horse Miraculous to get to Paris..." Her Kwamii reminded her.

"You're right, Tikki!" Marinette said, forgetting that she asked to take the horse with her if Paris was in danger while she was gone.

Now she has to think of a way to get out of the house and transform into Ladybug. So Marinette got out of her room and tried to sneak out quietly before passing Danny's room.

"Danny, be right back..." Marinette said in a whisper tone.

"Marinette!" Tikki said to her partner.

"Oh right, sorry," Marinette snapped out of it.

As she left and when to the front door, Danny's Ghost Sense went off.

"Again?" Danny asks as he looks around to see what ghost triggered his Ghost Sense.

When he opened his door, he saw Marinette going down the hallway, then she went downstairs and to the front door, leaving the house.

Where is she going? He thought.

Quietly, he left his room and followed her, knowing how bad it might look if she spotted him.

"I'm not following her because I like her; I'm only following her because I want to protect her from any other ghost from attacking her. Yeah, that's right, even though she's really pretty and nice." Danny tried to convince himself he wasn't doing anything wrong.

As he used his intangibility and invisibility to follow the French girl, Danny noticed something flying out of her purse as the streets were empty. He saw a small red bug thing following her.

What the heck? He thought.

So far as he saw that the bug-like thing wasn't dangerous to Marinette because it wasn't attacking her or anything, but what it was doing with her and why she wasn't bothered was what he was more curious about.

As Marinette hid in the alleyway, she opened the box that held the horse Miraculous. A small ball of light circled Marinette before dimming down and revealing it as a small horse-like being. It causes Danny's ghost sense to go off again.

"Wait, are those ghosts with Marinette?" Danny asked himself.

"Tikki, Kaalki! Dual Metamorphosis!" Marinette said as two lights enveloped Marinette. After the light dimmed down, her suit was red with black spots. The front of the suit was white with a white horseshoe over her chest. Most of her upper arm and sides are dark brown, while the rest of her forearms and hands are white with dark brown. Her legs were white, with the soles of her feet being dark brown. She had two red ribbons that tied her hair into a ponytail.

Danny was amazed at what he saw.

Sam is now akumazited and Marinette is heading back to Paris to save the day. What is Danny going to do? Well you going to find out next time.

Also a big thanks to BeConFuzzy and NeoMarks for helping with this story. You to are great!

[tumble-witch]

Ladybug keeps finding excuses not to meet Chat Noir's good friend Marinette smh my head

[photozoi]

Celebrity Gecko caught out by paparazzi without his Geiko costume.

[frownyalfred]

Obviously a public Batman identity reveal is huge and will have a massive impact on Gotham, but I like to think about the short list of Bruce Wayne’s employees who would go absolutely fucking bonkers when they find out that their employer was literally Batman. 

This list includes but is not limited to:

bodyguards/personal security (what do you MEAN we were protecting you and you knew jiu jitsu the whole time?)

any medical personnel who treated him or his family in the last ten years (missed some pretty obvious signs, in hindsight)

the guy who taught Bruce Wayne how to send Board materials at WE because he “didn’t know how” (he organizes the literal Justice League)

drivers/pilots/etc who found out that not only can Bruce Wayne actually drive shift after all, he’s also able to fly spaceships??

[natalievoncatte]

There was something decidedly… insistent about Lena’s footsteps. Kara knew it was her, of course, when she picked up Lena heading towards her apartment. Not just her heart rate but her breathing and mumbling to herself and the way she walked, her footfalls painting a picture of how she was walking, and she was mad.

Kara expected a complaint when she opened the door. Lena would sometimes launch without preamble into a rant about this investor or that senator or some such executive at this or that company and just rant adorably, balling her little fists. Kara would never tell her, because she’d feel patronized, but Lena genuinely was cute when she was angry.

Well, annoyed. When she was really angry, throwing a fit angry, fed up with the world angry, she was something else entirely. Kara would move heaven and earth, quite literally, to address whatever bothered her. When she was sad it was even worse and Kara just wanted to bundle her up in her invulnerable arms and shelter her from everything forever.

Lena walked into the apartment, not looking at Kara, and clearly fuming. She dropped the order she’d picked up on the way into the kitchen island and stared at it, then finally glared at Kara. There was no mistaking the subject of her anger.

Kara fidgeted nervously. She shifted on her feet, feeling a pressure of Lena’s gaze that forced her own away.

“Lena? Is something wrong?” She swallowed, hard. “Bad day?”

“Something is wrong,” Lena said, very softly, in the icy tone she reserved for the fools she did not suffer gladly. “Take off your glasses.”

“What?”

“Take off your glasses, Kara.”

“But I can’t see…”

Lena stepped forward and put her hand on the takeout order in its plastic bag. Kara had ordered it and Lena had agreed to pick it up, far from be first time they’d done that. Lena often ordered for them and Kara brought it when Lena was hosting.

Right now Lena was trembling, head tilted forward like she meant to charge, eyes locked on Kara.

“Glasses. Off.”

Kara hesitated briefly.

“Okay,” she muttered, screaming at herself not to do this, pleading for some kind of distraction.

All she wanted to do tonight was curl up with Lena on the couch and watch a movie and focus very very hard on not giving away how badly she wanted to make out with her.

Kara slowly took the earpieces in her hands and slipped them off, setting the too-heavy frames on the table with a soft clunk. The word rushed in, sounds more vibrant and distracting, colors almost unpleasantly sharp.

Lena was staring at her. Her nostrils flared and her fists clenched. She took her hand from the food bag and took another step forward, then another, finally picking up the glasses in her own hand, feeling them. She raised them as if to put them on and stared through them.

