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hana-no-seiiki · 8 months ago

Text

STILL INTO YOU

yandere batfam x cat villain! reader (+extra!!)

synopsis: moments wherein the batfam n co. realize that after all this time they’re still into you

status: unedited.

[AUTHOR’S NOTE:] Super sorry for the lack of fics everyone!! Lately I found out that my DID symptoms have gotten worse and that I’ve experienced a full blackout (and possibly more, I just have no memory of it). So I’ve just been trying to recuperate my mental health for a while with art related stuff. Which, on the positive side of things, means that I’ll be releasing a Webtoon (pilot) around this July!! Hope to see you guys there during the release!!

Can’t count the years on one hand

That we’ve been together

I need the other one to hold you.

Make you feel, make you feel better.

You never realized how much Bruce knew you until you two sat down and had a meal together. Why? You might ask. Well, you were supposed to have a dinner date with Tim today at the manor, but he was unfortunately caught up on a case. You were about to cancel it, maybe cause some chaos in town and then chill with Jason as revenge for your bestie bailing — but Tim insisted you hung out with his father instead.

The pair knew it was the only way for you to (A) Behave and (B) not sleep with Jason for the nth time that week.

Gazing at all your favorite foods displayed upon the excessively extravagant and expensive table you realized that aside from the second youngest, Bruce knew you the most out of everyone in the Batfamily by virtue of his contingencies and overall time as the Batman while you were training to be Catwoman’s successor.

It was so odd, seeing him so calm and not so hostile when you were around. Eerie.

“I’m sorry.”

“Hm?”

“I always saw you as a threat. Treated you like one. But you were just a kid stuck in a situation you didn’t have a hand on. I’m truly sorry. For treating you that way.”

“. . . Isn’t it your job? No hard feelings really. I’d be creeped out if you treated me so nicely — not the food though this is very much welcomed.” You ranted as you stuck a fork into your steak, pointing it at Bruce’s face. Yet, as much as how you were failing to achieve proper etiquette he didn’t seem annoyed more so . . . surprised?

“I hope to see you have dinner here again next week.” His hands stretched to awkwardly pat your head.

“Depends, will I have more of Alfred’s steak again?”

It's not a walk in the park

To love each other.

But when our fingers interlock,

Can't deny, can't deny you're worth it.

Koriand’r wasn’t an idiot. She knew about Dick’s lingering feelings for you.

Perhaps she may be. Considering the fact that she still tried to be in a relationship with him even then.

“Shit. Kitty? Kitty! Wake up you hear me?!”

“. . . I’m. . .” You coughed, groaning at the pain it triggered all throughout your body “ . . . here . .”

You raised your hand, too weak to reach his face you settled with holding his own. Dick squeezed your intertwined hands with a pained expression , and an intimacy unfamiliar to the alien.

But that wasn’t what made Koriand’r finally understand how hopeless their relationship was.

It was the fear in his face. His pretty features morphed into one of horror.

Ah, even after all this time. Dick couldn’t live without you.

Cause after all this time I’m still into you.

I should be over all the butterflies

But i'm into you (I'm in to you)

And baby even on our worst nights

I'm into you (I'm into you)

Let em wonder how we got this far

Cause I don't really need to wonder at all

Yeah after all this time

I'm still into you

Jason spent many, many grueling years under the influence of the LoA. And not once did his body forget the feeling of you.

The butterflies, the heart wrenching pain of being apart from you, and the fleeting, venomous hatred you two shared.

After all, it was your name that escaped his lips the moment he awoke from the dead. Your face the first on his mind. Your voice that he longed to hear again.

He had plenty of time to prepare for this moment. Months? Maybe even years.

“Hey, cool helmet. You a Deadpool fan or . . ?”

But even then, your appearance still made him more nervous than confronting his family once more. More nervous than fighting the villain that ended his life.

“Yikes, awful cut you got there. Need me to patch you up buddy?”

You had grown. He had too, even if it was through some magic, deus ex machina water. Seeing the change in your features, how you shed your youthful look of naïvete and grew into a beautiful/handsome/pretty specimen almost made him break all his plans just to be with you again.

“I know that you’re shy and all but I need words.”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be here til the vigilantes show up.”

For his revenge’s sake he hopes that you’ll stay for longer.

Recount the night that I first

Met your mother

And on the drive back to my house

I told you that, I told you that I loved ya.

You felt the weight of the world

Fall off your shoulder

And to your favorite song

We sang along to the start of forever

It was one of those nights when you intruded on the Batfam’s nightly patrols. This time your victim was Damian. And strangely, no one else. He explained that the rest were taking a break.

Leaving out the fact that he poisoned them with some self engineered laxatives.

It was relatively calm until a heist suddenly started in one of the banks you wanted to pick off. Damn.

“Hey, I didn’t know you listened to [Favorite Artist(s)]” You eyes widened at the sound of the music playing the background as Joker’s men began to surround you and Robin.

“Just a casual listener. How did you meet my mother anyhow?” Damian sheathed his katana. Opting to take down his foes by hand to hand combat as he peeled his eyes and ears to listen to you.

Besides he could see that your eyes weren’t on him anyways, so there was no point in showing off.

. . . Not that he was doing that.

“Huh? Well, I know everyone really.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

He sighed, bashing a poor guy’s face with his knees, his hands adding force with a pull — yikes. “I don’t know why I bother with you.”

“She hated me at first. Courtesy of Cat Woman and the Bat being together.” You turned to him, and he ducks.

“Then I lost someone really, really important to me. More than anything in this world. More than this world itself.” Your whip meets a goon behind him. Both of you hear a splat sound as the man falls to the floor. “And while everyone was calling me insane, when everything was breaking down around me. She was the only one who didn’t judge me for . . . the things that I did.”

“She supported me and was there for me no matter what.” You gaze at the blood on your weapon and cringe. “And then I realized your dad was an absolute bastard for leaving her behind. So I took up the mask again and made it my mission to make his life miserable."

"Even after the dinner?"

"Especially. Wanna bet on how long til he snaps?"

"Deal."

And after all this time I’m still into you.

I should be over all the butterflies

But i'm into you (I'm in to you)

And baby even on our worst nights

I'm into you (I'm into you)

Let em wonder how we got this far

Cause I don't really need to wonder at all

Yeah after all this time

I'm still into you

Some things just,

Some things just make sense

And one of those is you and I

Some things just,

Some things just make sense

And even after all this time

Tim honestly didn’t think he had it as bad as his brothers. Sure, he watched your every move and had extensive digital libraries on everything about you, but he did that for everyone. He was more rational; a man that clung unto his senses.

No it wasn’t his actions that made him realize how dangerously important you were to him, it was the way he felt doing so.

After an excessively arduous mission, the first thing he does as he gets back home is to open up his devices and get back to work. Surprise surprise, the stress wouldn’t go away. Not even when he stopped to play some games or catch up on Dungeon Meshi’s last episodes. And that always, always made him relax.

Anxious, his hands subconsciously guide him to that one folder.

Click Click

Dozens if not hundreds of holographic photos, videos and even fan art of you surrounded him.

Tim stares at a video he took when he first found out your identity.

Curling up into a ball with a blanket surrounding him, he slowly drifts off to sleep. Your voice lulling him into his overdue journey to dreamland.

Yeah, he was more rational than the rest. Yet, some things just made sense. Like you being the only thing in this world that manages to make his heart race and anxieties run away.

I'm into You

Baby not a day goes by that

I'm not into you

Jon was a bit dense. But even then he could see the signs of his best friend slowly losing himself to love and infatuation.

He would have been happy,

if it weren’t for the fact that he had a crush on you first.

Being the sweetheart he is, he backed off, respectful of Damian’s feelings (even if the latter wasn’t of his).

I should be over all the butterflies

But i'm into you (I'm in to you)

“Woah, you guys are done already?” Jon landed. As soon as he heard that he’d be able to fight alongside you after what felt like years (it was a couple of weeks), he flew all the way from Metropolis in record time.

If he knew what awaited him he probably wouldn’t have left at all.

“Yeah.” You gave him a thumbs up. Your head laid atop Damian’s lap as the domino masked vigilante ran his hands through your hair. His gloves off to his side.

“C-Cool.”

Jon cried himself to sleep that night.

Even after knowing of Damian’s feelings all this time, he could never stop his own.

And baby even on our worst nights

I'm into you (I'm into you)

Let em wonder how we got this far

Cause I don't really need to wonder at all

Yeah after all this time

I'm still into you

[ NEXT PART : NOBODY GETS ME ]

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bomber-grl · 9 months ago

Note

Hi, can I get something w the prompt 30? Maybe w Damian.

If it's friends to lovers-

Idk, I just want some inocent fluff and jokes.

I‼️ Need‼️ Sweetness‼️

Prompt #30: laying their head on the other’s shoulder

Today was an exhausting day, both at school and doing your vigilante work. Luckily, before you left back to your place Damian had invited you over, and how could you refuse?

Your bags were taken upon entrance by Alfred and then you were led deeper into Wayne Manor. Damian led you to the living room, or in other words- one of them.

It was a place to just relax and it’s not like any of the other residents were going to intrude so you and Damian whipped out snacks that you both bought on the way and some that were already here.

Not to mention how he had prepared a blanket and sat on the couch next to you…

The plan? It was to watch of movie of course! I mean it was already deep into the night and as much tired as you were- you just couldn’t sleep.

The same could be said about Damian, he was up right alongside you. It was kind of him to.

I mean, it had hardly been a few weeks that you were only friends now turned lovers. Things were bound to get awkward or lovey- or both, eventually.

Well a voice brought you out of your thoughts and back to reality. “So, you know what you want to watch or am I gonna choose?” Damian was standing by you on the couch facing the tv as he scrolled through Netflix.

“Um no I don’t know, how about you decide?” Best to cover up the fact you weren’t paying attention by forcing the question back at him.

“Alright then…” his tone was obviously suspicious but he went along without a fuss and chose a random movie that you weren’t familiar with but knew he enjoyed.

After, he snuck under the covers and sat by your side as the movie began. Throughout the movie you could tell from your peripheral vision that Damian was looking at you to gauge your reaction at certain scenes but you pretended to be none the wiser.

Since the movie was 2 hours long you got a bit lost in keeping track of time. You searched for your phone under the covers and once you found and read the screen you made a mental note of it being 12:00

One more hour to go… which you miserably failed. You were struggling to stay awake and the only thing that snapped you back to reality was a sudden weight on your shoulder.

You turned to face whatever it was, I mean were you really so off guard that this snuck pass your defenses?

Well much to your not so much surprise, it was Damian. His head was rested against your right shoulder and his eyes were closed and you took note of the gentle rising and falling of his chest.

He was so cute and looked peaceful as he slept. You sort of felt an ego boost at the thought of Damian feeling so safe around you that he could not only fall asleep but also let you touch him without rousing him awake.

Which is something you found out when you glided your fingers through his soft hair and gently pushed aside any stray ones from his face.

Maybe it was because of how late it was, maybe because of the lack of light, or maybe just the urge to cuddle with Damian but you let out a breath and let your head go limp and rest on top of Damian’s.

What’s the worse that could happen?

Well not anything particularly bad in your opinion. Luckily it was the weekend so you didn’t worry as much once you awoke but what really bothered you was the snickering sounds surrounding you.

Once you opened your eyes and saw Damian, his usual cool demeanor was gone. His face was flushed to the nines and you soon found out why.

Three of his siblings Dick, Todd, and Tim had found you sleeping there and thought I’d be cute to take a picture.

That wasn’t so bad but you knew Damian so him reacting this way wasn’t so bad.

Until Tim revealed that although he found you all that way, he left and returned with the other two to find Damian planting a kiss to your cheek.

You were shocked and turned to Damian as your cheeks filled with red. “Is that true?!?”

Your question fell on deaf ears and despite that you knew your answer when Damian turned away and refused to make eye contact.

Let’s just say it was an awkward family breakfast, leaving Damian with everything but his honor and dignity.

#fanfic #gn reader #male reader #fluff #fanfic fluff #female reader #damian wayne x male reader #damian wayne al ghul #dc fanfic #damian wayne fanfiction #damian robin #dc robin #damian wayne imagine #damian wayne x reader #damian wayne fluff #damian wayne headcanon #robin damian

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radiance1 · 1 year ago

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Dick, Jason, Tim and Damian get kidnapped to be used as sacrifices to offer to the Ghost King for when he arrived, the cultists went on and on about how they'll become the king's servants and that he will cleanse the mortal world.

