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mochegato · 4 years ago

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Nannyette

Chapter 5 – Fairies Don’t Just Fly

Chapter 1 Chapter 4

“Just a quick in and out, right Tim?” Kon looked pointedly at Tim. “Because I have plans with Cassie.”

“Right, just in and out. I just need to grab the files from his room and we can leave.” Tim assured him quickly.

Kon stared at him, disbelief radiating from his entire being, because he knew Tim was lying. To himself or to Kon, maybe both, but if Marinette was there, Tim was not going to leave quickly. Something would come up. Something needing his immediate attention and then naturally, he couldn’t just leave. She might need help reaching something or she might need a break or she might have some valuable insights on… it didn’t really matter, Tim would come up with something. “I’m holding you to that.” He pointed at him threateningly.

Tim gave him a reassuring smile as he unlocked the door, calling out to them as they walked through to give Marinette and Mar’i a warning before they walked in on them. He turned toward the living room and froze in his tracks, Kon running into him, almost bowling him over.

Marinette was kneeling in the middle of the room pulling warm clothes over Mar’i’s swimsuit. Marinette meanwhile clearly hadn’t gotten the chance to pull all her clothes on before helping Mar’i with hers. She was in just an unbuttoned oxford shirt over her bikini. It wasn’t a particularly revealing bikini but it didn’t have to be for Tim. He had a hard time forming coherent thoughts when she was wrapped in a blanket. But in a bikini? Thank God breathing was an involuntary act because if it wasn’t, he would be dead now.

Marinette looked up at him in mild surprise before giving him a blinding smile. “Hey guys, Kori said you guys were stopping by.” Tim could feel his face turning purple as Marinette sauntered over to them, her open Oxford shirt swaying as she walked. She held out her hand and looked at Kon with a strained smile. “It’s nice to meet you Kon.”

Kon smiled back at her, shaking her hand. “And you too. Tim’s mentioned you… a lot.”

Tim fought the urge to punch him for the comment but Marinette didn’t seem to notice. “That’s nice. He’s mentioned you as well. It’s nice to put a face to the name. Dick said the stuff is in their room.” She turned back to Mar’i, expecting Tim and Kon to move on, but Tim was still frozen in his tracks gaping at her, struggling to breathe.

When she didn’t hear any movement behind her she looked back at them with concern. “You okay, Tim?”

Kon bumped into him as casually as he could to knock him out of his daze. “Yeah,” he started louder than he meant to. Regulating volume was definitely a voluntary act and definitely required more brain power than he was capable of right now. “Yeah,” he said again at a closer to normal volume this time. “What a coincidence. We were going to the pool too.”

Kon looked over at him in barely hidden shock, “We were?” he whispered. Tim jabbed an elbow into his side and gave Marinette a strained smile.

“Oh, that’ll be fun. Did you guys want to walk with us?” She asked kindly. Spending the day with Tim in a swimsuit, with his boyfriend, wasn’t exactly her idea of a great afternoon, but she knew Mar’i would love it.

Mar’i was jumping up and down next to her. “Yes, yes, yes. Come with us!”

Tim’s smile turned a bit more strained, “Uh, sure. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” He turned to Kon and whispered as quietly as he could, “You need to go through Dick’s window and get our trunks as quickly as possible.”

Kon glowered at him, “No, no I don’t. You promised.”

“Bikini, Kon. She’s wearing a bikini.”

Kon gave him an unimpressed look. “We’ve both seen hundreds of women in bikinis and never cared.”

Tim gave him a pleading look, “But it’s Marinette. Please, please do this for me. Please.” His eyes turned desperate.

Kon sighed in defeat and rolled his eyes. “You’re paying for my and Cassie’s next date. And it won’t be cheap.” He turned away from Tim’s triumphant eyes. “I’ll just grab our trunks from Dick’s room. That’s what we were here for anyway.”

<><><><><>

“I can't breathe.” Tim whispered to Kon as they walked toward the indoor pool a short distance behind Marinette and Mar’i after having removed and stored everything but their swimsuits and towels. He now had an unobstructed view of Marinette in her bikini and his lungs were starting to rebel.

“You can breathe.” Kon rolled his eyes at Tim.

“No, no, I can't breathe.” Tim repeated, panic clear in his eyes.

“Tim, you can breathe. You're fine. Stop it.”

“No, really I can't. Look at her. I can't. I can't breathe. I'm going to pass out.” Tim stopped and bent over trying to gasp for breath.

“Well, that'll be sexy. I'm sure she'll go for that.” Kon responded calmly, continuing to walk forward without looking back.

Tim glared at him, focusing on his annoyance instead of Marinette until his breathing slowed down. It wasn’t enough that she was sweet and smart and strong and skilled, she had to be sexy too? It was just playing dirty, really.

He was finally brought out of his thoughts when he heard Mar’i, Marinette, and Kon laughing as they splashed Kon. He smiled at the scene. Marinette looked over at him with a brilliant smile, “You coming in?”

He smiled back at her, an edge of nervousness still present. He jumped into the pool, creating as big a splash as he could in the shallow water. Mar’i and Marinette giggled at the movement. Mar’i ran over to the kiddie slide to hide. Tim walked up behind Kon, keeping his eyes on Marinette, “Make sure I don't drown.”

Kon rolled his eyes but bumped his shoulder with his own. “I got your dork ass.”

“That’s all I ask.” Tim nodded at him solemnly, making his way over to Mar’i and Marinette.

“Since when,” Kon scoffed quietly, following him over.

“Look at the mermaids, Marinette! They’re like the mermaids from Peter Pan.” Mar’i grinned up at her, before her eyes grew wide. “We should play Peter Pan! Kon can be Peter and I can be Tinker Bell because we can fly.”

Kon’s eyes grew wide and he looked over to Tim in a panic, trying to catch his eye. Mar’i was revealing their secret to Marinette, but Tim wasn’t concerned at all. He understood Tim’s interest in her, but he knew better than to throw away their secret identities. Why wasn’t he reacting? Surely he wasn’t that far gone.

Marinette smiled at her and crouched down next to her, “but we don’t fly at the pool silly, we swim.” Kon stared at her and back to Tim. Did she… did she know? “But you can still be a fairy. Fairies don’t just fly, you know.” She leaned in as if to pass on an extremely important secret. “I should know, I’m best friends with a few.”

Mar’i considered her explanation and finally nodded in agreement. “I can be a swimming fairy!” She exclaimed excitedly. “And Marinette can be Wendy and Tim can be… Captain Hook!”

“Why am I the villain?” Tim asked with a mock pout.

“Because you’re important and all the other main people are taken.” She looked at him and cocked her head to the side, studying him carefully. “I guess you could be Michael…” she mused quietly. “He liked to pout a lot too.”

Tim’s mouth dropped in mock offense. Marinette tried to stifle her giggles but Kon flat out laughed hard enough he had doubled over. Tim collapsed on Marinette’s shoulder, needing the support after that blow to his ego. Well, he didn’t need to lean on her, but he did it anyway. With his head buried in his arm, he missed the way Marinette flushed deeply at the contact. Kon however, was front and center for it. He smirked at the reaction.

“How about we let Tim choose.” Marinette suggested instead, moving reluctantly away from Tim and his outrageously, unfairly toned, almost naked body. “He can be Hook, or Michael, or another fairy, or a mermaid, or… oooohhhh he could be the Tick Tock Croc and try to get us!”

Tim grinned maliciously “Tick” he said quietly crouching down low. “Tock” he moved closer to Mar’i who squealed in delight.

“Marinette save me! Save me!” She giggled trying to run to Marinette but falling in the water. She turned toward Tim, still in scrambling in the water, a smile on her face.

Marinette rushed over to her and grabbed her out of the water trying to back away from Tim who was still moving slowly toward them to the tune of “Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock”.

“He’s getting close!” Mar’i called loudly with a smile.

“Oh no!” Marinette grinned back at her before shifting her expression to mock seriousness. “Time for plan B. Kon, come take care of your man while I save the fairy.”

“Nuh uh,” Kon shook his head. “He’s not my man. I take no responsibilities for him outside of… uh… cases.” Kon quickly looked for a replacement for missions. “He’s totally up for grabs.” He winked at Marinette.

Marinette stared at him for a few seconds unsure of what he meant, trying to process what he said. Did he… did he mean they weren’t dating? Did Tim think they were but Kon didn’t? Oh God, poor Tim! She was shaken out of her thoughts by Mar’i shifting in her arms, “He’s almost got us!” she squealed.

Marinette turned back to Tim who was just a few feet away now and had dark pink dusting his cheeks for some reason, probably Kon saying they weren’t together. Her heart tightened in sympathy for him. But she wasn’t going to let Tim suffer. She was going to make this fun for him and distract him from what Kon had said. She gave Mar’i a determined look. “I’ll hold him off, Kon can save you. Kon, catch in 3, 2, 1.” She called to him before tossing Mar’i to him. Mar’i landed in the water just in front of Kon, whose arms were around her before her arms reached the water and pulling her up, her face set with an overjoyed expression.

“I’ve got you fairy princess,” Kon grinned at her. They both looked back to see Marinette trying to hold off Tim. He jumped at her, grabbing her around the waist as they fell into the water. She popped up out of the water and wiped the water out of her eyes. She looked around quickly to gain her bearings before seeing Tim who just emerged with a devious grin. She narrowed her eyes playfully and jumped toward him, putting her hands on his shoulders to push him down. Tim went under the water but pushed back up quickly, grabbing her around the waist again, lifting her out of the water and holding her so she couldn’t get him again. She giggled and squirmed in his arms before shifting her weight and twisting so she fell to the side, taking him with her. She pushed back up to the surface and turned to Kon and Mar’i, “Go! I don’t know how much longer I can distract h...” Tim grabbed her again before she could finish her sentence, swinging her around with a laugh she matched.

Kon leaned over to Mar’i’s ear. “I bet she could distract him for the rest of the day without even trying.”

Mar’i nodded at him completely missing the implication, “Yeah, she’s pretty entertaining and he always seems to get distracted by her. Not as much as her though. She’s always falling for him.” She shook her head at the memories. Her eyes suddenly lit up and she straightened up in Kon’s arms. “Oh, they should go on a date.”

Kon smiled conspiratorially at her, “We should work on that. We can come up with some ideas, but it will be a secret.” He held a finger to his lips.

Mar’i smiled back and nodded at him. “I won’t tell.”

They looked back over to Marinette and Tim in time to see Marinette slip on a slick patch of pool floor. Tim reached out to pull her back up, wiping the hair out of her eyes with a concerned look. Marinette flushed deeply at the contact. “I don’t think we’ll have to work that hard at all,” Kon commented with a smile.

Chapter 6

Tags:

@timari-month-event, @ichigorose @stainedglassm @better-toast @theymakeupfairies @trippingovermyfeet

#maribat #timari #timinette #timari january #Nannyette #prompt - Peter Pan/Neverland AU

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opheliawillowbrook · 4 years ago

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Fuck Movie Night

Hey guys! I So it was my good friend and editor @ravenfan1242's birthday this passed week and she was wanting a fun Damirae fit so I felt inspirited and wrote this for her. I hope you guys enjoy this one. I've really fallen in love with this paring and drew inspiration from an infamous sketch by the talented @kasieli and a prompt from Damirae week 2020.

Anyway enjoy you found the title funny!

With Love --Ophelia

Fuck Movie Night

"Women really like this crap?" Damian bemoaned disdainfully at the romanticized depiction of a dysfunctional relationship between a 200 year-old vampire and an impressionable teenage girl.

"Not all of us," Raven replied evenly, not bothering to look up from her book.

It was Movie Night, a weekly tradition among those who resided at Titans Tower. However, Movie Night never really went as smoothly as one might hope. And to the dismay of anyone with dignity or any practical sense, it was Kory’s turn to pick the movie.

"Oh I think it's sweet," she sang, cuddling up to her boyfriend who, for the sake of getting laid, kept his true opinions of the film and it's more contemptible elements to himself.

"It's not that bad."

"I'm not really sure your opinion can be counted as uncompromised, Grayson?” Damian condescended to his elder brother.

"Someday when you fall for a girl, you'll make compromises, trust me," Dick promised as he'd made many, including sitting through countless shitty movies. “Though I will say I prefer romcoms.”

Damian’s scowl deepened: He would say that. "I'd rather keep my dignity intact, thank you."

"You say that now," Raven drawled, giving him a playful glance and finally peered up from her book.

The young hero felt his blood rush, his face flushing at the alluring look in her eyes. Still, it was safe to say he could never quite read her, which brought him to his next issue with the film.

"Also everyone is always going on about how age of consent is important, yet it's okay for a 200 year-old man to be, not only pursuing a pliant teenage girl, but obsessing over her in the manner of a serial killer?"

"That's actually a really good point," Raven noted, still hardly engaged.

"Uh, but Rae," Beast Boy suddenly chimed in, his brilliance ready to be bestowed upon the group in all it's intellectual glory, "you're reading a vampire novel?"

Raven only grimaced with light contempt "You're Point, Sherlock?"

"So what's that about?" The green boy asked.

"First of all: it's a Gothic Horror, not a vampire novel, and second: I like it?"

"It says here that Carmilla is the sotry of a young protagonist, Laura, who is prayed upon by a lesbian vampire who expresses romantic desire and sexual attraction for the girl..." Jaimie added with growing shock, looking the title up on wikipedia.

Both Gar and Damian glared at her in question and a hint of boyish intrigue.

"The book doesn’t state that outright, but that's the implication in the subtext,” Raven admitted dryly and looked back down at the text.

"That’s really Hot," Gar hummed impishly much to Damian’s disgust.

However, it was safe to say the young hero quietly agreed with the shapeshifter: The idea was indeed hot, but evermore confusing, as he often found himself reading between her signals or rather lack thereof. Still, Damian couldn't just allow Garfield Logan to objectify Raven like that, or possibly even steal her away.

"How uncultured of you, Logan."

"For once I agree with the Brat Prince," Jaimie droned cynically.

"You're the one who brought it up, Reyes," Damian hissed.

"I was just reiterating what I read on wikipedia, it's not my fault Gar's a douche. Plus you thought it was hot too. Don’t act like you're not into it."

"I’m not even gonna dignify that with a response," was all Damian could say, as it was half true.

“I’d love to see Raven with 20 precent off!” Gar joked with no shame, earning a mortified glare from Raven as her face turned beet red.

"Well this conversation took a turn," Raven mused in annoyance.

“Yeah it did,” Dick finally chimed in, as the conversation had taken on an entirely different inclination. “Let’s take about 20 percent off'er, guys.”

Damian swiftly, and without a second thought, jammed the sharp of his elbow into Gars arm, causing the boy to howl in pain.

“What the fuck, Damian!”

“No esse, you earned that.”

“You really did,” Dick seconded in approval.

“I do not condone the use of violence amongst friends, but yes Garfield, that was very inappropriate,” Kory added, as if his appalled mother.

Raven smiled, satisfied with the group’s response and Damian’s chivalry, giving him a subtle grin. He took pause, his eyes studying the very curves of her smile and drifted downward, following her hand as trailed down her neck to her collar bone, then seemingly down to her—

“You’re a real asshole, Damian! That hurt!” Gar whined indigintly.

“Have a little tact next time,” Damian droned, the moment between him and Raven ruined… If there even was one? “Anyhow, my point is what the hell kind of mixed messaging is this? On the one hand, you have women consistently telling us how they don’t want our attention and they just want to be left alone, and then they fawn over shit like this and 50 Shades of Grey (God that hurts to acknowledge that as a work of literature).... How is that even A thing? Honestly, I don't know what to think anymore?”

“What are you bitching about?” Dick asked, as he’d drifted off from the conversation.

“I think he means why is society telling us one thing and then popular media is telling us the complete opposite?” Jaimie clarified.

“Exactly. I know that this example is far beyond the boundaries of acceptable behavior, but at the same time, it seems like girls want to be chased? Am I wrong?”

“Well to be fair, popular media is trash,” Raven sighed, still reading her book, “but the truth is there's a fine line?”

“How fine?” Gar asked, with daring insinuation.

“I think what Raven means is that girls like confidence and a show of affection towards us,” Kory said more broadly and kind.

Raven nodded in agreement, adding, “Yeah, just from guys we’re instreaded in.”

“And how are we supposed to know whether or not you’re interested? Damian asked with caution, as this was the dilemma he’d been faced with for quite some time.

“I’m gonna be really clear about this,” Raven said, placing her book down and stared straight at Damian and Gar, as there was a message attached for each of them. “Now this is my personal policy on what I will not accept or do with a guy I’m not interested in. Okay? We got it?” she said, waiting for both boys to nod. “Okay, good. One, I do not accept favors: Favors can be used to guilt you into doing things that you’re not comfortable with or leverage you into further interactions you wouldn’t participate in otherwise. Two, never let a guy you have no interest in dating buy you food or meals, especially if it’s expensive, it sends the wrong message: Pay for your own dinner. And three, don’t accept gifts from a guy unless you're interested: Simply put, don’t be a greedy bitch.”

“But Tarra used to let me do all those things for her and she let me go… Oh...”

“Answered your own question there, huh?” Jaimie drawled, while Damian scrunched his nose in deep confusion.

