klbwriting

[klbwriting]

One chapter of Our Strange Duet left and I have a horrible case of writer's block. I know what I want to say, how everything will end, the ending will even be open if I want to revisit in the future...but I can't figure out how to get the words onto paper. This is so frustrating...

#fanfic writing #writing #writing problems

[klbwriting]

Our Strange Duet

Chapter 10 - Empty Chairs

Fandom: Red Hood

Pairing: Jason Todd x f!reader

Warnings: violence

Summary: YN takes care of Maroni, Jason and Dick confront Bruce

Notes: sorry it took forever, its been a rough week! There is one more chapter after this so I hope you enjoy!

Taglist: @deans-spinster-witch @amberpanda99

There's a grief that can't be spoken There's a pain goes on and on Empty chairs at empty tables Les Mis

Jason and Dick had gone out to confront Bruce. YN had said she would send the proof of Sal Maroni’s new drug and its effects to the GCPD, and she would, just after she did what needed done. Jason was so laser focused on Bruce’s betrayal that he wasn’t thinking about the fact that sending Maroni alive to the cops would probably make him talk, tell them he knew who Red Hood was, then word would spread and soon everyone would know. YN wouldn’t let that happen. She would protect Jason as much as she could. She couldn’t do anything if Two Face or Joker found out about him, but Maroni she could.

She steeled herself for the work that needed done, arriving to the alley entrance to the headquarters. She had worked there enough to know the back ways around the place, and she had been with Jason long enough to know how to spot the cameras and how to avoid them. She knew that if you entered Maroni’s office from a secret side door that the camera in the room wouldn’t activate. That camera was only for blackmail material, and the only people he would blackmail came through the front door. YN slinked to the desk chair and waited.

It didn’t take long, she had made sure that someone had seen her sneaking the back halls, paying him a hefty amount to tell no one but her father she was there, ever, so she wasn’t surprised when Maroni came into the office from the side entrance. He was irate, face already a deep shade of red as he approached his desk.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” he demanded. “You have a lot of nerve coming back here after you took my data. You’re lucky I don’t have three guys in here popping you full of lead.” YN actually smiled a little, standing from the chair. She held up the revolver she had brought, aiming for his head.

“Yes, well, maybe you should have brought them,” she said. That had been the only real risk, that he wouldn’t come alone. She had banked on the fact that he saw her as weak, as a child who didn’t know how to take care of herself, who needed to sleep with a vigilante to be safe, and she was glad her gamble worked out. Maroni looked surprised to see the gun, but then he chuckled. “O, feeling tough now, are you?” he asked, moving around her to a bust by the window. He flipped it open and pressed a button. Nothing happened. He pressed it again.

“Sorry Sal, I cut the power to your little alarms,” she said. “You left me alone here too much, well, you left me alone my entire life so…” she shrugged, nodding to the desk chair. “There’s a needle with your drug in the drawer, inject yourself.”

“You’re nuts, I’m not doing that,” he said. He did sit at the desk and open the drawer though. He took out the needle and looked at it. “I don’t use my own supply, bad for business.”

“Well, curiosity is going to get the better of you this time. You’ll inject yourself and by the times the cops get here and see what you’ve done they’ll never believe you when you spout off about who Red Hood is. They’ll just think you’re hopped up on something,” she said. “Either that or you’ll be dead, shot with the very same gun you hide in that desk.” She held the gun into the light more so he could see that it was in fact his. “Up to you honestly. Get a little high before the cops bust down the door or be dead when they do it, which one?” She could see she was winning; Maroni was panicking. He looked from the gun to the needle and then finally to her eyes. Whatever he saw there must have terrified him because he picked up the needle and injected himself.

“You know, every day you were coming in here I was thinking how much you looked like your mother. But right now…right now you look like me. A killer, ruthless, heartless,” he said, sitting back. She could see the effects of the drug starting to wear him down, making him almost sleepy. She walked over and put the gun to his head.

“Your right dad, I am ruthless, I am heartless, and now, because of you, I have to be a killer. No one will ever hurt Jason again, least of all a lowlife fucking deadbeat like you,” she said softly before she pulled the trigger. She quickly placed the gun in his hand and bolted out the side door, rushing down the back halls of the building until she got to the ground floor. She ducked into the lab, finding the incinerator they normally used for burning toxic materials and grabbed the bag she had hidden there. She got changed and burned the bag with the old clothes. She checked herself again for blood before she left the facility out the alley door, driving back to the apartment and sending the data to the cops just as Dick and Jason had asked.

Since YN couldn’t be in the musical but was doing such a big part of the lifting with heading the music development for it the director arranged for her to have a small showcase after dress rehearsal. Everyone involved in the show would be there to celebrate her talents and she could invite anyone she wanted. She only really had two people to invite so she was pleased to see Dick and Barbara in the audience next to Jason.

She had already been in bed when Jason and Dick had returned home the night before from confronting Bruce and Jason had not been in the mood to talk about it that day. She had asked Dick about it, but he said it was something that Jason would have to tell her about. He needed time to process everything and once he was ready, they would all talk. She had been a little surprised that he had even gone to dress rehearsal, that he wasn’t burning rubber to get out of Gotham and hide, but the fact that he was there, having preformed amazingly at rehearsal and now was sitting there, focusing on her, made her so proud of him. He was such a good man and she hoped one day he would see that also.

“Hey everyone, um, thanks for coming to this, I know you’ve all been working hard on the show so the fact that you are taking this time to watch me is humbling, thank you,” she started before motioning for someone to join her on stage. “So, I have a few songs to play, all covers, I couldn’t write anything new while doing the music supervision, so I hope you don’t mind. The first song is with our very own Andre, Callum Bloom, and we will be preforming Exile by Taylor Swift and Bon Iver.”

Jason heard the song start, had heard her singing it to herself while she was preparing for this show. The first few lines were fine, Callum was fine, then the bridge hit and for some reason it sent Jason back to the night before, back to confronting Bruce in the manor. It had been the most emotional Jason had ever felt.

