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eliemo · 2 years

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Savior Complex

When Bruce comes back from the dead, Dick goes nonverbal. Nobody seems to have the time to notice.

Things were supposed to be better now that Bruce was back.

And they were. They were. Dick knew it was selfish to feel anything other than relieved. Tim had started smiling again, Jason had actually come home and stayed, the girls had all lost the tension in their shoulders, and Alfred had stopped looking so unbearably haunted.

And Bruce was alive. His father was alive, back home like nothing had changed, their broken little family gradually repairing the damage that had been done, putting everything back together piece by piece.

But the weight that had settled over Dick’s chest ever since he’d been told Batman was dead, that it was his responsibility to put the cowl on, still hadn’t lifted. It had only gotten heavier.

Selfish, that voice in his head whispered every time he thought about saying something about it. Everything’s always about you, isn’t it?

Of course things were going to take a little time to go back to normal. Of course everyone was going to need a little time to forgive Dick.

He’d been the one calling the shots while Bruce was gone, and he was well aware that some of his decisions had been the wrong ones. He was the oldest, the mantle of Batman had gone to him (he hadn’t wanted it, he’d never wanted it, not for a second and it wasn’t fair that he hadn’t even been given a choice) and with that came the safety of his Robin and the rest of the bats.

And so when Tim had grown obsessive, adamant that Bruce was still alive, Dick had made his choice.

Taking Robin away had broken Tim, a deep anger shining in his little brother’s eyes that Dick had never seen before, the two of them shouting themselves hoarse in the empty cave until Tim had stormed upstairs and Dick had collapsed on the cold floor, the weight of the world sending him crashing back down to earth in an undignified heap.

He’d wanted Tim by his side more than anything. He had Jason, but Red Hood’s location and schedule were unreliable, and his methods still weren’t something Dick was always comfortable with. Cass, Stephanie, and Barbara were still constants, steady and safe, but they weren’t Robins. They had their own identities, their own skills and motives.

Damian had taken the mantle of Robin without a word, falling into the role easily, the name fitting like a glove. It was exactly what Dick had needed at the time, but it still terrified him to see his baby brother, still so young, still not ready, put on the suit years too soon.

But keeping Tim on as Robin would have been selfish. No matter how much Tim begged- begged Dick not to take this from him, begged him to believe that Bruce was alive (Dick had been the one to identify his body, right alongside Clark and Diana. He’d buried their father’s body and Tim wanted him to have hope) Dick wouldn’t be swayed. He was Batman now, that was what they wanted, and the decision was his.

It was the only option, because he’d seen that kind of delusion before. He’d seen it in Bruce in the weeks that followed Jason’s death. The panic, the desperation, a grieving mind unable to grasp onto the reality of the loss it had suffered so suddenly, frantically latching onto false hope.

It was going to get Tim killed. He needed time, needed to grieve and process the death of his father properly, or Dick was going to lose him too.

And Dick had been certain that he would shatter if he lost one more person. He was barely holding on as it was.

He’d recognized the look on Tim’s face a heartbeat too late, a twisted expression of hatred and cold fury that had been reserved for the first person that had taken the mantle away.

“You’re acting just like Jack, you know,” Tim had snarled, almost unrecognizable, and Dick’s heart had stopped. “Maybe even worse than him.”

It had been the last thing his baby brother had said to him, Dick’s worst nightmare come to life, because then Tim had been gone too. He’d left, chasing his delusions, searching for a father that was buried under their home.

And Dick had been left with the weight of the world, a cowl he’d never wanted sitting heavy on his shoulders, surrounded by a broken family and a city looking to him for justice. He’d never felt more alone in his life.

And then Bruce was back.

Tim had been right, smiling like the first ray of sunlight through the clouds, and Dick wasn’t sure if he was supposed to feel guilty for not believing him in the first place. He didn’t know if he was supposed to apologize.

Apparently, it didn’t matter. Tim wasn’t speaking to him either way.

But that was fine. He just needed time, Dick could understand that. Bruce was back, happy to take back his mask and let Dick return to his own.

He was back and things were just… supposed to return to normal.

And they were, gradually. For everyone else at least. Dick was finding it a little more difficult to readjust when everyone was clearly so angry with him.

Tim refused to be in the same room as him, gathering up his things and stalking to his bedroom or to the cave anytime Dick so much as breathed the same air as him. The only time they were seen together was during meals, and Tim spent the entire time either pointedly ignoring his existence or sending deadly glares across the table when he thought Alfred wasn’t looking.

He had every right to be angry, Dick reasoned with himself. It didn’t matter that Dick had been left floundering with a responsibility he was too young and unprepared for, suddenly the head of a family he was terrified to lose, desperate to keep Tim alive above all else.

He hadn’t listened. He hadn’t- couldn’t - believe in Tim’s desperate hope. If he’d just set aside his doubt and grief, if he’d just helped Tim look, Bruce could have been home safe sooner. Dick would still have his brother.

He needed to apologize. He wanted to, and he’d tried, doing everything he could to finally talk things out with Tim, but he may as well have been invisible. The most he got was a scowl as Tim pushed past him.

So he’d let Tim come to him on his own time, no matter how long it took. It didn’t matter that it felt like a knife to the chest every time he was ignored or talked over or glared at.

And then it wasn’t just Tim.

After their initial reunion, after tight embraces and choked apologies and explanations nobody could even begin to let sink in, the usual tenderness and fond smiles had been ripped away.

Bruce wasn’t bothering to keep it a secret that he wasn’t happy with how Dick had handled things at home. He’d been the one to promise Tim the mantle of Robin would never be stripped from him again, that he’d step down on his own time. He’d made his opinion very clear, eyes tight and exhausted throughout the lecture, body still weak and recovering from wherever the hell it was he’d been these last few months.

Dick knew he deserved the disappointment. He’d had no right to take Robin away, no right to push his brother to his limit when he knew he was going to lose him, but…

But Bruce had been dead. He’d been dead, and there had been no Batman, and Dick hadn’t known what to do.

Dick could handle Bruce’s cold stares, curt greetings and terse orders over the next couple weeks as he integrated back into the family, ignoring the furrowed brows and skeptical looks out on patrol.

He was angry, and he had just as much of a right to be as Tim did. If he needed to take out his frustration by being a little bit more stern, stricter on schedules and cases and fights, his words more biting than they needed to be, Dick understood.

And if it was only directed at Dick, Bruce’s warm smiles and gentle praise given freely to everyone else, then Dick… Dick could handle that too.

He wasn’t sure what he’d done to warrant Jason’s fury, but he knew he probably deserved it just the same. There always seemed to be something. Dick was always doing something wrong lately.

Jason scoffing in the face of Dick’s smile, narrowing his eyes in a scathing glare and storming off in a huff like Dick had taunted him instead of offering a simple greeting was enough to send Nightwing scrambling to the nearest bathroom, halfway to a panic attack by the time he locked the door behind him and sank to the floor.

But that was fine too. Because Jason was getting along with the rest of the family, even his relationship with Bruce better than it had been in years, and Dick had never seen his brother look so relaxed.

As long as Dick wasn’t in the room with them.

Cass was always harder for Dick to read, never one to be openly angry, but it wasn’t hard to come to the conclusion that she was annoyed with him too. Or maybe she was just picking up on the other’s behavior, picking sides and avoiding him to be safe. Stephanie seemed to be doing the same, always glued to her sister’s side.

Dick didn’t have the energy to try and piece together every little thing he’d done wrong, and with everyone treating him like he was invisible or an unwanted nuisance, he didn’t want to take his chances trying to approach either of them.

Cass and Stephanie had fought at his side when he’d put the cowl on, and god knew he’d made mistake after mistake on patrol. Cass could take her pick of reasons to be pissed at her older brother.

Barabara at least didn’t seem to have an issue with him, and Dick didn’t have words for how grateful he was for that.

But Barabara was just… so busy. He barely saw her outside meals, and even then her appearances were rare. Oracle was scrambling to clean up the mess Bruce’s disappearance and reappearance had caused, always overworked and exhausted.

Dick had made his way into the cave while she was buried in a new case file, (making sure that Tim wasn’t there first, ignoring the way his heart ached at the precaution) with the intent of gently coaxing Barabara away from the computers.

He should have seen it coming, Oracle already run ragged, but Dick flinched like he’d been hit when Barbara snapped at him, whirling around with an ice cold glare.

“Dick, get out,” she’d practically snarled, seething with animosity he’d grown uncomfortably accustomed to lately. “I don’t want your help!”

It wasn’t anything personal, Dick knew that. There was no reason for his eyes to start burning, for his chest to grow tight and heavy. He’d forced his best smile, the type reserved for paparazzi and pushy interviewers, wished her luck and did everything he could not to run out of the cave like he was being chased.

It was fine. She wasn’t angry at him- Barbara would track him down eventually to apologize, and then they’d grab food and the entire exchange would be forgotten.

Except Barbara never tracked him down, never apologized, and Dick found himself avoiding her like the plague.

And that was fine too. Everyone just needed a little time. It would all go back to normal soon.

And then Dick stopped talking. And that was about as far from normal as he could get.

He wasn’t even sure when it had started, most of his days spent in silence now anyway, only occasionally offering a quiet greeting or thank you to Alfred when they passed each other.

He’d only noticed it after patrol one night, Bruce asking for a routine status report from everyone who was out that night over the comms. Dick had waited patiently for his turn, hating how the sound of his family’s voices made his gut churn with anxiety now, and opened his mouth to send the all clear.

Only to choke on his own words, nothing but silence escaping his parted lips.

Dick had snapped his mouth shut, hands suddenly hot and clammy under his gloves, throat unbearably tight, and tongue like heavy stone against his teeth.

He sent a text to Oracle, reassuring her that he was fine and asking her to relay a message to the others that his comms had just been damaged. It was a flimsy lie, but he may as well take advantage of being treated like an afterthought.

There was no change, no improvement for the rest of the night, Dick barely managing a pathetic sounding whine from his own chest on the ride home.

Thankfully the rest of the team had already dispersed by the time he pulled into the cave, the sunlight slowly filtering in over Gotham’s desolate rooftops.

He got away with a quick smile and a wave to Batman as he passed the Cave’s computers, his chest sparking to life with something achingly warm when Bruce paused to look him over, at least still caring enough to make sure Dick was uninjured after patrol.

The bare minimum shouldn’t feel so nice.

“You alright?” Bruce asked, and Dick had froze, completely taken aback despite the tightness still lingering in his guardian’s voice. “Oracle said your comms were damaged.”

Dick plastered on his best smile, peeling off his mask and nodding absently in Bruce’s direction as he put away his weapons.

Bruce was silent a moment, watching carefully before turning away with a sigh. “Alright. Make sure they’re working before you go out again.”

He’d sent a noncommittal thumbs up, well aware something so informal would send Bruce up the wall. Maybe if Dick was anyone else, Bruce would have cared enough to say something.

He’d expected to just sleep it off, to wake up in the afternoon that next day and regain his voice like he’d never lost it, but the panicked dread in his chest only grew when there proved to be no change the rest of the day.

Or the day after that. Or the rest of the week.

Dick wasn’t unfamiliar with going nonverbal. Bruce had episodes like this, less now than he’d had when Dick was younger, and Alfred had made sure Dick knew how to hold a basic conversation in sign language for when his dad went mute for days at a time.

It had happened to Tim before, and Cass had been completely mute when they’d first brought her in, still occasionally more comfortable in silence and hand gestures than anything verbal.

Dick hadn’t had anything like this happen to him in years. Not since the pain of his parent’s death had still been fresh, his life with Bruce foreign and daunting.

It had never lasted more than a few hours, but Bruce had always been right there with him, a steadying presence at his side, keeping the panic at bay, always so gentle and reassuring.

Dick had no doubt that he’d still have that kind of help from Bruce if he asked, if this had happened six months ago. If Dick hadn’t fucked everything up beyond repair.

It was selfish enough that he was going nonverbal over problems that he had created all on his own. He wasn’t going to make it anyone else’s problem.

And it wasn’t like he had to do much to hide it. Nobody was talking to him, anyway.

“Master Richard.”

Dick jumped, pulled from his thoughts and freezing at the top of the stairs. Alfred’s habit of appearing from the shadows was almost as bad as Batman’s sometimes.

Alfred’s hands were folded behind his back, a barely there pinch of his eyebrows giving away his concern, and Dick’s heart sped up when he realized the butler intended on having a conversation. It had been over a week since Dick had been able to say a word, and the idea of even trying made him nauseous.

He raised his eyebrows, signaling for Alfred to continue, and the older man’s shoulders dropped slightly.

“I only wanted to check in on you,” Alfred said, and Dick was not going to tear up over something so small, a meaningless show of kindness. It was Alfred’s job. “I’ve noticed you’ve been a bit distant lately.”

Dick just shrugged, not able to do much else, fighting to keep the lazy smile from slipping. He might have missed it, if he hadn’t known the butler so long, but something in Alfred’s eyes hardened.

“Master Richard,” Alfred said again, and Dick quickly averted his gaze. “Forgive me, but I hardly think it’s fair to take this out on me as well.”

Dick blinked at the floor, furrowing his brow as Alfred’s cold words hit him like a bucket of ice water, leaving nothing but confusion washing over him.

What? He wanted to ask, scrambling to make sense of the sudden hostility. What the hell are you talking about? But he couldn't even bring himself to open his mouth, instead forcing himself to lift his head and glance up warily at the butler.

“I understand that things are difficult right now,” Alfred continued, and Dick realized too late that this was quickly becoming a lecture, not a check-in. “And that things are… a bit tense with the rest of the family. But they’ve all managed to work through their differences. They’ve repaired what we lost. Things are good, sir. Perhaps if you… put in the same effort to-”

Dick stumbled back like he’d been slapped, back finding the cold stair railing as his eyes went wide, pooling with hot tears he didn’t even bother to try to blink away.

Put in the effort? Him? Like that wasn’t the only thing he’d been doing for weeks? Trying over and over again to get Tim to talk to him, to have just one civil conversation, apologizing time and time again and holding out hope that his baby brother would at least look him in the eyes again one day.

Doing every little thing he could to get back on Bruce’s good side, frantically trying to explain his reasoning for the things he’d done under the cowl without making it sound like excuses, following every little instruction without question, every order, grasping for any chance to prove himself still worthy to be on the receiving end of Batman’s love.

Jumping through hoops to try to undo whatever had made the rest of his siblings so angry with him, keeping a smile on his face anytime he passed them, desperate for Jason or Damian or Cass to just smile at him again.

He’d kept an eye on them, helping how he could from a distance until they decided he was welcome in the family again because that was what they’d wanted. They’d all made themselves perfectly clear.

He’d done everything he could, putting himself in the line of fire just to try to get Barbara to take a break despite knowing, deep down, that it would only be met with more anger.

Nothing he’d done had been enough, it was never enough, and now Alfred was mad at him too. Alfred, who had more patience and love than anyone Dick had ever met in his life.

Dick couldn’t breathe.

Through his rapidly blurring vision, Dick thought he saw the hardened look slowly fade from Alfred’s face, something softer taking its place as his breathing hitched.

“Richard-”

Whatever he’d been going to say was interrupted by heavy footsteps, followed by an all too familiar huff, and Dick didn’t need to turn to know Jason had stopped in the hallway with his arms crossed, watching the exchange with scrutinizing eyes.

“So,” Jason said after a heartbeat, and Dick did his best not to flinch. “Finally lecturing the golden boy?”

Alfred sighed, the sound sharp and curt, and Dick felt like he was invisible again. “This is not a lecture.”

“Then what the fuck is the point in talking to him?”

“Master Jason-”

“No,” Jason snapped, and suddenly his brother was right in front of him, eyes narrowed in poorly concealed fury. “He needs to get it through his thick skull that this silent treatment shit is fucking stupid!”

“Language,” Alfred said, but it sounded weary and defeated. “Perhaps-”

“He’s being a child.” And then Jason was staring right at him, and Dick couldn’t bring himself to look away. “We have the right to be pissed at you after everything that happened, Dickhead. Things are weird right now, if anyone should get that it’s you. The least you could do is admit you fucked up with Tim and give us all some time. Ignoring everyone to try and make us feel like shit isn’t fair. You know damn well Bruce has enough on his plate right now, and I don’t have time for your bullshit either. No one does.”

That's what they thought? That he was giving them the silent treatment out of spite like they hadn’t been the ones to happily pretend he didn’t even exist?

It didn’t matter that he’d never lashed out like that before. It didn’t matter that he’d never consider doing anything to hurt his family like that. It didn’t matter that he’d spent weeks trying to get someone, anyone to talk to him.

They were mad at him for what he’d done to Tim. He understood that, he knew he shouldn’t have taken Robin away. He should have believed him when he said Bruce was alive. He should have listened.

But nobody else had had to watch what Jason’s death did to Bruce. Nobody else had seen the episodes of delusion and panic, insisting that someone long dead, buried less than a mile away, was alive and well. That their death had never happened.

Nobody but Dick had to be terrified of living through that again. Nobody but Dick seemed to understand that he’d been trying to save Tim’s life.

Dick just stared back at Jason and said nothing, because he couldn’t say anything. He was fairly sure trying to sign a response would only make his brother more furious, because how dare Dick be the one breaking down when he was the one always hurting everyone else.

Jason’s eyes darkened, and suddenly Dick was being shoved back against the railing, refusing to let himself cry out when his back hit the wood. His brother was already turning away, shoulders hunched as he stalked down the stairs.

“Jesus Christ,” he muttered, before throwing another glare over his shoulder. “You’re fucking unbelievable, Grayson.”

Dick couldn’t move, staring at the empty spot at the top of the stairs long after Jason had disappeared. His vision was growing blurrier by the second, breaths labored and spiraling into something dangerously close to hyperventilating, and he shakily wrapped his arms around his middle in a futile attempt to provide any sort of comfort.

“Master Richard,” Alfred said softly, far more gentle than Dick deserved. “Is everything alright, dear boy? Is there something else going on?”

Dick didn’t even bother trying for a response, dropping his gaze and keeping it glued to the carpet as he pushed himself away from the stairs and down the hall, stumbling slightly when his knees buckled. He slipped back into his room, wondering why he’d even bothered to leave in the first place, shutting the door behind him without another sound.

Things came to a head during their next mission.

It was a routine drug bust, a rapidly growing organization Bruce had been staking out for a couple of weeks now, tracking the heart of the operation to an old abandoned warehouse near the docks.

It was something two or three of them could have dismantled on their own, but Batman seemed worried about hostages- something about whispers of the Penguin being connected, the crime lord growing desperate- and so Bruce had asked the rest of them to accompany him.

Dick was given his orders in the cave while they were suiting up, but other than that nobody said a word to him. At least his family had finally stopped pretending he simply didn’t exist, choosing instead to openly glare and scowl and glower at his every little move.

That was fine. Everything was fine.

The mission itself wasn’t particularly eventful. There had been more men, more guns, than Dick had been expecting, but it was a game plan so familiar Dick could have executed it in his sleep. Fortunate, considering he’d felt dead on his feet long before he’d lost his voice. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been able to shut his eyes and rest.

They’d waited to strike until Cass and Tim had confirmed there were no hostages anywhere in the building, just antsy, impatient men armed to the teeth, patrolling every corner.

Batman gave the order and they sprang from the shadows in sync, the flimsy overhead lights flickering, their family moving as one, lethal together, like nothing had changed.

Dick had missed this feeling, of knowing he was a part of them, crucial to their movements, an essential piece of the family. For a moment, the weight and grief lifted from his shoulders, chest just light enough for him to take a breath for the first time in what felt like weeks.

And yet he couldn’t help but wonder if things would be going smoother if he hadn’t come along. He wondered if they even really needed him here. They certainly didn’t want him.

The goons were taken down in less than fifteen minutes, the few who were still conscious secured and left by the door for the cops, Batman finally dropping his guard and ordering the others to sweep the rest of the building before dispersing.

And that, of course, was when everything started to go wrong.

Dick had grappled back to the building's rafters, keeping an eye out for approaching sirens and watching his siblings work, content to be their silent eyes and ears until they parted ways.

His vantage point was the only reason he’d seen the attack coming.

Somehow, despite Bruce’s thoroughness, they must have miscounted, allowed one of the thugs to evade capture and hide out until everything settled.

Dick could see him now, slinking through the shadows towards the shattered window, and a chill ran down his spine when he saw the glint in the man’s eye, gaze locking onto where Red Robin was standing guard, the vigilante’s back to the thug, distracted by whatever Oracle was saying in his ear. Dick was moving before his mind even caught up with his body, barely aware of what he was doing.

Tim would have had time to move. The man was slow, shaken up and unsteady, and Red Robin was more than capable of dodging the shot before it came and knocking out his assailant in the blink of an eye.

All Dick had to do was warn him.

But no matter how much he tried, desperately fighting to scream himself hoarse, burning tears of frustration welling in his eyes as he vaulted forward, not a sound left his mouth.

There wasn’t time. He didn’t have time.

Nightwing slammed into the thug’s side, both of them fighting to keep their footing as they stumbled across the concrete. Dick grabbed both of his wrists and wrenched them downward, swerving to plant himself firmly in between Tim and the barrel of the gun.

The man was frantic, eyes wide and bloodshot under his ski mask, fighting like a wild animal. He was heavier than Nightwing, using his weight and uncoordinated flailing to send Dick stumbling back, struggling just to pry the gun away so he could-

He heard the shot before he felt the pain.

“Nightwing!”

Dick’s back hit the concrete, the warehouse ceiling swimming into focus just as he registered the agony in his side, shaky hands hovering over the puddle of crimson blossoming just above his hip.

There was a blur of movement somewhere above him, and Nightwing was distantly aware that he needed to move, get back on his feet and get the gun out of the man’s hand before he landed a killing blow and went after someone else, but suddenly every bone in his body was just as unresponsive as his voice.

A body dropped to the ground a few feet away, an awful sounding thud echoing in his ears, and Dick pulled his gaze away as a barrage of color was suddenly rushing forward.

Red Robin was crouching in front of him now, alive and unharmed, and Dick let himself breathe, pained and trembling as it was. Tim was staring at him in horror, shoulders tense as his gaze dropped to the bullet wound. The fear and concern in his eyes shined as clear as day, even through the mask, and for a second, just a second, it was like everything was okay again. Like he had his brother back. Like Tim still cared.

And then, like a string had been cut, it was gone again, Red Robin’s face twisting into a scowl. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Nightwing?”

I don’t know, Dick wanted to say, more than anything. I don’t know. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Tim.

And then there was a weight being pressed against his side, blinding pain shooting through his body, and Dick lost himself to the pull of unconsciousness.

He couldn’t remember how he got back to the Batcave, deposited on a cot in the medical wing, but it wasn’t hard to put the pieces together.

Dick could vaguely recall the car ride back, filtering in and out of awareness, voices floating all around him, all of them distantly familiar, all of them furious. They were always furious with him now. He was so tired.

“Put pressure on the wound!” Someone had shouted, and the pressure on his stomach had worsened, the pain dizzying.

There’d been an awful choking sound, something that sounded like a strangled scream, nearly drowned out by the familiar hum of the Batmobile’s engine being pushed to its limits. Dick thought it might have been coming from him.