“Nobody likes a greedy bitch,” Dick mumbled and noticed Damian, still calculating everything he’d just heard.

“So then based on everything you just said,” Gar mused in further disappointment. “You’re not interested in me, RaeRae?”

“Not even a little.”

“Ouch, you’re gonna need burn cream for that, esse” Jaime laughed.

“Oh, and I never hang out with a guy outside of a group setting unless I’m interested in dating him,” Raven added, as she too realized Damian was still heavily combing over the list of romantic precepts.

“Wait a second,” Damian finally said. “That makes no sense?”

“How do you figure that, Boy Wonder?” Raven asked, curiously.

“Well I alway do you favors, and pay for your meals, I won you that stuffed cat at the fair and we hang out, just the two of us, all the time?”

“Yeah?” Raven replied, in a cross tone.

“Oh my God, how are they that fucking clueless?” Dick groaned, as he and Kory had known about Raven and Damian's mutual attraction to each other for quite some time.

“Really Damian?” Kory added in disappointment. “She just spelled it out for you?”

“And I thought Gar was oblivious.”

Damian glared at everyone still not reading between the lines. “Wait… What am I… OH WOW, I am fucking stupid. I totally missed that...”

“You think?” Raven scolded. “Anyway, us girls like to be chased by guys we like, and then we catch them."

"Sounds hot."

“Come off it, Gar. She just said she doesn't like you like that," Jaimie disapproved, reminding Gar he'd been out right rejected.

Only that never stopped him before. "Chicks like a guy who's persistent."

"Did you hear a single word I just said?" Raven glowered. "Only from guys we like."

"I'm game to change your mind, plus I'm a feminist."

A unified groan filled the room, accompanied by eye rolls and face palms.

“Not this again,” Dick whined, as not only was this claim not really true, but it was made in poor taste.

"You're just saying that as a ploy to get laid,” Jaimie grimaced.

"No shit. And as a rule of thumb I don't date male feminists," Raven added flatly.

"Why's that?" Kory asked, knitting her brow curiously.

"Because male feminist are jerks and creeps.”

"She’s got a point," Dick noted. "Joss Weiden, Harvey Weinstein and possibly even worse, Hugo Schewzyer."

"Who the hell is Hugo Schewzyer?" Damian frowned.

"Just a gender studies professor that used to fuck his younger, impressionable female students," Raven clarified.

"He also tried to commit a murder suicide with an ex girlfriend in 1988."

"Which is entirely my point,” Raven sighed. “Though I will say I’m a little disappointed in the Joss Weiden thing. Buffy is my soul.”

“Again with the vampire thing, Rae?” Gar snickered.

And Dick immediately groaned, “Buffy is off limits, don’t even go there.”

“I wish Buffy’d stake Edward right now,” Damian added in annoyance.

"Well this took a very dark turn, yet humorous," Kory said sadly, regretting the can of worms she’d opened.

"It really did, and on that note, I'm gonna call it a night," Raven sighed and stretched her arms.

"Wait, you're going to bed?" Damian asked, confused. "After everything you just said?"

"Yeah, it wouldn't be girl logic if I didn't leave you high dry, Bird Boy," she smirked flirtatiously and passed him by, giving a sly wink.

Damian scowled, clueless as usual. He crossed his arms and settled back into his chair with great discontent. Mostly for the fact he just wanted to talk to her about his feelings. (Or try to at least; he was still Damian after all.) But it seemed that'd just have to wait…

"Be patient Dami, now at least you know Raven actually likes you," Kory assured in a supportive tone. "And you're not a male feminist so that helps."

"I don't think you're helping, babe."

"Oh, sorry..."

Damian only rolled his eyes in greater annoyance. How could he win the girl and still be rejected all once? How did that make any sense? According to Raven he'd done everything right… well all except pickup on her cues, but what could he do? He was raised by demon wolves and bats. Were all those Buffy Marathons for nothing?

Still, he knew how he felt and he wanted to tell her: Tell her how he admired her bravery, her strength, and that she was always ready to stand and fight… Not to mention how pretty she was when she smiled at him, and how his heart skipped a beat when she touched him, or how much he wanted to make her… don't work yourself up, Damian, she’s not even here, he thought, feeling his face get hot as it often did when he thought of her in such sinful ways. But it seemed he was still on his own, for now.

"Humm?" Damian hummed, as he noticed Raven had forgotten her book. Without much thought, Damian rose from the armchair and walked across the room to retrieve the misplaced tome.

"What are you doing?" Dick asked.

"Raven forgot her book," he replied. "I'm just gonna bring it to her and turn in myself."

"Sparkling vampires too exciting for you?" Jaimie chuckled.

“As father likes to say: And they wonder why cinema is dying?"

“You should hear his opinions on Joel Schumacher,” Dick added, recalling one partcular movie with Goerge Cloony.

“Who the hell is… never mind, I get the feeling I don’t wanna know?”

“You really don’t.”

“Then on that note, goodnight…”

Damian turned and made his way to the hall, the lights dim as he made his way down the windowless corridors. Alone, his mind began to wander, thinking of how many opportunities he'd missed. One particular incident came to mind. Raven had come to him one day, complaining about a strange mark she'd discovered on her chest. Concerned, Damian began to ask her some investigative questions:

"Is it a rash?"

"No, I don't think so?"

"Does it hurt?"

"A little."

"Could it be a burn?"

"Yes! Maybe?… Could you look at it?"

He paused, a slight blush showing on his face. "Can't Kory?"

"She's out for the day and I don't think it would be appreciated asking Dick… I guess, if you're not comfortable, I know Gar would be more than willing—"

Gar? Hell no! "No, I better do it," Damian assured, not wanting Garfield's greedy eyes or hands on his precious Raven.

"Good I'd much rather you do it," she said slowly and grinned. "I mean, look at it."

"Okay…?"

She took his hand and he followed her into her room where she promptly closed the door. He recalled the way she looked at him, it was odd, she seemed a little too excited to have been plagued by a medical mystery. He watched as she sat down on her bed and signaled for him to join her.

"Are you sure this is really appropriate, Raven?"

She rolled her eyes and shook head. "Damian, just get over here."

"Alright," he groaned defensively, and sat on her bed with caution. "So um, where exactly is the burn?"

"Um here," she smiled coyly, and pulled the collar of her button up down from her neck.

Damian took a deep breath and leaned over, peering at the bare space between her fair neck and delicate collar bone. "I don't see anything?"

"You're just not close enough," Raven insisted, and scooted closer to him. "What about now?"

He leaned in a bit closer, catching the soft scent of lavender on her hair. He inhaled deep, the fragrance filling his head with an intoxicating rush. He pressed his lips together and exhaled, and for a moment, he thought he saw her quiver as the heat of his breath rolled over her neck. She turned her head, biting her lip and tucked her black hair behind her ear. Her mere smile ceasing his heart beat.

"I still don't see anything," Damian breathed, his cheeks flushed as Raven rolled her eyes. "You sure there's even anything there?"

"It's there, you just have to look lower, I guess?"

"How am I supposed to do that?"

Raven shrugged, "I'll just unbutton my blouse..."

"What!" he exclaimed, unsure what to think.

Raven warily glared at him, one eyebrow arched in question. “It’s fine, relax,” she dismissed, as he watched her fingers undoing the buttons. “Y’know, most guys would be really into this?” she mumbled.

She looked up at him once the first few came undone and smiled mischievously. His eyes glanced down, trying to avoid her stare, only to focus on her thin fingers and the pale skin peeking out from just beneath the garment.

“There,” she sighed, undoing the last button and pulled the fabric back, revealing the more intimate details of her breasts.

“Whoa,” he gasped without thinking, forgetting himself.

“Is it bad?” Raven said with an odd smile, as if she was trying to hide it, but not quite able to do so.

“Oh—uh, let me see,” he stumbled, trying to pull himself together, once again leaning in, only closer this time, as she claimed her affliction was lower. “Stay still, Raven.”

She could feel his breath heat her skin, fighting the urge to giggle or moan. “...I’m trying...” she hummed nervously, as his words tickled her neck.

He studied her closely, looking just under her clavicle and even further to her breast, but nothing seemed amiss. In fact, her snowy white skin was perfect, everything about her was perfect.

“There’s nothing here, it looks fine,” he finally shrugged at a loss.

“It was there earlier, and still burns?”

“Where?” he frowned in failure.

“Here,” she said, and took his hand only to place it over the curve of her right breast, slipping his fingertips just under the strap of her bra.

His breath caught sharp in his throat as his hand tensed over the warm, gentle plane of her skin. She said nothing as she looked back at him hotly and let her fingers brush over his hand, feeling his touch relax against her.

“I’m beginning to think you don’t have anything wrong with you?”

She shook her head, “Guilty.”

“Then why in the world would you have me look at you like this?”

“Oh Damian,” she sighed slowly, looking at his lips longingly. “You have so much to learn about girls, don’t you?”

Just as the words left her parted lips, the door flew open, Kory standing there, her head turned into the hall, calling something back to Gar.

“I’ll check on Raven, Garfield, thank you.”

Raven darted up and ran into the bathroom, leaving Damian to cover for them. Bad idea.

Kory turned, pausing at the sight of the boy sitting on Raven’s bed still mortified and harshly confused. “Damian, what are you doing here? You know I don’t allow boys and girls to fraternize behind closed doors.”

“That seems very hypocritical of you.”

“Excuse me?”

It was then that Raven came out of the bathroom, wearing a completely different shirt and acted as if nothing happened. “Oh hey Kory?”

“Raven, I was just telling Damian how I DO NOT allow cohabitation.”

“Sorry, I was just helping Damian with his Latin. He’s having trouble getting through the works of Ovid, especially the racer parts.”

This was a total lie, as Damian was actually quite fluid in Latin. However, poor Kory didn’t know the difference between Latin and Pig Latin, nor did she know Ovid from Virgil.

“That’s fine, but do it in a common area not your bedroom with the door closed.”

“I take it you don’t trust us?” Damian said, a bit cross with the alien’s additude.

“Individually yes, together no,” she said, sharply, only she wasn’t looking at Damian, she was looking at Raven, which he found odd. Granted, he found the whole thing odd.

Kory once again reiterated that she did not want to find them alone again, and that they were to get their study materials (of which were fictional) and finish their lesson in the common room.

“We will Kory, sorry,” Raven apologized. “Gar just makes it really hard to concentrate, right Damian?”

He nodded, he had no issue with throwing Logan under the bus whether he was guilty or not. “Yes, he can be quite vexing.”

“Very well then, I’ll send Garfield to his room. You have ten minutes,” Kory said, turning to leave, adding, “and leave the door open.”

“Okay,” Raven replied and turned to Damian, his face filled with dozens of questions. “That was close.”

“No shit,” Damian scowled. “What were you even trying to pull, Roth?”

“You really are clueless aren’t you?”

Damian finally reached her room, realizing now clueless he was. He glanced down at the book in his hands. He’d heard of it, but he’d never read it. He’d taken to reading some of the Gothic Horrors Raven had recommended for him. Oddly enough it was Frankestien’s Monster he felt the most connection to, as the creature (very misunderstood) was not in fact the real monster, no. It was the man who created him. Damian felt for the monster, knowing how it felt to not only be an outsider in a strange world, but created out of impure intentions.

He sighed looking up from the title, the the gothic vampire tales were interesting, but they were very predictable as they alway had three things: Primal thirst, sex and blood.

As Raven once told him, “The tale of the vampire in gothic fiction is a sexual metaphor: There’s the chase, the unyielding desire, the domineering figure, submission, penetration, a fluid exchange and finally, the climax of death.”

“Forget what Gar said, now that was hot,” Damian admitted to no one, and finally knocked on her door. “Hey Raven it’s me?” He waited a moment until she pulled open her door and Damian explained the need for his intrusion. “You forgot your book.”

“Took you long enough,” she replied, gripping him in by the collar of his hoodie and planting a long awaited, and victorious kiss on his lips.

The hero froze at first, not expecting the embrace, but soon let himself melt into her warmth and give into her charms. As it was now clear he had her heart all along.

“Sorry it took me so long,” he whispered against her lips. “I really am clueless.”

“It’s okay, it was kinda cute,” she grinned. “Plus I can think of a few ways you can make it up to me,” she hummed low and placed her hand on his belt.

Damian blushed as he felt her finger tips curl between the leather and his bare skin. “I’m going out on a limb here, and with my track record it is very possible I’m reading this wrong, but are you saying what I think you are?”

A kittenish grin stretched across her face. “You tell me? Ball’s in your court, Bird Boy.”

He took her face in his hand, letting his thumb run over her lips as they parted and kissed her. He felt her sigh against his mouth and softly brushed the tip of his tongue over hers.

“Get in here, Boy wonder,” she giggled, biting his bottom lip hungrily.

“Didn’t Kory specifically instruct us that we’re not allowed—”

“Damian, do you wanna punch your V-card or what?” she droned in near annoyance.

He paused staring at her hard, as every ounce of blood in his body suddenly rushed downward. “If we get caught I’ll just say the movie gave me the wrong idea.”

“You do realize they wait until marriage, right?”

“Don’t give me a reason to second guess myself, Roth.”

“I think you’re a little too far gone to be second guessing anything,” she teased feeling the growing tension press against her and pulled him into her room, closing the door behind them.

(And that’s all you get for free! But don’t worry I’ll make it up to you at a later date, I have one hell of treat for you guys coming down the pipeline. ;D Ps sorry for being A TROLL.)

The movie had finally come to an end though it had ended well over an hour ago. The two remaining Titans had fallen asleep as well as Kory, who had yet to make it to the end of a single film. Dick finally rose from the couch, waking up by the horrific sound of Gar’s snoring. He scoffed, the sound more than his nerves could bear, like a hug choking it’s slop, and tried to shake Kory awake. But if there was one thing he’d learned about the Alien, it is that she slept deeply and little more than a meteor destroying the earth could wake her.

After a few minutes he finally gave up and realized, his suffering had been all for naught. He groaned, in disappointment, not even bothering to wake the sleeping boys.

“Not my problem,” he yawned and made his way down the hall in a sleepy stupor.

(Fine, I'll give you something…) Meanwhile:

The demon birds, still lay in bed, their arms tangled around each other, finally catching their breath. The first attempt was a bit of a fumbling failure as first times usually are, but luckily for Raven, Damian wasn’t a quitter.

“Better?” he breathed, his chest falling heavy beneath the heat of her palm.

“Way better, yeah,” she smiled up, feeling his fingers stroke her hair calmly.

Damian smiled wide, pretty pleased with himself.

“So, totally worth it?” Raven asked, sliding up to meet him.

He nodded. “Very.”

He drew her into a passionate kiss and tangled his finger through the back of her hair. He could feel her fingernails rake down his jaw, drinking him in. She chose him as her first; he just hoped he’d also be her last.

They finally broke after a long moment, rural green looking deep into dark violet pools of mystery and wonder. Until finally she spoke.

“So I guess this is the part where we never speak to each other again?”

The bliss on Damian's expression completely dissolved and a worrisome scowl creased deep in his face. “What?”

Her face remained stone cold and emotionless, until a smirk finally broke. “I’m just just fucking with you” she chuckled and playfully kissed him again.

“That’s not funny,” he groaned with relief.

“I’ll admit, it was shitty of me, but the look on your face was priceless,” she laughed and pushed herself up right to her knees. “But for real, you gotta go before Kory finds us.”

He nodded and finally rose from the bed to gather his clothes. He glanced over as Raven and slipped on a blue robe and tied it around the lustful curves of her body, only now he knew them intimately, and she knew him. Now it almost hurt to let her go.

“So are we like together now?”

She looked over at him and smiled coyly. “Do you wanna be?”

He blushed, the answer was a resounding yes, but to outright say it, he feared would make him seem desperate. Vulnerability was not at all a face he wore well. Though the thought of never touching her again... that left him scared.

“If that’s what you want…”

“Then ask me?”

He smiled foolishly, he didn’t really know how to word it. Then he recalled something his father said: “Actions, not words.”

He pulled her in once again, kissing her with as much passion and heat as he could give her. He felt her gasp as his hands slipped under her robe and indulged himself a minute, letting his hands drift across her newly discovered places.

“I think we should hold off on round 3,” she giggled and gently pushed him away. “We’d just be pushing our luck.”

He nodded and smiled. “So is that a yes?”

Her smile widened and glanced away, trying to contain her giddiness. “I thought it kinda went without saying, but I know how traditional you can be, so yes, we’re together.”

She watched as his face beamed, his heart full; she’d never seen him so happy. They shared one final kiss before Damian finally took his leave, bidding her goodnight.

He slowly let go of her hand and stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind him. But the rare smile on his face was short lived as his eyes met those of his shocked older brother.

Damian froze, trying not to look guilty, but his eyes and dissolved appearance said everything.

“Did you uh, return Raven’s book?”

Damian only nodded, eyes wide, face dripping with mortification.

“Okay… did you guys uh… use a book cover?”

“A what?” Damian asked cautiously.

“Y’know, a book cover?,” Dick repeated, “To protect the book?”

“Oh yes,” Damian nodded, his face evermore red.

“Okay then,” Dick nodded, “good for you,” he added and punched his arm.

“Wait you’re not mad?”

“No,” Dick chuckled, “If I’m being honest, my first time was in the tower too and I was about your age.”

