#tim: adopting jason will help me keep an eye on him and he won't be able to commit crimes if he's busy taking care of uwu baby timmy drake

[weirdo-from-bonesborough]

Tim Brings Jason Back Into The Family au where everything’s the same but instead of being motivated by love and brotherhood or “this would make Dick and Bruce happier” he’s just following the keep your enemies closer policy

[bothoutsiders]

It had been tough for Tim lately, but he couldn't give up. Only because that was what Jason would've wanted. He knew that, they spoke about it so many times before. If something were to happen to me, you have to continue with your life, Timmy. Promise me that. And Tim, in his stubbornness, would answer with a Nothing is going to happen to you, I won't let it happen. I’ll kill anyone who even tries to hurt you. 

Sadly, Tim wasn't strong enough to protect Jason. He didn't kill anyone either. And, this time, Jason didn't come back to life.

He moved out of Gotham, because starting over sounded better. He could fulfil his side of all those daydreams he shared with Jason. Those silly little thoughts he would tell him about, and Jason would answer with That sounds great, we should do that! or I'm down for that! You'll be a hot teacher. I'll come visit you, pretend I'm your student, and flirt with you.

Jason won't be able to play his part, but it was a promise. Tim was going to play his.

"I know you're still new here, and you need time to understand how everything works, but we need everyone's help." The lady said as she poured some milk onto a plate.

"It's fine, Nina. I heard it was busy season. I'll do my best to help with the load of work." Tim paid attention to the stray cats that came to drink a bit of the milk. There were four of them, they waited their turn patiently, but never ventured into the office.

Another teacher had once told him, that although they were used to feeding a large number of cats, their numbers eventually dwindled to the four he had in front of him. Two of them would actually let humans pet them, while the other two would run away as soon as they saw someone walking close to them.

One of them called Tim's attention. It was a small cat, a kitten still, orange and with only one eye. It made him think of Jason. He wondered if humans could be reborn as animals, but as soon as he caught himself thinking silly things, he went back to work.

Days passed and every morning he would see the kitten. It didn't have a name. One girl would call him Ronnie, but another guy would call him Pirate. In Tim's mind, he would call him Jason.

Maybe he could adopt him, give him a home and, maybe... They could keep each other company. After all, they both had no one else.

Busy season didn't end anytime soon.

He had been so wrapped up, trying to understand everything, help around, keep up with everyone, that the news took him by surprise. They had caught the four cats and taken them to the vet for a basic check up because before, there used to be five cats. The one missing had to be put down due to a life-shortening illness that spreads fast between cats. A stray infected cat was dangerous.

Tim didn't think much about it, trusting they would all be fine.

Nina spoke, her words barely intelligible to Tim, but one word caught his immediate attention.

Tim’s head whipped toward Nina, so quickly, he thought he would snap his neck.

"What?"

"He's sick. He was so angry that we caught him, and it seems he is pissed to be caged, but we needed to check on him, and the vet just told us that he's sick."

Tim didn't know what to say, but he felt his eyes tear up. He missed an opportunity. Maybe if he had adopted the kitten the first day, he wouldn't have gotten sick. He wouldn't have to die. Again.

"I don't want to go, but my boss told me I have to be there in his last moments. I've done this before, and it's awful. I don't even like cats, but... It's a very depressing moment."

He thought about it, because maybe he could go and be there for the kitten, but he didn't feel ready either. Seeing someone die is something he didn't think he could stand again. It had happened so many times already.

He decided he couldn't do that. Maybe it was better if he ignored all that. It was just a cat, right? And it wasn't like the kitten had any bond with anyone, either.

All day, Tim thought about it. He wondered if there was something he could've done different, or how it would be to have that kitten at home.

"We have the pit ready." Nina said the next day, looking through the window and pointing at a small deep hole. "I asked the guys from the other department to help."

Tim looked at it, but made no comment. It sounded awful how they were getting ready to kill a living being. He knew it was a merciful death, but... It still sounded awful.

Two days passed when Nina spoke again about Jason.

"It was terrible." She rested her chin on both hands, looking behind Tim, remembering what happened. "Ronnie was pissed, hissing at everyone in his final moment. When we buried him, his body was still warm."

Tim scratched his neck nervously, leaving red marks behind.

Good thing it was time to go home.

He was surprised to feel tears rolling down his cheeks on his way home. But he wasn't so surprised to feel awful and believe that things could've gone better for Jason if only he had done something, but no. He had to be so busy, trying to distract his mind of the grief he was still feeling for losing his fiancé.

Maybe next time he would do things differently.

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Keepsafes

Fandom: Batman, DC Comics

Summary: AU where Martha and Bruce survive, and they adopt the batkids.

Chapters: 2/?

Characters: Bruce Wayne, Thomas Wayne, Martha Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Harvey Dent, Dick Grayson, Cassandra Cain, David Cain, Talia al Ghul, Damian Wayne, Jason Todd, Tim Drake

Relationships: Thomas Wayne/Martha Wayne/Alfred Pennyworth, BruHarvey, BruTalia

Additional Tags: Canon Divergent AU, Hurt/Comfort, Bruce Wayne is Not Batman, Angst, Alfred Pennyworth Knows All, Bruce Wayne Only Has One Child, Bruce Wayne is Not An Only Child, Bi Bruce Wayne

Chapter Two: Sirens on the Staircase

Martha fixed her makeup while her assistant adjusted her dress. “Can you do the sweater, Mrs. Wayne?” her assistant questioned. 

“Over the shoulders,” Martha answered. She brushed hospital shampoo through her hair and looked at Bruce. He hated press conferences, but he understood they had to release a statement. “Bruce, you don’t have to do this with me if it bothers you… All I’m going to do is tell them we’re going home soon, we’d like everyone to respect our privacy, and we love our city and hope it doesn’t deter people from supporting local businesses.” 

“But what about crime?” Bruce asked. 

“Crime is only a symptom of a much more frightening disease that plagues our city… So many people are left behind or ignored because of where they come from or what abilities they do or don’t have. We are supposed to help give people whatever we need as often as we can,” Martha replied, “That being said, do you want to do boring press with me? Or do you want to go support Dad at his pain management appointment?” 

Bruce smiled at her. ���I’ll tell Dad you love him,” Bruce replied as he kissed her cheek. 

Martha gasped. “You don’t think that I’d be coming on too strong?” Martha teased. “Tell him I think it’s cute how his nose scrunches up when he laughs and see how he reacts… And then, tell him that I love him.”

Bruce smiled and nodded before heading to the physical therapist’s office on the second floor of the hospital. Bruce waved at the window to make sure it was okay to come in. By this time, the hospital was well-acquainted with Bruce and even welcomed his presence. He brought meals and coffee, distracted smaller children while nurses drew blood, and was painfully sweet to everyone who cared for his parents. He even remembered the names of the people at the front desk.

Thomas lit up at the sight of Bruce and waved him over. "I'm taking a dip in the ice bath today," Thomas explained as he unzipped his robe. Bruce looked at the tub of ice water and frowned. "What's the matter?"

"Won't it be too—? Hm... What's that going to feel like?" Bruce asked. Thomas glanced at his physical therapist. He nodded in reply to Thomas' question.

"Do you want to try it with me? We'll only do a few minutes, and then we'll get out and dry off, warm up a little bit, and have a snack. How about it?" Thomas asked. Over the past few weeks, Thomas realized it was better to let Bruce experience the process of his recovery. It was much easier than giving textbook answers to an already traumatized eight-year-old.

Bruce removed his suit and draped it over a chair while Thomas transferred from his wheelchair to the tub's edge. "Truth be told, I'm glad you're doing this with me," Thomas nervously chuckled. He hated the cold, but Bruce loved it. He loved any extreme Martha and Thomas would allow. Thomas took a deep breath and looked at Bruce. "Count of three? Can you do the honors?"

"One... Two... Three," Bruce counted before plunging down into the tub with Thomas. They both shrieked and blew out a breath from the cold.

Bruce reached forward and grabbed Thomas' hand to keep from jumping out of the water. "It's a shock. I know. Wooo! I wouldn't be offended if you had to get out," Thomas reassured him. Bruce shook his head.

"I'm with you, Dad," Bruce replied, his forehead wrinkling as he stared directly into Thomas' eyes. Thomas chuckled. "Mom told me to tell you that she thinks it's cute when you wrinkle your nose when you laugh."

His chuckle turned to a boisterous laugh. "Did she? Do you think that means she likes me?" Thomas joked.

"She told me something else. She said she loves you," Bruce seriously answered.

"Wow. A pretty lady like your mom loves me? Tell her that she's the girl of my dreams... And that I love her, too. Can you remember that?" Thomas asked as he trembled. Bruce nodded. "You're a good man, Bruce. I don't know if I would've done this for my dad at your age."

Bruce beamed as he shivered in the water. "It's not so bad," Bruce lied. Thomas grinned. 