I think I’ve seen this film before And I didn’t like the ending You’re not my homeland anymore So who am I defending now? You were my town Now I’m in exile seeing you out I think I’ve seen this film before

“What are you doing here Jason?” Bruce asked as Dick stood off to the side. He was there to support Jason, but he knew that his brother wanted to do this on his own. He wasn’t the child Bruce knew anymore and he wanted to prover that.

“Sal Maroni? Ring a bell?” Jason asked. Bruce looked confused, looking to Dick, who just shook his head, nodding back to Jason.

“What are you talking about Jason?” he asked.

“You sold me out to Sal Maroni!” the younger man bellowed. Bruce stared. “He knows who I am, and he said I wasn’t the only who knew masks in this town. Well, the only person who knows Red Hood’s identity is you and Dick and I know he wouldn’t betray me like that. And up until last night I didn’t think you would either.” Bruce stood silent, staring at the person who once was his son. Jason stared right back at the man who he used to think of as a father. He realized now that Bruce had never been his father, his drill instructor, his warden, his creator maybe, but not his father. Dick had been more of a father to him in the last year and a half then Bruce ever had. This betrayal was just the nail in the coffin of his childhood and Jason was about tired of being in coffins.

“I did not do anything like that. I would never, not even after everything you did, I would never do that…”

“You’re right, he wouldn’t. But I would,” said another voice. They turned to the entrance of the room to see Tim Drake. He stood tall, looking arrogant, righteous in the firelight. Bruce’s jaw went slack as Jason’s eyes narrowed.

I can see you staring honey Like he’s just your understudy Like you’d get your knuckles blood for me Second, third, and hundredth chances Balancing on breaking branches Those eyes add insult to injury

“Tim?” Bruce finally said, voice barely a whisper. Tim walked further into the room, sitting in one of the plush armchairs like he was the master of the house. He sat straight, eyes like a shark’s.

“We know all the criminals in this city. You said so yourself, criminals don’t get to hide behind masks and alter egos. The cops should know them, they should know each other, everyone should know them. Red Hood is a murderer, he is a criminal. You were too blinded by nostalgia to see that so I did what you couldn’t. Maroni was looking for information on him, so I gave it to him,” Tim explained. Bruce stared at him, and Jason could see him finally realize what he had created.

“Tim, Jason is family…” Bruce began.

“Jason Todd is a murderer, Bruce. And you said so yourself, killing is never the answer, no matter what happens. Joker killed Jason and he still walks this earth because you know the line, you drew it yourself. He walked past it and he no longer can be considered a hero, or even a vigilante, in this city. He is a killer,” Tim said. His voice never wavered. He wasn’t reconsidering his actions. He was right, Bruce was wrong. Bruce was going back on all his teachings and lessons to the boy, but Tim wasn’t going to falter in their black and white view of things. Bruce looked at Jason and then back at Tim.

“Did you tell anyone else?” Bruce asked.

“Not yet,” Time said. Bruce nodded. “If you would like to use it I have it all on the batcomputer, I can send it out to everyone whenever you’d like.” Bruce grabbed his phone.

“Alfred, wipe the batcomputer…yes, get rid of everything, including the backups. We’ve been compromised,” he said, voice breaking at the end there. He hung up and Tim stared, clearly confused. “I have failed all of you.”

So many signs, so many signs You didn’t even see the signs I think I’ve seen this film before So I’m leaving out the side door

Jason was pulled back to the auditorium when he heard applause. He clapped also, seeing YN looking right back at him. She smiled at him, and he forced a smile to his face as she continued her show. It was the final song, the one she hadn’t let him hear her rehearse.

“I know it’s corny to dedicate a song to someone you’re dating,” she said from the stage. “But I for one, love corny shit like that, so this one is for Jason, I love you and I always will. Now please enjoy my last song, One Bedroom by Yellowcard.” Jason actually did smile at this as she started playing the guitar and singing.

You’re the light from the moon tonight You’re the history I will write You’re the last stop and I arrive You’re the one for rest of time What good could I do in a life without you? What more could I lose than what I’ve found in you? The song was just fading out when Dick shook Jason’s arm and held out his phone. There was a police alert. Jason read the notification and then reread it.

Sal Maroni found dead from self-inflected gunshot wound in office

#jasontodd #jason todd #red hood #redhood #jason todd x reader #jason todd x you #jason todd x y/n #red hood x reader #red hood x you #red hood x y/n #strangeduet

[klbwriting]

Our Strange Duet

Chapter 9 - Seen What Was To Pass

Fandom: Red Hood

Pairing: Jason Todd x f!reader

Warnings: none

Summary: YN gets into Maroni's office and finds out more than she bargained for

Taglist: @deans-spinster-witch @amberpanda99

I should have seen what came to pass I should have known to watch my ass - The Producers

Dick, Jason, Barbara, and YN spent the weekend coming up with a plan for the aftermath of taking Maroni’s data. They would obviously take it to the cops but there was the overarching problem of how Batman would react. Jason had promised not to kill Maroni unless he threatened YN, then he was dead. YN wondered if that should scare her, but instead she felt protected, safe. Jason wasn’t going to let anyone hurt her, ever, and she loved him for that. They finally just conceded that they would let the cops handle it and if Batman came knocking, they would worry about that when it happened.

On Monday evening YN got herself ready, Jason waiting to drive her over to the Maroni building in New Gotham. He paced the front entrance, not really wanting her to do this. It was dangerous, and he couldn’t just fly in as Red Hood to protect her. He needed to drop her off and let Dick handle anything that went wrong, but he hated that. Dick didn’t care about YN like he did, what if he chose the data over her life? He felt her hand on his arm, breaking him out of his thoughts.

“Are you ok?” she asked. He looked at her and nodded. “You’re lying, but you know that this will work, everything will be fine.” She smiled at him, and he took a breath to calm himself.

“Come on, let’s get this over with,” he said, taking her hand. He drove her to the Maroni headquarters, an unassuming three-story apartment building, and she walked in like she owned the place. Which, considering who her father was, she almost did. Jason pulled the car around to a back alley, waiting for her to come out.