“Dick! Calm down!” Another voice, just as angry. He hadn’t been able to recognize who it was. “You’re okay! You’re okay, we’ve got you. We’ve got you, Nightwing. Just breathe. Breathe! Please, just breathe. You’re gonna be okay!”

“You need to stop the bleeding.”

“What do you think I’m trying to do? Dick, calm down! It’s just me!”

Everything had been too much, the backseat of the car crowded and unfamiliar, voices too loud, passing streetlights a blur of piercing light.

“What’s wrong with him?” Someone else had said. “I had it handled! He just-”

“Wait until he’s not bleeding out to be pissed at him, Replacement! Jesus- just shut up and let me focus!”

Dick had lost track of the voices soon after that, letting himself slip, letting the pain and confusion wash over him like a blanket.

And now he was here, laying in the bat cave with the steady beep of the heart monitor filling the heavy silence, stripped of his suit with his aching body wrapped in bandages.

It felt like he’d been hit by a truck, the ever present cold weariness still settled across his chest, but he was alive. They’d brought him back home in one piece, like they always did.

He couldn’t find it in him to be relieved this time.

Maybe it would have been better if he’d died there, bleeding out on the warehouse floor. They wouldn’t need to be angry with him anymore, and he’d have gone out saving Tim. That was all he’d wanted to do in the first place.

Keeping Tim alive had been all that had mattered to Dick. Trying to keep him safe was what had lost him his baby brother in the first place.

Dick’s eyes flickered to the movement at the small medical bay’s entrance, forcing a small smile when Bruce froze, their eyes locking.

He tried to say something, anything, an apology at the tip of his tongue, but he wasn’t surprised when he couldn’t even open his mouth.

Something in Bruce’s eyes darkened, and Dick’s heart sank. “That was a ridiculous stunt you pulled.”

It was the only way to save Tim. I just wanted to be useful again. I just want to keep you all safe. But he couldn’t say that, no matter how badly he wanted to. All he could do was shrug.

Bruce sighed, visibly trying to compose himself, an unsteady hand moving to run through disheveled hair. Dick hadn’t seen much of Bruce the last few days, keeping to himself to save everyone the trouble, and now he could see how exhausted the man looked, the dark circles under his eyes worse than ever, expression far away, brow heavy.

Dick wondered if that was his fault too.

“This is getting out of hand, Dick,” Bruce said, and Dick couldn’t look away. “I expected better from you, especially out on the field.”

I know. I know, I'm sorry. I love you, I'm so sorry.

“I know I left you with a lot on your shoulders,” Bruce continued. “I know it wasn’t fair to you. I know, Dick. You made some mistakes and decisions that I wasn’t… thrilled about. I know I was harsh on you, and I’m- I’m sorry. But you did well. You did well despite your mistakes, just like I knew you would.”

Dick didn’t move, frozen on the cot, terrified of shattering the illusion, losing the hint of warmth in Bruce’s strained voice that he hadn’t heard in weeks.

“It’s fine that you’re angry,” Bruce said. “You can be mad at me. I don’t care. But I thought I could trust you to put that aside when you’re wearing the mask. You could have gotten yourself killed tonight.”

Dick just nodded, squeezing his hands into fists so tight he thought his nails might draw blood along his palms.

“You should know better.” The silence hung over them, heavy and unrelenting, and Dick didn’t raise his head again, even when Bruce gave a curt sigh. “How are you feeling?”

Dick just shrugged, each nonverbal response filling him with more and more shame, practically able to feel Bruce’s rising frustration from the other end of the room.

“Good,” he said, cold and gruff as he turned away. “When you’re ready to act like an adult we’ll be waiting upstairs for you. We need to talk.”

And with one last glance at the heart monitor he was gone, heavy footsteps echoing across the cave walls before fading, the hum of the elevator eventually falling away, leaving Nightwing to lay in silence.

He didn’t leave them waiting for long. Whatever painkillers they had him on were working wonders, letting him stand with only minimal discomfort for the moment, and the sooner he got this over with, the sooner he’d never have to do it again.

The halls were empty as he stumbled through them, everything eerily silent, and he came to the unsettling conclusion that they were all waiting for him, the harsh light from the living room guiding him forward like a beacon.

And just like he’d feared, there wasn’t a single person missing when he turned the corner.

Jason, Tim, Stephanie, and Damian had commandeered the largest couch, all sitting with their arms crossed and face twisted into scowls, and the aggression brimming in Tim’s eyes nearly sent Dick running. Barbara was next to them, looking unbearably disappointed, and Cass was curled up in the armchair, her expression unreadable. Bruce was the only one standing, and Dick suddenly couldn’t bring himself to look up from the carpet.

“Grayson.” Damian, surprisingly, was the first to speak. His voice was clipped and even, reminding Dick of Bruce during a debrief. “How is your injury?”

Dick figured he couldn’t get away with just a simple shrug this time, opting instead to raise his head just long enough to give a weak thumbs up and a smile that didn’t come close to reaching his eyes, judging by his family’s blank, disapproving stares.

“Christ, sit down,” Jason said, arms crossed over his chest. “You look like you’re about to fucking keel over.”

Dick did as he was told, feeling a bit like a man being led to the gallows, shoulders hunched as he waited for the inevitable. The wound in his side twinged when he lowered himself into the other couch across from his brothers, hands spasming as he pressed against the bandage under his shirt.

“Alfred patched him up,” Bruce said, and Dick dropped his head again. “He’ll be alright as long as he rests.”

“Good,” Tim said, and something in Dick’s heart twinged at his little brother at least acknowledging his existence. “Maybe being benched will knock some sense into him. What the fuck was that, Dick?”

Even if Dick could talk, it wasn’t like he’d have an answer to that question. He warily raised his eyes to his little brother, hair falling into his eyes, mouth kept shut.

“You took a bullet for me that I would have had time to handle if you had just tried to warn me! But- what? It’s some kind of power play? You don’t want to talk to me because you’re mad? What are you, fucking five?”

Dick saw Barbara shift, sharing an unreadable glance with Cass, her hands folded in her lap. “Tim-”

“No, I’m sick of this!” Tim snapped. Dick hadn’t heard him this upset since the Robin mantle had been officially handed over to Damian. “You told me I was crazy, Dick. You wouldn’t listen to me, you… I lost my dad. I lost my dad and then you took away the one thing I still had and then… and then I lost all of you too. And now… I’m allowed to be pissed. I needed time. You giving me the silent treatment isn’t fair.”

“Yeah, and I don’t know what the rest of us did to deserve it,” Jason piped up, glaring daggers across the living room. “But it’d be great if this pity party could stop. You’d think it’d be a wake up call when I’m the one telling you to suck it up and get along with everyone.”

“It is incredibly immature, Grayson,” Damian added. “Even for you.”

Dick didn’t know what to do, stuck staring straight ahead at nothing now, letting their words wash over him without a fight. He knew they were right, that they should be angry and disgusted, that he was being stupid and childish but he couldn’t help it. He wanted to sink into the floor. He wanted to disappear. He wanted to stop causing them so much pain.

He didn’t even try to say anything. He didn’t have any words left to fight to get out. There was nothing he could do to make this better.

Maybe they’d tell him to leave, that he was no longer welcome, on the team or in the family. Maybe this would finally be the end of Bruce’s rope. He’d lost all his chances. He wouldn’t be one of them anymore.

His eyes burned, chest heavy at the thought, but he forced himself to sit perfectly still, nails digging into his palm as he waited for more.

“Dick,” Bruce said, and it was nothing short of a miracle that Dick didn’t break down at just the sound of his own name said with so much disappointment. “We can work through this. We can fix this as a family. But I need to know what’s going on. If there’s more to this, you have to talk to us.”

Dick couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe and he couldn’t talk, forced into silence, drowning under the weight of their stares, no escape in sight.

Bruce was in front of him now, towering over Dick and forcing the younger man to meet his gaze. Bruce was always so controlled, always careful with his emotions, but Dick had known him long enough to be able to tell when Batman was furious.

“This is ridiculous, Dick. You’re going to get someone hurt.”

There was a ringing in his ears, shrill and persistent, the words almost drowned out by his own panicked breathing.

“You need to talk to us.” Bruce snapped, venom cutting through the fog around Dick’s head. “This isn’t a game anymore, you need to tell us what’s going on so we can fix this! Dick, talk to me. Say something!”

“He can’t.”

Cass didn’t raise her voice, not even a little, but all heads swiveled to her at the two simple words. Bruce straightened and whirled around, shoulders still tense even with his back to Dick, his anger and tension left to seep into the rest of the room. “What?”

“He can’t talk, Bruce,” Cass said, suddenly soft. Softer than anything Dick deserved right now. “Look at him.”

All eyes were back on him, the weight of their stares heavier than before. Dick closed his eyes and dropped his head when Bruce turned back around, the silence of the living room deafening.

When he spoke again, the anger was already fading in favor of something softer. “Dick?”

Dick curled in on himself, shoulders hunched as he forced his hands to uncurl from trembling fists. He’d been backed into a corner, Cass picking him apart piece by piece in that uncanny way, zeroing in on exactly what he hadn’t wanted them to see.

He didn’t know if it would be better or worse now that they were going to know. He shouldn’t be reacting like this. He shouldn’t be so weak and needy when everything had been his fault to begin with.

But they were all watching him, waiting, and the least Dick could do was rip the band-aid off and get this over with. He’d made them deal with his shitshow long enough.

Dick raised a shaky hand off his lap, and signed the two words across his chest.

‘I’m sorry.’

He didn’t know what else to say. There wasn’t anything left to say. He didn’t deserve to voice anything but an apology, not after everything he’d put them through.

And now that he’d said it once, the words flowing off his hand, he couldn’t seem to stop.

‘I’m sorry,’ he signed again, hands shaking so bad it was a wonder he could manage it at all. He didn’t look at any of them, eyes still closed and his head bowed. ‘ I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’

“Oh, Chum.” He could hear Bruce’s voice but it sounded far away, like it was coming through a tunnel. “God, I didn’t… Dick, it’s okay. It’s alright. Hey, look at me-”

Something touched his shoulder, a hand barely brushing his sleeve, and Dick jerked back fast enough to tug at his stitches, leaving him hissing in frantic pain as he pressed himself against the back of the couch.

“Dick,” Bruce said again, sounding just as frantic as Dick felt. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”

There wasn’t anything for him to hold onto anymore, all his fight to keep himself together in front of watchful eyes sapped away just like that. It didn’t matter anymore, anyway. It didn’t matter.

Dick curled forward, trembling hands weakly covering his face and tugging ruthlessly at his hair. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter, hot tears spilling over without his permission, and let out a choked, broken sob into the silent living room.

It was the first sound he’d made in weeks.

And just like with his flimsy sign language, now that he’d started he couldn’t seem to stop. He couldn’t breathe, every breath coming out a shuddering, weak cry of anguish, face burning hot, stinging and soaked with tears that refused to stop falling.

There was movement around him, voices he couldn’t even try to pick up on, and suddenly a hand settled on his knee, hesitant and gentle. He jumped again, but the hand only tightened its hold.

“Dick,” the voice said, but it wasn’t Bruce this time. “Breathe, honey. Just breathe for a minute, alright?”

Barbara was in front of him when he risked prying his eyes open. His vision was blurry, clouded by tears, but he could just make out her face, no trace of anger or annoyance, her tone soft and patient.

He’d missed her more than he’d realized. He’d missed being looked at with something other than anger or disappointment. He'd missed the feeling of knowing someone wasn't upset with him. He missed his family so much.

Dick didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve anyone’s kindness for one second. But he was reaching out before he could stop himself, tearing his hand from his hair and latching it around Barbara’s wrist as tight as he dared.

Something flickered in Oracle’s eyes behind her glasses, and she turned her head. “Get out.”

She wasn’t talking to him, he realized with a start, suddenly made painfully aware that it wasn’t just the two of them in the room.

“All of you,” Barbara snapped. Dick hadn’t heard her this angry since she’d shouted him out of the cave. “ Now.”

There was shuffling behind him, his siblings a blur of movement as they hurried towards the door under her orders, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Bruce stiffen, still frozen at the edge of the couch.

“Barbara-”

“Especially you.” The venom in her voice was enough to send Batman running, evident by the way Bruce didn’t even try to argue again. “Leave, Bruce. Just give us a minute. Please.”

Batman stepped back, turning on his heel and disappearing through the doorway without another word, leaving Dick and Barbara alone in the living room. Dick couldn’t bring himself to try to catch a glimpse of his father’s face.

“Hey Dickie,” Barbara said, any unwavering authority in her voice already long gone. “Can I touch you?”

Dick nodded so fast he nearly made himself dizzy, the living room nothing but a blur of noise and color. He didn’t want to be alone anymore. Please hold me, he wanted to scream, but he didn’t even have the fight left in him to try speaking anymore.

But he didn’t have to say anything. Barbara always seemed to know exactly what he needed, and suddenly she was pressed against his side with her arms wrapped around him, holding on tight like nothing else in the world mattered.

She didn’t ask any questions, didn’t push him to speak or explain himself, didn’t try to unravel what was wrong with him right now. Barbara just held him close and allowed Dick to finally let go and sob until there was nothing left.

Dick honestly wasn’t sure what happened in the moments that followed his breakdown, the world slipping away once the tears finally dried.

Barbara didn’t make him move from the couch, which he was grateful for more than he could have possibly expressed. His body wasn’t responding to his commands, drained and exhausted.

Besides, he’d spent too long avoiding the living room like the plague, terrified of being met with glares and cold dismissal. It was nice to be allowed back, to feel for a moment like he was part of the family again.

“There you go,” Barbara was soothing, gently pushing his chest to lay him back on the couch, cradling the back of his head just long enough to slip a pillow underneath. There was more movement, shuffling somewhere beside him, and Dick’s breath caught when a blanket was carefully draped over his chest. “Just rest, honey. You’re okay now.”

Dick turned his head and blinked up at her, everything still slightly out of focus. The words still weren’t coming, no matter how much he wished they would, and Barbara only smiled sadly as she settled beside the couch and took his hand.

“I know, Dickie,” she said. “You’re okay. Have you… you’ve been nonverbal this whole time?”

All he could manage was a nod, shame pressing down on his chest as he lifted a shaky hand under the blanket to sign again, only for his wrists to be gently pushed back down.

“It’s okay. I know you’re going to try to apologize, and you don’t have to. You have nothing to apologize for, Dick. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

And that… that didn’t make any sense. It wasn’t true, not by a long shot, and he didn’t understand why Barbara was trying to make him feel better by lying to him.

He hadn’t done anything wrong? Dick couldn’t remember the last time he’d done anything right. Everyone was always so angry at him now, his siblings didn’t want to be in the same room as him, Bruce was disappointed and Tim wanted nothing to do with him.

He’d lost his family. He’d made mistake after mistake and it had cost him everything. He’d lost his little brother.

“You haven’t lost anyone,” Barbara said, and Dick startled when he realized he’d started signing again the second she’d pulled her hands away, the silent words surfacing without his permission, his shame laid out for her to see. “We’re right here, we’re not going anywhere. No one is. I’m… I’m so sorry nobody noticed, Dick. I’m sorry we’ve been so awful.”

Dick shook his head, not sure which part he was disagreeing with, blinking furiously when his eyes welled up with tears once again. He wasn’t going to make Barbara sit through this a second time.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” she soothed, a gentle hand carding through his hair. “We know now, we’re gonna help. I promise.”

Dick wanted to argue, wanted to insist that it was fine, that it was his fault, that it wasn’t something he wanted anyone to dwell on, not while they all had so much on their shoulders already.

But his limbs felt impossibly heavy, the pain from his wound steadily sapping him of what little energy he had left, eyes growing heavier the more Barbara talked, the hand in his hair slowly easing him into the first restful sleep he’d had in weeks.

“You can say no,” Barbara was saying, not seeming to catch the irony of her own words. “It’s alright if you’re not ready. Nobody’s angry.”

Which was a lie, plain as day, judging by the cold glares being sent Bruce’s way that she wasn’t even trying to hide. But no one was glaring at Dick, no one was yelling at him this time, and he just wanted to get this over with.

‘ He can come in,’ Dick signed, unable to make eye contact with anyone. It was almost freeing, being able to finally use sign language like this, like he could finally communicate again without having to hide. It didn’t mean he didn’t still feel pathetic, reduced to silence like this over nothing.

“Alright,” Barabra said, hesitant. Dick couldn’t bring himself to look up to see Bruce’s face, but he doubted there was anything welcome there. “If you need me just…” she paused, and if Dick had the energy he might have smiled. “I’ll be back to check on you in a few minutes.”

And with that she was gone, the door shutting behind her a moment later, leaving the living room in heavy silence, Dick left curled up on the end of the couch he’d woken up on moments ago, Bruce hovering a few paces away.

I’m sorry, Dick wanted so badly to say, but his voice stayed stubbornly locked away, and his trembling hands stayed frozen in his lap. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I-

“I’m sorry.”

Dick snapped his head up, risking a glance at the man across the room, clutching at the blanket still pooled in his lap. Bruce took a moment to meet his eyes, his gaze firmly trained on the floor, but when he did Dick let go of the blanket to shakily sign again. ‘ What?’

“I’m sorry,” Bruce said again, like it wasn’t unheard of. Like it hadn’t been one of the hardest things for him to say since Dick had met him. “God, I’m… Dick, why didn’t you tell anyone you were nonverbal?”

Dick just blinked, and Bruce’s shoulders sagged at his blank stare. “I know, I’m… Dick, everyone in this house speaks sign language, and over half of them have gone mute before. Myself included, you know that. It’s never been an issue.”

Dick just shrugged, hands going from clutching the blanket, to his shirt, to wrapping around his middle, like he could try to hold himself together.

“Dick,” Bruce tried again, crossing the room in careful, calculated strides. “Why didn’t you ask for help?”

Dick swallowed, refusing to lift his gaze from his lap even as Bruce kneeled beside the couch, slowly raising his hands just a fraction to sign, ‘ I didn’t want to make you more angry.’

“Angry?” Bruce echoed out loud. “Why would anyone be angry at you?”

Dick wanted to scoff. He wanted to pull away and close his eyes, curl up and go back to sleep, sob his eyes out until this all went away. He wanted to be angry. He wanted to mourn and beg.

Instead, the words came spilling out of unsteady hands, mouth staying firmly shut. ‘ Everyone’s so mad at me. Everyone’s mad and it's all my fault. I shouldn’t be like this when it was my fault, I can’t ask for help, you’ll all just think I want attention but I don’t, I promise I’m trying but-’

“Hey, hey.” Bruce’s hands were suddenly over his own, not enough to restrict his movements, but the warm touch enough to yank Dick back to reality. He gasped, ragged and shallow, when he realized he’d stopped breathing. “Hey, nobody’s mad at you. Nobody’s… we just thought…”

Dick pulled his hands away. ‘ You yelled at me.’

“I did,” Bruce relented, hands hovering uselessly over the couch. “You scared me, I thought-”

‘ Tim hates me, Dick signed, barreling over whatever Bruce had been about to say. At least this way, talking with his hands, he couldn’t be spoken over, and Bruce had the decency to fall silent. He hates me and everyone else is mad and I don’t… know what I did but I can’t fix it. Everyone’s so mad and they hate me and I can’t fix it.’

“Tim doesn’t hate you,” Bruce said, the moment Dick paused. “Nobody hates you.”

‘ They do!’ Dick couldn’t scream himself hoarse the way he so desperately wanted to, but he was sure his desperation came across in his movements by the way Bruce snapped his mouth shut and leaned back. ‘ I’ve been trying so hard. I’ve been trying so hard, B. Ever since you came back I’ve just been trying to do better. I keep trying to talk to them, I keep trying to say sorry, but they won’t… they don’t want to listen to me. They’re mad and I don’t know how to do this anymore.’

“Dick… honey-”

‘ Alfred said I wasn’t trying,’ Dick pushed on, his hands shaking even worse now. ‘ He said I wasn’t putting in the effort. Jason thinks I’m just trying to make you all feel bad, Barbara didn’t want anything to do with me, Damian and Tim don’t want me here, and all I did was disappoint you.’

“Chum, take a breath.”

‘ All I did was disappoint you.’ He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t catch his breath. ‘ I just wanted to do good. I just wanted to be better and all I did was make everyone angry.’

“It’s okay,” Bruce tried, clearly at a loss, eyes wide and frantic as he watched Dick move. He moved to take Dick’s wrists, to get him to slow down, quickly dropping his hands back to his thighs when Dick yanked them away, panicked and cornered, desperate to cling onto the only communication he’d had in weeks. “We’re going to fix this, Dick. I promise you.”

‘ He told me I was worse than Jack,’ Dick signed, ignoring the empty promise, ignoring the way Bruce went still. ‘ When I took Robin away. He told me I was worse than Jack. I was… I was just trying to keep him safe. I just wanted to protect him and I lost him. I lost my baby brother, I… I can’t fix this. I can’t fix it.’

“You are nothing like Jack,” Bruce said, eyes softening when Dick’s breath hitched on a broken sob. “That’s… I didn’t know he said that to you.”

‘ You didn’t ask,’ Dick signed before he could stop himself. ‘ You didn’t even ask me if I was okay.’

It was unfair, Dick knew it was. Bruce had checked in on all his kids in his own way, silent and unseen, the method he found most comfortable. He’d had the weight of the world on his shoulders since he’d returned, a life to rebuild, a city to retake control over.

But he’d shifted that weight to Dick’s shoulders without so much as a warning when he’d died, and nobody had bothered to ease the ache it left.

It was a miracle he’d only lost his voice.

“I know,” Bruce said, resigned instead of angry, soft instead of defensive. “I should have. I’ve been worried about you- all of you, I just…”

He trailed off and Dick watched him carefully, cheeks stinging with fresh tears. ‘ I’m not mad at you.’

“You should be,” Bruce said. “Nobody would blame you for being furious with all of us.”

‘ I’m not.’ He wasn’t. He didn’t have the energy to be angry. ‘ I just miss everyone. I just want everything to go back to normal.’

“It will. Everyone just needs time.”

‘ Nobody wants me here,’ he signed. ‘ Nobody wants anything to do with me anymore. They hate me, they wish I would just-’

“Everyone is worried sick about you,” Bruce cut in, gently resting his hands over Dick’s and effectively shutting down that particular train of thought. “You’re their brother and they… everyone feels awful, Chum. We really do.”

Dick hesitated, slowly pulling his hands out of Bruce’s grasp. ‘ Okay.’

Bruce’s face fell, but he was suddenly moving slowly, easing his way onto the edge of the couch, watching Dick like his son was a spooked wild animal, seconds from bolting.

“Can I touch you?” he asked, and Dick nodded faster than he’d planned. But it didn’t matter- it didn’t matter how needy or desperate or pathetic everyone must think he was, rendered to something so helpless over so little- not when Bruce’s hands were suddenly framing his face, warm and steady, the same way they had so many times when Dick had been younger.

“You are not a disappointment,” Bruce said, so sharp and sudden it made Dick’s tears stop all at once, breaths still coming in nothing more than hiccuping gasps. “I left you with an impossible task, Dick. I didn’t… I never wanted anyone to take on the Batman mantle. All of this, everything I’ve done, has been so no one else would have to carry that burden. It was never meant to be passed to you. Any of you. But you did, and you did good. You did good, Dick. No matter what decisions you made or didn’t make, no matter what mistakes or mishaps happened, you did good. And I’m proud of you. You will never lose this family, and I’ll never stop being proud to call you my son. So get that idea out of your head right this minute, do you understand?”