“Is that why Kory’s so strict about fraternizing behind closed doors?”

“In short, yes,” Dick confirmed sheepishly. “But just know, if you two get caught, I saw nothing. Got it, I’ll deny everything.”

Damian nodded awkwardly. “Did you two ever get caught?”

“What do you think?”

Damian pressed his lips together and shrugged. “Well then um... thanks for your understanding. I appreciate you being so calm about this.”

“It is what it is,” Dick sighed, “but if you need to talk or y’know, have questions, you can always ask me…”

“I’m not gonna do that, but thank you,” Damian grimaced.

“No problem...”

“I’m gonna go to bed now.”

“Okay, I’ll leave you to your moment of glory,” Dick teased, and tousled the young hero’s hair. “Our little Dami’s all grown up.”

“Cut the shit, Grayson,” Damian growled, and swatted the elder hero away.

“Sorry, I’m realizing you're not a little kid anymore,” Dick sighed reminiscently, recalling his socially ignorant demeanor, bratty attitude, and pretentious sense of entitlement.

“You’re never gonna let me live this down, are you?”

“Nope,” Dick chuckled, “Night!”

“Goddnight,” Damian grimaced, and headed to his room at last, his mind wandering back to Raven’s warm embrace, still bewildered by it all: The rush, the sensation, the taste, and the sound of his name as it rolled off her in a hot breath. Yet more than anything it was that deeper connection.

He finally entered the safy of his room and closed the door, leaning back on it as he caught his breath for the first time. A shit eating grin stretched across his face: He got the girl, the glory and something more—he was in love.

“Maybe movie night isn’t so bad after all?”

(For real though that Movie is pretty bad)

Fin

#damirae #damirae week 2020 #raven dc #raven teen titans #justice league vs teen titans #teen titans judas contract #Dark apocalypse war #damain wayne #nightwing #dick grayson #damirea fanfiction #starfire #garfield logan #beast boy #blue beetle #robin teen titans #robin #demonbirds

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wellthatjusthappend · 6 years ago

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I have seen the stuff you've done with previous stories and I love your writing, the way you wrote your stories are amazing honestly. could you do a story where omega jason and alpha roy are married and jason has given birth to the first child and having a small with them baby, lian. cue the bat family only finding out that they're married when jason does not turn up for a mission because he's on maternity leave. it all kicks off and their totally pisserd because he hasn't told them jack shit.

Ooh, yeah I can do that. I freaking love writing Red Fam. And Jason would go elope without telling anyone.

“Jesus Christ kiddo, you’re a mess,” grumbled Jason lifting the squirming infant up onto the changing table.

Honestly, the first day they could go a whole day without multiple clothes changes, Jason was going to be tempted to shoot off some fireworks or some shit. Roy would probably be even worse.

As if summoned by the thought, Roy wrapped his arms around Jason’s middle and molded himself to his back.

“How’s my baby?” he cooed, resting his chin on Jason’s shoulder.

“You better be talking about our daughter,” Jason said dryly, continuing to pull a new onesie over her head.

“Of course,” Roy chirped. Jason didn’t believe him for a second.

“Well, since you asked, she’s been a screaming, puking, shitting mess,” Jason grumbled, “She is a newborn after all.”

“You love her~”

“I know I do. I pushed the noisy gremlin out; she’s a fucking treasure,” Jason said hoisting the happily drooling girl back into his arms and kissing her forehead while Roy snickered.

“You know I kinda miss the baby bump,” mused Roy stroking Jay’s stomach thoughtfully, “It was super cute.”

“Fucking inconvieniet is what it was.”

“A little sexy too.”

“You would think that, weirdo.”

“We should make another,” Roy mused, shifting to kiss their little girl’s black hair.

“Don’t even think about it,” Jason threatened, narrowing his eyes.

“Aw, you quite liked making the first one if I remember correctly,” Roy purred, turning his head to nuzzle against the bond mark on Jason’s neck.

Jason couldn’t quite suppress pleasant the shiver the touch caused. Nor the Heat tinged memories it brought up: pushing his husband down and snarling in pleasure when his knot finally locked into place. Jason would always be grateful that Roy was an Alpha that loved being sexually dominated by his Omega partners. They probably would have never worked otherwise.

“Don’t be fucking gross in front of the kids,” Jason said a little gruffly kicking him in the shins.

“She doesn’t understand,” Roy grinned, “besides, you like it when I’m fucking-”

“DADDY!”

Jason and Roy both jumped as Lian toddled into the room pointing at Roy.

“DAS’ A BAD WORD, DADDY!”

“Yes, sweetheart, Daddy’s sorry. Inside voices please,” Roy said kneeling down next to his first daughter.

“FUCKING-”

“No, thank you, babycakes,” Roy laughed nervously.

“Daycare is going to love that one,” Jason snorted, bouncing slightly as the baby in his arms began to fuss.

“Oh please, it was only a matter of time before you cursed in front of her,” grumbled Roy.

“CAN I HOLD THE BABY J-DADDY?”

“Can you remember your inside voice?” Jason grinned at his step-daughter as he plopped down into a chair.

“Can I hold the baby, J-Daddy?” Lian asked slightly quieter, but no less eagerly as she clambered up onto the arm of the chair.

“If you eat your dinner,” Jason granted. She was too little to do it on her own, but if Jason or Roy was there to help her, there was few things Lian enjoyed more than holding her new baby sister.

Well, maybe candy or flying with her Auntie Kori, but those were hard to beat.

“Speaking of dinner,” Roy said coming to perch on the other arm of the chair as Jason fumbled one handed to get his shirt open enough for the baby to start feeding, “I made some stew for you guys that should be ready in like 40 minutes, but are you sure you’re good to do bedtime on your own today? I can get Connor to cover for me.”

“Connor has been covering for you almost every other night since this one was born,” Jason said adjusting his hold, “We’ll be fine. Go give the kid a break.”

“If you’re sure,” Roy said leaning over to give him a kiss.

Jason let his eyes fall closed as he leaned into his Alpha’s touch. He never thought he’d be in this sort of domestic situation… used to swear up and down as a kid that he’d never be some alpha’s stay at home omega bitch. But it’d never been like that with Roy. In fact, Roy ended up doing far more of the domestic work than Jason did (since he made half of the messes anyway).

It’d be another month or so until Jason was street ready again after months out of training while he was pregnant. Even when the time came though, the idea of leaving his girls at home with someone else filled him with anxiety.

He’d figure it out later.

“I WAN’ A KISS TOO!” Lian announced right in his ear.

“You got it, Princess,” Roy winced, his ears clearly ringing slightly too.

Jason let himself smile fondly as he looked at his new family. It was perfect.

His phone buzzed with another emergency all-hands mission from Gotham, but Jason just pressed ignore as usual.

If it was truly important, someone would tell Roy.

****

Jason woke up bolt-right in the middle of the night not knowing what had woken him.

The baby was asleep- for once- in the crib next to the bed and he could see Lian was out light a light in the next room as well from the monitor. He looked around blurrily, his pulse still racing for whatever reason. Roy was still out on patrol and would be for another hour or two at least. For sanity’s sake, Jason quickly tested a few of the custom alarms Roy had set up from his phone.

They were all turned off.

Feeling much more alert, Jason unlocked to safe by the bed with a touch of his finger and grabbed his knives (the guns and ammo were locked separately elsewhere much more securely out of curious fingers reach) before rolling to his feet. He needed to get Lian and move her to the room so he could guard both children more effectively, but-

Movement by the door.

Jason had a knife at their throat in an instant.

“Give me one good reason not to slice you open,” he hissed.

“Jay! You’re alright!” Dick breathed out a sigh of relief, completely unconcerned about the knife at his throat.

The light in the living room flicked on and Jason blinked as he took in the sight of most of the rest of the Bat’s easing out of the shadows.

“What the fuck are you doing breaking into my house in the middle of the night?!” Jason snarled quietly.

“You haven’t been answering Mission calls,” Bruce said unrepentantly.

“So? You’re not my fucking boss,” Jason snapped.

“There have also been no Red Hood sightings in months, plus your civilian persona hasn’t been seen at any of your usual bars and haunts,” Tim interjected.

“We got worried Little Wing,” Dick said soothingly.

Fucking over-protective Alphas.

“Well, now you can see I’m fine, so get the hell out,” Jason snapped.

“Not until you explain,” Bruce said stubbornly, “Not until-”

Everyone froze as the baby started crying.

“Aw, shit, now look what you did,” Jason said, dropping the knifes and hurrying over to pick the girl up.

“You- baby- that’s a baby, Jay,” Dick stammered out, creeping cautiously closer.

“No shit, sherlock,” Jason grumbled as he soothed his daughter with soft cooing sounds.

“Why-”

“Obviously it’s Todd’s, Grayson,” Damian spoke up for the first time, “Or has your nose stopped functioning?”

“You had a baby?” Tim looked completely disgruntled.

“And you didn’t tell us?!” Dick was starting to sound offended.

Bruce’s mouth was a hard line, his shoulders full of tension.

“Will you guys shut-up?” Jason glared, “You’re going to wake up Lian too at this rate.”

“Lian? As in Lian Harper? Why would she…” Tim trailed off.

“...I’m going to fucking castrate Roy.” Dick growled. Bruce honestly looked like he might help him.

“Will you knot-heads quit it?” Jason snapped, “This is my family and my husband and I’ll thank you all to get your noses out of our business.”

“Your what?!”

Jason growled. It was going to be a long night.

#story prompts #abo #red fam #my writing #jayroy #Anonymous

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bluboothalassophile · 5 years ago

Text

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler

There was one thing, one really important thing, Duke had learned from having a family like the Bats: Life Was Short, So Live It Like It Was Your Last Day Every Day.

With that philosophy in mind, because while it was a grim, honest philosophy, it was the only thing which was propping him up with the courage to do this.

Duke could sit here all day and point out the reasons that he should do this, mainly he wasn’t his brothers. But a talk with Jason, last night on patrol after Jason had taken a bullet for him had changed his mind. Dick and Kori were dead. Tammy was about to be pulled off life support. And… life was short, and Duke didn’t want to die not knowing if he even really had a shot with the most amazing, beautiful, smart, funny girl he had met. He didn’t want to be like Jason, Duke didn’t want to love his best friend and never know if he even had a shot. He had asked her out this morning.

Which was what brought him to right this minute as he lifted his hand and hesitantly knocked on the door.

The dorm was grimy, used, lived in. The door, the ominous door; he’d busted in one that was bigger last night with Jason when they’d been hunting down a dangerous killer; a man who killed kids. Shaking the grim thoughts from his head he watched the door open. She smiled brightly, her hair pulled up, the many braids were elegantly pulled up in a twist, her gold clips were lovely, he thought her the loveliest thing he had ever seen.

“Hey!” she stopped out, into the hall, shutting the door. He noted her white big scarf, the lovely grey sweater, a yellow jacket, her black jeans, and the black boots. She looked like a goddess; and he could say that after having met a few goddesses. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” he smiled as he offered her his arm.

“Duke?”

“I have an older brother and grandfather who’d kick my butt if I wasn’t a gentleman, a perfect gentleman,” he smiled charmingly.

“It’s archaic!” she said taking his arm.

“No, it’s manners, and my mama would insist I use them,” he corrected.

“Fine, but I’m getting the doors,” she decided.

“Nope, I promised to be a perfect gentleman,” he countered.

“Fine,” she rolled her eyes as she smiled good naturedly.

“So, where are we going on this mystery date!?” she asked with a light tone and a happy smile, her amber eyes were glinting in anticipation.

“Coffee, with some live music, I found a hole in the wall book café.” He admitted, grabbing the door before she could, and she walked through before they linked arms again. Jason had actually told him about it, but a little white lie for good coffee and good music weren’t a crime.

“Sounds lovely,” she smiled. “So… done any of the clubs sign ups or sports teams?” she asked.

“I was looking to join a club, but I just can’t see the time, and I am on a team, the Princeton Rowing Teaming,” he smirked.

“How did I not know this!?” she sputtered.

“‘Cause no one pays attention to rowing, what about you? Any clubs or sports?”

“Sports are out, because… you know,” she giggled mischievously with a delicate shrug. He laughed, Naomi McDuffie could lift a building, throw and asteroid, punch a crater in the earth, he guessed sports wouldn’t have the same thrill if it was a fight to be normal. “Instead I joined Spoon and Tiger Magazine,” she smiled happily.

“Damn, you’re busy,” he chuckled.

“Well, I figured those would be fun compared to my actual journalism courses,” she defended.

“Those must be terribly dry,” he decided in mock humor. She laughed as she leaned on him a bit.

“And what about you?”

“History and the Practice of Diplomacy and Translation and Intercultural Communication,” he answered.

“But you’re a…”

“I’m the middle child of an insanely large family, and feel that I want to make a difference, a real difference, in my personal and hero life. Also, there’s some jazz studies, cause its music my mama loved,” he smiled. “I hope to work for the State Department.”

“You want to be a politian?”she grimaced in obvious distaste.

“No, no I do not. I want to help people, actually do something to help people, and after many talks with my brothers, and family, I think working for the State Department will offer me that opportunity best,” he said. “And you?”

“I want to tell the truth, not enough people have access to the truth, I mean, there’s so much the world doesn’t know with other countries having blocks on media and what the people can and cannot hear about. America is great, because we can tell the truth, and I want to do that. I want to be an investigative reporter, and I want to help people get the truth.”

“Ah, so you want to be like Uncle C!” he smiled as they made it to their café.

“Yes, but I want to be like Lois Lane,” she smiled.

“Wise, Lois is formidable, but I can put in a word for you,” he offered.

“I…”

“Look, she’s family, of sorts, giving her your number isn’t me doing the work for you, you’ll have to prove yourself to her, this is just me introducing you to connections you might not make otherwise.”

“Alright, but no pushing it, if she says no, she says no.”

“Agreed.” As he grabbed the door and they joined the small line.

“Ooo! They have Raspberry Escargot! You HAVE to try this, it’s amazing!” she gasped stared at the pastry case.

“You’re competing with Gateau a L’Orange, but I’ll have a bite of yours if you try a bite of mine. They make it like my granmè, not even Alfie or Jay can make it this good!”

“Isn’t that a desert?”

“Aren’t all pastries?” he challenged with a wicked smile.

“No, no they are not, but I don’t even care because I’m hungry and I miss Raspberry Escargot so much I nearly cried the other night craving it and not finding it.”

“Fair,” he agreed.

They placed their order, with a brief battle of who was paying at the register. He won, but she paid the tip; they took a seat near the window.

“You said granme?” she said with a questioning look as she put her bag down.

“Granmè,” he corrected with a thick accent.

“You speak French!?” she smiled.

Dropping into his old accent with ease he smiled. “Non, non, non, cheri, mwen pale kreyòl! Kreyòl Ayisyen, ki diferan de kreyòl Lwizyana. Ak diferan de franse.”

“Whoa, I have no idea what you said, but that was the prettiest thing I have ever heard,” she blinked at him with large amber eyes. “Where’d you learn that?”

“My family is from Haiti, or was, we were refugees of Hurricane Georges back in ‘98,” he said. “I didn’t speak English until I was eight and going to school, and then it was poor. My mama tutored me. I still speak Creole, Jay’s the only other one of the family that does so I’m not out of practice. The rest of the time I speak French or Spanish with the family, David used to only speak French.”

“That’s way cooler than being an orphan from another dimension,” she decided.

He chuckled as their orders were called out. Getting up he went to get their food and drinks, picking up napkins, and utensils as he walked back, he evaded a grumpy looking customer and put their food down at the table.

“Thank you,” Naomi smiled.

“You’re welcome.”

“You know, having a gentleman isn’t bad, my last date was not a gentleman,” she said as she started in on the Raspberry Escargot.”

“Then you were wasted on a fool,” he decided as he slowly started in on the Gateau a L’Orange, he nearly moaned in delight. It tasted like old memories, good times, and just as his granmè would make it.

“If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?” Naomi prompted.

“New Orleans,” he answered without hesitation.

“Really?”

“Wi.”

“Why?”

“The music, the food, the history, the vodou.” He said. “Laissez les bon temps rouler!”

“Really? The voodoo?”

“No, vodou,” he corrected. “And yes, my granmè was a big believer, it’s all familiar.”

“You believe in that?”

“I don’t not believe in it,” he decided.

“Okay… why?”

“Well, my big brother’s best friend was an all-powerful, magic wielding demoness, and the JL regularly works with Zatanna and Fate, so while I do not practice or necessarily believe, I have not ruled it out as real,” he said.

“Makes sense, the world’s too weird to rule out anything.” Naomi nodded. “Here, try,” she offered him a bit of her Raspberry Escargot. Taking it, he popped it in his mouth, letting the tart sweetness wash over his taste buds. “Eh! Isn’t it good!?” she asked with a smile and a happy looked.

“Very delicious, here try,” he cut her a bite of his. She stabbed it and took it quickly. He laughed at her delighted expression.

“Dude, I… whoa,” she blinked and stared at his food.

“Pretty good, isn’t it?”

“That’s amazing!” she decided. “Okay, so weird q, but… why don’t you have the cool island accent when you speak English?”

“You mean this accent?” he asked, letting his old accent shine through.