Which, obviously neither of the four of them wants, especially when the Big Bat was off world on official league business too. So they try to sneakily remove their bindings and all of that, with Dick making conversation and the others piping in to distract them and stuff.

Unfortunately, the summoning still went as planned, but the result was not what any of them expected.

Instead of the ancient, ghostly eldritch king they expected, what they instead got was a giant ball of flaming feathers looking down at them sleepily, with a silence passing as if it were slowly processing what was happening before asking.

"Do you have any clue as to how hard it is to put a child godking to sleep."

---

Vlad and Danny have outlived everyone they knew in Amity Park by about 200 years. During those years, Vlad and Danny have gotten, better, with each other.

Now, you see, the Duke of the Black Flame did not care what exactly the boy did outside whenever he was summoned, but it then became his problem when he was told to go and collect the boy due to some complications.

He went along with it, but was irritated about it, he never had to do this before. So of course, as if to spite him, he found that Danny went and turned himself into a damn toddler.

So of course, his first reaction was to carry him to Clockwork and make him turn him back. He had some very choice words when Clockwork said no and didn't even tell him why that he didn't say.

And then the child was thrusted into his care.

He protested, of course, he was only 242, and this was a child he didn't even like on the best of days. To which Clockwork brought up how, didn't even always want to claim Danny as his son back in the day?

That was a younger phase in his life, the him now doesn't want anything to do with the brat.

But alas, he was still forced to take care of the child, claiming that only another halfa would be capable of properly taking care of another, which Vlad tried to refute, he truly, truly did.

But against the Observants and the Master of Time, he had to fold.

Fuck, he misses the time when he didn't have a title and thus, had to be involved within politics.

At least human politics were predictable.

The time following his caretaking of one Ghost King were utterly, terrible. First, Danny whined like, well, a toddler, when he brought him over to his domain because of the heat which, rude. Then he had to move into the castle to properly take care of him which he had to suck up.

It was either this, or the Far Frozen.

The palace was cold, which made him made feel a bit discomforted in prolong periods of time, due to always spending most of his time around heat, but nothing he couldn't handle.

Then he found out that dealing with a superpowered toddler was unpleasant, to say the least. The boy kept disappearing under his watch, flew through the palace halls at high speeds and seemingly boundless amounts of energy with even worse self-preservation instincts, and when he wailed?

He wailed.

Vlad already had his damn talons full with dealing with the brat.

And then came having to take on the king's workload due to said eastern dragon being a toddler. He had to physically deny himself from screaming when he heard of it, to keep Danny from joining in with a wail out of fun if anything else.

Three years passed, a blink of an eye to him now really, and Vlad was not having that great a time. He was stressed, tired, and not amused by both the lack of sleep and trying to keep Danny out of harm's way.

Did he mention that during those two years, Vlad had to be forced along whenever Danny was summoned? No? Well now you know.

The one time, the one time that the stars aligned to have Vlad neither have to deal with his shared workload and Danny finally asleep at the same time.

Of course, as soon as he closed his eyes and rested surrounded by his warmth. Of course, of Observants-damned course did the brat have to be summoned at that exact moment when he was finally getting some precious sleep.

He stared down at the cultists sleepily, his usual dignity and elegance lost to its basic functions as his mind slowly tried to process what was happening. When it did, he felt himself be irritated, before a wave of resignation flooded him and he asked one, simple question to hopefully drive the meaning into their thick, stupid skulls.

"Do you have any clue as to how hard it is to put a child godking to sleep."

Rhetorical question, really. He didn't expect an answer.

#dc x dp #dp x dc #dp x dc crossover #dpxdc #dcxdp #ghost king danny #ghost duke Vlad #dragon danny #dragon!danny #phoenix vlad #phoenix!vlad #Vlad is entirely done with whatever is happening #of course the one time he gets to have a peaceful rest Danny had to be summoned #As if the forces spited him for having a good time

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jasmines-library · 1 year ago

Note

Hello sugar <3! (im very sorry if theres any spelling errors, english isnt my first language <3)

I would love to request some angst/comfort with the batfam? Maybe with the reader (tw: sa, rape) struggling with some sexual assault/rape issues, something they haven't told the family yet? The reader acting different for weeks, months even, and the whole family being suspicious and noticing their sudden fear of being cornered, touches and certain smells maybe?

its totally fair if you don't feel like it, I just really really love your way of writing the characters, and your writing over all. I swear, i swallowed your whole page in the matter of a few hours, I loved every second!

Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?

Note: My gosh im so sorry this literally took me over a month to get to, but it's here. I'm so glad you like my page and thank you for requesting! (Title name from song)

Warnings: SA, r*pe (non explicit but this fic deals with the aftermath. Please read with caution.), Panic attack of sorts.

Word count: 2.1K

⛤ BATFAM MASTERLIST ⛤

Please remember, if you are ever struggling you are not alone. It may be difficult at first but there are many places for you to reach out to, many of which are anonymous and do not need the involement of of name, if you are just needing for someone to talk to. There will always be someone out there to help you. As an alternative, my DM’s are always open for a chat! Remember: You are loved and you are so much stronger than you realise.

⛤

You hadn’t meant to drift away. It sort of just…happened. And it wasn’t even something you were conscious of really. The thoughts were just constantly there and you couldn’t shake the feeling of his hands roaming all over his body; the ghostly touch of his fingers lingering flush against your skin, burning an invisible bruise into your flesh. You tried to shy away from it but it was always there, buried into the front of your mind festering away like an old, unforgotten wound oozing with pus and blood that would only create more problems the longer it was left.

The night it happened was cold and bitter. A shallow fog had cast itself over the city as you staggered back to the manor with makeup running carelessly down your face. You shut yourself away, turning the lock on your door and burying yourself under the covers to try and shy away from the situation. But it never left. It just kept growing, weeding its way back through the open cracks like a stubborn plant that refused to leave no matter how many times you doused it with poison. You didn’t sleep that night. And you didn’t leave your room the day after. In fact the only time anyone saw you that day was when you slunk downstairs in the middle of the night to try and revive the growling of your stomach without having to see anyone when you bumped into Tim who was finally dragging himself up to bed. The interaction was odd. At first he thought that you had just been busy all day and that was why no one had seen you: It wasn't uncommon for one of you to disappear into your room for a few days to catch up on school work or to finally get more than 4 hours of sleep. But something about you was off. You were quiet and lacking that charisma that usually shone from you. You were jumpy too, recoiling as soon as Tim rounded the corner unexpectedly.

When you finally managed to bring yourself out of your room, you were still withdrawn. Instead of donning your normal seat next to Jason at the table, you sat at the end alone pushing your food aimlessly around the plate until someone had finished eating and you took that as a cue to leave. You didn’t mean to leave them in the dark. Really, you didn’t but the thoughts crept into your mind every time they got near. Every hand outstretched sent a shiver crawling down the nape of your neck as if someone was running an ice cold digit along your spine. The thoughts were worse. Intruding. Obnoxious. You felt so…dirty. And your mind seemed to like to make sure you remembered that. You couldn’t help but feel like somehow the whole situation was your fault, which of course it wasn’t, but you were stuck with being guilt ridden; trapped within your walls.

Your skittishness didn’t go unnoticed. The boys tried many times to talk to you or to get you alone, but each time one of them hastily trailed after you as you slunk out of a room you would pick up your pace until they got the hint and stopped dejectedly in the halls. You had just skittered off into another part of the manor when Damian decided he had finally had enough.

He pushed his way back into the library rather frustratedly, stomping his feet so hard against the floor that they continued to pound through the room even as he moved from the polished wood to the carpet amongst the centre of the room. His brothers were still lounging around the room, their legs slung carelessly over the arms of the chairs or folded beneath them as they engrossed themselves in their phones or an ever growing pile of books. They barely even acknowledged that Damian had even returned from his pursuit of use, besides lifting their gaze as he huffed his way back into the room.

“Something is wrong with Y/N.” Damian declared, planting his feet into the carpet in the centre of the room and placing his hands on his hips.

Dick felt as though he could laugh. Damian’s statement was so obvious that you may as well have had a huge, yellow sign above your head that screamed ‘i’m not okay.’ It didn't matter how much effort you put into trying to hide the bags that dropped across your skin, or the way that you couldn’t stand to be in the same room with any of them for too long without your skin crawling, they were prominent amongst your saddened features. “Yeah, No shit.”he said, looking up from his phone that he had been mindlessly scrolling on to distract himself from the feeling that gnawed at his gut.

The room fell into a pregnant silence before Damians angry scoff broke the silence.

“That’s it? That’s all you’re going to say?” He spat. “You’re not worried?”

Jason pushed himself up onto his forearms and spoke out defensively. “Of course we’re worried… It’s just…”

“What?”

“She won’t let us help her, Dami.” Tim said. “We’ve tried, but each time she’s run.”

“Well then try harder!” He said. It was unusual for the youngest Wayne to react this way when it came to his siblings. But, then again it was unusual for you to shy away like this and although Damian would never admit it, he had a soft spot for you and seeing you hurting like this killed him a little inside.

“Damian.” Dick reprimanded sternly.

He sighed and swallowed thickly. “I’m sorry. I just can’t see them suffering like this anymore.”

There was a general agreement between the four of them. Tim chewed away at his bottom lip as he thought for a moment. “What do you propose we do?”

The whole room seemed to think together as one for a moment.

“We corner them.” Damian said. It might have seemed cruel, but it was the only thing he could think of that would stop you from slipping away again. “If they keep running there’s no way we’re going to be able to help, so we just have to compromise.”

You knew that Jason was behind you. You could hear his careful footsteps, evenly spaced by his long strides as he tried to catch your attention. He was loitering outside of your room, trying to catch you as you left. It surprised you to see him as you peeled open the door. You had flashed him as much of a grin as you could muster up as he greeted you, trying to draw you into a one sided conversation that you were itching to get away from the moment it started. You tried to remind yourself that it was just Jason. That he wasn’t going to hurt you. But your mind still thought it was funny to play cruel tricks on you and soon you were making up a poor excuse and fleeing down the halls.

You didn’t make it far though before you collided with a tall figure marching down the other end of the corridor, who braced his hands on your shoulders. Yelping at the unexpected contact you spun on your heel to turn back the way you came only for your breath to get stuck in your throat when you were met with the red of Jason’s shirt. When you backed up, you collided with the eldest vigilante again. Spinning around frantically, you searched for a way out. There was none.

You were trapped.

The thought consumed you quickly, dragging you down like a ton of bricks tied to your ankles until you were drowning in the thought of being imprisoned again. It was all you could think of. It screamed throughout your mind, pumped in your blood. It was nauseating. You could see the other two approaching and panic set into your already scrambled mind. You weaved, trying desperately to spot an exit but the two vigilantes were much bigger than you and their hefty frames took up most of the corridor.

“No. No no no.” You rambled as your heart rate skyrocketed and your breathing came in sporadic, panicked gasps.

Tim furrowed his brow. He didn’t think you would react like this. He reached out to grasp your forearms to ease your shaking body, but you nearly screamed, yanking your arms away from him and backing up against the wall.

“Don’t touch me!” You stuttered, barely audible between your spiralling state. Fat, hot tears tracked along your face as you sunk to the ground to bury your face within your knees which you clutched to your chest.

The four boys exchanged an anxious glance.

“Y/N…”

“Please…” You gasped. “Stay away from me. I-I can’t anymore… no more. Please.”

“Y/N? What's wrong?” Dick queried. “Talk to us, please. We want to help.”

“No…” You whimpered.

Damian squatted down beside you resting on the balls of his feet before reaching out slowly towards you, ignoring the warning glance that Jason sent his way, and placing it gently on your shoulder.

Flinching, you squeezed your eyes shut. He could feel the way you trembled like a leaf under his touch but he didn’t let go.

“It’s just me Y/N. It’s Dami.”

You registered his words, but you still felt like you were back in that room. You allowed your body to relax just the smallest amount.

“It’s just us, kid. You’re okay.” Dick cooed.

You sniffled. The four of them were crouched around you now.

“You can trust us.”

Your body tensed as you were hit with reminders of that night. The way he had led you away to commit his act of betrayal that would cut deeper than a thousand knives.

“That’s what he said.” You hiccuped.

“Who?” Tim asked tenderly. “Talk to us Y/N.”

You shook your head, biting down on your lip. You didn’t want to bring up the memory stuck in your mind.

“Kid… we can’t help you if we don’t know what’s happening.”