Dick had started crying again somewhere along to way, latching onto Bruce’s words as desperately as he could when his own sobs were threatening to drown everything out.

But he found himself nodding to his father’s command, leaning into his touch, wanting nothing more than to believe him without question, to trust Batman as blindly as he had when he’d been his Robin.

“It’s going to be alright,” Bruce said, and despite everything, every instinct telling him not to, Dick allowed himself to trust that he was right. Just for the moment. “It’ll get better. We’ll fix this together, Dick. We’ll fix this.”

Dick nodded again, unable to do anything but let Bruce pull him into his arms like he was a little boy again and weep into his father’s chest.

Dick honestly hadn’t expected anything to change. Everyone would still be angry- even more angry now that he’d caused a scene just because he’d been too weak to handle a little pressure- and he’d just have to keep riding out the nonverbal episode on his own until things slowly went back to a tense, reluctant normal.

He didn’t expect the rest of the family to start trickling in after Barbara and Bruce had stepped out, one by one like they were taking turns, waiting to talk to him.

Damian was first, practically kicking Bruce out with a determined glare, a plate of food in his hands, planting himself on the other end of the couch, legs crossed.

“Talking is stupid,” he declared, the closest he’d come to telling Dick it was okay, and thrust the plate into his older brother’s hands. “But you need to eat. Pennyworth made you your favorite. You missed dinner because you were shot.”

Dick winced, not particularly thrilled about the idea of being lectured for his injury again, but Damian just watched intently as Dick picked at his food, brow furrowed.

“I am happy to eliminate Drake for you,” he said, and Dick nearly dropped his fork. “He seems to be the main cause of your distress.”

Dick shook his head, forcing himself to take a bite of food despite the way it made his stomach churn. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten, skipping family dinner as much as he possibly could.

‘ No thank you,’ he signed, hands moving slower, sign language newer to Damian than to Bruce and Babs. ‘ It’s not Tim’s fault. He has the right to be angry with me.’

Damian crossed his arms, his gaze locked firmly on the floor. “Everyone is acting incredibly immature. It was… irresponsible of them not to notice your distress. And a failure on my part.”

‘ It’s not your fault, Damian,’ Dick said, but Damian didn’t raise his head to see the words. ‘ It’s okay.’

Dick could practically see the gears turning in the youngest Wayne’s head, biting his lip as he considered his words carefully, hesitating a moment too long before speaking again. “I enjoyed being your Robin, Grayson. You did good work. It would not… be ideal, if you weren’t with us anymore.”

There was no way Dick was going to let himself break down again, especially not in front of his youngest brother, but he found himself having to blink away tears, reaching forward to squeeze Damian’s hand.

‘ Thank you.’

Damian opted to stay right where he was even in the silence that followed, watching with a scrutinizing frown as Dick ate, refusing to let up until half the plate was cleared and his older brother set it aside on the coffee table with an apologetic smile.

Cass came next, Damian excusing himself with a huff as he gathered up the remains of Dick’s dinner and disappeared through the doorway with one last wide eyed glance at his big brother, doing an uncharacteristically poor job of concealing his worry.

His sister didn’t seem to have anything to say, signing a small greeting before settling down on the chair beside the couch, gaze soft when she glanced at him, all the words neither of them had expressed in just a quiet, gentle look.

They didn’t speak, the two of them sitting in the comfortable silence of the living room, and Dick finally started to feel some of the tension from his shoulders come undone, the sickening tightness of his chest unraveling just a little.

Dick was almost certain he was imagining it when Jason showed up in the doorway after Cass had wandered off, hesitating in the threshold, hand stuffed deep in his pockets and a scowl etched onto his face. Dick’s stomach dropped as he sat up, waiting.

“Hey,” Jason grunted, and Dick held up a nervous hand. “You uh… did you eat? There’s leftovers in the fridge.”

‘ Damian brought me a plate.’

“Right,” Jason said, moving to cross his arms as he shuffled forward. “Alfred’s worried sick, you know. He’s deep cleaning the house.”

‘ Oh.’ Dick hesitated, scrambling to figure out if Jason was here to yell at him or not. ‘ I’m sorry.’

“Christ, don’t do that,” Jason snapped, and Dick dropped his hands. “It’s hard enough for me to apologize without you doing it first.”

Dick blinked, glancing at the door to make sure Barbara wasn’t holding his brother at gunpoint. There was no point in trying to sign any questions, not when Jason’s gaze was locked firmly on the wall across from him.

“Don’t look so surprised,” Jason said, only taking a second to glance in Dick’s direction. “Look, I was an ass. I’m… sorry for shoving you. And yelling. I should have realized you weren’t okay, and I didn’t. I’m sorry.”

It was the most concrete apology he’d gotten from Jason since he’d been a kid, always smiling, always too good for a world like this. He waited until Jason looked back at him, shoulders tense like he was bracing to be brushed off, before carefully signing a response.

‘ Don’t be sorry. It’s not your job to pick up on when I’m feeling down.’

“You would have been the first to notice if it was any of us,” Jason shot back, and Dick didn’t have an argument for that. “A lot of shit’s been going on and we’ve all fucked up a little, you included. That’s not an excuse to throw you under the bus. You’re still our brother.”

Dick fiddled with the blanket, wishing his voice would come back if only for a second, desperate to tell Jason just how much it meant to hear him say those words. Eventually, he settled on sending a silent, ‘ Thank you.’

“Yeah whatever,” Jason muttered, but Dick could see some of the tension easing from his shoulders. “Glad you’re like… not dead, by the way. I’ll buy you ice cream or something when you’re feeling better. Can’t be mad at me after that.”

Dick rolled his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips despite everything. ‘ I’m not mad at you.’

“Of course you aren’t,” Jason scoffed, smirking over his shoulder as he started back towards the doorway. “Get some sleep, Goldie. You look like shit.”

A moment later Dick was alone again, but the silence didn’t feel nearly as suffocating this time, the air noticeably lighter as he leaned back against the pillows and let his eyes slip shut.

Maybe this wasn’t as irreparable as he’d thought. Maybe… maybe things would start to get better, slowly but surely. They weren’t angry with him anymore- most of them weren’t, anyway- and the pain in his chest that had lingered since the Robin mantle had been passed down was finally allowing him some relief.

Maybe his voice would come back to him with time, if he was a little patient with himself. Maybe-

“Dick?”

Dick’s eyes flew open, breath catching in his throat when he saw the figure in the doorway, hunched over himself in a hoodie Dick belatedly recognized as one of his own. It had been missing for weeks.

Tim didn’t say anything for a moment, the two of them caught in the living room’s silence. Dick watched as his little brother’s eyes darted to his face, only to quickly move back down to his stomach where the fresh bandages were poking out from beneath his shirt, like he needed to reassure himself Dick wasn’t in danger of bleeding out again.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Tim said, so quiet Dick nearly missed it. It was almost surreal, hearing Tim address him like he cared again. “And I shouldn’t have yelled at you. You saved my life. So… thank you. And I’m sorry.”

Dick didn’t know what he was supposed to do, frozen, like one wrong move would shatter the illusion, like Tim would go right back to angry if he so much as moved the wrong way.

Tim didn’t seem to mind the lack of response, nodding to himself like he’d been expecting it.

“I think we should talk,” Tim said. “When you can, I mean. Take your time, just… I’m tired of being mad at you, Dick. I miss you. You’re… even after all this, you’re still my brother. I didn’t… I didn’t want this.”

Dick hesitated, running the words through his head in a frantic loop before carefully signing a response. ‘I didn’t mean to hurt you.’

“You never do,” Tim muttered, but he sounded resigned more than angry. “I don’t- I don’t understand. I don’t understand why you did it but… but I’d like to. Whenever you can, I think it would be good to talk.”

Dick didn’t know what to do but nod wordlessly, quickly blinking away the heat gathering behind his eyes again. Tim just smiled, the gesture small and tired, and turned back towards the hallway.

“Get some rest. Alfie and Bruce are fighting over who gets to bring you tea.” He paused, a hand resting on the doorframe. “I love you, you know. I don’t want you to think I don’t. We’ll talk in a few days.”

Dick leaned back against the couch cushions, breathing slowly as he listened to his little brother’s footsteps fade, the familiar, comfortable commotion from the kitchen filtering in through the open door.

Maybe everything would be alright, after all.

598 notes · View notes

mzminola · 2 years

Text

Had the thought “How would the Dynamic Duo of Batman!Dick and Robin!Stephanie have gone?” and immediately started tearing Preboot canon apart and rebuilding it like a LEGO set.

Firstly, we gotta make sure Damian isn’t getting sidelined, and for that I propose he and Tim are a team for BruceQuest. Have Damian’s yearning to get to know his dad outweigh his dislike/jealousy/etc of Tim, and highlight Tim’s canonical compassion and forgiving nature.

Either they both make new mantles for this, or they’re both color-coded Robins. Red Robin for Tim, since he’s using Kon’s colors, Green or Blue Robin for Damian (I like Green for he ties to his mom, but him trying to make his own version of the Nightwing suit in some attempt to outrank Tim and everyone calling him Blue Robin would be very funny).

Things start out tense, Damian is only listening to Tim because a) Tim will just have a Titan pick Damian up and drop him back off in Gotham if he’s too much trouble like he was during Resurrection of Ra’s al Ghul, and b) Tim is the only person who believes Bruce is alive and is cautiously keeping some of the methodology of proving it to himself at first.

In the original 2009 Red Robin comic, Tim repeatedly got sidetracked with hero work during his quest. Have that keep happening, and actually spend more time in that period than RR did, because it’s part of Damian’s growth. He starts out pissed at the delays and confused by Tim’s insistence on helping strangers. Tim gives some talks about the Bat philosophy and about why he keeps coming back to the hero life despite everything it’s taken from him.

Damian gets thanked by some of the people they rescue, and slowly shifts from pride in his fighting skills to pride in helping people. Eventually starts actively looking for people to help while they’re searching for artifacts. Tim is so flipping proud of him.

Sets us up for some big choices when the League of Assassins finally gets involved.

Okay, back to Stephanie, rewinding the comics even further:

1: Don’t kill off Arthur ‘Cluemaster’ Brown, we need him for later.

2: Tim & Steph never date because this is my LEGO set and I want more platonic boy-girl friend pairs in fiction, dang it. Bruce never tells Steph Tim’s identity and Tim is still keeping it secret. Rather than stalking Tim at school and seeing another girl kiss him, Stephanie and Tim are in the middle of an ongoing argument about secret identities when Jack discovers Tim is Robin and makes him step down.

Tim contacts Steph over the phone to let her know why Spoiler won’t be seeing him around, and that’s when she pulls what she did in canon of making her own Robin suit and volunteering with Batman.

Keep most of War Games, but nix the prolonged torture (because fuck that shit) in favor of quickly-gained but extensive injuries (she was tossed off a building? A building fell on her while she was saving someone?) so she really does need a long recovery period, complete with Dr. Thompkins taking her out of the country.

Honestly not sure if they should still fake her death. If yes, I think it should be Bruce’s idea.

This keeps Steph out of the way so we don’t need to rearrange the in-between canon too much, and potentially adds more fuel to the Keeping Secrets vs Not Keeping Secrets arguments.

The start of our big change for Stephanie’s arc is Violent Tendencies. Instead of agreeing to Bruce’s messed up plan, Stephanie is raring to atone for the lives destroyed back in War Games, and what do you know, some motherfucker just started another city wide gang war!

Spoiler works with Robin to stop Ulysses Armstrong. They never worked their shit out before she first left town, so it’s tense, and they fight, but they prioritize stopping the bad guys and bringing what peace is possible in Gotham.

Have repeated moments where Stephanie’s temper and instinct to argue almost messes things up, but she reins herself in to focus on butt-kicking and detective work. Have Tim notice this newer self-control, and have Steph notice changes in Tim, too.

At least one instance, preferably more, of Stephanie meeting someone who was hurt or lost a loved one in War Games, and wrestling with the fresh reminder of her guilt.

If we want to have a two-steps-forward, one-step-back situation, Tim gets caught in the blast of Armstrong’s bomb because after one of their fights, Stephanie stormed off in a temper, leaving Tim to deal with a two-person job on his own.

This sets up Stephanie second-guessing her decision to keep being a hero. If her own temper keeps getting in the way, should she really be doing this?

If we don’t want that, have it be that Tim takes the brunt of the blast because he threw Stephanie to safety or threw himself on top of her. Because that’s the kind of hero Tim is, because at this point in her arc Steph needs reassurance that her friend still cares about her despite her mistakes, and because it’s an example of heroism Stephanie needs to decide if she wants to copy or not.

Stephanie wants to be a hero.

Does she want to be the kind of hero who throws herself between another person and a bomb?

So either scenario, we set up for Stephanie to be doing some introspection when Bruce gets tossed into the timestream.

/points at the fried clone-corpse nearly everyone thinks is Bruce/ “Well he ain't gettin’ any deader!”

Tim calls up Cassandra during the whole Battle For The Cowl incident. She needs to wrap up an investigation, but comes back as soon as she can, which is when the dust has settled. Welcome back to Gotham, Batgirl!

(Cass is the Batgirl to both Tim & Steph’s Robin. She gets her own solo book back and has lots of interactions with Babs during this era.)

Not sure whose idea it is for Stephanie to be Robin again; Tim resigning himself to Dick not helping with BruceQuest? Dick acknowledging Batman needs a Robin and seeing Spoiler is struggling? Stephanie herself, volunteering for the second time?

Regardless, very early on, Arthur Brown gets out of jail or comes back to town and is being a Problem. Stephanie’s got a lot of anger, and Dick helps her deal with that. This is both an echo of Stephanie’s introduction, when she tried to kill her dad, and a way of bringing up Dick’s roots as Robin. He wanted to kill Tony Zucco, remember?

One former hot-headed Robin who’s learned how to find balance and prioritize justice over revenge helping the next generation do the same!

Meanwhile, Jason is also around being a Problem, providing straight up antagonism, but also a different opinion on how vigilantism in Gotham should work, so that Stephanie has multiple views to wrestle with.

Stephanie is a middle-class kid from the suburbs, who, as Jason put it to Tim when breaking into Titans Tower, “slept in a real bed”. But she’s also got a (recovering) drug-addict mother and a criminal father, providing points of commonality for Jason to work with. Remember his speech to Mia Dearden during the Green Arrow crossover?

Jason also plays on Stephanie’s guilt, talking about the fallout of the gang war she started, all of the ripple effects that kept going after the initial burst of violence was over. Describes some of his Under the Red Hood crime lord takeover work as “cleaning up your mess.”

Stephanie regrets everything about War Games, Dick is helping her do better going forward, whereas Jason’s argument is that she should have been more decisively violent at the start. It’s hard for all the mafia bosses to fight each other and get the little people caught up in it if the mafia bosses are dead.

During one altercation between Batman & Robin and the Red Hood, Jason punts Black Mask’s head to them and sarcastically says “You’re welcome.”

Arthur’s current criminal enterprise should directly affect Stephanie’s life in some negative way, so that all of this is fresh, not a It’s In The Past situation, and also be endangering civilians’ lives.

This arc has a big climatic scene of Dick being restrained while Jason gives Stephanie the chance to kill her dad.

(We know she’s not gonna, because she’s the Robin in Batman & Robin, but it should be as suspenseful as we can make it.)

Meanwhile over in BruceQuest, Tim & Damian are bonding over being raised with high expectations, and confusing relationships with one’s parents. Tim finally allowing himself to think & say negative things about Jack in order to help Damian grapple with his own upbringing? Heck yes.

Damian & Tim & the crushing weight of family legacies & parental expectations!

Tim being allowed by the narrative to be a big brother to Damian like Dick was to Tim!

Damian coming to see Tim as his brother despite his upbringing focusing on blood, and expressing remorse for the introductory murder attempt!

Ra’s trying to pit them against each other and getting his ass kicked!

Tim standing up to Bruce about his toxic habits once they rescue him because Tim refuses to let Damian go through the same crap he did!

Since dads are a big thing for both of the above arcs, we could go for three and bring back David Cain for Cass to deal with. Or keep him away, but bring him up in Cass & Steph’s shared scenes. They bonded over having terrible dads in Batgirl 2000, we can have callbacks.

Tim was sending progress reports back to Gotham during BruceQuest (because whether he left on good or bad terms, he wants the Bats to know what’s going on in case something happens to him and the ten year old he’s in charge of needs a rescue).

Once a week Cass makes popcorn and Babs reads the reports aloud. They make bingo cards for What Crazy Shit The Boys Got Up To This Week. When Tim gets home he makes bingo cards about Batgirl & Oracle’s shenanigans (while stealing some of theirs for his scrapbook). Stephanie demands Batman & Robin bingo cards too, and we discover Babs actually made some years ago when Dick was still Robin.

There are a lot of different ways who has what mantle could shake out once these arcs are over (in the very short time before the universe reset) but instead of getting into that I’m just going to imagine everyone reunited & hugging.

#fic ideas #or rather canon rewrite ideas #Stephanie Brown #Damian Wayne #Tim Drake #with appearances by Dick and Babs and Cass and Jason #yes the War Games arc is terrible but this is a rewrite of the AFTERMATH so it's staying #but slightly modified #Robin #Robin Stephanie #Batgirl Cassandra #Tim and Damian being brothers #Batman Dick #DC #Batfam

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thewritingdaughter · 3 years

Text

A family of Angry Bats Makes for a Headache

Bat family x Youngest Sister!Batsis

Summary: The Batfamily is worried as they catch their youngest acting strangely for a few months in a row, so they finally decide to investigate in detail what she's been doing. And what’s the grand secret that they find out she's doing? Dating. They're not sure whether they’d rather it be something actually illegal, they’d probably handle that better than their little one dating.

“What could Y/N possibly be doing that's got her so on edge? Drinking? Smoking? Gambling? Blackmail? M-”

“I seriously doubt she's into any of that Dick,” Jason cut his older brother off before he could continue on his spiral of dirty deeds that their youngest sibling could be engaged in behind their backs.

“If anything it's probably someone pressuring her into doing bad things— assuming any of what she's doing is even bad,” Tim tried to reason.

“Or she just wants to get away from all of you every so often,” Damain quipped sharply while Dick sighed heavily and continued.

“Im just worried about Y/N. She usually doesn't keep secrets and this pattern has gotten bad enough that Bruce caught me up to speed on everything that's been happening just so I could tail her with you guys.”

“Well I don't think that matters much now. Y/N just turned down into that alleyway up ahead. Keep it down and stay low,” Jason quieted them from the front of their sneaking line of curious and concerned brothers as they followed you into the next alleyway.

The brothers thought that they were completely justified in their little “outing”. The girls of the family had completely disagreed about going though; Cassandra, Stephine, and Barbara were convinced that nothing was suspicious about your recent activities. But with Bruce on their side, the boys were released on the streets of Gotham in day clothes to do their best detective work.

And their best work is what they gave. They all could agree, anything involving you required at least that.

As they came to the entrance of the alleyway wedged between ever-growing buildings, they weren't sure if they would have rather seen you making a drug deal and shaking someone down for money to what they actually came face to face with. The former they could deal with, discipline and family guidance could fix those problems. But this... this wasn’t so simple. Well at least for the older Wayne’s it wasn't.

As they peered down the narrow street they did indeed find you at the end of it, but there was someone there with you. At first, you just stood close and talked to the other person, but then you were suddenly kissing him. The brothers all thought they were hallucinating. Their baby sister? Making out with someone in a back alleyway?

No way, no how.

Yes way, yes how. As made very apparent as the seconds went by (though your brothers would've sworn it was minutes) the two of you were still latched.

Jason was the first to crack. The idea of his baby sister secretly dating someone for possibly these last five months or even longer, and it especially being something you tried to hide! He knew some of the kinds of people out on the back streets of Gotham and he never wanted you to be entangled with them.

Dick wasn't far behind his younger sibling, countless thoughts of betrayal and worries swirling non-stop in his mind.

Damian was next to follow. Nobody was good enough for his little sister.

Tim was hesitant at first. There was nothing wrong with you dating right? Most of the family had done it anyways. His thoughts quickly changed the longer Y/N and the boy kissed. No one was allowed to be that attached to their little bird, and so he followed suit.

You and your boyfriend had just parted and were about to continue catching up when all of the sudden he looked up quite concerned over your shoulder. You weren't really alarmed yet. You guys always met in this back alley and it wouldn't have been the first time someone had interrupted your time together to try and rob you guys. What they didn't know though is that they were messing with a Wayne’s precious free time and you were close enough to a trained assassin at that point. It was never that big of a problem. But when you turned to see it was not some nameless robber coming towards you and was your brothers, looking quite upset, you were afraid. Not for yourself really, but for your boyfriend.

Alex was just a regular citizen of Gotham. He had just started his apprenticeship in mechanics and had gone to the same high school you had. You guys had been casual friends until he found out your secret identity as more than just Bruce Wayne’s youngest daughter. It was by complete accident after you had rescued him once before, but all is well that ends well. You ended up becoming closer and falling in love. Simple as that. You had a seeking suspicion though that your brothers wouldn't be satisfied with any explanation. Hence why you were hiding all of this in the first place.

Alex noticed how nervous you got and held on a little tighter to your arm. Your gaze met his as he indicated that he wanted to know if everything was okay. You nodded and mustered up any courage left you could find in face of the fuming brothers almost upon you.

“Y/N.” Jason started

“What do you think you're doing?” Dick finished for the enranged man.

“Seriously? We're gonna start this talk with a Dad one-liner?” You nervously chuckled.

“We’ll start it however we like! Now, what do you think you're doing down here making out with some guy in the back streets of Gotham?! There are so many things wrong and dangerous about that!” Tim exclaimed as he started to feel his earlier rationality slip away.

“What could possibly be so bad?” you tried to defend this whole thing without actually acknowledging it, “I’m just meeting with a... friend.”

You knew that wasn't gonna work the moment it left your mouth. You never were the best lair out of them.

“Oh yeah because friends stick each other tongues down their throats for an hour straight!” Damain chimed in this time.

“It was not an hour!”

“Tt! But you admit you did it! It wouldn't matter anyway we saw all of it.” Damain continued with a roll of his eyes.

“What do you mean you saw all of it? What- Were you following me?!” Now it was your turn to be enraged.

“That doesn't matter! Obviously, you'd been hiding something from all of us and we were concerned! And it's a good thing we were because who knows what kind of mess this is you've gotten yourself into!” Dick berated in his best Dad Voice. You weren't having any of it knowing what they had done.

“Are you kidding me?! Of course it matters! I can't believe you all would have that little trust in me! I'm perfectly fine! The only reason I was hiding what we've been doing is because I knew you guys and Dad would have a crazy reaction! I can see now that I was right!”

You were starting to reach your wit's end with them and you could feel Alex behind you still. He was probably incredibly confused.

“Perfectly fine?! Do you know how many things go wrong?! What if he is just using you for our father's money? Hmm? What about if he ends up hurting you? And God forbid he ever finds out about the work we do for father!” Damain was back on his tirade as the others nodded along in varying degrees of agreement. You about blew your top there and then.

