#we’re sitting at a solid 100k now aren’t we

[ghost-bxrd]

Exchanging blows like we’re gladiators in the arena, huh? :P I can do this aaaaaall day 🏟️ 🦇

Omg YES tho!

Dick is absolutely horrified that a villain is bastardizing the purpose of Robin and, good gods, did he just see the kid hold up a severed arm and wave at him with it!?

But you’re absolutely right. Originally, Robin was out for revenge for the death of his parents but eventually he became “The Boy Wonder”. The one every Gothamite (except criminals ksks) would be so excited to see or even catch a glimpse of they’d be telling stories about it for years aftward. Robin became a symbol of hope and everything that is still good in this city. And Dick was proud of that, because while Batman is this huge and hulking shadow raining down punishment on the bad guys Robin is the one to calm and soothe the victims, to smile and tell them “everything is going to be ok”. But then Jason died and suddenly Robin seemed like a curse, but Tim managed to bring back that magic and things have finally gotten better since that devastating day in Ethiopia. So this? A criminal with the JOKER’S OLD NAME who appears to be grooming a 9/10 year old into committing the most heinous crimes and murders? Yeah, Dick is taking that shit personally

Jason on the other hand has already had more than one argument with little Bruce about keeping him out of vigilantism until he’s AT LEAST sixteen. Obviously to no avail because, duh, it’s still BRUCE, pig-head-extraordinaire, the kid is going out in friggin pajamas if he has to. So eventually Jason gives in because either his kid does it behind is back in civvies anyways or he can at least provide sufficient body armor and put down some ground rules. Little Bruce is way too smug about it all in Jason’s opinion, so he vows to feed the kid only spinach for the next five days minimum.

But then? Nightwing threatening to take the kid away from Jason? The ensuing fight is absolutely cataclysmic. Red Hood fights like an absolute pit crazed maniac.

Nightwing, Batman and Robin all quickly update their files that “taking away the anti!Robin from Red Hood will not be as easy as initially suspected”.

(Little Bruce is kinda touched by how viciously Jason fought for him and Nightwing has now officially made it on his shit list.)

But before Damian comes into the picture, let’s talk about Tim!

Tim, who’s an insecure little bean with no sense of self preservation who still idolizes Jason’s Robin to no end and is determined to follow in Jason’s footsteps of “rescuing the poor and traumatized child because that’s what Jason would have done”. But Tim goes about it in a much smarter and a lot less offensive way than Batman and Dick. Instead of trying to nab the kid and telling him how bad Hood is for him, Tim actually attempts to build a basis of trust with the kid first.

Casual quips here and there, greetings during patrol (even if that devolves into fights half the time), a liberate amount of little gifts from the Bats, a card with each of their numbers on it and a promise of “if you’re in trouble just call and we’ll come for you!”

Obviously little Bruce isn’t impressed at first, but eventually Robin kind of… grows on him. And since Tim is actually listening to what he says instead of screeching about his adoptive dad guardian being an evil crime lord he starts opening up a little, telling him how kind and loving Jason is and that he’s the most amazing person ever.

That, in turn, throws Tim for a loop. Because—- what? Wait, is Hood actually—- the kid’s real dad? Did we get it wrong?

Tim is so caught up in theories and what-ifs and one too many cups of coffee that he doesn’t notice that he’s not the only one doing some info gathering around here, and soon Little Bruce walks up to Jason and tells him that the current Robin is suffering from criminal neglect and that his counterpart “is too stupid to notice, do something Jason!”

Omg tho the thing with Damian is BRILLIANT! Damian looks exactly like Little Bruce at that age only with darker skin, but it’s not like you can easily tell when someone keeps to the shadows. And they’re literally the same age here, too! It’s like having a set of twins running around but everybody things it’s one kid! Brilliant. Marvelous.

Damian is absolutely FOAMING AT THE MOUTH for being accused of breaking and entering in the span of a few hours since being introduced to his father. In the meantime, Little Bruce is proudly presenting his “spoils of war” (aka the torn Robin suit) to his adoptive dad guardian and asks if they can burn it together. (Jason absolutely does not cry over how touched he is. No way.)

But soon there’s a murderous baby assassin who seems to have it out for Little Bruce during patrol and who demands a “duel to the death for tainting my honor”. Little Bruce is appropriately disturbed because as far as he knows he did not dishonor anybody or their cow recently. And if he did then they totally deserved it. But hey, at least the boy is providing him with sufficient training opportunities.

Damian is getting progressively more frustrated by the Anti!Robin refusing to engage in combat with him.

