#sins jason todd

[sinnbaddie]

We’re together at least

Variations under cut

[demonic0angel]

(With Dani as pup) The rumor mill that hood has a kid with wolf 'WILL' get back to the other bats! How do you expect that to go down?

Part 1

Nightwing screeched, "WHAT??!"

Robin and Spoiler nodded in agreement. "Right!" Spoiler said, "How come he never told us that he had a kid?!"

Robin added, "I was listening to the rumors, and supposedly, he only recently found out that he had a daughter. The mother, Wolf, only sought him out now but she knew him before. Something must be afoot!"

"Do you think it was when he was fifteen...? And since he was missing awhile, she wasn't able to find him until now?" Spoiler asked, unsure.

Red Robin, who had been frantically clicking on his tablet and looking for more information, then said, "His daughter is named Pup, but since she's wearing a helmet, no one knows what her face looks like. None of us have met her, so we can't determine her age either, but judging by her height in comparison to her parents, she must be young."

Spoiler let out a breath. This was basically confirmation of what they knew. "Oooh, this is bad! B doesn't know! And if he finds out... Jason is gonna kill us!"

Nightwing groaned and clutched at his hair. "Oh no... Little Wing... he's already a dad?! I need to get to Gotham right now! And meet my niece!"

They all boggled at him. "Excuse you?! Neither of us have met our niece either! Why do you get to meet her first?!"

Nightwing gave them a glare through the screen and shouted, "Give me 30 minutes! I'm racing over!"

"How?!" Robin cried. "Blüdhaven is 2 hours away!"

"Watch me!!" And then the call disconnected.

The three looked at each other in silence and then bolted out of the Cave, piling into the Batmobile with Red Robin driving.

Like hell they were letting their big brother see their little niece first!!

[jasonsthunderthighs]

Roy: I don't know who needs to hear this, but readin book after book to escape reality is not a-

Jason: You watch your fuckin mouth.

[clarisse-doodles]

they're going to see the greatest cinematic masterpiece of 2023

[emo-batboy]

Battinson Guest Starring on TV Shows

SO

For someone who holds the title of Richest Man in the World, Bruce doesn’t do a lot of traveling.

Which is to say he does a LOT of traveling, but he always tries to find a way out of it.

(Are there bat-related reasons for this? Are there people-related reasons for this? Are there anxiety-related reasons for this? Who knows?)

But partners and sponsors aren’t always going to tolerate his hermit-like tendencies. So once every month or so, Alfred wrangles Bruce into a private jet and sends him off to who knows where so he can represent the company.

Usually, it’s somewhere close on the East Coast, maybe it’s across the pond, even Asia isn’t off the table, but the rarest place to spot Bruce Wayne is actually the West Coast of the US.

One day, it is announced that Bruce Wayne will be spending two (count ‘em, 2) consecutive weeks in California with his kids for some grand business convention.

The West Coast media goes feral with the news, ESPECIALLY interviewers. And because Bruce kicks up such a fuss this time, Alfred has the gall to sign him up for FOUR TV appearances.

Here are these appearances :)

RuPaul’s Drag Race

Drag Queens, especially Drag Race all-stars, contribute to a wide variety of charities

So on a new episode, the queens are challenged to design and shoot a promotional ad for their own charity

And who better to act as a guest judge for this episode than the show’s largest benefactor, CEO of the Wayne Foundation, Bruce Wayne?!

Physically? He’s older than half of the contestants. But spiritually? He screams Baby Gay.

Fifteen minutes into the episode, Bruce is welcomed into the werkroom where he gives them pointers on their campaign. He’s in his cute little three-piece suit (Alfred’s idea) with the intention of looking put-together and knowledgeable. But that’s not the only outcome.

They all flirt with him. Everyone, single or taken. The confessionals are so thirsty.

“He’s lucky the cameras are on. Otherwise, I’d eat him up faster than a bachelorette party in a buffet line.”

“My celebrity crush is talking to me, and all I can focus on are his gorgeous eyes. How am I supposed to know what he's saying?”

Of course, they shoot their shot, but most of it is joking since they don't know he's bi yet.

“Are you single, honey?” Bruce blushes. “It’s complicated.” “Well, I’ll make it simple for you.”

We all know this man can't handle being flirted with. We saw how he froze when Selina did it. It’s like he mentally bluescreens when someone calls him a pet name.

Only THEN do they learn he's bi

One of the queens jokingly asks him, “Ever been with a man before?” thinking it would be a firm no, but Bruce says, “Actually, yes.” “Oh shit, really?” And to Bruce’s embarrassment, the whole room hears him.

The flirting is thus taken up a notch.

On the main stage, Bruce has a lot of great constructive criticism. He talks about how to find the right audience, the importance of a good slogan, and even goes on a little rant about logo design.

(You cannot convince me that Bruce hasn’t hyperfixated on the business of charity work before. Or the science of marketing. They’re his favorite business topics.)

After about three minutes of him complimenting one contestant for their Drag Library pitch, he stops himself mid-sentence and says, “Oh sorry, am I talking too much?” “No, please! Keep talking, sweetheart.” Bruce covers his face to hide his blush. “Why is everyone flirting with me?” “Baby, have you seen yourself?”

While the judges deliberate, RuPaul mentions Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent. Bruce nods along for a while then suddenly just blurts out, “Wait, does it spell ****?”

The judges pause then burst out laughing. “Oh no, we’ve traumatized him!" Bruce is blushing up a storm. “I just never thought about it like that!” “Sweet, innocent Bruce. We’re so sorry.”

It’s later revealed that Bruce offered to help some of the queens launch their charity projects through the Wayne Foundation.

It’s v cute 🥰

Nailed It!

I love Nicole Byer.

She is Mother.

In all seriousness, she’s so fucking funny and she’s personable enough to pull Bruce out of his shell a bit.

The theme for this episode is Found Family. Three pairs of family members compete together—a gay father and his adopted son, an aunt who adopted her niece, and a stepfather and stepdaughter.

Because Bruce Wayne famously adopted two children, he is invited to guest judge.

So Nicole opens the episode with a zinger, the contestants are introduced, and Bruce is welcomed onto the judge’s panel beside Nicole and Jacques.

(Yes, Bruce does speak French. Yes, Nicole makes a joke about it being hot.)

Nicole: “We were surprised you accepted our invitation, Mr. Wayne. You’re notorious for staying on the East Coast. What brought you to the Nailed It! Studio?” Bruce: “My children love this show. They always tell me I should be on it since I’m so bad at baking.” Nicole: “Really? Maybe we should do a celebrity season of Nailed It! and have you compete.” Bruce: “No, you should not.”

Nicole: “So, Bruce, I know you have a butler at home who bakes for you. But what’s the grossest thing you’ve eaten? Escargot? Bad caviar?” Bruce: “I drank olive oil straight from the bottle once.” Nicole: “…What?”

The problem for Bruce is he can’t say anything bad. It just feels mean :(

(And he would rather jump into oncoming traffic than gamble with a social interaction)

For the first challenge, the contestants make cake pops. But when Bruce tries the first one, there is a sickening crunch. Bruce’s eyes widen for a second and he slowly chews.

Nicole: “What was that? Bruce, are you okay?” Bruce, clearly struggling: “It’s…good.”

“Bruce, you can spit it out. It’s okay.” “I already swallowed it.” “Oh, you poor thing.” Bruce chokes for a second, and Nicole pats his back. “Please don’t die. We can’t afford it.”

For the big challenge, production has a surprise in store for Bruce.

Dick (9) and Jason (7) run onto the set and smother Bruce with a hug.

It’s adorable. Bruce no longer cares about paying attention, okay? His kids are here :D

The two boys read from cue cards to announce the second challenge: a three-tiered Gotcha Day cake. And as per tradition, the winner of the first challenge gets a leg-up.

This time, it’s a Helping Hands Button. When they hit the button, Dick and Jason will run over and help them for three minutes. (While being supervised, of course.)

As the contestants bake, Nicole says hello to Dick and Jason, who are clambering all over Bruce like a jungle gym. They both shake her hand and talk about how they love the show.

Nicole looks pointedly at the two empty chairs beside Bruce. “You know, we brought these chairs for you two to sit in.” Dick, on Bruce’s shoulders: “We’re fine, Ms. Byer!” Nicole: “Ms. Byer? Oh, you’re a cutie, aren’t you?”

Just ten minutes before the challenge is over, the Helping Hands button is pressed, and Dick and Jason are given stools so they can help the aunt and niece stack their cake tiers.

Two minutes in, the aunt instructs them to let go of the cake. But the moment Jason pulls his hands away, the cake topples over and covers him in frosting. Jason, whispering: “Oh f*ck.” Bruce: “Jason!” Jason: “I didn’t say that! Dick did!” Nicole: *cackling as Bruce buried his face in his hands*

Jason gets cleaned up, and Dick helps them stack what can still be salvaged.

When Wes brings out the trophy, he’s dressed as Batman. Dick and Jason gets a kick out of that.

Celebrity Family Feud

Bruce was invited to the show after his SNL skit went viral a few months ago

This episode, the teams are split up by cities they grew up in. Gotham v. Star City. Naturally, his team is playing for the Wayne Foundation.

It’s a pretty odd cast of people, most of them having moved to LA or Hollywood. Bruce is the only one to still live in Gotham.

They have fun, though, despite their limited common ground. The audience has a few good laughs.

(Some at Bruce's expense)

Harvey: You're a very wealthy man, Mr. Wayne. What do you really do in that tower all day? Bruce: I, uh…business? Harvey: …You business. Bruce: ……Wait-

All in good fun. Bruce just vibes in his little corner until he needs to answer a question. It's pretty chill.

For exactly half of the episode.

Then it happens.

Steve Harvey takes two people from each team up to the buzzer and says, “We asked 100 people: Name something your parents always told you as a kid.”

What the production failed to consider is how this particular question might be a sensitive topic for some contestants.

Bruce’s team gets the question, and Steve saunters up to Bruce, completely oblivious.

“Alright, Bruce Wayne!” Bruce nods awkwardly. “Hi, Steve.” “Bruce, what’s wrong? You’re looking a bit uncomfortable.” “…I don’t like this question, Steve.” “Why not?” Bruce just gives him a desperate look, and it clicks. “Oh! Oh my gosh!”

Let’s be real. Bruce is awkward enough, but Steve Harvey cannot save an awkward moment for his life either.

But he tries his best anyway and asks, “Are you okay with answering this question, or would you like to pass?” Bruce nods frantically. “I can answer. ‘I love you.’” “I love you too, Mr. Wayne.” “No, uh, my answer is ‘I love you.’” “Oh! That’s a good one.”

Thankfully, the audience erupts in laughter. That little interaction cuts the tension, and Bruce’s answer ends up on the board.

And by god, the memes

“I love you too, Mr. Wayne” is the new “Enjoy your meal.” “You too.”

The audio clip of “I don’t like this question, Steve” goes viral on TikTok

Someone gets a pic of Bruce and Steve looking at each other with palpable fear in their eyes, and it makes its rounds all over Twitter

10/10 never again

Running Wild with Bear Grylls

Now this is the most challenging. Not because it’s difficult, of course. But because Bruce has to look stupid enough to maintain his Brucie Wayne persona but smart enough to keep himself safe.

For this episode, Bear takes Bruce to the California desert.

“How much do you know about survival, Bruce?” Bear asks. Bruce nods carefully. “I did some survival training once with a friend from boarding school.” “Oh really, how did you do?” “Fine, I think.”

This is, of course, his way of saying I trained with a league of assassins for years, but Bear can’t know that! And that’s how most of the episode goes.

Thank god Bruce's fear of being caught is mistaken for being scared of the physical challenge because every time Bear points out how well he’s doing, he breaks into a sweat.

Bear: For a businessman, you’re surprisingly fit. Bruce, sweating bullets: Oh, this is all just for show.

Bear: Wow, you’re a natural. Are you sure you’ve never set up a zip-line before? Bruce, gripping his equipment so tight he gets rope burn: I think it’s just the survival instincts.

Of course, he pretends to be out of breath a few times. The Drama.

Bruce, pretending to slip and fall: Ouch! Who knew the outdoors were so dangerous? Bear, you are crazy. Bruce, internally: How much longer are we doing this?

Bruce being a vegetarian is actually a point of contention. You see, Bear always makes their celebrity guests do something crazy for food like skin a snake or eat a mouse. Scavenging for berries just doesn’t grab the audience’s attention.

But do you know what is vegetarian?

Bear: Now, in extreme cases of survival, it’s not rare for humans to resort to drinking their own pee. That’s what we’ll be doing in a moment. Are you up for it? Bruce, visibly repulsed: I’ve had Gotham tap water. I’ll be fine.

How on God’s Green Earth did Alfred convince him to do this?

To get to the extraction point, Bear takes Bruce down a cliffside.

Bear shows Bruce the meticulous process of properly belaying from the top of a cliff, and Bruce, who has done this over 100 times is like, “Wow that’s so dangerous :( Will we be okay?”

He really tries to ramp up his acting skills this time.

(Little does he know that’s not necessary.)

Bruce goes down first as Bear belays with a cameraman filming from the top. Halfway down, Bruce hears a scuffle, and the cameraman yells, “F*ck!”