“You guys are insane to think I wouldn't consider all of that! I've been close with him for years and he's never once asked or used me for money! He's never been anything but the sweetest to me! And he already knows what kind of ‘business’ I do for Dad!”

You probably could've gone on but as your last sentence rang out into the otherwise barren alley. The boys froze and you did too. Telling them that James knew that you were Batman’s newest Robins was a mistake. If they weren't ballistic with worry now, they were about to be.

“He knows what?” Jason was no longer yelling, but scarily quieter.

“He knows that I'm one of the Robins.”

You backed up further into James inadvertently. This was only going to get worse.

“I cannot believe you would let yourself be found out! We are going back home now and having a talk with Bruce that he can fix this somehow!” Dick was pacing now.

“Dick please—”

“No, I don't want to hear it Y/N. This is not up for negotiation.”

“She shouldn't have to go if she doesn't want to,” Alex spoke up from behind your shoulder. He still hadn't been told who these guys were and though he would assume they were family by the way you all talked, that doesn't mean they could drag you wherever. Especially if that scared you.

You could tell what Alex was thinking and wanted to correct the misunderstanding. You weren't scared of your brothers or fathers just annoyed and worried about what reactions were about to come. Plus your brothers looked like they were about to murder him on the pure fact alone that he had spoken against them.

“It's alright Alex. These four are my idiotic brothers that I've told you about. I'm just annoyed is all but I should head back with them. I promise I'll talk to you later, okay?”

You cupped the side of his face and smiled as your eyes met his. You knew that would melt him.

“Fine. Just call me if anything happens alright?”

“Of course.” You nudged together for a few seconds before Alex gave a second glance to your brothers and then started on his walk home. You could hear the scoffs and uggs of disgust as you both parted.

You watched him go, looking out of the side of your eye to make sure none of your brothers went to follow the poor guy. After you were sure Alex was gone and didn't have an annoying bat-brother tailing him, you turned back to face the four.

“Well you wanted to go running home to Dad, so what are we waiting for? Let's go.”

You started off without checking if they were following, although you were sure they were. It was going to be a long afternoon.

In fact, you didn't even get in the door before Bruce had met you all and began his questioning.

“Y/N! What were you thinking?” You were gonna get tired of that question quick, “Meeting up with a boy in the back alleys?! Revealing everything about you to him?!”

“If any of you would give me a minute to explain,” you shoved past Bruce into the front room and turned to face them, “maybe this might make a bit more sense. Besides, it's the least you owe me after having me freaking tailed!”

“You—” Bruce didn't get to finish whatever retort was to come as Cass, Stephine, and Barbara came into the front hall.

“What is all this fuss about?” Barbara asked.

Cass took a look between the six of you and signed to the other two girls;

“I have an idea. I think Y/N was caught.”

“Ooh... So the boys are up in arms over that. Geez what a complete mess,” Stephine sighed.

“How could you blame us for being upset over this? Actually, how do you know what we're upset over?” Dick turned to the girls.

“Well for one you guys are crazy, so you've probably blown out of proportions already,” Barbara pushes her wheelchair to where you're standing and the two other girls follow, “and we already know about Y/N’s relationship. Have for two months now. Though I could see why she would only want to tell us.”

“So that's why you didn't want us following her!” Tim connected the dots.

All of the older girls nodded.

“Let her explain. It is a cute story.” Cass signed and nodded her head to the sitting room.

Everyone shuffled their way into the large sitting room, albeit the boys did so reluctantly. Bruce chose to lean against the doorframe and pull his best Dad face. You couldn't help but roll your eyes at them all as you sat with the girls on an opposing couch.

“If you're ready to listen, I can tell you everything now.”

They all nodded reluctantly.

So you started from the beginning. How you met him in school, what he was like, you two growing closer, how you had saved him and he came to know your secret, and how your relationship had been while dating.

“Oh and I’d like to add that Dad you have no place to judge my relationship looking back on some of your more... Interesting choices.”

“Most of those were before you came along, how—” Bruce raised himself from the doorframe in slight offense.

“Alfred likes to tell stories and I spend a lot of time with the man,” you shrugged as you glanced between those in front of you. You were afraid you hadn't gotten through to them.

But surprisingly, Dick spoke up first.

“Well if you're really sure, then we can't stop you. It's not like we haven't dated either and you're a smart kid,” he moved over to your couch and crouched in front of you, “we should just trust you.” You smiled slightly down at him.

“Hmph, fine. If Dick can let it be then so can I,” Jason huffed.

He joined you on the other couch and spoke again,

“That does not mean I’ll like him or any of this though.”

You just rolled your eyes. Better than before.

Tim added in next.

“Yeah, Dick and Jason are right. I'll be doing an extensive background at the very least though.” He joined you all.

“Wouldn’t expect anything less Tim,” You chuckled.

All that was left was Damain and Bruce. Bruce was understandably going to be one of the hardest to crack, you came in knowing that. But usually, Damain didn't care as much about your relationships with others. Of course, he cared about you, after years of being his little sister you wormed your way into his heart. Still, this was a new level of worry about something he probably sees as irrational and unnecessary.

Damian looked over and met eyes with Bruce before sighing heavily.

“Tt. It's fine if Y/N is dating but he better not ever do anything suspicious,” Damain mumbled and threw himself onto the quickly filling couch.

Everyone now looked to Bruce, the only one left standing. He sighed deeply, the kind of sigh that's reserved for when he's been working a case for weeks or has gotten the news that Jason had been arrested five times in a single week.

“I’m still worried about all of this Y/N. You're young and have lots of... capabilities that I don't want you hurt over. If you trust this kid, then I'll try to get to know him. Which means you will have to bring him over for a formal introduction. Otherwise, I guess it's alright for now. But please no more meetings in back, shady alleyways.” Bruce had gradually made his way over to the coach and had taken your hands in his like Dick earlier.

You couldn't help but smirk at his worry (and the reassurance that you wouldn't have to be breaking up with Alex anytime soon). You pulled them all into a tight hug as best you could. You smiled brightly and gave them one last remark.

“I’m so glad we could figure this out. But if any of you ever touch Alex I’ll strangle you all in your sleep,” you said as you smiled and released them from the hug, going on your merry way to call up your boyfriend to chat.

Everyone was left behind reminded of just why you had become a Robin for Batman.

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I hope you guys enjoyed this little story, it's my first time writing about the Batfamily and my first time writing on this platform. I’m relatively new to the DC fandom so sorry for any mistakes!

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stxleslyds · 3 years

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Also, the writers' failure to understand, every crime Jason committed had a motive. Attack other criminals? Holy warrior destined to purify the world of evil. Attack Bruce? Joker's still alive. (Oh, Jason, it's much worse than that.) Attack Tim? A parody of what he once was. He wasn't just a "bad boy". He was dangerously insane.

Hi, Anon! Yup, there seems to be a lot of things that writers have gotten confused about Jason Todd/Red Hood and the biggest one is his motivations to kill certain criminals.

Let’s be honest, Judd Winick set a golden path for the upcoming Red Hood writers. But each and every writer that used Red Hood in their stories completely missed the point of Jason’s character. All of them. It’s so incredibly wild to me that every other writer read UtRH and came up with whichever version of Jason they came up with.

Let’s list the writers that completely missed the point.

Geoff Johns in Teen Titans vol.3 #29.

Geoff Johns was one of the first to completely mischaracterize Jason, why on earth would Jason go to the Titans Tower to beat up Tim? This is not me saying that Jason would never do that because Jason thinks of Tim as his brother or a friend or the person that he can trust the most from the Bat-Clan (can you believe Lobdell tried to sell us that one?), this is me saying that Jason wouldn’t have done that because he couldn’t have given less of a fuck about Tim’s existence.

When Jason found out that Bruce had another Robin he wasn’t bothered by his “replacement” he was mad at Bruce for having another child playing hero after he lost his life as a fifteen-year-old. Jason didn’t even think of Tim as his replacement as fandom likes to make us believe, Jason called Tim “pretender”. And that was that, but to go from minimal recognition to go out of his way to beat him up at Titans Tower is a massive mischaracterization.

Paul Dini in Countdown (to Final Crisis).

Paul Dini in Countdown did absolutely nothing with Jason, I am sorry but that’s all he did. Him writing Jason was like watching a dog trying to catch their own tail. He started with a pretty basic take on UtRH Jason, then he added a bit of Jason being an annoying man with Donna, then we had the jealousy arc because apparently, Jason had the hots for Donna but she didn’t want anything to do with him and he was all angsty when she paid attention to Kyle instead of him, and then, later on, he had that whole Red Robin bullshit (I am sorry about this, but I absolutely hated that, it was so dumb, I am so glad it didn’t last long because it was just too bad), and after all that mix of just not interesting stuff he went right back to the Jason that he had at the very start. It was a waste of time, but I guess that he had to be there because he was an anomaly and all that. I just think that was DC’s first try at making Jason Todd/Red Hood something more than just a street-level vigilante and they failed miserably.

Tony S. Daniel in Batman: Battle for the Cowl.

Even though the first two did make mistakes with Jason’s characterizations, this man was the first to just throw UtRH out of the window and make up his very own version of Jason Todd. And his version was horrendous, that Jason had no problem with attempting to kill children and innocent people, he also really wanted to be Batman because Gotham needed a Batman and he wanted to be the person to wear the Cowl and he was looking for a Robin for himself.

I know, the whole concept is the perfect opposite of what Jason Todd and Red Hood were in UtRH. Every aspect of BftC Jason is based on nothing.

Jason wanting to be Batman because Gotham needed Batman is just the beginning of what’s wrong in this book. Jason became the Red Hood (in part) because he believed that Batman and his ways weren’t what Gotham needed so he made a better version of Batman with Red Hood (according to him) because Red Hood did what Batman refused to do. Another thing that is just wrong is Jason wanting, Damian, Tim or Dick to be his Robin, there is just so much wrong with this, first of all, Jason wanted Batman to stop having Robin because child soldiers ran the risk of dying at a very young age and that’s exactly how he saw the whole thing because that was what had happened to him. Second, if Jason was mad at Bruce for getting another Robin why would he now want one of his own to team up with his Batman? Damian was a child, Tim was someone that apparently Jason hated (because Jason beating Tim was mentioned in this event), and then Jason actually asked Dick Grayson, Nightwing, to be his Robin? Listen, there is no way that was Jason, nothing about him makes sense, even taking into account that Jason had beaten Tim already in this event Jason actually tried to kill both Tim and Damian (it might have been just one of them but yeah, it still doesn’t make sense).

I just don’t think that Tony S. Daniel knew who Jason Todd was, maybe he got confused but the thing is, his “villainous” and deranged version of Jason Todd allowed a villainous and deranged version of Red Hood to happen with the next writer that I will be talking about.

Grant Morrison in Batman and Robin vol.1 #3-6.

This was the birth of the villainous, deranged and bloodthirsty Red Hood. There is absolutely no trace of UtRH Jason here, not even if we are looking at the opposite of things like we could do with Daniel’s Jason. Grant Morrison wanted Dick and Damian to have a villain to match their Batman and Robin and they decided to give us a red-haired-pill-headed-red hood. Everything from Morrison’s characterization of Jason is crazy, from the red hair (hello pre-crisis) to the awful Joker’s Red Hood looking suit, everything was just weird.

I still don’t believe that was Jason, to be honest, I would rather think that version of Jason was actually a rouge Skrull that came all the way from the Marvel Universe and lost his way in Gotham City. Maybe when he made the jump between universes, he got too much information and got confused and took the form of the wonkiest Jason Todd he could come up with.

This Jason was absolutely deranged, he knew exactly what he was doing and he didn’t care if innocents died. This Jason was the one that got locked up in Arkham. This is the Jason that Dick put in Arkham for Jason and everybody else’s safety.

Dick putting that Jason in Arkham wasn’t a bad thing or something that anyone can use to shit on Dick Grayson (not on this house). This Arkham was reformed and that Jason knew that if he stayed in that new Arkham he would stay away from trouble, but here is the thing, that Jason loved trouble, so he took all the tests to prove he wasn’t insane and asked to be transferred to Blackgate (where all the Red Hood’s enemies were). That Jason didn’t ask to be sent to Blackgate because the Joker was a cell away from his in Arkham, he did it so he could go on a killing spree in Blackgate (which he did when he got there).

Skrull Jason was just bloodthirsty and nothing like UtRH Jason, he had no motive other than just killing for fun or whatever. He didn’t want to protect Gotham and he couldn’t have cared less about the drug trade in Gotham. In Batman and Robin vol.1. Jason Todd was unrecognizable. And luckily, we never saw him again.

Scott Lobdell in Everything that he ever wrote about Red Hood.

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Lobdell was the king of overpowering Jason, he was the one that drove Red Hood farther and farther away from his street-level vigilante status. He continuously added more to him, he was a big deal because he was meant to take down Ra’s al Ghul, he was a big deal because he was the only human to train in the All-Castle and learned to summon the All-Blades.

This Red Hood’s morals and ideals were kind of gone, there just wasn’t any kind of interest in Jason to get rid of drugs or try to control its trade in Gotham, he just had no interest in street-level threats, everything was extraordinary in both New 52 and Rebirth. If he wasn’t in space he was in some mystical land. His friends and allies became even more and more powerful, his level of power was completely off compared to the others. His personality was ever-changing and quite honestly you could barely see the Jason that he once was.

This Jason also was very inconsistent in the way that he felt towards people (obviously because Lobdell is a shitty writer), he wanted to follow Batman’s rules and was shown as someone that still had fond memories of his life with Bruce before he died but was also willing to let those memories go, to move on? Maybe? I don’t know. But he changed his mind about Bruce and following his rules or not for a very long time. Jason was also a little bitch about Dick, and he was a little bitch because he (Lobdell) never gave the reader or anyone a concrete reason as to why he hated him so much and then in Rebirth he decided that Dick wasn’t that bad. Also, Jason went from “Willis Todd, abusive husband and father that deserved to die” to “Willis Todd abusive husband and father but he sent me letters when he was in prison and Penguin had him killed so now, I really want to avenge him”. Yeah, I don’t really know why that happened and like most of Lobdell’s arcs and stuff it was never really completed or well thought out.

Lobdell’s Jason characterization was a mess for ten years and that’s the prime reason why Jason is a character with no solid background, story or future.

James Tynion IV in Red Hood and the Outlaws.

Tynion’s Jason Todd was a hero, he was like a mini Tom King Batman. Everything he did was right and there was just no way that you could bamboozle him. This Jason was able to hold to Blades that drained his soul as well as hosting the Untitled in his body (that were able to drain his soul too) and on top of all that he completed his journey of the Chosen One by making those ancient martial arts moves that he learned before he was Robin even though Talia hadn’t been able to master it yet.

Scott Snyder, Tim Seeley in Batman Eternal and Batman and Robin Eternal.

A mess, this was pure New 52 levels of bullshit and they all just wanted to push the “Batfamily” and while Dick was gone, they were trying to make Jason fill the void that Dick left in Batman events. It didn’t work at all and all they did was mess around with Jason’s characterization more.

Geoff Johns in Three Jokers.

I have talked enough about Johns’ takes on Jason Todd and Red Hood, but let me tell you something real quick, if a writer thinks that the best they can do with a character is make them give up their morals/ideals for an unrequited love interest, then they can keep that idea for themselves. Geoff Johns wrote a book that was absolutely not needed and then proceeded to butcher every characterization that he could, Three Jokers was three issues long and he managed to add more trauma to Jason’s torture, push the narrative of Jason being at fault for his own murder and make Jason’s motivations to be the Red Hood weak enough to make him want to give up his work for a woman that he barely knows (and doesn’t like him at all).

Joshua Williamson in Future State: Red Hood and Robin #5.

Now, with Williamson I have issues only when he writes Jason, not because his stories are bad, don’t get me wrong, I would have completely enjoyed FS: Red Hood if it weren’t for the completely unnecessary Rose/Jason side plot he had going on. Jason was clearly working undercover for some people that he hated working with. He had to arrest or kill “masks” (vigilantes, just like he “used” to be) for the Magistrate.

His ideas were pretty solid, Jason did the job but he never killed the masks and actively didn’t trust the Magistrate but he was working there to tear them apart from within, and that’s amazing if Williamson had given us Jason Todd/Red Hood working undercover to dismantle an organization I would have been really happy.

But that’s not all he gave us, even if I just forget about his failed attempt at giving Jason a relationship, I can still see that Williamson is the kind of writer that wants (or is just following DC) to make the “Batfamily” happen no matter how dumb and out of place it looks in comics’ canon. So, I am a little bit weary, any writer that leans too much towards making Jason and Bruce work together and become a family makes me want to scream, but I do understand that is just me, many people want those two to be buddy-buddy, I, personally, would love to see Jason kick Bruce in the balls and tell him to lose his number.

Chip Zdarsky in Urban Legends: Cheer.

Ah, yes, I remember the days in which I thought that this could have been something good. Well, I was utterly wrong and I suffered all the way through this mini. I feel like now I can safely say that Zdarsky only wanted to write a Batman book but DC told him, “Hey you can write Batman but it has to be within a Red Hood story, but don’t worry, you don’t have to know much about the Hood guy, just come up with something and write Batman around that”.

I know that’s what happened because I read that story and all we got from it was horrible characterizations for pre-Robin Jason, Robin Jason, Jason Todd and Red Hood. I don’t know how he did it but yes, he managed to mess it all up.

From Jason not really wanting to be Robin and acting recklessly every step of the way, to secret desires of a perfect family with Bruce and so many other people that he couldn’t care about, Urban Legends: Cheer is the perfect book to avoid at all costs if you believe that the concept of “Batfamily” is the biggest lie, DC is trying to profit off this time around.

Zdarsky also nerfed Jason in ways that I thought DC only wanted to nerf Dick Grayson. But I was able to see that I was wrong. Zdarsky’s run also pushed some of the most disastrous narratives that DC really wants readers to believe like: Robin Jason wasn’t good at his job, he was too reckless and ultimately his death was his own fault. Yay! I want to cry!

I will give Zdarsky two points for at the very least showing that Red Hood wants to protect children and that he has a huge issue with how the drug trade is controlled and abused in Gotham City, it had been a while since we had seen that aspect of Jason’s Red Hood make an appearance.

It’s just too many writers completely missing the point of Red Hood’s character or simply writers agreeing to destroy Jason’s uniqueness in the DC Universe so DC (as the publisher) can further push the abomination that is the “Batfamily” in comics’ canon.

I do agree with you Anon when you say that Jason isn’t just a “bad boy” but I also don’t think that we can call UtRH Jason “dangerously insane”. Personally, I will only use that last description for BftC and Batman and Robin Jason, those two were dangerously insane indeed.

UtRH Jason was very meticulous in who he wanted dead and who got to live. He entered Gotham’s most dangerous world and he had to make a big entrance, he invited the eight most prosperous street dealers to a meeting, showed up with the decapitated heads of each of their right-hand men and an AK-47 and said:

“I am offering you a deal. I will be running the drug trade from now on. You will go about your business as usual. You will kick up forty percent to me. That is a much better deal than the Black Mask will give you. In return, you will have total protection from both the Black Mask and Batman. The catch? You stay away from kids and schoolyards. No dealing to children, got it? If you do, you’re dead.”

This was Red Hood! Red Hood wanted to control the drug trade in Gotham because he knew that Gotham is far too corrupt and filled with drug lords for him to just want to eradicate drugs from Gotham. If he had tried that he would have been a dumbass, but he wasn’t. He didn’t want to start a gang war and get innocent people killed because of it, he wanted to set the rules of his new Empire and he had to start with the street-level drug dealers, from there he grew until he became a major pain in Black Mask’s ass.

We went from Jason wanting to control the drug trade and take over Gotham’s underworld so people like Black mask couldn’t have people work for him (or being dependent on him) when they were still in high school or were in a vulnerable position, to Jason fighting a war for a mystic land because he was their “Chosen One”. DC really wanted to do something grand (yet boring) with Jason instead of sticking to a street-level vigilante that could have become a Drug Lord to control the drug trade of a city that is so filled with crime and corruption that it can’t be saved by anyone.

Batman doesn’t eradicate crime, he “controls” it, puts a blank it over it, lets it nap up until it wakes up once more to make more mess.

Red Hood had other plans, certain criminals didn’t get to nap, or, better said, they would get to nap forever.

So, no. I wouldn’t call that “dangerously insane”, I will call that “vigilante that believes himself judge, jury and executioner” of a city that is drowning in crime and corruption.

Anyway, I hope you have a really nice week Anon and thank you so much for sending me this ask!

#jason todd #red hood #under the red hood #red hood and the outlaws #dc comics #future state red hood #three jokers #bftc #asksss

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moonlit-imagines · 4 years

Text

Misbehavior (Part 1)

Jason Todd x batkid!reader

warnings:

a/n: tysm anon!!

prompt: anonymous: “Hello Lacey! Hope your doing great! Could I please request a bat family x batsis!reader where the reader is Kind of the middle child (I was thinking older than Damian but younger than Tim) and she’s always forgotten and in the back. Maybe some scenarios can be that no one listens when she talks or they forget to invite her to do stuff. So then one day she acts up in school like maybe punching someone for no good reason because she’s craving attention but instead of Bruce showing up to get her Jason shows up and he sees that she’s actually really sad and starts to question her until she tells him everything and maybe spills some tears and it ends with just Jason comforting her and cheering her up. Just some soft Jason for my soul! Also have a great day and I hope that you feel better and more motivated now after your break! 😘”

part 2

No matter what you did, none of your deeds went unnoticed. Good or bad.

You always heard how Dick was so independent, the one everyone should use as an example.

You always heard how Barbara could do it all, she never failed to impress.

You always heard how Jason was reckless, someone who needed to get his act together.

You always heard how Tim was such a prodigy, he was one of a kind.

You always heard how Steph was so determined, she had such amazing goals.

You always heard that Cass was perfect, they’d never change a thing about her.

You always heard that Duke was so strong, he’d never give up no matter what stood in his way.

You always heard that Damian was dangerous, a kid that needed to be guided.

But what about you? What did they hear about you? Nothing. No one ever spoke of you, they didn’t have the time. It seemed as if you were just unimpressive, there wasn’t one thing that needed to be mentioned. Stuck in the middle of a bunch of bats and birds, no way to stand out in the crowd.

Maybe not in a mask or a cowl, a dress or a suit, behind a computer or among the darkness, but there was one place you couldn’t be ignored...

You sat at your desk, picking at old tape with the tip of your fingernail. The teacher had nothing interesting to say, so what was the point of being here? What made Gotham Academy so special that you just had to attend this place?

The uniform was overkill, the classes went nowhere, the students were too preppy, and you didn’t have a single thing in common with anyone here.

Anger was starting to bubble inside you as you continued your internal self-loathing. Your mind was only focused on the negative, but it was shifting from school back to home.

No one was ever there for you, not even on patrol. You’d called for backup several times on missions and nearly lost it all when you had to go in alone. If it were anyone else, a teammate would have met them in a heartbeat.

Your plans were always overshadowed whenever you tried to set up a mission or even just a day off. You wanted cookies? Too bad, Tim wants brownies. You wanted to watch a movie? Too bad, everyone chose a TV show. It was the little things that irked you the most. Half the time, you never even got the memo.