“For someone who says she’s blind without them, these glasses don’t have a very strong prescription, do they.”

Possibilities raced through Kara’s mind. Things she could say, things she might do. She’d squeaked out of this before, somehow evaded Lena’s staggering intellect. She had seen curiosity darken her brows, maybe even brief moments of suspicion.

This was different. Heavier. More serious.

“What gave me away?”

“Everything, really. All the pieces were there this whole time, but I just refused to put them together on my own. It took a flat out slap in the face to make me choose to see it.”

Kara’s chest felt like it was caving in. Everything was going wrong. Her chin quivered and the tears began welling hot behind her eyes.

Lena looked at her flatly. “The guy at the take out place asked me why I was picking up Supergirl’s order. I asked him what the hell he was talking about and he told me Supergirl comes on all the time. Then he showed me a selfie.”

Kara licked her lips.

“It has to be a mistake.”

“They have your number on their speed dial as Supergirl, Kara. You let their delivery kid take a selfie in your suit. They wouldn’t let me pay for it. The old lady that owns the place said ‘Supergirls girlfriend, no charge!’ and started laughing.”

Kara stared at her.

“Lena…”

“You better have a good fucking explanation for why your favorite restaurant knows who you really are and not your supposed best friend.”

The tension in their air was palpable, electric. Kara could feel it like the gathering energy in the air before a storm, ready to burst forth with energy and life or mindless destruction. She folded her arms around herself and looked down.

“You do know me,” Kara finally said. “You do know who I really am. You’re the only person who does.”

Lena’s extension was fixed, intense, edging between a scowl and a pout, and Kara realized with a start that she was holding back tears of her own.

“You’re the only person that knows me as me. You know me without Supergirl, but without all the fake stuff I do so people won’t realize I’m Supergirl. I don’t have to pretend to be clumsy with you. You’re not always looking at me like I’m super strong or super fast. I can just be me when I’m with you.”

“You’ve lied to me so many times,” Lena said, after drawing in a deep breath. “Running away from our lunches, telling me wild stories about where you disappear to at work, and I just bought every bit of it. You must think I’m an easy mark.”

“No, never.”

“I’ve always had it in the back of my head. I always thought there was something there, something between us that kept you from really, truly being yourself with me. The way your touches are always so whisper-light and you’re always stealing glances at me. Like you were afraid with every word or movement that you’d give something away.”

“Lena,” Kara began.

“I knew you were hiding something. I had hoped it was something else.”

Kara licked her lips. She quickened her perception, a little trick of will that took her out of sync with the humans around her, processing the world at her natural speed, which made her peers seem almost frozen in place by comparison.

She took this drawn out instant to really look at Lena, truly take her in, savor what she was seeing because it might be the end. She was suddenly heavily, painfully aware that this might be the last time she ever looked on Lena in person.

Great father Rao, she was so beautiful. Not hot or pretty or even gorgeous or sexy, beautiful. She was dressed for the autumn chill in a pea coat and turtleneck and black leggings and her hair was down, letting itself soften into her natural waves. She was without makeup, and Kara suddenly realized that she only ever saw Lena without makeup when she meant to be alone with Kara. When she was her most pure, most true self.

Kara slowed herself again and as she did the world sped up, and she drank in the soft sadness in Lena’s blue-green eyes and all of those things she’d pushed deep down came bubbling to the surface: imagined sighs and the feeling of that lustrous inky hair slipping through her fingers, her name whispered on pillowy lips.

Human thoughts. Alien thoughts. Desires no Kryptonian should even apprehend, much less indulge. The very idea of the non-procreative act was shameful, and to develop these emotional entanglement…

Kara had once mourned her failure, for she had been charged with preserving the ways of her people. Her first command had been to keep Kal Kryptonian.

A task she had failed even within herself.

“You hoped it was something else?”

Lena looked at her so sadly and so sweetly and swallowed.

“Yeah,” she said in a thick voice, “I kinda did.”

Kara smiled in spite of herself. When she sighed, it was as if the weight of a world slid off her shoulders.

“Can’t a girl have two secrets?”

Lena’s eyes widened.

“One day a long time ago, very very far away, a young Kara looked over her shoulder and watched the shockwave shatter the crust of her planet as its core exploded. She lost everything. Her world, her family, her culture, so many things. Tastes. Colors. Places. All gone.”

Lena wrapped her arms around herself, averting her gaze.

“I knew I’d lose you eventually. I just wanted to keep you as long as I could.”

Lena reached up and rubbed at her eyelids with her fingers.

“Do you remember when your mom’s goons threw you off the balcony?”

“Yes,” said Lena.

“Do you remember how I held you when I caught you?”

“I do.”

“I wish I hadn’t lied. I wish I’d never put you down.”

Lena said nothing and did not look up. Kara could hear her heart racing, practically feel the tension in her limbs across the room.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I lied. I’ve always known I could never keep you, I just didn’t want to make it end.”

Lena looked up with tear-wet eyes.

Then she lunged across the room, crossing the gap between them in long strides. Kara Danvers -Kara Zoe-El, Supergirl- was caught almost completely off guard. It wasn’t until Lena was practically charging into her arms, leaping into her, that she remembered to cushion the impact, catch her gently and make sure she didn’t slam herself into an unyielding wall of Kara.

She was so surprised, so shocked into helpless acceptance, that she didn’t offer the slightest residence when Lena reached, grabbed her neck in a firm hold, and pulled her into a kiss. Kara’s stomach did a backflip and she was helpless, undone despite all her strength. For a moment both their eyes opened and they looked at each other in a wordless exchange and Kara began kissing her back in earnest. Lena’s sharp breaths and soft moans instantly kindled a hot need inside her, thrumming like a plucked guitar string, and she effortlessly lifted Lena onto the kitchen counter.