Bruce looks up, arms already out for protection, and he sees a small disk falling towards him. It’s the lens cap. He catches it on instinct.

For a second, he thinks, “Shit, was that too skilled? That’s not enough to make people think I’m Batman, right? I just caught it in midair while dangling from a cliff. That’s totally not weird and suspicious. Normal people do that—“

Then Bear yells, “Bruce, drop it!” Bruce looks up at Bear, confused. “Why?” “There's a scorpion!” That’s when Bruce looks at the lens cap and sees a black scorpion perched on top with its tail ready to strike.

They don’t have those in Gotham.

Bruce jumps in his harness and flings the cap at the rocky cliffside. He hears a crunch, and the scorpion and cap tumble to the ground. Bruce frowns. Can a scorpion survive that drop?

“You just killed a scorpion, mate!” Bear cries. Bruce looks up in horror. “I killed it?!” “Hell yeah!” Bruce’s face falls. “No!”

Because oh. shit.

Bruce just killed something. The sad, orphaned vegetarian just killed a scorpion.

Bruce has a meltdown.

He didn’t mean to kill it!!!! Oh no, he just killed an innocent little creature. Yeah, he punches people for fun sometimes, and he definitely put a few violent criminals in the hospital, but he’s never committed MURDER!!

This poor little scorpion died due to his own negligence, and he feels so so so bad about it.

Bruce is a mess as he climbs the rest of the way down.

Bruce, cradling the scorpion’s body: I don’t know how to perform CPR on a scorpion! Bear: Bruce, you took its head clean off. Bruce: *sad noises*

Legit inconsolable. To him, it’s like he just murdered a puppy

Once they're out, Bear is trying to cheer him up. Bless him.

Bear: We’ve conquered the wild! Haven’t we, Bruce? Bruce, head between his legs, still mourning the scorpion: I’m never going outside again.

Yeah, no one’s going to think he’s Batman after that.

And that's all four of Bruce's TV appearances from the West Coast :) Dick and Jason never let him live any of it down. Alfred is almost sorry. (He is not sorry.)

Let me know your thoughts! What other TV shows do you think Battinson would appear on as a guest?

Okie dokie :D Love y'all! Have a good day <3

[natsukicookies]

The sinful allure

Summary

What you thought was the life of a side character turned out to be the life of the main character!

On your 18th birthday, you discover you're a succubus, and everything you thought you knew about yourself changes.

What’s more, your newfound powers don’t just come with supernatural abilities—they make you act... different. Flirty, confident, and completely unlike your usual shy self.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Batboys have somehow gotten tangled in your life. Balancing secrets, powers, and the chaos they bring? Yeah, happy birthday to you.

< masterlist > chap 1

Your eyes couldn’t leave your phone’s screen as they were locked onto the calendar app. You eyed a specific date with barely contained anticipation noticing that your birthday was approaching. In just a few days, you would turn 18. You were finally going to be an adult. You weren't sure if you felt excited or anxious-maybe a little of both.

With a sigh, you tried to focus back on the teacher's lecture, though your mind was elsewhere.

Turning 18 meant you'd finally be the same age as everyone else in your year.

The class ended, before you realise that, whatever the teacher spoke went in one ear and out the other, Fantastic! Now you were clueless about the chapter and would have to head to the library to study. "Just amazing," you muttered sarcastically under your breath.

As you left the classroom, someone bumped into you in a hurry. "Sorry!" the guy called out as he rushed past. You recognized him instantly-Tim Drake, one of Bruce Wayne's adopted sons, and one of the richest guys in Gotham.

He's one of the 3rd years, in the computer science major, same as you. The two of you even share some of your classes. And yet despite this.

You hadn't talked to him, or really to anyone at this college if you were to be honest. You were more of an introvert... wait, don’t introverts also have friends, but you didn't. A small laugh escaped you at the thought.

It wasn't always like this though,. You used to have friends, but then COVID happened, and all your social skills vanished. There wasn’t much to begin with, but it dropped to zero after that.

And iIf that wasn't bad enough, your mom got transferred to another city for her work, and guess what? It was Gotham City, the crime capital. Thankfully, the one year you'd spent here had been normal,well as normal as it could be in Gotham.

Being suddenly moved, in the middle of your last year of high school mind you, wasn't great. By the time you arrived everyone had their own friend groups, and you didn't fit into any of them. Your lack of social skills not helping either.

High school came and went, college started, but your chances of making friends? Nope, that still seemed like a pipe dream that would never happen.

You headed to your next class, passing the art club where you overheard people talking about Damian Wayne.

Another Wayne? You rolled your eyes at the name. You weren't really fond of the rich kids- most of them weren't great.

But then again, this was Gotham State University, and a lot of rich kids were here. To this day, you still had no idea how your mom managed to get you into this college. Did her job really pay that much? Definitely not.

Not caring much about it, you took a seat in an empty spot and watched the day fly by.

That was your norm- going to college, judge people,head home to do your course work and other stuff, then repeat, it was a cycle

It was seriously boring.

Guess that's the life of a side character for you.

Your attention shifted as you heard your name being called by your mom. "Are you still wearing that pendant?" Of course, that was the question she always asked. You knew her obsession with that pendant all too well. Whenever you were asked, she would respond with, "You must wear that pendant forever and never take it off, even for a second."

At this point, you were used to it, but still, her asking the same question every week for years kind of got on your nerves. "Yes, Mom, I am." You couldn't help but roll your eyes as you continued to watch TV.

Your mom did her usual routine, reminding you not to open the door for strangers (typical mom) and telling you what food was in the refrigerator before heading off to work.

Your mom was hardly home; like 90% of the time, she was at work. You didn't blame her for that now that you were older. She was a single mom working hard to support both of you.

Well, you tried not to blame her, at least. But there were still those moments.

Now the movie you were watching didn't seem fun anymore because of those thoughts. Cursing under your breath, you turned off the TV and headed to your room, passing by the mirror.

Stopping in your tracks and stepping back, you stared at your reflection. You looked normal; nothing seemed out of place, but you could have sworn you saw something whilst walking past it.

You shrugged it off and went to your room, chalking it up to your imagination.

The next few days went by and it's the night before your birthday. You're alone in the house, because of course your mom has work to take care of.

The next few days passed in a blur, and soon it was the night before your birthday. You were alone in the house, of course, since your mom had to work -again.

You were her only child, yet she didn't even have time for your 18th birthday. "Amazing mom," you muttered, trying to push down the bitterness creeping in. You scrolled aimlessly through your phone, distracting yourself from the thoughts swirling in your mind.

You watched the clock hit 11:48 and decided you might as well get that cupcake out and blow some candles- that's the only thing you can blow anyway.

As you moved around the kitchen, you kept catching glimpses of strange things out of the corner of your eye-like objects floating slightly before settling down. But every time you turned, everything seemed perfectly normal.

You shook your head, Maybe you were getting sleepy? You really hoped that was the case because you were not up for a ghost fight on your birthday.

By the time you set up the cupcake, the clock read 11:58. Just two more minutes, and you'd officially be 18- meaning you won't be able to use your 'sir I'm a minor' card but hey, you could at least legally drink wine now... if you could afford any.

You quickly lit up the candle and waited till the clock hit 12

"Happy birthday to me" you wished right on midnight as you closed your eyes to blow out the candle "I hope for a change this year"

Opening your eyes expecting to see the same old living room only to be met with a pair of bloody red eyes staring at you from High up.

A wave of fear washed over you making your body freeze. As you took in your surroundings, you were indeed not in your living room anymore. This wasn’t what you meant when you wished for a change this year...

"Worry not, my child," a deep voice echoed. you can't see its face or what it is, all you see is a shadow like figure on a throne which was placed on.... your eyes widened as you realized it was human skulls.

Oh you were a goner, you just knew it.

"You are not a goner" Did he- guessing by the voice- read your thoughts? You weren't even gonna question how, none of this was making sense so it's better to just not use the logical side of your brain and just roll with it.

"You must have a lot of questions," he spoke, amusement clear in his voice, as he rested his cheek on his hand.

You nodded, you definitely did.

"Good, let's add one more" he pointed at you, more specifically at your clothes.

"Huh?" You looked down and felt your face heat up. Your outfit wasn't the one you'd been wearing-it was something much more revealing, leaving you scrambling to cover yourself with your hands.

"What is going on?" you stammered, cheeks flushed.

The figure burst into laughter, seeming to enjoy your reaction a little too much. Finally, after calming down, he explained.

According to him, you were a succubus. A... what now?!

And hence the reason for things floating around in the air and you seeing stuff in the mirror.

Did it make sense? No, absolutely not. Was he gonna explain more? It didn't seem like it.

"So you’re saying.... that I have to have.... sex with.... guys now?" you asked, cutting to the question weighing on your mind

"Girls work too," he replied you could hear the smirk from his tone.

Your jaw dropped at his casual response. "Girls work too"? This was insane. You barely managed to talk to people as it was, and now you were expected to seduce them? The thought alone made you want to dig a hole and hide in it.

"So, let me get this straight," you said, trying to keep your voice steady. "You're telling me that, overnight, I turned into... a succubus. And now I have to... you know... with people? Just to survive?"

The shadow figure leaned back in his throne, still smirking. "That's the short version, yes. But it's not quite as dire as you're imagining." He seemed amused, as if he could see the whirlwind of emotions playing out on your face. "You'll get used to it. Besides, a succubus's charm is automatic. Your appeal will increase naturally, even without you trying."

You blinked, taking a shaky breath. This was all too much. "But why me? Why now? I've gone my whole life without... without feeling like this."

"That's the way it works," he said simply. "Eighteen is the age when your powers awaken. And now that they have, you'll start to feel new urges and... influences."

Influences? That didn't sound reassuring.

"Here's how it works," he continued, clearly enjoying your unease. "When you're in your succubus form, your personality will shift to help you attract... let's say, energy sources. You won't even recognize yourself. And in your regular form, you'll be-"

"Shy and quiet?" you guessed dryly, crossing your arms over your revealing outfit. "Because that's how I normally am."

"Precisely," he replied, giving you an almost fatherly nod. "But in your other form, you'll become... well, let's call it 'confident.' All of this will be second nature soon enough."

This wasn't exactly reassuring, but you nodded, still struggling to process everything. Then a thought struck you, and you bit your lip. "So... if I need energy, does that mean I... you know... with anyone who-"

"Relax," he cut in smoothly. "You don't have to go that far if you're not comfortable with it. Succubi draw energy in a lot of ways: touch, presence, even just eye contact. What matters is connection. The deeper the connection, the stronger the energy you receive."

You let out a sigh of relief. That, at least, took some pressure off. But even then, none of this felt remotely possible for you.

"How will I even know when to... when to switch forms or get energy? I have no idea what I'm doing!"

The figure let out an amused chuckle "Ah, but that's the fun of it, isn't it? You'll learn as you go. The instincts are within you, even if they're dormant right now. When you need them, they'll surface."

He rose from his throne, the shadowy shape growing even larger as he seemed to loom over you. "And remember, child," he said, his voice suddenly serious. "You have a gift. Use it wisely-and sparingly. Too much charm, too quickly, could draw attention... and not the good kind."

With that final ominous warning, he snapped his fingers, and the room around you began to swirl and blur, as if reality itself was being pulled out from under your feet.

Before you could react, you found yourself back in your living room, alone and staring at the cupcake in front of you, the candle still flickering.

You blinked, heart racing. "Did that... really happen?"

Just then, your phone buzzed, snapping you back to reality. A birthday text from your mom.

You ignored the message and blew out the candle, the excitement from earlier completely drained. As you reached out to remove the candle, you froze. Your clothes... they hadn't changed back to normal.

So, that really did happen...

Heart pounding, you ran to the mirror. Standing in front of it, you realized two things. First: you actually looked... really hot. And second: your appearance had changed. Your eyes were now a striking pink, and small, barely-there horns peeked out from the top of your head.

Curious, you reached up to touch one of them- only to let out a surprised whine. Sensitive. Those little horns were tiny but extremely sensitive.

"How do I change back to normal?" you muttered with a nervous laugh,thinking of every scenario this could go wrong.

Shoulders slumping, you trudged back to your cupcake, peeled off the wrapper, and stuffed the whole thing into your mouth. You probably looked like a chipmunk, but who cared? You had bigger problems-like, for instance, the horns or the bright pink eyes.

As you chewed, you couldn't help but wonder who-or what-that shadowy figure was. He seemed to know way more than he was letting on.

But... how exactly were you supposed to summon him again? You tried doing a strange little "summoning dance," waving your arms around in a circle, but nothing happened.

Wait a second. Weren't succubus supposed to have superpowers? That would be amazing! You'd always wanted powers like Superman or Wonder Woman.

The real problem was... how on earth were you supposed to activate these so-called powers?

Stepping out onto the balcony, you stared at... the wall across from you. Not the most inspiring view-just the brick wall of the building next door, practically in arm's reach. You let out a sigh. "Well, it's not like I'm swinging across rooftops anytime soon," you muttered.

Still... maybe you could try something. Like super strength! Or maybe some kind of powerful leap? Not that you were about to actually jump off the balcony- you weren't that reckless, but if you had powers, how were you supposed to... what, think power on? Activate?

You stretched your arms forward dramatically. "Powers, activate!" Nothing happened. You waved your hands around a bit, wiggled your fingers, even struck a ridiculous pose for good measure. Nada.