And what about when you all come back from patrol with all sorts of injuries and Alfred comes to patch you up? Well, not you. He’ll run to check on cuts and scrapes. Meanwhile, you had a broken wrist and a black eye.

You’d finally run out of things to pick at around your desk which resorted in you tapping instead. There was a brief bit of zoning out as you remembered the time that Damian’s plan for evading Killer Croc’s attack was to push you in the way. Or the time that Jason hid his guns in your bed for reasons he didn’t care to explain. Or when Dick drank the last of the milk and didn’t tell you until after you poured your cereal. Or when Tim told you that you weren’t fit for the mission he had been planning. Or when Bruce blatantly ignored the story you told out of pure excitement, giving you nothing but a “sounds like you had fun.”

While you were in a horrible daze, you felt a hand on your shoulder that snapped you out of it faster than the Barry Allen. Without even evaluating the situation, your reflexes caused you to turn and twist your classmates arm backwards as he screamed.

“Hey! Stop, ow, that hurts! Stop! Stop it!” You processed his words too late and knew exactly what was coming next.

“Y/N L/N!” You teacher shouted as you drew your hand back. “Dean’s office. Right now.” Her sharp voice sent a chill down your spine, not even the Joker could do that. You’d be able to explain the situation pretty easily, you just didn’t want to make it worse. But there was one ankle that sent you off the edge. Another student tripped you on your way through the aisles, and that student caught a fist to the face. The audience gasped and shouting from your teacher ensued, but you didn’t listen, you’d take the punishment at this point. So you walked right out and headed for the dean’s office without so much as a hall pass.

“Mx. l/n? What’s this about?” Dean Williams was surprised to say the least, you’d never been sent in for discipline before. Was there a certain way to do this?

“Well, I zoned out and some kid behind me grabbed my shoulder, I accidentally twisted his arm.” You retold your story, the abridged version. “But on my way out I punched a kid in the face because he tripped me. That one’s on me.”

“...Well,” the dean frowned at his obligations, but had to go through with some kind of punishment, “I’m going to have to suspend you for physical contact with a student. I’ll call your father to come pick you up.” You shrugged and slouched back in your chair, giving up on any hope of talking your way out of this. It might as well just happen. You listened to the clicking of the buttons on the dean’s phone as he typed in the Wayne Manor phone number, obviously reaching Alfred almost immediately.

“Wayne Manor.” You eard his faint voice through the speaker.

“Hello, this is Dean Williams from Gotham Academy, may I speak to Mr. Wayne? I have his child in my office.” Your dean explained over the phone, peeking back at your for a split second. You were completely unbothered, it was baffling.

“Is it Damian?” You heard him ask, causing an involuntary eye roll.

“Y/N, actually.” There was a long pause before someone else picked up the phone. “Mr. Wayne, this is Dean Williams at Gotham Academy. I have y/n sitting across from me right now, they seemed to have gotten themself into a physical altercation with two separate students, I have no choice but to suspend them.” You heard a deep sigh over the phone, then the handheld piece was handed to you.

“Bruce?” You asked.

“Really? Fighting at school?” He sounded unimpressed. Nothing new, even when you do something new.

“Something like that. Whoops.” He hung up on you right after that, so you handed the phone back and told your dean, “Guess they’ll get me soon.”

“You call your father by his first name?” Dean Williams had nosily questioned.

“I’m adopted.” He obviously didn’t know you as well as your more troublesome sibling, it was time he just minded his business.

After a good thirty minutes of silent waiting while listening to keyboard clacking and papers flipping by the front desk, the office door opened, and to your surprise, it was one of your brothers.

“I’m here for y/n.” He mumbled, signing the piece of paper and showing his ID.

“Alright, Mr. Harper, I just have to check some paperwork really quick...” The receptionist went into your file and checked for your emergency contacts. “You’re all set. Now, y/n has been suspended for two weeks. I suggest you get to the bottom of their little ‘outburst’ before they’re able to come back to school.” It actually pissed Jason off to hear her say that.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” His sarcasm wasn’t subtle. “Come on, kid.” Your brother gripped your arm and led you out of the office, noticing your bitter expression that he couldn’t even rationalize. Was that normal? “So what happened. Bruce just told me to come get you.”

“Of course he did.” You rolled your eyes on the brink of tears, he didn’t even come to get you himself. Jason opened the car door for you and nudged you inside, slamming it once you were clear.

“You better have a good reason,” he warned as he started the engine, “I was in the middle of a poker game.”

“Oh, yeah, ‘cause I’m such an inconvenience.” You were starting to remind him of himself. That was never a good thing.

“Okay, my bad. I didn’t mean it like that.” Jason began speeding down the block, you’d never once seen him obey a speed limit. You’d think someone with a fake ID and a death certificate would want to avoid any run-ins with the cops, but Gotham was just one of those cities.

“Yeah, right.” You reached for the radio knobs and felt Jason’s hand wrap around your wrist.

“No music until you explain yourself.” You fell back into your seat to pout, muttering some curses under your breath. “I won’t tell Bruce or anyone. I swear.”

“I just zoned out. Reflexes.” You bluntly replied.

“What?” He still didn’t have any context to go off of.

“I twisted someone’s arm backwards. Honest mistake.” Jason knew there was more to this story. “But on my way out of the classroom, I punched this kid who tried to trip me. That was on him.”

“As much as I condone payback, you can’t do that at school.” He sighed. “You’ve never been sent home before. That I know of. So why now?”

“Yeah, you know, maybe that’s the issue? You couldn’t tell me if I’ve ever gotten in trouble before. None of you could. You couldn’t tell me a definitive thing about me. When’s my birthday, Jason?” He was at a loss for words. “That’s what I thought.”

“So this was all for attention?” Jason asked. “There’s a hell of a lot of better ways to go about that.”

“Tried them all, this one barely even worked.” You replied with a crack in your voice. “How come none of you care about me? Why am I always looked over? I’m just like the rest of you. I put on that stupid suit every night and kick ass, I get my job done, I get good grades, I’m resourceful, I’m special—” You’d let that last one slip in your rant to your older brother, it shocked him so bad he stopped the car.

“I know what you mean.” Jason stared straight ahead at the empty road. “I felt the same way when I came back. After everyone was used to me being back, it was like nothing ever happened. Bruce just went back to calling me careless, irresponsible.”

“At least you get noticed, Jason. Your identifiable.” You turned to him with a pained look and he risked his confidence to look you in the eye. Once he did, he couldn’t look away. It hurt him to see someone so familiar to himself have tears running down their face because they felt forgotten. No kid should ever have to feel like that. That was why Bruce took him in. That was how Jason became Robin.

“Fuck this.” Jason hit the gas and turned the car around. “We’re getting ice cream. Do you like ice cream? That’s a serious question.”

“I...I guess.” You were somewhat confused by his sudden literal change in direction.

“Good. You’re my kid for today, all my attention goes to you. I’m sure Bruce won’t notice if you’re gone for a few hours.” Jason’s jaw dropped at his last comment. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“No, you’re right and you should say it.”

taglist: @thatwaspossession // @ravenmoore14 // @thisetaernallove // @kinoko-kai //

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river-bottom-nightmare · 3 years

Text

"you were missed, you know.” the voice is light, balancing on the edge of airy like a coin on its rim, in a way only careful practice yielded. so jason whirls around, faster than he normally would in a neatly-pressed suit and loose dress shoes.

there’s a woman, close cropped red hair swinging into her face and pulling at the corners of her mouth until her expression is as severe as her form. there’s a scar on her jaw and, oh, the memory tumbles into his head as if pushed. kate kane, proof that vigilantism is genetic, once tugged jason into into her side and pulled him away from a particularly leering investor at function. the bite of her nails on his skin was a thousand times sweeter than the man’s smile.

she smirks. “hi.”

“haven’t seen you in a while,” jason responds, attempting casual and instead tripping, falling into his crime lord persona, since he doesn’t know how else to interact with people when he’s jason peter todd-wayne.

“not since you died,” kate remarks and damn, right for the gullet. “you’ve grown up.”

jason shrugs, suddenly feeling thirteen years old again, suddenly feeling all of four feet, eight inches in the face of her candidness. “time’s funny like that.”

she eyes him carefully, trying to fish for the truth in what she believes is a lie wrapped in a careful quip. jason doesn’t blame her: he’s cultivated quite a reputation for himself. but he stripped the sarcasm from his words before he spoke them, and their rawness is shrouded in the bubbling champagne and crystal chandelier around them, but it’s no less present for anyone who knows how to peel the veil back.

“you were missed,” she repeats, satisfied with his answer. “not sure anyone’s told you that since you’ve come back. your family’s a stubborn bunch. i just wanted to make sure.”

“make sure i knew i was missed?” jason clarifies, feeling a little foolish, because dick wouldn’t beg to save his life but there were a few times that his words came close to pleas, and tim had made it clear how much he’d upheld the pedestal he’d put jason on, and alfred had actually told him that to his face.

but this was the first time he found himself truly believing those familiar words. he hadn’t known kate, not at all. and yet, she nodded, clapped him on the shoulder once, twice, then left, completely unaware of the pit of resentment she’d carved out of jason’s stomach and thrown on the ground until jason felt like he’d slip on it if he moved, if he breathed.

she didn’t look back, but jason’s eyes didn’t stop following her until she was out of sight.

"you were missed, you know.” jason doesn’t startle, his training is etched into every scar decorating his skin, and there are times that he grips and holds onto those scars like a lifeline. he’s far too practiced to flinch, but he’d be lying to himself if his heart didn’t skip a beat.

he forgave himself in the next second, though. cassandra cain could make men much more experienced than him recoil. she appeared soundlessly, and folded down beside him with a grace that jason hadn’t seen anywhere outside his family. the amount of space she left between them, the relaxed posture that left visible tension cording through her arms like pulling steel taffy, the tilt to her body that made jason automatically want to open his mouth and let his tumultuous thoughts come out as an oil spill: right now, cass had dick grayson’s brushtrokes all over her.

“dick put you up to this?”

cass shook her head, then bit her lip in a considering movement. jason wondered if he’d practiced, because bruce had long since broken that dangerous habit out of his children.

“i am still working on comfort. assurance,” she said, rifling through the words like flash cards, picking the most accurate ones. “i thought i’d practice.”

“oh? and why exactly do you think i need comfort.”

“i overheard your argument,” she admitted, “with bruce.”

“i didn’t think anyone was there.”

“i didn’t mean to,” she said. “sorry. but i heard what you said.”

jason scoffed. “prove me wrong. one step forward, two steps back with that dense motherfucker.”

“sign of protection,” cass said. “not distrust.”

out of everyone to say that to him, cass was probably the least likely. jason had thought she, of all people, would be on his side after he found the microchip in his helmet. she, of all people, would value independence after being owned for so long.

“by the time he found you, you were dead. and he missed you more than anything. he will never let that happen again.”

“oh yeah? privacy mean nothing to him? i know he’s crazy about this stuff but come on. there’s a limit.”

“you are not relying on him because of this.” cass stood up, stretching her back, though jason was sure she really didn’t have to. “he is relying on you. let him.”

“you were missed, you know.”

“what, speaking from personal experience? i ain’t you, west.” jason could feel the gentle thrum of electricity behind him, making his hair stand on edge. two steps backward, and he’d be pulled into that void, that black hole of energy, that swirling vortex of pure power condensed into something human-shaped.

except he wouldn’t. it was just wally. just dick’s best friend joining him outside on the balcony. jason didn’t know how dick and tim could stand to be around speedsters willingly, for fun.

“i mean, sort of,” wally shrugged. “but me and you had very different experiences.”

“yeah, west, i’m not sure who else has been stuck in the fucking speedforce.”

wally snorted, an if only you knew hidden in plain sight. jason decided he really didn’t want to know. “i mean there’s that,” the speedster concedes, “but also, everyone forgot i existed. that didn’t happen with you.”

“you sure about that?”

“hey,” wally eyed him, his eyes suddenly sharp. “don’t start that shit. i was erased from the memories of everyone i loved. you did nothing but stay in the memories of your family.”

“now i know we’re talking about two different things.”

“jason,” wally sighed, and the sheer exasperation pouring off him made jason want curl his fingers, bring them up for a swing, taste the bite of pain that would prick at his knuckles, nevermind the fact that wally would dodge anyway. “don’t do that.”

he turned to face the speedster, arms crossed deliberately over his chest. “where the hell do you get off acting like dick?”

“you’re more like dick than you realize,” wally said, “and i spent half my childhood dealing with his moods. actually, i still do.”

“do you have a point?” jason snapped, starting to get irritated. he wasn’t sure why. he’d spent his entire life one one end of a scale, dick grayson on the other. he’d always tipped his end down. this was the first time someone was telling him the scale was even.

“just because your family didn’t mourn the way you wanted them to,” wally said, “doesn’t mean they didn’t mourn you.”

“fuck you.”

“they loved you. and they missed you,” wally continues, steamrolling right over jason in a way most speedsters were prone to do. “there’s no minimum requirement for loss. no ‘if you didn’t do this, then you didn’t grieve me.’ that’s not even a situation, ever.”

“so that makes everything bruce did okay?” jason sputtered

“not at all. god knows i disagree with bruce on more things than i tolerate. but this is one thing you can’t fault him on.”

it wasn’t that easy, though. jason wanted to scream it at wally’s face, it wasn’t that easy. it wasn’t about whether bruce loved him enough,,,,except maybe it was. jason wanted bruce to have loved him enough to make a difference in gotham. jason wanted bruce to have missed him enough to change things, because change meant that bruce had been so hurt by his death that he refused to let it happen to anyone else again.

bruce had made a vow after his parents died. the fifteen year old inside jason was begging bruce why he hadn’t been afforded the same devotion. jason was his son.

“just something to think about,” wally said, then stepped backward, making to go inside where dick was calling him. “you were afforded the luxury of coming back with a place left empty in your family for you. you didn’t have to make it, like i did.”

“being dead, then coming back wrong isn’t a fucking luxury,” jason snarled.

with a shrug, wally turned, a little faster than the average human, lightning sparking at his heels as he left jason alone on the balcony. “depends on your definition of wrong.”

jason get therapy. please. also happy deathday

honestly i couldn’t decide whose side of the argument i was on, jason’s or wally’s.

tag list: @woahjaybird @birdy-bat-writes @anothertimdrakestan @screennamealreadyused @subtleappreciation @pricetagofficial @catxsnow @bikoncon @bonkybearjpeg @maplumebleue-blog-blog @sundownridge @thatsthewhump @xatanna-troy @red-hood-redemption

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britcision · 1 year

Text

Happy WIP Wednesday again friends! I have some more of chapter 17 for you after last week’s break (it has been a fucking BUSY week too holy shit)

Just a lil snack while the lore churns in the background

—————

Well You Did Get Down On One Knee part ii

The evening was beginning to draw in, the sun getting low over Gotham city. Between her patrol the night before, helping Signal out with a case, and then that brief group heart attack about Jason, it had already been a really long day.

Spoiler cracked her neck a couple times and sighed, then sunk into the shadow behind a gargoyle.

It was smaller than usual… and occupied. Robin glowered up at her, leaping up to sit on the gargoyle’s head instead. He looked for all the world like he wanted to hiss at her like a cranky cat, which diffused all of Spoiler’s tension (but would only make his worse if she mentioned it. Maybe tomorrow).

Sighing philosophically she settled back against the base of the gargoyle, tipping her head back to see him.

“Hey… what are you doing out so early? Usually you lot wait until sundown to swing from the shadows,” she pointed out (rather fairly, she thought).

Robin just scowled disdainfully down at her, then twisted his head away to glare at the city instead.

“As if I needed any more reason to be out than you do,” he sniffed archly.

Spoiler grinned, puffing herself up. She did have an answer for this one.

“Hey, I was actually requested today. Signal needed a second pair of eyes on the back door of a bust. Didn’t see you there,” she added innocently, a brow rising.

It was technically possible that Robin could have suited up and left the manor in between Bruce’s message and Tim’s response. Spoiler wouldn’t put money on it though.

He’d have had to be on his way down already, and while they could all change quickly, there were no rushed or sloppy patches to her experienced eye.

His hair was even neatly slicked back into the traditional Robin spikes, one every Robin but her and Duke had used during their time as the baby bird.

Nah, he’d not rushed out in a panic, even if he was still more tense than he should have been. Every line of the kid was tight with… Spoiler cocked her head thoughtfully.

Frustration?

Definitely not unusual, Damian didn’t have Dick’s temper but he’d spent pretty much all of his first few years in Gotham unbearably frustrated with them all. It had just been a while since she’d seen it so… visibly.

And for all Steph was a gleeful little shit and loved poking at trouble, she wasn’t cruel. There was no point in pushing Robin if he was already on edge.

So she shrugged nonchalantly and looked forward instead, reaching back over her head to pat him gently on the foot. He didn’t dodge, which only cemented her decision.

“‘Course, no rule against taking a daylight run if you’re in the mood. See anything interesting?” She asked nonchalantly.

Kid wouldn’t admit it if he had been worrying.

Silence reigned for another long moment, and then Robin huffed and dropped down to the rooftop beside her, folding himself back into the sharper shadow the daylight provided.

“No.” Short and sweet, unlike the kid himself.

But he also hadn’t left, and Spoiler was gonna call that a win.

“Will you be out tonight too?” She asked instead of pushing, reminding herself yet again; he’d open up in his own time.

Hypothetically.

Robin made a soft, disgusted noise, glowering at the smog filled sky. Probably even in the right direction for the Watchtower.

“I intend to be. Someone must keep an eye on things,” he grumbled, and Spoiler made an effort not to take it personally.

B had been majorly distracted with all this Amity Park business, not even breathing down their necks about the usual nightly reports. The rogues hadn’t exactly noticed yet, but the goons had.

The big Bat himself not making an appearance for a couple of nights usually attracted some comment, and an up-til-now entirely Bat-free new year?

The guys she’d helped Signal grab today had been muttering about it right until they ran into her arms. Fists.

They’d mentioned not seeing Stabby Robin either though.

Which she might as well also mention.

“Weren’t you out last night too? I saw your gear missing when I dropped by at the end of the night,” she added when he tensed again, hands wedged in her utility belt. “Didn’t hear you on comms though.”

And that was more than just rude; it was bad protocol, and Robin, for all his other faults, respected the strictness of protocol.

He stayed silent, not looking at her. Spoiler decided he could use just a little push.

“Y’know unless you went out tech free I can just ask Oracle,” she pointed out gently, giving his shoulder a gentle bump.

It got him to glower up at her anyway.

“I was not on patrol,” he grumbled, whites of his mask narrowed before returning his glare to the city at large, “like I am not today.”

When he didn’t elaborate, Spoiler flipped a mental coin. Figured why not; they were already doing well.

Kid must be on the verge of having to, dread the thought, ask for help.

“And what would you be doing out and about if not patrolling…” she began, then stopped when a piece clicked suddenly into place.

Robin, Damian, was about as social as a feral cat. And about as friendly with anyone who got close to those he considered his.

Right now, Danny Fenton and his friends had more than half the family utterly wound up. All except Bruce in a good way, Spoiler was the first to admit, but Robin wouldn’t see it like that.

The only trick was, how to word the question.

Spoiler liked blunt. It made her stand out from the bats, who all played way too much mental and emotional chicken to be healthy. She’d always been more of a bird that way.

“Wouldn’t have anything to do with Hood’s little disappearance today, would it?” She asked instead, grinning broadly when Robin twitched.

Hit the nail on the head.

——————

Tag List: @welcometosasakiworld @kyrianclawraith @someonebored0100 @stealingyourbones @starkcravingmad @frostedthroughghost @akikkobara @rainbowbunny0159 @littlefeather345 5 @violet-catsarelife @serasvictoria02 @wolfjackle @blacksea21090 @secretdestinywerewolf @anime-hipster-the-amazing @undead-essence e @skitscratched @blackroserelina @snoodly-boop @mayoota-blog g @xysidhe @little-apricot-the-writer @chaoticmistake @the-legal-shipper @bun-fish @aroranorth-west @demon-cat-goes-woof @perfectwastelandcreation @onyxlightdragon @larks-and-katydids @peachesandcreamfemboy @jesus-camp-the-sequel @may-rbi @mothman-the-mothman87 @viyatrix @stargirl1331 @idfk-man10 @thedepressedrobin @skulld3mort-1fan @rootsmudge @ravenshadow17 @cankoking @phantom-dc @mentalcarebear r @magic-pincushion @redamancyardor @lyra689 @itsparadoxlacuna @alcorbearson @asphyxia778 @why-must-i-be-like-this @tkiesai @greenpyrowolf @frivolous-pastel @honeysuckletook

#wip wednesday #danny fenton dead and loving it #dp x dc #dpxdc #dcxdp #dc x dp #chapter 17 part ii #well you did get down on one knee #someone was wondering where dami has been #keep wondering 😈

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arty-shadow-morningstar · 3 years

Text

Graveyard Siblings (5)

[Masterlink] (PART 1) (PART 4)

-----

Mari and Cass sometimes switch their suits as they have the same body type. Cass would sometimes go out in full Hellbat gear and give the appearance that Hellbat is out more often than she actually is.

So Orphan/Black Bat also sometimes uses guns.

This also helps with concealing secret identities. Maria was rescued by Hellbat from Joker’s Henchmen. (Vicki Vale was getting sus of the new Wayne and Hellbat.)

Unfortunately since Hellbat rarely comes out and she had already made all of her appearance for the month and it wasn’t a busy weekend, the public had come to the conclusion that Hellbat has a crush on the newest Wayne.

Basically everyone thought that Mari has a crush on herself. Which led to some teasing and escalated to Mari announcing that Jason had a crush on Red Hood on live TV.

It didn’t help that a video of Red Hood and Jason re-enacting Romeo and Juliet with Jason on his apartment balcony and Red Hood on the roof was posted on the internet a few days later. (Thank you, Trixx and Tim’s awesome video editing skills)

Sadly, it was taken down 24 hours later. (Tim and the others have multiple copies of it, on the cloud or hardware, hidden around in the manor and their respective safehouses in the US.)

Some people kidnapped Jason to hopefully gain leverage over the Red Hood and to their dismay and nightmares for years to come, Hellbat came instead.

One lucky and incredibly brave reporter asked why she was there instead of her brother.

Mari being a little shit, “Red Hood may be a tough and scary guy but when it comes to his feelings, my brother is a chicken.”

Pictures of Jason tackling Hellbat somehow never made it into any papers.

The criminal underworld hasn’t taken a hint and Jason has been kidnapped a few more times.

Other times Jason was kidnapped:

Robin: Red Hood made a fool of himself in front of Todd recently and he doesn’t dare to show his face.

Spoiler: He was taking too damn long checking his hair even though I told him that no one was going to see it under his helmet and he was so offended that he is currently sulking in the bathroom.

Red Robin: Red Hood can’t think straight when he is around Jason. I mean have you seen the dude.

Arsenal*during a rare visit to Gotham*: Red Hood owes me one now.

Dick finally ends it by going out as Red Hood and rescuing Jason. Gotham is happy that Redson (Red Hood x Jason) ship has finally sailed.