Silence fell over both of them, and Thomas smiled. The discomfort of the freezing cold faded over the next few minutes, and Thomas took Bruce’s hand once more, looking over his nail beds. “Come on, let’s get out… Easy, you first. Come this way,” Thomas whispered. Bruce waded over, and Thomas sat him on the edge. “Dry your legs and the rest of your body all the way first and take deep breaths. Okay?” 

Bruce obeyed, while Thomas pulled himself onto the tub’s edge. The two of them exchanged glances as they shivered and dried off, and Bruce sat on Thomas’ lap after he transferred back to his chair, and they sat wrapped in their towels and Thomas’ robe. “Would you do this again?” Thomas asked as he held Bruce close. 

“Hm… Can we get soup after next time?” Bruce asked. 

“Miso soup?” Thomas asked. Bruce nodded. “You’re in luck. Dr. Edmonds, can I get another spoon?” 

Dr. Edmonds pulled a spoon out of thin air. After they finished eating, Thomas made sure Bruce drank water with him and got dressed. Bruce eventually nodded off in Thomas’ lap after he got dressed, and Thomas went down to the first floor to watch Martha’s press conference. Martha casually widened her eyes, and Thomas nodded as he approached her in his chair. “Mrs. Wayne? Mrs. Wayne, will you and Mr. Wayne be taking questions at this time?” one of the reporters asked. 

“Thomas, honey, are we taking questions at this time?” Martha asked with a playful grin spread across her face. Thomas reached for her hand, playing with the ring on her finger, almost forgetting that the press was there to begin with. 

“I’ll do whatever you ask, Mrs. Wayne,” Thomas joked. Bruce pressed his face into Thomas’ chest, still fast asleep to Thomas and Martha’s relief. 

Martha smiled and turned toward the cameras. “We can answer a few questions,” Martha replied, “But I’m sure Bruce would like to go home and get some rest, so let’s be brief.” 

**

Bruce stirred in his bedroom as he listened to his parents speaking in the next room. It sounded like they were arguing, so he crept out of bed and listened at his door. “Thomas, it was an accident. Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Martha replied. 

“Martha, maybe I shouldn’t—.”

“Oh, Thomas, don’t be that way. You did the same for me when I was pregnant. There’s no difference,” Martha replied. 

Bruce crept out of his room, and Alfred scooped him up. “Master Bruce, I think it’s almost time for lunch,” Alfred whispered as he carried Bruce downstairs. Bruce wrapped his arms around Alfred’s neck, but he couldn’t stop staring over Alfred’s shoulder. 

“What’s wrong?” Bruce asked. 

“Just a small spill, Master Bruce. Would you like a biscuit?” Alfred questioned in reply. 

“Chocolate chip, please,” Bruce answered. Alfred made a soft noise as he patted Bruce on the back. The patting sent Bruce back to the thought of sirens flashing in his eyes, police officers and EMTs swarming on all sides around him. “Wait! Wait! Where’s Mom and Dad? Mom! Dad!” 

“Bruce?” Thomas asked. Alfred carried Bruce up the stairs where Thomas waited in his chair. He was in his robe as he reached out for Bruce, and Alfred handed him off. “Hey, it’s alright, Bruce. It’s alright.” 

Bruce trembled as he pressed his face into Thomas’ shoulder, trying to use his father’s scent as an anchor. “I don’t know who—. I don’t know who took you. The lights—. The lights were flashing, and they took you away from me. I don’t know who—. I wasn’t sure—. I couldn’t—. I couldn’t ask them who—.” Bruce hyperventilated as tears streamed down his cheeks. 

“I’m right here. Daddy’s here. I’m not going anywhere,” Thomas whispered as he held Bruce’s hand. He rubbed circles in Bruce’s palm with his thumb as he kissed Bruce on the cheek. “What’s that silly game we used to play? The one with the—.” Thomas held one thumb up and tapped Bruce’s nose as he started humming the tune to Where is Thumbkin. He switched his hands back and forth even though he couldn’t remember the words clearly. “Help me out, Brucie. Really, son, I’m struggling with this one.”

Bruce slowly started participating, allowing Thomas to wipe his tears away while Martha crept past them to the dumbwaiter. Upon her return, she watched as Thomas struggled to sing along. Thomas lifted Bruce’s chin with his knuckle. “I’m sorry, Dad—.”

“Hey, that’s okay. I’ve got to take a shower, but I’ll be back down for lunch. A kiss for the best, will your heart miss me less? Mwah!” Thomas kissed Bruce’s cheek before patting his arm. Bruce gave him a kiss on the cheek in return. “That’s my big boy. I won’t be gone long. I promise.” 

Martha reached for Bruce’s hand. She scooped him up with her uninjured arm and once she had him balanced on her hip, she blew a raspberry into his opposite cheek. “Is Lovey a little out of sorts after his nap?” Martha asked in a cartoonish bird voice. But before she turned to head down the stairs, she stopped to kiss Thomas. “Isn’t Daddy just the sweetest?” she whispered as she walked down the stairs sideways with her back against the railing. 

“Alfred, I’m sorry,” Thomas whispered. Alfred shook his head. “Could you make sure they get downstairs safely? Hopefully, they take the stair lift down next time. Sorry about all the—.”

“You have never been more pleasant, Master Thomas,” Alfred teased. Thomas chuckled. “We’re happy to have you home, sir.” 

“I’m happy to be home, Alfred,” Thomas half-smiled.

[ggomos-maribat]

8 | in which Bruce is not the only aspiring Marinette-adopter

Part 8 of No Mr. Wayne You Can't Adopt Me! | Masterlist

"A visit to the Kent family farm?" Marinette echoed, "This sounds like a family event only. Are you sure I should be going?"

"I know it sounds like I'm pre-adopting you—"

"Yes, it absolutely sounds like that—"

"But Dick suggested for you to come instead of him since he won't be able to come," Bruce explained. "Besides, Lois specifically asked for you."

Lois, huh. Marinette felt an incoming headache already. On one hand, a part of her knew she should be declining it firmly but it would be terribly impolite to turn down the invitation as well. It was a problem indeed.

But if I go, I can just stick to the Kents and avoid the Waynes, right? She wondered. It's free food too and I won't need to work on a Friday.

One work week later, she ended up squeezed inside a van with Bruce behind the wheel, driving to Smallville. She had a basket of pastries at her feet, window to her left and Damian on her right. Everything seemed to be going fine when—

Screech!

The car suddenly halted and before Marinette knew it, Damian's arm was in front of her to keep her from face-planting on the back of the car seat.

"Sorry! There was a dog!" Bruce apologized from the front seat.

"If you were gonna drive this bad, you should've let me drive instead," Jason groaned from the passenger seat, rubbing his head.

"Yeah, Bruce, you should've told us if you were gonna send us to an early grave," Stephanie piped up from the back. "Damn it Cass, we have to redo the cracker tower."

When Marinette took a peek, she saw that the girls were trying to pile up some Ritz crackers on top of a sleeping Tim's forehead. Tim (lucky for him) was just snoring away the whole time.

Bruce threw his second son a look. "We both know you're going above the speed limit if you drive."

"I only speed when I'm on my bike!" Jason denied. "I can definitely drive better than you, old man."

Marinette figured these were the effects of not having Alfred around. The butler had to go to the farm ahead of them in the promise of helping the elder Kents prepare. But Marinette knew Alfred just secretly wanted to escape the family's chaos.

"Are you okay?" Damian whispered beside her. She nodded and smiled in reply.

In fact, Marinette was about to open her mouth to offer to drive but then she remembered her agreement with Bruce: on the trip, she wasn't supposed to act as an assistant but rather a family friend. She sighed inwardly in defeat.

"Father, if you're already too old to drive, I can take over the wheel as well," Damian said.

"I'm not too old to drive." Bruce rolled his eyes. "It's fine, I can handle this."

"Famous last words," Jason scoffed. "If Dickie were here he'd arrest you for reckless driving."

"I'm not recklessly driving!"

Marinette withheld a chuckle. Seeing someone causing trouble for Bruce other than herself was amusing. She stretched as much as the small space allowed her and whispered to Damian, "Can I rest my head on you?"

He stared at her for a moment. "Of course."

Grinning, Marinette leaned her head against his shoulder. Their arms were only slightly touching but she could feel his warmth. From her position, she could see Bruce squinting at them through the rearview mirror.

"Bruce, eyes on the road please," Duke warned.

Bruce huffed through his nose but focused on driving.

"Why can't Clark take us there instead?" Stephanie complained, "It'll be much faster."

An image was painted in Marinette's head: Superman carrying the van over the skies while Bruce sulked on the front seat.

"He's busy," Bruce replied, glancing towards Marinette (probably checking if she found the statement odd). "Don't you think I'm perfectly capable of taking us there safely?"

"Nope," Stephanie responded.

"Ditto," Cass said.

Stephanie snorted out a laugh. "I only agreed to go anyway 'cause Kara and Lois are there."

"Ditto."

"Hey if he gets any worse at driving, I'll call Alfred and tell him we got kidnapped," Jason suggested.