“He- he… took me away from the crowds… He said to trust him- and I thought I could. B-but then he-” Your voice split into an unholy sob.

“Oh..Y/N/N…” Dick said, suddenly understanding.

“I can’t stop thinking about it. I can still feel him. Hear him. Just make it stop please!.” You begged, sobbing into your hands.”

“It’s okay. You’re safe.” He told you, reaching out gently to place a hand on your forearm, you tensed slightly but didn’t pull away. “We’re not going to let anyone hurt you. Ever.”

“We promise.”

You peeled your head away from your arms to reveal your bloodshot, teary eyes. From close up they could see how clearly the ordeal had taken a toll on you. Not just on your body but your mind too.

It took some convincing and a lot of gentle touches of reassurance to get you off of the floor, but the four of them managed to ease you back into your room. They refused to leave you alone after that. Insisting that at least one of them stay by your side at all times until you decided on your own terms that you were ready to take the next step in your recovery and stay the night alone. It was a slow process, but each small milestone made them extremely proud of you. They were there when you awoke suddenly in the middle of the night, crying and shaking, and they were there when you managed to move forwards too. They were there to remind you that recovery isn’t linear, and that it was okay to move backwards. It’s all part of the process. The four of them showed you a different kind of gentleness that you had never seen before, and they tried their hardest to bring a smile to your face everyday. And it was their kindness that began to wash away those feelings. It was them who made you realise that you were loved, strong and would find your way back from the darkness and into the light.

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timmydraker · 5 months ago

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Thinking about Tim being in a similar situation to Viktor from Arcane.

Not so much the disability part, but the need to ‘fix’ things about himself he deems wrong and wanting to improve his technology and fighting skills.

Maybe he starts off as a amateur inventor by making enhancements to his Bo and suit, small things like storage spaces and zappers and the ability to collapse his weapon as well as make it twice his size instead of the usual six feet pole.

But then he finds something.

Maybe it’s nothing, just a rock with a storage glow but he knows there’s something unnatural about it. It almost calls to him, emoting an energy that reminds him of something between Captain Marvel and Zatana. He goes to tell his family but they’re busy with a big case and he doesn’t want to take away from the people who need saving, so he keeps it to himself with the full intention of talking about it later.

I think he’d quickly realise it’s dangerous and want to find a way to mange or destroy it not to find some kind of use for it. It could be a power source or heal a cut he got earlier in the day, but he decides it’s better off being studied and used for good.

Like Viktor, I think he’d become enamoured by it and it would take over his mind and focus.

Tim would be obsessed eventually, not in a delusional way but more excitement and even a little selfishness of having something unique to him.

Robin was always Dick’s, no matter who took the title, and while he may have given the title his own touch and flourish, adding ‘red’ to it did little to make him his own person. Hes more like a copy pasted file that’s had a few choice words taken out of it.

But this? It’s all his and might very well be the thing that lets him become his own person outside of the Drakes and Waynes and Bats.

Naturally when messing with something unnatural and not of the earthly realm, it goes wrong.

It wasn’t the few explosions or burns he got, nor how it somehow made his sleep worse.

No, instead it’s when he’s performing the latest and most ambitious experiment on it yet, fusing part of it into his very blood stream and seeing the results, that the worst happens.

It works and Tim can feel the power of the little blue crystal ball in him, ridding years of lack of sleep, over training and lack of good side effects from his body so he feels new and healthy and like his actual age. His scars are gone, but the metal he fused into his arms and spine and the sides of his leg are buried in his body now, painless and performing as the perfect conduit for the orb now settled in his chest.

He rushes around the room, ignoring the ash and dust the big explosion left behind in favour of seeing how he can jump so high and push some of the rocks energy out of his hands and create beautiful beams of magic.

It’s when he looks at the floor, ready to see if it will graze along it like it did on the wall when he focused hard instead of burning through, that he sees it.

Bernard’s ID pass into his work lab and a metal clip board he always carries with him.

There’s no Bernard.

Just ash.

Cremation ash.

Tim is instantly filled with regret and guilt and disgust, throwing up over the floor and bashing a hand against his head in pure rage at himself.

To make matters worse?

The orb inside his chest heals the wounds instantly and Tim is forced to realises that it’s keeping him alive.

After trying to dig it out of his chest so he can pay the price for killing the one boy who genuinely saw him, he finds its impossible. The orb is apart of him, a never ending source of power and energy that will keep him alive.

He stabs at his chest, aiming for the faint flow of blue coming through his muscle and skin, but it doesn’t work. He uses the same tools he used to fuse the metal to his body but it does nothing.

Tim realises it’s a fitting punishment for killing the love of his life.

His family never see him again.

#batfam #tim drake #bat family #dc comics #batfamily #dc universe #tim drake is red robin #dc #tim drake is a menace #arcane #inspired by arcane #inspired by Viktor from Arcane #Tim Drake is an inventor #inventor Tim Drake #body horror

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kitkats-and-kittens · 8 months ago

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So I know Damian having magic is something that’s more a fun little tease, that is occasionally a minor plot point. Like him using a rituals and stuff to trap villains.

But genuinely I think it would be hilarious if Damian ‘born and raised in a supernatural cult’ Al Ghul just pulled up in Gotham knowing magic.

His arrival was already chaotic as hell, now imagine him using obscure ass spells that have probably fallen out of existence since Ra’s or hell Mother Soul was around.

Even funnier still if it took the Batfam like an embarrassingly long time to figure it out. Like yes they are the greatest detectives on the planet, but they’re also oblivious as hell and Damian getting into various shenanigans trying to keep the magic thing hidden is absolutely hilarious to me.

Dick and Alfred would figure it out first, because they’re living one on one with the kid for about a year.

It was probably some big dramatic moment, where Dick was like dying and Damian who had spent a year with him at this point decided he’d sooner risk being kicked out rather than let his big brother die.

So he brings him back and it takes Dick a moment since he’s still processing the near death experience, but eventually he gets to sit down with Damian and talk about why he didn’t say something sooner. Which leads to a very hurt/comfort moment where he assures Damian he’ll always belong and other sentimental shit.

Stephanie’s next, mostly because she spends the most times with Damian outside of Dick and also cause I love their relationship.

They’re probably arguing over something incredibly stupid and petty that Damian is taking way too seriously and Steph is pushing just for the funnsies and in a moment of vindictive pettiness (and the memory of Mara doing something very similar to him when they were in the league) he just shoots a spell at her.

It isn’t anything harmful. Probably something that gives her a really bad hair day for the next week, but Stephanie is very much stunned. Damian too, because he didn’t really expect this to be the way he revealed the whole magic thing.

But it turns out Steph is just extremely excited. Henceforth Damian is recruited when she needs to get up to some shit or prank the rest of her siblings without their knowledge.

The team was scary before, but with Steph now having unsupervised access to magic and firmly reassuring Damian that when it comes to Bruce all bets are off, things get infinitely worse.

Tim comes after and honestly he’s a little annoyed it took him this long.

He’s suspected for ages, but between cases and hanging out with the his team he’s never been able to lay down the foundations of his research.

However after witnessing Damian perform a move not humanly possible while out on patrol his interest is once again peaked which leads him down a 3 day rabbit hole about the league and magic and a bunch of other bullshit that probably ends with him on the most wanted list in 31 states.

His investigation is brought to a head however when one day completely stumped for answers he just approaches Damian. Exhausted and burned out and is like “do you have magic”.

And Damian who hasn’t been actively hiding his abilities in about a year now is like. “Yes”.

At which point Tim nods, gives him a thumbs up, and proceeds to pass out.

Of course it takes Bruce the longest, because that man is constantly running on 3 hours sleep and several cups of red bull. Damian is now doing nothing to hide his abilities and with his fathers lack of a reaction it seems like everyone’s on board, however unbeknownst to him the rest of the batfam is trying to very gently nudge their father along to the realisation that his son can indeed use magic.

Dick goes on about how strange it is that Damian can just appear from the shadows and why do you suppose that is?

And Bruce nods proudly and is just like “he’s a very talented boy isn’t he”.

Steph pranks him, using very obviously supernatural means and when questioned just says Damian helped her, which Bruce takes as them both acquiring supernatural artefacts via dubious methods.

This leads to him and Damian having a sit down, during which both of them are experiencing two very different conversations as consequence of Bruce’s attempt to gentle parent his way through this. He tries to explain to his son that some things can be very dangerous if not handled with proper care and he doesn’t want him to get hurt and whoever was giving him such dangerous things should be made known and Damian is wondering why his father thinks he’s doing drugs.

Tim pulls out a whiteboard and a pen and gives him a 3 hours rant on why his son could possibly have magic and Bruce, equally as exhausted as his son, but still trying to listen and support his hobbies (however strange they are) just nods, like that’s nice honey.

It all comes to a head one random day when Damian just floats a coffee mug across the table. And Bruce kinda stares between it and his son blinking and his eyes very suddenly widen with realisation.

He later calls Talia asking why she didn’t tell him and also requesting some manuals on how to deal with a child and their weirdly ominous/sentient magical powers.

By the time Duke rolls around it’s common knowledge and he’s pretty happy to bond with Damian over weird superpower stuff. It’s also nice to train against someone who you can’t instantly obliterate via weird light manipulating techniques so that is very much appreciated.

And for anyone wondering Cass and Jason have both lived in the league and were well aware of the Al Ghuls magical practicing tendencies. Jason tutored under Talia for a little while in fact and they’ve both been placing bets on how long it would take the rest of their family to find out.

#batfam #damian wayne #dc #dc comics #bruce wayne #talia al ghul #tim drake #dick grayson #jason todd #stephanie brown #duke thomas #cassandra cain #magic #al ghul family #batfamily #also him and Mara totally had hella petty magic duels because the idea of them duking it out with spells is one I find appealing #they hexed each other for the most mundane things #which strangely enough is the reason that to this day Damian cannot whistle

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cocopop-04 · 11 months ago

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Tim stumbled to a stop as he spied a mound on the floor at the end of the hallway. He reached out for the light, one hand clasped around his bo staff, ready for a possible attack.

As the lights switched on, Tim blinked his eyes, adjusting to the new brightness.

He crept closer, stopping short when he realised what the mound was – Kon.

Tim swore under his breath, rushing up to the unconscious super and shaking his arm.

“Kon,” Tim hissed. “Kon, wake up.” Nothing.

Tim chewed his lip, assessing the situation with a finger on Kon’s pulse, which beat reassuringly while he thought. He started to heave Kon over his shoulder. He wasn’t in a serious state, Tim took comfort in knowing, but the lack of sunlight must have been having a worse effect on Kon than he had let on.

Tim grunted as he lifted Kon up, and slowly made his way towards the bunk room.

The door slid open automatically and Tim entered.

Tim walked over to the bunks on the left, hauling Kon onto his bottom bunk – Tim didn’t even want to try to get him up to the top one. As Kon fell onto the bed, Cassie stirred in the bunk opposite them.

“Tim?” she asked, groggily blinking her eyes. “Wh’ts goi’ on?”

Tim turned towards her. “Nothing, Cassie.” He smiled reassuringly, though he wasn’t sure she noticed. “Go back to sleep.”

“’kay.” Cassie turned over, eyes closed. Tim breathed a sigh of relief and turned back around, working on moving Kon’s limbs into a more comfortable position. He didn’t want to worry Cassie, especially not so late at night when she was finally getting some rest. He could tell her what happened in the morning.

Once Tim had spread the blankets over Kon’s sleeping form, he sighed wearily and climbed onto the bed, settling himself in at the bottom of the bed. He’d have to watch Kon for a bit, to make sure he was fine.

As Tim stared into the darkness of the room, he thought of Gotham. What would the other bats be doing at this point? It was nighttime there, the early hours of the morning where the city was quiet. The Bats would be home from patrol by now, probably asleep in their beds. He missed it.

Tim drifted off into sleep.

Excerpt from my fic - 'In Darkest Void'.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/58711225

#tim drake #fanfic #dc comics #dcu #young justice #core four #young just us #kon el superboy #conner kent #ao3 fanfic #cocopop's fics #cocopop's posts #dc

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mayblossomss · 4 months ago

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Whumptober Day 4: Hallucinations

Sleep deprivation and an imaginative mind was a dangerous combination. Ponyboy knew this from personal experience.

Ever since his 'vacation' to Windrixville a few weeks prior, Ponyboy had struggled to fall asleep and remain sleeping all night long. He was lucky if he got more than three consecutive hours of sleep each night. Slowly but surely, the lack of sleep mixed with all of the trauma he'd been through began to get to him.