But he also becomes a little bit suspicious because, wait, those moves seem familiar.. does the Anti!Robin have League Training!? Did mother have another child and is pitting him against Damian to see who will come out victorious?

Prompt:

Jason gets booted to another dimension and adopts a recently orphaned Bruce Wayne.

Whom he also takes along for the ride when he’s pulled back into his own dimension.

[borahae-777]

The Truth Untold -- Chapter 5: Deeper, Deeper, The Wound Just Gets Deeper

Pairing: Taehyung x Jungkook, Yoongi x Jimin

Word Count: Fic in progress, 100k so far. 3k-5k per chapter

Chapter Summary:

It takes all the willpower Taehyung has not to blurt his feelings out then and there. Jungkook’s big dark eyes are wet and warm, his lips puffy and perfect. Taehyung just wants to kiss him, but he knows he has to put this part of himself behind lock and key. Jungkook is straight, Jungkook is straight, Jungkook is straight.

Warnings: Eventual Smut, BDSM, 18+, MxM

A week goes by and the dorm is in shambles. Jimin can’t stand the tension and can’t stand being kept in the dark. The night that his hyungs returned from helping Yoongi, they came back alone. Jimin rushed up to Namjoon to ask questions, but Namjoon told him to leave it alone and that Yoongi would be back the next day. Sure enough, he walked through the front door the following afternoon and made a beeline for his room. He didn’t say a word to anyone and it left a pit in Jimin’s stomach. Ever since then, Jimin can’t seem to get a moment alone with Yoongi to check on him. He only ever sees him during practices and they end up on opposite ends of the room, then Yoongi hurries out the door the second the music is turned off. Jimin can’t help but feel like he’s being avoided.

Thank god for Taehyung. Now that they’ve let each other in on their secrets, Jimin feels a weight has been lifted off his chest and Tae catches him every time he crumbles. Unfortunately, Tae hasn’t been able to apologize to Jungkook and repair things. Jimin keeps trying to get them in the same room, but Jungkook sees Tae and turns around on his heel and marches out. It kills Jimin to watch Taehyung slowly disappear within himself with the lack of Jungkook by his side. The hyungs have all noticed and approached Jimin to ask what’s going on, but Jimin is bitter about being kept in the dark and lets them have a taste of their own medicine.

Everyone is working hard, Home Party is in less than two weeks. His dance unit routine with Hobi and Kookie is solid and clean, so they’re mostly focusing on group choreo. It’s an utter mess. Anytime Jungkook and Taehyung have to be near each other, they half-ass the moves and do their best to separate. Yoongi keeps missing steps and turns red when he catches Jimin’s eyes in the mirror. They can’t keep going on like this. Jimin is going to fix it.

Later that night, Jimin knocks on Jungkook’s door and it opens to a dazed Kookie looking like he just woke up.

“Sorry Kook, I didn’t mean to wake you. Can we talk?” Jimin speaks gently, not wanting the maknae to feel attacked.

“Sure, hyung. Come on in,” Jungkook leaves the door open and walks to his bed to sit down. Jimin closes and locks the door behind him so no one disturbs them. He takes a seat next to the younger and takes a deep breath in.

“Kookie, I know you’re upset with Tae and I know you feel he’s been keeping things from you. That’s completely valid, but we really need you to try to work it out. It’s starting to impact all of us. We’ve got huge responsibilities coming up and we’re all entirely out of sync.”

“That’s not my fault. It’s Taehyung’s. Yoongi-hyung also hasn’t been acting the same, why aren’t you confronting him?”

“He’s actually next on my list, I’m headed to his studio after I talk with you. Don’t change the subject. You and Tae are two halves of the same person. You love each other to pieces. This is silly. Let him at least apologize and talk it out. He’s a wreck. You know you’re not doing well without him either, don’t pretend you’re fine.”

Jungkook lets out a heavy sigh, looking down at the hem of his shirt and picking at a loose thread. He doesn’t say anything for a long time, his eyes are darting back and forth as he thinks through everything.

“Okay. I’ll go see him right now, hyung. You’re right. I let my temper take things too far.”

“Thank you, I can’t watch you two suffer anymore. Let’s get the maknaes back on track, Kookie!” Jimin says the last sentence with a giggle and tackles Jungkook to the bed in a giant hug.

********

Taehyung hears a knock on the door of his room and he really doesn’t feel like answering it. He’s in bed even though they all just finished dinner. Another mostly silent and awkward meal, Hobi and Jin trying to crack jokes to break the tension. Taehyung feels nothing but a dark cloud above himself ever since Jungkook stormed out. Why won’t he let him apologize? The knock comes again and Taehyung pulls the blankets over his head, turning towards the wall. He hears the click of the door opening anyway and groans audibly.