"No, you're not," Bruce sighed in exasperation.

"Twenty-one crackers!" Stephanie cheered suddenly. "Agghh, hold it there Cass, I'm taking a picture!"

Marinette's gaze strayed downwards. Our hands are really, really close. Their knuckles are just barely brushing. Sucking in a breath, she moved her fingers to touch the back of Damian's hand. To her surprise, his hand wrapped around hers with his thumb rubbing her knuckles.

The car swerved again.

"BRUCE!"

"That's it, I'm calling Alfred."

"Fuck! The crackers!"

". . . Wha . . . huh? What's happening?"

***

"Where is she?! Where's Marinette?"

One of the things Marinette dreaded. Seeing Lois Lane-Kent again. The woman practically squeezed past the other Kent boys to lock her in a suffocating hug the moment she stepped out of the van.

"Marinette!" Lois said, pulling away and squishing her cheeks together. "Jeez, recommend an assistant job to a girl and she never reaches out anymore!"

"I answer your calls sometimes," Marinette weakly protested.

"But no visits." Lois turned to Bruce with an accusatory glare. "Are you overworking the poor girl?!"

"No, no, I'm fine." Marinette gently pulled away from her hold while Bruce escaped to help the others prepare the picnic table. "It's a great job, honestly. The pay is very generous."

"You know Marinette, Lois?" Duke asked as he helped unload another box from the van.

"You haven't told them?" Lois looked at her, and Marinette responded with a sheepish look.

Lois smiled proudly, wrapping an affectionate arm around Marinette. "I had the absolute honor of interviewing this girl about the Paris akuma attacks. She was the civilian aide for the heroes!"

"Lois," Marinette groaned.

"We kept in touch, and I was the one who suggested she get a PA job at WE when she moved to Gotham." Lois patted the top of her head. "Hmph, on second thought I should've kept you as an assistant for myself."

"I told you, journalism isn't my expertise," said Marinette.

"You're a brilliant girl, you can learn! If you stay in Metropolis, you can even live with us!"

Marinette's eyes widened in horror. "No please, I've had enough of serial adopters."

"What? Oh, is Bruce trying to . . ." She scowled at the girl's boss again. "I knew it! I knew this would happen, agh I shouldn't have sent you to him!"

"Lois . . . no, you can't legally adopt me . . ."

The woman's eyes gleamed. "But illegally?"

"You were a civilian aide?" Damian asked, staring at Marinette.

"No big deal. I just worked behind the scenes to help defeat Hawkmoth." She kept a wary eye on Bruce. If he were to find out, he will combust for sure . . . and become more adamant on adopting her.

"Read my article, you'll see how amazing she is!" Lois boasted.

"Lois, please," Marinette sighed. "I'll go set these up at the table."

Fortunately, a savior by the name of Ma Kent called Lois back to the house so Marinette was able to shake her off. She was grateful for the journalist, really—recounting what happened to Paris was no easy feat and often other reporters liked to focus on the heroes and villain only, not the trauma or lasting damage on the city. Lois even helped her settle in, lecturing her on the dangers of Gotham despite not being its resident.

But Lois was . . . the second one who expressed the desire of adopting her before Bruce.

"Didn't know the Waynes had a new one," a new voice said.

"Kon!" Marinette put down the basket and reached up to hug the boy. "I didn't know you're here!"

"When I heard you were coming, I knew I couldn't miss this." Kon raised an eyebrow. "You're such a traitor, Mars, you're one of them now?"

"Of course not!" She huffed. "I wanted to skip out on work and, er, Lois wanted me to come."

Another familiar face approached the two. "Full offense, but you look like you're part of the Wayne family now."

Marinette lowered her tone to a whisper, leaning to give Jon a side hug. "Mr. Wayne wishes." She rolled her eyes. "But he can't, obviously."

A few feet away from them, Clark fell into a coughing fit. Oops, he heard that didn't he? Marinette's cheeks reddened.

She had been visiting Metropolis during her third meet up with Lois. At that time, she had the two boys join them for lunch, and that was when Marinette got to meet them. Both seemed just as energetic as the Wayne boys, by her observation, but in a different way.

Jon threw an arm around her shoulder. "Hey, is it just me or Damian looks extra broody?"

"Probably . . . jealous?" Kon looked at the boy.

"Jealous of what?" asked Jon. Slowly, his head turned towards Marinette, seemingly coming to a realization little by little. "What? No way."

"Maybe . . . yes way." Marinette brushed a hand over her bangs. "There was this, um, thing on our way here you see."

"What is it? What is it?"

Marinette rubbed her heated cheek. "I'll tell you later!"

Just then, Clark came to the table to set down some glasses and utensils. "It's nice seeing you again, Marinette. You haven't run into another Batman-related trouble I hope?"

"Batman-related trouble?" Jon repeated, directing a curious look towards her.

"Nope, not at all," Marinette chuckled. "In fact, he stalked me one night in an empty street just to apologize."

Clark's eyebrows raised. "He did?"

"You never told us that!" Kon chimed in.

"I know, it's a long story." Marinette grinned evilly. "But I think it's best told over lunch with everyone."

***

"Tea or coffee?" Marinette asked her guest, who was sitting at her humble dining table, hands folded together.

"Tea please, my dear. I do miss your personal brew—it's one of a kind."

Marinette rolled her eyes as she grabbed a teacup from the upper cabinets. "Flattery will get you nowhere."

The guest tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "It's not flattery. It's only a comment."

Marinette prepared the tea diligently, and even brought out leftover banana bread she made for herself and her neighbors. From her periphery, she could see the woman looking over the photographs she had framed on the pastel walls. "There's too much of you who want to adopt me, you know," she said.

"Oh?"

"My boss and . . . Lois just the other day. I don't know if she was joking or not." Marinette scrunched her nose. "Seriously, legally none of you can adopt me."

"Who said I was going to do it by legal means?"

"Kwamis, don't say that, Talia. I think Bruce is an inch away from doing it under the table too."

With the tea and snacks prepared, Marinette put everything on a wooden tray she put together herself and brought it over to the table. If she anticipated Talia's visit, she would've cooked an entire meal. Alas, the woman popped up during the most unexpected hours.

"Your honey jar is very cute." Talia chuckled.

"Hmpf. It was a gift." A house-warming (or apartment-warming?) gift from Adrien: a custom transparent jar with a cat design painted on it. The top of the dipper's handle was carved out into a paw.

"How is Damian, by the way?"

"I thought you came here as a friend." Marinette crossed her arms. "It's not my job to keep tabs on your son."

"I know that, my dear, but he doesn't like seeing me . . ."

"Just talk to him." Marinette took a bite of her bread. "You know, the key to being emotionally constipated is to actually let it all out."

Marinette had met Talia al Ghul way before she met Bruce or any of the Waynes. She found out the woman's connection to them much later, however. After becoming guardian and losing Fu to amnesia, Talia had become somewhat of a mentor to her. Someone who taught her more about eccentric skills than magical knowledge and responsibility (the woman was crazy skilled in the most random things, it used to drive Marinette crazy). Since they'd parted aways after she graduated, Marinette saw her more like a troublesome aunt than a teacher.

"He has taken an interest in you, no?" The way her emerald eyes glittered spoke of her slyness. 

"Taliaaa," Marinette groaned.

"What? It is very funny how fate brought you two together." She sighed wistfully. "I never saw it coming."

"Do you seriously want me to be with your son just so you can make me your daughter?"

"What's the problem? You like him too, right?"

"Talia!"

She shrugged. "'I'm just saying I'm not opposed to the relationship."

Marinette rubbed her face, hoping to ease off the heat on her cheeks. "I thought you're here to see how I'm doing, not badger me about my love life. You're starting to sound like my mom."

Talia's grin grew wide. "Your mom?"

"Wait, no—"

Talia set her chin on top of her locked hands. "Would you like a League-themed wedding, my dear? Have a little blood pact mixed in?"

"Damian and I aren't even marrying!"

"Yet," the woman added. "I can't wait to have you in the family. I've got the perfect heirlooms to pass on to you. A sword, if you'd like or even a kunai."

"Oh, come on—"

"You have my complete blessing Marinette," she cooed. "In fact, I'd rather have Damian be with no one else but you."

Marinette stood up so quickly, red in the face, and her chair scraped the floor. "I'm going to bed."

Talia reached over to grab her hand. "Leaving your guest all alone! Where are the manners I taught you?"

"I'd actually love to chat if you have something else to talk about," Marinette huffed.

"Alright, alright, sit down. I'll behave myself, I promise." The former mentor smiled. Marinette narrowed her eyes. She should've closed her window that night.

***

After a debate with herself, Marinette decided to voice out her request to Bruce at the time she served coffee and snacks in his office. She was setting down his mug on a coaster when she popped the question: "Mr. Wayne, can I have next Thursday off? I can work on Saturday to make up for it."

Bruce looked up from his screen. "Hm? What for?"