It started off small enough. He'd catch glimpses of a figure he thought he recognized peering at him around corners, but when he'd look, they'd vanish. He chalked it up to his mind playing tricks on him, or the shitty lighting, but it soon became more frequent and much more disturbing.

The first time it happened, Ponyboy was home alone and about to hop into the shower. He had the water running and was taking his time going over his appearance in the mirror when a creak sounded from the hallway. Curiously, Pony opened the door and peered out to find nothing. His mind must have been playing tricks on him.

He closed the door and turned back to the mirror to find his reflection and the reflection of an unfortunately familiar boy. Bob Sheldon was pale and ghostly, blood leaking from his lips and a gaping wound in his abdomen. Ponyboy cried out, spinning around and finding nothing but an empty room. The shower continued running as Pony looked back to the mirror and confirmed that he was in fact still alone. He must be seeing things.

Only a few days later would it happen again. This time, however, it wasn't Bob he met, but Dallas Winston.

Ponyboy was outside on the porch, smoking a cigarette and watching the sun disappear behind the buildings before him. There was a low whistle, one that the greasers would use to identify each other, and Pony glanced away from the sky and towards the road where he assumed he'd spot one of Tim's guys or maybe Two-Bit. It was neither of those options, though.

Dallas Winston, with his crooked grin and iconic jacket, leaned against the fence and watched him with piercing blue eyes. His grin widened at the horror on Ponyboy's face before miming a gun going off and vanishing, leaving only the image of a boy covered in dried blood in Pony's mind.

Ponyboy was so shaken that he forgot to extinguish his cigarette before heading back inside, something he made sure to do obsessively ever since the church fire.

When Ponyboy saw Johnny for the first time since he'd died on that rigid hospital bed, he almost passed out. It was late and Pony was returning home from a night out with Curly Shepard. He was walking past the lot as the streetlights flickered to life, and out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a shadowy figure. Turning to the lot, he gasped sharply and halted, eyes widening cartoonishly wide.

Johnny turned, giving Pony a smile and waving briefly. The light above him flashed between life and death before staying alive long enough to show off Johnny's burn scars. Just as his waving hand began to melt away like candle wax, the light died, and with it, so did Johnny. Ponyboy sprinted the rest of the way home.

It only got worse from there. The hallucinations started following him everywhere he went: he was never free. He felt like he was losing his damn mind.

It was around fourth period for Ponyboy, and he sat in his math class, paying only partial attention to the lesson. His leg bounced up and down while his eyes drifted from the chalkboard to the window. He wanted the day to be over already. He'd barely slept the previous night and couldn't focus on anything.

The door creaked and someone walked in but nobody glanced over except for him. Bob Sheldon smirked at him from the doorway and Ponyboy felt his entire body go cold at the sight. He blinked and the boy vanished. Shaking his head, he turned his head back to chalkboard, eyes closed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Get a hold of yourself, Ponyboy thought to himself. You're acting crazy. Opening his eyes, Pony expected to see the board, but instead saw Bob leaning over his desk and up in his face. Blood seeped from his mouth and pooled all over his desk. The scream escaped Ponyboy's lungs before he could stop himself.

Everyone in the class turned to him and his hallucination faded. To the rest of the class, Pony looked insane, panting and having let out a blood-curdling scream for seemingly no reason.

"Mr. Curtis, do you need to go pay the principal a visit?" His teacher asked sternly, not impressed by his distruption.

Ponyboy pushed his seat back and stood up, grabbing his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder. "I need to go."

The teacher seemed briefly surprised, "Mr. Curtis--"

But Ponyboy was already out the door and storming down the hallway. He was in a hurry: he needed to get out. As he walked, head down and legs moving with purpose, he collided with someone. Looking up, he found Dallas staring down at him. His lips were cracked and blood was dripping from his eyes like tears.

"Fuck!" Pony cried out loud, pushing Dally out of the way and running to the front doors in a panic. "Why won't you leave me alone?!"

He ran home and slammed the front door, panting and gasping for air. Dropping his schoolbag, Pony rushed to the bathroom and searched for any type of medication that might be able to help him. Of course, there was nothing: the Curtises didn't have any sort of drugs to help with hallucinations simply laying around.

Someone tapped him on his shoulder and Pony dropped the bottle of pills he'd been examining. Letting the orange bottle roll away, he turned around and found Johnny staring at him, his black eyes totally dead.

Pony choked back a sob as his deceased friend looked down at him. His skin was burnt and he was paler than Johnny had ever been when he was alive. The scar on his cheek that was such an identifiable characteristic to the boy was no longer present as the skin it had been on was melting away.

"I'm sorry!" Pony cried, pushing Johnny away from him, who in response stumbled a few steps backward. "I'm sorry I caused this, but leave me alone!"

Ponyboy ran and hid himself in his room, tucked off into the corner. He sat there for who knows how long before Darry came into the house, shouting. "Pony?"

After a moment, the doorknob to the bedroom jiggled before unlocked and letting Darry into his younger brother's room. He scanned the room before noticing his kid brother in the corner. "Ponyboy, what are you doing?"

The boy didn't reply, only shook his head and stared at him. Darry sighed and dropped to a kneeling position before him. "What's going on? I got a call from the school saying you just up and left in the middle of the day."

"Darry, am I crazy?"

"What?" he huffed, eyebrows furrowing.

"Am I crazy?"

Darry had to bite back some smartass remark before replying reassuringly, "No, you ain't crazy. What's going on with you?"

"I keep seeing things that aren't there," Ponyboy choked out. "Stuff nobody else is seeing."

That concerned Darry, as it would anyone, but he didn't show it. "How've you been sleeping lately?"

"I haven't."

"That explains it," Reaching over, he pulled his brother closer to him. "Shoot, kid, why don't you tell me these things sooner? I'll take you to the doctor tomorrow, okay? We'll get this sorted out."

"Yeah, okay," Ponyboy replied hesitantly, unsure of how helpful that would be. "You think they can fix me?"

"You don't need... fixing," Darry murmured, not entirely sure how to help his brother in this situation. "Only sleep."

Ponyboy nodded, but he didn't think sleep would fix his issues. It seemed that no matter where he went, the three ghosts of the boys he'd 'caused' the deaths of would follow him. Even as Darry spoke to him, Ponyboy wouldn't directly look at him, because they were behind him.

Johnny Cade, Dallas Winston, and Bob Sheldon. They all stared down at him, their bloody and stiff bodies watching him with their piercing and unseeing eyes.

Ponyboy just wanted it to stop. He just wanted them to stay dead. What would it take to keep them dead?

#whumptober 2024 #no.4 #hallucinations #the outisders #fanfic #gore #Ponyboy's losing his mind #ponyboy curtis #johnny cade #dallas winston #bob sheldon #act like this wasn't posted after midnight guys

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gigglecongregation · 2 months ago

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DCember: Day 1, Fluff Prompt: First Kiss

word count: 1.4k

As the mission came to an end Dick found himself grinning, it all went well. Jason was a bit worse for wear, but seeing as it was just some cuts and bruises he wouldn’t let anyone patch anything. ‘I could deal with it at home’ was the phrase used, something Dick very vividly remembers hearing Bruce say a lot throughout his childhood. Dick keeps that to himself.

Another bonus was how early they’d sorted Scarecrow out, dealing with his near-predictable behaviour in a routine way, Cass and Tim for intel collection, Damian and Jason with the goons, Bruce, Steph and Dick dealing with Scarecrow.

Now, Dick got to go home to the speedster that should be waiting in his room. Wally had said he’d give Dick a ride back to Blud, a much quicker way of transport than the hours on the road he would’ve had to take immediately. Whoever invented 7am meetings needs jail time.

Another bonus was getting to hang out with his best friend, although lately the term ‘friend’ hasn’t been fitting too well when describing Dick and Wally.

Wally had been pacing Dick’s room for an hour. He probably shouldn’t have gotten here so early, practically jumping off the walls of his own room earlier. It wasn’t that he was worried about Dick, no, Wally knows better. Dick is incredible, and even if he couldn’t kick Batman’s ass, he has Batman to protect him. And the whole cult of younger siblings Dick has would do the same in a heartbeat.

Wally was more worried about himself. He came in normally, seeing as no one was home, making sure he was tripping no alarms, coming in just how Dick was. He knows he was still caught on camera, but it wasn’t like he was doing anything illegal. He thinks. Maybe Batman would think existing around Dick was illegal. Wally wouldn’t put it past him.

Even then, his main worry wasn’t Batman finding him. No, it was Dick finding him out. Wally had come to the revelation that when in a platonic relationship, you don’t usually want to kiss the other person. He’d have to remember to thank Roy for sharing that lovely piece of information, last time he tried the man laughed so hard he fell off the roof they were on.

He was fine, Wally’s ego was not.

Neither were his instincts apparently, because when the bedroom door opened Wally jumped about 5 feet in the air, just barely stopping himself from screeching as he turned around. Standing in the door frame was one very amused and very hot Dick Grayson. Oh Wally was doomed.

“Christ, are you okay?” Dick asked, eyebrows raised and obvious amusement in his tone as he left the door open behind him, putting his phone into his pocket and crossing his arms. The motion made his arms flex a bit in the short sleeves.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, all good, fine, excellent,” the red-head rambled, a bright grin on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck, the hairs on his arms standing up a little bit. He hoped it wasn’t obvious that he’d practically been doing laps around the room.

“Okay,” he conceded, dragging out the word as he walked up to Wally, pulling him in for a quick hug. “Are you good to go?”

Wally nodded, remembering what he was doing at the manor in the first place as he went to pick the taller man up. Dick let him, contorting his overly flexible and muscular body to make it easier for Wally. He bit back a blush at Dick’s hand on his arm. He was in his late twenties for fucks sake, why did he feel like a teenager again?

Dick stretched a bit when he hopped out of Wally’s arms, willing away the nausea as he felt his back crack. They’d made it to Blud in record time, something Dick could hear Wally muttering about now, and Dick could already feel the lack of sleep catching up to him now that he was in his own apartment.

“D’you want something to drink?” Dick asked, making his way to the kitchen for some water. On the way he shut off the alarm system that’d gone haywire when Wally came in. Dick had long since made sure he would always be aware when a speedster was in his apartment.

“Uh, yeah, just water’s good dude,” Wally answered, flopping down onto his couch like he belonged there, relaxing into the fabric as Dick got the glasses out. It felt weirdly domestic to Dick, funny seeing as the two of them literally just went from Gotham to Bludhaven in what felt like 2 seconds, right after Dick took down a slowly forming drug ring.

Dick sat down on the couch, passing him the drink as he settled alongside Wally. The two of them sat in silence for a while, calmly finishing off their drinks and letting themselves relax a bit, simply enjoying each other's company.

“Okie dokie, I’ll get out of your hair, you look like you haven’t slept since May.” Wally stood up, snatching Dick’s glass from him as the other man chuckled, presumably placing the glasses in the kitchen.

“I wouldn’t mind company, we could watch a movie or something,” he offered, tilting his head back to look at the man now leaning on the back of the couch. The two held eye contact for a while, neither sure why, neither willing to break it until a loud car horn from outside made both of them jump a bit.

“Only if you’re sure,” Wally said, but he was making his way around the couch again, snatching up the throw blanket on the armchair as he went. It wasn’t uncommon for him to stay for a movie, even less so for him to stay the night after, neither fact made them want to spend any less time with the other.

Wally’s pretty sure he’s never cared less about a movie in his life.

He’s pretty sure it’s an action movie, it was Dick’s choice. Whilst usually he’d be watching and making joking comments with the other man throughout the film, tonight he couldn’t seem to focus on much else other than the way Dick’s hair looked when he threw his head back laughing. Or the way lips quirked up when he mentioned something that would have made Tim and Damian argue. Or the way his eyes would go wide whenever a painfully obvious plot twist would be revealed, a plot twist Wally knew Dick saw coming.

The man next to him captivated all his attention, and Wally was reminded of how intensely doomed he was when Dick turned to look at him. He seemed suprised to find Wally already staring, but he offered a small smile anyway. Wally would typically turn away, a blush on his cheeks as he stumbled through a joke of Dick having broccoli in his teeth. Not tonight though.

No, not tonight. Tonight Wally kept looking, he wasn’t even sure he smiled back at the other man, just watching him. He wasn’t sure what he was doing, but Dick licked his lips and Wally was still looking. Dick was looking too, he realised.