“...Tae?”

Taehyung shoots straight up, throwing the blanket off. He must be imagining things, it’s Jungkook standing there in front of him. He has so much to say, but he feels a lump in his throat. Don’t cry. Not now. Focus.

“Kookie, hi. I’m so glad you’re here. I’m so sorry for making you feel like I’m hiding important things from you. I’m dealing with something big and delicate and Jimin is going through something similar, so we couldn’t talk about it in front of you without also revealing Jimin’s secrets. Jimin really wasn’t even ready to talk to anyone about it and neither was I. It’s not personal, Kookie, it’s just overwhelming. Nothing has felt right since my grandmother died and now I feel like I’ve lost you too. It’s all too much. What can I do to fix this?” Taehyung knows he’s babbling and making no sense at all, but the tears are building behind his eyes and he can’t seem to stop talking.

Jungkook rushes to the bed and takes Taehyung in his arms, squeezing him tight. It pushes him right over the edge and he can feel the tears start to roll down his cheeks. For awhile, neither of them say anything, they just sit like that. Jungkook running a hand up and down Taehyung’s back, tucking the older’s head underneath his chin.

“I’m sorry too Tae. You don’t owe me every single thought in your head, I shouldn’t act like I have the right to demand that. I was just feeling like you were pulling away from me to grow closer to Jimin and I didn’t know how to handle that. I don’t know what I’d do without you, this last week was so hard, but I didn’t know how to handle it.” Jungkook murmurs into Taehyung’s ear, his voice cracking just the tiniest bit. No one but Tae would have ever noticed.

Sitting up, Taehyung pulls back and looks at Jungkook. There are tears rolling down the maknae’s face too and it tugs at Tae’s heart.

“You will never lose me, Kook. Jimin and I are always going to feel like soulmates, but he’s not above anyone else in my eyes. Especially not you. Who do I gravitate towards during every interview? Who do I try to get Hobi to let me dance near in choreos? Who do I sit next to at dinner no matter what? Who do I always volunteer to be on a team with or room with on trips?”

“…me,” Jungkook giggles and wipes his face.

“That’s right. Don’t ever doubt your place in my head and my heart Jungkook, I can’t bear it.”

It takes all the willpower Taehyung has not to blurt his feelings out then and there. Jungkook’s big dark eyes are wet and warm, his lips puffy and perfect. Taehyung just wants to kiss him, but he knows he has to put this part of himself behind lock and key. Jungkook is straight, Jungkook is straight, Jungkook is straight.

********

Yoongi is trying to lose himself in the track he’s working on, but it’s no use. This past week has been utter hell on earth. He can’t stand to be anywhere near Jimin and yet can’t stop watching him in the mirror during dance practices. He is so beyond uncomfortable with whatever is currently brewing inside himself. He’s straight. He’s always been straight. He’s had numerous girlfriends, even more hookups. All women. So what the hell is his problem now? He’s tried watching his go-to porn videos, always women being dominated. He stays limp and soft every time. He’s broken. Entirely broken. He lays his head in his hands and feels tears pricking the backs of his eyes.

He misses his friendship with Jimin. He misses them sitting in here talking about anything and everything. He misses teasing and mocking him. How can he get that back without having to confront the way his heart pounds every time their eyes meet? He runs a hand through his hair and pushes his chair back from the computer. He clearly can’t focus. He’s standing up and putting on his coat when there’s a soft knock at the studio door. Great. Probably Namjoon with another lecture about his attitude this past week. He trudges over to the door and opens it, mouth already open to tell Namjoon to leave him alone. But it’s not him at the door.

“Jimin” Yoongi lets out a gasp and freezes there with his hand on the doorknob. Jimin is standing in the open doorway with a bag of takeout and a bottle of soju.

“Hi hyung. We haven’t done this in awhile, so I figured maybe we could have dinner and hang out?” Jimin looks just as nervous, fidgeting so much that he’s bouncing from foot to foot.

“I guess so, but I’m not drinking that crap. Good thing I keep a bottle of whiskey in my desk drawer,” Yoongi manages to get his voice under control, letting Jimin walk into the room and closing the door behind him. He goes to his desk drawer and pulls out a bottle of whiskey with two glasses as Jimin lays out the food in front of the sofa. Yoongi has no idea what to say next, so he just sits down with Jimin and hands him the extra glass for his soju. He has no idea what to say or what’s going to happen, so he simply sits quietly and starts eating.