"Well, that's disappointing," you grumbled, heading back inside quietly before anyone saw you looking like a wannabe superhero.

Or so you tried to-until you stepped right onto that one loose board on the balcony. The next thing you knew, your ankle twisted in the ridiculously high heels that came with this outfit, and suddenly, you were tilting forward with nothing to grab onto.

And just like that, you found yourself tumbling over the edge.

"Oh, crap! Crap, crap, crap!" you screamed in panic as you fall from the third floor, arms flailing like a bird that had no idea how to fly.

Your mind raced in pure panic as the ground rushed closer. 'This is it' you thought. You just became a succubus and You're about to be a splat on the pavement. You squeezed your eyes shut, bracing for impact.

But... it never came.

Instead, you felt a strange pull at your core, and you slowed down, hovering just a few feet above the ground. You opened your eyes cautiously, and sure enough, you were floating there mid-air, bobbing slightly like a very confused balloon.

You blinked, stunned. "Did I... just fly?"

Testing it out, you tried to move forward. You wobbled awkwardly, managing to drift a few feet before tilting sideways, nearly tipping over. Okay, this was gonna take some practice.

Still floating, you managed to get back up to your balcony, though not without a few embarrassing bumps along the way.-we don't talk about that- When you finally got back over the railing and landed safely, you let out a deep breath, half-relieved, half-excited.

"So I have powers," you muttered, grinning in spite of yourself.

And behold, this was the moment a very dumb idea went through your head. Did I mention it was dumb? Because, yeah, it was very dumb.

Without a second thought, you decided you might as well check out Gotham at night. Hey, it was a great excuse to test out your powers, right?

With that brilliant thought in mind, you stepped onto the railing of your balcony and, this time, willingly jumped off. Floating in midair, you felt that thrill again-flying was actually getting easier! Or, so you thought. One glance to the left, and suddenly you were veering off course, wobbling wildly as you struggled to stay steady.

You almost crashed right into the huge Wayne Enterprises billboard, narrowly avoiding it by flailing your arms and kicking your legs like a panicked duck.

You found yourself butt-landing onto a fire escape, the metal steps clanging loud enough to make you wince. So much for a graceful first flight.

"Ow," you muttered, rubbing your sore backside. At least you didn't end up face-first in a dumpster. That was something, right?

You pushed yourself up, dusted off, and looked around to make sure no one had seen that very professional landing.

Thankfully, this part of Gotham is usually empty half the time, sparing you from total embarrassment.

You considered that maybe flying wasn't the best idea after all, so you opted for the stairs instead-only to regret that decision a second later.

Those metal stairs combined with your high, pointy heels-which you had no idea how you managed to walk in-were a disaster waiting to happen. Your heels kept getting stuck in the small gaps between the stairs, turning what should have been a simple task into a clumsy game of balance.

Somehow, you managed to get down the stairs and stayed in the shadows, not wanting to attract unwanted attention. As you walked, you stumbled upon what appeared to be a bank robbery.

The bank was small, tucked away in a shady area-no wonder there were no police around. Let's be honest: the police in Gotham really don't do shit anyway. And God knows where vigilantes were...

You gripped the little clothing you had on, your feet glued to the floor-not because of the metal stairs this time, but out of sheer hesitation.

Here's the thing: you may have newfound powers, but you weren't a vigilante. You had no idea how to fight or even how to use your abilities yet. Rushing in recklessly to save people you didn't even know? Not the best plan.

Plus, Batman or one of his allies would probably show up and handle the situation, right?

That was the plan, right...?

Then a loud scream echoed through the air, followed by a gunshot, and your heart stopped. Someone could be dead right now, and you had the power to save them.

But you weren't a vigilante; you were merely a succubus, a very new one too.

"Go," a calm but familiar voice echoed in your ear, and before you could process what was happening, you found yourself sprinting toward the bank. Peering through the windows, you spotted three masked men holding a few bank staff hostage. Luckily, there weren't any customers inside-thankfully, they were closed for the night.

If you remembered correctly, the shadow figure had mentioned that you had the ability to charm people. Maybe that could come in handy?

Glancing around, you searched for a way in. The front door was clearly not an option, and as you walked around the building, you didn't find a back door either. But then, you spotted it: a bathroom window just large enough for you to squeeze through.

Were you seriously about to do this?

You took a deep breath, letting the anticipation wash over you. "You're supposed to do crazy things on your 18th birthday, right?" With an awkward laugh, you opened the window and began to climb in-only to find yourself stuck halfway through, your legs kicking awkwardly as you tried to free yourself.

"Yeah no I'm not going to end up being the stuck stepsister of the night," you muttered, finally wriggling yourself free and tumbling into the small bathroom with a thud.

You glanced around, taking a moment to catch your breath. "Okay, focus," you whispered to yourself.

It seemed the loud thud had caught the attention of one of the thieves, and the door swung open to reveal one of them standing in front of you, gun in hand.

"Um..." you stammered awkwardly, standing there like a deer caught in headlights. How were you supposed to charm this guy again?

You tried winking-after all, that's what people do to charm someone, right?

"Who the fuck are you?" he growled, his expression a mix of confusion and irritation.

Yep, that didn't work at all. You were definitely done for.

"I... I'm just a girl," you blurted out, trying to sound as harmless as possible.

But instead of calming him down, your words seemed to fuel his anger. He raised the gun and fired, but thankfully, you managed to duck just in time, letting out a small scream as you covered your head with your arms.

"Actually... you don't look so bad," he said, his eyes darkening as he sized you up with a new, unsettling interest.

You cringed at his words, hearing his footsteps approach as he towered over your crouched form. Just as he leaned in to grab you, you shot up, your head colliding with his chin. He staggered backward and dropped to the floor, completely knocked out.

Wait... did that actually work? That hadn't exactly been your plan, but hey, you weren't complaining.

Seeing him sprawled out on the ground made you feel a spark of confidence. You grinned and stepped over his unconscious form, making sure to grind your heel into the hand that had nearly grabbed you. "Oh," you muttered, noticing his gun. Quickly, you grabbed it-you might need a little extra help.

Alright, one down, two more to go.

Peeking out the door, you saw one of the other robbers tapping his foot impatiently. "What's taking that idiot so long?" he grumbled, glancing around.

Most of the bank staff were tied up, while two unlucky ones were filling a bag with cash at gunpoint. You bit your lip, trying to think. Maybe you could lure one of them away? You definitely can't two men at once, especially since this was your first time.

"Where are the vigilantes when you need them?" you mumbled, pressing your face into your palm in frustration. "If only I could turn invisible..."

Suddenly, you noticed your hand start to go translucent. You stared, wide-eyed, as the rest of your body began fading too. "I'm not freaking out... I'm not freaking out... I'm freaking out!" you whispered to yourself, resisting the urge to yell.

You'd wanted to turn invisible, but this was surreal-like being a ghost!

Were you going to complain? Absolutely not. After your momentary panic, a wicked grin spread across your face. you rubbed your hands together like a fly- wait why like a fly?

You crept out of the door without a sound, approaching one of the robbers. With a swift punch to his face, he crumpled to the ground, catching the attention of his partner. Before he could react, you followed up with a well-placed kick to his...pp area. Both men went down, groaning on the floor.

Quickly, you gathered their weapons, but after glancing around, you realized you didn't have any rope or anything to tie them up with. Letting out a sigh, you began thinking of your next move, when your ears picked up stood steps approaching.

It seems your senses have been improved.

The front doors burst open, and a vigilante strode in. You quietly tiptoed to the side, raising an eyebrow. What kind of hero just barges in through the front door? You rolled your eyes, watching as he surveyed the scene in confusion.

Just as you thought you could slip out, he whipped out a baton and threw it your way. "Wha-!" You barely managed to dodge it, shooting him side eyes.

"Can't have you sneaking away now, can I?" he said smoothly, his gaze following your movement. Wait... could he see you? You glanced down, still invisible. How did he know?

Picking your jaw off the floor, you started to say something, but quickly changed your mind. He was nightwing, trained by Batman himself, so of course he'd sense someone was there.

You let out a small sigh and turned off your invisibility, meeting his now slightly widened eyes. He recovered quickly, though, looking unfazed.

"There's one unconscious in the bathroom," you said confidently, gesturing with a nod toward the door.

He glanced down at the two men on the ground, too dazed to move. "You... did all this?"

You nodded, but before he could ask another question, you bolted toward the door-or at least, you tried to. Just as you were about to step outside, his hand shot out, grabbing you firmly and stopping you in your tracks.

"Ah-!" you squeaked, pausing with a pout. "I'm not a villain," you insisted, crossing your arms with as much indignation as you could muster.

He raised an eyebrow. "Then who are you?"

You blinked, holding his gaze, before a mischievous smirk spread across your face. Your eyes glowed a little more pink as you leaned in, voice dropping to a sultry whisper. "The girl who's going to haunt your dirtiest dreams."

Before he could even react, you somehow slipped out of his grip, leaving him standing there bewildered as you sprinted out of the bank.

Not looking back, you floated all the way back to your apartment, bumping into things left and right. Each impact made you cringe a little harder-not just from the bumps, but from the embarrassing line you'd dropped earlier. "The girl who will appear in your dirtiest dream?" Seriously? You wanted to disappear just thinking about it.

As soon as you got inside, you headed straight for the couch, burying your face in a pillow with a groan. The scene replayed in your head on a loop for a good 30 minutes before you finally managed to shift your focus to something else: how on earth to turn back to normal.

Rolling onto your side, you caught a glint of something under the coffee table. Reaching out lazily, you pulled it closer and realized it was the pendant-the one you were supposed to keep on you at all times. Without thinking, you slipped it back around your neck.

And just like that, your clothes transformed back to normal.

You rushed over to the mirror and sure enough, you looked like yourself again-mostly. Your eyes still held a slight hint of pink, but you doubted anyone would notice.

Curious, you decided to test your theory. Taking off the pendant, you watched as the tiny horns reappeared. So that was the trick!

"Oh, cool" you mumbled under your breath, putting it back on.

Maybe it was the adrenaline finally wearing off, or the sheer chaos of tonight catching up with you, but you felt yourself teetering on the edge of exhaustion, just one step away from crashing right there in the living room.

But no-somehow, you managed to scrape together the last bit of energy to drag yourself toward your bedroom. Your steps were slow, heavy, almost zombie-like. If anyone saw you now, they might actually mistake you for the undead, stumbling down the hall with only the thought of collapsing on your bed keeping you moving.

You let out a tired sigh, replaying flashes of the night in your mind. The discovery, the thrill, the whole insane twist your life took in just a few short hours. And now...you were supposed to go back to normal? Act like this was just another day at college?

Flopping onto your bed, you closed your eyes, leaving the problems to the future you to deal with as you let the sleep fairy take you to the dreamland.

Yall thank @purplexing-writing-and-concepts for beta reading it <33

I have no idea when chap 1 will be out, hopefully in a month or so.

✎ ∙︓⋅⠄✯∘⠄✧

Taglist: @xingyunny @4rachn3

[oatlystrawberryicecream]

the way that some people talk about jason and batman and the joker is so jarring to me because it relies on some unspoken assumptions that i will never buy into

1. the assumption that taking a life inevitably always makes the person who did it worse. killing someone isn’t always this earth shattering thing that harms the person who does it and fundamentally changes their outlook on things. i guess if you have never met a veteran or someone who survived an armed robbery or any number of other things you might make that mistake, but like some of the people who fought in wwii came home and were normal members of the community and the times that their bullets hit the mark were not necessarily the parts of the war that kept them up at night. these assumptions that once you kill you are wicked and have to feel bad and do this whole show of repentance are insidious. if you are gonna look at all this through the lens of christian morality you should at least be aware that that is what you are doing but you cant have just one character be wicked and unclean because of his actions when the bible says that everyone is wicked and unclean by our nature and all sins are equal. a lot of people object to that view but if thats how you see it batman and jason and the joker are all sinners and are all as bad as each other so at least be consistant about how you apply that moral framework.

2. the assumption that being robin or being taken in and trained by bruce means full agreement with and acceptance of every part of bruce’s personal philosophy on justice and morality. jason was a homeless child and even if all this was explicitly laid out for him he could not have agreed since he needed bruce as a matter of survival. bruce’s ideology is extremely important to him and he can teach it to his children all he wants but they are not beholden to it above all else the way he thinks they should be. jason has to live according to his own beliefs regardless of how unacceptable bruce finds it and it is unfair and hypocritical of bruce to get bent out of shape about it.

3. the assumption that killing is always bad. maybe i have listened to too many episodes of behind the bastards but some people will do significant and appalling damage to others no matter what unless they are dead. those people can’t be allowed to keep causing harm. it isn’t glorious and there is no honor about it but it is right and just that they be stopped. there is no reason to strive for purity or ideological high ground when you can provide a measure of safety and justice to victims and prevent future harm instead.