Dick was grinning a bit more, looking a lot more relaxed than Wally felt, although Wally could see the slight way his shoulders were tensed, the way his hands were fidgeting with the seam on his shirt.

Neither of them moved, but both of them moved, and their lips were on another's, and Wally didn’t have it within himself to be nervous anymore. He pressed forward a bit, moving a hand to cup Dick’s face as the other mirrored him, moving his hands onto Wally’s waist.

They kissed for hours, minutes, seconds. Fuck if Wally knows. He feels like time slowed, and maybe it did, but Wally never wanted it to stop.

Of course, due to the existence of their lungs and an excessive need for oxygen they broke apart, neither going far. Wally had wound up in Dick’s lap, both hands around the other man’s shoulders and one hand tangled in his hair. Dick had his hands placed on Wally’s hips, fingers absentmindedly rubbing circles as they processed what just happened.

“Okay, that was new,” Dick breathed, breaking the silence as a grin grew on his face. His hands tighten on Wally when the other smiles back.

“Good new?” Wally questioned, a little breathless himself as he pulled back a little more, despite his internal complaints. The whole talking into each other's mouths thing was nice until Wally remembered he had onion rings for lunch.

“Very good new.” He nodded, and Wally relaxed even more into his best friend. They both immediately tensed up when loud gunshots rang from the TV screen, both laughing it off easily as Wally fell off Dick’s lap, back onto the couch next to him.

They’d be okay.

#DCember24 #birdflash #dick grayson #wally west #fanfic #fanfiction #writeblr #writing #izzie .｡.:*☆

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aerascreamer · 9 months ago

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Me, You and Regret

Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Major Character Death

Chapter 2: Two Birds and Two Reds

Chapter: one | three

Damian rubbed his temples as he sat by the edge of a building.

Lifting his head, he stared at Gotham’s skyline curving in front of him. The glass towers reflected the dying sun and its vibrant colours. A thick fog crawled its way into the alleys, competing with the pollution smoke. The cars, tiny as ants, lazily made their way back home as the dark blue of the night grew bolder with each minute. Gotham doesn’t have the intricate and ancient beauty of Nanda Parbat, but it has its own charm and personality. Still, Damian deeply missed the stars he could see from the windows of his birth home.

Just like he missed his family.

His entire body tensed at the thought that he had his counterpart put in one of the cells he built. A knot made its way into his stomach with the realisation that completed phase two of the Plan. He was still in disbelief that he got further than phase one, which was to build a device allowing him to travel freely between dimensions. Yet he did it. He’s now there, in this universe, where his siblings are… alive.

Alive.

Damian’s throat closed.

There’s no turning back.

Phase three of the Plan is starting: blending in with the family. He studied them for month in order to establish what is the kind of relationship they had with this world’s Damian. With them being vigilante and detectives, they will smell any disturbances in his character from miles away like bloodhounds. Damian couldn’t risk spoiling the Plan like this. He needed to prevent any suspicions or else, he wouldn’t be able to lure them into his dimension. He slowly pressed on the communicator he stole from his other self.

“Robin reporting. My lead on the Riddler turned out to be another dead end.”

The com cracked to life.

“Copy that,” Batman spoke. “I want you to check Chinatown with Red Robin next.”

Robin licked his dry lips.

“Again? Why do you insist on pairing us together?” he said.

“There’s still room for the both of you to improve your relationship and by extension, your ability to work together instead of constantly fighting.”

“He’s barely making any efforts B. Can you just leave me out of this?” Tim’s voice intervened.

Damian’s eyes itched. The last time he heard Tim’s voice was two years ago…a lifetime ago. Robin closed his eyes and focused on keeping his voice steady.

“I’m not interested in spending more time with Red Robin either,” he said. “And I can patrol fine on my own.”

“No, I insist that you work together.”

“Ugh… Let’s meet on the roof of Miss Zhang’s restaurant then, Robin.”

“Tt… fine”

The comm closed. Robin pulled out his grappling gun and jumped off the roof. He took his time moving around the city as he needed each second of the trip to grasp at the reality he’s in now.

The thought of finally being able to talk with Tim made his chest ache in anticipation. In this world, Tim and his Damian were on semi-good terms. They work well together but don't spend much time outside patrol interacting. Damian expected worse in all honesty, but it seems the two have come a long way since their first encounter. Though it was nowhere near his relationship to his Tim. They grew close together after Dick, Jason, Cass and Steph were gone. Robin and Red Robin, last two left of the flock with Signal… until his brother…

Damian stopped to rub his temples again. The headache from the lack of sleep and the multiple inter-dimensional travel is starting to get to him. It might be time to take some rest soon. Tonight, he will be going to the Manor. Damian wondered if the interior is similar to his own Manor. He didn’t dare to step foot in there yet, in case he trips any security system… or maybe he just wasn’t ready yet to get so close to the others. The young boy stared into the distance, trying to find the shape of the Manor’s roof in the distance.

Sometime later, Robin arrived near the rendezvous point. He stopped at the top of a complex next to the one from Miss Zhang’s. Looking down, he saw that Red Robin already there. The young man was crouched in the shadows to observe a dark warehouse through binoculars. Biting his tongue to stop his eyes from tearing up, Damian observed his brother.

He looked at peace, even bored by the stakeout. Damian’s own Tim always looked haunted and exhausted before his death, even when pretending to be fine for Damian’s sake. But Damian noticed how much it broke him to lose everyone. Especially Dick. And he still felt guilty that he took so much of their oldest brother’s time for himself and away from Tim.

He should have learned to share.

Robin creeped behind Red Robin in perfect silence, hoping to catch him off guard.

“For someone who nags everyone about punctuality, you sure took your time,” the older vigilante declared without taking his eyes off the binoculars.

“There were puppies left in a trash canister. I took them to the vet.”

Tim made a disapproving sound.

“There are so many shelters that have been opened, and people still dump animals in the garbage?”

“Some people’s cruelty knows no limit,” Damian said. “What are you doing?”

“Surveilling this building. Oracle received a tip that Dent’s men were gathering here.”

“I thought he died when the old church collapsed.”

“Yeah, it wasn’t possible for him to escape… but his body was never found. Chances are he did survive.”

Robin crouched by Red Robin’s side. Instead of observing the warehouse, he focused on their surrounding in case foes are lurking around. But the atmosphere remained calm and silent. Silence has been bothering Damian a lot as of late, a constant reminder that it was once filled by jokes, jabs or unsubtle flirting through comms. He pulled out his sword to sharpen it and let out a yawn. Tim scoffed.

“You tear me an earful every day for my sleeping habits, but you aren’t doing much better you hypocrite.”

“I’ve been trained since the age four to be able to operate at full capacity even after four days of no sleep. You, you indulge in energy drinks, coffee and other monstrosity that will give you a heart attack in two years.”

“Your upbringing isn’t a good model to follow for raising a child.”

“At least my kidneys and liver will be thankful for it.”

Damian poked at Tim’s side.

“And so will my spleen.”

Tim grunted.

“Oh, shut up, it was one time- oh that’s interesting.”

Robin turned to the warehouse’s entrance. He saw two people moving in while carrying large suspicious bags.

“This is the fourth time two people entered at the same time,” Red Robin informed.

“And this building has the number twenty-two.” Robin completed.

The young man got up.

“Ok, I want to go in and see what’s going on. But if there are goons inside, we are not going to take them down yet.”

Robin scrunched his nose as Red Robin.

“Why not?”

“They might give us clues to Two-Face’s location if we are listening in and gathering data,” Red Robin said.

Even though he’s grown to respect the slower and tactical approach of his brother, Robin still finds it frustrating to work with.

“But taking out his men now will slow down the expansion of his operations while they are still young.”

“It’s better to aim for the source than spend too much efforts on the henchmen.”

“Tt... fine. We’ll stick to your plan. But only because Father wants us to team up.”

Robin jumped off the building and shoot his grapple gun towards the next rooftop. He broke his fall with a smooth forward roll and heard Red Robin do the same. The older vigilante headed for the door and unlocked it in just a few seconds. Robin rushed inside, wanting to be in front to take the burn of any potential attack. As both stayed in the shadows, they walked down the stairs and found their way to the rafters above the warehouse’s main room.

“Bingo,” Red Robin whispered.

Below them, a large group of hench-men stood around criminal lieutenants, who were sitting around a large table.

“Nuh uh, Boss Dent was clear: no less than 10’000,” a young man declared.

“Is he crazy? Just for a gun?”, an elder masked person said.

“This isn’t “just a gun”. It’s comes straight from War World…”

The two vigilantes watched a group of people discussing around a table. Some of them were part of Two-Face’s gang, as per their outfit. Others were clearly sent there by the Penguin while the rest wore rather neutral outfits. They all stared at each other with suspicion, hands hovering near their weapons. On the table, various objects were displayed like hunt prizes: guns, new techs, alien techs and comically large briefcases filled with money. An indescribable gun rested between the hands of the Two-Face goon. He slowly turned it around to display and taunt the buyers.

“At least let me have a look so I’ll know if it’s worth it.”

“My orders were strict: Only the person who pay the price will have the chance to touch it.”

The elder leaned against someone standing by his side. They talked in hushed and inaudible voices before the person looked at the young man:

“5’000.”

“10’000. Take it or leave it.”

Robin heard the sound of Red Robin’s fingers tapping his arm guards. Surprise hit him, along with nostalgia. Usually, Tim would tap against his utility belt, which irritated Damian to the point of wanting to kick his brother. But now, he found himself missing those little things from his siblings: Dick’s constant hair ruffling, Cassandra's excitement to seeing cute animals, Jason’s humming of musical tracks or Steph’s jokes in the Batchat at four in the morning…

“Hm… 6’000.”

“Ugh… Any other suggestion?”, the man asked to the crowd.

“Maybe…15’000?”

Damian startled at the familiar voice. He watched Jason land on the table, hands clutching a large suite case. The goons immediately pointed their gun at him.

“Always the dramatic jerk,” Red Robin commented.

“Ok, ok. I’m not looking for a fight right now. In fact, I’d like to do some trade,” Hood said with a placating hand.

The whole room looks at him with an unconvinced expression. Damian shifted his body, trying to chase away the creeping dread.

“Well, if you need proof of my sincerity…”

Red Hood put down the suitcase and opened it. The room fell still as they ogled the stacks of bills.

“What is he doing, dealing with Two-Face’s gang?”, Red Robin asked in a whisper.

“Whatever, he is tacking unnecessary and idiotic risks,” Robin sneered.

The man with the gun stared down at Hood, before slowly reaching to the case. He carefully examined the hinges and the peeling paint coat before grabbing a bill. Once the goon verified the authenticity, he grabbed a money counter from under the table. It took a while to calculate the amount, but the machine finally displayed 15000. The goon gave a large grin. He put the gun in a different case and slid it to Hood.

“Well, you paid so it’s all yours.”

Low whispers and displeased expression spread through the crowd as Red Hood took the case. Robin saw Penguin’s goons talking in a hushed tone with somber expression, so he set a hand on his sword. As Hood made his way out, the group all drew their guns and shot at him. The vigilante dodged the bullets, clearly expecting the low blow.

Robin jumped from his hiding spot as the chaos filled the room. He immediately knocked out a tall man by landing on him before charging at a woman with his sword. A well-placed slash to her knee and she fell to the ground. Robin lunged at a small figure trying to get the jump on Red Hood and tackled them to the ground. He stuck a nerve cluster, making the figure writhe in pain. He turned towards a short man dressed in yellow when Red Hood’s voice boomed behind him.

“Robin, get down!”

Robin ducked and saw a chair flying above him towards a large goon who was charging at him. He turned to Hood with a raised brow.

“Was that really necessary?”

“Yes, now shut up and fight.”

Robin jumped at a skinny guy and fought back to back with Hood. He watched in his periphery Red Robin jumping over the back of a man with white hair and kick two goons in the face. Robin hurled himself at a tall woman, pinning her to the floor and taking her out. Meanwhile Red Hood shot at incoming enemies to cover Robin. He managed to keep them at bay even with one hand stuck holding the case.

But as he shifted his attention to a skinny woman, Robin heard a scream from Red Robin. He turned to see his brother trying to push back five opponents with his staff, blood pouring from a stab on his leg. So, he charged at biggest of the five and slashed his back. Not giving him a break, he manoeuvred around him and broke his nose with a punch. The man fell down. Damian turned around and kicked the groin of a short person wearing a bird mask. Damian grabbed the person’s shirt and threw them at a third foe. He caught a glimpse woman aiming at Tim.