“Is there anything you’d like to say to me, hyung?” Jimin’s voice breaks the silence and startles Yoongi. He looks up and Jimin is staring down into his bowl and the question feels loaded. Yoongi throws back his glass of whiskey and pours another before he dares to answer.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m not stupid, hyung. If you don’t want to tell me about what happened to you last week, you don’t have to. But don’t pretend that you haven’t been specifically avoiding me ever since then. What did I do wrong? I can’t stand the distance, I know I tend to mess up with all of you. Sometimes it’s like I have no filter when I speak. But if you could find it in your heart to explain what I did wrong, I promise you I will change. The tension is eating away at me and I’m so worried about you,” Jimin chokes out with trembling breath. The chopsticks are shaking in his hand and his lips start to quiver.

A part of Yoongi breaks hearing the pain he’s been putting Jimin through without even realizing it. Another part of Yoongi wants to turn and run. He can’t handle this. He can’t confront it. What is he supposed to say?

“Jiminie…you could never do anything to ruin our friendship. You’ve done nothing wrong. My issues are with myself and I’m so sorry that I let it impact you without even realizing it. It was careless and I promise things will go back to normal. I-”

“Why are you lying to me?” Jimin interrupts and Yoongi looks up at him, startled.

“W-what? I’m..I’m not lying. Jimin-”

“No. I’m not going to sit here and let you try to placate me. You’ve treated me differently than everyone else all week. Maybe your issue is within yourself, but it has something to do with me. Figure your shit out, Yoongi. You know where to find me when you’re ready to be honest.”

Jimin stands up and storms out the door, leaving Yoongi open-mouthed and stunned. Jimin has never spoken to him that way before, dropping honorifics and chastising him. He has no idea what just happened. All he knows is he feels so much guilt and that Jimin looks absolutely beautiful when he’s speaking so passionately.

********

Taehyung and Jungkook are snuggled in his bed watching a movie on his laptop when Jimin bursts into the room without knocking. His face is flushed almost red and his eyes are brimming with tears. Taehyung immediately hits pause and him and Jungkook flock to Jimin’s side, ushering him over to the bed so he can sit in between them. They wait for him to say something, anything. Instead, Jimin’s body starts heaving with sobs and they curl themselves around him trying to soothe his pain.

“Taehyungie, I tried fixing it. I tried to be the one to reach out. He sat there and lied to my face, he was so cold and empty. What did I do? Why is he shutting me out?” Jimin starts talking a mile a minute.

“Jimin, breathe. I have no idea what you’re talking about, you need to calm down sweetheart,” Taehyung runs his hand up and down Jimin’s back.

“I’ll…I’ll leave you guys alone, I know this is probably private,” Jungkook stands up to walk out the door, leaving a soft kiss on top of Jimin’s head. “You know where to find me if you need anything, hyung.”

“Jungkookie…wait, you can stay. It’s time we bring you into the loop on this one,” Jimin manages to say, sharing a quick look with Taehyung.

********

Jungkook’s eyes widen as he listens to Jimin’s saga of falling in love with Yoongi. He always knew that the elder had a soft spot for Jimin, a fondness that was a bit different than what he showed to the rest of them. It never occurred to him that that could push Jimin over the edge into love. He’s always known that Jimin is gay, it’s something they spoke about in length years prior. But to love someone in the group? Someone who you can never have? Yoongi has always been staunchly straight. This is a bit of a disaster and Jungkook worries for all of them if this continues this way.

From what he gathers, ever since Yoongi’s mysterious disappearance the week prior, he’s been avoiding Jimin. Yoongi has been a bit off, but Jungkook thought he was at least still treating them all the same. Jimin went to Yoongi’s studio to talk it out and it didn’t go. Yoongi told Jimin that it’s not intentional and has nothing to do with him, Jimin is positive that the elder is lying to him. He stormed out, snapped at Yoongi, and dropped all honorifics. He tries his best to console Jimin, but he’s an absolute wreck.

Jungkook and Yoongi have their own special connection, he decides that he’ll approach Yoongi about this and try to get to the bottom of it. Gently. Yoongi will either lose his temper or will confide in Jungkook. He’s hoping for the latter.

Eventually Jungkook and Taehyung get Jimin calmed down and settled between them in bed as they put on something funny to distract their distraught friend. All three are holding hands and relaxing when something occurs to Jungkook. Something that makes the hair on his arms stand on end.

Taehyung said that this issue was private because him and Jimin are going through something similar. Does Taehyung have feelings for someone? A man? Someone in the group? Someone unattainable? Who would be unattainable to someone as ethereal as Kim Taehyung? Most importantly…why is it something Tae feels he has to hide from Jungkook?