“Holy shit, you’re strong,” Lena breathed.

“Of course I am,” she whispered into Lena’s kiss. “I’m Supergirl.”

And at long last, Kara found something she wanted to taste more than potstickers.

[presentmacandcheese]

bring you some peace

jason todd x gn reader

summary: you discover your boyfriend jason is the Red Hood, to his surprise and concern you're not upset in the slightest

or 5k on loving and appreciating your hardworking vigilante boyfriend

a/n: back at it again! This isn't exactly a sequel to softer than, but it's not not a sequel either. I picture it being the same reader, but this piece can absolutely still be read standalone! That said, go forth and please enjoy my second ever DC fic

also on my ao3!

A sigh pushed its way from his diaphragm as the mattress caught Jason’s fall. He ran a hand over his face and into his hair, taking another deep breath, thoughts of your relationship began to fill his mind.  

Things with you had been going well lately, too well, the anxiety in his brain was certain.

You were suspiciously patient and understanding, especially when he bailed last minute on plans. Sure, you’d meet him with a pout, but it’d disappear as quickly as it’d come and be replaced with a smile that must have been a trick of the light as it seemed... empathetic? Where was the upset? Shouldn’t you be fighting about him “not prioritizing you” enough? It’s what happened the last time he had a romantic partner. 

His partner had felt Jason wasn’t willing to put them over his work, which... He made what time he could for them, but there were lives at stake. He couldn’t be with them every second of every day like they attempted to demand, and they weren’t willing to compromise when the truth of his work remained hidden. 

His chest ached at the thought of losing you, knowing it would hurt significantly more than his last relationship. They were nice, mostly. But you. You meant more to him. You meant... everything. Something felt different lately, off in enough way that he felt it making home in his bones. 

Maybe he needed to come clean, maybe that was the honesty this relationship required. His heart raced as the thought settled, stomach churning. Would you still want him once you knew? Was he risking his safety, his family’s safety, your safety in vain? 

Jason mulled it over, knowing the other shoe may drop with this decision, but pleading with the universe that just this once it wouldn’t have to. Maybe he’d be allowed to have and keep something good. 

You knew your boyfriend was the Red Hood.  

Jason, bless his heart, had certainly been trying to keep it away from you. But the more time you spent around him, the more little details you were able to put together. 

At first, the nights he was unable to spend time together made sense. He told you he worked graveyard shift most nights and his behavior and absences backed that up. 

Until he started canceling at confusing moments with vague excuses. The timing of his walk outs beginning to raise a flag in your mind. 

“Work thing, gotta go.” When his phone buzzed as your heads had just hit the pillows. 

“My brother needs me.” Two minutes into the TV show you watched together weekly. 

“I have a thing to do.” When you were about to be that thing. 

Jason went out of his way to make it up to you, finding alternate times to see and spend time with you, leaving you far more curious than upset. 

The curiosity increased when you noticed the influx of injuries he’d have after a night of cancelled plans. The dots didn’t begin to consciously connect until Jason had walked out on your movie night early, a murmured “work errand, sorry.” Leaving his lips as he parted. 

You were more concerned than anything, he’d been wanting to watch Pride & Prejudice with you for weeks after you’d read the book together; a re-read for him and a first for you, only to leave half an hour in? 

Your thoughts roamed as you snuggled into the hoodie, he’d purchased solely for you to steal, burrowing into the blankets on your couch and settling in for the new plan of a night to yourself. You wondered what errand could be so important to need urgent tending to. Maybe you’d ask Jason later, maybe you’d finally get your curiosities quenched. 

You’d just gotten comfortable, pulling out a project you’d been working on for fun and throwing the news on in the background when a story caught your attention. 

“Red Hood takes mustard gun to the face. Fresh off an Arkham Asylum breakout this evening, Condiment King stood off against Crime Alley’s very own Red Hood. It seems to have been Condiment King’s lucky day as he managed a hit on the rehabilitated crime lord, launching mustard directly at the so called “eyes” of his helmet. That’s bound to leave one hot dog of a bruise if you ask me.” 

You rolled your eyes as you processed the pun, it felt in poor taste given how much worse the situation could have been, especially if Red Hood had been without his helmet. The idea made you frown. You’d found yourself with a soft spot towards the vigilantes of Gotham for years, but along the way Red Hood had become your favorite. 

You admired what he stood for, the protection he offered women and children, the way he was willing to offer it no matter the cost. The other vigilantes seemed more black and white, you respected that Red Hood appeared to often understand the world was gray.  

You zoned back into the TV, focusing again on the reporter’s words. 

“Witnesses reported Nightwing ketching up to the scene shortly after, promptly taking down Condiment King and assuring he won’t be able to a salt anyone again anytime soon.” 

You groaned, turning channels so you wouldn’t have to listen anymore to the attempts at making crime more lighthearted. 

The night passed rather calmly for you, but the same could not be said of the streets. Checking social media and news sites revealed the Arkham breakout was much larger than merely Condiment King. 

And as you realized multiple heavy hitters were loose, you sent out a quiet prayer to whoever was listening that your city and its protectors would remain safe. 

Jason needed to see you.  

Adrenaline left his body wired, hands trembling and breaths labored. The night had been harsh to them all. Rogues left and right hellbent on freedom and destruction. Every Bat had taken far more hits than preferred throughout the night, but they prevailed without serious injury. Somehow luck was on their side with a swift recapture. 

That didn’t mean he wasn’t frazzled.  

Going from a peaceful night in; snuggling his sweetheart, to getting two black eyes from fuckin’ Condiment King of all people was bound to leave a man off-kilter. Especially when the ante of it all was only upped from there. A night’s full of adrenaline catching up to him as the morning latened. 