“Yeah! It’s just… it’s warmer than a Gotham accent,” she chuckled.

“I learned English in Gotham, Gotham’s accent is hard not to pick up when you’re learning,” he chuckled.

“Cool!” she grinned broadly. He smiled, this was fun, and nice. “What about you?”

“Nothing cool other than the you know, from my dimension. I don’t even remember my birth parents. But I got lucky, I got an awesome set of parents who love me,” she decided.

“Always awesome to have a family that loves you,” he said.

“Agree,” she mused enthusiastically.

“So, other than being a journalist, what do enjoy doing.”

“Outside of studying my butt off, I like Hulu or Netflix & Chill, because those go together,” she promised. “You.”

“Same,” he chuckled.

“Oh my god! Okay, we got to compare shows!” she decided.

Thus started the great debate of the drastically different tastes in shows. Naomi was in love with This is Us , Brooklyn 99, Black Mirror, Orange is the New Black, and the Twilight Zone.

He was more along the crime shows; and firefighter shows; as it was the only thing the entire family would agree to watch without arguing. He also like the Resident, Chicago Fire, Mind Hunter, the Crown, and Supernatural.

It was about an hour later when his phone buzzed, his alarm for class.

“Oh, this has been an awesome date,” she giggled.

“I wish it didn’t have to end,” he sighed as he picked up their garbage and tossed it. Turning back to Naomi he offered her his hand, she gave him an exasperated look, but accepted it as she was hoisted to her feet, grabbing her small purse. Offering her his elbow again, she slipped her arm in his as he lead her to the door.

“We should do this again,” he said.

“We should,” she smiled.

“Dinner and a movie next time?” he asked.

“Sounds lovely,” she decided.

“Excellent,” he smiled.

“You know, I was not expecting a successful date, there’s always some calamity whenever we hang out, like in Metropolis.”

“To be fair, that was entirely Dami and Tim’s doing,” he defended.

“Oh sure, and Luthor’s baby clone had nothing to do with it,” she snorted.

“Matt is an innocent, devious baby!” he defended.

“He’s a baby!” she defended.

“He’s a member of the family, so he’s devious, it’s in our genetic code even if we are not related.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes, our last kidnapper offered to pay us to take Terry and Helena back,” he defended.

“Oh God!” she laughed.

“B’s children, we’re nightmares,” he promised.

She was howling with laughter and leaning heavily on him. “This is fun, I like you Duke. I had an awesome time.”

“Me too, and the world didn’t end!” he grinned.

“So this second date…?”

“Tuesday at seven o’clock sound good?” he asked quickly.

“Sounds… are you stalking me?” she demanded.

“Never, I’m free, Tuesday.”

“Oh, good, so am I,” she smiled.

“Great, Jay told me of this Italian place and he swears it’s to die for.”

“Cool, but I’m not going to some sappy chickflick, so I’ll pick the movie we go to, so as to save you from the humiliation of taking me to something like Last Christmas,” she decided.

“Fair.”

“See you Tuesday, at seven,” she said.

“See you then,” he smiled. He caught her hand and pulled her to him, Naomi looked startled, so he moved slow, leaning over and kissing her lips lightly. She still tasted of raspberries, a small smile was on her lips when he pulled away.

“You call that a kiss Duke?”

“No, I call that a preview of a kiss, see you Tuesday,” he said as she walked into her building. Naomi paused, waved at him before she disappeared into the dorm. He waited a minute for her, then he ran like hell for his class before he could be late.

#bluboothalassophile #fanfic #one shot #duke thomas #naomi mcduffie #duke x naomi #hopes for a bastard universe #hopes for a bastard

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nightofnyx8 · 6 years ago

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I’d Still Choose You (Part 2)

Well, in honor of the new Titans trailer coming out today, I finally added another part to this story. And remember how I said the first part was going to be the longest? Well, I lied. Also, I’m not sure if this will have just three parts, or four. Sometimes when I write the story takes a life of its own! But here you, Part 2! I hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think!

****************************************

The perks of being the adopted son of a billionaire? You could get whatever kind of international coffee you wanted, as long as it was 99% caffeine.

As much as Dick appreciated Rachel's herbal tea, he had been asking for Arabic black coffee every time he came over to Wayne Manor. Alfred would usually protest against this, but lately he only had to look at the dark circles under Dick's eyes to know it was probably for the better.

"Master Dick, you are sleeping, are you not?"

Dick drunk deeply from the steaming hot mug. "Yes. Maybe just, not the amount of hours I'd prefer."

Alfred sighed as he took back the cup. "I do worry, that is all."

"I'll be alright, Alfred."

The older gentlemen gave him a pointed look until he finally relented to the question in Dick's eyes.

"Miss Kory is already waiting for you out in the gardens."

"Thanks Alfred."

Dick had been coming out to Wayne Manor every day for the past two weeks. He spent most of his time with Kory, taking her on walks to get her out of the house while simultaneously answering all of her many questions. This morning was no exception, as an hour later they found themselves strolling along the harbor in the brisk autumn wind. Today's topic was none other than Batman himself, as Kory had seen Bruce leave the manor many times in the later hours of the evening.

"So…the Batman is Bruce Wayne." She stated emphatically.

"Yes."

"And you also participate in the saving of others in a costume and mask."

"Yup."

"And…I do this as well?"

Dick laughed. "Yes, you too. Let's just say that Earth has…problems. And when there's bad people who are too big for the law, that's where we come in."

"So, we are as a league of protection?"

"Something like that."

Kory smiled and shook her head. "What a strange life."

She leaned over the edge of the dock railing to see the ocean better, letting Dick rest his head on her shoulder. She seemed to be becoming more comfortable with Dick's presence these days. To the very least, she had gotten used to the idea that she was special to him.

Dick closed his eyes, enjoying her silent company before finally summoning up the courage to ask her the question that had been on his mind all morning.

"Kory?"

"Yes?"

"How would you feel if we um, stayed out a little later tonight? You and me?"

She gazed curiously at him. "What are you implying?"

"I would like to take you on a date."

"A date?" She questioned skeptically.

"Yes. Would you, Princess Koriand'r, do me the honor of accompanying me this evening?"

Kory sighed and bowed her head, staring at the rotting wood below them. Dick knew she was still wary of the fact that she was married to a man she didn't know anymore. After all, who wouldn't be in her situation? Maybe he was moving too fast, and maybe he should have been backing off right now.

But every moment he wasn't with her, he felt something ache terribly inside of him. He missed her laugh, the way her face lit up when she saw him. He missed her gentle kisses and tight embraces, and just how free she made him feel.

You don't just give that up.

Kory had resolved to playing with the tips of her hair. "I don't know, Dick."

"Come on, Kory. Just to get out and have a little fun."

She glanced over at him suspiciously. "Fun?'

Dick put up his hands in mock surrender. "I promise I'll be a good boy and behave. I'll even get you home before midnight so Alfred doesn't ground you and come after me with a shotgun."

She laughed. "That is not why, I promise. It is only that…"

She trailed off, her unspoken words building up under her pained expression—an expression that Dick recognized. The very same one she wore in that cave long ago, when she had asked him how she was to know how he felt about her. Obviously, she didn't remember that conversation. But he did.

"Hey." He took one of her hands and squeezed it gently. "I know this is hard. But you've always taught me it's okay to take some chances, even if we might get hurt along the way."

"I did?"

"The Kory I knew was never one to be hesitant." He said reassuringly. "Maybe, maybe it'll help your memory a bit. But for tonight, let's just try to get to know one another again."

She smiled softly at him, the sunlight shimmering off the curls of her hair. "Alright, Dick. I can take a chance."

"That's my girl."

****************************************

He drove up to the entrance of Wayne Manor around eight. (How ironic it was to be picking up his own wife for a date from the very house he grew up in). He tugged restlessly at the open collar of his leather windbreaker. Why was he so nervous?

But all of that melted away when he was greeted with the sight of his wife as she opened the door. He had brought over a bag of her clothes a few days ago, along with some other personal belongings she might have needed. For tonight she had opted for a simple white blouse with jeans, her long red hair tied back in a high ponytail.

"You look beautiful." He said simply.

A red tinge appeared on her cheeks, and she looked down with a small smile.

"Thank you. You, um, you too."

"You trying to tell me I look beautiful?"

She looked up mortified and started to protest, but Dick just laughed and took her hand.

"Come on,"

"Where are we going?

"You'll see."

He led her down the driveway, revealing a sleek, blue motorcycle parked near the edge. He positioned himself in the seat and looked to see Kory standing awkwardly near the side.

"Well, jump on." He chimed.

"Is it safe?"

He laughed again, extending his arm towards her. "Quite."

She climbed onto the back cautiously, wrapping her arms around his waist for support.

"Hold on tight."

"Do I have a choice?" She managed to squeak out before he hit the accelerator to maximum speed.

Gotham was an excellent place to ride a motorcycle. Dick rounded the corners quickly, weaving effortlessly between the crawling traffic. He really didn't need to take the long way there, but he loved hearing her small gasps of surprise whenever they took a sharp turn. She laughed with delight as they sped alongside the water, bringing a smile to his face.

At last they stopped along the edge of the pier, the water reflecting the Ferris wheel lights along the surface.

"Where are we?"

"See for yourself." He replied, helping her off the motorcycle.

She looked around, the carnival buzzing with activity. Children chased each other with neon glowsticks while booth keepers encouraged loudly for families to try their luck at the games. The air smelled of buttered popcorn and smoky ash as colorful fireworks burst into the air above them.

Kory turned to smile at him, but instead found him offering her a cone of bright pink cotton candy. She took a bite cautiously, letting out a small laugh as she savored the taste.

"It's wonderful!"

Dick grinned. "Come on, I want to show you something."

It took a little bit of convincing, but he finally got her to join him on the old, rickety booth that glided slowly upward until they reached the top of the Ferris wheel. They had a perfect view of Gotham City, the skylights gleaming in the distance. Kory leaned forward and stared curiously at the scene in front of them.

Dick, meanwhile, had stretched out his arms behind him. "You loved being here." He said casually. "I'd always take you here every time the carnival came into town."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. It was at a carnival like this one where we actually talked to each other for the first time."

He gazed off into the distance, lost in the memory until he heard Kory clear her throat tentatively.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked with a nervous timbre.

He looked back at her. "Yeah, anything."

She took a deep breath and bit the inside of her cheek. "How did we meet?"

"Oh." Dick leaned forward in the booth and tried to think. Where to begin? "Well, when the Gordanians took you from Tameran, eventually you escaped, and the first planet you came to was Earth."

He looked over at her. She was listening silently, staring intently at him.

"And then well, the Gordanians started attacking Earth since they were looking for you, and you kind of ran into us."

"Us?"

"The Titans. You remember Rachel and Garfield from the manor, right? They were in Jump City as well. And there was also Victor, you know, that cyborg who visited you last week and brought you that music box."

"Ah, yes." She mused, as if recalling the soft Tamaranean lullaby Victor had installed within the trinket.

"Well, you ran into us, since you were um, destroying the city. But we finally got you to talk to us and I uh…introduced you to the language."

He glanced over at her to see if she reacted. She said nothing, so he continued.

"You became part of the team, and you and I got closer over time."

"Closer." She repeated carefully.

"Mmm, I would say it took me forever at least. Not that great at talking about how I feel. But, one thing led to another, and after a few bumps in the road, we finally got married."

Of course, there was a lot more than that to the story. Different teams, different costumes, and even different planets accompanied a tale of two lovers who seemed to take forever to make up their minds about each other. There were so many midnight flights and dancing on rooftops that made him fall deeper in love with her every time. And obviously, there had been fights and misunderstandings as well. His stubborn and secluded disposition would ignite her fiery temper and their fights only ended much later when he played the piano to call her down the stairs, the notes speaking the apology much better than his own words (well, that and the kisses that always came after). How could you possibly "sum up" a relationship that had extended over ten years?

Kory seemed to have closed up all her words, and Dick allowed a comfortable silence fall over them as they sat there, watching the fireworks bloom above them in red and gold sparks. He placed his hand over hers on the wooden bench between them, and she allowed it to stay there. Small victories.

"How would you feel if I took you out again next Friday?" He asked, breaking the silence.

"You mean, on another date?"

"Yeah." He smiled. "I mean, still lots to learn about this Boy Wonder, right?"

She pursed her lips, but her eyes sparkled with suppressed laughter. She considered the idea for a minute before finally relenting.

"Alright. As long as you buy more of the vanishing cloud candy."

Small victories indeed.

****************************************

Kory was already regretting her decision. She couldn't believe Dick had talked her into this. Gear up in her Tamaranean attire, sure; shoot some starbolts, why not? But to take down criminals as part of Bludhaven's vigilante superhero team? What had she gotten herself into?

"I am not certain that I am exactly comfortable with this." She stated, picking nervously at the hem of her skirt.

Dick shot her a sideways smile. She had not anticipated his uniform in the slightest when he had emerged on the roof half an hour earlier. He was clad in a jet-black bodysuit that made him almost as black as the night itself. Electric blue stripes cut through his chest and down to his fingertips, the color matching the dangerous electricity that sparked from two iron sticks sheathed onto his back. "Come on, Kory. You do this all the time with me."

"Do I?" Kory looked over the skyline, letting the cool night air tingle her bare arms. It wasn't fear that rushed through her veins. No, she was used to defending her planet from unwanted invaders. But this was something different altogether. She felt her emotions swirl inside of her. Uncertainty, restlessness, and…excitement? Her heart raced with anticipation and her body tensed, as though jumping off a twenty-story building was just a normal, nightly routine.

She caught Dick watching her carefully. His blue eyes were now hidden by the inky mask he had donned, making him look more sinister as he turned up the corners of his lips.

"You look…different in a mask." She decided.

"Well I certainly hope so. Kind of the point of a secret identity."

Right. No one else knew Nightwing was really Dick Grayson, just as no one else knew that Starfire, the name she was apparently known by on Earth, was really Kory Anders (her other, other name). She shook her head in disbelief. Starfire, Kory Anders, Koriand'r: no one wonder she ended up with a headache whenever she tried to remember her past. She couldn't even get her own name right.

Dick was filling in Rachel and Garfield (sorry, Raven and Beast Boy) on the patrol positions. Both had volunteered to help look after Bludhaven for a little while, as recent events had somewhat interrupted Nightwing's usual routine.

"Alright, the night's not getting any younger. Raven, stake out on the right side of 8th Avenue with Beast Boy. Two weeks without any supervision and this city is making Gotham's criminals look like harmless angels."

Beast Boy spoke up. "Does that mean Joker's been demoted? Because I think Batman's out of a job then."

Dick scowled. "Just get the job done. And no arcade stops this time."

Beast Boy stuck out his tongue. "Killjoy." But he complied with Raven's huffs of exasperation and transformed into a crow before they both sailed out into the city.

Dick turned to Kory. "Starfire, you and I will take the left flank of the city. We'll set up watch from the news tower until trouble arrives."

She nodded, resisting the urge to bolt right past him and straight back to Wayne Manor.

He must have noticed her hesitation, because he took her hand and squeezed it with assurance. "Don't worry. Just be yourself. You're a natural at this, I promise."

She smiled slightly and allowed him to lead her towards the edge of the building. Dick prepared to release what looked like some sort of zip line when he stopped, receiving a line of communication in his earpiece.

He looked annoyed as he answered. The words he chose were not exactly kind, so Kory assumed he was talking to Bruce. After a few minutes of banter, he looked towards her and gestured towards the tower. His message was clear: I'll meet you there.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. At least flying was nothing new to her.

One. Two. Three.

Kory took off into the night sky, letting go of all the fear and confusion that had built up from the past two weeks. The wind rushed through her hair as it billowed all around her. Climbing higher and higher into the sky, she laughed in delight. Oh, how she had missed this! Allowing herself to fall for a few moments, she closed her eyes and let time stop, pure happiness welling up inside her like a balloon. Glowing, bursting happiness! Moments before reaching the roof of a particular tall hotel, she stopped and landed gently.

She had overstepped their meeting place. The broadcasting tower stood tall and dark in the distance. She prepared herself to launch again when she caught sight of the night sky above her.

The void was inky black, glittering with thousands of twinkling stars. Her Tamaran was up there somewhere, and oh how she longed to see it again.

"Enjoying the view, are we?"

She jumped, turning to see the owner of the voice, but saw nothing.

"Nightwing?"

The voice laughed, sending chills up Kory's spine. The voice was smooth, like velvet, but held a sinister tone as though it were enjoying watching something die slowly.

"Who are you?"

"Really my dear, I would have thought that by now we would have known each other quite well."

Realizing too late, a bulging figure materialized behind her, holding her in an iron grip. Fear clenched her heart, her strength leaving her in a moment of weakness.

"Let-let me go!"

"Oh dear, you're trembling." She flinched as he crooned in her ear. "Not too good for you. Fear and confusion do tend to block certain abilities of yours, now don't they? But there's no need to be quite so scared, Starfire. I come only with a message."

She tried to gain control of her pounding heartbeat. "W-what do you want?"

"You seem to be having some memory issues. I can help you with that."

"And why would I need anything from you?" She protested defiantly. "My friends are already helping me."

"Are they your friends, my darling? How do you know you can trust them? After all, you don't remember them anymore better than you remember me."