"I've finally decided to let Lois adopt me."

"What?" Marinette had never seen Bruce so panicked. She didn't know if she should laugh or feel sorry for it.

"I'm kidding." She transferred the snacks next from the rolling cart. "Some of my friends are visiting Gotham, but their only free day is on Thursday. I haven't seen them in a while so I really want to catch up."

Bruce slowly regained his composure, clearing his throat. "Right. Of course you can go, Marinette. No need for the extra hours."

". . . Are you sure you'll be fine without me?"

"Yes, we have no meetings scheduled that day, do we?" Bruce waved the thought off. "Enjoy the day off. You deserve it."

***

It was Chloe who got them the reservations for their dinner: an open air chabudai-style restaurant that served Japanese cuisine. The tables were low, comfy enough for them to sit cross-legged on cushions while still keeping elegance.

Marinette sipped on her drink and nudged Luka with her shoulder. "You never told us what you were in Gotham for."

The now world-renowned musician ran a hand through his hair. "Dad's having a tour around the U.S. He wanted to check the venue here since this is the last stop. Our band's opening."

Marinette sucked in a breath. "Congrats, Luka! I didn't know about that, Jagged hasn't put out a commission yet!"

"Planning's still in the works." Luka smiled. "I'm sure Penny will reach out soon."

Adrien groaned and stretched his arms. "I'm so fuullll." He fell on his back, positioning his head on Marinette's lap.

"I told you to lay off on the maki roll," Chloe tsked to which Adrien stuck out a tongue in reply.

Marinette ignored the bickering pair and turned to Kagami. "What about you, Kags? Have you met up with your new student yet?"

"What new student?" asked Adrien.

"You're not reading the group chat, are you?" Chloe scolded.

"It's alright, I only mentioned it in passing." Kagami poured more cups of beer for Luka and Chloe. "A former coach told me about a rising fencing prodigy in Gotham. I wanted to take a look for myself if I can mentor them. Unfortunately there was an emergency at the airport earlier so I'm meeting them tomorrow instead."

Marinette grimaced, distinctly remembering that some Rogues had broken into the airport in the morning.

"Prodigy or not, the kid's gonna be an international level pro if you're the coach, Gami," Adrien pointed out.

"Hm. You have too much faith in me."

"What about you, Maribug? How's work?" Chloe directed her inquisitive gaze at the girl.

"Just the same old." With a little bit of something going on with my boss' son. "My boss still wants to adopt me, everyday's busy, sometimes I get caught up in robberies and hostage situations for a little spice."

"M'lady?" Adrien suddenly said in a soft voice.

Marinette reached down to stroke his hair. "What's up?"

"I think I saw something move behind the trees over there."

Marinette squinted into the dark, past the lantern lights. Familiar . . . shadows moved around, cloaked by the darkness.

"Oh hell no," she whispered. "What the fuck? Those are the Gotham vigilantes."

Adrien's lips shaped into an 'o'. "Ohhh, I think . . . I think they're here because of me."

"What?"

"Well, the small business I asked to do the landscaping for our runway event is Pam and Harley’s," Adrien explained. "I talked to them earlier and they got worried since it's my first time here in Gotham. They offered a security detail even when I said I didn't need any!"

"And that . . . security detail are the vigilantes?" Chloe stared.

"Guess so. Hey, do you think we should offer them some food?" Adrien sat up and waved at the shadows. "Do you think they'll join us?"

"Adrien," Marinette groaned. "Anyone but them."

"What, why?"

***

Meanwhile . . .

"Rob, you've been staring at Marinette and that guy for a long time."

"I am not."

"Are you jealous? She said they're her friends right? They must be really close."

"Tt."

Taglist: @hammalammadamdam @animegirlweeb @fairlyfatale @agentxx92

[thewitchblue]

Recluse Part Seven:

TW: Smut and gore

You smiled happily as Bruce tells you,

"I have drafted an adoption agreement. You will split custody with me, of course, but Damian will stay with you the majority of the time."

You took the pen from his hand with a thanks and signed the paperwork. Unfortunately for you, the paperwork was a marriage certificate to marry you to Dick. Bruce's smile was dangerous, but he let you run off to pack Damian's clothes.

"When are you going to tell them?"

Jason asked with crossed arms. He still didn't entirely agree with this situation, but you were a good person and a good match for Dick. Bruce leaned back in his chair and replied,

"When this is filed. You will have to keep them here until then, understood?"

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose. He hated having to lie to keep you around, but he would if he must. Anything to keep Dick happy.

Your spider sense triggered the second Damian "accidentally" fell and released the pollens on you. He was greatly apologetic and called for Dick and Tim to help as he left with the jars in his hands.

Dick and Tim sat on both sides of you, but you immediately rushed to the opposite side of the room. You tried to open a portal, but Damian must have taken your ring with him. You're stranded with these two.

Need burned through you. You hissed in pain at the forced arousal. Tim asked with false concern,

"What's wrong?"

Your mind was racing for a solution to your problem. You can't cheat on Miguel, but the way Tim and Dick looked at you made you tempted. You shuddered when they lightly touched your arms and stepped away.

"You both need to leave. Now."

Dick shook his head. He wanted to help you. He needed to be the one to help you. He asked,

"How can we help you?"

You grimaced. Not happening. Even drugged, you kept a cool head. This can't be happening. You tried to leave the room, only to be blocked by Dick. You groaned in annoyance. This can't be happening to you.

"Move, big bird."

Dick blinked in confusion at the big bird comment. Is that a Nightwing jab? Even when you are in pain, you are sassy. You're a fighter, that's for sure.

"Tell us what's wrong first."

You crossed your arms, hurting yourself further. Your pain throbbed through you like a migraine. You told them flatly,

"Damian drugged me with plant pollen. It's time I leave."

Dick softly sighed. You tried to brush past him, roughly shoving him out of your way, but he grabbed you before you could leave. You squirted some venom at him to stop him from reaching you. He froze as the venom soaked into his skin, and then the pain came. He felt like he was on fire.

"What venom is this?"

He was panicking now. What would happen if he died? Tim rushed to his side, also in a panic. They looked at you expectedly, but you already left.

He won't die. He will just be in excruciating pain for a couple of minutes while you look for your ring.

Your eyes scanned each room you came across until eventually ending up in the Batcave, where you found your ring.

Unfortunately for you, Jason was there as well. You turned invisible before you could be spotted and sneaked around him to grab the ring, which sat on a forgotten table. You almost sighed in relief before remembering Jason was there. You tensed when he turned to you, but you silently left the cave.

You smiled as the sexual pain faded. Your body must consider the pollen as a poison. You barely missed bumping into Tim, who was going to try to find an antidote for your venom without a single specimen.

You grabbed him by his shirt and dragged him back to the room Dick was in. He blinked as he saw Dick was fine now. He was only trying to relax his aching muscles. You let him go, but you stayed in the room. You felt the sudden urge to want to cuddle Dick. To massage his muscles and kiss them okay again. You shook your head to clear the urges. Hopefully your system will clear the other pollen quickly.

You picked him up and carried him to his room. He struggled and used every tip Batman and the circus ever taught him, but he couldn't escape the iron grasp you had on him.

He slumped against your shoulder in the long walk to his room and faked pouted. He's hopeful, but he can tell you are no longer affected by the sex pollen, so he wasn't so sure about the cuddle pollen either. You turn visible again once you toss him onto his bed. You crossed your arms and said plainly,

"I'm not going to have sex with you."

He noted how you twitched slightly. You were resisting the pollen. He could use that.

"I had no idea what you were hit with. Poison Ivy has a lot of different pollens."

You shook your head. There was no way he was clueless. How did he get Damian into this? Did Damian know about his plan? Did it matter anymore? You hated to give up on Damian, but maybe Miguel was right.

"I'm leaving. Miguel will need me."

Dick sighed as he locked the door. He hits both of you with the pollen this time. If you won't do it for yourself, maybe you'll do it for him.

Both of you coughed as the pollen enters you both. You stared at him in horror as the burning hit you. Your body removes the pollen quickly, but what do you do about Dick? The only cure you know about is sex. Sure, it was his fault, but could you stomach saving him from himself?

The familiar burning hit him like a truck. He had no idea how you were so calm. He groaned in pain. How can you stand there as if you feel nothing?

You don't feel the sex pollen much. You simply watched him suffer with wide eyes and horror. How can you save him without cheating on Miguel? Your body is used to the poison now, so it can clear the poison out faster. You pursed your lips before asking Dick seriously,

"If I help you, will you leave me alone?"

Dick nodded as his body shuddered. He croaked,

"I'll stop."

It was a lie, of course, but he needed you desperately. He needed you like he needed air. He needed you like he needed water.

You gave a resigned sigh before helping him undress. If you can do this quickly, you can leave to Miguel and tell him the forced situation.

"Aren't you going to undress?"

He asked with great strain. You shook your head immediately.

"No. I'm not crossing that line. You either get handjobs or you get nothing."