Exhaustion ran bone deep, his knocks on your door muddled as if his blood had turned to molasses. The rush that got him through being patched up and taking a shower drained from his body and left Jason half asleep on your doorstep.  

He leaned against the frame, eyes blinking slowly as he heard the lock click before the door opened. 

“Baby?” There it was, confused voice still dripping gentle honey as your eyes met his. 

He was fading fast, Jason knew he’d be unconscious in minutes, but that was okay. He had proof that you were safe, and that was all he needed. 

You took Jason’s arm, guiding him inside and towards your bed. You’d seen him tired plenty of times, but never quite like this. This was exhaustion. His movements slow like you were trudging through quicksand, every step heavy as though the second you stopped moving, he’d begin to sink. 

It was worrisome. Clearly, his job was burning him out or something worse. You’d noticed the redness under his eyes, the way they were swelling in what would surely become two black eyes. What happened to him last night? 

Oh god. 

As you moved the blankets on your bed to open a space for him, your mind was stuck on an awful thought. What if he’d been caught in the Arkham attacks? 

Pushing Jason into place on your mattress was more than easy, once the opening was created a soft wind could’ve blown him down. He collapsed into the plushness, face immediately buried in your pillow and body going lax. It would’ve made you chuckle if you weren’t so worried. 

You removed his shoes before covering him with the blankets, tucking the sides in to secure him. Sitting beside him on the bed’s edge, you lifted a hand to run through his hair, delicately untangling any small knots and lightly scratching his scalp. 

A shaky breath left your lips, watery eyes locked on where Jason’s chest rose and fell. You could see he’d had a night, but he’d survived that night. He was here. he was safe. You just needed to get your anxiety to catch up with reality. 

You watched him sleep for half an hour before your body regulated, your heartrate lowering and allowing your mind to clear now that the fear was dissipating.  

Your fingers finally left his hair, trailing down to lightly caress over the side of his face that’d emerged from the pillow. Hovering over the swelling under his eye your brain whispered what happened, Jay?  

Did someone hit you? Why? How?  

A nugget of information from the previous night floated to the foreground. There was someone you knew had gotten hit in the eyes last night. 

Red Hood. 

Your hand slowly retreated, lowering to a stilted rest on his shoulder. It. It was absurd, wasn’t it? 

Except.  

You grabbed your phone from the nightstand nearest you, opening the internet and searching ‘Red Hood.’ Your hand left Jason’s body as you frantically searched at length, looking for evidence. The builds were damn near the same, Red Hood seemed only the slightest bulkier, your guess was an armor-padded suit. Articles highlighting injuries he’d received in the recent past aligned with nights he’d rushed away from you. 

And the most damning. A picture someone had managed to get of him without his helmet. 

He still wore a mask, but even in a far and grainy picture you’d recognize the love of your life’s face anywhere. 

Jason Todd was the Red Hood. 

You locked your phone, not wanting to stare at the image anymore and turned your gaze to Jason. You expected fear to roll in, knowledge fresh of some of the brutality he’d committed, but the longer you looked at Jason the more your shock calmed. 

He was a hero. A statement you figured he’d argue, but that’s how you’d felt about Red Hood for ages. Sure, his methods were unorthodox especially when he first debuted in Gotham, but he’d been trying to better the city every step of his way. He stood up for the underdogs, for Park Row and everyone in it that were constantly overlooked.  

You knew firsthand how much it needed that. Park Row, Crime Alley had been your home for a spell of time. The first ten years of your life had been spent struggling there. At your youngest and most vulnerable, you learned that life wasn’t always fair. Life wouldn’t always give people what they deserved, not when the cards were stacked against them. 

Park Row needed help, it needed a protector. It needed someone who would stand up and fight for and in it, that never seemed up Batman’s alley. 

But Red Hood? Red Hood was doing what needed to be done. Jason was doing what needed to be done. 

Heavens, he must be so tired, so unappreciated. Even if his methods seem to have calmed since the start, reports on him still labeled him as more violent than the rest of the Bats, treated him as more of a threat and a borderline villain at times. Like he was a ticking time-bomb. 

A frown twisted your mouth, disappointment setting in that others couldn’t see how wonderful your vigilante was. The shift to determination was easy, you’d just have to show him how appreciated he was. 

Jason woke up in darkness, disorienting him until his eyes adjusted to the surroundings. The weight of the comforter on him as familiar as the plushness of the pillow, your scent wrapped around him more fully than the blankets. 

He turned his head to the walls, pictures and posters of the things you love adorning them. A soft smile graced his lips, he was in your room, he was okay, he was safe. His eyes trailed along to the window, wanting to peek out and gauge the time of day. He was met with confusion as he saw a blanket pinned to the wall over it, blocking out most all the light. 

Jason lingered on the detail only a moment more before he sat up. He was in your room, where were you? He stretched as he stood, making his way out of the dark room and further into your apartment. The soft tones of you singing led him easily to you in the kitchen. 

“Good evening, sleepyhead.” You greeted over your shoulder, hands in the sink as you washed dishes, your tone was playful, but there was a glint in your eye he couldn’t quite place. 

“It’s evening?” His eyes flitted to the clock on the microwave, just after 6 pm. “Wasn’t sure with the makeshift blackout curtain.” He raised a brow. 

You looked away, but Jason came closer, spotting the blush on your cheeks. 

“I just wanted to make sure you were able to rest properly; my curtains didn’t make it dark enough.”  

The words came out sweet and simple. An easy care in them that had Jason’s cheeks reddening too. Your thoughtfulness never failed to make him flustered, knocking him giddy and disbelieving of what he’d done to deserve you.    