YN headed towards her father’s office. She knocked, knowing that if she just entered it would be suspicious, so she knocked and waited. Sal opened the door and got his sleezy smile that he always did when he saw her, like he knew something she didn’t. He moved so she could enter the room, motioning to the chair in front of his desk. She sat down and he sat on his desk in front of her, crowding her a little bit, just enough that it was obviously uncomfortable for her.

“What brings you to my office little one?” he asked as if she were still a child and not in college. She smiled at him, trying to force herself to be at ease.

“I actually wanted to ask you about my mother,” she said. This was clearly not what he expected. Just for a few moments his smile fell, and he looked genuinely heartbroken, but then he masked it, the smile pinched now. “Just, I know you were married when you met her, why would you pursue her if you weren’t able to be there for her?”

“Did she ever tell you anything about me? About how we met?” he asked. She shook her head. In truth this was something she was curious about, something she had been avoiding asking about, afraid of what the answer might be. “Your mother was a singer at one of my clubs and she had the voice of, not an angel, something better. Probably where you get that entertainment talent you have from. I found myself going to see her perform every night, pretending to be someone else. She didn’t know my real name for a long time, I finally had to tell her because my wife found out about my dalliance. By then I guess you were already made, still cooking so to speak, but it didn’t matter. Your mother was the star of the show, she wasn’t going to be letting me make her into a secondary character in my life, so she told me to take a hike and never talk to her again. So, I did. Then I found out about you and well, she may hate me, but you were what she loved, so she let me help pay for your schooling at least. Wanted you to have a good life, something I ruined for her.”

“I know, I was the reason she couldn’t make it big, can’t cart a toddler around to auditions,” YN said. She would never stop feeling guilty about that. Sal shook his head.

“Nah, little one, you were her greatest joy. She only talked to me once after I started paying for you and she told me that no stage could compare to being your mom,” he said. For a moment YN actually felt something like kinship for Sal, wondering what else he could tell her about her mom from before she was born. It was clear that she had been special to him, not some fling, not a mistake. The only mistake was her. She looked up when a call came in for him, probably Dick with the distraction. He answered, said a few hushed words and then stood.

“Do you need me to leave?” she asked. He looked at her for a moment before shaking his head.

“No little one, I’ll be back in a few minutes, we can continue this talk,” he said. He patted her head before heading out of the room. YN stood to begin her action. She went to the computer, inserting the drive from Barbara. It broke through the local firewalls and passwords and started downloading everything on his hard drive. While that worked YN looked for the harmless evidence that she could appear to be trying to steal, something to make him think she was clumsy. She opened a desk drawer and found a ledger, grabbing it, and then removing the drive from the computer. She shoved it into her inner jacket pocket, turning off the computer and riffling through the desk more.

The door opened and Sal came in, seeing her in the desk. He glared and stomped over to her, grabbing her arm and yanking the ledger from her grip. He tossed her towards the door, causing her to tumble. She made sure the drive was still in her pocket before she stood again to face him.

“Did you think you would get one over on me? Maybe give this ledger to your little boyfriend Red Hood? Or should I call him Jason, what do you call him?” he asked. YN’s breath left her lungs and she stared. That was definitely not part of the plan.

“Wha…what?” she stammered. He smirked, face full of malice now.

“You’re not the only one with masked friends and that Jason really pissed someone off,” he said. “Now, I’m going to let you go, considering I have what you were stealing, and you are still my daughter, maybe you’ll come around someday, but tell your boyfriend that if he ever wants a meeting, he can have one, I would love to see how his head looks on my mantle.”

YN walked from the room quickly, getting to the back alley that Jason was waiting in. She looked at him, face white.

“What happened?” he asked. “We had comms until you went into the office, then you were gone.” She shook her head.

“He knows…he knows who you are…Red Hood and me and you…” she said, brain scrambling to figure out how he found out. “He said he had masked friends too. That might have been a lie…he might know because of me…” She looked at him again and saw him staring straight ahead, face blank. “Jason?” He started driving. “I’m sorry, if I did this, I’m so sorry.”

“You didn’t do this,” he said, voice barely audible. “You get what we came for?” He was all business, he needed to be, or else he was going to drive right to Wayne manor and pop Bruce full of bullets. He pushed that traitorous scumbag to the back of his mind. Right now, he needed to get YN home, find out what information was on this drive, get it to the police, and then he was going to reload his guns.

#jason todd #red hood #jason todd x reader #red hood x reader #jasontodd #redhood #jason todd x you #jason todd x y/n #red hood x you #red hood x y/n #strangeduet

[klbwriting]

anthony carries around a copy of their marriage certificate that he pulls out ron swanson style anytime anyone complains about him kissing kate in public like “not to worry i have a permit”

[klbwriting]

Our Strange Duet

Chapter 8: Jealous

Fandom: Red Hood

Pairing: Jason Todd x f!reader

Warnings: none

Summary: Jason is moody for six weeks but gets his cast off and a new feeling arises in YN

Taglist: @deans-spinster-witch @amberpanda99

I wasn't jealous before we met Now every woman I see is a potential threat And I'm possessive, it isn't nice - Mamma Mia

It was a long six weeks for everyone in the penthouse as Jason was unable to do much besides school and provide Dick with home-based assistance as Nightwing. He was irritable, snapping at everyone, even YN sometimes, and just downright sulky. Dick constantly would look at YN and ask if she still wanted to put up with his bullshit, to which she would just shrug and say something about it being annoying but sometimes the real Jason came through and that made it worth it. Like when he made dinner for them, hobbling around in front of the stove, listening to music, and sometimes, if he thought no one was looking, dancing as much as he could with the cast. Or maybe when he was reading something really interesting, and YN would just lay her head in his lap and listen to him read quietly to himself. Those moments made her remember that Jason wasn’t just some vigilante with nothing to do, he was a person, and he was struggling. She remembered her mom being this way, so angry some days, so sad others, but the moments in between are the ones that were most vivid in her memory. She held out hope that whenever she thought back to this time, she would just remember the good things, like Jason singing her to sleep some nights or them meeting up before theater practice to kiss backstage. Jason took these moments to heart, knowing he would remember them, needing them these things to make this time not feel so wasted, make him not feel so useless.