Dick didn't like that, but anything was better than nothing, so he didn't complain. You hesitated as you looked at his body. You can admit he's attractive, right?

"How many times do you have to cum before this is cleared out of you?"

Dick shrugged. He had no idea, but he guided your hand onto his dick and groaned when you slowly started to jerk him off.

"I don't know. There's only one way to find out."

You pressed your lips together. You didn't like not having a number. You decided to count. There is no way to really know, but you'd low ball it. Men can't cum as much without it becoming painful.

You started slow, hesitant and uncomfortable about doing this. You twisted your wrist to have your fingers brush against a vein you felt. His moan was loud, and he begged,

"Please let me fuck you. I need to fuck you."

He clawed at your hips, but you whacked his hands off of you.

"No. This is on my terms, not yours. You either take what I give you or I walk out this door."

He groaned at his own damnation. Why did he dose himself? He should have known you wouldn't let him fuck you.

Your hands were slow but becoming confident. He whimpered and tried to thrust into your hand, but you slapped his thigh to stop him. Who knew you'd be so dominant?

"Be a good boy and take what I give you."

He whined but obeyed. There was a fire in his veins begging for release. He was so sensitive that he didn't even mind the slow movements.

You pressed your lips together as you watched his expressions. This is going to take forever if you kept the slow pace, so you steadily sped up. You did debate doing more, but you didn't want to hurt Miguel further. You stared at your engagement ring with guilty eyes. How could you ever look Miguel in the face again? You wanted to stop, but you felt an obligation now.

You chewed your lip anxiously. How could Miguel forgive you after this? He told you Damian isn't worth it. You should have listened.

You abruptly turn invisible as Damian came in with Miles in tow. Damian looked confused but also angry as he stared at Dick.

"Where are they?"

He asked. Miles raised his hand in front of his face and said,

"Dios mio. (My god) ¿Vamos a ignorar a tu hermano desnudo? (Are we going to ignore your naked brother?) They obviously aren't here."

Miles had to look away from Dick. You shivered while invisible, unsure what to do. You can't let go of his dick or they would see the movement. Invisibility is linked between spider people, so you can't risk Miles turning invisible as well. You both can see each other when invisible at the same time; all spider people who can turn invisible can see each other .as well. It makes fights interesting when any invisible spiders are paired together.

Miles looked around the room, and you held your breath as you turned right to you. He looked at the ceiling, and you begged the universe he didn't turn invisible. He had no reason to, but you had a feeling his spider sense was going off.

You used an invisible web to rattle the closet, and he relaxed. A girl must be inside the closet, and that is what made his spider sense go off. You sagged in relief as Miles and Damian left.

You hissed quietly to Dick,

"Handle this,"

You squeezed his dick painfully,

"Yourself. I'm leaving."

You removed your hand and stood to leave. Dick begged quietly,

"Don't leave me like this! Please!"

You portaled home with a heavy mind and racing heart. You had stepped into Miguel's office out of panic.

"Mi corazón (my heart), what's wrong?"

You rushed to his arms and cried. You felt so guilty and mortified about the entire situation.

"¡Lo siento mucho, mi corazón! No quería, lo prometo. No sabía qué hacer." (I'm so sorry, my heart! I didn't want to, I promise. I didn't know what to do.)

Miguel, confused and worried, held you while you cried in his arms. He also didn't know what to do. He didn't know what happened to get you so worked up.

"Mi corazón, what's wrong?"

You were shaking, but you explained the situation. You begged for forgiveness, but Miguel didn't know what to do. He felt numb, like you admitted to a crime. He voiced his only question,

"Were you forced?"

You hesitated but explained the guilt and that it wasn't completely non-consensual.

"He used a weird powder to make me want it. He used it on himself as well, so I felt responsible for him. I still have it on my shirt if you want lab to test it."

Miguel agreed, and you both headed to the lab. He doesn't know if he could move past this. You've been loyal so far, and you were drugged, but he was so deeply hurt, and he knew you were hurt as well. He didn't want to be a jerk and leave you over this, but you seemed fine currently. You aren't in a lust-driven state nor in a state demanding intimacy.

You two arrived at the lab quickly. You took off your shirt so they could get a sample and turned on your suit the second the shirt was off. You looked so broken, but Miguel didn't know how to help or even where to go from here. He felt crushed. Where could he go from here? The thought of you being put in such a terrible situation made him nauseous.

You watched with worried eyes as the lab worked. They managed to extract a large sample and they all stilled at the results.

"Miguel... this is an aphrodisiac drug and increases oxytocin levels. Whatever happened, you should be thankful they came back in this state and not in the state they should have come back in."

You had tears in your eyes, and you explained,

"My body considered it a type of poison and filtered it out faster than normal. Is it poisonous?"

The lead scientist paused to consider it. It's fascinating to see your poison resistance work its magic.

"I supposed it could be considered partially poisonous. It attacks all of the systems relating to sexual functions. The central, peripheral somatic, and autonomic nervous systems are all hijacked and taken over."

You nodded along, now intrigued by the odd powder combination. Now that you understood why your healing factor attacked it so aggressively, it's fascinating.

"Can you make an antidote? I have the strongest healing factor in the Society, and even I struggled with it the first time they drugged me."

Miguel looked at you incredulously,

"¿La primera vez? (The first time?) This happened multiple times?"

You grimaced and shied away under Miguel's red eyes. He looked furious at the idea that this had happened multiple times.

"Twice. I managed to escape the first time with my venom, but the second time, I was attacked by surprise."

Miguel glared at you. What good is a spider sense if it can't save you from these situations? He hated the fear his anger produced in your eyes. He would never hurt you, and he knew it's terrible, but he hated all their schemes.

"We are adopting someone else. Let Damian go."

You groaned and rubbed your face.

"Not this again. Miguel, you know I can't."

He snarled,

"You can't, or you are too stubborn to let this go? I don't want to, but I will chain you to bed if I must."

You bit your lip and looked away. You have spent too many years in chains and shackles. You ran your thumb over your scar. They branded you with a hot iron when you were taken. You were another number in the sea of prisoners.

Miguel noticed as you fell back into your past trauma with sad eyes. What is he doing? He's being so mean, and his anger has hurt you more than once. He felt like a monster.

Your eyes glazed over as you left your body to relive the horrors of your past, and he was the cause. He was the one to put you down when you desperately needed him to lift you up and hold you.

Your eyes teared up, and you began to hyperventilate. What is going on in your mind?

Miguel sighed deeply, but he knew he had to let this run its course. There was no way to get you back. At least, no way he knows of. He's tried grounding you in the past, and you immediately began to choke him out with unseeing eyes. One hospital trip with a collapsed throat and a ruptured liver, he learned to never try again. You aren't you. You are a prisoner escaping a slaughterhouse in those moments.

His eyes drift to your scar. Everyone knows the story of how you got it. Noir specifically told you he could go there and kill the higher-ups for you, but you told him you were the sole survivor.

You regularly wage a war against their replacements. You release the prisoners, the higher-ups gain more, only to lose them all again to you.

Noir sometimes helps you, claiming he wants in on the fun, but mostly, his business has to remain in his universe. He is actually your closest friend as a result of all your jailbreaks.

Miguel flinched when you flinched away from them all. It's not new for you to have physical reactions, but it hurts his heart every time.

You physically whimpered in past pain. His eyes watered. He watched helplessly as you relived whatever memory you were trapped in now.

Everybody in the lab pretended not to notice, but Miguel knew they all were watching; they always watched when you fell into a memory. It made him so indescribably angry. They all treated you with pity, as very few of the spiders can relate.

You blinked rapidly as you landed back in your body. You ran a stressed hand through your hair and shuddered. You ran away to break down in silence. Everything was too loud and the walls were too similar. You remember the chair you were strapped to as the scientists did whatever they wanted to you and the shackles they put you in. You have to escape. You have to leave. Now.

You didn't even realise you portaled back to the manor, but you also didn't notice that a much-calmer Dick followed you into an empty room.

You couldn't go back home, not after what happened with Miguel. You hated breaking in front of him, especially when the relationship was already on the rocks.

You slid down the wall and rested your head on your knees. You broke down and sobbed. Your body shook with the force of your tears. Just breathing felt impossible.

Everything hurt. Everyone hurt you, and you can't even go to Harry because he wouldn't understand. Nobody in the Society ever understands you. You felt like the freak everywhere you go. You have the darkest backstory and the worst luck. You wouldn't be surprised if you found Harry dead next time you go back to your universe.

Dick entered the room and gently pulled you into a hug when he saw you sobbing and shaking on the floor.

"What happened, spidey?"

You shook your head as you buried your head into his chest. You don't know how to explain what happened. It was hard explaining the basics to Damian, let alone what you just relived.

"Bad memories."

You finally managed to stammer out between sobs. Dick's hold on you tightened slightly. You didn't break up with Miguel, but he could tell it was getting there. You both could tell Miguel's on the edge.

"Everything hurts."