“Dinner will be done soon, too.” Jason recognized an out when he saw one, you were giving him the room not to reply directly to being taken care of, he appreciated it. 

He stepped closer, arms wrapping around your waist and leaning his head onto your shoulder.  

“Thank you.” It was weighted with everything he could be grateful for. When you let him in this morning and put him to bed, when you chose to care for him instead of making him feel like shit for leaving you, you cooking for him now and continuing to be kind. 

“Anything for you.” As you settled back into him, leaning your weight on him, Jason had no idea how deep that promise would run. 

It’d been a month since you’d discovered Jason’s secret. A month of showing him extra kindness, understanding, and appreciation. You were content to wait to talk about his vigilantism with him until he was comfortable sharing with you. You were letting your actions speak louder than your words anyhow.  

Making sure to give him praise on his character whenever he was around. 

“You have such a beautiful heart, Jay.” Said with a sincerity that threatened tears in the right moment. 

“Your mind is incredible, you’re so intelligent.” Said with an awe that spoke of true wonder. 

“You’re such a good man, Jason.” A promise, a vow of the truth the statement held for you. 

Making sure to care for him through blankets draped over him in his vulnerable states, enveloping him in the softness the outside world never would.  

Making sure to keep him well fed, showing your love through recipes passed down and long since mastered by your family. 

The final action that spoke of your empathy though was one utilized when Jason wasn’t around. You were helping cover for him. Disappearances made around your friends were easy for you to excuse. When he gave you an apologetic kiss and uttered to the group an “it’s work, I’m sorry,” you’d follow up with “he has a highly demanding job, I’m so impressed by how much of himself he gives.” Your confidence and understanding kept people’s opinions of him high, your appreciation seeping into the roots of their minds the more you spoke tenderly of him; to help people see him as you saw him. 

All in all, it’d been a great month of loving your boyfriend. 

Jason was going to burst. Anxiety filling him to the seams as he came to terms with what he’d need to do. He had to confront your relationship problems. Trying to figure out when all this good would be ripped away was eating at him like termites in the wooden home of his brain. 

All the praise, the home cooked meals, the soft blankets and somehow even softer greetings. The gentleness of your touch, like you thought he deserved to be held as something delicate. It was all too good to be true.  

Something had to be wrong. This was the calm before some sort of storm. Overcompensation for how badly you wished to break up, maybe. Jason couldn’t fathom another explanation for why you’d be treating him like this. Like something precious. 

The cruelty of whatever joke this was had self-doubt eating him alive. Itching beneath his skin and clawing its way out of him. 

“What’s wrong with us?” Jason blurted one night, watching you make a pot pie crust from scratch, you’d been prepping dinner for at least an hour and a half while he simmered and stewed with anxiety. His eyes were locked on your hands, covered in flour and dough as you pressed the crust into your desired shape. 

“I mean we’re a little strange as people, but I wouldn’t say anything otherwise.” Your lighthearted tone, still focused on the diligent work at your hands, did nothing to ease his worries. 

“No. What’s wrong?”  

The plea in his voice had you turning to look at him. His eyes were swimming with desperation; a broken shine to them that made you frown in concern. 

“Jay? What’s this about? I don’t think anything’s wrong, but I don’t believe you’d ask unless you thought there was.” Your hands were rinsed and wiped on a dish towel as you stepped closer to him and there it was again, that empathetic lilt to your being that made him feel so undeserving. 

The anxiety in his skin bubbled, a cauldron overflowing and exceeding containment, spilling over until no more was left inside. Every ounce of fear and worry splashed around him, rolling out in waves. 

“I don’t deserve this.” Rushed words, a harsh admission in light of your softness. 

“What do you mean?” Jason took a step back as you took one closer, he couldn’t let you touch him right now. Not when you’d slip in his mess and get swept away by the current, never to be seen again. You paused before moving back half a step, Jason found himself simultaneously weighed down by guilt and able to breathe easier. 

“I don’t... This is all too nice. You are too nice. All this care and consideration, it’s wasted on me. Why are you being so fucking good to me?” His hand flew into his hair, tugging at the strands as he tried to let the pain ground him enough to suck in a deep breath. 

“Jay, baby. You deserve all the good the world has to offer.” 

“I DON’T! How can that possibly be true? The things I’ve done, the people I’ve hurt. You don’t know. That’s how you can be so fucking kind to me, because you don’t know what I’m hiding.” 

You nodded, seemingly undeterred by the panic Jason knew he was getting lost in. 

“Okay. So, tell me? I bet you I can still find kindness to give no matter what secrets may unfold.” 

That gave him pause. If anyone could look past what he’d done, it probably would be you. Hell, his family had forgiven and accepted him, and you hadn’t been through an eighth of the shit he put them through.  

“I’m. I’ve hurt people. I’ve done some ugly things, some I’m not proud of and worse, some that I am. Are you sure you want to know?” He needed to hear you choose this, choose him, his truth. 

“Tell me. Please.” It sounded more reassuring than afraid. 

“I’m the Red Hood.” As the words left Jason’s lips, he looked down to the floor. He couldn’t face the look in your eyes yet, the horror that he might find in them. The disappointment as you realized your boyfriend was a murderer. 

“Thank you for telling me.” That... didn’t sound horrified? It was almost... daresay, proud? 

Jason hesitantly lifted his gaze to your form, watching you turn back around, fingers dancing as they always did when you considered the next step in your cooking, a soothing hum befalling your lips. 

“That’s it?” That couldn’t possibly be the only reaction you had. He was expecting tears and anger and distrust. Even the worst case, being kicked out and never spoken to again, losing you entirely in the wake of this revelation. 