The only thing Jason really could do, was research that drug that Maroni had gotten into the streets. He, Dick, and YN had all come up with a plan to at least get information directly from the source. YN contact Sal, offering to start trying to learn his business, maybe join him. She put on that she was nearly homeless, needed help, was desperate enough to start the work. Sal had gladly accepted, and she spent weekends and sometimes evenings with Sal and his cronies, learning things about both Sal’s underworld business and his legitimate cover business. It bothered Jason that she was being thrown into that world, but she wanted to help, and they didn’t have much of a choice, they needed a contact. YN was a good sport about it, coming back with real information for them, working hard to be helpful. Dick often asked Jason if he had asked YN to officially move in yet, wondering if her eagerness to be useful was something rubbed off from Jason or her need to feel like she wasn’t a charity case. Jason wasn’t sure, but he was terrified of asking her to stay. Of her saying no, telling him that she wasn’t going to stay long, that he wasn’t what she wanted for the long run, so he never asked, skirting the question with excuses or just running out of the room as fast as he could hobble.

All the stress from school, the musical, and being a coach vigilante was clearly getting to the breaking point when Jason got his cast removed. He was fitted with a boot and given another 2 weeks before he could be free of it. Just two more weeks and he would be back out there, being Red Hood, actually doing something that mattered in the city. It was giving him something to hope for, but he still felt so pathetic, and everyone noticed. And as older teenagers do, when they see someone who clearly needs a night to blow off steam, the theater group decided to have a party. Halle, the junior playing Christine, had an off-campus house that she shared with a few other theater people, so she volunteered to throw a party specifically for Jason getting his cast off. She announced it at Friday practice that the party would be that evening and Jason of course had to come. YN was off in the wings, having come back from the music area to tell Jason she could find another way home, she was needing to stay late, when she heard about the party.

“If you can’t come, I’m not going,” Jason said, folding his arms as he leaned against the backstage wall. She sighed, seeing him picking absently at his sleeve while his other hand scratched at his elbow. Nervous energy was pretty much wafting off him. He needed a night off to let off some steam.

“I will come, I will be late, go have fun,” YN said, gently rubbing his arms, making him instantly put his hands on her hips and pulling her close. He leaned his head to hers. “I’ll only be another hour and then tomorrow you have to listen to my arrangement of ‘The Point of No Return’ and sing to it so I know its working out right ok?”

“Anything you want sweetness,” he said. “You promise you’ll come?”

“An hour Jason, now go have fun. I promise it won’t kill you,” she said. Jason smiled a little and kissed her gently, a hand holding her face after he pulled back. “I have to get back, love you, now smile and have fun.” He couldn’t help smiling a little before heading off to join the rest of the cast.

Jealousy wasn’t something that YN had a lot of experience with. She had never expected to experience it, she didn’t really date in high school, beyond Jason, and she never had trouble with losing out on parts during theater, she understood her limitations most of the time. But the raging fire that she was feeling when she entered the party and saw Jason, Halle, and Mike, the guy playing Raoul, doing a terrible karaoke version of ‘The Boy is Mine’ but singing it to Halle, was completely new. She had no idea how to control it, letting it fester as she grabbed a drink and sat down in the back of the main living room. Theater nerds were a strange lot, their parties weren’t always loud music and drinking to excess, a lot of times it was karaoke or random jam sessions with food and maybe a few beers. YN had been to a few of these in high school and normally she participated, but right now she didn’t feel like it. She was quiet, pretending not to be there until the song ended and Halle kissed Jason’s cheek before Mike’s and that kind of set YN off. She had been so understanding of everything and this wasn’t something crazy, not like they were making out in front of her, but something snapped inside her. All the stress of dealing with Jason’s mood swings, with him being hot and cold on their relationship, overflowed and she stood up, moving towards the door, getting out of the house and into the cooler night air. If this is finally what made him happy, if Halle’s attention was what made him happy, then she would walk back to the apartment that night.

“YN?” she heard behind her, Jason coming down the front steps of the house. “Hey, I saw you…why are you leaving?” She stopped and looked at him, those eyes seeping into her and melting the iciness that had settled over her heart.

“I see you took my advice to have fun…” she said, folding her arms and looking at her feet. Jason looked confused, why did she seem mad about that? Then it dawned on him, another girl, hanging off him, getting close. O, o jeez. No one had ever been jealous about him before, and he felt both pride and guilt. He hadn’t meant to make her feel that way, but he couldn’t lie, he wanted to see how jealous she was, his ego liked that idea.

“Ya, well we thought it was funny, you know the whole fighting over a girl thing…” he said. “It was just supposed to be cute, Halle thought it would be fun.” His rambling and shrugging in an ‘ah shucks’ sort of way seemed to just annoy her more.

“Sure, well I don’t want to cramp your style, get back to your fun. I’m going to see if I can help Dick or something,” she said, turning and starting to stomp away. Jason reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back to him. She stumbled, catching herself on his chest, hands settling there as she looked up to see him smirking down at her. He looked smug and it was both hot and aggravating.

“Sweetness are you jealous?” he asked, leaning in a little. She glared at him, but it was half-hearted. “You know I will follow you home right now, if you’re not at the party then I don’t want to be there either.”

“I’ve never seen you like that…you looked happy, I don’t remember the last time you seemed happy,” she said softly. That stopped him in his tracks, his smile dropping. She thought someone else made him happy? And she thought that she didn’t. O fuck he had been such an asshole. He had been so focused on pouting and self-pity that he hadn’t noticed her efforts. She always tried to make him laugh, finding all his favorite movies to watch, listening to him read, sometimes for hours, not moving so she didn’t disturb him. She brought him snacks, for fuck’s sake, she was going into Sal Maroni’s world to help him and Dick.