You said weakly after your panic attack ended. You pushed away from him and wiped away the last of your tears. Dick asked softly,

"Do you want to talk about it?"

You shuddered at the memory, but one glance at your scarred skin pushed you over the edge.

"I was being dragged out of my cage and to the chair. I was too weak from the sedatives, and the last time, they hurt me to fight. They spoke in a language I was too exhausted to translate, but once the straps were on, I was at their mercy,"

You rolled up the sleeves of your suit and showed him the scar.

"They branded me that day and cut me open without anaesthesia. They wanted pictures of my organs before the experiments to document any changes accurately."

You lowered the collar of your suit to show him the beginning scar that cut you all the way down your body.

You pressed your lips together as Dick's face paled. His eyes shift between both scars with horror. His lovely wife has been through such horrors, and he had no way to save her. He wanted to cry for you. This is worse than Jason. This was torture for years, not hours. The scar was long, thick, and jagged, as if they only shifted the knife slightly to the right or left before carving. That explains why you only have high-collared clothes.

"They tested how much my body could handle. I've had every venom and poison on Earth inside my arteries, and they used experimental anti-venoms to clear it out. When the drugs didn't work, they used illegal substances to see if they would work before finally giving me the safest drug to heal it. I have strong resistances and an even stronger healing factor. Nothing can hurt me for long."

You had glazed eyes as you spoke. Dick was heartbroken. He assumed you had already taken care of the kidnappers, but he needed to dig some more to find them himself. He needs to "talk" to them.

Evidently, you knew that look in his eyes, and you shook your head.

"During my escape, the other people kidnapped killed the people responsible. There's no one to talk to. Others take their place, and I bust them again and again. There is nobody left to gain vengeance against."

Dick deflated in defeat. His heart hurt deeply for you. You stood up and said,

"I'm sorry to ruin your shirt. I'll be leaving now."

Dick looked surprised. He was shocked Bruce didn't tell you.

"Why would you leave?"

You raised your eyebrows at him. Why would you stay? This isn't your universe, and your only ties now are the split custody agreement.

"I have a relationship to salvage and I need to take Damian home with me."

Dick took his hand in yours, but you moved it away. He looked like he didn't want to explain this but said,

"The paper you signed was a marriage certificate. You are married to me."

You turned pale, and your eyes widened. Bruce betrayed you. Why didn't you read the paper? You assumed you had no ties to them. Sure, you knew Dick had a bit of a crush on you, but you didn't expect to be tricked into marrying him! You had no words, only questions.

"But, I... Why?"

Why would he do something like this? He knows you're engaged! You have nothing to give him. You hold no love towards him and no trust in his character. What made him want to marry you?

"It was Bruce's idea. He wanted you in the family and loves Damian too much to let him go."

You groaned loudly and held your head in your hands. Divorce is too expensive for you to afford. You're trapped in a family you never wanted to be a part of.

"I'm going to have to divorce you then."

Dick sighed like you were a difficult child resisting him. How did he expect this to go? You don't view him like that. Why did he expect you to be all sunshine and rainbows about being tricked into a marriage contract?

You flashed your venomous fangs as he reached for you. You stepped away from him. He narrowed his eyes. Why were you resisting him? You will never have to run away again.

"You don't have to run from me, webs."

Your mind raced before eventually saying awkwardly,

"I have to pack and grab my web fluid, I'll come back."

You tried not to run into the portal you opened, but it was hard. How can you get a divorce? You should have married Miguel on the spot. How do you tell Miguel? Are you going to be left with only the Wayne family after Miguel takes back his ring?

You could run to Harry in your universe and never come back. You have lived with Harry in the past, but could you risk his safety? He knows about your superhero life, but he could never understand why you are running. He could never find out. You'll have to give up Miles and his family.

You are so, so screwed. You have nobody to turn to after destroying your relationship with Miguel.

"Mi amor, where have you been? I've looked everywhere."

You began to shake. What do you do? Could you erase the marriage? Is that a fixed event?

"Miguel, my love, I need to talk to you and you need to not tell me 'I told you so.'"

You shivered as his arms wrapped around you. He kissed the top of your head.

"I have to apologise for the chaining comment first. I never should have said that, and I'm sorry."

You nodded along. You were beyond anxious. How do you even word this?

"Miguel... I may or may not have been tricked into marrying someone instead of adopting Damian."

You cringed as Miguel stepped away from you. Your ring has never felt heavier. You felt like you ruined the one reason you live.

Miguel was your heart. He was the reason you could get up in the morning and feel okay. He made your heart beat and gave you lungs so you could breathe.

"What do you mean you were tricked into marrying someone? ¿Qué pasó, mi corazón? (What happened, my heart?)"

You cried harder and shook your head. With shaking hands, you took off the ring Miguel gave you.

"I was tricked into marrying Dick, the guy who was hanging off of me at the party."

Now he wanted to cry. What happened between you telling him the good news and now?

"We can avoid their universe and still marry. Our marriage would hold more weight than the one with Dick. Our marriage would be multiuniversal."

You sobbed.

"I'm not sure if it would be void. We can try, but I can't imagine it would work."

Miguel looked at the ring with teary eyes.

"We can try. I need to know if it's possible to save this."

You sobbed but agreed. You desperately wanted to be with him forever. You were so stupid to chase Damian when everything told you to leave him.

You found out that day that you can't marry each other. With tear-filled eyes, you gave Miguel his ring back.

"You will always be my true love. I'm sorry."

You wanted to take it back, but you know it's too late. The multiverse has already tied you to Dick and said it would be impossible to do otherwise. A divorce would have massive consequences.

Both of you sobbed and held each other.

"I'm so sorry. I wasted your years and broke your heart. I'm so sorry, my love."

Miguel nodded and spoke comforting words. You both were broken, but he felt like he had to hold it together for your sake. The universe has not been kind to you. Even in different universes, you were given such terrible luck. Every universe you step in seems out to get you. He felt crushed.

"You didn't waste those years. They were the best years of my life."

You sobbed harder. The multiverse hates you. Why were you so careless? You should have read the paper.

"You're my Gwen Stacy,"

Your voice cracked, a soft murmur more than a voice,

"It was never meant to end well..."

That broke Miguel. He began to sob with you. It hurt so deeply. Dick ripped him away from you.

"Will someone else take over my universe? I don't think Dick will let me go back."

Miguel frowned. He hated how defeated you sounded. You looked and felt broken, lost and numb.

"I can change the device from your 'cheap' ring to your other electronics."

You agreed, thankful for any way to go back to your universe and help your people.

"I guess I better pack... you are more than free to take the apartment. I have Harry, and I guess Dick now..."

You frowned. Everything hurt, but you left to pack like you told Dick you would. You had nothing left.

Everything hurts, and it's your own fault.

[ageofartemis]

Okay I'll put part of this under a cut cuz it got kinda long but like. DC x PJO AU's are so easy to make, right. Because Wonder Woman exists. Greek gods are canon.

Demigod jason tho. i've got so many possible parents for him but imagine its persephone right. She's queen of the underworld, she's got some themes of rebirth going on (spring goddess, also the whole zagreus/dionysus thing). I imagine Catherine would be his other parent in this scenario. They'd meet when Catherine is taking a trip out of Gotham for a few days. Whirlwind romance kinda vibe. Catherine knows who Persephone is but she never tells anyone.

By the time her baby boy is born she's (back?) in a relationship with Willis. And Jason, despite his circumstances, is a happy kid. Monsters probably don't come to Gotham because the smell keeps them away (think Gabe's scent on Percy, I imagine a city with as much crime as Gotham probably leaves it's mark). Jason grows up on myths as bedtime stories, on going to the park and being unfathomably good with plants. Spring is his favorite season and sometimes he sees shades that might just be ghosts. I don't think Catherine ever told him, and so I don't think he ever went to Camp.

But life still happens. Willis goes to jail and dies. Catherine succumbs to her drugs. Jason comes home to a winged man bowed over her, who bows his head respectfully before whisking away.

And so he lives on the streets. And so he steals Batman's tires. And so he gets adopted and becomes Robin.

In the Manor he spends so much time in the gardens. His room is covered in plants. Spring is his favorite season but now that he's not at risk of dying during it, winter holds a special place in his heart. I imagine he gets along well with Ivy, though Bruce doesn't like it.

He still dies, of course. Maybe Sheila is on the birth certificate through some Mist shenanigans to keep Jason safer. Maybe Catherine is secretly still alive. Whichever version of the story you prefer, both have been canon.

And so he dies. And like Hermes is the one to pick him up, because Persephone is his half-sister and that's his nephew and Thanatos is always so busy anyways. And he convinces Charon to let him through and bring the kid across the river. They meet Persephone on the bank of the Styx, not that Jason knows who either of them are. The woman is familiar, though.

And Persephone drops on her knees in front of him, tears in her eyes as she holds his face.

"Seph. He needs to go through judgement."

"No. He'll go to Elysium."