“RR, on your right!”

Tim rolled to the floor, dodging the bullet. He got up and broke the jaw of the fourth with his bow, but struggled to keep his balance. Damian threw a Batarang at the shooter and attacked the last opponent facing Tim. But the man saw him and hurled his fist at his face. Damian fell back, his vision blurred by the pain. He let out a scream when his opponent kicked him in the guts.

“Robin!”

Tim pushed the man off of him but fell hard on his side. Still, he pushed himself up and used his cape to hide Damian behind him. Jason appeared from nowhere and filled the man with lead. As the goon collapsed, he yanked both Robins on his shoulders and grappled away from to the warehouse’s roof, then a nearby one, leaving the gangs to fight each other.

Jason set Tim and Damian on the floor as gently as he could. Damian got up, still out of breath, and looked at Tim. He bit his tongue and struggled to not let anguish show on his face. He crouched next to Tim and examined the injury with Jason. It was deep and bleeding a lot but didn’t seem to have hit any major vein or artery. With a good dressing and a fast trip to the Cave, he should be fine. Jason suddenly turned towards him.

“I have bad news for you: Pretender will live.”

“Shut up. If it weren’t for intervention, we wouldn’t be in this situation. And you lost the gun,” Tim said.

“Well that’s one way to thank the guy who saved your life,” Jason replied while taking out medical supplies.”

“My main lead to Two-Face is gone.”

“Good thing I saw his running away with my suitcase, which I made sure to bug before coming.”

Tim looked at Jason with an annoyed expression.

“If you’re that unhappy with the outcome of this stakeout, I will gladly finish the enemy’s job and put an end to your misery,” Damian teased, relived that Tim felt good enough to nag.

“You know what, I’ll take that offer so I won’t have to spend more time with you. Both of you.”

“And then the old man will actually have our heads,” Jason replied as he finished setting the gauze.

Damian looked at the two reds bickering. He was glad that this universe’s Jason seemed closer to the family than his. With all the hurt and history, it was hard to get close to Jason. It was hard to see past the bravado and the anger he shrouded himself in. Guilt climbed up Damian’s throat. He couldn’t help but think that if he and the others had a better relationship with his second older brother, maybe they would have been able to save him. Maybe Jason would have called sooner for help…

“Your nose is good Robin?”, Tim asked.

“It’s not broken nor bleeding. I’m fine.”

“Good,” Jason said. “Anyway, I got people to shoot. See you never nerds.”

He jumped off the roof and into the darkness while Tim pinched the bridge of his nose. Damian clicked his tongue, a forgotten warmth filling his chest once again.

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moseslikellamas · 7 months ago

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Cinders in the Dark pt.4

Pairing - Benjicot Blackwood x Whent!OC

Summary - Lucinda comes to terms with her impending destiny.

Warnings - Magic, delusions, trickery, frightening imagery, blood, suicidal ideation,depiction of burns, depictions of panic attack, anxious thoughts, grief, not canon, Kieran Burton fancast.

Word count - 2k

Just a note, right now all of the visions and prophecies are intentionally vague so as to not make the plot predictable. Things will start to add up soon though!

Lucinda had four days before the garrison was to arrive and with it the actual lord of Raventree hall. She was sick with fear. She did not sleep and could hardly eat in anticipation of what was to come. She could not close her eyes without the sight of burning bones behind her lids. But undeterred, she continued to map the castle. She would not allow the wretched copy of the lord to accompany her anymore though. Whenever it approached she would sincerely try to kill it. There had been a real person in that body before he took it. It was sick magic. But the lord puppeteering the body was swift and deft so she never truly had a shot at it. Instead she suspected the lord had taken to viewing her through the eyes of the flying creatures living in the castle.

Warging was not something she was very familiar with. The blood of the children of the forest was said to be the key aspect for inheritance but it was only myth and legend, lies and rumors. It was impossible to discern what the truth of the matter was. And it didn’t matter to her either way. She knew she didn’t want to be involved in it. It meant more old god, magical trouble. She could feel the ravens watching her when she walked the stone halls. It was almost worse than the imposter but not quite. The amount of magical disaster she encountered was cut down drastically.

She could not stop turning the witches' words over in her head. What would happen when the seasons change was heralded? Autumn was a season of transformation and harvest. But she could not fathom what crop she was about to reap. So she worked through all of the possible outcomes she could think of but found her imagination somewhat lacking. Every option couldn’t be slaughter. The lord wanted something and it was not just a place to stow his army.

Raventree hall was notorious for fielding huge swathes of men. They continuously built barracks as their numbers grew. They would use wood over stone allowing them to build them in half the time. So why would he send his army here, now? Surely he didn’t mean to take the castle. Her father had enough men to hold his own but it was laughable. The crown had given this castle and no one could take it from them without serious consequences. That left her without any real cause for the lord’s behavior. Perhaps the rumors were true and the man was psychotic. Those years of feeding blood to the weirwood tree had warped his mind.

Her dreams grew stranger as the nights passed on towards his arrival. The burning man did not show up and for that she was thankful. But instead she had dreams of men with crow heads that spoke the old tongue. She dreamed of holding a sword so bright it blinded her, her eyes turning cloudy from the damage. She dreamed of cracked window glass that held its shape against the shattered lines running through it. And all through the night she would wake up in a cold sweat to look at her door and ensure it wasn’t burning, awaiting to let the flaming man in.

Lucinda desperately wanted to leave the haunted place. She’d attempted more than once to simply ride away, her odds of escape be damned. But one of the various Blackwood men skulking around always intercepted her. She was being held hostage in her own castle. She tried sending ravens after the last fiasco. She’d made it out of the stables that time, but ran into a group positioned outside the walls. She’d looked at them briefly before taking off. Alas the Blackwood men were decent enough riders and managed to cut her off before leading her back.

When she would attach a letter to a crow, it would dutifully fly up like it was to leave before it would dive back down. It would caw and screech, almost pecking at her until she untied the letter. Then it would leave like usual. The lord of Raventree did not want her calling for help before he arrived. It was then Lucinda tried going to her father again, but the lord had done something to him as well. When her fathers eyes had met hers, she knew something was wrong with him. He had an odd aura around him, a mask of indifference that was at odds with who he was at his core.

On the last night before lord Blackwood's arrival she wandered the halls all night. She didn’t bring her book of mapped floors or a dagger. She hardly wanted to take a torch with her. But how could she get lost properly if she couldn’t see? She’d been wandering for hours, the castle wound on growing damper as the night wore on. She wished she believed in any gods to save her. She could use a sept or maybe a crypt would be better. Either way she was in between life and death, perched on the precipice of disaster. She thought of her mother, long rotted in the ground. She was the lucky one, nothing could touch you in death.

She did not light the torches on the walls, hoping no one would be brave enough to try and find her when dawn broke the horizon. And when she could bear the feeling of animal eyes on her no longer, she threw her own torch down. It sizzled on the cold ground, hissing against the action. But she had simply ran through the darkened halls hoping to hit a wall so hard it would take her out. She was going insane in the darkness. Without concrete images to see in the dark her brain started making them up. All of them varying shades of dark mounds, never discernable as to the true shape of the thing. But she knew it was Lord Blackwood in the dark. He was haunting her steps still.

She thought of the wilderness, yearning to be inside the too tall trees as she walked, entombed in her ruin. Maybe the roots would grow up through her, tangling in her hair and pulling her into the earth. The muddy ground would grow to replace her skin and when the leaves whispered in the trees above, she would know what they said to each other. Then she would sleep eternally, gazing up at the twinkling stars content. She sank to her knees, great heaving sobs finally escaping her.

Why should she suffer so much? She wasn’t a great lord, she wasn’t even a man. What damage had she ever done to anyone? She tried to remember feeling warm inside, the gentle feeling of fingers in her hair. Anything to keep her from dissolving into a rain of dust from despair. The sobs were so violent she choked on them, gagging. She lay on the dirty cold stone floor, letting her dress soak the damp in. If she couldn’t be warm and happy wrapped in the embrace of love, she would be nothing, blending into the darkness.

***

Lucinda had reached the bottom of the castle. She did not know how deeply she’d walked but her shoes were gone. Her feet were cut and bloody, leaving bloody footprints behind her. She’d also ripped her dress at some point, half of the bottom was gone exposing one leg from the knee down. She had to keep going, she had to hide since there was nowhere to run. But she had met the end of line. The castle would take her no further than here. She sat in the middle of the room, the darkness was no longer hanging over her oppressively. It just simply was and she was numb. When a voice spoke to her she was not surprised and did not startle at all.

“The stars are obscured by the clouds, they do not disappear from the sky when our eyes cannot reach them.”

The witches voice was soft and held a note of sadness. No interpretation was needed for Lucinda this time. She could hide down here as long as she wanted but she could not leave the fate waiting for her. That was fine, at least the lord would have to send a search party. Let her give him that inconvenience at least. Maybe he would lose scores of men to the darkened castle halls.

But as she sat on the cold floor, hands wrapped around her knees, a light grew in the distance. She went rigid at the fluttering sight of light. It was impossible that anyone had been following her. She’d been in pitch black darkness and she hadn’t known where she was going. Picking random doorways she felt in the darkness. Her heart was stuttering in her chest, threatening to give up and she hoped it would. As the distant light grew closer, she could start to make out the room around her. It was circular and massive, stretching further than her eyes could take in. And there were pews? It dawned on her as she spun around, taking in all she could see. She was in a sept of some sort, though it was nothing like any sept she had ever seen. The seven gods of the starry sept were nowhere to be seen, but the pews were made of dull gray wood of petrified weirwood trees.

She no longer felt safe under the earth. All of the sense that had fled from her returned in that moment. She wanted to run but the only exit was filled with a brilliant blinding light. She could not see what was making the light as she had to hold up her hands so as not to be blinded. It was only as the thing approached and the sound of sizzling flesh reached her ears that she knew. The flayed man was only bone now, the flames licking around his bones made them shine too brightly. He held his sword above his skull like a torch, the light of his burning bones reflected off of the steel acting as a blinding beacon. And in his other hand he held a crown of brambles that it placed on her head. The thorns cut into her forehead, causing tiny trickles of blood to run down her face.

Tears streamed down her face again but she did not turn away from the burning man. She stared into his hollow eye sockets, seeing the deep and terrible nothingness inside her reflected back. When its jaw rattled open to sound off the cawing of a murder, she knew dawn was upon them. She reached out suddenly, tearing a rib from the burning man, her hand was encased in agony from the movement. But she came back with the bone which was blackened now by the heat. The bones creaked as it looked at her, boney fingers brushing against her cheek emblazoning the shape of a fingertip on her face. Then it fell to pieces, the fire dying and the bones dissolving into ash. Left behind was the sword it had been carrying.

Lucinda shoved the rib in the pocket and picked the sword up. A short sword, Valyrian steel. She held it aloft before swinging it a time or two. Was she awake? Was the burning man real? She had not woken when it touched her. She could still feel the throbbing burn on her cheek and her hand was blistering up already. That pointed to her being awake but she could not be sure. The world had that awful dreamy, blurry feel to it again. She stood there tired and bleeding, staring into the once again dark hallway. Then she made up her mind to head back up, finally ready to meet the storm. The Lord of Raventree was going to have to bind her in darkness and death if he wanted to win anything.

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ahautism · 2 years ago

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ACT V Scene 1

SETTING: A lone grave, reading “Here lies Jimmy. Beloved husband.” In front of it various flowers are strewn. It has been constructed rather haphazardly, the lack of resources available clear, and the care that was put in nonetheless equally so.

AT RISE: SCOTT is sitting in front of the grave, cross legged. A shovel lays beside him, still covered in dirt: he has just finished digging the grave. JIMMY stands barely on stage behind the grave, watching silently throughout the scene, ghostly. SCOTT wipes his eyes.

SCOTT

It’s done. You’re really gone. I- it didn’t feel real until now. My husband is dead.

(SCOTT pauses, turns to address the gravestone)

I’m sorry I couldn’t save you. I mean, I think we both knew it was bound to end like this. But I’m sorry I couldn’t at least be there. When you- when you died. God, saying it still feels like a punch to the chest. I’m still half convinced I’m going to turn around and see you making your way over from our bed, insisting that you’re fine, and really, you’ve had worse!

(SCOTT laughs, tears in his voice)

You never did know how to quit, did you love? Even when literally everything went wrong - which was all the time! You’re- you were literally cursed with cosmic bad luck, and you still never gave up, even once! You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known. I wish you didn’t have to be.