“YN, I’m sorry,” he whispered. She looked at him confused. “I should have noticed that I was being so awful to you, and you were just trying to help me. Let’s go home, I don’t want to go back to the party.”

“No, I want to go, I want us to have fun together. No more of you stewing in your self-loathing, you’re Jason fucking Todd and you should be proud and happy about that. And if you’re not, be happy you have a loving girlfriend who literally deals with her asshole dad every day for him,” YN said. Jason took a step back at the venom in her voice.

“I wouldn’t be happier with anyone else. No one else has done so much for me, well no one but Dick but I doubt he kisses like you,” he said, which caused YN to burst out laughing, making him smile. “Alright sweetness, we’ll go back to the party, only if you agree to move in and stop the whole trying to get a job and move out thing. You’re mine and you’re staying with me. Or, if you want, I’m moving with you somewhere, maybe somewhere we could have more privacy…” he trailed off as his fingers ran down her sides to yank her closer. She let out an adorable squeak of surprise before he kissed her deeply, her hand weaving into his hair.

“I’ll move in, I won’t try to leave anymore,” she said as Jason, ignoring that they were right in front of a house full of college kids, kissed to her ear and down her neck, hands finding purchase on her ass, squeezing. “As much as I’d like to continue this, we are being watched…and honestly I never thought of voyeurism as hot unless you were in your other outfit.” Jason stilled, now having an entirely new thought in his mind.

“When I get this boot off that is happening, I know a few places it would be fun to make you melt in,” he whispered, pulling back and taking her hand to head back to the party.

After a couple hours Jason got a text from Dick, telling them to get home, they needed to talk immediately. Jason found her, pulling her close and kissing her ear. He whispered what Dick texted, freezing a fake smile on her face she looked at him, nodding.

“Going somewhere?” Halle asked as they started to leave. Jason smirked, pulling YN back to him.

“I’ve been trying to take her home all night, finally wore her down,” he said. It was sleezy, and very unlike Jason to talk like this but Halle just shrugged, probably assuming he had been drinking. YN just laughed and shook her head.

“I’m getting him home before he drinks anymore, he’s heavy and I can’t carry him,” she said. Jason shrugged and they headed back to the apartment.

“Where have you guys been?” Dick asked as they came in. Jason explained about the party and Dick looked a little impressed that they were doing something normal instead of trying to search for a criminal hideout or something. He showed them his computer where Barbara was on camera.

“Hey lovebirds, just found all the evidence we need against Maroni,” she said. YN let out a sigh of relief, maybe she would be free from that man finally.

“What’s the catch?” Jason asked, always knowing that good names came with pain in the ass news. Barbara nodded.

“We can see the data, but I can’t copy it or screenshot in. It can only be copied from the computer in Maroni’s office,” she said. Everyone looked at YN who deflated. She knew she could get it, but she would probably get caught so they discussed a plan to make sure she got away with the data, all the while making sure Maroni would think he foiled her plans. Pain in the ass news, am I right?

#jason todd #red hood #jason todd x reader #red hood x reader #jasontodd #jason todd x you #jason todd x y/n #redhood #red hood x you #red hood x y/n #strangeduet

[klbwriting]

I'm having a hell of a time writing during the day like I'm used to. Seems my good inspiration only comes at night at the moment so I'm thinking tonight I might write another chapter to Our Strange Duet, we're getting towards the end now, probably 3 or 4 chapters left. I also have a bonkers idea that is completely AU for Jason or Orm, I'm not sure yet who I might write it about. Anyone curious?

#writing #fanfic writing #jason todd #red hood #orm marius

[klbwriting]

If you ever feel like you don't contribute to fandom because you "only" comment—

A regular serial commenter just joined a fandom Discord server I'm on and people are coming out of the woodwork to thank her for her service to the fandom, expressing how much joy her comments on their works bring them.

Remember—they're never only comments.

[klbwriting]

Our Strange Duet

Chapter 7 - From Here

Fandom: Red Hood

Pairing: Jason Todd x f!reader

Warnings: none, just angst

Summary: Jason had a long recovery journey ahead and doesn't start it well

Taglist: @deans-spinster-witch @amberpanda99

It isn't where I am, its where I go from here - Amelie

Jason had passed out whenever he saw Dick finally arrive to get him, the pain of trying to walk on his ankle enough to drain all the blood from his face. The last thing he remembered was Dick’s frantic face as he picked him up to carry him to the car. Then he was sleeping, until he heard Dick’s voice. He didn’t open his eyes, wanting to will himself back to sleep, but then he heard his name.

“Jason isn’t just some soldier for you to discharge when you think he’s disobeying orders,” Dick said, voice low but so angry. Jason assumed that he was talking to Bruce. He must have known that Jason found Bruce and was now trying to figure out what had happened.

“What are you talking about ‘he’s not one of us’? I tried to beat the shit out of you…so what if I didn’t try to shoot you, I just didn’t think of it…o so because he has guns he’s some kind of serial killer?...it was Falcone what harm did his death do?...what are you talking about, you wouldn’t give him to the cops…fuck you Bruce, get your shit together and don’t call me until you do,” Dick finally hung up the phone and let out an annoyed sigh. “I know you’re awake.”

“I don’t want to be,” Jason said, eyes opening slowly. He wiped them and sat up a little, looking down that his leg under the hospital blanket. “An actual hospital?” he said, taking in the stark white room and the itchy blanket over his lower half.

“I got your gear to a safe house, said you were getting drunk at some roof party and fell off,” he said. Jason rolled his eyes. “Hey, it was always a safe go to way to get injured, drunk people are idiots.” Jason nodded, pulling the blanket to look at his ankle, leg in a cast from the knee down. “That’s on for six weeks, then you get a boot, so no hijinks until after. I contacted the school, they obviously will work with you for your classes and your theater director said she wouldn’t recast you, they want you at practice today, which starts in an hour so we better get moving.” Jason followed along, but then looked at Dick.