4. the assumption that bruce didn’t have to answer to jason. parents have a duty to their children and it is my opinion that that duty does not end when the child dies. bruce adopted jason and made himself responsible and accountable for everything that happened to jason under his care. that responsibility was ignored over many instances. i am not going to detail the things that led to jason’s death here but it was not good or effective parenting. after jason’s death the disrespect starts pretty immediately with bruce compromising evidence of his murder in order to preserve his ability to continue as batman and continues with bruce getting rid of pretty much all traces of jason’s presence in his life. he is only spoken of as a mistake, a lost cause, or a cautionary tale and is assigned blame for his own death, a death that batman never bothered to fully investigate since he was buried next to the woman who led him into the trap. a new kid is endangered and the joker and batman both continue doing whatever they want as if jason’s life only matters for the way it affects them. bruce needs to answer for all of this, as his son jason has a right to expect more from his father. now the extent to which that extends can be debated but it is clear to me that jason deserved better from bruce.

conclusion: killing is accepted in society in certain circumstances, you may or may not agree with this but self defense laws and even things like jury nullification exist because people knew there should be some wiggle room since no one could have the full context of every situation that would ever arise. ending a life is not normal or ideal but it is not an unfathomably rare experience and it does not always weigh on the person who does it. bruce has never to my knowledge killed someone so he has no idea how he would actually respond but that still isn’t even what jason was asking him to do. all he had to do was be present and not move and he would have been the only parental figure who didn’t let jason down.

[nanonine39]

I deadass did not open tumblr dot com since i posted that last thing gang my bad 🙏🙏 forgive 🤞

This one goes out to my 11 followers. Thank you. I WILL treat you well from now on. TRUST ME . TRUST ME RIGHT NOW . PRAY HANDS .

HAVE BATMAN. I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE POSTED THIS LAST MONTH TOO SO I COULD CAPITALISE THE NEW SHOW HOWEVER I MAY NOT BE SMART!!

[daily-cassie-sandsmark]

[spacedace]

Maybe I've just missed it, but I feel like there's not enough discussion on Catholic Jason Todd and his feelings on being seemingly resurrected by God Jeesie-Chreesie style.

Like, we as the readers know that it was a reality bending punch from Superboy Prime that brought Jason back, but in canon no one has any explanation at all for how that happened.

The Lazarus Pit fixed him, but he was already alive (just in super bad shape) to be fixed. He woke up in his own coffin and had to claw out of his own grave and no one in-universe can explain how or why it happened.

And that alone would fuck someone up, but add in Catholic Guilt (TM) and references to the resurrection floating around every Easter and Jason's gotta wonder at least a little bit if the Big G brought him back and if so has to absolutely agonize over what he's done with his big second chance.

I just wanna read 100k words of Jason's complicated feelings on his death, rebirth (resurrection?), Red Hood, God, Bruce and what it all means, if anyone's got any recs please share them I'm begging 😭

[sinnbaddie]

Jason Todd I hope you get a good writer that keeps your character consistent and can actively tie in your original personality into a current one, you don’t deserve the disrespect you get😔

[apples-jpeg]

Forgive me Father for I have sinned 😩

I recently switched to drawing on my computer so I’m still trying to get used to everything and I was struggling a bit lol. This is officially my first piece done on my pc

[who-let-a-bird-in]

“So if your natural state is guilt, you think you're living for relief. Say you're sorry, say you love it, say you're evil underneath.

When you rip open the stitches, you'll discover only mammal flesh, and then you have to justify why you think you're a beast.”

…

[albatmobile]

Cardinal Sins Chapter 11

𓅪 Living with your vigilante boyfriends for the past year has been amazing, well, almost. Butting heads, old wounds resurfacing and a deadly threat still looming overhead could threaten the sanctity of everything you've ever fought for. Will you finally overcome your tainted past and survive the trials and tribulations, or will your relationships and your faith crumble under the pressure?

Rated: M | 7.2k | TW: violence | Contains: answers fem!Reader x Jason Todd x Roy Harper [masterlist] Previous in Series: Art of Rehabilitating Snowbirds

Chapter Eleven: Meet Me in the Woods

You stare down at your phone quizzically but, nonetheless, make your way over to the sliding glass doors. Upon opening them, you’re shocked to see Jade on the balcony. 

The slim woman is casually leaning against the railing as she takes in an aerial view of the city below. Her head tilts slightly as if to acknowledge your presence as you sidle up beside her, rubbing the sleep from your eyes as you do. The twinkling lights and sound of traffic coming from the sleepless city below further serve to wake you up.

“Kinda surprised to see you again,” you say, breaking the silence. “I’m glad you kept my number.”

“Are you?” she asks coyly. 

Jade is clearly teasing you, much to your chagrin, but you’re too tired and too confused to do much of anything other than blush. You can’t help but feel entirely out of your depth with her. How exactly is one supposed to make small talk with an assassin? No, really, someone please send over notes for small talk with a merc 101 stat.

Without the help of any 101, you simply shrug, figuring it’s the least awkward thing to do in this situation. 

When she continues to stare at you out of the corner of her eye, you ask, “So, what’s up? Why are you here?”

“I think I have some information that may be beneficial to your little gang,” she says through the smallest of smirks. “Figured I’d be nice and let you in on it.” With this, she moves her hand in front of her face, splaying out her fingers as she looks over her nails nonchalantly. “You planning to keep me outside in the doghouse?”

“No, of course not,” you sputter as you quickly move to open the balcony door to welcome her inside clumsily. The entire situation is a strange juxtaposition to the last time she’d been in your apartment and, you know, tried to kill you for, like, the third time.

Once inside, however, she stays close to the door, silently looking around the apartment before allowing her eyes fall onto the open door of Lian’s room. You watch as her dark eyes soften briefly before she suddenly focuses on you again. 

You think she’ll finally tell you why she’s here, but instead she says, “You really treat her like your own.” Her voice is barely above a whisper when she speaks.

“Always,” you say earnestly. 

She waits a moment before responding, “Good.” The way she looks at you, you can feel the respect that radiates from it. You open your mouth to ask why she came, but she beats you to it. “My contract’s been up for a while, I’m sure you know,” she says, and you nod. “However, as of a few weeks ago, they reached out asking if I would reinstate it.” You have so many questions, yet your mouth remains shut. “Last time I was here, I intended to follow through with the job.”

Your eyes widen. “So, you’re here to kill me?” 

You really don’t feel like having round 2, or, well, whatever fucking round it’d be with her at this point, while Lian’s asleep in the next room. This doesn’t, however, mean you’re not willing to throw down if it comes down to it. You also know that while Jason and Roy are ready to sleep, both are keeping an ear out for you and are ready to intervene at a moment’s notice.

Jade scoffs, “If that were the case, you’d already be dead.” She eyes you up and down, noticing how your fists are now clenched, and laughs- honest to god laughs. “Calm down, rabbit. I told you I had information, now, didn’t I? The people pushing the renewal are the same as last time.”

“Who?” you demand.

“Well, Two Face’s crew were the ones who set the bomb off in your apartment.”

You take in the information quickly, your mind spiraling all the while. 

“What about Deadshot? Do you know who sent him?” you ask.

She looks entirely amused, as if she’s doing you a favor by letting you interrogate her. Regardless, she answers. 

“That would be Black Mask.”

Your mind is racing a mile a minute, no, second, as you take everything in. That just leaves…

“So, who sent you?”

With this, the corner of her lip quirks up briefly. “Feeble man called Scarecrow.” Scarecrow? Who the fuck is that? She seems to read the confusion on your face because she adds, “He’s green. I’d only started hearing about him after he contracted me, but since then, well, let’s just say he’s quickly making a name for himself.” Was that the man you saw escaping with Joker in your first vision? Was this the man from the tunnels?! No, the man in the helicopter at the dockyards? “For the last year, he and Joker have been inseparable. I know they’re planning something big, but they won’t let anyone in on it.”

Her information, though extremely helpful for filling in some of the gaps, only leaves you with more questions. Was Scarecrow just helping Joker vaporize the existing serum, or was something far more sinister awaiting from this deadly duo? What did The Court have to do with anything? Are they all teamed up, or are they battling it out for the glory of Gotham?

“I…uh…” You turn to Jade, confused as to why she’s suddenly stuttering. “My kid lives here. What I think they have planned, I can’t stand by and allow anymore,” Jade confides. “It’s bigger than just killing a few people for money… It’s a culling. They don’t care who they hurt; they care about how many they hurt. I refuse to let Lian become a casualty. That’s the only reason I’m telling you this. Got it?” You nod quickly, brows furrowing as you await the next reveal. “I don’t know why, but I think you can save everyone. It’s clear you’re already on the right track. After all, you were the one who found them in the tunnels,” she trails off coyly. “Or did I mistake you for another vigilante, Cardinal?”

“What about the tunnels?” you demand in a rush, ignoring her previous statement. You need to hear it. You need to hear that you’re not fucking crazy- that these visions hold meaning. 

Jade crosses her arms in front of her, staring you boldly in the eyes as she assesses your reaction. Finally, she sighs, uncrossing her arms as she does so.

 “From what I’ve gathered,” she shifts slightly, appearing uneasy as she reveals the information to you, “they’re poisoning the water supply, and they’re using the abandoned subway tunnels to do it.”

“Who’s they?” you ask, but as soon as the question leaves your mouth, she looks around at the windows as if expecting someone to suddenly burst through them. When they don’t, she gives you one last meaningful glance before showing herself out. 

“Don’t let Lian down.” With this, you watch as Jade flips off the balcony and into the encompassing darkness below.

Finally alone, you slump against the wall closest to you. Part of you considers waking up your partners, but you know it won’t do any good this late at night. With the weight of the world on your shoulders, you start planning. There’s no time to waste, and there’s no way you’ll be able to sleep now, anyway.

I think you can save everyone.

Fuck.

•••

Everyone seems confused as to why you’ve called a meeting at Wayne Enterprises at the ass crack of dawn, but regardless, Dick, Luke, Tim, and Damian meet you, Jason, and Roy there at 1:47 AM. Everyone’s suited up, but you can’t help but refer to them by their actual names, considering no one else will be in the building for at least another three or four hours.

The sun isn’t even a thought in the dark sky as your makeshift crew gathers around the executive conference table. Oliver and Dinah are currently on babysitting duty, while everyone around you preoccupies themselves with chugging down cup after cup of coffee to stay alert. 

With Bruce busy on patrol, the city’s fate hangs in the hands of his disciples.

After you catch everyone up on what happened a mere half an hour ago, you reveal the information you saw on the sticky note in the lab. For now, you keep the serums under wrap. You don’t exactly know if they’re a part of the plan, so you don’t want to derail the concrete leads you have until absolutely necessary.

“It’s all going down on April Fools,” you finally say, taking in the stark faces in the room as you do so. 

“Today?” Dick asks hesitantly as if dreading your answer. “Did you find out where?”

You nod. “The Gotham Marina.”

“How do we even start preparing for this?” Connor asks.

“Well,” Luke starts, “after the pool party, I went back to the tunnels to get another sample.” His suit suddenly whirs to life before producing a vial of clear liquid in the palm of his hand. You finally feel heard. Regardless of what Bruce thought of your visions' relevance, Luke acted on his own, trusting your claims over his own boss’. “I’ve been analyzing it for days now but still can’t make sense of it beyond a 32.41% match with the sample taken from the warehouse.”

After nearly two hours of analyzing, Tim and Luke both concur that it looks like it contains an amplified version of Joker Gas combined with something else. When you mention the emerging villain, Scarecrow, both look at each other, then back down at the sample before rapidly searching through Bruce’s database. After a few clicks, a scraggly mask suddenly pops up on the screen. The image is clearly a screengrab from Bruce’s bodycam and is apparently from his first and only run-in with Scarecrow a year ago, so the details are pretty blurry. Nonetheless, you still feel a familiar itch when you stare upon his mask, though you can’t place why. 

Another beat of silence as your crew watches them run another analysis on the water before a loud beep startles you awake. Apparently, you’d been drifting off into Jason beside you, with Roy doing the same on his other side. Jason looks down at you briefly, then his eyes flit to the screen where ‘UNKNOWN % MATCH’ is displayed across the screen.

“Could there be a remaining element besides Joker Gas and what’s in the subway water?” Roy asks as he moves closer to the screen to analyze the formula.

“If so, it’s most likely The Winter Rose,” Tim responds gravely.

“Annnd what exactly does that mean, again?” Wally asks, scratching his head in confusion.

“Nothing good,” Luke supplies. “I tried to formulate just what exactly its properties are but couldn’t find anything conclusive, even in a lab like this. Not to mention, we still can’t account for their formulation, considering we don’t have the complete percentages, let alone dosage they actually plan on using.”

“So, you’re saying that you need a bigger lab, right?” Dick steps forward, seeming to have a new plan formulating in his head as he does so. 

Luke nods as he considers the idea. “I mean, we’ll need a bigger lab regardless. Wayne Enterprises isn’t big enough to produce an antidote this complicated, especially not on this scale,” he admits.

“I think I can help you out, then,” Dick says as he takes the remaining sample from the chemical processor. 

“The antidote will have to be water-soluble,” Roy interjects before Dick can disappear.

“That too,” Luke agrees as the three men stop to look over the screen again as if it’ll suddenly reveal hidden information will suddenly be revealed. When the screen remains the same, Luke sighs, “With so many unknowns, what is a bigger lab even going to do?”