(pause)

When you died, I was halfway back to the battle, and suddenly I just knew that you had been killed. And I wasn’t even there to hold you, or try to stop it, or say goodbye. I won’t say I’ll never forgive myself for letting you die, I know how you’d feel about that. You’ve been trying to prepare me for your death since we met. But what I’ll really never forgive myself for is letting you die alone.

SCOTT (cont.)

I hope you know I love you. I hope you know I don’t regret a second of the life we got to share together. I hope this grave means… something. I don’t know. I’m going to try to avenge you. I’m going to try to take him down, take all of them down. It’s the least I can do.

(SCOTT stands up, brushes the dirt off his pants)

Sleep well, love.

(EXIT SCOTT.)

(ENTER MARTYN, looking around frantically to make sure he’s not being watched. Satisfied he has not been spotted, he sits down in front of JIMMY’s grave, and pulls a flower out from his pocket, placing it with the others.)

MARTYN

Hey, Tim. Man, it’s weird without you. Like, I know we haven’t been around each other for most of this game, I know we’ve been on opposite sides. I know you refused to join me. But still. Being here, and you just being… silent is weird. I guess that’s a side effect of being dead.

(MARTYN puts his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes before looking back to the grave.)

I’m sorry it turned out this way, for what it’s worth. I think we all knew, me and you and Grian and B and Scott and Joel, the second we realized this place wasn’t messing around. Knew that you weren’t going to make it. But I’m still sorry it had to be like this. I’m sorry it was me against you in the end. It’s always been us together. Morty Gage and Pete Bills, partners in not crime, thank you very much! But… in the end it was my side that killed you. Your death was my victory. And I’m sorry. Promise I never wanted any of this to happen.

(He sighs, stretches, stands up.)

Well, I better get going before Scott finds me and tries to kill me. I wouldn’t blame him honestly, poor guy. He really loves you, you know that? We all do, Tim. I wish you knew it better when you were alive. Right. I’m off then.

(MARTYN walks most of the way offstage, then stops. Looks out at the audience. Not into space offstage. At the audience in particular. He addresses them.)

MARTYN (cont.)

Is this entertaining to you? What the fuck do you get out of watching this? Why is me grieving my best friend who I basically killed your idea of a fun Tuesday night? Get a life. Go follow Grian instead. I’m sure he’s being very entertaining, he’s basically one of you at this point. Let me say goodbye in peace for once.

(His voice breaks.)

Please?

(Exit MARTYN.)

(Enter SKIZZ. He is even more afraid of being seen than MARTYN was, double and triple checking every corner for someone who might catch him. He reaches the grave, but does not sit, still on edge.)

SKIZZ

Hey buddy! Hm. I probably shouldn’t say that at the grave of the guy I killed. That’s my bad. Look. I can’t stay long, can’t risk Scott finding me here. I just wanted to say sorry for killing you. It was a real jerkface move.

(He shifts, fidgeting uncomfortably.)

I wish I could say I didn’t mean to. I wish I could say it was an accident. It’s partially true! I certainly didn’t go into that battle thinking “I’m gonna kill Jimmy today!”. But it’s not the full truth. I aimed that arrow. I aimed for the head. That’s… you don’t survive that. And honestly? That terrifies me. I have blood on my hands now. I killed a man. I killed a man, and he’s not coming back. That kind of thing is hard to process before you see it in action. But, well, I’m at your grave. I’ve seen it now. It says it right on the headstone. Here lies Jimmy. Beloved husband. I killed someone with a husband, with a family. I made someone a widow. And the scariest part is, I didn’t even think about it. I celebrated. It was a victory for me.

(pause)

SKIZZ (cont.)

I don’t even know why I’m saying this all here. There are far safer options than talking to a gravestone in the middle of one of my enemies’ territory. After I killed their husband. I just- I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve this. Scott didn’t deserve this. All the people that love you didn’t deserve this. I wish it hadn’t gone down like this. I wish we didn’t have to kill each other. I know that doesn’t change a thing, but… if you’re listening, you deserve to know.

(pause)

I’ve overstayed my welcome. Bye, buddy. I have a bad feeling we’ll all be joining you very soon.

(Exit SKIZZ.)

(Exit JIMMY)

(End of scene.)

#jimmy solidarity #scott smajor #inthelittlewood #martyn inthelittlewood #skizzleman #tumblr fucked the formatting a bit but.#trafficblr #traffic life smp #3rd life smp #this is from an au me n my gf made but no context from that au is required #but if you want to ask abt it. grabby hands #trafficshipping #no more than whats canon but just to be safe #also posted on ao3 under the same name

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rummigumi · 5 months ago

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Here's a short preview/excerpt from Chapter 4 of Only One Ending. I plan to have it finished soon, but my brain being silly and work being work means it's taking a lot longer than planned.

Despite being so ordinary, Danny Fenton had piqued Tim's interest. Even if that interest was born out of a hope for his failure and a strange need to know more about him. And, considering the rest of the Fenton family, maybe Danny wasn’t as average as he seemed.

There was just one problem: Danny seemed to have little interest in solving P versus NP. Sure, him failing at solving it due to a lack of trying was technically a win for Tim, but he didn't want to win on a technicality.

So, he pushed a little.

He had enough social awareness to know how weird it'd be to directly contact Danny when he shouldn't even know his full name, but he had to do something. The next best option he could think of was Danny's academic advisor - she'd be able to help motivate him and her contact information was easily obtained from the university website. She wouldn't think twice about Tim contacting her about Danny and his promise to solve P versus NP.

So Tim sent an email off and waited for a response, even going so far as to add her as a contact to make sure any reply went to his inbox. However, aside from an over-enthusiastic confirmation that she had received his original message, he never heard back.

It wasn't until over a week later when he was reviewing his spam/potential malware quarantine reports that he realized Danny had been the one to respond. The tone of said response was pretty obviously annoyed, but Tim hoped his prodding was enough to spur the other into action (or at least cause his advisor to keep pushing for progress where Tim couldn't). Especially as the end of November hit and the combination of the end of the fiscal year approaching and employees hurriedly trying to use up their vacation time caused a pile up of work that had Tim spending more time in his office than out of it.

Of course, Bruce was slowly integrating back into a leading role at the company after recovering from his ‘death’ and Lucius was just as overworked as Tim, but even with the three of them they were barely able to keep up. Then, to make matters worse, one of his warning systems around the chemistry and engineering departments was tripped at the university - best case scenario there was someone trying to resell university supplies, worst case they had a new rogue on their hands.

Since she already had access to the campus due to being enrolled Steph was able to help investigate, but with the end of the semester coming up she was somehow even busier and more stressed than Tim - meaning he took on most of the work. Whenever Tim was able to escape the office and the overload of work stacking his desk, he ended up on Gotham University's campus. It wasn't a lot of time in the grand scheme of things, but just enough to work the case.

In retrospect, he should have anticipated (and planned around) running into Danny. Gotham University was larger than the average school with nearly 9,000 undergraduate students enrolled, but Tim was focusing on his department. It'd be weirder if their paths didn't cross. The issue was - Danny knew him. And while Tim had a good reason to be spending a lot of time at a university he didn't attend, Timothy Drake didn't. So, he needed to avoid anyone able to easily recognize him and preemptively stop questions about why he was there. He was unprepared during the first run-in at the library (and that whole ordeal raised even more questions about Danny - Tim had been able to avoid him, but the whole time he felt an instinctual fear, like he was being hunted by something far more dangerous than a sleep-deprived college student, and the way Danny almost glowed under the fluorescent lights had his brain itching), but he quickly caught on to Danny's schedule. And once Tim knew where he was, it became much easier to evade him.

Until it wasn't.

Danny wasn't supposed to be in the Engineering building - no one was. Tim needed it to be empty to follow-up on a lead so he specifically went at a time he knew no one would be there, but instead he got Danny appearing from around the corner like a cheap jumpscare in a horror game.

Tim immediately bolted back into the office he had emerged from, locking the door behind him. Then, he waited. He wasn't able to hear anything, and if it wasn't for the crack under the door being large enough to see Danny's feet appear he probably would've been startled by the handle jiggling.

Danny didn't make a sound as he moved on, the only indication he was still there was the occasional sound of him trying another door. And then those stopped. Tim waited, trying to watch for his shoes as he passed by the door to leave but he never caught a glimpse. After ten minutes he gave in and risked checking the hallway just to find it empty.

He was confused about how Danny got past without alerting him (was it because of his background, or something else?), but his attention was quickly stolen as he found what he was looking for - evidence that one of the teaching assistants was skimming lab supplies from deliveries. Still wary that he wasn't alone, Tim quickly left with his findings.

Thankfully, the evidence he found was detailed enough that he didn't have to go back to campus to continue investigating and he was able to wrap the case up only a week later. However, with the holiday season right on their doorstep, he still didn't have any time for low priority issues - which included Danny Fenton and his weirdness. In fact, it wasn't until after the new year that Tim even thought of him.

Reading the email Danny had sent proclaiming he had proved P = NP, he felt nothing but suspended belief and a hint of apprehension. It was unlikely the engineering student had actually found a solution after only a few months of work, but on the off-chance he did (and not just a solution, but proof the P = NP), then Tim's life was about to get complicated. Because a solution proving P = NP meant all their cybersecurity, everything that was keeping criminals and villains out of their files and databases, was obsolete. One line of code (given the hacker was competent) could reveal everything - secret identities, weaknesses, active cases. It was bad enough when a few of Bruce's contingency files for other Justice League members were stolen and used by Vandal Savage and his partners, but all of them?

Tim suppressed a shiver.

If Danny did manage to find a viable solution, he had to get it before it could fall into the wrong hands. He knew it'd be pointless to try to hide it, that if it was already solved then there was no telling when someone else (outside of Tim's reach) would come to the same answer. He had to be proactive, to use the solution to create a code to tear down firewalls and then rebuild them to be impenetrable.

He emailed Danny asking to meet. Tim was going to get that solution, no matter what.

Only their meeting provided him with a roadblock - Danny refused to cooperate. Looking back afterwards, Tim could see that in his desperation to get the solution he ended up being counterproductive, pushing Danny to storm out. But that changed nothing.

So Tim tried again, tracking Danny down and explaining why he was so desperate to get the answer. Danny had mentioned working with the Clay Institute, which was known for its million dollar prize, so Tim offered to pay more - such a tactic was common (and almost always successful) in the business world. Someone would invent or create something and then sell to (or partner with) the highest bidder.

Danny still refused.

Frustrated and annoyed, Tim realized trying to persuade him was pointless. Dick might've been able to win him over (the self depreciating voice in Tim's head knew he probably wouldn't have messed up in the first place, charming Danny and easily getting the solution from the first meeting unlike Tim), but he didn’t want to call him into Gotham just to get a notebook off a college student - something he could easily accomplish.

Instead, he switched tactics. Breaking into Danny's dorm was so easy it made him a little concerned about the students’ safety, but he wasn't going to complain as he picked the lock to Danny's room with little effort. Unfortunately, despite the ease of breaking in, the notebook was nowhere to be found.

Realizing Danny must have it on his person, Tim made plans to return. But after a week of sporadically checking Danny's room in his absence, Tim still had nothing. So he went back to Plan A - ask Danny for the solution, hope he sees reason about the dangers of said solution, and wait.

Radio silence.

#dpxdc #ooe #this is only partially edited so #the preview was supposed to be a little meme #but i couldnt find a good template so get an excerpt instead

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piedpiperart · 2 years ago

Text

Marked for Death pt 6

Chapter five

Jason woke up with a jolt, reaching under his pillow for the weapon there before he calmed enough to realize it was just a nightmare. He’d had those nonstop since he’d… died. He could still hear the laughter echoing in his head.

Brushing away his thoughts, Jason was reminded of his spontaneous roommate and got up to check on him. He pulled on a jacket, making his way to the living room. Jason was pretty sure he had ingredients for pancakes. He was a bit bewildered when he’d seen how barren his kitchen was last night. At least he’d had a couple of boxes of mac and cheese, but even he didn’t know where those came from. Jason sighed, thinking of how disappointed Alfred would be. When was the last time he’d cooked a home cooked meal? When was the last time he had one? Jason thought, then shook his head when the green started to encroach on his vision. He mentally made plans to go grocery shopping after he got the kid situated.

Peering into the living room, Jason could see the small lump of blankets on the couch but… Jason swallowed, suddenly feeling his stomach drop. There was no signs of breathing, no noise, no rise and fall. A quick glance to the door showed a distinct lack of froggy boots and Jason cursed.