"Persephone-"

"Do not take me for a fool, Hermes. I know how my own realm works. I've spoken to the judges and to my husband. He goes to Elysium. I would not risk him."

(spring is a cold one that year.)

(for weeks after Jason's death, vegetation behaves weird)

(summer has a weird number of cold days, too. And fall comes early)

So Jason has to wrap his head around the fact that he's part god. Because he knew Greek gods were real, of course, Wonder Woman is his favorite hero thanks, but he'd never thought it would have anything to do with him. He helps his mother in her garden some days, he meets his stepfather and his demigod stepbrother. He considers rebirth.

But then, of course, six months lates, late october maybe early november, he gets resurrected.

I imagine it would be hard for his mother to reach him. Communicating with someone who's brain dead is hard enough, especially if you have to do it through dreams he's not really aware of. And the Lazarus Pit is idk maybe something curse-like? Unnatural, at least, and scrambling Jason's head enough Persephone still can't talk to him.

So he trains and he kills and he obsesses over Bruce and Joker and Tim. Until, finally, he starts getting moments his head is clear enough for Persephone to contact him. And they're in a dream, and it's the calmest he's been in, how long has it been? He's still so, so, angry, and he won't regret what he's done, but he's also tired. His mom is right there and she seems so happy to see him and what the fuck is he doing, wasting his efforts on someone who obviously doesn't want him around?

Persephone gifts him a weapon and tells him to go to New York. That help will reach him there. That he needs to go to Dionysus. And he doesn't go immediately. He keeps training for a while, and the green still takes over sometimes. But eventually he calms down a little more. Talia would be hard to escape but New York is close enough to Gotham that, under the guise of wanting to put his plan in motion, he can hang around there a while without seeming too suspicious.

And so he goes. And he trudges around the city for a while. Nature spirits stare and whisper. Jason does his best to keep from lashing out.

Eventually he runs into Nico, who's in New York with idk Percy probably or maybe on a date with Will, and it's basically the Spider-Man point meme because no one exactly told Nico what the hell actually happened to that kid and Jason sure as fuck wasn't expecting to see him.

Anyway nico takes him to camp. Dionysus helps jason out bc Madness and that whole thing, and it clears most of the lazarus influence but he's still so fucking angry. But he's also tired. And he feels more connected to his mother here than he ever had back in gotham. And the kids at camp are as much child soldiers as he is. Persephone doesn't have her own cabin yet, and there's a bit of a debate if he's going to be put in the Demeter or Hermes cabin for the time being before they settle on Hades because only Nico really uses it. And he genuinely enjoys camp. He's got a better basis for sword fighting than most of the new kids so he gets put into the more advanced class. Learning a new style is fun. The climbing wall is a nice challenge. He picks strawberries with the Demeter cabin. He's decent enough at archery, but definitely a better marksman with guns. He finds out Bat-disappear-into-the-shadows-training works as well in a forest as on rooftops.

But then, a few months in, Wonder Woman visits. She'd never heard of Camp, before the wars, that'd been kept from her. She'd been furious when she'd found out the gods had used children to fight their wars. Tales of it are legendary, around camp.

All the little kids swarm her, of course, and everyone else follows. Jason doesn't. they make eye contact, briefly, and disbelief floods her face. Jason flees.

And at some point they do probably talk. Diana asks why he isn't home, jason says he isn't ready and when she pushes he spits out why (joker, tim, the usual). Diana explains some things (bruce being near suicidal, what shes gathered about how tim became robin). Jason isnt ready to let go of the anger yet, but when diana tells him he cant expect her not to tell bruce his son is alive he tells her to do what she wants.

Idk I just think it's neat. I've got ideas for him as 'son' of hestia kind of (look…. I know alright…. I just think it's near for the son of the goddess of hearth and home and family to feel like he doesn’t have a home or a family anymore alright. The angst). But also son of ares jason,,,, maybe son of mars theres some evidence apparently that he was worshipped in a protector of boys capacity, like with apollo. On one hand, son of dionysus (again rebirth but also madness), but then I like the headcanon of 'jason doesn’t go anywhere near addictive substances bc family history' a little too much. Also apollo, again protector of boys thing but also marksmanship to some extent. Could probably fly athena. Could definitely fly hermes. So many ideas.

[a-wayne-at-heart-too]

Ask: The 27th of April, the Last (and Long) Part

Bonus Ask:

[Stately Wayne Manor]

Jason: *helping Alfred clear out the dinner table* You think we should’ve asked Harley to stay for dinner? 

Alfred: If you wished to see Master Bruce’s hair turn to grey as you ate dessert, I don’t see why not.

Jason: *burps loudly and fans his breath away* Whoops. Sorry, Alf. Just my way of complimenting your cooking.

Alfred: *carrying the dishes to the kitchen* Then perhaps you should come here more often, Master Jason.

Jason: *following Alfred* I'd rather not cause any trouble.

Alfred: *stops in his tracks and turns to face Jason with a stern expression* And you don't think it troubles me that you feel unwelcome here?

Jason: *takes the dishes from Alfred’s hands, sets them on the kitchen island, and pulls him in for a hug* Alf, hey... I didn’t mean it like that. I know you guys care about me, it’s just...

Alfred: *sobbing into Jason's shirt* We've already lost you once... Once is enough, Jason...

Jason: *tightens the hug and gently plants a kiss on top of Alfred’s head* I know, I know... I'm back, Alf. I'm back.

>>> *** <<<

Dick and Barbara: *sitting on the carpeted floor in the study, enjoying the heat from the fireplace in front of them, going through a stack of photo albums*

Dick: *smiling fondly* Wow, these are old-old.... I should probably scan them before they crumble to pieces.

Dick: *stops at a page and points at a picture of Bruce and Jason on a boat, smiling, and holding up a tuna* Check this out, Babs... Aw, I love this one. I had a few days off from work, decided to spend it here. Somehow Jason convinced Bruce to take break from himself and go fishing.  

Dick: *talking animatedly* So, there we are on Bruce’s huge fishing boat, the Bat-2-Sea -- And Jason’s starting to get seasick because he’s been hanging out by the edge, waiting for a bite for hours -- The persistence on that kid! --  And he finally gets one! A big one, Babs -- *spreads his arms* -- and it was pulling down hard like you wouldn’t believe, but Jason just wouldn’t let go! -- So Bruce drops the glass of wine he’s holding and runs to grab him --

Barbara: What were you doing?

Dick: Who do you think took the picture? As I was saying -- Bruce, he -- he -- *starts to laugh so hard that he tears up* trips over Jason’s line somehow and falls into the ocean! *slapping-the-floor laughing* The World’s Greatest Detective, in his Batwaders, drenched like a wet bird... *sighs happily* You should’ve seen his face!

Barbara: *turns the page* Oh, I can see it now. Still stone-faced, but wet.

Barbara: *stops at a page and giggles* Aw... Will you look at that?

Dick: *looks at the photo Babs is pointing at and chuckles softly* That’s adorable. 

Barbara: Those scaly leotards fit him better than they ever did you, Boy Wonder.

Dick: *smirks* Whatever. But I have to admit, he did look great. He looked really... happy. I wish... I wish I saw more of him in action, you know? *voice breaking* I could’ve maybe trained him the way I did Tim and Damian --

Barbara: *rubs his back comfortingly* Dick...

Jason: *walks into the study* Dickie, I took some of your --

Dick: *clears his throat and wipes his eyes haphazardly* Hey, Little Wing!

Jason: Wait, are those our old family photos?

Barbara: *pats the empty spot beside her* C'mere.

Jason: *sits down and rubs his hands together* Where’s the one where Bruce goes kersplat in the ocean?

Jason: *flips through the pages and grimaces at his photos as Robin* You're not gonna use these to blackmail me, are you?

>>> *** <<<

Duke: *watches as his RPG character explodes for the fifth time in a row and shakes his head* You beat me again! You're so good at this game, man.

Jason: *snorts and puts his controller down* Dude, you weren't even trying. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were letting me win.

Duke: What? Naaaah... That's... Come on, why would I do that?

Jason: *gets up and shrugs, grinning knowingly* I dunno... 'Cause you like seeing me alive?

Duke: Yeah. It’s pretty awesome, actually.

Jason: *offers to bump fists* I gotta pack up. Good game, though. See you around, bro.

Duke: *exploding-fist-bumps with Jason* You too, bro.

Jason: *pats Ace the Bathound’s head as he exits the game room*

>>> *** <<<

Steph: *examining Jason’s face* You look really pale.

Cass: *pointing at various spots on his face* And you have a lot of... scars.

Jason: *sitting on a stool in front of Cass’s vanity dresser, staring at himself in the mirror and absentmindedly running a finger over the shirt-covered scar on his chest* Yeah? That bad, huh?

Steph: *grins* Nothing a little makeup can’t fix.

Jason: *rubbing his chin* You think so? I mean, I just came here to borrow a few weapons from Cass, but if you think I need a makeover...