-------

Kate, Babs, Cass, Steph and Mari were out on Mari’s first girls’ night since her move to the manor.

This is set a little after she came back from Paris with Jason.

They watched rom-com movies, did hair and nails, gossip about the superhero community and bitch and vent to each other.

Marinette off-handedly mentioned the crazy shits she had done during her stint as Ladybug. It started with asking about the T-rex in the Batcave and she mentions jumping into the mouth of a live one before.

Everyone in the room was shocked and after a few more questions, it was obvious that she was very reckless and self-sacrificing. Yep, she was going to fit into this crazy family just fine.

And Holy Shit. There is so much trauma packed into this kid. She needs lots of therapy.

Babs finally decided that they all needed to get out and have some fun. All in their respective suits and they went out.

Joined by Harley, Ivy and Selina.

Plagg came along because I want Plagg to meet Selina.

It was a chaotic night and it was a miracle that Bruce didn’t find out about what the girls did.

-------

Batman and Red Hood were on patrol together when Selina jumped in front of them.

“Hello, Boys”

“What do you want, Catwoman?”

“I want to meet my new prodigy, Kitty Noire.”

Cue Marinette jumping down from her hiding spot, transformed with the Black Cat Miraculous. “Hiya.”

Red Hood carries her like a potato sack and points his gun at the other two.

“Nope, she’s my sister and I called dibs. I adopted her. She’s off limits.”

“Legally, she’s mine.” Batman coughed out.

“I did it first. Emotionally. She’s my emotional support sister. You have plenty kids already, B and Selina, get your own.”

“Hey, I am still here and can hear you.”- Maria

-------

Alya was worried for Lila. She had been acting weirdly for the past month.

She looked very out of sorts. Her clothes weren’t in order and her hair was in disarray. She had bags under her eyes and her eyes looked wild. Lila didn’t look like herself at all.

She jumped at any sound and flinched at really sudden movements.

Alya tried to find out what was wrong with Lila and received vague answers.

One time Lila said that Marinette is to blame.

Alya reaches the somewhat right conclusion that Marinette was haunting Lila and hurting her because Lila used to come to school with bruises and claims that Marinette did it.

Alya goes to Marinette’s grave to desecrate it. (Yeah, go anger the ghost that is haunting someone.)

Unfortunately, the moment she tries to do something, the sky turns dark, clouds appear and the wind begins whipping. A Lightning strike near her and there was a cloaked figure beside her with a scythe.

All Alya saw from the figure was the blood-red lips in a very sharp grin and glowing blue eyes, raising the scythe high before she ran away. The scythe swiped the air where her head once was.

Alya didn’t get far before she tripped and blacked out.

When she woke up, she found herself in the hospital with no idea how she got there.

She was told that somebody found her with a concussion in the park and took her to the hospital.

------

The next one on Mari’s hit list was Natalie.

She wasn’t as involved in the whole thing like Lila, Adrien or Gabriel but she still did it anyways.

Her punishment is a little mild compared to the others and was more of a warning to Gabriel.

Natalie woke up in the middle of the night to see a not-so-dead Ladybug sitting on her vanity chair with the moonlight from the windows illuminating her body and her neck. Her suit was torn exactly like the day of that battle with blood dripping down her arms and from her open wounds. The shadows kept her face hidden but glowing blue eyes stared at her.

Natalie was scared at first. But she regained her normal cool composure.

“I assume you are here to extract your revenge for aiding in your unfortunate demise. But before you kill me, I regret my part in my entire thing and I apologize for everything I have done against you even though I knew it was wrong.”

“At least you show remorse over what you have done. Visiting my grave when even my parents didn’t and leaving flowers. I love those purple hyacinths by the way. Did you know that they mean sorry in the language of the flowers?”

“Why are you stalling my death? Just kill me already.”

“Madam Sancouer. You just played a minor role in my downfall compared to what Adrien and Lila Rossi did to me. And you showed more guilt over your actions than they ever did and Adrien claimed to have loved me. And like I have told the Bats, Death is too swift of a punishment.”

“Who are the bats?”

“None of your concern. You should be more concerned about yourself.”

“Lila sees the ghosts of her past and they haunt her. Adrien is in a living nightmare and has no control over his actions and is despised by everyone. What are you going to do to me?”

“Well, since you show some guilt over your actions, let me tell you a little secret. I am not dead. Not really. I mean I did die. But there was a spell in the grimoire that revived me. It took a few days to work.”

Marinette changed to her normal form. It was a little jarring to see an older Marinette Dupain-Cheng sitting on her vanity chair like it was a throne. The Ladybug suit and the wounds were gone. She looked a little familiar.

“Why are you telling me this? What was the point?” Natalie faltered as she wondered why the girl looked familiar. Marinette moved closer and her face was fully illuminated by the moonlight.

“I intend to take everything by which I mean everything from Gabriel Agreste for what he did.”

“M. Agreste just wanted his wife back. You just gave him your Miraculous, you would still have everything.”

“What difference would it make? Sure I had friends and family before but they turned out to be disappointing. I might have become a famous designer like I dreamed of and can't achieve because I died. Besides, he never said about wanting his wife to come back in his tedious monologues. For all we knew back then, he wanted them for world domination. He showed that he would end the world for them. For kwamis’ sake, he nearly started World War III, just for a pair of earring and a ring. He was willing to kill me to have her back. No wait, he did that too. If he actually read the translated grimoire or asked the Guardian or at least someone with magic for help instead or maybe used his head and made some who can heal as his champion using the Butterfly, we wouldn’t even be in this mess. Face it, Mme Sancour, your boss is a power-hungry and very controlling maniac who is also thankfully an idiot.”

“But- he- he just-. You are just a child, what do you know? M. Agreste knew what he was doing.”

“A child who had a normal life up until he tried to ruin it with his idiotic schemes and hiring Lila to do it. A child who had to fight a war on her own.”

“I am sorry you had to go through that but I doubt you and your little revenge rampage is going to solve anything.”

Ghostly Chains wrapped around Natalie’s body, squeezing tight like it was squeezing the life out of her.

“I was all for sparing you, you know. If you had actually listened to my side of the story, you would have spared from my ‘little revenge rampage’. This is going to be a little painful. Sorry about that.” In a tone that was definitely not sorry.

Pain coursed through Natalie’s body. Her skin crawled and itched as pitch back feathers grew out of it. Her bones turned to dust and reformed.

Where Natalie Sancour once was, there was a raven.

An omen of death and destruction for one Gabriel Agreste.

Marinette leaned down towards the raven. Natalie tried to peck her eye out but Marinette held the beak in a firm grip.

“Ah. ah ah. Luckily for you this is temporary. Mostly. Every night, you will assume this shape and each night the longer you will stay in this form. Slowly counting down the days until Gabriel’s downfall. Since you love helping him so much, you are going to help him know how long he has to live. The night you are a raven from sunset to sunrise, that sunrise starts the day Gabriel Agreste will be utterly destroyed.”

She released the beak and headed towards the window.

"Send him my regards."

With that, she was gone.

(Part 6)

#platonic jasonette #graveyard siblings #maribat #ml x dc #marinette meets the sirens

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yannowhatigiveup · 3 years

Text

New but True

This is the 10k+ one shot I was talking about. I finished it as quickly as I could yesterday (with aching muscles WHICH STILL HURTS-) Any way enjoy!

Wordcount: >13k

Damian didn't know how he was expecting his day to go but he didn't expect it to go like this.

He woke up a little earlier than usual which was an annoyance since he would be doing patrol late at night. His brothers were also being a pain when he arrived for breakfast, but that was normal. What wasn't normal was the fact that he had this aching feeling in his stomach, a gut feeling, that something would happen. He wasn't sure whether it was something good or something bad, but he wasn't going to take any chances. He didn't pay any attention to Dick as he talked about how Kor'i and Mar'i would be coming to visit. The eldest, being his overdramatic self, let out a huff of taken offense when he realised Damian wasn't paying attention. His thoughts were interrupted by Jason's annoying snark.

"Demon-spawn's love life is nonexistent, did you really expect him to listen?"

Damian inhaled sharply through his nose, took a sip from the cup of coffee he stole from Tim, reached for a knife and looked Jason straight in the eyes. "Your life will be nonexistent, Todd"

As he was about to throw it, Alfred materialized behind him. "Master Damian, no throwing utensils at the table"

The green-eyed boy huffed, finishing the rest of Tim's coffee off. He left to his room with no comment and when he reached his room, he changed to go on a walk.

He didn't have a specific area he wanted to go to, he just let his legs do the walking. He made it to a paint shop, an antique shop, a small drinks stand where he bought a small lemonade from and a quiet street. Then the feeling returned only much stronger. Damian then felt as if he was being watched. His eyes squinted and scanned the area surrounding him only to be filled with dread as a wave of exhaustion hit him. Somehow someway, someone managed to drug him. Soon the effects of the drug went in full motion and he sank quickly into darkness.

~~~

Damian, still half asleep, tried to move around, only to feel a chains bounding him to the floor. Now he was fully awake. His eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room and he came to the conclusion that he was kidnapped by the League of Assassins. He was heavily and expertly bounded to the floor which was a bother. Then a voice made him realise he wasn't alone.

"Wh-where am I?" A faint, small and sweet voice asked in French.

Damian's head turned to the direction the sound was doing from, his vision was then locked with the other figure in the room. Green eyes met blue. Damon didn't know what to say after meeting the girl's gaze and instead observed her. She was beautiful, probably the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and she looked small, frail and weak. But Damian knew better than to judge people based on appearance alone. It could all just be an act, an image she's trying to portray. 'This girl has to be dangerous or has to have a great significance of some kind. After all, she was kidnapped too'. Damian was about to answer when an all too familiar voice answered instead.

"You're in the League of Assassins, little guardian" a female voice replied in french. Damian then turned to meet his mother's glare, giving Talia a glare of his own.

"...Why am I here?" Even though the girl seemed very fragile at that moment, her voice was intimidating.

"To be betrothed to my son"

"What?!" Both teenagers exclaimed in French.

"You heard me. You-" Talia pointed at Damian. "are the heir to the League of Assassins and you-" her finger pointed to the blue-haired girl. "are the Great Guardian, heir to the Order of the Guardians." she then crossed her arms. "It would be beneficial for both parties for this marriage to take place as it would create an alliance between the two opposing organizations"

Talia approached the blue-eyed girl first. "I have your kwami" she whispered furiously in French. "Go through with this, otherwise your kwami will take the punishment" Damian didn't understand what his mother was talking about and soon she was approaching him. "You refuse, the girl dies. You choose" she told her son in English. Talia was very certain the girl heard and understood her words.

He didn't know anything about the girl but he would be damned if he let her die. Damian and the figure both locked eyes again. Though neither face showed any emotion, their eyes conveyed a silent conversation, a silent agreement.

Talia didn't see this as she was already turning away from them. "You'll now be escorted to different rooms to change". At her command, more people entered the room.

~~~

He was forced into his assassin's gear and dragged to the alter, many assassins with weapons drawn warned him to remain where he was. Then the doors opened. The mysterious blue-

eyed girl was fitted in a dark red qipao, her long midnight hair, that was now let down, framed her face perfectly. If they weren't in this situation, he probably would have approached the girl himself.

Being brought back to reality, both him and the girl stood side by side, looking up at Talia who had a goblet filled with god knows what. The brown-haired woman then forcefully took the girl's hand and sliced her palm, letting the blood drip down into the beaker. Upon doing so, the blue-haired girl winced when the blade made contact with her skin. Talia then took Damian's hand and did the same, Damian didn't show any emotion when the action was done. The woman mixed the liquids and poured the concoction into two separate glasses. She chanted something in another language which he didn't bother listening to. Both Damian's and the girl's eyes locked once more before they both brought the chalices to their lips and drank. Damian ignored the burning from the liquid as it went down his throat but he saw the girl gulp in visible discomfort.

After the ceremony was complete, the newlywed couple were forced into a bedroom. Damian tried opening the door but it was, shut. He turned to face the girl who was now sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I'm truly sorry for these turn of events"

"I'm so sorry they dragged you into this"

Damian and the blue-eyed girl shared a small but saddened chuckle as they both talked, in English, at the same time.

"Like I said earlier I... I'm sorry you were forced into this" Damian murmured as he went to sit next to the girl, keeping some distance as to not make her uncomfortable.

"I'm gonna stop you right there" She put her hand up, indicating for him to stop talking. "You were roped into this as much as I was" the girl hesitantly placed her hand on his and surprisingly, Damian didn't feel the need to pull away. "The only person here to blame is your mother" her eyes widened at her own statement "Sorryifthatoffendedyou!"

Damian chuckled at her reaction. "It's fine. She only gets the privilege of being called my mother because she's biologically related to me" he thought for a moment and cleared his throat. "Since we're... married"

"We might as well try to make it work" she smiled at him and Damian felt his cheeks heat up ever so slightly.

He nodded. "Firstly, Hello, my name is Damian, Damian Wayne and I am your husband"

"Well hello too you too! I'm your wife and my name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng... or is it Wayne now?" Marinette asked slightly flustered. Damian decided that he enjoyed seeing her flustered. He took the hand that was resting on his and gently kissed her knuckles. The bluenette's blush was far more visible now.

"Marinette" Damian hummed. "A beautiful name to suit a beautiful lady such as yourself"

She giggled, Damian revelled in the sound. "You're one to talk tall, dark and handsome" she abruptly stopped. "Wait, Damian Wayne?" Marinette tried to stifle her laughter but failed.

"What's so funny?" He shot her a jokingly glare.

"No it's just-" she tried to control her laughter and managed to lower it to giggles. "There's a girl in my class and she says that you and her are a couple"

The look of disgust on his face managed to throw her into a fit of more laughter. "The only woman that I love is my beautiful wife" he grumbled, pulling Marinette closer to him and wrapping his arm around her waist. Damian felt the blue-eyed girl's body freeze. "Sorry I-" he was cut off when Marinette leaned into his embrace, her head snuggled under his chin.

"I love you too, mon chéri"

~~~

In the few hours she really got to know him, Marinette fell for Damian, she fell hard. He told her about his pets and about Jon, his self proclaimed best friend. He then told her about his family, how they were actually the Bats and how infuriating they were, though she knew he loved them. In turn she told him about being Ladybug and the situation in Paris, he was furious about not knowing of this sooner. Even more so after finding out her relationship with her classmates but he kept his promise to not kill them, for now.

They hadn't noticed how much time has past until the sound of the door opening reminded the couple of where they were. Damian and Marinette both stood up, the bluenette slightly behind her husband as Talia entered the room. The older woman tossed a cage and a key at the two, she left without saying a single word. Marinette picked up the key and stumbled to cage, shakily turning the key. As soon as the cage door opened, the red blur flew out and hugged her cheek.

"Marinette I was so worried!" Tikki squeaked

"I'm glad you're okay Tikki!" The bluenette turned to the black-haired boy who was smiling ever so slightly at the reunion. "Damian this is Tikki, my kwami. Tikki this is Damian, my husband"

Damian stood and nodded curtly at the flying goddess. The kwami flew up, inspected for a second and hugged his cheek. Marinette giggled at the interaction. "He's right for you Marinette. But the moment I get my hands on that witch of a woman, I will get Plagg to deal with her"

Marinette, not wanting to stress her kwami best friend, suggested that Tikki get some rest and the kwami, though hesitantly, agreed. Now it was just Damian and Marinette awake. The green-eyed boy walked towards the window, Marinette followed suit.

"Tt, It's bolted down where we can't reach" Damian was referring to the window.

"I checked for any secret doors or passage ways, nothing"

"We need to escape somehow" he murmured. 'We could try to pick the door lock but there's an object obstructing the hole, only removed when the key is used. Kicking the door down could be an option but there could be assassins posted outside-'

"You look tired" Marinette's sweet voice interrupted his thoughts. "Go to bed"

"I can sleep on the flo-"

"It's cold sleeping on my own" she smiled up at him. Damian swore that her smile was brighter than the sun itself. He placed a tender kiss on her forehead.

"Alright"

Marinette was surprised at how well she trusted Damian despite the fact they had known each other for less than 24 hours. Yet here she was, cuddling up in her husband's arms. It was probably Plagg's influence giving her confidence. Then again, Damian must be thinking the exact same thing. She reached out to cover the black-haired boy completely with the blanket provided. When she was sure he was safe under the blanket, she kissed his cheek and snuggled back into his chest. They could escape later, right now she just wanted to spend time with Damian. Her husband.

~~~

A few days had past and they still hadn't made any progress of escaping. Though they had made progress in bonding. Despite the fact they had only been with each other for a few days, they felt as if they'd known each other for years. They knew each other's hobbies, favourite activities, body language. It's almost as if they could communicate through their eyes alone. Damian hate to say it, but he had to thank his mother for introducing the two. Though that small spark of gratefulness would soon flicker out.

One day, Damian woke alone. He noticed the lack of his wife's signature scent, vanilla and cherry blossoms courtesy of her shampoo, as well as the lack of warmth when he woke up. It hit him like a train, Talia took her. He stormed through the door, surprisingly it was left unlocked. He found his mother in a separate room, calmly drinking tea.

"Where. Is. My. Wife." He growled out. Talia looked at her son, put her cup of tea down and stared straight into his eyes.

"We've decided" she began slowly. "That we need more from their side of the bargain" A dangerous glint was in her eyes. "We've asked for the miraculous in exchange for protection but since they've refused, we're going void this bethrothal. By killing the girl. You are no longer needed here"

Damian's eyes were wide open. Marinette was the only person in the world he truly loved, she didn't judge him for his past and she didn't mind when he was stubborn and self-centered. He'd finally opened his heart to her fully, now his mother was going to kill her. His fists were clenched but before he could do anything, he was hit at the back of his head, knocking him out cold.

~~~

"Has Master Damian returned?" Alfred asked when he entered the living room.

"Nope, the brat's not home" Jason replied, too invested in one of his books.

"Is there something wrong, Alfred?" Alfred turned to where Dick was sitting on the couch, eager for his wife and daughter to return from Tamaran.

"Master Damian is usually home by now when he goes out for walks and it is almost time for dinner" he sounded as if he was going to say more but there was someone at the door so he went to see who it was, Dick followed thinking it was Kor'i and Mar'i. But before he left he told the other two men in the room to call Damian.

Jason tried first but succeeded no results. "You try Replacement"

Tim, who was losing it slightly as he had one less cup of coffee than usual, obliged, only to receive the same outcome. Getting slightly confused, he tried tracking his little brother's phone. Soon Mar'i came in.

"Hi Uncle Jay! Hi Uncle Timmy!" She looked around the room, her green eyes slightly glinting with sadness. "Where's Uncle Dami?"

Tim and Jason looked at each other, gesturing for the other to answer. Luckily Alfred stepped in. "He's out on a walk. Right now it's time for dinner so let's get you seated"

The little girl bounced with joy. "Okay Papa Alfie!"

The the two left, Bruce decided to walk in. He glanced briefly around the room. "Where's Damian?"

"He's not answering any calls or messages. I tracked his phone and-" he turned the computers screen around, showing a map with a circle indicating where Damian's phone was.

"Should we go get the Demon Brat now B or?" Jason asked.

"You can go Jason"

The second eldest went to the batcave to suit up and Tim sent the location. It lead Red Hood to a quiet street, and an unsupervised phone. He picked it up, saw all of the notifications on it and looked around the area. No Damian in sight. What was insight though, was a cup of lemonade, nearly finished. 'This is getting very weird very quickly' Red Hood figured it would be best just to take it back in case.

When he got back, he put the lemonade through for testing and went upstairs for dinner, Damian's phone in hand. When he arrived he was met with all the stares of anticipation. He sighed and put the phone on the table.

"I didn't find Demon Spawn" nearly all of the table sighed. "All I found was lemonade, didn't know he drank it"

"Did you get it tested for any sedatives?" Dick asked, worried for his little brother.

"In the cave now"

"Tim, he has a tracker on right?" Dick turned to the coffee-deprived boy.

Tim nodded and pulled his phone out. "It must've got damaged somehow, it's not appearing on the map"

"Has it got a tracked history of where he's been?" Bruce cut in. Tim fiddled with his phone for a moment.

"His last tracked location was the same location where we found his phone"

"Is Uncle Dami gonna be okay?" The small girl's voice echoed in the room.

"Don't worry my little bumgorf, I'm sure we will find him" Kor'i reassured her daughter.

Soon dinner was finished, Kor'i took Mar'i to her room so the others could find out what happened. When they reached the batcave, the lemonade, the only piece of evidence they had, had traces of a very strong sedative that would've knocked Damian out in seconds. They went out on an earlier patrol to see if they could spot the green-eyed boy. Nothing. On the regular patrol, no villain had claimed to taking Damian. Again, the patrol received no results.

"I'll try calling Jon" Dick's worried voice whispered.

After a few rings, Jon picked up. "Hi Dick! What's-"

"Have you seen Damian today?"

"No I haven't, why is something wrong?" The boy asked, getting worried for his best friend.

"He's not picking up his phone and his tracker for damaged"

"...o-okay I'll keep an eye out for him"

Dick thanked the young superhero and shook his head to all the people in the room. They all collectively sighed. 'Where did you go Little D?'

~~~

A few days passed and they still had no luck. Jason was getting worried, 'The Joker better not have him'. Though Damian is a little shit at times, he was still his younger brother. Jason was always the first to get out and look for him, he was one of the last people Damian talked to that day, and he wasn't necessarily happy about what he said to him beforehand. If he was captured, tortured and/or killed by the Joker, Jason would never let the feeling of vengeance grow.

Red Hood surveyed the area and his head darted in the direction of what sounded like a struggle. He alerted the others through his comm and headed towards the noise. It came from two hooded figures and...

"Hey!"

The hooded figures froze at the sound of his voice. They quickly left the area not before harshly throwing the third figure at the nearby wall. Red Hood ran up to the boy and he was right. It was Damian, battered, bruised and unconscious. But he was alive. Red Hood scrambled to his side, carrying him on his back. "I found him but he's not doing too good"

"Bring him back to the batcave, Agent A will take care of him. In the meantime, return to patrol"

When they had all finished, they returned to the batcave where Alfred was hovering over Damian, who was on a bed, covered in bandages.

"Master Damian is recovering quickly, he'll wake up soon" Alfred reassured the worried family.

Though not most of them wouldn't admit it out loud, they deeply missed and were incredibly fretful for their youngest. Bruce, Dick, Tim and even Jason all sat around Damian. Only after Alfred assured them to bed did they leave the boy's side.

Tim woke up early, as usual, and he decided to fix himself a cup of strong coffee. He grabbed his laptop from the living room and instead of doing work there, he went down to the batcave at sat besides Damian's bed. He'd felt a pang of sadness when his younger brother didn't return home a few days earlier as he didn't interact at all will him before he left.

Tim didn't register when Damian left, or the fact that Dick was talking, or even when Jason kept throwing remarks here and there. The thing he did register though was the fact that his coffee cup was no longer in his reach. "Who took my coffee?" He tried to sound threatening but it came out as tired and completely done.

"Demon Spawn took it" Jason scoffed.

Tim then reached for the familiar cup from across the table, only to find it empty.

"How dare he drink my coffee" Tim growled, a new source of energy arising from his anger. "The brat's definitely going to get it later"

All too soon, it was time for breakfast. Tim got up to leave only to stop when he saw movement in the corner of his eye. The coffee lover turned to face a half conscious Damian.