“We at least need to find something conclusive on the rose’s qualities before we can begin large-scale production, so that’s what I’m going to do. Plus, if there’s any trace of the stem in the water sample, The Watchtower will find it,” Dick says. “I need the stem, too. I’m not risking missing anything right now,” he demands as he fiddles with his wristwatch to contact Oracle. “I need contact with The Watchtower. Prepare a zeta tube connection for me off of The Gotham Center. In the meantime,” Dick says as he faces the remaining faces in the room, “start prepping a prototype antidote from what we know-."

“We hardly know anything,” Roy interjects. “We’ll just be wasting valuable time, Dick.”

However, Dick doesn’t seem to hear him. He thanks Tim, who brings him the bagged stem, before moving over to the disgruntled redhead. From here, Dick places a sturdy hand on Roy's shoulder, reminding you much of Bruce.

“At this point, sitting around fiddling our thumbs is the only thing that’s actually wasting our time. Let’s get a move on,” Dick says. He gives Roy, then everyone else, a meaningful look before exiting the room with Wally. 

Roy huffs, “So, while Dick’s in space, we’re just supposed to-.”

“Space?!” you cut Roy off with wide eyes, finally feeling awake for the first time since, well, Cheshire’s unexpected visit. “The Watchtower’s real? And it’s actually in space?!”

Everyone looks around in amusement, but you’re entirely amazed at how casual Dick is about going to fucking space.

“Shit,” Roy mutters to himself. “Don’t tell Bruce that I was the one who told you, okay?” In response, you half-heartedly mime zipping up your lips, smiling gently when the redhead’s frown finally cracks at the cute sight.

While Luke, Tim, Roy, Jason, Connor, and Damian look over the previous results, you, Steph, and Jon exit the conference room in search of a vending machine.

Right now, you’re tired, anxious, and seriously hungry. You know you won’t be much help to anyone unless you get some junk food in you and fast.

As soon as you’re out in the hall, both Stephanie and Jon notice the shift in your disposition.

“What’s wrong?” Jon asks with his dark brows drawn in concern at your uncharacteristic quietness.

Stephanie hums like she agrees with the question, “You seem off, for sure.”

“Haunted even,” Jon adds absentmindedly. He at least has the decency to throw his hands up in faux-surrender when you shoot a tired glare his way.

While everyone’s just now starting to understand how serious this is, you’ve known for so long and have been ignored at every turn. Even now, they have no idea what’s coming, though you have little more information to offer them.

“Thanks,” you huff half-heartedly. You’d escaped The Court mere hours ago, and now, here you are with time ticking dangerously close to combustion. “It all adds up,” is what you end up saying. Your words do nothing to quell the concerned look upon either of their faces, so you attempt to assuage the conversation. “I just mean,” you sigh, “everything’s coming to a head. It feels like the floor’s giving out beneath me, and all I can do is sit here and wait for it to envelope me whole.” Okay, well, that wasn’t any better.

Steph looks around at the bustling room and draws you out into the corridor. “What’s going on?”

“I still don’t think, even with all this manpower, that this is going to end well.” You can’t even bring yourself to look at her as all your visions angrily swarm your brain like a hive of wasps. “We’re too late,” you confess solemnly.

The vending machine is half-empty when you come upon it. Stephanie quickly inserts a code that causes the front of the machine to creak open like a door, leaving the insides ripe for the picking. She wastes no time in shoveling its contents into Jon’s arms before shutting it and motioning the three of you back down the hall.

“I don’t know why I’m the only one carrying anything,” Jon grumbles lightly.

“Super strength,” Stephanie supplies easily. “Well, that and feminism probably,” she adds after pretending to think on it.

They both look at you, once again noting in concern how you seem entirely preoccupied in your own head. Glancing at each other in concern, they engage you again.

“You know we’re all here for you, right?” Jon asks rhetorically as he jogs to catch up with your quick pace. “We’ll figure this whole thing out. It’ll be okay,” he promises you, though you seem largely unconvinced.

Meanwhile, Stephanie continues to take in your unfocused form as she gently places a hand on your shoulder. You halt in your tracks, finally coming back down to Earth. 

“Listen, we’re all in this together,” she says gently, and Jon nods cutely in agreement. “Some High School Musical ass shit, okay?” She cracks a smile, urging for you to do the same, but yours falls entirely too flat for either of them to believe. “Look, we’ve got the best people trying to crack the case. We’re all busting our asses to keep everything in control,” she tilts your head her way, looking into your eyes sincerely as she says, “so, no matter what happens, no one can say we didn’t try our damndest to save as many as we could, and I’m okay with that.”

Your eyes search her crystal blue ones for answers neither of you possess. 

“Well, I’m not.” You shake your head lightly. With this, you gently brush her hand off your shoulder to rejoin the others. It’s all hands on deck, and you can’t afford not to put every millisecond of your time into figuring this shit out. 

You’re going to save everyone. You’re going to put an end to this.

•••

Less than later and nowhere closer to any further answers, Dick returns with the results. Meanwhile, Wally follows behind him, looking entirely lost in thought.

“Please tell me you guys found something,” Roy desperately greets the stony looking men.

“Well, the subway water seems to just be a mixture of Joker Dust and Fear Gas. The stem, on the other hand, well,” he trails off as he stares at you uncomfortably, “it’s symbiotic.” Dick sounds grim as he faces the expectant room. Your stomach drops, queasiness overcoming your body as the realization dawns on you… Everyone seems to come to the same conclusion at once. “This means that what she’s been seeing have been actual glimpses into Joker’s brain,” Dick finishes. 

Their analysis confirms that the Cadmus scientist had been telling the truth. The reason you’ve been getting sick, the reason you’ve been losing sleep for a year, is because of this new serum. The more injections, the more trials, the more you’ve combined with that fucking psychopath. 

It completely breaks your heart when the majority, Jason included, takes a step back from you like you’re some kind of fucking ticking time bomb. Fuck’s sake- that’s exactly what you are.

“She’s a liability,” Tim says abruptly, looking as if he regrets his words as soon as he sees the hurt look on your unmasked face. “Sorry,” he says sheepishly, though he now appears cautious in your presence. 

“What are we going to do?” Steph asks, searching across the other disturbed faces in the conference room. “If she can see his side, there’s a big chance that he can see ours, too. We can’t afford to have our plans-!"

“Hold up,” Roy interjects as he comes to your side, “she’s not leaving if that’s what you’re trying to get at.”

Dick looks around uncomfortably. “I already alerted Bruce,” Dick says. “He doesn’t want her-."

“I don’t give a fuck about what he wants. This is her city just as much as it is his- mine,” Jason growls suddenly as he sidles up on the other side of you. You look up at him shyly, hoping he doesn’t think any less of you now, knowing what’s been going on inside of you for so long. He meets you with reassuring eyes that quell the anxiety you felt when he’d originally backed away from you, though not entirely. “She’s an invaluable asset to this team regardless.”

To help prove his point, you decide it’s as good a time as any to reveal the tubes you’ve been keeping under wraps.

“I have these serums,” you interject hastily. “They were in the lab I was held in. I don’t know if they’re going to use them, they may not even necessarily be the final versions of anything, but at least it’s something,” you interject hastily. “This is what we need to focus on now,” you say. “We have mere hours left whether I’m in this room or not. People are going to start showing up for work soon, so we need to make sure we’re not wasting what little time we have left in here.” You hand over the tubes, the second one carefully as it’s severely cracked, to Luke, who looks down at them like he’s seen a ghost. He meets your gaze briefly, seeming as hesitant as the others until you say, “I was right about the Subway water. Just think about what else I could be right about. This is a dire situation, and it’s only going to get worse. Trust me,” you say, pointing at your head, “I know.”

“That’s great and all,” Dick says with a smile that falls flat, “but this whole thing could be a set up to throw us off their trail. Maybe they wanted you to find these- it could be a plethora of other things. I really don’t think it’s a good idea to fully invest in this as a last resort.”

“These vials are our last resort though,” Luke says, still peering at the vials as if they were somehow going to explode in his hands. “It’s a risk I’m willing to take, especially if they can help us figure out percentages. Connor,” Luke says suddenly, “I’ll need your help analyzing the green vial while I check your analysis over. Wally,” Luke turns to the other redheaded man in the room, “I’ll need you checking over the purple vial while Tim checks over your analysis. We don’t have any time to fuck anything up, so everyone needs to stay sharp and, most importantly, fast.”

Connor and Wally briefly look at each other, then at Luke before, ultimately, taking up the challenge. With their super speeds and the two smartest men in the room checking their work, you start to think your group may just finally have a chance to stop this.

As the official plan starts taking shape, Stephanie and Dick agree to break off from the group to scour the subway systems for signs of anyone.  Jon, on the other hand, takes up the daunting task of surveying The Court Headquarters for the emitter. That is, if it’s even still there. You wouldn't put it past The Court to have another last-minute trick up their sleeve.

With the tasks all divvied up, you, Roy, Jason, and Damian help out wherever and however you can.

•••

Once Wally lays out the framework, Tim’s quickly able to piece together that the green vial is what’s currently in the subway water sample. When he and Luke go to compare Connor and Wally’s findings, they soon come to the conclusion that the purple vial is completely different and oddly absent from the water sample entirely. This fact stumps everyone in the room.

“At the very least,” Wally starts, “Connor and I can finally start composing an antidote.”

“We’ll need two,” Luke surmises, and Tim agrees. “These obviously are samples of a different formula, but it seems probable that they work in conjunction with each other.”

“Test the purple formula again,” Roy urges suddenly. “It has to be a match for The Winter Rose.”

Wally blurs out of view for a few minutes before phasing back.

“Preliminary results are showing a possible 100% match,” Wally states grimly. “How are we supposed to figure out an antidote for an extinct rose? No, no, no. How are we supposed to figure out an antidote and somehow make it water soluble in, oh, I don’t know,” the speedster sarcastically looks down at the watch attached to his suit, “two hours?”

“Not by sitting around moping,” Connor pipes up. Damian huffs in agreement as he fiddles around on one of the available monitors to attempt his own deduction with Roy’s help.

It’s at this exact moment that Jon flies back into the conference room appearing panicked.

“The emitter,” Jon speaks at a nearly super-human speed that you struggle to keep up with, “it’s gone. Their entire base is up in flames.”

Jason wastes no time in contacting Dick.

“Are you guys seeing anything?” Jason asks. “We have evidence to believe the emitter is on the move.”

Static.

“Nothing down here yet,” he finally replies. “We just got here a little bit ago, though,” Dick adds before cutting out into static again.

You can’t afford to waste any time, something Luke realizes as he resumes doling out more tasks.

“We’ll need all the super speed we can get,” Luke says as he comes upon Jon. “Think you can handle a little bit of chemical analysis?”

“I, uh,” Jon sputters. The Kryptonian appears as if he thinks anyone else in the room is better qualified for it but accepts regardless. “Of course.”

With three speedsters working on an antidote, everyone else in the room works on motives.

“They’re obviously after control,” you say. “They keep mentioning something big, and having symbiotic control over a fear-crazed Gotham City seems like just the way to do it. If Joker has anything to do with it, it makes sense that it would happen today, anyway.” April Fools has Joker’s name all over it and is just another clue leading you to believe that Joker really is involved in this whole plot.

“What I’m sure everyone is thinking is that they’re going to use the emitter in the subway system, but until we have proof of anything of the sort, we can’t believe it to be a fact,” Damian warns. “We need to remain sharp.”

“It seems like a plan The Court would want in on, but why would they want Joker to be the one in control?”

“They’re going to fuck him over, or, well, at least try to,” you say before repeating what you’d heard at The Court meeting a week prior. 

“It still feels like we’re missing something,” Jason pipes up, leaving Roy to nod in agreement.

“Nothing’s missing,” Damian insists as he continues to type away at the large monitor in front of him and Roy. “Some men just want the world to burn,” Damian says, sounding grave. The man is still facing the computer screen, but his reflection reads clearly on the reflection on the screen. “You know that as much as I do, Todd.”

•••

Nearly two hours later, you’re no closer to a cure, but the process is steadily moving along. Connor, Wally and Jon are all on the cusp of discovery, it’s only a matter of minutes before one of them has a breakthrough, they inform the room.

Suddenly, the comms burst to life again.

“We’re not seeing any movement down here,” Stephanie says. “Nightwing and I are headed over to Batman’s position at the marina.”

“We’ll give you all the heads up when it starts getting active,” Dick adds.

By the time Luke sends you, Jason, Damian, and Roy to prepare to go undercover, it’s nearly 7 am on April Fools. 

In the meantime, Bruce has closed off the entire R&D wing for the day to make room for the speedsters and their experiments as they slowly inch closer to a cure. You can’t help but wonder if it’ll be enough.

With little else to do but wait, your partners drive you back to your apartment where they encourage you to try to get some sleep. After a bit of convincing, your tired body easily manages to nod off. Your dreams are surprisingly empty, though the fact isn’t comforting in the slightest. Especially not when you know that at any point, shit could go down. You’re all just waiting on the call.

•••

After not nearly enough sleep, the team reconvenes at the Clock Tower.

Superboy, Flash and Jon have already made the breakthrough, now all they need to do is mass produce the antidote. Nightwing and Spoiler are still busy scouting out the marina for any changes while Batman meets Commissioner Gordon and a small fleet of policemen in the tunnel systems. Bruce had let the commissioner know about the terror plot on Gotham sometime while you were asleep, so the police are on standby and equipped with masks. In the little time they have, the police are doing everything they can while still remaining inconspicuous to minimize the effects of the anticipated gas attack.