"You don't know anything about me."

She recoiled to the sound of his ragged laugh. "I know all that I need to, sweetheart. As for your friends, do you really think they're all so innocent, so good? Even after all this time, you're still so incredibly naïve."

"You're wrong!" A hot pull burned at the pit of her stomach as her alien strength returned. She wrenched herself out of his grip and charged a starbolt to face the monster before her.

The greenish glow of her energy orb revealed a man who stood over six feet tall, his whole body clad in heavy armor. The white eye slit in his orange and black mask was the only opening, giving off a cruel aura in every way imaginable.

But the figure only laughed. "Oh, I wouldn't dream of fighting you alone, Princess. But my offer still stands. And if you ever want to have your memories back, you will meet me here in one month, the exact same time."

"Never!"

"Well then, I suggest you get used to being entirely, hopelessly clueless for the rest of your life."

"SLADE!" A defiant voice yelled. Both turned to see Nightwing standing on top of the water tower, his iron pipes charged to the maximum. Raven and Beast Boy flanked his sides, both tensed and ready to attack. Kory had never seen Dick look so angry.

"Leave her alone!"

"Oh my, such an improper greeting. I would have thought, old friend, that you would have had better manners by now."

"I said, leave her alone!"

"Relax, Robin." He said calmly as Nightwing flinched. "We were just saying hello, weren't we, my dear?"

Kory said nothing, her starbolt still crackling in the night air.

She couldn't see his face, but she could have sworn she saw him grin under the mask.

"Well, until later, dear Princess." He said as he disappeared into the darkness, but she thought she could still feel his eerie presence watching her every move.

Nightwing jumped down from the water tower and took her gently by the shoulders. "Kory, are you okay?" He brushed her hair out of her eyes, taking her face in his hands.

Kory nodded. "I am unharmed."

"Did he say anything to you?"

You think they're all so innocent, so good? How can you possibly trust them?

"No." she replied shakily. "Just…introducing himself."

Dick cursed under his breath. "Come on, let's get you back to Wayne Manor." He was breathing heavily, his hands shaking as he sheathed his escrima sticks. Raven and Beast Boy didn't look any less relaxed.

"Dick?" She stated tentatively.

"What is it?"

"Who was that?"

He stared straight at her, his mask hiding whatever emotion he conveyed in his eyes. For a moment, they stood there in silence, letting the night air suffocate the distance between them before an answer finally detached from his lips.

"No one, Star. No one you need to remember."

#dickkory #robstar #fanfiction #writing #teentitans #dickgrayson #koriandr #nightwing #kory anders #starfire #enjoy!

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breezy-cheezy · 6 years ago

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Your drawing of Tim in the Voltron AU is so lovely! I love you added freckles in his face, he's such a cutie 💚 I would love to hear your ideas for this AU! More about Tim's role and the other batfam members as well, it sounds like a really interesting AU :D

HE IS SUCH A CUTIE DANG IT I LOVE HIM???? Timmy needs more love. I can’t help the freckles, I’m glad you like them >v

Oh! Thanks for asking! I can try and give a synopsis…of sorts…I haven’t hashed this out very well yet but!! Musings and extra doodles under the cut!!

Timmy is Pidge’s role! I think he was enrolled in the Galaxy Garrison by his parents; they paid alot, they’re super rich. Now he’s in a very high standing education, and they don’t have to care for him anymore…it stings a lil for Tim, but he’s used to it. What he’s not prepared for…is Bruce. (Bruce is Shiro’s role) He takes Tim under his wing; he tends to do that for students he sees something really special in. He saw it in Richard (Lance’s role), in Jason (Keith’s role) but he dropped out. I wish i knew more about how the garrison worked, I’d be able to flesh this out more. But yeah, Bruce looks out for Tim, and it’s very clear to him Tim is extraordinary. He gets absolutely bored in classes; he’s so ahead already. Bruce teaches him all he knows, and prepares ways for Tim to flourish without the system getting in his way. Bruce becomes the father figure Tim never really had.

Bruce is pronounced dead on the Kerberos mission.

Kinda like in the comics, where Bruce disappears and no one believes he’s alive except for Tim, he draws into himself, doing everything he can to search for Bruce. He knows he’s not dead. He can’t be…

I’m thinking…around here, Tim’s unnamed roomie drops out; he doesn’t care. Except he gets put with a very LOUD and irritatingly friendly roomie. Richard Grayson. Even more irritating is that the notorious Damian Wayne (Hunk’s role…it’s not perfect, but it works) is put in with them as well, since Dick is literally the only person that can deal with the brat. (Damian is also a prodigy, but instead of drawing into himself like Tim, he lashes out and belittles others for not keeping up. He gets bullied alot, which only feeds the flames. Dick watched a bullying episode and immediately adopted the kid in his mind lol)

(some sketches of their Garrison days lol, and some Galra Jays)

Anyway, Tim’s main focus is finding Bruce, and Dick is pretty annoying at first, but quickly worms his way into his heart as almost like a brother. As he does to many, he’s a sunshiney guy ^^ Damian appreciates him too, he’ll never admit it. Tim never tells them of his search, but they unintentionally help from time to time.

The day the meteor hits, Tim KNOWS he has to check it out. Richard is curious and follows along, to his dismay. Damian goes because Dick is going. As usual. Jason is in the facility before them, having been searching for his mother all this time (after uncovering some information of her being missing in space long ago) and is shocked to find Bruce of all people here. Drugged up, scarred beyond belief, and with a cold, metal, alien right arm. They had a falling out of sorts long ago, but can’t help worrying about his past mentor and wanting to rescue him. In comes the rest of the gang, Dick is a HUGE fan of Bruce’s, and insists on helping as well. This is who Tim was looking for too!! Bruce is literally Damian’s father in this AU too, I just haven’t figured out the details of his backstory yet ^^;;; Anyway, cue rescue hijinks!

The rest goes about the same. Jason points out the mysterious cave, Damian figures out the coordinates, and they discover the blue lion. Dick is accepted as the blue paladin (shocked as he is) and flies them all to the castle ship, where they meet Starfire (I was debating Kori or Cass for Allura, but Suki pointed out she’s already a powerful alien space princess…so yeah. It works) and Alfred (Coran).

“Hi. I’m Richard Grayson. And you’re right here in my arms…you’re safe.” Is very likely something Dickie would say, but in a more reassuring manner…before Kori beats him up anyway X’‘D He’s head over heels for her from the beginning, poor bab.

Anyway! So Tim is Green, Dickie is Blue, Jason is Red, Damian is Yellow, and Bruce is Black. As for the rest of the batfam/dc verse, they’re either rebellion fighters, aliens, etc. Cass is Shay here, part of some shadow alien race that can’t speak very well. Damian is still obsessed with animals and misplaced creatures, so he’d be a total advocate for her oppressed race, and many others. I like to imagine she goes with the team. I could easily see Duke and Steph as Rebels…it could go on. Kent fam is already aliens, I’d love to see Jon meet Damian…haven’t figured that out yet though. Also I have hilarious images of Bruce struggling to trust Clark’s super powered alien race and build an alliance, but genuinely becoming friends over time!

So yeah! Lots to play with here! Granted, I haven’t finished Voltron yet, so I don’t have it super solidly planned, but…it’s still fun! Here are some more sketches of the au:

Let me know if you have anymore questions! They help plan more ^^ Thank you for asking!!

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pathtotruth · 6 years ago

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SHIPPING INFO // Answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog.

REPOST. Don’t reblog.

What’s your OTP for your Muse?

voice cracking: Clois........

What are you willing to RP when it comes to shipping?

Slowburns (these kill me but in a good way) or even just skipping over to the middle of their relationship

FLUFF -- yells meet cutes!!!, going on dates, getting/giving gifts, etc

*coughs* unresolved sexual tension

ANGST......... Including tragic, never-meant-to-be relationships?? Unrequited pining (whether on Lois’ side or your muse)?? hell yeah

open relationships

How large does the age gap have to be to make it uncomfortable?

I play Lois as a range of age 37 - 43. Meaning anything below early 30s is weird.

(And on that note, it really has to be someone who’s Lois’ peer.)

For the record, in my mind, Lois is always older than Clark by at least a few years. This accounts for her years of experience in her journalistic career over Clark’s fledgling one when they first meet. And personally, Clark falling for an older, more experienced, assertive, opinionated, highly confident careerwoman? MY JAM!!!!!

Are you selective when shipping?

So long as our muses have decent dynamics together that keep them in character (like I gotta take into account their morality & personality and if these would clash with Lois’), it’s pretty much an easy go

it also helps if I have a partner that can put in as much emotional investment in developing the relationship.

How far do steamy moments have to go before they’re considered NSFW?

Second base onward, pretty much.

Who are other muses you ship your muse with?

LADIES Y’ALL, like..... god. I’m SO WEAK for Diana/Lois. But also Selina??? Kate?? Mera?? Carol??? etc etc Yeah gimme all the ladies.

me with Charlie on their Vic Sage blog: hey remember how vic canonically crushed on lois in college, haha........ let’s expand on that *chinhands*

Middy got me onboard the Clark/Lois/Bruce OT3 (thanks S:TAS) and I’ve been obsessed ever since

Kat’s Ultraman/Kal............ one-sided tho *coughs*

Does one have to ask to ship with you?

If it isn’t a pre-established romance (and as I say this, I realize it’s pretty much just CLARK lol), preferably yeah. So we both have an idea of how the relationship would work.

Or at LEAST give me a SIGN x:

Also because I just wouldn’t wanna assume. That.... might make things awkward ;;

How often do you like to ship?

me and my SAPPY AF heart : hi

on that note, I love platonic relationships just as much too. I can do just fine without any shipping involved.

Are you multiship?

Hell yeah. Lots of love and interesting dynamics to go around.

*whispers polyamoryyyy*

Are you ship obsessed or ship more-or-less?

I.... quietly obsess

unless I’m real close to you then i’d randomly just yell about my ships to you

What is your favorite ship in your current fandom?

Limiting this to DC:

10/10 would die for Clois; they’re like my first ever DC ship and I love practically every iteration of this couple

Cass/Steph, Kate/Maggie, Dick/Kory, Arthur/Mera

Finally, how does one ship with you?

Honestly if our muses get along (bearing in mind their ages & power dynamics), there’s a foundation there.

It can be real simple like hit me with an IM going “I can see my muse & Lois on a date”, chances are I’d highkey agree with you

That said, I AM THE WORST because unless I’m really close to you ooc, I don’t go around asking directly to ship. I might drop hints, js 👀

Also if I ever get around to reblogging shippy memes, it’s open to all my mutuals even if we’ve never discussed romantic shipping before. I see it as one way of exploring a potential ship; it might go somewhere, it might not.

Tagged by: stole this from @americanalien ♥ Tagging: @willforged , @atlantisking , @occultsleuth, @catdares + ANY OF MY MUTUALS

#OOC | off the record #/ long post

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selinascatnip · 2 years ago

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I LOOOOVE the idea of this post and this is perfect because I currently need a break and some fun <3 Thank you so much for tagging me. So... These are my musings: Who asked who out? How did they do it?

I'd love either or them to do it, but I think it would be cute if Dick did this time. And I have this deep wish that this season he'll finally take the whole family business seriously and all that entails, like, being deliberately responsible and want to make things work you know? Like, I don't want this to be an accident, or initiated by Kory with him just going along. I want him to choose her and do it on his own volition. I want him preparing to this date and planning ahead and being super the cutest nerd.

Who picked the location/planned the date? What was their thought process?

I think I answered that one above haha. And I think Dick picked the carnival because he heard there would have circus presentations and he wanted to make Kory feel how he felt when he was a child, the magic of a carnival. Show her something about himself that anyone hardly gets access to.

Have they kissed this season prior to this date?

Girl I don't know. As much as I'd love to say yes, I'm not against a whole season of longing, small touches and almost kisses to get a Big Damn KissTM in the finale.

Have they had sex this season prior to this date?

See above

Any first date nerves? If so, who? And how do they manifest?

I want Kory to be nervous! Because she hardly is and I want to see her wobble a little, and it would be a balm to my heart if he just didn't have any doubt about his feelings for her. I've suffered enough, I deserve a Dick Grayson who loves his Koriand'r earnestly.

Predictions about what they’ll talk about?

I just don't want to see them talking a lot about work XD

Do they think everything with the Church of Blood is over? Or is this a break in the middle of the madness?

I think it will be the last episode purely because last time we got lots of BTS pictures of the last episode too. But I want it to be after the CofB business because I don't want either of them to be under the influence of Brother Blood during the date.

Will their date get interrupted?

What type of physical affection will see on their date?

LOTS OF HAND HOLDING!!!!!!!!!!!!! And the Big Damn Kiss of course.

If there’s a kiss, who makes the first move?

Now, that I want Kory to take the lead because I love some dom!Kory and because I want her to show him how she feels in a way that he understand best, no words needed.

Will tequila be involved?

Maybe after.

Will we see either of them or both of them getting ready for the date?

It would be cute wouldn't it? With the kids helping.

Any compliment giving?

Of course, and lots of teasing too.

Any other predictions surrounding their date?

Not so much as predictions but a wish list

Dickkory First Date Guessing Game

I would love to know people’s predictions/theories on the below questions about Dickkory’s first date in season 4

Who asked who out? How did they do it?

Who picked the location/planned the date? What was their thought process?

Have they kissed this season prior to this date?

Have they had sex this season prior to this date?

Any first date nerves? If so, who? And how do they manifest?

Predictions about what they’ll talk about?

Do they think everything with the Church of Blood is over? Or is this a break in the middle of the madness?

Will their date get interrupted?

What type of physical affection will see on their date?

If there’s a kiss, who makes the first move?

Will tequila be involved?

Will we see either of them or both of them getting ready for the date?

Any compliment giving?

Any other predictions surrounding their date?

Tagging @escapism-through-imagination @ambelle @ambeauty @meetmeunderthestarrynight @amberpride @blackloislane @itsjustafia @selinascatnip and anyone else who might want to answer

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maniacollisionarchive-blog · 7 years ago

Note

1, 3, 8, 10, 19

is there a muse that you wish gets more attention?

well aside from my player characters, i’d love if my ocs lilli and elyssa got more love. being female ocs, i am aware that, you know, people have a thing against that. which is dumb. but lilli and ely are adorable and deserve attention. i mean ely doesn’t really care, she just likes school and sun and dancing, but lilli needs friends like air in modern verse and in her standard verse.

which muse is the trickiest to get into character for?

probably kraglin, which is why i’m pretty selective with him. we have so little of him in the movies to work with that defining his voice and characteristics is hard. also not many people play with him so he gets rusty and i lose his voice a lot. but i have a lot of feelings about him and who he is and his feelings that i can’t give him up. i just need to work on him a bit more to figure things out, and it usually takes me a few write throughs of a reply before posting it in order to get it the way i like it. and i usually like it in the end.

what is each of your muses otps? notps?

oh man i think i answered this once before. um. you realize i have like. a shit ton of muses right? cool. here we go.

chronos --> otp lila notp none?lizzy --> otp mr. darcy notp mr. collins. pfft. elliot --> otp thomas notp that guy he shot once ahahaelyssa --> literally not enough datafabian --> otp remus? lily? i’m open tbh notp um. maybe a deatheater? but i’m open.fenris --> otp fenhawke, fenders, fenbela notp uh... hmm. fenris/merrill? fenris and danarius, if that’s a thing.jamie --> otp @moriartyproperty‘s sebasitan, nikolai notp um. idk. jamie likes people. jim --> otp again, @moriartyproperty‘s sebastian notp everything else. definitely sheriartyjodie --> otp jay notp well i’m not the bigggggest fan of ryankarliah --> otp gallus notp mercer duhkori --> literally not enough datakraglin --> not enough data. maybe nebula?liam --> otp james. notp alexlilliana --> otp idk notp her husbandmarie --> um. no ideamaya --> otp idk but notp is def fang thanks byepersephone --> otp hades notp um. anyone that isn’t hades?pride --> otp humility notp idk. reece --> otp josie or blackwall notp uh. solas? probably. regulus --> idk man. idk. rin --> um, assuming she’s older, otp kohaku, and idk a notpsirius --> otp wolfstar thanks notp um. idk i like a lot of sirius shipssuze --> otp jesse notp paultalia --> well she married farkas but. she probably would have married anyone. teren --> otp dorian notp um? anyone that isn’t a dude?usagi--> otp tbh i liked seiya more. notp uh. prince diamond, that guy, he was weird. basically any bad guy, they’re all creepy and sorta pervy.

which muse is the most fun to write for?

probably pride because he literally does not give a shit. writing for him can actually boost my mood because he’s just ‘hey i’m the best, you suck, also pay attention to me, did i mention i’m the best’ and it’s hilarious and incredibly annoying. i mean he’s like definition fuck boi tbh. he’s pretty intelligent too and he absolutely adores his hell hounds, but like, good god he’s obnoxious.

for each muse, is there a character you wish had a blog so you could interact with them?

hmm, well i don’t think there’s one for each muse, but here we go for the ones missing people. chronos --> lilalizzy --> basically anyone, but mostly mr. darcyelliot --> i’d love a thomas but i wrote thomas so. that’d be hard.fabian --> a gideon that fit my hcsjamie --> a nikolai, but i wrote nikolai so. also a jim that worked with my hcs.jodie --> basically ANYBODY ELSE FROM THE GAMEkraglin --> wouldn’t mind a good yondu to work withliam --> runs into the same problems as elliot. needs a james or henri or evelyn but i made them up so. lilli --> her husband that she doesn’t love.marie --> like the whole aristocat familymaya --> more max ride blogs. specifically max or fang.rin --> she needs her sesshomaru! they’re all inactive.suze --> the whole? rest? of the fandom? but mostly jesse.uasgi --> i’d just like some active blogs for her, thanks.