"You're okay! Little D's awake!!" Tim shouted to get everyone's attention.

"Could you not burst my eardrums Drake?" The green-eyed boy grumbled, his head still throbbing from the hit he had taken earlier.

One by one, the others filed into the batcave. Dick gave Damian a big hug, Tim flashed a smile of relief, Jason ruffled the boy's hair and Bruce gave a small hug followed by a pat on the head. Throughout the whole ordeal, Damian had blank stare. No scowl, no unpleasant looks. Nothing. No one knew what had happened, only that it wasn't good. Soon, Mar'i came running in and jumped onto his bed, squeezing him in a hug.

"Uncle Dami we were so worried!" The little girl sobbed. Though the contact did hurt, he pushed aside the pain from the injuries and patted his niece's head.

"I'm back now"

"Where did you go?" Mar'i's eyes shone in burning curiosity. It reminded Damian of Marinette, the first thing she said had the same curiosity.

"It doesn't matter" he choked out. The others must have mistook the question as a trigger for a bad memory as they instantly changed the subject, they had no clue of the real reason.

"If you are well rested, Master Damian, would you like to join us for breakfast?" Alfred entered the room, his eyes were empathetic. 'Pennyworth knows what happened, he always knows'

"Yes, thank you Pennyworth" Mar'i jumped off so Damian could stand up. He suppressed a wince as he put pressure on his right foot. Slowly, the others left to go upstairs and Damian was left alone with his father.

"Damian" The green-eyed boy looked up to where Bruce was standing. "What happened?"

"Mother" he states simply, he didn't need to add anything else.

"What did she do?"

"..." Damian didn't answer at first, he looked away, wanting to avoid eye contact as much as possible. Bruce patiently waited, however. The green-eyed boy's head lowered to the ground but his gaze was fixated on his father. They had a deadly, destructive, toxic tint that even disturbed Bruce. But he said nothing, not a single word left his mouth and whatever he wanted to say seemed to die down in his throat. Damian took a few steps to one of the exits before stopping and turning back towards Bruce. "I appreciate your concern, father" Damian's lips twitched, forming a small smile, and he walked away, trying not to show he was limping.

Bruce watched as his youngest walked, limped, away. Whatever Talia had done, it had taken a toll on Damian. Mentally and Physically. He wanted to know exactly what happened so he could give the help the green-eyed boy needed. For now, he'll let his son relax and heal, he deserved it.

~~~

Marinette woke to a lack of warmth and the lost feeling of strong arms around her body. One of her eyes fluttered open, she was in a different room, one she didn't recognise. The bluenette began to panic and searched for the door, it was locked.

"Dami?"

No answer.

"Tikki?" Luckily, the small goddess was in the room.

"I tried to stop them but they knocked me out, I'm so sorry Marinette!" The blue-eyed girl was quick to reassure her kwami when she heard talking down the hall.

"Where. Is. My. Wife."

Marinette immediately recognised it as Damian's voice. She wanted to call out but it would be a stupid move, there could be assassins posted in front of her door, she could put Damian in danger, the possibilities were endless. So she just listened.

"We've decided... that we need more from their side of the bargain. We've asked for the miraculous in exchange for protection but since they've refused, we're going void this bethrothal. By killing the girl. You are no longer needed here"

The blue-haired girl then heard the sound of something heavy being used to hit someone, then a loud thud. Marinette had to cover her mouth so that her scream would be muffled. She had to get out of there. Now. The bluenette didn't want to leave without Damian, but he would want her to escape. She quietly transformed and went to the window in her room, it wasn't bolted down like the room she was previously in so she used her yo-yo to break it down. And she ran, she ran as far as her legs could take her. When she was positive she was safe, she took her yo-yo and called the one person who could get her out of there.

"Pegasus?" She asked, her voice hoarse as she held back tears.

"Ladybug! We're getting worried, where are you? A Parisian citizen is missing and there's an akuma attack currently going on and if you don't get here we'll 100%-"

"Can you get my location, please?" Ladybug pleaded, hoping that the horse hero wouldn't get mad for cutting him off. Other than the occasional computer keyboard sounds, the line went silent. "When you do, please don't question where I am. Can you teleport me back to Paris?"

"Got it Ladybug" the ladybug hero then heard a muffled 'Voyage!' in the background and a portal appeared in front of her.

The portal lead to the Eiffel Tower and in front of her was a worried Pegasus.

"I'll explain everything later, let's deal with this akuma first"

~~~

After a difficult akuma and a Lucky Charm in the form of fairy lights, Ladybug felt her walls crumbling.

"Ladybug!" Chat's voice echoed from behind her. The black cat hero was followed by Pegasus, Ryuko and Honey Bee, Chloe's new hero mantle. "What happened? Where did you go?"

Before she could answer, Pegasus spoke up. "Sorry to interrupt but my miraculously about to run out and I need to return it"

"Oh right, come with me Pegasus" She lead him to a nearby building and he detransformed, leaving Max standing where the horse-themed hero once was.

"My friend Marinette is still missing, can you-"

"She's safe don't worry, she'll be home soon" After bidding Max goodbye, she returned to where the other three heroes were waiting.

"Alright Buginette, explain" Honey Bee exclaimed as soon as Ladybug arrived. Though the spotted heroine didn't seem to be listening. "Ladybug-"

She detransformed, wearing a black qipao with floral embroidery, and Tikki hugged her cheeks as tears rolled down them. The others were quick to rush to her side.

"Mari-hime... what happened?" Ryuko began slowly.

"I think it's best if she explains this at home" Chat Noir suggested.

"I'll take her, you two detransform and meet her at home. I'll come up with a cover story" Honey Bee said, carrying the woeful bluenette.

When Kagami and Adrien arrived at the Tom and Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie, Marinette's parents were busy in the baker but explained the story that Chloe had told them, how Marinette was a target for one of the Akumas and needed to leave immediately. They said she was up in her room. The two were about to walk up the stairs when Chloe burst though the door behind them, out of breath, and walked with them. As they opened the trapdoor in Marinette's bedroom floor, they found the bluenette sat on her chaise, being comforted by the small red kwami.

"You know how strong Damian is, Marinette. I'm sure he managed to escape and I bet he's as worried as you are right now" the three heroes heard Tikki say.

"Whose Damian?" Adrien asked. The bluenette only seems to then notice that there were others in the room with her. She sighed and gestured for the three to sit in front of her, which they did.

She took a deep breath. "So a few days ago I was kidnapped by the League of Assassins. They were the organization that the Order of the Guardians had been opposed to for so long. Their current leader decided it would be best to end this conflict and had me, along with her son, kidnapped for an arranged marriage. Damian is her son and before you bash him or something, he was just as forced into it as I was. He turned his back on his mother and the league years ago and I don't hold him for his past."

"Since the betrothal was sealed with magic, we both knew that there was no safe way around it so we decided to work with it. I got to know him, he got to know me et cetera. And I kinda fell hard for him. Earlier today I woke up in a different room than the one I had been locked in, luckily Tikki was with me. I didn't know where he was but I heard Damian confront his mother about my whereabouts. Then when she revealed she was planning to kill me, she injured Damian so that he would be unable to save me and I ran away." She composed herself and looked at Adrien's, Chloe's and Kagami's expressions.

"Now I don't know if Damian is okay or if he still loves me or if he hates me for leaving him behind-" she began rambling on again as her friends were still processing the information.

"Dupain-Cheng!" Chloe shouted, stopping Marinette from maundering on any further. "So you got kidnapped, you got married... and now your worried your husband hates you because you escaped?" The bluenette nodded slowly. "You get left alone for a few hours and you're already married..." she teased, trying to lighten up the mood.

Marinette's cheeks were tinted red but her expression didn't change otherwise. "You said he's the son of the one who kidnapped you right?" Kagami asked.

"Y-yeah"

"Does he know how to use a sword? I wish to duel him to see if he's worthy of your love" she stated simply. Adrien chuckled softly and Marinette smiled slightly.

"What's his last name as it's also your last name now?" The blue-eyed girl's cheeks got redder as she cleared her throat.

"Wayne, Damian Wayne"

If Chloe was drinking a something she would've done a spit take right at that very moment. "Damian Wayne? As in the son of Bruce Wayne the billionaire? The one Lie-la's lying about dating?" Marinette nodded.

"You were saying earlier that you think he might not love you anymore right?" Adrien tried to distract the girls from Chloe's spluttering.

"...yeah what about it?"

"Well you also said he confronted his mother right? Well he must've truly loved you to just go and yell at a dangerous person who was also the person holding them captive. Though you haven't really told us what he's like, I doubt he would just stop loving you like that" Kagami emphasized his point by snapping her fingers.

Marinette smiled. "Thanks for coming to talk but right now I'm exhausted"

"We'll leave you to sleep, Mari-hime" The Japanese fencer then pulled the two blondes out of the room as they both wished her a good nap. Marinette kept a smile until they left, it slowly fell and Mari sank in the pillows of her bed. It didn't feel right to sleep without Damian. She felt... incomplete without him by her side. The tears rolled down again.

~~~

It had been a few days since Damian was found and, honestly, he wasn't doing that good. He'd been quiet, ignoring all remarks from his brothers, hadn't issued any death threats, even his pets didn't seem to bring him more joy. What confused the bat brothers the most is whenever someone would call out for Mar'i, Damian would always glance at the direction of the sound, only to have a slight hint of disappointment in his eyes when he saw his niece but he would always put on a smile for the small girl, sometimes genuine, most times forced.

They didn't have a clue how to crack the case so they got the next best person to obtain information for the green-eyed boy. Jon.

When Jon appeared at the door, Alfred was quick to lead him to Damian's room. The sooner Damian had someone to talk to, the better. "Master Damian, you have a visitor"The door was unlocked so Alfred lead Jon in and promptly left afterwards.

There was silence between the two ad Jon sat down on the floor in front of his best friend, who was sitting on the end of the bed.

"Dami? Do you wanna talk about it?" Jon waited patiently for the green-eyed boy to talk. After a few heartbeats, Damian sighed.

"Mother kidnapped me for an arranged marriage" he murmured. Jon gasped lightly as Damian continued. "She and I were both kidnapped and forced to go through with it. That's how I got...this" He lifted his hand to show faint but noticeable, curved scar, made by a very sharp blade. After a few seconds, Damian put his hand back down. "We were trapped in a shared room so we took that opportunity to get to know one another"

Damian didn't continue after that and Jon came to a conclusion. "You realised you love her"

He nodded. "Now, it's my fault that she's been tortured. Because I wasn't fast enough to protect her..." This was probably the first time Jon had seen his best friend visibly melancholic so he gave him a small hug and surprisingly, Damian wasn't bothered to push him away. "I am so pathetic"

Jon noticed someone at the door, Dick perhaps, but he doubted they they heard anything as Damian's voice was above a whisper so that only Jon could hear. After hearing the person walk away, he decided to lighten the mood. "What's she like?"

"Beautiful, kind, smart, resourceful... She's the living embodiment of sunshine, a breath of fresh air. She isn't quick to judge and she's always got a plan in her head. She's persistent too, and it's adorable when she gets flustered" Damian smiled lightly to himself.

"What's her name? What does she look like?" If talking about this girl made the green-eyed boy happy, then that's what Jon will do.

"Her name's Marinette. Blue hair, blue eyes, short" Damian chuckled lightly. "A smile brighter than the sun itself" he paused. "I don't think she's dead, she's too strong to go down just like that. But I think she's absolutely livid at me."

"She loves you a lot right?, then she wouldn't be" Jon reassured his best friend. "I gotta go now but feel free to talk about her, kay?" Jon almost left the room but was stopped by Damian's voice.

"Hey, Kent" he turned. "Thank you"

Jon smiled brightly before leaving the room, he went down stairs to the living room and was greeted by Bruce, Dick, Jason, Tim, Alfred and Kor'i.

"Well?" Jason pushed, eager to know what was bothering the brat.

He wasn't sure what to say until he heard Alfred whisper. "Let the young master tell them"

Jon shook his head. "Not my place to share. I'm sure he'll tell you eventually though, he just needs time to find the right words" 'He can't just waltz in and say "I got betrothed and now I think my wife hates me cause I left her at the mercy of my mother" They'll think he went mad!'

Bruce sighed. "Thank you Jon, how bad was the situation he was in?"

All the adults in the room were on edge as Jon took so time to formulate his answer. "The aftermath hurt him a lot" the others nodded.

"Wait" Everyone turned to the origin of the sound, Kor'i. "Why does Little D always tense when he hears Mar'i's name?"

"Yeah he does seem to do that" Dick murmured.

Jon was silent for a few seconds, 'What am I supposed to say? Damian's wife is called Marinette and "Mari" is probably a nickname for her. And your daughter just so happens to have the same name!' "Uh, Well Damian himself will have to explain that" The couple, though seemingly unconvinced, nodded.

"Thanks for your help, Jon"

~~~

A few months have past, Damian has slowly gotten better but he still hasn't quite been the same. He'd always have a scowl, as normal, and he'd issue death threats but only after a lot of probing. He'd also refrain from using his katana and other sharp utensils as a first resort. It was scary to say the least. He'd also spend a lot more time in his art room. Though he never displayed any emotions on his face, Damian's brothers noticed how whenever the green-eyes boy was upset, he'd always run his thumb on a long scar on his palm. Obviously from when he was kidnapped.

No one found out what happened as they never asked. Though they were curious. The curiosity grew when Jason managed to sneak into Damian's art room.

Jason was walking around the manor, looking for one of his guns that one of his brothers had hidden, he still didn't know who did it. Somehow, he found himself in front of the door leading to Damian's painting room and surprisingly, it was unlocked. Wanting to look for his missing gun and definitely not wanting to snook around, Jason waltzed in.

Briefly looking around for his gun, Jason came to the conclusion that it wasn't in this room but he stayed to look, admire, at his youngest brother's paintings, his fingers stroked through his two-toned hair. Though he would never admit it, Damian had real skill. One painting in particular caught his eye. It was small but held incredible detail, it looked like a scene frozen in time, but the detail wasn't what caught his eye.

The painting itself was of a long, sharp blade, it was covered in blood. Two different shades of blood. Jason suspected that this was the blade that caused the scar on Damian's palm, further supported by the still drying paint. Most of the paintings before the incident were either of the family or just landscapes, it was no coincidence that this painting was of a memory of what happened the the period he was taken.

Noting that the Demon Brat arrived back from patrol at 4 am, he was probably still asleep, Jason took the painting to bring to the living room.

"Any luck finding your gun?" Tim questioned mockingly.

"No" Jason replied in the same mocking tone but it quickly changed into a serious stare. The other adults noticed this change. He turned the painting in his hand around so that the artwork faced the audience. "I think I found a clue"

When that happened, they watched the boy's moves much more carefully. As well as monitoring the paintings in his room. Thankfully, the other paintings weren't of what happened, they returned to simple family portraits and landscapes. Though it could be debatable as they still had no idea what happened.

Bruce decided to host a competition, where the prizes would be an all-expense paid trip to Gotham and tours of WE for the next generation of work force, it was to write a letter detailing accomplishments and good-deeds as well as those who inspired the writer. He was going through the entries along with all his sons, Damian insisted on reading the ones he was given in his room, though not all of them wanted to help willingly. Expect for the occasional tapping at the computer's keyboard and thoughtful hums, all was silent in the manor. The silence was broken by Tim.

"Hey I like this one" he sipped on his coffee as Dick came to read the letter over Tim's shoulder.

"I think we found a winner" Dick chimed as Tim sent it to Bruce.

When he got it he read through it carefully. This was definitely one of the best they had received. "Very detailed, descriptive, the punctuation is on point, there's a tribute to their heroes as well" Bruce hummed. "Who's the one who submitted this?"

Tim squinted at the computer screen. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, from Paris"

"You're gonna do a background check on her, aren't yo-" Jason paused mid sentence. "Why did the lady mention heroes?"

~~~

A few months have passed since the newlyweds were separated, Marinette still missed Damian every day. Adrien, Chloe and Kagami still didn't know how to cheer the bluenette up, they hadn't told Luka yet either as they were aware he still had lingering feelings for the blue-eyed girl. That was until one day a certain competition caught the school's eye. One being hosted by a certain Bruce Wayne.

When Marinette entered her classroom early, for once, Chloe and Adrien were already waiting for her. "Look at this Mari-bear!" The female blonde shoved a flyer in the bluenette's face. Marinette took it from Chloe, her eyes getting wider as she scanned it.

But he time she was done, one had was covering her mouth as her eyes began to water. "If you enter you'll get a chance at winning and that means you'll get to see Damian again!" Adrien encouraging smile was blinding.

The bluenette nodded. "Yeah, I'm gonna enter" Just as she finished her statement, the bell rang and the rest of the students filtered in and once all the students were seated, Miss Bustier entered. She was surprisingly on time, for once.

"Class, I have an important announcement to make" The incompetent teacher clapped her hands to gain the class' attention. They settled down after a few minutes. "As I'm sure some of you have heard, Bruce Wayne as announced a competition which the price is a trip to Gotham!"

"My Damiboo must've begged Bruce to host this competition as he could see me again" Lila gasped dramatically, her fake, faker than her tinnitus, crocodile tears threatened to spill. "I-I w-w-wasn't supposed to s-say a-a-anything. Please d-don't tell anyone!" The bluenette had to bite back a growl and merely settled for glaring daggers into the brunette's skull.

"We won't girl!" Alya comforted the liar, glaring at Marinette and Chloe at the back, as if daring them.

"Even if the competition was made for Lila to return for Gotham, we still need to have a good entry" Miss Bustier specifically landed her gaze onto Marinette, pushing all her responsibilities onto the bluenette, yet again. "I'll leave you to plan" The redhead teacher left the classroom, not even staying for a full 10 minutes. Marinette sighed and turned to Chloe.

"I'm going to write about our achievements as citizens, I hope I get chosen. I really want to see Damian again" The bluenette murmured, the blonde hugged her best friend.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll win. Then you and your loving husband will be reunited" Chloe's tone changed from sincere to teasing when she mentioned Marinette's husband. The bluenette flushed and went to ask Mlle. Mendeleiev if she could work in her classroom.

The science teacher had become Marinette's favourite teacher in the entire school, she saw through Lila's lies and did approach the brunette about them. Lila did her charm but Mlle. Mendeleiev never fell for it, merely making the liar believe she had. The science teacher never properly took proper action against the student in fear of losing her job but she did keep a folder of evidence against Lila, one that was shared with Marinette so when the time came, the bluenette would have enough evidence to fully bring the liar down. She was helpful for her teacher's help. To no surprise, Mlle. Mendeleiev allowed Marinette to do her entry for the competition in her classroom and quickly the bluenette got to work.

Miss Buster only just announced this and the school only decided to hang the flyers when the due date was five days away. Not to mention it had to be written in English, it was hard enough writing something long, let alone in another language, even though Marinette was fluent in said language. Though it was a pain, it was nothing a few dozen cups of coffee could fix. Surprisingly, Marinette managed to finish it on the second day. Though she still had to proofread it as well as make sure it all made sense. On the third day, she was confident with her letter. Adrien, Chloe, Kagami and Luka all came to read it so the bluenette would be sure it was good enough to send. Once giving their praises, she hit send. She just hoped her father-in-law thought it was good enough.

A few days later, Marinette got her answer.

She arrived early that day, surprisingly, Chloe was in the classroom waiting. "Well?" The blonde stated impatiently, Marinette titled her head in confusion.

"What?"

"The email!" Chloe shook her head as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. It took a few moments for Marinette to process what her friend was saying. When she did, she jumped into her seat and opened her phone, her fingers shaky with fear and anticipation.

Dear Miss Dupain-Cheng

It's a great honor to tell you that your entry, out of the thousands that were submitted, was chosen as the winner for this competition.

As I first read through the letter you presented, I was intrigued and touched with the actions you and your classmates have done for your community. Each deed was different in it's own write and it was a great pleasure to have read through each and everyone, though, not many of your own had been written down. When you arrive at Gotham, I'd be delighted to hear your own achievements as I am sure, as proven by the way you spoke of your classmates, you have plenty of your own. I was also deeply touched at how you had a tribute to your own heroes in Paris. I was not aware before this that there were such important figureheads in the city so reading about them in your entry was fascinating to say the least. It was also a delight to read how the vigilantes of Gotham inspired you to help others.

The permission slip for the trip is attached to this email, please make sure the one in charge of your classroom has it signed for each student who wishes to attend. I'm sure you are aware that Gotham is a dangerous city and although we are taking extra security measures, it would be advised to have the class debriefed so they know what to expect in case a situation were to occur. If there are any requests or questions, please do not fail to contact me. I look forward to meeting you and your classmates when you arrive.

Congratulations once again,

Bruce Wayne

Marinette could barely hold back the tears of happiness building up in her eyes, Chloe got up and hugged the girl in celebration. Adrien came in soon after, both blondes hugged their best friend with too much force. Though it couldn't last long as the others were starting to file in.

"Class, I have some good news!" Caline Bustier announced. "We are the winning class for the WE trip to Gotham!" The class erupted into cheers, for a moment, Marinette was reminded of the simpler times when she just started out as a hero. Lila just had to ruin it.

"My sweet Damiboo!" The brunette had a hand on her heart, sighing dreamily. "I'm so lucky to have a kind, sweet and caring man as my boyfriend" The bluenette had to hold back a snort at the description, she settled with a small scoff.

Lila knew she was taking a risk a few days ago, saying that her 'Damiboo' had rigged the competition so that they could be together again but it was a calculated risk. Though she would never admit it out loud, Marinette Dupain-Cheng is a great student. Marinette is well-educated, well-informed, possibly well-born and the bluenette used to be well-loved. Her winning this trip just proved it but Lila wasn't going to let the girl claim the winnings. The brunette suspected that Marinette would at least try to hint at winning, but she didn't. It was an unordinary occurrence, 'Maybe she realised she's no match for me'

"Now I need you all to signs these permission slips and return them to me by tomorrow" Caline handed out the papers and promptly left afterwards, despite having yet to do a lesson. But that didn't matter to Marinette. She was staring at her palm, her thumb stroking the fading scar.

"I can't wait to see you again, mon démon"

~~~

"Oh no" Tim muttered after taking a final sip from his third cup of coffee.

"What Replacement?"

"Take a look at this" the sleep deprived CEO turned his computer to face the other men in the room, Damian was still at school. "If she has a tragic backstory, B might go into serial adopter mode" The screen showed a file on Marinette Dupain-Cheng, including a photo of her.

"Raven hair? Check. Coloured-eyes? Check. Looks? Check. Childhood trauma and/or tragic backstory? Maybe. Holy Shit, B is definitely going to adopt her" Jason listed while Bruce sighed.

"Is there anything notable in her file?" Bruce asked, trying not to submit to his sons' accusations which were, in fact, correct. "From the letter, she seems quite fond of the supposed heroes in Paris"

"Well from the surface she looks like the average teen girl" Dick replied, peering over Tim's shoulder. "But it could all just be for show, you never know" the eldest son shrugged.