You faced him again and Jason stilled as he saw the peaceful look on your face, posture relaxed and no less welcoming than it’d been before. With the light hitting just right, there was an air of relief as well. It was as though nothing had changed. As though this information... wasn’t... new... 

Oh. 

“You knew.” Not a question, a fact. 

He watched as a guilty smile graced your lips, your legs shuffling where you stood and a breath of nervous laughter left your mouth. 

“Maybe a little.” The admission felt both damning and relieving. 

“I- What? How?” 

“Maybe we sit down for this one? I get the feeling your emotions are awfully overwhelming right now.” You started to walk to the living room, making grabby hands behind you to get him to follow. Jason’s lips upturned at the cute habit, steps aligning with yours as he geared up for this conversation. 

You placed yourself on one end of the couch, giving Jason the option of space if he still needed. He sat further than when he joined you for comfort, but within arm’s reach which was progress from the kitchen. You took a deep breath and began to explain. 

“Okay, so it was about a month ago, when you got injured by the mustard gun. You came over the morning after, exhausted and worried about me, which just had me worrying about you, so I got to more thinking than usual, and it started to connect.” 

“The way you frequently disappear at night and leave our plans, the injuries you end up with and the lack of explanation you tend to have for them. I thought for a minute that you were being abused at work. I suppose I wasn’t exactly wrong.” The laugh that left your lips came with a disbelieving head shake. 

“I started looking deeper into the vigilantes of Gotham, well, just Red Hood. He was the only one I needed to look at that morning. Once I had pictures, it was all too easy to recognize the man I love. I could recognize you anywhere. I could recognize you by touch alone, by smell; I would know you blind, by the way your breaths came, and your feet struck the earth. I would know you in death, at the end of the world.” 

You watched Jason’s eyes light up, some of his anxiety melting away at the familiar quote from a book you knew he favored despite the tears it’d brought you both.  

“You don’t have a problem with that though? My identity? The crimes I commit, the lives I’ve taken, the families I’ve destroyed.” His voice trailed off at the end, quieter as shame clouded his gaze. Beneath it there was a desperation that screamed of a little boy’s fear. A young one’s need to be accepted with open arms and loved unconditionally. 

“Jason, my love. You’re a hero. You have done more to save this city than I’m sure anyone gives you credit for. I don’t have a single problem with what you do nor what you’ve done to look out for our city, our home. You’ve been cleaning up in the ways you felt were needed. How could I fault you for that?” Your eyes locked with his, hands coming up to cup his face and reaffirm how genuine your words were. 

“I love you. I love what you stand for. I appreciate you. I appreciate everything you do, everything you are, and everything you will ever be.” You promised.   

For a moment, Jason sat frozen, looking at you as though his whole world view was changing before his eyes. Given his earlier insecurities, it very well may have been. 

“Why didn’t you tell me that you knew?” A whispered curiosity uttered after moments of silence. 

“I was waiting until you were ready. It wasn’t my secret to force out of you. I figured you’d share eventually, and until then I just wanted to care for you. I wanted someone to show you some damn appreciation, and I was more than content with that being me. That’s why I’ve been doing more for you, because you deserve it with all the hard work you do to clean this city up and keep her safe.” Your thumb stroked over his cheekbone, your touch matching the ease of your words. 

Your head tilted slightly; lips downturned as you continued to speak. “I’m sorry my behavior left you so uneasy, it was never my intent for my compassion to scare you.”  

In the seconds of quiet after, your heart rate picked up, this was going to be it huh? The moment when yet another partner confessed you were “too much.” That your affections were overbearing, your intensity frightening and something they weren’t willing to match. That it’d be better if this ended. 

You’d accept Jason’s will if it were the case. You’d let your heart be sliced open, bleeding out from every cut so long as it would make him happy.  

You moved to pull your hands from his face, feeling as though your permission was already being revoked. He caught them with his own, holding them sweetly. 

“It wasn’t that it scared me. You could never scare me. It was that... It felt far too good to be true. I have a hard time believing that good things can happen to me without being ripped away.” Jason’s admission made your heart ache, longing for him to receive only the best from the world and to know that he deserved it. 

“Jay...” He released hold of you to briefly put one hand up, asking you silently to wait a moment before speaking. When you kept quiet, he returned to his full hold on you. The light grip reassuring and soothing while you anticipated his next words. 

“Sweetheart, you are the best thing that has happened to me in this and any lifetime. I am terrified of losing you, that’s what I’m scared of. I don’t want you to be ripped away like so many things I’ve tried to love before, and I don’t want you to leave. I fear that I would not survive a world where I no longer had you in my life. That’s where my panic came from, that’s why I was afraid to reveal my identity. I didn’t want to lose you.” Vulnerable eyes turned down to look at your combined hands. The feeling of his thumbs soothing over your skin providing as much assurance as his words. 

You waited a handful of extra breaths to see if he had more to say, but it seemed no further words were making themselves known. 

“You are the love of all my lives, Jason Todd. I’ll be here for as long as you let me.”  

“That could be a long time, ya know?” 

“I’m counting on it.” 

Snuggled against Jason’s chest on the couch, dinner long since forgotten, a thought came to mind. 

“So, you’re the Red Hood.”  

“We’ve covered that, yes.” 

You gave him a light nudge with your shoulder. “Hush.”  

A brief chuckle before his lips pressed atop your head. 

“So, you’re Red Hood. I know you work closely with the rest of the Bats, and you wouldn’t work closely with people you didn’t trust, not on this. You only trust a handful of people beyond me, and I know I’m not a vigilante. Since you’re all Gotham based, they must be around here too. The only people in the state that you trust are your family. Ergo, the rest of the Bats are the other Waynes, no?”  