“What about YN? What did she say? Where is she?” he asked, getting up and getting his clothes so he could get dressed. Dick looked at little guilty.

“I didn’t tell her anything, I said I had you and that she needed to get to class, so she went to class, you’ll see her at practice,” he said. Jason stared. Great, she was going to freak out. He got dressed around the cast, needing to cut his combat pants to get them to work around the bulk before shooting off a text to YN telling her not to freak out when she saw him. She called him.

“What do you mean NOT freak out? What happened?” she asked. Dick was driving, pretending he couldn’t hear his brother who was stretched out in the backseat.

“I fell off a roof,” he said. There was a long minute of silence. “YN?”

“Are you ok?” she asked, clearly trying to contain herself. He didn’t know where she was, but she was whispering now. “Was it related to anything like…the terror that flaps in the night?” Jason let out a laugh.

“Darkwing Duck? No, he wasn’t there,” Jason said, getting a loud hmph from YN. He heard a door close and then another door and then running water. “Are you showering?”

“I’m making noise in one of the dorm showers, so no one hears me, I snuck in to hide for this conversation,” she said. “And no not Darkwing Duck, I was trying to infer about Batman.” Jason scowled.

“Yes, it involved Bruce,” he said. “I confronted him, told him to leave you alone. He said something about me finding him, then he said my name and I lost it…I tackled him off the roof, he used a grappling hook and I fell.”

“And then he came to help you until Dick arrived?” she said, even though she knew the answer.

“No, he left me,” Jason said, saying it out loud really ripping open his chest. His father once again leaving him. It wasn’t a surprise, him being abandoned, but it didn’t hurt any less.

“That absolute fucking cunt,” she said, and Jason laughed in surprise more than anything. She wasn’t exactly angelic, but he had never heard her say something so vulgar. “I need to go, heading to practice early to do some arranging with the music teaching advisor on the play, I will see you there?”

“Ya, I’ll be there,” he said, smiling a little.

“Alright, I love you Jason,” she said, making sure to enunciate each word so he heard them clearly. She hung up, knowing he might not be able to say the words back. Betrayal could do that to him. He didn’t feel much love for anything at the moment, but he knew in a few hours, when he had a chance to rest, get a shower and some food, get comfortable, he would feel so much love and care towards his brother and his girlfriend, but right now his entire mind was shaded with anger and worry and doubt. At least he could use that for motivation at practice.

The director was understanding about the timeline of his ankle, but did ask that he be more responsible in the future. He heard her mutter that if he wasn’t so talented she would have kicked him out so he took that as a good sign. He could at least do something right. He could hobble around pretty good on one crutch since he had done that before during his stint as Robin, so he got around the stage pretty well as they got used to their marks. Being the phantom, he didn’t need to do much dancing, it was more looking menacing, which was a little difficult with a cast, but he could figure it out. By the end he was exhausted, collapsing into a theater seat as the director went over the schedule for the next couple weeks. YN didn’t make an appearance until the end where she answered a question about how the arrangement was coming along and she stammered through her answer, catching sight of him with his cast.

“Yes, I know Mr. Todd seems to have gotten himself injured already, college parties get wilder every year,” the director muttered. YN nodded, before walking over and sitting next to him. The director dismissed them all and while the others left YN and Jason stayed seated.

“I don’t know why I didn’t think you were in a cast; you fell off a roof, of course it wasn’t just a concussion or something,” she said. “How bad is it?”

“6 weeks in this thing and then a boot until they say I’m ok,” he answered. She nodded and produced a sharpie from her bag. “Going to be the first to sign it?”

“Yes, I am your girlfriend I am first,” she said, putting her name and a heart on it. “There, now you have a six-week reminder that you are loved.” Jason still wasn’t ready to accept that and instead rolled his eyes, instant annoyance settling over him.

“Yes, loved by someone who lied to me,” he said before he could stop himself. He regretted it as soon as the smile fell off of YN’s face. His annoyance wasn’t at her, it was at himself, and just like always he pushed his self-loathing out onto others. “YN…”

“No, you’re right, I lied to you about the apartment. Don’t worry, the next apartment I get I will be paying for myself, no rich assholes or deadbeat dads to be seen,” she said. “I have some work to finish for the show, I will see you later?” She stood and grabbed her bag before he could answer, disappearing back towards the music area of the school. He knew Dick was waiting to take him back to the apartment, so he sighed and went home.

YN wasn’t back until late that evening, setting her things in a corner by the door, trying to be small. Dick had noticed Jason was in a bad mood as soon as he got in the car and since he couldn’t go out to kiss criminal ass at the moment, he was sulking on the couch watching the 2005 Pride and Prejudice because yes, the one with Colin Firth may have been a classic but dammit Matthew Macfadyen was absolutely perfect as Mr. Darcy. He noticed and bounced to shut the movie off.

“No, I love this movie,” she said, walking over as his hand stilled on the remote. She sat down on the couch, and he put an arm on the back of it, a peace offering. She slid in and leaned her head to his chest, his arm sliding around her and Dick slinking out of the room, and Jason took a deep breath, finally ready to feel loved for a little while.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered after several minutes. She took the hand on her shoulder and kissed it softly.

“I’m sorry too,” she said. Neither of them needed to look to see how much the other meant it, how much they loved each other. It was in their very beings and Jason once again, and probably not for the last time, realized he didn’t need Bruce to love him, he had Dick and he had YN and that was all he needed.

#jasontodd #jason todd #red hood #redhood #jason todd x reader #red hood x reader #jason todd x you #jason todd x y/n #red hood x you #red hood x y/n #strangeduet

[klbwriting]

LOVE IT

Anyone else just obsessed with domestic Jason Todd ideas? I'm wanting to write just some little blurbs about Jason at home in various situations. Cooking dinner for YN or with YN, helping with his child with YN, an afternoon of lazing around, board game night with the Batfamily, a date to the movies, all that cutesy bullshit I don't see him in enough. Anyway else want this or just me?