Bruce got up from where he was sitting and went to his study, using the excuse of 'work' and 'finalizing the plane tickets for the class'. In reality, he was checking for blank adoption papers. He had a gut feeling about this girl, something was going on behind the scenes.

~~~

The trio made sure they were early to enter school since Chloe said it was possible for Lila to get them, Marinette specifically, left behind. Though, they did spend some time saying goodbye to Luka and Kagami. When they arrived to school, the blonde's assumption was correct since they started to get on the bus. The troublesome class managed to get through the airport in a breeze and without any trouble, there was a bit of a miss-hap during check-in but it was all resolved in a flash.

Marinette, Chloe and Adrien were sitting in the airplane, waiting to take off. She's gotten the seats in economy with extra leg room which were a few rows ahead of the rest of the classroom using the excuse of 'a lot of class president work to do'. Bruce offered to upgrade her and the two blondes to first class so that they wouldn't be disturbed but Marinette politely turned it down. She didn't mind where she was as long as she wasn't near the class, and the mention of first class was bound to cause an uproar.

The bluenette's inner child wanted the window seat, Adrien wanted to be in the seat next to the aisle so he could get first glimpse at the food they were serving, Chloe just wanted to be in the middle for warmth. The seating arrangement worked perfectly. Every once in a while, a flight attendant would drop by to offer food and drinks. There were a few times that flight attendants would ask for one of the three to remind the class of the rules when they didn't listen to the cabin staff, Adrien dealt with the situation since he was the only one they'd actually listen too.

Soon, they landed. The flight had been an easy one since they didn't have to deal with the class's shenanigans while they were in the air. However, that luxury had left when they exited the aircraft.

When traversing through the airport, there had been attempts to get the bluenette lost and attempts to trip her up or gain a significantly bad injury. All attempts failed. Marinette, Chloe and Adrien had managed to weave through passport control peacefully. Even when they were at the baggage claim, not many big efforts were made, besides the classic hiding of the luggage, to rid Marinette of anything. She should've found that suspicious but she was much too tired to care, she barely slept at all on the flight. So when they arrived at the hotel, the first thing she did was lie flat on the bed.

Marinette slept well over nine hours before she woke up. "Tikki, what time is it?"

The kwami too was asleep so at the mention of her name, she yawned. "It's 9:45 am"

"Oh my kwami!" Marinette shot up out of bed to check her phone. Sure enough, there where many notifications of miss calls from Adrien, Chloe, Alix and even Nino. The bus was scheduled to leave at 10:00 but knowing Lila, she was probably over an hour late. The bluenette quickly got changed, brushed her teeth and headed straight towards the hotel doors, ignoring any feeling of hunger.

She pulled her phone out for the directions of Wayne Enterprises and kept her eyes on the screen, completely ignoring the fact that there was someone in the distance directly in her path.

~~~

Jonathan Kent was walking through the streets of Gotham, looking for a present for his best friend. His birthday was in a few days time and the superboy still hadn't found anything. He went to some art shops. Nothing. He went to some antique shops. Still Nothing. He even went to look at kitchen knives. He was that desperate. Jon sighed and continued walking, some shop was bound to peak his interest eventually.

All of a sudden, he heard someone running towards his general direction. Before he could register what was happening, the person ran into him, nearly knocking him down completely.

"Je suis désolé!" A feminine voice shouted out in French. "I-I'm so sorry monsieur!"

Jon then looked up to see a small French bluenette offering her hand to help him up. He gladly took it and when he was back on his feet, he readjusted his glasses to look at the girl properly. She was short, pretty and resembled a Wayne. While this girl was panicking and apologizing profusely, Jon was excited thinking he found a new friend. Though, this excitement didn't last when he saw the state she was in. 'Her bones are a mess! How is she not screaming in pain?'

He waved his hands in front of the girl to get her to stop. "It's fine honestly!" The girl seemed to calm slightly but her face was still worried. "Why you in such a rush anyway?"

"My class and I are visiting on a trip" the bluenette started. "We're supposed to be on our way to a tour but they left me behind"

"They left you all alone? In Gotham?" Jon questioned, 'What kind of stupid are these people?'

"I know right? They-" she was cut off by a notification sound on her phone. "Sorry just a minute"

Jon only then realised how good this French girl's English was. She then let out a sigh of relief and put the phone back in her purse, the blue-eyed boy tried not to use his powers to invade her privacy.

"They're very early, the tour starts in an hour and from the map I'm not far from where I'm meant to be, thank kwami" The young Kent froze at the girl's choice of words, Damian had mentioned that his wife had a companion called a 'kwami'. This couldn't be a coincidence.

"Well since you have time," Jon got the girl's attention. "How do you feel about getting some food? I don't know about you but I'm starving."

"Oh, n-no I could possibly impose-" her stomach grumbled cutting her off. Jon chuckled as he heard the girl whisper profanities.

"Come on I know a place not far from here, you can get a very good few of the WE building" He heard the girl's heart rate speed up a bit, that confirmed where her planned class trip was taking place. He gestured for her to follow him as he sped walked to the location.

When they arrived, they both ordered, Jon ordered a burger while Marinette ordered a cinnamon bun, and sat down. The blue-eyed boy noticed how the girl would always have her thumb in her other palm. He thought her finger could've been resting on a scar similar to Damian's, if she was his wife of course. He decided to test his luck.

"Oh sorry, I forgot to introduce myself" he reached his hand over the table. "My name's Jon Kent" He watched as her eyes widened in recognition and how her heartbeat quickened. "I believe you're Marinette, right?"

Marinette's eyes developed a watery sheen. "Dami's talked about me?"

'Bingo!'

"He talks to me about you every chance he gets" Jon shook the hand Marinette offered and turned it so her palm faced the ceiling. On it was a scar more or less identical to he best friend's. "Whenever he got nervous, sad or overwhelmed, he'd always trace the scar on his hand. I can tell he's thinking of you whenever he does it"

Marinette let a few tears of joy run down her cheek before wiping them away. "S-sorry I'm not usually this emotional" she chuckled. "It's just- I didn't know how to contact Damian and even if I did, I probably couldn't bring myself to talk to him. I thought he hated me for leaving him alone at the League"

Jon snorted. "Him? Hate you? Please, he views you like your his entire world! He was afraid that you hated him! He's drowning in guilt for not being able to get you out of there."

The bluenette sniffed. "Really?" Jon nodded. "C-can I see him again?"

"I don't know where he is right now" Marinette deflated slightly at his words. "But you can definitely meet him! I feel selfish to ask but is it okay for you to wait two days?"

"I've waited many months, a few days is no problem. May I ask why?"

"Well you see his birthday is in a few days and I haven't been able to find him a good gift so... I thought having you two reunited would be a good present" Jon answered, the smile he received was almost blinding.

"That's so sweet of you!" Jon understood how Damian fell for this girl. If sunshine was a person, she would be it.

"So can I see this kwami of yours?" Marinette was confused at how he knew but then she realised that Damian must've told him everything, not that she didn't mind though. "I mean, see it properly?"

"X-ray vision, I should've known" the blue-eyed girl giggled when the boy blinked in surprise. She opened her purse and a red blob flew out. Though it was mostly hidden by Marinette's body, Jon could still see it clearly. He had to cover his mouth to avoid shouting in astonishment. "Jon this is Tikki, my kwami"

"Nice to meet you, son of Superman" Tikki squeaked and Jon's eyes widened in awe as he reached to touch the small creature.

"Wow, you're adorable!" The young boy cooed as the creature giggled.

Marinette wanted the two to interact more but one look at the time told her otherwise. She said goodbye to Damian's best friend and made her way to Wayne Enterprises.

~~~

Despite reading of all the good deeds, the French class were really getting under Dick's skin. First of all, a sausage-hair girl had nearly every student wrapped around her finger, telling stories that were way too good to be true. Secondly, the incompetent teacher didn't bother to control her students, she merely looked at her phone, waving off any students who had questions. And thirdly, they had arrived way too early. The only reasonable looking students that weren't crowding around the brunette were two blondes, one male and one female, and a short skater girl. The only emotions on their face were either anger, annoyance or anxiousness.

When the time for the tour to start was nearing, Dick asked for the teacher to do a headcount. He already knew how many were supposed to be there as he was given a specific amount of badges. There were fifteen in total, not including the teacher. From what he counted, there were only fourteen students, this was confirmed when the teacher's counting stopped at 'Quatorze'. Dick realised it was the class president that wasn't there, he started looking around the main lobby. What really pissed him off was the fact that no one seemed to care that she was left behind, in Gotham for God's sake!

"Have you found her?" A voice from behind Dick asked. It was the blonde boy. "Marinette?"

"No I haven't, the tour starts in seven minutes-" The man cut himself off when someone walked through the lobby doors. She looked to be part of the class. The young bluenette's hair seemed to be ruffled as if she was running for a long time. Dick took a closer look and she was indeed the girl from the file. Determining to know why she was last to arrive, he went to greet her. "Hello, my name is Dick Grayson and I'll be your class's tour guide today"

He didn't fail to notice how her eyes widened in recognition as she took his offered hand and shook it. "Hello Monsieur Dick, I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng though I suppose you already know..." her voice trailed off as her eyes lingered to somewhere else in the room before meeting back with his. "I'm really sorry about my lateness"

Dick held one hand to stop her from continuing. "It's fine, the tour starts in three minutes so you got here right on time" The eldest watched Marinette let out a sigh of relief. "I am curious, how come you were last to arrive?"

"Ah well the... bus left early because of something that came up and I wasn't aware of the changes so I got left behind" The bluenette noticed the older man's shocked and angered expression and blurted out, "But I'm here now!"

After some time he nodded and gave Marinette her badge. He then proceeded to gather the class and tell them all the rules and regulations. Soon the tour was under way.

~~~

"So how are the French class, Dildo?" Jason's snarky voice echoed in the manor as Dick entered. What they didn't expect was to be met with a seething Dick.

"Most of them are really horrible, the sausage hair and the glasses girl are the worst. They weren't bad to me though, only to the class president who is, actually, a literal angel" The eldest huffed. "They kept sliding in mean comments about her here and there, it was disgusting. The worst part is, she acts as if they do this regularly! You should've seen the way her eyes dulled as she got on the bus with that... that class!"

"That bad huh?" Jason asked.

The eldest son nodded. "Bruce is definitely gonna want to adopt her the moment he's in the same room as her"

Jason hummed. "I'd like to meet this girl your talking about, I'll ask B if I can join next tour as security. In the mean time, bet fifty I get the best gift for the Demon Brat"

Dick let out a overly exaggerated gasp of offense while laying a hand on his chest. "No way! I bet a hundred!"

~~~

The next day was the day of the next tour, Jason tagged along this time. Luckily, Marinette was on the bus when the class arrived but she wasn't looking too good.

"God, she looks exhausted and starved to death!" Jason muttered into Dick's ear. He nodded and walked over to greet the class.

"Welcome back to your second tour! Today, Jason"- Dick gestured towards the man with two-toned hair- "will be joining us today. As an extra security measure. Now, follow me please!" The eldest son began the tour with half-filled enthusiasm, this was Jason's queue to go to the back and interact with the class president.

The man stayed near the back, not making it obvious he was trying to start a conversation with the girl, when he heard the brunette at the front spewing lies. Jason hadn't spoken French in a while but he could still understand the language.

"You don't actually believe what she's saying do you?" Jason asked the young girl. She snorted in response.

"Of course not, only an idiot would believe the words that come out of her rotten excuse of a mouth. They aren't even that good" The older man laughed and the girl's eyes widened. "S-sorry! I don't usually think before I talk when I'm tired"

"No no, you have a point" Jason held his hand up, as much as he could considering her height compared to his own, to the small girl. "The name's Jason Todd"

The bluenette smiled and took his hand. "Marinette, Marinette Dupain-Cheng..." Marinette trailed off on her last name, 'Is that not her last name? The files are always correct so maybe... she's not proud of her name?' "So what's the real reason why you joined the tour today?"

Jason was impressed as she expertly diverted the spotlight of the conversation onto himself. "For extra security"

Marinette gave the older man an unimpressed look. "I deal with that liar all the time, Jason" He blinked before the girl was smiling once more. "You can't lie to me Jay" she said in a sing-song voice.

The older man jokingly sighed and ruffled her hair. "Well since you asked so kindly, Dickhead over there-" he nodded his head in the direction of his older brother- "noticed how most of your classmates are treating you. That was probably the most pissed I've seen him in a long time. So I wanted to see which little lady was able to cause an overprotective spark in him, now I completely understand why he felt that way"

The girl then sniffed and smiled at Jason sadly. "I...Thank you" she whispered to the man with two-toned hair. "It's been a long time since someone other than my friends have said that they were worried about me"

Jason's smile faltered before it turned into a sad but encouraging one. "Hey, Dick and I are here if you ever need someone to talk to. Wait-" Jason's attention diverted to the blonde boy in the room, the one that was originally hanging out with the small girl. "Hey isn't that your friend?"

Marinette turned in the direction Jason was looking at, there was Lila who was on the arm of a very uncomfortable looking Adrien. The bluenette sighed. "Yeah he is. If you're wondering why he's with the liar is because of his father. You see, back in Paris he's quite famous so his father can be overbearing. I odn't know what the liar said to him but now he wants Adrien to keep the girl happy at all costs"

"Can't he just disobey the old man?"

"He did try but the punishment was for him to be home-schooled which he has been more or less his entire life. But I guess it's gotten better since before Adrien didn't want to call out her lies since he thought they weren't hurting anyone"

Jason scoffed. "Her lies definitely hurt those involved"

"Exactly, luckily he managed to realise that after he overheard one of Lie-la's confrontations. He tries his best to sugarcoat his words when he's calling her out but he still hates conflict. He's just with her so she doesn't turn into an akuma. Not that it's working since she's already been akumatized more than seven times"

"Sorry, akuma what-a?"

Marinette shot him a confused look before her eyes widened slightly in realisation. "I can explain at lunch"

Jason seemed hesitant but nodded anyway.

~~~

Marinette grabbed her food tray, narrowly avoided all the feet that tried to trip her up and sat at an empty lunch table.

"Hi, Mari!" Dick's cheerful voice made his presence known as he sat next to her, lunch tray in hand. "So has Jason been good?"

"Yeah! It's nice to have someone to talk to-"

She was interrupted by Jason slamming his lunch tray on the table, sitting opposite Marinette. "Alright Pixie Pop, explain what an Akuma Matata is"

"Pixie Pop?" The bluenette giggled.

"Akuma whata?" The eldest asked.

"Pixie Pop because you're small and feisty. As for the Akuma thing, Pixie will kindly explain right now" Jason replied, eager to know what an Akuma is.

"Well-"

"I did not have enough coffee for this" A new voice spoke up from behind Marinette. The person it belonged to sit next to Jason, coffee cup in hand and slammed his face on the table.

"That's Tim, our younger brother" Dick answered the bluenette's unasked question. Tim's head looked up as if he just registered that there was someone else on the table.

Her reached his hand across the table with as much energy as a sleep-deprived zombie could give. "Tim Drake"

"Marinette" she returned the hand shake. 'I'm right, these are Dami's brothers' "So like I was saying, an akuma is like a butterfly infused with magic. When it comes in contact with an inanimate object that is being touched by someone who's experiencing strong negative emotions, it turns them into an akuma villain. " She paused so that the men at the table could process what she was saying. "Hawkmoth is the one who sends the akumas, once the connection is made they have no choice but to obey. Even if they try to fight him off, they all succumb eventually."

"So a magic butterfly man, got it"

"When you put it that way, it doesn't sound believable" Marinette giggled at Jason's conclusion.

"What kind of negative emotions does it have to be? Are the Akumas... dangerous?" Dick asked, clearly more concerned that his younger brother.

The bluenette's eyes seemed to age at his statement. "Humiliation, depression, rejection, isolation, anything that makes you feel disheartened really. As for how dangerous there are well... there are different levels to classify each akuma"

All three gestured for her to continue.

"Some are low level, level one, like Mr Pidgeon-" She here's a scoff but continued as if she wasn't interrupted. "- he's a regular but relatively harmless. The highest level is an akuma like Syren" she shuddered at the memory, "Her powers allowed her to flood the entirety of Paris, drowning nearly half of the entire population"

"H-how did this not make international news" Tim asked, bringing his laptop out and furiously typing, though, receiving no results for what the girl just said.

"That would be courtesy of our heroes. One of Ladybug's powers is to heal anything damaged by the powers of the miraculous, she can fix objects, buildings and even resurrect those who died. She can't get rid of the memories unfortunately" She said the last part bitterly, disappointed in herself for not being able to help her citizens.

"What's a miraculous?" Jason asked, trying to change the subject.

"Magical jewelry basically, its what gives the heroes their powers. Its also what Hawkmoth wants, the Ladybug Miraculous and the Miraculous of the Black Cat" she put a finger on her chin to mimic thinking like a civilian. "My best guess is that if he gets the miraculous, he becomes very powerful"

"Have you ever, you know... died?" Dick asked, concern weighing heavily in his voice.

"No, I'm I guess one of the 'lucky few' to not have been killed yet."

They soon conversed in the topic of Hawkmoth and Mayura, each one of the men despised the villains at the end of her rant. All too soon, it was time to leave. She waved goodbye and rushed with her class back to the hotel. Once she reached her room, the bluenette rummaged through her suitcases, ignoring a confused Chloe. Once she found the outfit she wanted to wear, Marinette placed it onto her nightstand.

"I met Jon today"

"Whose he?" Chloe voiced her confusion.

"Jon is Damian's best friend" The bluenette reiterated. "He's bringing me with him to the manor so that we can see each other again"

"That's nice of him"

"To be honest, I think you and Jon would hit it off quite well"

Marinette stifled a giggle when she heard Chloe's signature 'Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous'. The bluenette fell onto her bed, she was going to get as much sleep as she could with her bubbling excitement.

~~~

The bluenette stared at her reflection. She wore a deep velvet, off-the-shoulder blouse with a black cotton skirt, her hair was tied up in an intricate design. Even with the compliments her two best friends kept showering her with, Marinette didn't feel ready. She would be meeting her husband after nearly a year long separation, of course she was a nervous wreck.

After some light encouragement from both Chloe and Adrien, Marinette went down the stairs to the lobby where Jon would be picking her up. It was delightful to see how far the boy was willing to go to make his best friend happy, it reminded Marinette of her friendship with Chloe, Adrien, Kagami and Luka. Upon reaching the lobby, she noticed the blue-eyed boy and briskly walked over.

"Hey Jon" she greeted the boy, he probably knew she was already there thanks to his powers.

"Hi Mari!- Wow! You look nice. I swear Dami's gonna fall for you all over again" Jon compliment made Marinette have an serge of pride. "Come on let's go! My father and Damian's family are waiting for me well, us really"

"Okay, how are we supposed to get there?" Marinette's question ignited a cheeky smile on the sunshine boy's face.

"Have you ever flown before?"

~~~

Clark Kent was at Wayne Manor, celebrating his best friend's son's birthday, who just also so happens to be best friends with his own son. 'That was too confusing for my own good'. He, along with Bruce and the others, have already given Damian his gifts. Jon insisted that he had the best present so he would go last.

"Since I'm his best friend, I have the best gift meaning that I should go last"

While waiting for his son to arrive, Mar'i gave Damian a piece of art that she made and he went up to his room to find a frame. In this moment, most of the occupants in the room turned to him.

"Have you heard Jon yet? I'd like to see what this 'present' is." Dick questioned first, Clark tilted his head but he didn't hear his son at all. He opened his mouth to answer before promptly closing it shut, Jon had just landed in the garden and was making his way inside, by them Damian and Mar'i had returned.

"Hello my very bestest friend! Happy happy birthday to you!" Jon tackled Damian in a hug before quickly pulling back as to not get pushed off. "It is time to present my gift to you!"

Damian's brothers perked up, they had bet on whether or not Jon was true to his present being the best, Dick voted for while Jason and Tim voted against.

"But no one other than Damian is allowed to see the present" Without seeing what their reaction to his statement was, Jon dragged Damian outside. The brothers huffed before running upstairs, Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing and followed his sons onto the upper floor window with Clark close behind. Clark knew that Bruce was just as curious as his boys, he just hid it very well. When they made it to the window, they saw Jon telling Damian to sit on one of the garden's benches with his eyes closed.

"Is this really necessary?" They heard Damian's unamused voice. Upon hearing Jon's confirmation, Damian sighed and closed his eyes. The adults watched as Jon went off to somewhere out of their vision.

~~~

"Yep!"

Jon's voice echoed through the garden, hitting Marinette with the realisation that her and her husband would be reunited. A flurry of emotions dawned in her head. First nervousness, then excitement and finally, anticipation. She had gotten so caught up that she barely noticed the blue-eyed boy bounding up towards her. He gave her an encouraging smile before gesturing for the bluenette to follow him. Sensing her anxious hesitation, he gently took her wrist and pulled the girl towards the green-eyes boy, who was still sitting on the bench with his hands over his eyes.

'Here goes nothing'

~~~

He'd heard Jon's footsteps scurry away around a minute ago, he didn't know why but he tingled with anticipation when he heard his self-proclaimed best friend return. Though as soon as Damian heard the boy return, he immediately ran off to god knows where. But before the confusion settled in, he was hit with the familiar scent of vanilla and cherry blossoms, the scent he thought he'd never have the privilege to come across again. Damian's head shot up to face the beautiful bluenette he had the honor of calling his wife. The voice to whom the aroma belonged to spoke.

"You know, you really should've told me when your birthday was. I could've made you a gift..." Her voice, though barely above a whisper, was as loud as needed for Damian, her voice trailed off as the tears in her eyes built up.

Without at a moment's hesitation, the bluenette was soon spun in the air with the end result being engulfed in her husband's arms. "Having you in my arms again is the best gift I could have asked for"

Marinette couldn't hold back the tears of pure euphoria that rolled down her cheeks. Damian had noticed Jon spectating form the side, radiating excitement like a puppy, but he paid no attention to his self-proclaimed best friend. All that mattered was they were together once more.

The way fate had designed.

———

Bonus:

Dick: hang on he's coming back with, mARINETTE?!

Jason: WHaT?! How does the brat know her?!

Tim: what are they saying, Clark?

Clark: *smiling while wiping a fake tear of happiness* how sweet

Dick: im confused

*batfam (and clark)* run down the stairs and go outside to see Jon nearly combusting in joy*

Jon: *turns to the fam* told you I'd get the best gift

Jason: okay demon brat tell me how you know pixie pop!

Damian: *turns to face jason with an unimpressed look with mari snuggled under his chin* she's my wife

Batfam: *exe.batfamily has stopped working*

Dick: WHAT :D?!

Jason: WHAT THE FU-

Tim: WHAT

Bruce: *whispers* there goes the adoption papers

Bruce: well it's a pleasure to meet my daughter-in-law in person, but how did you end up getting married in the first place?

Damian and Marinette: *look at each other* Mother/ His mother

Bruce: *sighs*

Jason: okay let me go get my guns to murder that sausage-haired girl

Damian: todd no

Jason: *whips around, confused* wh-

Damian: i want to be the one to spill some Italian blood

Jason: *evilly grins*

Bruce and Marinette: nO KILLING-

#daminette #damian x marinette #maribat #maridami #marinette x damian #damianette #mlb x dc #ml x dc #Someone help my arms are dying #thEY HURT SO MUCH-

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