“And they call Batman the “world’s greatest detective.” 

“Holy crap, that means they call Bruce that. Brucie Wayne the greatest detective. Oh my god.” You sat up, turning to face him with excitement. 

“Hang on, I didn’t confirm your theory.” 

“You didn’t deny it either!” Your finger pointed in his face, Jason leaning in to nip at it and making you both laugh. 

“Don’t distract me! I’m totally right!”  

“No comment.” 

You leaned over to reach for your phone on the coffee table, Jason gripping your free arm to keep you from toppling over in your excitement. You smiled appreciatively at him before doing an image search on Gotham’s vigilantes. Looking closely at the pictures with what you knew only solidified your belief that much further. 

“Would you... want to meet them?” 

Your gaze snapped from the phone to look at Jason’s face, a nervous smile graced his lips, and his eye contact wavered as he waited for you to process. 

“You want me to meet the Bats?” A light test of the waters, dipping your toe in. 

“I want you to meet my family.” A hand taking yours, pulling you further in with a promise of security. 

“Same thing.” A grin born of playfulness and safety.  

“I’d love nothing more, Jay.” Left your lips whispered, excitement so encapsulating that it need be forced into something serene lest it overtake your entire being. Jason nodded, like he understood how deeply you were feeling before pulling you into a kiss. The unspoken words the kiss provided promised that he did, in fact, understand.  

And the deeper the kiss found itself, the more it felt like an oath he always would. 

[superbat-lmao]

The minute they turn 18, Jon and Damian elope.

Compared to the rest of the Bats, and even a lot of other heroes or vigilantes, the two have had a very open relationship. They talk about everything. Damian inherited the strategic planning of his family and Jon inherited the emotional vulnerability.

It means that once they are together they both know that no matter what the other does, this is it. To have found someone you love and who loves you this strongly, to outlast change and loss, it’s not something you let go of.

They get married the day after the second 18th birthday, not wanting the anniversary to overlap completely but also needing their families out of their hair. It’s done at a courthouse in Kansas, the same place Jon’s parents and grandparents had it done, even if they later threw public ceremonies.

They both finish out school and then start on the rest of their plans, for Damian it’s medical school. For Jon it’s figuring out his major. They get an apartment together and their families smile about them being college roommates. The let them smile, knowing that they’re building their first home together.

They attend college. If anything happens on campus, both of them are there to respond and make contingency plans for the fallout.

They graduate. Their entire families come out of the woodwork and throw a joint graduation party. They have job offers all over the country and they discuss at length where they should live. With Jon’s powers, distance is a difficult conversation, because Damian doesn’t want to rely on it, but can’t ignore its utility.

They settle on New York. Close to both their families, enough problems for them each to solve, and a city they can let become their own. To learn and love as their parents have before them.

They live their lives, their families thinking they’re best friends and never really bringing it up. And they don’t mention it either, not needing to. They are secure in each other and honestly were under the impression their families already knew.

When they adopt their first child, an orphan from a battle that few survived, it is a shock to their families that they never realized they were married. That Damian was Jon’s medical proxy not as his doctor, but as his husband. Asking them why they didn’t say anything leaves the couple baffled. It never occurred to them that their families didn’t know. It was on their taxes, their league files, to them it’s the equivalent of common knowledge.

They have a vow renewal that their families and friends can attend. They’re partially glad they waited since now their child can be in the photos.

Time goes by, they live their lives, and at the end, hold the record for longest lasting marriage between two mortals. They made it 75 years, their proudest accomplishment and happiest endeavor.

[haliaiii]

expanding I guess? some more redesigns

I think for this au, nobody knows each others identities so it would make for some interesting character dynamics

[romancemedia]

Velma realizes Angel Dynamite is really Cassidy Williams! (1x20)

[justyourcasualidiot]

Batman’s secret identity gets revealed to the public and now when asked about it bruce fully plays into it in a way that makes it sound like an obvious joke.

"oh yes of course i’m the batman, i keep all of my secret bat-gadgets in a secret cave under wayne manor and i definitly love dressing up as a bat during my free time, it’s very freeing haha"

Then batman starts publically beefing with bruce wayne for impersonating him.

"bruce wayne is an idiot and has always been. this is why I never go save him when he always gets himself kidnapped like the incompetent bastard he is"

Somehow this strategy succeed in making everyone stop believing batman is bruce wayne. Except now people think they act like salty exes

[meikooo200]

The first time Billy told the Vásquez about been Capitain Marvel he was sweating from the nervs.

It was two years after coming to live with them.

He had been practicing his words with Diana and Victor just to feel more confident in his words.

To his surprise, the conversation was something like:

In the middle of the diner time, while they were eating the desert, he just let it go:

Billy: I am the Capitain Marvel. *looking at the table*

Eugine: Of course you are.

Billy: No, I’m been serious right now.

Freddy: Yeah, man, we know.

Billy: No. I think you don’t understand it.

Mary: No, Billy, we do.

Darla: We get it, Billy.

Billy: I think I’m the one that’s lost.

Rosa: Billy, we know that you are the Capitain Marvel since the last year.

Billy: Wait, really?

Pedro: Uh-hu, you were not discreet.

Victor: Yeah, disappear on the middle of the morning, at the same time that Sivanna is atacking the city and Capitain Marvel arrive there.

Billy: Oh…

Mary: Or that time of that one invation on Metrópolis while we were on vacation there, you went to “the restroom” and Capitain Marvel arrive to the battle on no time.

Billy: Well…

Pedro: Or all those times that a misterius lightning struck the yard.

Billy:…

Rosa: Even Mr. Batman and Mr. Cyborg send me pictures of you on your missions or meetings

Billy: ???