The kid was gone.

Luckily, Jason knew where the kid was staying, and it wasn’t far from the safehouse. He cursed himself for not staying up and keeping watch. Jason was glad he’d followed the kid before, otherwise he’d be worried sick. Conan seemed like a smart kid. There was a good chance he knew how to get home easily, but still. Jason worried about the kid walking home alone at night, and berated himself again for how stupid he was to not look out for him.

By passing the kid’s rudimentary security system, Jason stepped quietly into the dusty restaurant. As far as hidey-holes go, this was a pretty good find for a homeless kid. As long as no one else set their sights on it, Jason grimaced. Creeping up to one of the booths, Jason’s heart gave a pang at the sight of Conan huddled in the corner of the seat, old jacket and a blanket on.

Part of him calmed at the sight of the kid, sleeping peacefully. His chest moved up and down steadily with each breath, and Jason relaxed. Glancing around, he could see that the kid hardly left. A laptop was open on the table in front of him, along with a handful of notes and various pens. Looking closer, Jason thought some of it looked familiar.

Softly, Jason tapped the laptop, opening it to ever so familiar case files and reports. This kid… knew Mycroft. Green tinged in Jason’s vision when he connected the dots. Conan was connected to Mycroft and it almost got the kid killed last night. Jason’s fists clenched, and he resisted the urge to punch something. If Mycroft was using kids to do his dirty work, Jason was going to kill him.

Tim woke up with a jolt and a yelp when he felt someone big hoist him over their shoulder. “Lemme go!” Tim yelled, banging his fists against the leather jacket beneath him. He struggled for a moment, kicking his socked feet until a familiar voice cut through his panic. “You and I need to have a talk about Mycroft, kid,”Jason said, and Tim froze at the sternness in his tone. He knew, Tim panicked, remaining frozen in his arms. Jason knew he was Mycroft, didn’t he?

“Fine, fine, just,”Tim panted, fisting the jacket below him,”Just let me- let me go.”

“No way, squirt. You aren’t running from me again,”Jason scoffed, startling Tim when he started to walk towards the door. “We’re gonna get breakfast at the diner, and you’re going to tell me everything you know about Mycroft.”

Oh, Tim paused. Red Hood didn’t know he was Mycroft yet. Just.. that he knew him. Tim could work with that. He did know himself. “Can I put my shoes on first?” Tim protested, wiggling his feet. He winced as the one with the cut on it shot a bit of pain through his foot, but ignored it. He’d been through worse.

“Nope,”Jason said, popping the ‘p’. He transferred Tim to hang under his arm like a football as he walked out onto the sidewalk. “No shoes means it’s easier for me to catch you if you try to run again,”Jason said, and Tim rolled his eyes. That won’t stop me from trying, he thought wryly.

Not even twenty minutes later, Tim and Jason were sitting in the booth of Patty’s Diner across from each other. Tim glared at Jason, upset at his interrupted nap and the impromptu kidnapping. He was pretty sure Jason was gonna try to send him to some place that cares for kids, and he wanted none of it. Best case scenario, Tim would be able to use Mycroft as leverage.

“Can I getcha anything?” The server asks, a short haired lady in an apron with Patty’s Diner logo on it.

“I’ll have a coffee,”Jason says, steam-rolled by Tim a moment later when he nearly vibrates out of his seat.

“I’ll have a coffee too!” Tim says enthusiastically. Jason sighs, and the server smiles sympathetically at Tim.

“You sure you’re old enough to be drinking that stuff?” She asks. Her name tag reads Shelly. Tim nods at her, trying to act more cute to get what he wants.

Jason starts to say something, and Tim would have kicked him if not for his short legs. “If you get coffee then I want it too,”Tim pouts before Jason can say anything. He gives Tim a flat stare, then waves off the server.

“Alright, your choice,”Jason says, waiting for Tim to be looking elsewhere before he winks to the server. Tim eyes them as Shelly walks away, and crosses his arms on the bench. “You know what you want to eat yet kiddo?”

Tim sighs dramatically but picks up the kids menu, ignoring the cup of crayons on the table. In hindsight, Tim figures he should be acting more like a kid, so he reluctantly picks up a crayon too, scribbling over the cartoon pig eating pancakes.

“Can you answer some questions for me Conan?” Jason starts, and Tim gives him a withering glare.

“Will you let me go if I do?” Tim mutters. “We both know you just want to put me in foster care.”

Jason lets out a breath,”Kid, I just want you to be safe and cared for. I don’t think you’re in a very safe place right now, and I can help.”

“Right,”Tim scoffs, keeping his attention on his scribbling. “I will tell you anything you want to know if you leave me alone. Which I know you won’t do,”Tim adds, flicking his eyes up to Jason.

“You got me there. Conan, you’re a smart kid,”Jason says,”I doubt there’s anything I can make you do that you don’t want to. So I won’t do anything or pu ou anywhere you don’t agree to, okay?”

“...Fine,”Tim grumbles, abandoning his crayon drawing to the side of the table. He’d only used the red crayon so the picture kind of looked like a murder scene, but he decided it didn’t matter. “What do you want to know?”

“How old are you? And how long have you been on the streets?”Jason asked, folding his arms on the table.

“I dunno,”Conan shrugged,”I’m pretty sure I’m five.”

“You’re pretty sure? You mean you don’t know your age?”Jason asked after a pause. Maybe the kid had been on the streets longer than he’d thought, Jason frowned. His heart ached at the thought of Conan not even having a birthday. Did the kid ever have a family? Jason couldn’t help but wonder. “You look like you’re four.”

He muttered, “I look four?” Tim repeated, looking at his hands. He furrowed his brows, puzzled.“I thought I was at least five,”He pouts, and before Jason could respond, the server came back with their warm drinks.

“You two know what you want to get?” She asked, and Jason gestured for Tim to go first, who ordered pancakes and eggs with hashbrowns. Jason raised an eyebrow when the kid asked for peanut butter on the side, but didn’t comment. Jason himself ordered biscuits and gravy with eggs and sausage.

Immediately after Shelly left, Tim reached out to take a drink of his beloved coffee, only to reel back at the sweet chocolatey scent. “Really? Hot chocolate?” Tim snarled, sending a disgusted look to Jason.

“Sorry kid, you’re a bit too young for coffee,”Jason shrugged. He was holding in his laughter for how offended the kid looked.

“I’ll trade you,”Tim offered, pushing his cocoa to the taller teen. Jason only smirked. Giving up, Tim sighed defeatedly, crossing his arms and leaning back against the booth. “Guess I won’t tell you anything then.”

“You think the waitress won’t notice a toddler drinking coffee? I’m not about to get yelled at for bad parenting kiddo,”Jason said pointedly. “Now drink your chocolate.”

“You’re not my dad,”Tim grumbled, reaching out to grab the cocoa, if only to warm his hands. He vowed to get revenge on Jason somehow for this.

“Now, what can you tell me about Mycroft?”Jason prodded.

“What will you give me if I tell you?” Tim tilted his head. “You’ll never find him without my help and I won’t tell you anything. Not until I get some reassurances from you. And coffee.”

Jason sighed, nodding absently. “Kid, I’m not here to hurt you. If Mycroft is using you to gather information, that’s wrong,”He says, leaning closer. “You shouldn’t have been anywhere near that warehouse last night, kid. You could have been killed.”

“But I didn’t,”Tim scoffs. He takes a sip of his hot chocolate only to grimace. He looks longingly at Jason's cup of coffee. “Switch drinks with me and I’ll tell you.”

“Fine,”Jason said, pushing his cup towards Tim. He felt bad immediately when the kid lit up, only to shoot Jason a pitifully sad look when he saw the empty cup. “Sorry Conan, coffee ain’t for kids.”

Tim sighed a deep sigh. Part of him wished he could just get up and walk out, but he knew Jason would catch him. And he was about to eat some free food, so that kept him in his seat. “Alright, whatever. I was at the warehouse to get something from the guys in black.”

“The bullets?” Jason asked, thinking of the red case.

“No,” Conan winced. “They usually carry a case on them with poisons in it, that’s the one I was after. Got the wrong case.”

That’s why he was so upset, Jason thought. “Why were you after it in the first place?”

“Mycroft didn’t send me, if that’s what you’re after. I tracked the guys on my laptop to the warehouse and set a trap to get what I needed,”Tim reported succinctly. “I just…miscalculated.”

“Right. Miscalculated,”Jason frowned. “You could’ve been killed.”

Tim didn’t reply, just grumbled as he picked up the red crayon again. “To answer your earlier question, no, I don’t go out gathering info for Mycroft. I do make programs online though, which help track bad guys.”

“And that’s so much better,”Jason rolled his eyes. “Listen, I need to talk to Mycroft. Even if he didn’t mean for you to be in the field, he shouldn’t have involved you at all.”

Sparking an idea, Tim countered”And how else was I supposed to earn money?” It made Jason wince at the implications. “This is much safer, and I can provide for myself. So, I’m perfectly capable of being on my own and I do not need your help.”

“I’m glad you were able to find that, and the restaurant, but kid, that’s not gonna last,”Jason said softly. “What happens when someone finds your hideout? What happens when someone calls CPS on you? You could have been shot last night, what happens then?” Jason asked, and Tim held back the urge to cry.

“I’m doing the best I can,”Tim whispered. The crayon in his hands had broken.

“I know you are kid, but it’s not a bad thing to ask for help sometimes,”jason said, and his face was so painfully sincere that Tim had to look away. “I lived on the streets before, so I understand how hard it is. It was hard for me to accept help too. But I’ve got the means to help you kiddo, could you let me?”

“... Fine,”Tim accepted bitterly. He supposed it was nice to have warm food and access to a shower again. Tim didn’t really realize how much of his well-being that he was neglecting this past week. And, if he was going to stay a child longer… He needed some sort of backup, to do things toddlers couldn’t. “If I let you help me, then you have to let me help Red Hood.”

“What? No way,” Jason refuted,”I’m not-”

“I’m Mycroft,” Tim said smugly. “I’ve been helping you, and I’ll keep doing it whether you like it or not. So think of it like we’re partners. I’ll handle the tech and you can handle the physical stuff.”

Jason groaned, head now in his hands. Things were suddenly making a lot of sense, and he didn’t like where the dots were connecting. Conan was obviously smarter than he’d given him credit for, and it was possibly a meta ability for the toddler to be so smart. How had he gotten into this, Jason bemoaned.

“If you’re Mycroft, how are you getting money?” Jason asked.

“Hacked it,”Conan shrugged. Figures, Jason frowned. Damn, this would complicate things. Conan seemed to be reading his mind, and he resisted the urge to flip the toddler off. No longer could he find the kid a safe place, he’d have to keep the kid close if he wanted to make absolutely certain he wouldn’t run into danger.

“Fine,”Jason groaned. “You can stay with me, at least until I have a handle on your abilities. Then we’ll figure out some sort of partnership, but you are not going out at night. Gotham doesn’t need another robin,”Jason grumbled bitterly.

Tim ignored the pang in his chest at the mention of his alter ego, but brightened at the aspect of being able to partner with Red Hood and get free room and board out of it. “Great!” Tim smiled, then brightened further as the server brought their food.

Things were quiet over breakfast, both of them hashing out plans in their heads. Jason was momentarily distracted when he watched Conan eat his pancakes with syrup and peanut butter, then pour ketchup on his eggs and hashbrowns. He didn’t say anything, but added a few things to his shopping list later. Part of him was excited to cook for the kid but after seeing his odd tastebuds, he wasn’t sure if he should be dreading it instead.

Tim on the other hand, was hashing out how much of his skills he should reveal. If he proved his smarts and skills to Jason, he’d be able to continue to work as Mycroft and get in on the Organization. On the other hand, surely Jason would have questions about his skills, and TIm did not want to reveal his previous alias. No, Robin had to stay gone until Tim could get back to normal. Though, Tim wondered if he could play it off as a meta ability. He’d seen people before with enhanced intelligence, so it wouldn’t be a stretch for Jason to draw his own conclusions with a few well-placed hints.

Simultaneously, Tim both dreaded and was relieved to be moving in with Red Hood. He didn’t want to admit it but living on his own on the streets was kind of lonely. It reminded him of Drake Manor, but with less amenities. But he couldn’t help but dread having to act like a child around Jason. Tim figured as long as he didn’t try to put him in school it would be fine.

Chapter 7

#Marked for Death #mfd #Tim Drake #Jason Todd

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