All the while, Luke and Oracle watch all sides of the operation from her gigantic computer screens that easily rival the size of the Batcave’s. For safety, Alfred has agreed to stay with Batwing and Oracle and is currently puttering about in the small kitchen, dutifully making tea for the sleep-deprived tower inhabitants. 

When Damian arrives at the tower, he steps out of the elevator, then turns back to dramatically drag in a decently filled clothing rack. You and your partners remain mostly quiet. Everyone’s exhausted and on edge- it’s not a good combination. 

It feels like Damian’s just arrived when you get the heads up.

“They’re starting to board the ship,” Nightwing alerts over the comms, sending a flurry of panic into the pit of your stomach. You don’t feel prepared in the slightest. 

“The women I’m seeing are all wearing red,” Spoiler adds after a beat.

“There’s still no sign of the emitter down here in the tunnels,” Batman adds gravely. “I’m heading back out on patrol. Nightwing,” Batman suddenly says, “we’re on damage control for the time being. Spoiler, Red Robin, Batwing: you’re in charge of intervening where needed. We’ll need all the help we can get once the antidote is ready; that’s our top priority, but for now, focus on finding the emitter. Oracle will keep an eye on all aspects of the plan and communicate any changes as they become apparent. Robin, Red Hood, Arsenal, and Cardinal will be doing recon on the yacht.”

“What about us?” Jon’s voice crackles over the comm system. 

“Just focus on making the antidote,” Batman replies. “One of you will need to help disperse it while the other two remain producing more of it. We can’t risk not having enough.”

“We’re out of time,” Jason says grimly. “It’s now or never.” 

There’s no time left, just as you’d feared and warned for months now. 

With no other choice, you don the only red dress on the rack of options for formal wear Damian had brought. 

The dress is as over-the-top as your gown for the Wayne Gala all those years back had been. It’s a sleeveless, satin, crimson ball gown with a high slit running up the left side (X). However, the sweetheart-neckline dress leaves your scar completely visible, something Damian fixes in an instant. He gently hands a diamond choker to Jason, who easily fastens the cool metal around your neck, hiding the scar from view. With matching, extravagant earrings, and some strappy heels, you feel complete.

“You look beautiful,” Jason says in a hushed voice, leaving you to blush. Though the fate of the city rests in your hands, you can’t help but get lost in this intimate moment. Damian leaves to go change, but Jason and Roy stray behind. 

With Alfred conversing quietly with Babs and Luke, the three of you are left to your own quiet huddle.

“Are you sure you want to go through with this?” Roy asks gently. 

You know it’s nothing about undermining your abilities and everything to do with checking in with you. You haven’t slept much in the past, well, months at the very least, coupled with the fact that you just escaped The Court of Owls mere hours ago and were about to come face-to-face with them again, plus Joker.

“As much as I want to play Oracle with, you know, Oracle,” you joke, “I know I can help put a stop to this. I need to be there,” you insist, “to help put an end to this.”

With your resolute behavior evident, your partners are left to gather you up into a group hug. 

“Feels like a fucking goodbye,” Jason replies with thinly veiled distaste. “I don’t do this bullshit; it’s bad karma.”

“Well,” Roy teases as he squishes the two of you harder, “you do today, Jay.”

Eventually, Jason pulls away. Regardless of his previous stance, Jason leans down and places his rough hands against your soft cheeks. Without wasting another second, Jason’s lips brush gently against yours, slotting against them with a soft familiarity that leaves your heart pounding. Your hands rest on his muscular shoulders as you apply more pressure to the chaste gesture, savoring each and every second of Jason’s careful touch. 

When you split apart, you feel the heat of a wildfire blush gracing your cheeks in the wake of his love and reassurance. Still in Jason’s hold, you feel Roy’s verdant eyes impishly watching. When you finally manage the courage to abashedly glance at the redhead through your lashes, you feel an unwarranted flash of shyness shock your system. It’s something Roy notices easily, and his smirk portrays easily. 

Jason glances down at your heated cheeks, then over at Roy’s wolfish grin before relinquishing you over to the redhead.

Roy wastes no time in taking your hands into his, squeezing them gently as he openly eyes you up and down.

“You look fucking amazing, baby,” he breathes earnestly. “Definitely going to remember this for later, trust me,” Roy adds cheekily, leaving you to giggle. Your heart thrums happily against your flushed chest, all while your eyes excitedly trace all the familiar features across Roy’s handsome face. “Come on now, princess,” Roy says as his eyes flit with each movement yours make. It’s as if he’s waiting for approval he should know he’s had all along. Well, that is until… “You know you want in on this,” he finally finishes his sentence with a lame waggle of his fiery brows. 

And, just like that, the spell is broken. 

“Dude,” you bemoan through a fit of laughter, only further spurred on by Jason’s snort. However, when Roy uses his hold on you to spin you around into a deep dip, your laughter abruptly stops. 

“I’m gonna get that kiss, darlin’,” Roy insists with a wink. 

Yup, the blush is 100% back on.

“Roy,” you trail off breathlessly as your eyes meet his. 

Suddenly, Roy’s light green eyes shift, and yours dutifully follow suit over to an enamored Jason. While you’re still dipped in his arms, Roy stretches his neck to steal a kiss from Jason, who huffs at the contact though his cheeks tell the true story. More crimson than your dress, his cheeks light up in a way you know leaves him even more embarrassed. It’s cute.

The cute sight is only bestowed upon you for so long before Roy can no longer contain his patience. 

“C’mere,” he says in a raspy voice as he draws you to his lips. Nothing about this kiss is chaste in the slightest, something Jason obviously enjoys as he lets out an approving hum as you sigh against Roy’s eager, wet lips.

For a moment, you truly forget about what’s about to happen. Just a moment. Then, reality crashes back down.

Roy finally releases you from the dip and Jason wastes no time in gathering you back up into his arms.

“Part of me wants to take you away from here,” Jason admits as he stares deeply into your eyes. “Everything in me selfishly wants to keep you out of this, to keep you safe. I know Roy feels the same way.”

“I remember saying something similar to her.” The sound of Damian’s voice startles you as the man rejoins your group in the main area of the tower, fully dressed in a three-piece suit. “As I recall, everything ended up fine,” he finishes with a small smile in your direction. 

“Let’s fucking hope so,” Jason says, sounding somewhat terse. 

This all feels so much more dangerous than The Court meeting, and you can't help but wonder just how many will die tonight on account of your negligence. You can’t help but bemoan that you didn’t speak up more, that you hadn’t been louder about what you felt was happening all along. Regardless, you’re going to make it right- even if it’s the last thing you do. If not for Gotham, for Lian.

“We need to get a move on,” Damian insists, motioning to the two suits still on the rack. Without further convincing, Jason and Roy snatch their clothes up before retreating off in the direction Damian had just emerged from.

While your partners are getting dressed, you turn your attention to the remaining dresses on the rack, only to find something bright red amongst them.

“What are these?” you question Damian as you pull out two long pieces of red fabric.

“Ah,” Damian replies as he steps closer and takes one of them from your hands, “I almost forgot.” You quirk a brow at his statement. It’s not in Damian’s nature to be forgetting things pertinent to a mission but it further shows just what a shit show the past few hours have been for everyone involved.

“Are those the gloves?” Luke asks suddenly, seemingly distracted from whatever Babs has on the screen as he addresses Damian.

“Gloves?” you ask dumbly before finally clearly seeing the seams of the fingers. “For me?”

“Well, you’ll need some kind of weapon, now, won’t you?” Luke teases as he watches Damian help you into them. “Damian and I had a bit of free time and wanted to try to perfect your suit’s gloves. These are still technically in the prototype phase, but they’re made out of a similar material to Batman’s cape.” You look over the design appreciatively. “You’ll notice the claw material is still just as strong but a whole lot lighter.”

“So light, I don’t even see the claws,” you joke as you look them over on your arms. They just look like completely normal, elbow-length gloves. 

“See,” Luke says excitedly, “that’s the beauty of the material.” 

With this explanation, or lack thereof, Damian takes your arms by the wrists and jerks them down. You go to pull away from his hold when you hear a whoosh. When you look back down, the normal gloves have tented into impressively sharp claws, reminiscent of the ones your Cardinal suit has.

“It’s like a tent!” you reply excitedly, moving to sheath them and draw them out once more. 

“Yes,” Damian replies with obvious distaste, “like a tent.” His distaste doubles when you dramatically unsheathe your claws like Wolverine. “I fucking knew you’d do some dumb nerd shit like that.”

“Yeah, yeah, and you and Luke still created them, anyway,” you tease right back, still enthralled by the gorgeous weapons you don.

Before Damian can retort, his phone rings. He glares at you briefly as if to say you’ve been let off the hook before answering.

“You’re really calling me for some sappy goodbye?” Damian asks after he picks up with his signature tch. Though his words sound hostile, you notice the way his face softens at the sound of Jon’s voice on the other end of the call.

You step away with Luke to give Damian some space just in time for Jason and Roy to rejoin you. You swear your jaw nearly drops at the sight that meets you. You’ve never seen them so dressed up since, well, the last Court meeting. However, they were fully decked out this time in similar three-piece suits to Damian’s, complete with white gloves and slicked-back hair that wasn’t present on the last mission.

“Speechless?” Roy approaches you wolfishly. “So was Jay, if you catch my drift,” he teases a red-cheeked Jason with a cheeky nudge.

“Shut up,” Jason says half-heartedly, nudging him back with enough force to leave Roy rubbing soothingly at the not-so-gentle contact.

“This will obviously be a mission without firearms,” Luke starts sheepishly. “That being said, I’ve helped craft some of the best weapons I can for your crew.” With this, the man unveils two, dastardly looking swords that retract from their hilts at a breakneck speed with a sinister shhhink.

Jason eyes the blades appreciatively, nodding to Luke to convey such as he tests out their weight for himself.

“These definitely lessen the blow of not having my handguns,” he admits, sounding genuinely grateful. You, on the other hand, are just glad he’s playing along with Bruce’s rules for tonight. 

“Damian has a similar one,” Luke admits. “Stealth and strength are what we were going for when we were tinkering around in R&D, so all of the blades are made from a nearly indestructible material called Nth Metal. Actually,” Luke finishes with excitement as Damian pockets his phone and joins your group, “I made some collapsable arrows for Roy with it, too. The tips are entirely coated in a thin layer of the material to remain as lightweight and effective as possible.”

It’s all Luke has to say to get Roy giddily looking the weapons over.

“This is fucking sick, man,” Roy thanks him with a clap on the back and a wide grin. “Only you could pull some shit off like this.” At this, Damian clears his throat expectantly. “The fuck do you want, hellspawn?”

Damian’s deathly glare sears into Roy’s verdant eyes. 

“Some god damned credit,” the raven sneers. 

“Credit?” Roy asks, though his eyes appear too mischievous for the question to have been genuine. “Oh! My bad.” At this, Damian perks up a bit, though still seems entirely wary of Roy’s approaching form. “Thank you so much, Damian. You’re the smartest, most intelligent,” at this, Roy leans in and gives Damian a noogie, “little shit I’ve ever met.”

“Hey!” Damian quickly smacks Roy’s bionic hand from his previously meticulously styled hair. “I should kill you for this, Harper,” Damian hisses, getting up in the redhead’s face, but Roy appears completely unperturbed with a shit-eating grin.

“What’s the ETA?” You suddenly hear over the comms. At this, the mood in the room shifts immediately. 

With nothing left to stall your group, the four of you say goodbye to Babs, Alfred, and Luke before wordlessly making your way over to the marina. When you’re nearly to your destination, Batman’s voice startles across the comm system to debrief your squad.

“We’ll be nearby in case anything goes wrong. Remember, tonight, your group follows my commands,” Batman says. “You’re to keep it non-lethal.” With this, everyone in the car shifts their attention to a pissed-off-looking Jason, though he thankfully bites his tongue.

“Understood,” Jason responds tonelessly from the driver’s seat. “But just as you’ve done numerous times in the past, it doesn't mean I'm saving everyone.”

“Hood.” Batman’s warning is evident without anything more needing to be said.

“We’re all in agreement,” Damian ends up replying for Jason, leaving your partner to roll his eyes.

There’s a beat of silence before Batman adds, “Stay safe out there. All of you.��

As the car settles into park, you release a breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding in for who knows how fucking long. Before you can get too in your head, Damian shoves two owl masks into your gloved hands in the backseat before handing one to Jason beside him in the front. Handing one off to Roy, you blankly stare down at the remaining white mask, surrounded by a sea of red fabric. 

With the marina a mere two blocks away and the sun officially having set, you slip on the owl mask and step out of the car. 

This whole situation is all your fault, but you’re going to try your damndest to right it… to right everything.

It all ends tonight.