[klbwriting]

we've done it again folks

[klbwriting]

Grumpy + Sunshine Dialogue

First 10 grumpy prompts + last 10 sunshine prompts

"You're definitely the only person I would do this for."

"How can you be this happy this early in the morning?"

"No, it's not annoying. I- It makes me happy to see you so happy."

"We're so different. I wouldn't want to pull you down."

"I'll do it, but only because you asked me to."

"No, no, please don't look sad. I can't handle that."

"You're so excited all the time... it's kind of adorable."

"I'm not grumpy. Not everyone can smile all the time. Except you."

"Why do you always manage to persuade me with your charms?"

"Are you really this happy 24/7?"

"Are you really this grumpy 24/7?"

"Oh, come on, grumpy face, it will be fun!"

"I'm so excited, thank you for coming even though you're not the biggest fan of it."

"You smiled! I saw it, so no denying it."

"It was fun, right? Come on, you can just admit it."

"Will you dance with me? Please, pretty please!"

"I love that grumpy face of yours."

"Everyone should dance in the rain at least once in their lives."

"Oh, your smile is so beautiful! I would love to see it more often."

"Don't look so grumpy, it will be great!"

Grumpy Affectionate Dialogue

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[klbwriting]

Our Strange Duet

Chapter 6: Nightmare

Fandom: Red Hood

Pairing: Jason Todd x f!reader

Warnings: some violence, Bruce Wayne is a terrible father

Summary: YN tells Jason about Bruce and Jason goes on patrol

Taglist: @deans-spinster-witch @amberpanda99

Notes: just because 2 anons asked this, yes, I'm not a big fan of Bruce Wayne or Batman, BUT I don't hate him as much as this story suggests, it's just for the narrative I need him to suck this much (and depending on which comic continuity you're reading, he does suck this much sometimes)

Will someone care? Will I wake tomorrow from this nightmare? - Rent

               Jason moved aside, letting YN into the apartment.  Dick was chugging water, nearly spitting it out when he saw her and her bags.  She put them down by the door and moved to Jason, throwing her arms around him, hugging him tight.  She whispered something that Dick couldn’t hear, and Jason gripped her back, both of them just holding each other, ignoring the rest of the world.  Dick felt his heart pang in his chest.  Giant Jason, still something Dick couldn’t get used to, hugging this shorter girl, clearly gripping her tight but yet still being gentle, engulfing her until she was nearly one with him, and she was gripping him back just the same.  He was glad to see his little brother find someone that he could be like this with.  He needed someone more than his brother or his therapist, he needed someone to love him as he was now, without the baggage of his past.  YN seemed to be it. 

               “Love you Jason,” YN whispered to him, making him loosen his grip a little to pull back and look at her.  “I’m sorry about barging in like this…”

               “You are always welcome here, with me, anywhere with me,” he said.  “So why did you leave the apartment?”  She sighed and he led her to the couch, sitting down with her, not letting go of her hand.  Dick took a seat on the chair nearby.

               “I lied to you about what was paying for the apartment.  I really thought it was all Maroni and honestly, I felt ashamed to accept any money from him, but it was before we had met again and I didn’t have anywhere to go so I figured I would keep the place until I could get a job and afford something else,” she explained.  Jason’s grip tightened on her hand at the thought of her lying to him and she looked down.  “I could handle Maroni doing it, he probably owes so much in child support, and he listened when I told him not to contact me again, so what if he paid for my place for a while?  He owes me.  But Bruce?  He doesn’t owe me anything, he owes you and trying to use me to get to you?  That’s despicable.  And he had the place bugged so that he could hear use talking.  He told me when I went to see him that it wasn’t supposed to be me.  You were supposed to find out about the donor and then go marching to Wayne manor and I don’t know, fight him?  Thank him?” she finished her ramble and sat back, head falling to look at the ceiling. 

               “I’m going to call him,” Dick mumbled.  Jason shook his head, pulling back from YN.  He knew it was petty, but she had lied to him, everyone lied to him sooner or later. 

               “No, don’t, don’t bother,” Jason said.  He moved to grab his gear.  “I’ll be back, need to patrol tonight, big drug deal happening in Crime Alley.”  He looked at them both, barely making eye contact with YN.  “Maybe I’ll find the Batman while I’m at it, handle this myself.”  Dick got up but Jason shook his head.  “Take a night off Nightwing, see if your crime lab contact has information about that drug that Maroni is circulating.  I’ll see if I can get some samples of the actual drug tonight.  YN, whenever you want to get some sleep go ahead a use my bed I’ll stay on the couch when I get back.” 

               “Ok,” she whispered, the barely veiled hurt in her voice piercing through him, but then her voice saying ‘I lied to you’ came flooding into his mind and he just walked out the door without looking back. 

               “I really messed up, didn’t I?” YN said as she and Dick sat at the table.  He had made truly horrible lasagna for dinner, so they were eating frozen pizza as the smoke slowly dissipated from the room.  He nodded slowly and she looked down, forehead meeting the table.

               “He will understand after thinking about it.  I mean, you had just met again, you had already been living in that place for months and you never really knew who was paying for it.  Not like you sought Maroni out for confirmation,” he said.  “It’s just…”

               “Jason doesn’t trust easily and its incredibly easy to break his trust,” she finished, sitting back up.  Dick nodded.  “I still can’t believe Bruce would do something like this, all of this cloak and dagger shit just because he is scared of talking to his son.” 

               “I’m not that surprised by all this.  When me and Bruce first fought, he used Jason to draw me out, pull me back in,” he said.  She looked at him, shocked.  “O you didn’t know?  Me and Bruce fought about me wanting to be something different than what he had made me.  I wanted to be more ruthless, I didn’t care so much about saving the bad guys, not like Bruce.  I left and a year later he’s got another Robin, a kid around the same age I was when he took me after my parents’ deaths.  He didn’t contact me, had Robin do it.  And I, unlike Jason, felt right into Bruce’s trap.  Not only did I fall right back into the family, but I even lightened up, tried to be a good role model for him.  Then Jason killed that drug dealer…”

               “He killed someone as Robin?” YN asked, making Dick look at her as if he had forgotten she was there.  He nodded, eyes a little glazed over with the memory. 