#;;aly answers #pxperhearts #delivered

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unavenged-robin · 8 years ago

Text

Children of yesterday

Direct sequel of For thine is the kingdom

Read on AO3

The second time Damian wears the Nightwing costume, it’s because he’s angry at Bruce. Not that he’s ever going to say it out loud, but Jason doesn’t need him to. It takes him just one look to understand.

“Hiya, baby Wing”, he greets him when the boy lands right on top of one the thugs currently trying to kill him.

“Don’t call me that”, Damian grumbles under his breath while he moves on to take down the next criminal.

Jason snorts and lands a few punch of his own, having care to never leave Damian out of his peripheral vision.

“Thought you’d like it better than baby Bat, considering the change of theme.”

Damian doesn’t respond to the barb. He just lowers his brow and keeps beating the daylight out of Penguin's’ men. Which, in a way, is exactly the answers Jason knew he was going to get.

But well, beating the lowlife it’s cheaper than actual therapy and provides a useful service to the community, so Jason’s more than okay with it. He still keeps an eye on the kid anyway, because he knows that kind of mindset and the troubles that come with it. He’s never been the family’s favorite babysitter for the kids, but he’s not a bad one, despite what Dick says behind his back.

But fighting side by side with Damian all dressed up in the Nightwing gears is a few degree of weirdness above the usual, and Jason finds himself distracted more than once. He has to put up with a few lame punches that otherwise would’ve never find their target, and yet he still keeps studying the new Nightwing’s performance.

The fighting style is so recklessly Damian it would be impossible to mistake him for anyone else. The cold precision of his movements, the silent and once-upon-a-time lethal fury, they’re all Damian’s traits, but the kid’s making an effort in throwing in a few acrobatics pieces that are unmistakingly Nightwing’s signature. There is so much more, though. The meticulousness of the beating is all Bruce, for example. The controlled sequence of punches in all the right places, the way he uses every surface and every shadows to his advantage. Jason looks at him and sees a much younger version of himself training in the cave, Bruce looming over him, the sweet smell of Alfred’s cooking in the air.

“Hood!”

There’s a knife in Damian’s hand. And there’s a thug with a broken arm at Jason’s feet.

“I had that under control, kiddo”, Jason lies lazily. “But thank you anyway, it’s so sweet to know you care.”

“I’ll stab you myself if you don’t focus on the fight”, Damian promises with a snarl, and Jason laughs because no, he will not, and they both know that.

It’s funny to think that Damian was a lot more of a threat when he was a scrawny ten years old who barely reached Jason’s elbow than he is now, at eighteen, not yet taller or thicker than him, but definitely on his way to (although Jason’s still cradling the hope for Damian to get just a little bit taller than Dick and still be shorter than him, because that would be what perfection looks like in his book).

Anyway, on any other night Jason would’ve replied to the kid’s threat with something along the line of “both of your daddies would be so very upset to hear that”, but obviously tonight’s not the right time to push that issue. Not if Jason wants to avoid a black eye and a long conversation about daddy issues where he has to be the reasonable party and not the angry one.

Besides, he’s not sure he could be of help even if he tried. Jason’s never asked too many question about Dick and Bruce’s arrangement about Damian’s parentage. He never felt the need to, and for the better part of the time, he was also in no position to ask anything.

When Jason died he had a father, a grandfather and an older brother with a pregnant girlfriend. When he came back he had a father, a grandfather, an older brother, a sister in law, a niece and two little brothers, and one of said little brothers was also his older brother’s son. It was ridiculous and borderline shakespearian, and it amused him to no end. Still does, sometimes, especially during Christmas family dinners and such.

Jason takes care of another few thugs, then he leans against a wall and watches the new Nightwing in town doing his best to adjust the few remaining criminals’ bones in the most creative way he can think. He should probably tell him to take it a bit easier, but a bad night is a bad night, and it’s not like he’s in the right position to scold anyone about using violence as a stress relief.

But once all men are on the ground, Damian’s shoulders slump down, and the kid’s stance suddenly looks defeated, even if he’s standing in the middle of an alley littered with moaning enemies.

So Jason sighs and pushes himself up. Walking towards him, he wraps an arm around Damian’s shoulders and pulls the kid closer to him and away from the thugs.

“Celebratory beer?”, he proposes.

He’s rewarded with a sideway smirk under the familiar blue domino mask.

“You would give alcohol to an underage vigilante, Hood?”

“Well, what kind of fun older brother would I be if I did not buy my little brother his first beer?”, Jason smiles back.

“The kind of fun older brother who would think that it’d be my first beer”, Damian retorts. “You’re worse than Bruce, honestly.”

“Oh, so he’s Bruce now? That bad, uh?”, Jason teases. “Well, at least he’s not Wayne yet, so if you want my professional opinion, I think there’s still hope.”

Damian elbows him in the ribs but Jason can tell he’s biting down another grin.

“Shut up.”

He doesn’t add anything and Jason doesn’t push. He’s never been one for touchy-feelings conversations and his family knows that. He ruffles the kid’s hair, then moves away.

“C’mon, brat, I’ll give you a ride home.”

Damian shakes his head at his offer.

“I’ll keep patrolling.”

Jason doesn’t know if he wants to sigh or frown at the idea. It’s not like Damian’s never patrolled alone before - far from it, actually - but it still feels like he has to say something about it. He just can’t decide what. So he keeps it simple.

“Damian.”

But the kid’s already taking out his grappling hook and only spares him a quick, stubborn glance.

“It’s fine.”

“Sure.”

They stare at each other for a moment, and Jason finds himself relenting almost immediately. He smiles behind his mask and waves his hand to motion for the kid to move on.

“You’re welcome, by the way”, Damian taunts before vanishing up in the dark.

Jason scoffs and fishes out a phone from his back pocket.

“Hey”, he starts conversationally, without giving the other the time to put in even a hello?. “Just wanted to let you know I spotted a wild Nightwing running around Gotham. Looked a little bit like you, but way, way younger and good looking. Know anyone who may fit the description?”

Dick knew since the exact moment he and Kory signed up Damian’s adoption papers that this conversation was not going to be a one time thing.

They talked about it before the adoption was finalized, and they talked about it after, and then again when Bruce came back. They talked about it during sleepless nights and tiring days, over too excited family dinners and boring patrols. They talked about it with Damian and Mar’i, with Tim and Barbara, Cassandra and Stephanie, with Bruce and Alfred, and even with Talia Al Ghul. And every time he talked about it, Dick felt like he had burning stones settled in his guts.

Tonight is no exception, of course.

When this thing started, he had no idea this is how it would’ve ended. Wouldn’t have believed it, if someone had told him.

When Bruce died and Damian came crashing into their lives, he was living in Blüdhaven with Kory and Mar’i. They had a house and friends and a good, long-established routine. They were happy, Dick remembers that. Moving back to Gotham was a sacrifice he didn’t do light-heartedly. Took a month for him to even start considering it. And when he did, he had to face Damian, this ten years old child who had just lost everything, living alone with Alfred in the empty shell of what it used to be his father’s house, and Dick just couldn’t bear it. So he took him in, because it was the right thing to do, and as a reward for his good action the first few weeks in the new house had been pure hell. Alfred did his best to keep everything together, but Dick was suffering, Mar’i was heartbroken, Damian was angry, Kory didn’t know what to do, and they were all mourning. On top of that the kids kept fighting and screaming at each other and Dick had lost his patience more than once.

That was the worst thing. Not bearing Bruce’s unwanted legacy, not training a new, arrogant, insufferable Robin, not even having to put up again with a city he thought he’d left behind, but seeing his family so broken. The fights with Tim, Cassandra’s absence, Barbara’s distance, Jason’s criminal rampage, Mar’i and Damian hating each other and being very vocal about it.

In retrospect, Dick really doesn’t know how he survived it. How they all survived to the anger and the blame and the constant suffering. And yet, he thinks now, smiling at Gotham’s cloudy sky, in the end they managed to do it oh so well.

He still remembers the first time he realized that things were finally starting to change for the better. It was maybe a few months after they moved to Gotham, he was pulling a late shift at the police station, working on a double homicide case, and he’d received a text from Kory. It was a photo, and at first he only saw the caption: two red heart emojis. Which, coming from Koriand’r, could mean anything, Dick had mused. But when he opened it, he found himself staring in surprise at two kids, one laying on his back, in a kind of funny, familiar soldier-like position, the other sprawled on top of the first one, face smushed into his shoulder, both deep asleep. Afterwards Dick had to admit that it took him a moment to recognize Damian and Mar’i (something Kory had found so, so funny).

It’s a good memory, one of his most treasured ones. He keeps it in mind now, while he swings from one building to another towards the coordinates Jason gave him.

He finds Damian on top of an old building, very close to where their penthouse used to be. It’s still a weird feeling, seeing him wearing his old costume, but overall it’s not an unpleasant one.

Dick lands on the roof with his usual quietness, but he doesn’t bother with hiding his presence. He knows Damian’s already spotted him.

“I have a joke”, he greets him then. “Two Nightwings walk into a bar, the bartender says-”

“Are you angry?”, Damian asks.

“No, that’s not how the joke goes.”

Damian huffs and reaches out to the back of his head to pull up a hood that’s not there. When he realizes his mistake Damian clenches his hands into fists before dropping them down on his lap. Dick’s heart hurts a little.

He sits beside him on the edge of the roof and bumps him with his shoulder to let him know that it’s okay, that angry is the last thing he would ever be, and Damian seems to understand the message well enough, but still refuses to look up at him.

“How does the joke go, then?”

“No idea. I didn’t come up with a punchline because I was counting on you interrupting me right away.”

Damian snorts and his feature softens in a way that Dick still finds heart-clenching, even after all these years. While he doesn’t mind doing it, he hates that he still has to reassure Damian that he’s loved - always, always loved - and that one burst of anger (because apparently they’re not allowed to call them tantrums anymore) is not going to change anything, not ever. Not for Dick, not for Bruce, not for anyone.

“You’re a ridiculous man.”

“Well, you’re a very serious kid”, Dick replies. “I have to compensate.”

Damian hums like he’s humoring him, and raises his head to stare at Gotham’s skyline. Dick doesn’t push him, but he reaches out to briefly rub a hand against the kid’s back in a silent invitation.

“Sometimes”, Damian starts, voice soft but steady. “I feel like he’s relieved when we go back to the cave to change after patrol and I leave to come home to you. And sometimes I feel like he’s angry at me for not staying, for- for betraying him like this.”

Dick sucks a breath between his teeth.

“Damian, you never betrayed him.”

“I did”, Damian objects. “I betrayed my mother for him, and I betrayed him for you. What does that say about me?”

“That you still have trouble understanding how this family thing works, kiddo.”

Damian frowns and for a moment Dick really believes that this time the kid’s going to listen to him. To, at least, take in consideration the idea that there’s no foul play here, that family is not an army or a political party. But he senses the defeat even before he sees Damian shaking his head.

“I made a choice”, the kid states. “And it was mine, not Father’s, and not yours or Kory’s.”

Dick remembers it differently.

He remembers coming back home two days after Bruce’s return from the dead to find Damian’s stuff packed and his bags piled up by the front door. He remembers hearing Mar’i cry and Damian refusing to answer her questions, the sound of skin hitting skin and his daughter flying away from them when he entered the living room.

He remembers Damian looking up at him, right cheek still red from Mar’i’s slap.

“He’s my father.”

And it sounded like a question, so Dick answered.

“So am I.”

It hurt to see the grimace on Damian’s face, it hurt even more when the boy licked his lips and looked away before speaking.

“It’s- that’s not the same thing.”

Damian was eleven by then. And Dick knew that all his reasons could not overthrow a decade of Al Ghul’s convictions about legacies and bloodlines. So he reached out and pulled Damian to his chest, hugged him close, kissed the top oh his head.

“You don’t have to choose”, he murmured into the boy’s hair. “No one will ever ask you to choose, Damian. Not me and not Bruce. And whatever you decide to do, no one will get angry. I promise you that.”

It was obvious that Damian didn’t believe him in the slightest. And in a dark corner of his mind Dick had thought that the kid was expecting not only a choice, but also the resulting punishment, and he just couldn’t shake off the idea that Damian was choosing Bruce because he’d expect a worse punishment from him than from Dick.

It angered him, but he was ready to let Damian go anyway. Because he felt guilty towards Bruce, because he felt like it was not his place, not his choice. But then Damian had tightened his fists, pushed himself closer to Dick and without even looking up, he had asked him a question.

“Then can I stay?”

That whisper had hurt him then, and it keeps hurting him everytime he thinks about it, because Damian never asked it again, not in words, but Dick can still hear it sometimes. Knows that Kory can hear it too. He hears it again tonight, underneath everything else, and he shuts his eyes close, inhaling and breathing out Gotham’s cold air with a sigh.

“It was your choice”, Dick agrees. “And Bruce’s. And mine and Kory’s. Kiddo, believe me, if we didn’t all agree that it was the best thing for you, then our arrangement would’ve been different, you know that.”

And at the time there had been indeed a lot of discussions about other viable options. But what Dick remembers better than anything else, was Bruce sitting at his desk, features unreadable as ever as he examined the adoption papers, his fingers hovering over Damian’s name and Dick’s signature, like he was looking for the right clues to piece together a story of which he only knew the ending. Like they were one of his cases to be solved and not just his family.

His mouth suddenly feels dry, so Dick swallows, then reaches out for Damian’s hand before continuing.

“And I know how Bruce gets. I know that sometimes it feels like that whatever you do is not good enough for him, that you disappoint him in every little things. But believe this too: even if that’s the case, and not only your insecurity getting the best of you, then that’s Bruce’s problem, not yours”, Dick explains softly. “As long as you do your best, as long as you feel like you’re doing what’s right for you, then other people's expectations are nothing more than a suggestion, something you have to decide for yourself whether to accept or ignore. That’s especially true if we are talking about parents, both biological and adoptive. We don’t always know best, you know?”

Damian makes a snorting noise but doesn’t pound in on that like he usually would. For someone who was born with a destiny and a carefully planned life, it’s confusing to be told that there is no great scheme, that life is not a war to be won. Dick understands that.

“You planning on keeping that suit for yourself or you prefer keep stealing it every now and then?”, he asks then, to lighten the mood. “Because I don’t mind either way, but replacing the locks every night could become annoying.”

“I’ll fix them”, Damian mutters. “Sorry”, he adds then, as an afterthought.

“You didn’t answer me”, Dick points out.

“Are you really only asking about your suit”, Damian muses. “Or are you asking me if I’m ditching Robin?”

Dick stretches his arms, clasps his hands behind his head and lays down on his back against the cold concrete of the roof. It takes Damian less than a minute to let out an exasperated sigh and follow his example. Dick smiles and closes his eyes again.

“I’m not going to tell you what to do, kiddo”, he answers when he feels Damian’s head resting against his arm. “Just that I’m going to be proud of you whatever you decide to do.”

And this time, at least, Damian doesn’t question his words or the feeling behind it.

#damian wayne #richard grayson #jason todd #my fic #this au is damaging the little brain i have #don't judge #the graysons au #shari writes

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heartslogos · 8 years ago

Text

a blue curtain is a damn blue curtain

“Wait,” Tim holds up a hand, eyes narrowed, “Stop. Start over. If you start there it makes me look like an idiot, when clearly you’re the one who’s crazy and like - weird. Roll it back to the beginning Mr. In-Medias-Res.”

Jason scowls, “If you don’t like how I tell it, then you tell it.”

“I’m not telling it because it’s embarrassing and I lived through it,” Tim says, “And I’m not going to actively give that kind of ammunition to Dick Grayson.”

“I don’t know what to infer from how you say my name,” Dick replies, “I’m going to - most charitably - decide to take only good and wonderful things away from this. Because I am a good and wonderful person.”

Jason and Tim eye him skeptically.

“Continue with not telling the story of how you two actually got together after months of you two complaining to me separately,” Dick waves his hand, stirring some more sugar into his coffee with the other. “As someone who’s been a side character in this comedy of errors, I really need to know how this eventually resolved. It’s been - like - nagging at my conscience. I have to know. You two have replaced Gotham Housewives for me, did you know that? I stopped watching in favor of helping the two of you through this disaster and now I’m hooked. Give me a series finale!”

“You know, Dick, I really don’t appreciate how you’re treating this like a soap opera.”

“If this were a soap opera one of you would have died, come back to life with amnesia and some sort of emotional issue, and then the two of you would have proceeded to spend the next three or so years fighting with repressed feelings until it culminated into a new working relationship and then a romantic one.”

“What?”

“Nothing, nothing. Please,” Dick waves his hand, “By all means. Continue. Start. Something.”

Tim and Jason exchange baffled glances before Jason sighs.