A/N: thank you for being patient while I got my laptop situation figured out! ars and cs have both been updated and edited in case you want to check out the change I made. The end of chap 10 has been changed if you want to do a quick reread before diving in here btw!

also, joker dust / gas is new to batman kinda as a way to show the rise of a new villain, meaning scarecrow may have been on batman’s radar, but he hasn’t necessarily put in time to figure out who was behind the mask yet bc scarecrow wasn’t really a big threat like joker aka why there’s not much info on the man yet

[next: coming soon]  ||  masterlist || pinned || ways to support

[natsukicookies]

The sinful allure

A reverse harem batboys x succubus!reader

No proper beta read, we die like jason todd

Prologue < masterlist > chapter 2

Sun crept through your window, bright and annoying. You groaned, burying your face into your pillow, hoping to squeeze out just a few more minutes of sleep. But flashes of the previous night flickered in your mind—your newfound powers, the strange allure you’d suddenly developed, the rush of something dark and thrilling awakening inside you.

With a sigh, you peeled yourself out of your soft bed, half-convinced it had all been some bizarre dream. But a quick glance in the mirror, the faint shimmer of your eyes catching the light, reminded you otherwise.

You looked down at the pendant, letting it dangle from your fingers as you stepped out of your room. The familiar weight was comforting, yet now it felt heavier, almost like it held secrets you weren’t ready to understand. Your gaze drifted down the hall to your mom’s door, firmly shut. She’d come home super late, probably just before dawn. She was likely out cold by now, lost in whatever sleep she could scrape together.

You wanted to tell her about last night, about everything you’d discovered. She probably knew something, after all. She’d always insisted you wear this pendant, almost as if it was meant to protect you from something... or someone.

Your fingers traced the edges of the pendant as you took a hesitant step toward her room. You bit your lip, torn between the need to tell her and the fear of what she might say. Just as you raised your hand to knock on her door, a voice whispered in the back of your mind, warning you to stop. It was soft but certain, urging you to turn back, to keep this one thing to yourself.

With a sigh, you lowered your hand, stepping back from the door. Maybe telling her wasn’t the right move after all. Not yet.

You tucked the pendant back under your shirt and headed for the bathroom to get ready before taking your stuff and heading out the front as quietly as you could.

Did you want to go to college? No, you would much rather sleep in, since sleeping makes you not think about your problems. But do you have that luxury? Also no. Attending GSU means having an attendance above 85%.

So, off you went.

As you walked across campus, you couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. People kept staring at you—casual glances, lingering looks, the kind of attention that made you want to shrink back. You checked yourself quickly—did you have something weird on your clothes? Was there something in your hair?, it took a moment before it finally clicked.

You were drawing them in, your powers was pulling their attention without you even trying.

A few students casually glanced over their shoulders as they walked past you, their eyes lingering a little too long. You could feel the shift in the air, a subtle magnetism you couldn’t turn off.

Not good, you thought. The last thing you needed was to be a walking distraction.

You quickened your pace, hoping to avoid any further attention, but the feeling stuck with you. Your powers were already starting to affect your daily life, and you had no idea how to control them.

You practically sprinted to the nearest campus bathroom and locked yourself in one of the stalls, your breathing still a bit shaky. “Okay, get yourself together,” you muttered, pressing your palms to your cheeks. You gave yourself a light slap for good measure. “Don’t attract unwanted attention.”

You shook your head, gripping the pendant around your neck. "Not now," you murmured, your voice barely a whisper. "Please," you pleaded, hoping for some way to keep this strange new energy from leaking out.

For a moment, the pendant seemed to pulse, a faint glow that was almost too subtle to notice. You blinked, wondering if you’d imagined it, but there was no time to figure it out.

A glance at your phone made your heart skip—you had only a few minutes before your lecture started. With one last, steadying breath, you unlocked the stall and stepped out, trying to convince yourself that everything would be fine.

You slipped into the lecture as the teacher was preparing to start and found a seat in the back row.

You noticed a few people glancing your way, but you forced yourself to ignore it, focusing instead on the lecture—or at least pretending to. A few rows ahead sat Timothy Drake-Wayne. You couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. He had it all: wealth, great grades despite being absent half the time, and, annoyingly, he looked good doing it.

You chewed on your bottom lip, still burning holes into the back of his head with your gaze. Timothy Drake, the ever-diligent student, sat there calm and collected like the top student he was.

Lost in thought, you didn’t notice when he shifted slightly, glancing back as if sensing your gaze. Your heart jumped into your throat, and you quickly looked away, pretending to be utterly engrossed in the lecture slides on your laptop.

You cursed softly under your breath, hunching over your notebook as You tried to look engrossed in the lecture, scribbling random notes as if they were the most important thing in the world. To anyone watching, you probably looked like a model student—if only that were actually true.

Out of the corner of your eye, you could feel Tim lingering for a second longer before turning back to his notes. You exhaled slowly, shaking your head.

Great job, you thought sarcastically. Staring at the guy like some creep definitely won’t raise any suspicion.

Somehow, you managed to avoid everyone by lunchtime. Unfortunately, that's where your luck decided to run out. 

Just as you were about to sit down with your tray of food, a hand landed on your shoulder from behind. Startled, you turned to see a tall girl with long raven-black hair and a dazzling smile. 

"Hi there! I'm Yumiko!" she said enthusiastically. 

"Uh... hi?" you replied awkwardly, blinking at her.

Before you could process much else, she practically pushed you into a seat and plopped down beside you, throwing an arm around your shoulders like you were old pals. You stiffened. Was this your powers at work? Did they affect women too?

Great. You sarcastically remarked inside your head.

"You’re in the computer science major, right?" she asked brightly. 

Instead of answering right away, you found yourself distracted, noting the expensive-looking way her hair was styled and the designer clothes she was wearing. One of the Richie Rich types on campus. 

"Yeah, I am," you finally replied, setting your tray on the table and introducing yourself. 

"Oh, I know who you are," she said with a grin. "I’ve seen you around a lot. Always alone much?" 

Her tone wasn’t mocking, exactly, but it still made you feel a bit exposed. You laughed awkwardly, hoping she’d leave it at that. She didn’t. 

To your dismay, Yumiko stayed glued to your side for the entire lunch, talking non-stop. She was a confident yapper and had no problem carrying the conversation entirely on her own. 

By the time lunch ended, it was clear she’d decided you were her new best friend. Was this how people made friends these days? Just walk up to someone and start yapping until they give up? 

It seems you just got adopted by an extrovert and It is yet to know if that's a good thing or a bad.

The rest of the day went by in a blur, and by the time your classes ended, the universe decided to throw in another curveball: rain. A sudden, heavy downpour. 

You stood under the overhang at the university's entrance, watching as people dashed out with backpacks over their heads or casually strolled under umbrellas. Unfortunately for you, your umbrella was sitting somewhere in your closet at home. In your defence, the rain had come out of nowhere. 

Letting out a sigh, you leaned against the wall, wondering how long you’d have to wait for it to stop. Just then, a tall guy caught your attention. His arms were stacked full of art supplies—sketchbooks, tubes of paint, and a container of brushes precariously balanced on top. 

You glanced at him out of the corner of your eye, eyebrows raised. Is he even able to see? How does he plan to get anywhere like that in this weather?

The thought had barely finished crossing your mind when, somehow, he pulled out an umbrella with one hand, expertly snapping it open without dropping a single item.

Well, if that isn't a skill, then you don't know what is.

Your admiration was short-lived, though, as you noticed a box of brushes tumble to the ground. Without thinking, you stepped forward. 

"Oh, let me help," you said, bending down to pick it up. His hands were full, and there was no way he could manage it on his own. 

You bent down and grabbed the box of brushes, carefully gathering the scattered ones that had fallen out. Straightening up, you turned to hand it back to him, the words already forming on your lips.

“Here you go—”

But then you froze.

Your gaze travelled up, taking in the neatly pressed blazer, the dark green eyes that seemed to hold a perpetual sharpness, and the ever-so-slight frown on his lips. You blinked, your brain catching up with your eyes.

It was Damian Wayne.

The Damian Wayne.

Your mind reeled. He wasn’t just some rich kid with impeccable manners -though he clearly was-. No, he was practically Gotham royalty, the youngest son of Bruce Wayne. You’d seen him before, of course—art major, quiet, always exuding a weird mix of arrogance and composure.

“Oh,” you said dumbly, still holding the box of brushes like you’d forgotten how hands worked.

He tilted his head slightly, his piercing gaze flicking to the box and then back to you. “Thank you,” he said, his tone polite but clipped, as though he were in a hurry.

You quickly snapped out of it and held the box out to him, feeling your cheeks heat up. “Uh, yeah. No problem.”

Damian reached for it, but his full hands made it a bit awkward. Before you could think better of it, you blurted out, “Do you need help carrying all that?”

He paused, eyes narrowing slightly as if assessing your motives. “I can manage,” he replied, though the strain in his arms told a different story.

“Seriously,” you pressed, “you’re one gust of wind away from dropping everything.”

Normally, you wouldn't have said that; you definitely would've just backed away, not offered to help or get involved with rich kids, but the whole day hasn't been normal.

And to your surprise, a small, almost imperceptible smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “If you insist,” he said, stepping slightly closer and shifting some of the weight your way.

He handed you a few of the items, ones that you could easily hold with one hand. You adjusted your grip, but as you looked up at him, you noticed he was still carrying the rest of the art supplies awkwardly in his arms.

You tilted your head slightly, then stretched out your other arm. “I can hold the umbrella too,” you offered, a little surprised at your boldness.

Damian raised an eyebrow at you, clearly considering your offer. For a moment, he didn’t respond, just watching you with those calculating green eyes. Finally, he gave a small shrug and passed you the umbrella.

You opened the umbrella and held it over the both of you. “Let’s go,” you said confidently, starting to walk.

But then you glanced up at the man next to you and had to bite your lip to hold back a laugh.

Damian’s expression was as composed as ever, but there was no denying the issue: you were too short. The angle of the umbrella was blocking his view, forcing him to tilt his head slightly just to see ahead.

“You’re... not very tall, are you?” he finally said, his tone dry but not unkind, though you could hear the faintest trace of amusement beneath it.

You bristled, your grip on the umbrella tightening as your cheeks warmed. “I-I’m average height,” you mumbled, trying to sound confident but failing miserably.

'It's you who built like a damn tree', you thought to yourself, biting your inner cheeks.

He raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed with your defence. “If you say so.”

You opened your mouth to respond but quickly snapped it shut, unsure of what to say. Instead, you focused on adjusting the umbrella, standing on your tiptoes to raise it higher.

“Better?” you asked, your voice small.

Damian stared at you for a good second before saying “Not really,” his tone wasn’t harsh. “You’re going to hurt yourself doing that.”

Your face heated up even more as you avoided his gaze. “I’m fine,” you muttered, though your arms were already starting to ache from the awkward angle.

With a small sigh, Damian reached out and gently adjusted the umbrella himself, tilting it slightly so it covered you both without blocking his view. “There. Now you don’t have to strain yourself.

“Thanks,” you murmured, feeling awkward but grateful. You focused on the ground as you walked, the sound of the rain filling the silence.

It was hard to tell if he found the situation funny or frustrating, but either way, you were too embarrassed to look up and find out.

The walk wasn’t too far, and as you approached the university gates, you noticed the sleek, black Lamborghini parked right outside. Your eyes widened slightly, though you quickly tried to play it cool, pretending like you weren’t totally awestruck. It wasn’t every day you saw a Lamborghini up close, let alone one waiting for someone you were walking with. 

The window rolled down, revealing an older man with a composed expression. A butler? His sharp eyes flicked to you briefly before returning to Damian. “Master Damian,” the man greeted, his voice formal but warm. Then his gaze shifted back to you. “A friend?” 

You quickly shook your head, the thought of being called Damian Wayne’s friend feeling almost laughable. 

“She’s helping,” Damian confirmed curtly, already moving to take the supplies out of your hands. He carefully loaded them into the car with practised ease, his movements quick and efficient. 

You stepped back, awkwardly holding the umbrella as he climbed into the passenger seat. “Um, the umbrella,” you said, fumbling to close it so you could hand it back to him. 

But before you could, he glanced at you and said, “Keep it,” in a tone that left no room for argument. 

With that, the car door shut, and you barely had time to process what just happened before the butler gave you a polite nod. “Thank you for assisting Master Damian,” he said with a faint smile before driving off, leaving you standing there in the rain with the umbrella still in your hand. 

You stared after the car, baffled. What just happened? You looked down at the umbrella in your hand, its sleek design and obvious quality making it clear it wasn’t some cheap, replaceable thing. 

“Keep it?” you murmured to yourself, still confused. Did rich people just give away expensive umbrellas like it was nothing...? 

It seems your 18th birthday just couldn’t get more unpredictable...or surreal.

It was no point lingering here any longer, and hence why you made your way home.

As soon as you opened the front door, you yelped in surprise at the loud pop that echoed through the apartment. "Happy birthday!"

Your eyes widened as you took in the sight of your mom standing there with a birthday blaster in her hand, confetti raining down around you both.

"Thank you..." you said, still in shock. She hadn’t done anything like this since you were 15, and the memory of those days made you feel both nostalgic and awkward.

You stepped inside, setting the umbrella by the door, and your gaze fell on the small cake sitting on the dining table. Your favourite flavour, So she still remembers.

Your mom smiled sheepishly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I know it’s not much, but... I didn’t want to let the day go by without doing something.”

You swallowed the lump in your throat and forced a smile. “It’s perfect.”

You and your mom enjoyed the cake together, talking about lighthearted things—you did your best to steer the conversation away from the weirdness that had been haunting you all day. 