Now, Billy understand why everyone told him to not be worried.

The Super Seven and Arthur don’t let him forget it.

As revange, he gave temporary powers to their childs.

Feel free to correct my english c;

Thanks to Google Translator for be there when I didn’t know something.

[flamingpudding]

Drake's family secret

A/N: Another story idea I had and I probably will keep working on. I kinda want to continue on it I just have no idea how or with what yet.

Tim had a secret. Well, he had many secrets but this was one he had kept closed off for a very long time now. It was one of the reasons he fabricated a fake uncle to avoid getting adopted. After all, if you were put into the system how could you possibly get found or find your last living blood relative? His family didn't know and he never intended for them to know anyway. It was a secret well-kept of the Drake family, one that even the public didn't know about. His parents hadn't thrown around money to keep anyone involved silent for nothing after all.

But Tim had had vague memories as well as found the last remaining documents years ago. The problem had been that he hadn't been Robin yet at that time and couldn't do research like he can now. Tim had often wondered if one of the reasons he had followed Batman around back then was to see if he could help him with that matter too, yet he had never brought it up to Bruce nor any of his other siblings.

In a way it made Tim feel guilty now as he looked over that old piece of paper. The only hint he had until now.

He looked over the security video of Wayne Enterprise again. Watching that group of high schoolers that was there on a school trip visit. His eyes tracked one specific student among them. If things were different Tim would joke about how the boy looked like perfect Bruce adoption material. But as it was, Tim was not going to make that joke.

Because as much as the boy fell into the stereotype of Bruce's adoption problem, the boy had facial features that looked very much like one Jenet Drake. Tim could honestly see it, sure his memories were not the best in regards to his parents but he had kept at least some photos for references. But recognizing that threw in a whole other set of problems.

For one he would need to find a way to make sure the Drake Family secret doesn't get exposed to his family too soon. Second, he needed to find a way to approach the boy without looking suspicious. Third, he was on a time limit, according to what he found the school trip the boy was on lasted for a week. Once the boy was out of Gotham it would be even harder to find a passable excuse to approach him. Fourth, he would also need a blood sample. As much as the boy's looks alone could make Tim believe it, the rest of his family was paranoid and if he was completely homestead, he also would need it for his reassurance that he wasn't wrong. Which again he kind of doubted even with this little amount of evidence. The fifth problem in this was, how was he going to break it to the rest of his family.

Because the best kept Drake's Family secret, he was pretty sure he was the last remaining person in the know, was that Tim had a little brother. A brother that was born when he was around 3 or four years old. A little brother who had never gotten to grow up with him because Jack and Jenet Drake had used their constant traveling as cover so the public wouldn't know about him. They already had an heir with Tim, they didn't need a second child. So the moment his little brother had been born he was given up in a closed adoption. Never to be seen again and never to be connected to the Drake family.

Tim only knew about him because he had vague memories about his mother's pregnancy and also had later found the papers in his parents' office when he was around ten. He remembered how upset he had been at the discovery but also how he hadn't been able to do anything about it. Though it was back then that he had also decided that the moment he could he would do everything he could to find him. Things only started to change when he became Robin and then Red Robin. Now he had the resources and knowledge to find the little brother he had never gotten to grow up with.

But too much time had passed and his parents had been thorough when covering their tracks, which resulted in Tim having been unable to find that little brother of his. Having no name and no idea who adopted him, didn't help either. But Tim had had less to work with before, yet the search had given him massive troubles, to the point that he HAD contemplated getting the rest of his family in on it.

But now that wasn't necessary anymore, there was an actual chance again.

Thankfully he had come in late today, if he hadn't he wouldn't have seen the group of High School students on a school trip in the Lobby waiting for their tour guide. He wouldn't have seen the group of teens that lacked behind their fellow students a bit. But most importantly he wouldn't have seen that kid that looked like adoption bait for Bruce. That then by closer inspection had so many facial similarities to his mother that Tim had first thought he was hallucinating.

Now he was sitting in his office, watching the group of High Schoolers getting a tour through the building through the security cams while trying to come up with the perfect plan that didn't look too suspicious as he watched the boy who could be his blood-related little brother. Oh, Damian would throw a fit if he learned about having another brother, Tim mused for a moment as he noted down the boy's, Danny's, excitement about their aerospace department. He had already decided, if Danny was not living adequately he would pull all the strings he could to get his little brother home.

So far Tim had found out that the boy's name was Danny Fenton. He would dig into that later more. He would also make sure that if Danny was his little brother, he saw to it that he was getting treated right. He had noticed how his little brother appeared overly tired and there was a bandage hidden below his shirt plus through the security camera footage, he had also seen that there was a hint of scarring on his left arm.

For now, though he had sent a message to the tour guide to end the tour in his office, for something like a surprise introduction to Tim Drake-Wayne. He would continue to build up his plan of getting to know and confirm his little brother's status from there.

[frownyalfred]

"Bruce never reveals his secret identity to mind readers or the Lasso of Truth because he truly believes he's Batman and Bruce Wayne is just the mask-" WRONG. Bruce Wayne is so fucking good at lying, both at the mental and physical level, that he allows himself to truly believe whatever he's saying in that fraction of a moment and THAT'S why no one can ever force him to reveal his identity.

Bruce has been lying for SO long that he can drill down to the tiny ways his body needs to breathe, move, etc and the way his mind feels when it's telling the truth. And then he tells himself, just for a moment, that whatever he's lying about is the truth. That he doesn't just need to believe it, but that he does.

Of course when someone asks him, in that moment, who he is -- the answer is "I'm Batman." Because in that moment, that is the only answer. It's the truth.