“Alright, so - remember how I forgot Kori’s birthday last year and I went on like, a super quick last minute shopping spree to find something worthy of Kori?”

“Yes?”

“Well - “

“I appreciate the gesture, but the apartment is only so big,” Kori says, “And there are only so many flat surfaces.”

Jason pants, depositing the last of the flowers onto her kitchen counter.

“Well, Kori, you said you love flowers,” Jason says, “And I forgot if there was anything specific you liked so I just got a few of everything. The perks of knowing someone who owns a flower shop.”

“You’re sweet,” Kori kisses his cheek, “I appreciate the gesture, Jason. I will give some flowers to my neighbors. There is a woman next door named Raven. I have been to her apartment a few times. I think it could use some flowers. Everyone’s lives could use some flowers. Jason, I think I should get a window box. I miss having a place to garden. A window box is not a garden, but it is something, no?”

“Good idea,” Jason nods, “Where’s everyone?”

“I told everyone not to get me anything this year,” Kori says, giving him a pointed look, “It seems that not only you forgot my birthday - like I did ask - but you also forgot not to get me anything. You are very sweet, Jason, but sometimes I think that all your time in your university’s library has made you a bit - “

Kori pauses to look for a word.

“Addled,” She concludes.

“Thanks,” Jason says.

“You are welcome. Now shoo, knowing you, there are a thousand other things you need to do and have tried to forget,” Kori waves him off.

She’s not wrong.

“That’s why Dinah was so stressed,” Dick muses, “And why I couldn’t stop sneezing when I went to visit her that weekend.”

“Dinah was stressed?” Tim interrupts, “I was stressed. Who the hell do you think had to cut and prepare and wrap and load all those flowers? Me. What kind of person buys out an entire flower shop in one day?”

“I can’t believe you could even pay for that,” Dick says to Jason.

“I paid for half of it, when I told Dinah it was for Kori she laughed at me and gave me a huge discount that she’s letting me pay for in installments,” Jason says. “I think she wanted to see what would happen for me forgetting Kori’s birthday and her very specific request not to do anything for it.”

“Alright, so that’s how you two met - not on the best foot, continue.”

“Alright, before we go on, I have to say something,” Tim speaks up before Jason can continue, “You know what’s even more terrible than buying out a flower shop in one day with no warning?”

Jason groans and puts his head in his hands.

“What?”

“Sending flowers to that flower shop from another flower shop,” Tim says.

Dick turns to stare at Jason, “Oh my god.”

“I wanted to apologize!”

“By sending me flowers from someone else’s shop?”

“Well I couldn’t go to your shop and have you arrange the thing and then give it back to you! What kind of crazy weirdo do you think I am?”

“One worthy of dating apparently.”

“Let it never be said that I had good taste in anything.”

“Seconded.”

“Who’s side are you on?”

“The right one, continue with this story.”

“Yeah, Jason, continue.”

“I sent him agrimony.”

Dick turns to Tim, “What’s agrimony? Because I can only think of alimony and that’s something that happens after you get together and then break up.”

“I,” Tim says, “Have no fucking idea what agrimony is.”

“You’re a florist!” Jason exclaims, ears turning red, “How could you not know what agrimony is?”

“I’m also a mechanic,” Tim crosses his arms, “And a customer service phone operator. I’m a lot of things, Jason.”

“Well, I know that now,” Jason grumbles.

“What’s agrimony?” Dick repeats.

“It’s a type of flower,” Jason says, “That means gratitude in the language of flowers.”

“There is no language of flowers,” Tim faux-whispers to Dick, “That’s not a thing. I asked Dinah a million times, it isn’t a thing. And she’s a real bona-fide florist.”

“It is so a thing! It’s in every single book.”

“The language of flowers is like - something English majors made up to sound cool,” Tim says. “And I appreciate it - in the long run, in hindsight, when I wasn’t living the situation of receiving flowers from a different flower shop. I thought it was like - some sort of declaration of war.”

“If I was sending a declaration of war I’d send a rhodedendron,” Jason replies.

Tim gestures at Dick as if to say see? “What do I do with this?”

“Date it, apparently.”

“Well, okay yeah.” It’s Tim’s turn to flush, now. “It was really sweet once he explained it all to me and everything. I mean, once he did explain it - how could you not want to find out more?”

“I still can’t believe it,” Jason says, “Do you know how many flowers I sent him? Do you know?”

“I feel like I’m about to.”

“Circaea,” Jason begins to list off, “Dahlia, datura, hibiscus, jasmines, lilies, lilacs, Dick. I sent him fucking lilacs.”

“Translation?”

Jason’s voice lowers as he whispers out, “First emotions of love.”

Dick looks at Tim, “I’m so sorry.”

Tim covers his face with his hands, “It’s cute,” He mumbles, “I mean, afterwards I thought it was really cute. Infuriating, but cute.”

“Quick question - where the hell did you get all of these? I don’t think these are normal plants,” Dick says.

“I have my sources,” Jason answers cryptically.

“Do you know Pam?” Tim says and Jason groans.

“Pam?” Dick blinks, brow furrowing, “Oh, Pam. Wait - Pam got out from jail?”

“Pam’s been out, Dick,” Jason rolls his eyes, “I’ve been watching her garden for her while she was in jail and she let me take some of it. Apparently flowers look their best when there’s a home that loves them or something. I sent him roses, Dick. I sent him roses.”

“Okay, at roses I got it,” Tim holds up his hands defensively. “Everyone understands roses. Once we reached roses I was like oh, someone’s flirting really badly with me.”

“Did you know it was Jason, yet?”

“Yes, because once we got to roses apparently he was fed up enough to come in person to deliver them.”

“I’m also going to point out that by the time I got to roses I was also fed up enough to flat out say, hey, I think you’re really interesting, want to get coffee?” Jason points out. “So even if it wasn’t roses, you’d have known.”

“You couldn’t have done this from the start?” Dick gapes at Jason.

“Well how was I supposed to know the florist didn’t know the language of flowers? Besides, once I started it was hard to stop,” Jason says.

“He sent me jonquils,” Tim says, “I made him write every single one of those flowers and meanings down and give them to me when we got coffee for the first time. I think I almost cried.”

“Before or after you tore into me about not being upfront?”

“During.”

“Is that why your voice went all squeaky? Cute.”

Tim flushes. Jason grins.

“I can’t believe this,” Dick shakes his head, rubbing his fingers against his temple. “Do you know how many texts and phone calls I got between the two of you? Dick, I think I’ve got a crazy stalker. They keep sending me these weird flowers and I don’t know what to do. Dick, I met a guy but I don’t think I’m doing this whole flirting thing right because he’s not reacting at all. Dick, can you investigate a florist shop for me and it’s not for rivalry purposes. Dick, how do you talk to people. Oh my fucking god.”

“It worked out,” Jason says, turning to Tim, “It worked! You like me back!”

“Imagine how much more of that we could have had sooner if you’d have just said you were interested in me to start with,” Tim says.

“Question, how does sending flowers to express gratitude lead to sending flowers to express wanting to date?” Dick asks.

“Well,” Jason says, “After the first flower - “

“Agrimony.”

“After the agrimonies, I was walking by to give Roy something he forgot at Kori’s place and I saw him talking to cats in the side alley of Dinah’s shop and he was wearing this cute little apron - “

“It’s part of the uniform.”

“Dinah’s place doesn’t have uniforms.”

“Tell that to Mia, because I won’t. I’m too scared of her.”

“And he just looked really - I dunno. I just wanted to talk to him more,” Jason shrugs. “It was a cute image, Dick. Picture worthy and everything.”

“Cute,” Dick says, pointing to Tim, “Now you.”

“I have eyes and noticed he was handsome even if he was asking for the most ridiculous and stressful thing in my life ever,” Tim says, “But also he looks cute when he’s flustered. And after he explained everything I thought that was sweet, what harm could it do to give this a shot? So I told him to get on the back of my motorcycle and I’d drive us to a drive in movie and here we are.”

Jason grins, “He’s got a really sweet ride.”

“I’m a mechanic.”

“I’m pretty sure that he’s illegally modified the thing to go faster,” Jason says. “It’s amazing.”

“Please don’t tell me about how illegal something someone might have done is,” Dick says, “I’m not in uniform, but it’s sort of my responsibility to act.”

Tim leans against Jason’s side, “I had Cass do a custom design of an agrimony decal to put on the side of it.”

“He’s never going to let me live this down,” Jason says.

“I’m getting one tattooed,” Tim rolls up his shirt sleeve and points to his inner elbow, just above a tangle of geometric lines. “Right here. So I’ll remember this comedy for the rest of my life.”

“He means he’ll remember me for the rest of his life.”

“What do I need to remember you for? You’re right here with me.”

Jason gasps, “Babe.”

“Babe?” Dick’s eyebrows raise.

“Babe.” Tim nods.

#otp: like a phoenix #heartsfic #ashestodustdusttoashes #its been so long since i've written this #it was hard #its not like riding a bicycle

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thevikingtales · 3 years ago

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"I don't know, bro..." Kevin mused, taking a sip of his drink. "I'm afraid of how she might react... are you going to tell Nana?" Liam shrugged, contemplating the liquid inside his glass for a moment. "Sometimes I want to, but I don't know how... and I don't want to ruin things, you know? We're good like this..." He admitted, taking another glance at the bathroom door.

Inside the bathroom, Nana gave Kori a faint smile. Although she hated to be seen like this, it felt good to have someone by her side. "Thank you... I'm better now." She said as she sat on the floor with her back against the wall. Even if she didn't feel like she was going to throw up any more, she felt too weak to stand. And if she hadn't been already pale as a ghost, after Kori's question she most definitely was. Pregnant? She couldn't be... could she? It's not like her and Liam had been taking precautions... everything had always been too passionate and impulsive about them, they were crazy about each other and none of them had seemed to care much about it. Still, they'd never discussed having a baby, and as much as Nana loved Liam and children, it was a serious question. "Oh my..." It was all she could mutter, still shocked, fingers running trough her dark hair. Then she looked up at her friend, visibly worried. "I could be... yes..."

Still lost in her own thoughts about what she was going to tell Liam if it were true, or how he could react, she almost didn't notice when Kori left the bathroom and Lucy came to stay with her. "Hey, Nana-chan!" The princess of Hell called cheerfully, sitting on the floor next to Nana. "You look like you've seen a ghost... what's wrong?" She asked, moving a strand of dark hair away from her friend's face. "Are you... why are you crying?" "I'm scared, Lu..." Nana sobbed, wrapping her arms around Lucy and crying a little more on her shoulder. Satan's daughter sighed, rubbing the girl's back. If a few years ago someone had told her that she'd be sitting on the floor of a club's bathroom comforting a mortal, she'd laugh loudly in that person's face and call them delusional. And yet here she was, truly caring for this defenseless being, wanting to stop her from being sad. "Why are you scared, Nana? Did Liam do anything to you? You can tell me, I'll..." "Pregnant. I might be pregnant, Lu..." Nana interrupted, placing her forehead against her knees to hide her face. "I don't know how to tell him..." "Oh..." Lucy blinked a couple of times, completely taken by surprise. She knew Liam, how reckless and selfish he was, but he seemed to care about Nana. She also knew he'd never told her anything about his true nature, and in that moment she really felt a strong impulse to tell Nana everything, for if she was having a half-demon baby she deserved to know. But it wasn't her place to do so, at least yet. "Well, let's wait for Kori... maybe it's just a scare. And if you're pregnant, you just tell him that. If he was man enough to help you make it, he's got to be man enough to stay by your side now." Lucy said with a shrug, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and Nana giggled between her anxious tears. "See? Much better!" Lucy smiled, hugging her friend once more.

Watching as Kori left, Liam grew impatient. "Where the fuck is she going now? What's going on inside that damn bathroom?" He questioned, already getting up. "Fuck it, I'm going in..." "Wait, Liam! Maybe... it's just girls problems, you know?" Devon tried to stop him. "And Lucy is there with her, I'm sure everything's fine..." Groaning and rolling his eyes, Liam sat down again and ordered another drink. He had no idea what he meant by girls problems. Of course he knew girls got periods, but this seemed much more serious than that. Still, he decided to give his girlfriend some privacy and wait a little longer. After a while, Kori came back and rushed towards the bathroom, making Liam even more impatient than he already was, his blue eyes now glued to the door.

"Th-Thank you, Kori..." Nana stuttered, as her shaking hands grabbed the pregnancy test from inside the package and she entered the stall to take the test. "Good luck, girl! We're here for you!" Lucy tried to cheer, as she and Kori waited for their friend.

Some moments later, a very livid Nana came out, showing them the result. Two lines. A clearly positive pregnancy test.

The Turning of the Seasons

Seemed to tighten the bonds between the two demon friends and their humans, with both couples growing more in love with each passing month. So much that Nana practically lived at Liam's apartment by now, while Kevin spent much more time at Kori's place than his own.

For the first time in his existence, Liam cared for someone else other than himself or Kevin. He loved Nana, not only for her energy, but also for her innocent, almost childlike way of seeing good and beauty in everything. Even in a demon like himself, and he had come to like the person he was when he was with her. Better, calmer, funnier. She was also a little rebel who'd go on any crazy adventure with him without thinking twice, and she was extremely sexy at all the right moments. He loved that about her too, and even her clumsiness. It was official - if a demon like himself could feel love for anyone, it was for her. She was his and he'd destroy anything or anyone who dared threaten their happiness. As for Nana, her feelings for Liam were mutual, although much simpler. She loved him - madly, deeply, unconditionally. Nothing more to add.

And she felt truly happy. Not only had she the most amazing boyfriend by her side, but her career in the fashion field was going really well. So when she started feeling even more tired than normal, sometimes finding it hard to find the energy to do just the simplest things, like standing in front of the mirror to do her make up or going for a walk, she blamed it on the amount of work she'd taken upon herself. And when her stomach hurt and she had a hard time keeping food inside, she blamed it on anxiety and maybe something spoiled.

"Soo... what should we have? A pizza, some tacos... maybe a veggie lasagna for you, Nana?" Lucy asked, trying to order some food for them on a night the whole group of friends gathered at The Host. "Hmm... I think I'll just have a cup of tea, Lu. I'm still not feeling too well..." Nana explained with a smile, resting her head against Liam's chest. "I might have eaten something bad again..." "Strange... Kori and I ate the same as you yesterday and we're fine..." Lucy frowned, trying to understand what was wrong with her friend, but ultimately shrugged. She was a demon after all, and therefore not affected by human conditions.

After a while, the food was served and knowing how much Nana loved french fries, Liam grinned and fed her one. "Uh... I don't..." She turned away, seemingly nauseated. "Excuse me..." Covering her mouth with her hand, Nana ran to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. "What the fuck... what did I do?" The blue eyed demon turned to his best friend, a very confused look upon his features.

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bluboothalassophile · 7 years ago

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This Never Happened

Hello, @randomshadow85 Thank you for the prompt idea and I hope everyone enjoys more of the Hopes for a Bastard Universe!

Selina chuckled as she watched her husband dancing with the newest addition to their family, Kori and he were smiling as they danced slowly. It was humorous seeing him dancing with Kori, and the woman gracefully towered over him.

Chuckling she picked up a glass of wine, sipping it, enjoying it like she had enjoyed her lover a few minutes earlier in the coat closet. She loved that about them, their rough quickies in between the moments of vital living. She adored it, even as she felt his seed sliding down her inner thighs, concealed by the Bashagha gown. She had to admit, Kori’s designer friend had style.

She paused seeing Tim standing on the balcony rather than being in the party, which had her glancing around the room before sauntering out to him.

“Hey baby bird, party is inside,” she chuckled walking out into the cool spring air of Vermont. It was a lovely resort, almost fairy tale like in it’s beauty.

“I…” he spun around his bangs flopping in his face and she smiled catching his shoulder and looking out at the mountain and forest.

“It’s peaceful out here, so different from Gotham,” she observed.

“It’s… surreal,” he admitted. “No… No bad guys, no hell, nothing but… quiet, and peace,” he whispered.

“That’s an understatement,” she chuckled leaning on the railing. “So what’s up?”

“Nothing,” Tim shook his head furiously.

“Uh-huh… wanna try that again, kid. ‘Cause you’re worse than B at lying to me,” she mused.

His blue eyes flicked to the dance floor, where the girls were dancing. Selina watched the group for a long quiet moment and sighed.

“So girl troubles,” she deduced.

“I… it… it was easier when they weren’t… you know,” he sighed and dragged a hand through his shaggy hair.

“I don’t,” she said.

“I just… it’s so easy for Dick, all the time… and B… and Jay…” Tim grimaced admitting that.

“Okay, first it’s not easy for any of them to be themselves and talk to girls either. Dick’s a showman, I’m pretty sure if his parents hadn’t died he’d have become an actor or something, he’s got the charisma for it but the real him is so quiet and gentle people miss it, but there’s that temper of his too. B… he can flirt, but most people can’t see past the façade long enough to notice that he’s so socially inept; and has been since he was younger than you, that he has no idea what he’s doing,” Selina chuckled. “And Jay’s always good at chatting people up, and giving a real conversation, but sex to him, it’s not pleasure, it’s a weapon he can use against someone. The real him, I’ve only ever seen on person bring it out consistently, but everyone else, Jason just give the façade. And I know that for a fact because I grew up two alleys from his alley and you learn fast sex is a weapon; it took me years to learn that sex could be more than a weapon,” she admitted. “So trust me, despite what you’re seeing, none of them know how to talk to girls either.”