Steph and Cass: *look at each other and squeal in delight*

>>> *** <<<

Tim: And this *holding up a minuscule gadget between his fingers for Jason to see* generates a force field over your entire body. The more the impact, the greater the energy generated. Schway, huh?

Jason: *nodding his head appreciatively as he takes the gadget and sticks it on the lapel of his leather jacket* Schway.

Tim: *proudly shows Jason a Bat-shaped breastplate * Now, this -- You're gonna love this -- It can turn you invisible to the naked eye for roughly 34.5 seconds, giving you time to do all kinds of offensive or defensive stuff. They won’t know what hit them, Jay. You’re basically gonna be invincible and Joker... Joker, he’s... he’s not... not gonna... *drops the breastplate unceremoniously* 

Jason: *places a hand on Tim’s shoulder* Thank you, Timbo. Really. But I'll be fine out there. You don't have to worry about me.

Tim: Yeah? Can you promise me that? Because I don’t think I can live through another one of Bruce's meltdowns.

Jason: *chuckles softly* Aren't they the best?

>>> *** <<<

Jason: *staring at an empty grave layered with concrete in the backyard*

Jason: *rolls his eyes* I know you're there.

Bruce: *comes out of the shadows and stands next to Jason*

Jason: Why'd you keep it?

Bruce: Because I'm a sentimental old fool.

Jason: This is just... creepy. Even for you.

Bruce and Jason: *stare at the empty grave in silence*

Jason: I've forgiven you.

Bruce: *glances at Jason, who could’ve sworn his adoptive father’s eyes were bloodshot* 

Jason: You know that, don’t you? I mean, I know we’re always going to disagree about Jok-- about him, and a few other things, but... You’ll always be family, Bruce. My family. 

Bruce: *looks at Jason, smiling wearily*

Jason: *grinning back at Bruce*

Bruce: *puts an arm around Jason’s shoulder* Thank you... Son.

Jason: *pulls Bruce in for a tight hug*

Bruce and Jason: ... 

Jason: Hey, remember that time you went kersplat in the ocean?

>>> *** <<<

Damian: *knocks softly on Jason's bedroom door* Todd.

Jason: *stuffing a duffel bag with clothes, homemade snacks, and weapons* Hey, kid, come in. I’m just getting my stuff ready --

Damian: These came from Mother. *drops a pile of books on Jason’s old desk*

Jason: *picking one after the other up excitedly* Tolstoy, Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, Shakespeare, Marx... No way... 

Damian: They’ve been with me for a while. But since you rarely come over, they’ve been collecting dust and taking up valuable space in my room. -Tt-

Jason: *wiping the dust off with his shirt and hugging each one* She kept them... These were my friends back when I was in the League... 

Damian: I didn’t realize we had more in common than just being my Father’s sons.

Jason: Wow. I have no idea how I’m supposed to bring all of these home. I mean, I got here on roller blades, for Bat’s sake -- 

Damian: *thrusts a piece of paper into Jason’s chest* This is for you.

Jason: *gingerly uncrumples it, revealing a painting of him and Damian*

Jason: *reading the writing in calligraphy underneath* “The Second Chance Robins”... *looks at Damian, feeling the tears well up in his eyes* You made this?

Damian: *looking down at his feet* When it’s my day... M-my d-day... Will you come over, too?

Jason: *gets down on bended knee to be at eye level with his little brother* Hey, buddy, look at me. Damian, look at me. Of course. Listen, we’ll do whatever you want. We’ll, um... We’ll take bad guys down together! Pull pranks on Tim! You name it, I got you.

Damian: Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Todd.

Jason: I promise that I’ll do my best, okay?

Damian: You could stay the night, you know. You’re home anyway.

Jason: *ruffles Damian’s hair and grins* I'd like that. As long as you hang out here with me. And I promise I won't tell anybody because it'll ruin our reputation.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

If truth be told, @wingedskyes​ , Jason makes himself available on his Death Day. Because even if neither he nor his family and friends mention it, he knows that they need him just as much as he needs them.

Thank you for this Ask. It was both fun and just a tad bit heartbreaking to write. 

And thank you, @warrior-of-the-blue-moon​ , for the nice addition. 

See: Part 1, Part 2

[r-cabrera]

Princess of Gotham

Chapter 19: Coffee with friends

Three alarms went off at 7 o'clock. And five minutes later Jason began to wake up his "beloved" children, who had only slept for three hours. The morning was a little sunnier than usual, although the temperatures were starting to drop. Coffee was the first thing that was ready, neither my brother nor I had our uniforms on properly. Those mornings after patrol were the heaviest, and they were heavier when the nightmares came knocking.

"One of you two should give Tim his thermos, he lent it to me last night and I didn't give it back to him," Jason told us, as he filled the darned thermos with coffee.

"It was either that, or you were planning to steal it from him," I said, looking for a clean spoon in the drawer.

"I won't," James shouted, slamming the refrigerator door and getting an accusatory look from the adult.

"I'll do it, but I can't promise the coffee will make it all the way to the owner," I said, then grabbed a loaf of bread from the bread on the dining room table.

"That's the attitude," Jason said with a huge smile on his face, "Now eat.

Minutes later we were walking towards Gotham Academy. Even though my brother and I already knew the way, Jason insisted on walking with us because he said he had other things to do on the way.

As we reached the school gates, I could see my cousin in the distance, talking to another boy who for some reason looked familiar.

"I want you to go straight to the house when you leave this prison. Keep an eye out, the Joker's helpers are still on the loose and Harley is probably helping him too," Jason whispered. My brother and I entered the luxurious facilities of the school. My brother went straight to his friends while I approached my cousin.

"Jane, you made it. I honestly thought you'd be absent, again," Olive said to me, then gave me one of her warm hugs, "Oh, how rude. Jane, this is Arthur," she introduced, pointing to the boy she was talking to moments before, "He's going to be our new partner. Isn't that exciting?

Arthur. I know an Arthur. But even though some of their physical features were very similar, it was impossible for them to be the same person, and at the same time not so much, there was a reason for shape-shifters and glamour magic. But life had taken care of separating us, leaving more than one person in a deep sadness because of his departure. And me wishing we could meet again to cut his head off.

"A pleasure to meet you, Jane. I hope we can get along well," Arthur greeted. Holding out his hand for me to take. His wrist was surrounded by a bunch of braided threads and pebbles of different shades of green.

"The pleasure is mine." I tried to smile at him, but all I could manage was a weird grimace. I took her hand to give it a light squeeze.

"We should go in soon. Let's take a place near us for Arthur," said an excited Olive, taking us both by the arm and starting to walk.

The three of us entered the school and tried to show Arthur more or less the ways of the school, showing him the shortcuts to more secluded classrooms, until we reached the Math classroom. What a great way to start the week.

I spent the next two hours telling the teacher that what I had in my thermos was water and not coffee. Oh yeah, I was also trying to explain to her why the result was 5 and not -7.89, as she said.

By the time recess came, I had had enough of school and was begging to go home. The thermos was almost empty and at any moment I could run into the owner of the cup.

"Let me understand, you are the granddaughters of the richest man in Gotham," Arthur asked for the fifth time, and in those five times, the answer was the same.

"Not by blood, his adopted children adopted us," Olive answered with a smile, happy to explain the complicated and mysterious family tree of the Wayne family.

When we arrived at the cafeteria the first to approach us was my brother.

"Who is he?" he asked after greeting us, pointing to the new boy. He examined him from head to toe, and I knew from the look on his face that he was thinking the same thing I was thinking when I first saw him: he was a familiar face.

"Arthur. I just arrived today and I'm in the same class as these lovely girls," he replied, extending his left hand, just as he had done to me.

"Nice to meet you." The look on my brother's face was something even Bruce dreaded, for you didn't know for sure if he didn't trust you or was planning how to kill you in three steps.

James didn't take his hand but kept staring at the woven bracelets on his wrist.

The next to join us was Mike Vos, followed by Jared, who simply threw a hello to all of us, no formalities with the new guy.

We sat down together to eat the simple cafeteria food, without making as much fuss as the rest of the rich kids. A few minutes later, Tim came up to us, trying to get away from his overly envious classmates, who mostly had it in for him because he was smart and rich.

"Jane, didn't my brother give you my thermos?" he asked when he was a few steps away from us.

"That's the first time I've heard you tell him, brother," James said before I tossed him the empty glass.

"There's your stupid little cup," I said curtly, hoping he would leave as soon as possible, I still didn't want to talk to him.

"Can we talk?" The question that could break my little peace of mind.

"No." I quickly got up from my place without saying goodbye to anyone, to leave my tray of food in its place and leave the cafeteria. Tim was following me, almost on my heels.

"Please Jane," he kept saying. It got to the point where I got sick of having him behind me and went into the girls' restrooms.

I stayed until almost five minutes after the bell rang to go in. I knew he couldn't risk coming in late, especially if the next class for his group was chemistry.

Today would be a heavy day, and I think I knew why. I was hoping patrol would be a little more, light.