It almost felt perfect, like it was before but that's when your delusional ass got kicked back into the reality as you saw your mom got up and put her coat on.

“Wait, are you going to work?” you asked, standing up quickly. 

She glanced at the time on her phone and gave you a sad smile. “Yes, dear. I have work.” 

You opened your mouth, a plea to stay stuck in your throat. Instead, you forced yourself to smile. “It’s fine.” 

It’s fine to leave your daughter alone on her birthday. 

She leaned in to kiss your forehead, but you instinctively stepped back. Her shoulders sagged slightly at the motion, but she didn’t press the issue. Instead, she sighed and gave a small nod. “Well, make sure to keep the pendant on,” she said, her gaze lingering on it for a moment too long. You hoped she didn’t notice anything strange about it. 

Biting your lip, you hesitated before speaking, your voice barely above a whisper. “Why do I have to keep wearing it?” 

Her expression tightened for a split second before softening. “Because I said so, and your mother knows best.” 

With that, she walked out, leaving you alone with more questions than answers.

The door closed with a soft click, and just like that, you were alone again in the small apartment. The emptiness pressed down on you, heavier than usual. 

You gathered the used plates and carried them to the sink, washing them on autopilot. As you stared at the faint reflection of yourself in one of the plates, an ache bloomed in your chest. 

Today felt more lonely than ever... You weren’t sure why. 

Your thoughts were interrupted by a faint glow from your pendant. The soft pink light pulsed, almost as if it were alive—calling for you to do something, urging you to take action. 

You raised it to eye level, your fingers tightening around it. The faint light danced in front of your eyes as if it were mocking you. 

"Why?" you whispered to yourself, your grip tightening further. Your mind is filled with all the times your mom has done this; she always does this.

With a burst of frustration, you ripped the pendant from around your neck. “Screw you, Mom,” you muttered under your breath. 

The moment the pendant left your neck, the world around you seemed to shift. A surge of energy coursed through your body, and when you glanced down, your reflection in the darkened kitchen window startled you. 

Your entire appearance had changed. 

You took a shaky breath, shoving the pendant deep into the pocket of your suit. It was clear that whatever this pendant was hiding, you weren’t going to ignore it any longer.

You went out through the balcony but made sure you closed it back; the last thing you want is to get smth stolen.

Flying up in the sky made you instantly feel better; the cold air was calming, though you do wish Gotham was a bit less polluted. Maybe you could see stars or maybe not.

You landed softly on the rooftop, your gaze drifting to the edge. For a moment, you imagined yourself sitting there, legs swinging freely over the city below, just like in the movies. But the thought of the dizzying drop made your stomach twist. Your feet stayed rooted in place. Instead, you turned to the railing, gripping its cool metal as you leaned against it, keeping a safe distance from the edge.

You let out a heavy sigh, still gazing down at the gloomy city below.

“You.” A deep male voice called out from behind you. Startled, you spun around, only to feel the cold, sharp edge of a katana hovering dangerously close to your neck. Instinctively, you stepped back—only to find the railing pressing against your spine.

You looked up at the owner of the katana, your eyes met their narrowed gaze behind a black domino mask. "Do not even think of escaping," he said, his tone as sharp as the weapon he wielded.

You gulped, your grip tightening on the railing as if it could anchor you away from the danger at your throat. “I’m not a shady person,” you tried your voice a mix of nervousness and forced confidence. Explaining was your best shot at avoiding whatever this guy had planned.

Robin. Another one of the bats. The rumours said he had no mercy, and it didn’t take long to believe them. Who else greets a stranger by shoving a katana in their face?

And those steps- silent as the grave. You hadn’t even heard him approach. There was no way you could fight him. Maybe... in bed-

You shook off the inappropriate thought, heat creeping up your neck, and faced the tall figure before you. “How about we put this away first?” you gestured at the katana, a sly smile tugging at your lips.

He didn’t move. If anything, the tilt of his head made him seem more intimidating, his expression unreadable under the mask. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?” His voice was calm, but there was an unmissable authority behind it, the kind that left no room for excuses.

Your smile faltered into a tight line. Okay, so this one wasn’t going to be as easy to fool as the last guy. “Can’t a girl just go out for some fresh air?” you replied, planting a hand on your hip in mock indignation.

Robin’s eyes narrowed further, the suspicion practically radiating from him. “Who are you with? Catwoman?”

“Huh? No!” you protested, your hands flailing in emphasis. “I’m-”

Before you could finish, a faint voice crackled through the earpiece he wore. His expression shifted slightly as he tilted his head, listening intently to whatever was being said.

After a moment, he replied curtly, “She is.”

You raised an eyebrow, your curiosity piqued. She is what? You wanted to ask, but the words didn’t make it past your lips.

To your relief, he finally lowered the katana, though his sharp gaze remained fixed on you. Letting out a sigh, you resisted the urge to slump against the railing in pure relief. At least you weren’t about to be beheaded- yet.

But before you could decide whether to thank him or try to bolt, another sound broke through the tension—metal clinking above, followed by heavy footsteps landing on the rooftop. You tensed instinctively, darting a glance over Robin’s shoulder.

Robin, seemed to know who it was as he slid his katana back into its sheath. That alone was enough for you to guess it was one of the other bats. You silently prayed it wasn’t Batman; you weren’t confident you could sneak away from the Dark Knight, yet.

The figure stepped into the dim light, revealing a man wearing a black domino mask that hid his eyes. Unlike Robin’s primarily grey ensemble, this one wore a striking red and black suit, with a belt strapped diagonally across his shoulders

You squinted, trying to piece together who this newcomer could be. Truth be told, you weren’t exactly up to date with the ever-growing roster of vigilantes. Guess it was time to add “study Gotham’s masked weirdos” to your to-do list- because, apparently, those guys couldn’t seem to leave you alone.

"Um, Red Hood?" you ventured, tilting your head slightly as you took a wild guess.

The man froze mid-step, then turned to you with a look that could peel paint off walls. “Red Hood?!” he repeated, his voice a mix of disbelief and offense. “Do I look like a giant, violent dog to you?!”

You bit back a laugh, but the smile still slipped through. “No,” you said, tapping your chin like you were pondering. “You look more like… a twink.”

"The guy’s shoulders tensed as if bracing for an explosion.

“A what?” the man barked, his voice pitching higher as his hands shot to his hips.

“A twink,” you repeated, your grin widening. “Wait, no. Maybe a twunk? Hard to say, really.”

The twitch in his eye was subtle, but it made you laugh quite a bit. Robin let out a quiet sigh, muttering something about “unprofessional” under his breath.

You wipe the tear off your eye as you calmed down from the laughter. Both the boys were whispering about something as you were quietly thinking about your escape plan.

You carefully take a look around you, noticing that their attention isn't fully on you as they seem to be too busy arguing with each other on smth.

Drawing a deep breath, you focused on your core, feeling a subtle warmth spread through your core to your whole body as your senses sharpen.

With a sudden, fluid motion, you stepped back toward the edge of the rooftop. The cool night air whipped around you as you balanced precariously on the ledge. The city lights below seemed to blur into a mosaic of possibilities.

"Hey!" Robin's voice cut through the night, alarm replacing suspicion as he realized your intent.

But before he or his companion could react, you let yourself fall backward, embracing the void. The sensation of freefall was both terrifying and liberating, a testament to your trust in your new found powers.

As you plummeted, you blew a playful kiss toward the rapidly shrinking figures above. However, just before you could activate your abilities to halt your descent, a sudden jerk halted your fall.

Glancing down, you saw a rope coiled tightly around your left leg, its other end leading upward. Your eyes followed the line to see the man beside Robin wielding a grapple gun, his expression determined.

"Is that a fucking grapple gun?!" you yelled, throwing your arms up in exasperation as you felt yourself being pulled back toward the rooftop.

“Hello again,” you greeted with a wry smile, though it held no warmth.

“Figures why Nightwing told us to be on high alert…” the shorter one muttered under his breath, his tone tinged with annoyance.

Your pout deepened as you realized that wonder boy from yesterday had snitched on you. Mentally cursing Nightwing, you shifted in place, your bindings reminding you just how little freedom you currently had.

“Can you two at least untie me?” you asked, feigning boredom. “I’ll have you know I’m not into this kink… yet.”

Robin rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed by your sass. His irritation radiated like a tangible force as he turned away, refusing to dignify your remark with a response.

The one they called Red Robin, however, crouched down to your level, studying you with a curious intensity. His eyes, though hidden behind his mask, felt like they were peeling back layers, trying to uncover the truth buried beneath your casual façade.

“And what exactly are you into?” he asked, his voice calm but tinged with dry humor, as though testing your reaction.

You tilted your head, your smile sharpening. “Wouldn’t you like to know?"

Suddenly a loud blast echoed from a nearby building, shaking the air and rattling the rooftop beneath you.

All three of you turned your heads toward the source of the explosion. Smoke billowed into the night sky, mingling with Gotham’s ever-present haze.

Robin’s sharp gaze immediately snapped back to you, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. “Was that your doing?” he demanded, his tone icy and accusatory.

You gasped dramatically, tugging at the ropes still binding you. “Excuse me? No! Do I look like I have the time—or the hands free—to plant explosives?”

Robin’s expression remained skeptical, but before he could retort, a crackle from their earpieces interrupted. Both vigilantes stiffened as a voice—likely Batman’s—relayed urgent information.

After a brief exchange, the two of them nodded in silent agreement. You looked between them, utterly bewildered. “What’s going on?” you asked, even though you weren’t expecting an answer.

To your surprise, Red Robin turned to you, his tone clipped but calm. “Someone’s planted multiple bombs in that building. We have to disarm them now.”

“Oh…” you muttered, the gravity of the situation sinking in. Then you wriggled slightly against the ropes. “So, uh, are you going to untie me before you leave?”

Robin’s glare made it clear he wasn’t about to do that. “Stay here until we get back,” he snapped.

“Wait—” you started to protest, but before you could say more, they were gone. Their grappling hooks hissed through the air as they launched themselves toward the chaos, leaving you alone.

You stared at the empty rooftop, slack-jawed. “Huh… HUH?!” you shouted, twisting against the ropes in frustration. “Did they really just leave me tied up here?! What if I get kidnapped? Or, I don’t know, fall off the roof and die?!”

Okay, maybe you were being a little dramatic. But still, leaving you like this? Super rude. 

With a resigned sigh, you shuffled to your feet—no easy feat with your hands bound behind your back. The ropes dug into your wrists as you tested their strength. They were sturdy, clearly designed to restrain someone a lot more dangerous than you. Breaking them wasn’t an option, not with brute strength alone. 

“Great,” you muttered under your breath. “Just fantastic.”

You leaned back against the rooftop’s edge, tilting your head toward the sky. A lone bat flitted across the moonlit expanse, its wings slicing effortlessly through the cool night air. 

“Must be nice to be a bat,” you murmured wistfully. “No ropes, no problems… Just flying wherever you want. Way less complicated.”

The words had barely left your lips when a strange sensation washed over you. The world around you shifted, twisting like a kaleidoscope. Your vision blurred, the rooftop spinning before your eyes. 

You blinked, once, twice, and when the dizziness faded, you looked down. 

Your hands—or rather, where your hands used to be—were gone. In their place were tiny claws, and your body was… smaller? 

“What the—?” you squeaked, but the sound that came out wasn’t your voice—it was a high-pitched chirp. 

Flapping your wings instinctively, you darted upward, and that’s when it hit you.

“I… I’m a bat?!” you yelled—or at least, you tried to. It came out more like a shrill squeak, echoing awkwardly in the night air. Glancing down, you noticed the ropes that had bound you lying uselessly on the ground. It seems that, your transformation has freed you. 

You flapped your tiny wings experimentally, marveling at how effortlessly you soared higher into the sky. Okay, this was… weird. Cool, but weird. 

Now you had two options. One: go home, curl up with some ice cream, and forget this entire bizarre night ever happened. Two: follow those Robin birds.

The logical choice was clear. Who in their right mind would willingly chase after the guys who tied them up and left them stranded on a rooftop? 

…You. 

Because apparently, rationality had taken a backseat tonight. Or maybe it was something else. Their scent lingered in the air, tantalizing in a way you couldn’t quite explain. It was rich and enticing, like the promise of a forbidden feast. 

Your stomach—or whatever bats or succubus have—grumbled. Was this hunger? It felt like it.

Or was this your powers messing with your head? Is this what HE meant by urges? You didn’t know, but the pull was irresistible. Without a second thought, you flapped your wings harder, cutting through the air toward the building they’d disappeared into. 

The closer you got, the stronger the scent became, making your thoughts fuzzy. You weren’t literally drooling, but it was a close call. What the hell was happening to you?

Fun fact i got this chapter done on my birthday but had to wait untill i got someone to beta read it :>

Please tell me if theres smth off about the chapter or the personality of the batboys. Since this is my first time writing ab them, im afraid they are gonna be very ooc.

Also how do ppl upload to ao3 i wanna try but its so confusing 😭

Lastly do yall got any hero name for the succubus reader?? Please help a girl out 😔🎀

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Taglist: @xingyunny @4rachn3 @ferakillia

[spooky-kakashi]

stooopppp why does everybody hate him

the villains, the writers, the reader everyone fucking hates jason todd and tried to kill him