Tim pulled a face and she chuckled as she set her glass of wine to the side.

“Tiffany wants to go to our winter formal with me, and I just… I like Steph, and I don’t know how to say that,” Tim admitted as he hopped to sit on the railing.

“Kid, you’re barely seventeen, summer break’s started, and you’re a baby, you’d be foolish to even think that you need to sort this out right now,” she chuckled.

“I… I just… I want that!” he whined finally as he gestured to all the people there dancing. Garth kissed his girlfriend’s cheek, Wally was dancing with Artemis, Dick was dancing with Rae, and B with Kori.

“You’ll get here,” she promised him with a smile.

“How do you know?”

“Cause you’re seventeen and the world isn’t ending just yet. You got your whole life ahead of you, Tim, you don’t have to have it all sorted out right now. And yeah, I get it, kid,” she shoved his shaggy hair to the side and he looked at her through his lashes. “You think being the best detective and tactician of this generation, gaining the admiration of Ra’s and beating B, that you got to have it all sorted out right now, but you don’t,” she promised. “You’re a kid, and I know none of you damn Bats were ever kids, but you’re a kid, kid. You’ll get here one day. You’ll be happy one day, and you and Dami will be best friends and Jay will be here, and you’ll have a family. It won’t be perfect kid, but from my point of view,” she turned to the room again. “That’s pretty damn close.”

“The demon spawn and I will never be best friends,” he grimaced.

“Kid, the point is, instead of thinking; that like B; you’re doomed to an unhappy future, you get what you make, and if you want to be happy, you’ll have to work at it, but you’ll get there,” she promised.

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah.”

“So Tiffany and Steph…”

“If you’re asking my approval on which one to date I think you’d best leave me out of it,” she warned.

“But!”

“Kid, I’m not in charge of your love life, never will be, that one is all you, and you have to decide for yourself who you like better, and who makes you happy,” she said. “And don’t think to do the normal teenage boy thing and just date them for sex or I’ll neuter you,” she warned.

He chuckled at that and she smiled.

“Kid you got everything ahead of you, so quit standing out here and moping and go in there and enjoy it,” she shoved him off the railing, he stumbled as he headed for the party.

Her husband slid up beside her and she smiled at his scowl.

“Just so you know, I fully intend to set him and Stephanie up when they’re older and not so temperamental and hormone driven,” she warned.

“Tiffany is the better match,” he husband decided.

“We shall see Bat,” she smiled coyly as she sauntered past him, letting him watch her hips swing.

#bluboothalassophile #fanfic #one shot #selina kyle #tim drake #timothy drake #batcat #DickKory #dickkori #hopes for a bastard #hopes for a bastard universe

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dylan-hague · 8 years ago

Text

Chapter 32

Titans Tower, Jump City. April 25th, 2018. 2:14 AM.

Damian sat at his desk, pouring over everything he could find on Eddie Nashton. He’d been at this for the past hour, trying to prepare himself for anything Riddler could through at them, familiarizing himself with all his past schemes to see if there were a pattern to his riddles. He pushed his sunglasses up on his eyes as he scanned the words on the screen; he’d taken to wearing sunglasses as he did desk work in order to ease the strain on his eyes. Jon thought it was dumb, but it seemed like it was working.

As he looked over everything he could find, he found his mind drifting back to the false Red X he’d encountered in the library. It didn’t take much to figure out she was from the League of Assassins; he figured everyone must have scattered when his mother disbanded it, but he never expected any of them to come after him… or, for that matter, where to even find him. She was obviously League, but something was different… even his personal Guard weren’t that skilled. Where had he met her before…?

His train of thought was interrupted by a knock on his window. He turned to see Raven and Jon floating outside. Lord above, what are they up to now? Rolling his eyes, Damian pushed himself up to his feet and shuffled over to his window, pushing it open. He was greeted by a gust of warm morning air as Jon quickly scooped him up in his arms, a cheek-to-cheek grin across his face.

“Jonathan Samuel Kent, you put me back down right now!” Damian whispered fiercely. “I have a Kryptonite ring, and I swear, I am not afraid to use–”

“Oh calm down, grumpy gills!” Jon teased, rubbing his cheek against Damian’s. “We just wanted to take you out and have a little fun before work today!” Ugh, why was he so happy? It was two in the morning, nobody is supposed to be this happy after two in the morning!

“Jon, I’m always working. You know that…” Damian groaned, rubbing his eyes. “What do you think I’m doing up this late on a night when we’re not out on patrol?”

“I dunno. Videogames, I guess?” The hybrid tossed Damian over to Raven, who caught him with her magic. “Rae, does Damian like videogames?”

“I’ve never seen him play one, so I couldn’t say,” the mage replied, her hands up to maintain the speed holding Damian in the air. “Do you, Damian?”

“Never tried one, so…” the powerless Titan paused for a moment. “Hey, wait a minute. Why did you agree to this? You know I have work that needs to get done!”

“Yeah, but I also know that you’re going to work yourself to death,” Raven said with a half-smile. “And I don’t want you doing that, because I actually like you.”

“God only knows why,” Damian quipped in reply, his lips curling into a smirk. “If you actually like someone like me, they oughta lock you up in Arkham. You’re a psychopath.”

“I like you too, what does that make me?” Jon asked, an eyebrow raised.

Damian looked over his shoulder, grinning cheekily. “An imbecile.”

“Rude,” Raven muttered, smacking Damian in the back of his head. “Come on, let’s go out for a bit.”

“Alright… but only because I like you two.” Damian sighed, smiling and taking Raven’s hand as they drifting out away from the Tower. “Can we try to be back by sunrise?”

Raven smiled. “I think we can make that work.”

…

“Put your hands in the air, Harkness!” The sirens all around the Bank of Perez wailed as a swarm of policemen held up their guns at the entryway, where Digger Harkness stood just inside with a knife pressed to a young woman’s throat.

“Ha! Yeh, like you buggers got anything you can pull on me!” the perp shouted, grinning wildly as he jerked his hostage about. “Now here’s how we gonna do this: you lot drop ya pea shooters, me an’ my boys in here head out without anyone gettin’ any ideas about tailin’ us, and the pretty lady here gets ta keep her jugulah! Ya hear me?”

“We can’t let you go, Harkness! Not with all that cash,” the police captain called, wrinkles forming on his weathered forehead. “Let the woman go and give yourself up, and I promise no harm will come to you!”

“Yeh, nah,” Harkness called out with a wink. “Time’s up, mate! We got plen'y more nice folks in here, so I’ll be takin’ this o–w-what the–?”

Digger looked down to see his whole arm, along with the blade in his hand, enveloped in darkness, like a shadow had stretched right over it, and pulled slowly to the side as the hostage in his arm was engulfed in the same inexplicable darkness, drifting into the air away from him and touching down to the ground behind the fleet of squad cars.

“Captain Boomerang… you have to be joking.”

Harkness whipped around to see three kids inside the building behind him. He let out a grunt of agitation when he saw each one wearing a cape of sort, and two of them hovering just off the ground.

“You gotta be kiddin’ me,” Boomerang complained. “I skipped town outta Central City tryin’ ta get away from you hero-freaks, and now yer tellin’ me I gotta deal with the juniors!?”

“You know you can’t take all three of us, Harkness,” Raven said, her voice wishing through the air like a vapor. “Surrender now, and we won’t hurt you…”

“Or better yet, try to fight back.” Red X grinned as he cracked his knuckles. “I wanna have some fun with you.”

“Don’t listen to X here, he’s got issues.” Superboy smirked, one hand on Damian’s shoulder. “Just put the knives and… boomerangs… down, so we can turn you in.”

“Hmmm… sorry, mate,” Digger replied, his irritation plain to hear in his tone. “I ain’t got time for yer little play-date, I got places to be. Let’s get this goin’.”

Damian cocked an eyebrow as he crossed his arms. “Alright, Titans. Show this idiot how we do.”

Harkness flung his switchblade straight for Damian as he reached for a boomerang on his belt. The Son of Batman caught the weapon with minimal effort, and Boomerang found his whole body covered in shadow before Raven flung him against the wall on the left side of the room, several bricks busting loose as he collapsed to the floor. As the crook slowly wobbled back to his feet amongst the debris, Jon rushed forward and shot his fist right into Harkness’ gut, knocking him back into the wall a second time and leaving noticeably more damage to its surface as Boomerang fell back to the cold bank floor, completely unconscious. Red X dropped the switchblade, letting it clatter to the ground.

“Well that was lame,” Damian said with a smirk. “I didn’t even get to do anything.”

Just as the words left his lips, a great red blur rocketed through the bank, sending papers and capes whirling about in the wind. When the air settled, there before them stood a man who looked to be about Nightwing’s age, wearing a red suit with a white lightning bolt across his chest. His red hair poked out from the top of his mask, and sparks of static electricity bound to and fro around him for a moment before dying down. Damian immediately recognized him from the hospital when Tommy was born.

“Kid Flash,” Red X called out, crossing his arms. “I believe this is your crook?”

The man turned to Damian with a smile. “Actually, it’s just Flash now…” he replied. “But yeah, thanks for taking care of him! Woulda done it myself, but I’ve got other stuff going on. I’ll go ahead and take him back to Central, think you could say hey to Kori for me?”

“Will do, Wally,” Raven said with a smile and a nod. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Well thanks, Little Miss Sunshine!” Wally said grinning. “By the way, did I congratulate you two yet? ‘Cuz I meant to when we were all in Blüdhaven, but I can’t remember.”

“Thanks, West.” Damian took Raven by the hand and smiled back at the veteran Titan. “It’s good to finally not hear the whole 'you’re taking things too fast’ routine.”

“Oh please, Little D. I’m a Flash…” Wally replied with a wink as his body began to crackle with static. “To me, there’s no such thing as 'too fast.'” Just as he said this, he turned into a red streak once more, whizzing his way out the door and taking Harkness along with him.

“Umm… who was that?” Jon said, a confused look on his face.

“That, Jon, was Wally West,” Damian turned to Jon with a raised eyebrow. “formerly known as Kid Flash. He was a founding member of the Teen Titans, back when my brother Richard was still Robin.”

“Whoa… that’s awesome, man!” Jon grinned excitedly as he strolled towards his companions. “Ain’t ya glad ya came out with us tonight?”

“Well, I’ll admit that was… mildly entertaining,” Damian mused. “But now that that’s over with, we should head off to–”

“Helloooo? Testing, testing… is thing on?”

Damian froze for a moment. That voice was coming from his communicator. He whipped out the handheld com, and what he saw on the screen aroused an anger in him that nearly caused him to crush the device: on the screen was a green question mark.

“Riddler…” Damian growled into the device.

“Awwwww, the baby birdie remembers me!” Riddler taunted from the other end of the com. “Well, if you remember my name, perhaps that means you also remember my game: proving my intellectual superiority to the world, and demonstrating that no matter how intelligent your friend Batman might claim to be, I’ll always, ALWAYS be one step ahead of him!”

“If you’re so hellbent on proving you’re smarter than Batman,” Red X barked into his device, “then what are you doing on the other side of the country, in my city?”

“Ho ho! Someone’s not asking the right questions! You’ll never get anywhere with that mindset, my aggressively simpleton street-scrapping friend.” The villain chortled heartily through the speaker. “But if you must know, I’ll put it in terms you’re hopefully smart enough to understand: I’m aware that Batman invested a substantial amount of time in grooming all of his past and present protégés to try and attain his level of competence, in their physical capabilities as well as their far more important mental capacities. I’m simply doing my rounds to ensure that he knows that this endeavor was a resounding failure. And that starts with you, my little friend; you’re not nearly bright enough to track me down, that much is obvious! So after I utterly humiliate you for all the world to see, I’ll move on to the other poor saps that Batman has tried so hard to educate. Maybe once he sees how pathetic his attempts at teaching you all have been, he’ll finally come to his senses and admit that I, the Riddler, am truly the smartest man in Gotham!”

“And while you’re at it, you make off with a cool 150 billion dollars’ worth of gold, is that right?” Damian said through grit teeth, seething at his adversary’s unbearably pompous attitude.

“Well, proving myself the intellectual pinnacle of the world is an expensive undertaking!” Riddler taunted. “It seems a fair settlement to me. Think of it as a spontaneous, non-optional crowdfunding event! And I’d like to thank aaaaall my generous benefactors for doing their part to help me achieve my dream!”

“Laugh while you can, you egotistical windbag,” Damian’s eyes squinted as he growled into his communicator. “Because when I find you, I’ll take my time beating that smug smile off your face.”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll try your best, my young friend! But as you’ll see, you’re wits are nothing compared to mine,” the crook on the other end said. “Au revois!” With that, Damian’s communicator went dead.

“… Maybe we should take a step back…” Jon said, putting his hands up as he floated towards the door.

“This still doesn’t give us any answers…” Damian sighed, slipping his communicator back into his belt. “This didn’t give us anything.”

“Damian…” Raven gently put her hand to Damian’s chest. “If you want to go home, we can do that. Just say the word.”

Damian shook his head. “No… let’s stay out for awhile. I wanna keep it off my mind for a little bit.”

…

“This is a pretty nice place you found out here, Rae.”

“I didn’t find it, Jon. Kori showed it to me.”

Damian sat underneath the inexplicably-placed pine tree beside the little body of water he’d decided in his mind to call “Rachel’s Pond”. (At first he called it Raven’s Pond, but he figured that was bound to confuse people, start rumors that didn’t need to be started. Using her legal name would be much more appropriate, considering that’s what everyone would probably be calling her once her joining the Wayne family became public information.) Beside him sat Raven herself, who leaned her head on his shoulder as she let out a yawn, and Jonathan leaned up against the tree on the other side of him, having flown back to the Tower to retrieve his guitar. Truth be told, he was glad Raven and Jon had called him out for this; he needed the break from his work. He hadn’t stopped his research for the past eight days, and he even had begun to see double as a result of staring at his confounded computer screen for so long. And if he really had to take a break, Damian was glad it was with these two; Damian felt like he didn’t say it enough, but Raven and Jon really were his two best friends. Sure, they were his Best Man and fiancée, but he still felt like he should spend more time expressing his appreciation for them. Just… y'know, let them know he cared. That’s why he came out with them tonight; they didn’t spend enough time together as just their group.

“Man… what a year, huh?” Jon grinned down at his friends as he pushed off of the pine, dropping to the ground and resting his head in Damian’s lap. “Think about last April. Where we all were. You two had just gotten together, man. How crazy is that to think about?”

“What’s crazier is how long it took us to get together,” Raven said with a soft smile as she nestled her head gently into Damian’s neck. “Two years ago, I think, was when we first realized we liked each other…”

“Two years, three weeks, four days, and…” Damian checked his watch. 4:30 AM. “about eight and a half hours... For me, anyways. We were on the Ferris wheel…”

“I don’t know how we ended up on that thing together…” Raven sighed. “Or why Garfield and Jaime kept cheering. Ferris wheels aren’t that exciting.” Damian couldn’t not laugh at that; she had a REALLY good point.

“So wait… March 30th 2016, you guys first started liking each other…” Jon looked up at the two of them with an eyebrow cocked. “March 30th 2017, you started dating… and then March 30th 2018, you got engaged? That settles it, you have to get married on March 30th.”

“I dunno…” Damian smiled, looking down contently at Raven’s hand in his. “I kinda like the idea of a May wedding. Richard and Barbara got me into it.”

“Oh, right… they wanted to get married next month, didn’t they?” Raven lifted her head up, turning to look at Damian with sleepy eyes.

“They did… but all things considered, it was worth putting off,” the Son of Batman replied. “This way, Tommy can actually be at his parents’ wedding. He may not remember it when he grows up, but it’ll be good to have him there.”

“I agree…” Raven rubbed her eyes wearily. “Ugh, man… at this rate, I won’t make it to sunrise…”

“Wait, noooooo, you can’t go to sleep!” Jon picked his head up and put his guitar aside. “I can’t carry both of you and my guitar back home!”

“Shhhhh, Jonno, juss…” Raven’s eyelids drooped low as he sleepily pawed at Damian’s chest. “Jussemme… wuh, whoa boy…”

Damian watched with a soft smile as his Raven fought back as best she could at the craving for slumber. “Come on, let’s head back home. I’ll carry you on foot, that sound alright?” The boy’s cheeks went rosy as the sleepy witch nodded her head, leaning into his arms as he lifted her up.

“Aww, aren’t you two just precious?” Jon snickered as he picked up his instrument and strapped it to his back. Raven curled in closer to Damian’s chest as they started the long walk back to Titans Tower.

By the time they reached home, it was almost 6 o'clock. Just as the three heroes went to open the front door, the first beams of sunlight peered out over the river, making the flowing waters dance with a light that looked almost alive. Damian smiled at the sight, holding Raven to him just a little tighter as he and Jon watched the yellow ball of light emerge from below the horizon, illuminating the world around them. It was a new day… but they were tired. It was time to turn in. Damian pressed his lips to Raven’s forehead as he turned and carried her inside.

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