               “He doesn’t know that he killed him.  They were fighting on a roof, Jason had chased him up there after finding not only a pile of drugs in his apartment, but also a photo album full of children…” he shivered, and YN made a disgusted face.  “So, Jason was livid, that rage he gets from the pit, it was always there inside of him, the pit just makes it come out easier, but it was always there.  That night he used it, kicked that asshole right off the roof.  Bruce was climbing the side of the building, trying to get to him before anything happened, the body fell right passed him to the ground.  I was there on the ground, just arriving from another bust up and found it.  Bruce took Jason back to the manor and laid into him, telling him he was lucky that the guy wasn’t dead.  Then Jason said, ‘I wish he was, people like that shouldn’t get to live’ and that was when Bruce gave up, I think.  Even though Jason didn’t die for another six months, that moment there was when he died for Bruce.”

               “What a pile of shit, he just gives up on his kids whenever they decide not to be like him?” YN said.  Dick nodded.  “I don’t like that Jason kills people either, but I have to see him kill someone who didn’t deserve it and a guy who clearly is abusing kids deserves it.  How late will Jason be out do you think?  I want to talk to him.”

               “I wouldn’t expect him back, he will probably go to a safe house by the school and get ready there before going to class,” Dick said.  YN sighed and stood up from the table, starting to clear it.  “Don’t do that, you’re a guest.”  She stopped, looking at him.  “You’re not going anywhere, are you?  I might as well accept that you’ve moved in?”

               “No, I will find someplace, I just don’t know when, but I promise I’m not going to be a freeloader, let me do anything around here.  I can cook and clean and I’ll pay you whenever I can…” she rambled.  Dick walked over and put his hands on her shoulders.

               “YN, calm down, you are family, and despite what we learned from Bruce we don’t abandon family,” he said.  She nodded and hugged him for a second.  He patted her back before he let her clear the dishes, cleaning up his dead lasagna. 

               Jason did as he said, busting up the drug deal, and getting a sample of the new drug before the cops arrived to clear out the rest.  He stowed it away before heading into Old Gotham.  Batman would be patrolling around there that night.  Jason had kept up with what Batman and the new Robin did, always wanting to avoid them.  But today he sought Bruce out.  He wanted to draw him out fine.  But this was it, he would be done after this.  He wasn’t Dick, he didn’t care that Bruce had another kid under his wing, whenever Robin figured out that Batman wasn’t his friend or his dad then Jason would find him.  He could join the new family, the Robins Who Need Their Own Arkham club.  He soon found his prize, watching the Bat fight a few gangsters in an alleyway near the Iceberg Lounge.  Once he was finished Jason threw one of his Red Hood batarangs, making sure it soared right in front of Batman’s face.  Batman looked up and Jason walked away, going further onto the roof. 

               “Knew you would find me eventually,” Batman said from behind him.  Jason turned slowly, hands settling on his guns.  He knew that the armor was bullet proof, but his bullets would still hurt like hell.

               “I shouldn’t be the one arranging this meeting,” he said back.  He felt the rage in him, but he put a cork on it, bottling it until he needed it.  “I only came to say this, don’t go near her again.  Don’t ever do anything for her again.  Don’t contact her again, in any way.”

               “She came to me,” he answered.  Jason felt the cork loosen, one of his guns in his hand now.  Bruce looked at his hand and then back at the helmet. 

               “She did that to rid herself of you, now let her be done,” he said, the voice modulator not quite catching the menace in his voice.  The longer he stood there the more the rage threatened to spill over.

               “What about you?  Do you want rid of me?  Or are you going to come back, and we can talk?” Batman asked.  “Jason…”  That was it, his name, in that voice, he was gone.  The cork flew, releasing all the rage.  Jason was firing, Batman was dodging until he was on the edge of the roof.  Jason came running at him, tackling him over the side.  They were falling but, in that moment, Jason didn’t care, let him die again, he wanted to take Bruce with him.  Of course, that wasn’t what happened, Batman deployed the grappling hook and went up, letting Jason keep falling.  It was only a story, but still enough that when Jason landed, he heard the snap in his ankle, rolling and hissing as he nearly bit his tongue off trying not to scream.  He looked up to see Batman watching him for a moment before disappearing.  He opened his comms.

               “Nightwing?  I need help.”

               “I’m coming Red Hood, what do you need?”

#jason todd #red hood #jasontodd #jason todd x reader #jason todd x you #jason todd x y/n #redhood #red hood x reader #red hood x you #red hood x y/n #strangeduet

[klbwriting]

Our Strange Duet

Chapter 5: One Step

Fandom: Red Hood

Pairing: Jason Todd x f!reader

Warnings: none, unless shitty dad Bruce is a warning

Summary: YN confronts Bruce while Jason runs away

Taglist: @deans-spinster-witch

One step at a time - Anastasia

               YN avoided looking at the cast list Sunday, instead choosing to ignore the email she received.  Speaking with Bruce Wayne was more important at the moment.  She had so many questions.  Why her mother?  Why give them money and send them away?  Why not just talk to Jason?  He had to know that he was alive now, between the video and now Red Hood stalking the streets more openly, with Nightwing by his side most nights, he had to know that his older sons were working together, so why not approach them?  She was getting answers today, right from the source.  Well, she hoped so at least as she arrived at the gate, pressing the buzzer.  A voice cracked over the speaker asking for her name and if she had an appointment.  She gave her name only and waited. 

Just when she thought the gate wasn’t going to budge it creaked open and she climbed the hill, entering the grounds of Wayne Manor.  She looked around, trying to imagine what it must have been like for Jason, a ten-year-old, to be brought here to live.  He could play anywhere he wanted, run his energy off for hours on a beautiful lawn, there was probably a pool and tennis courts, maybe a full-fledged playground somewhere.  The woods surrounding the property contained hours of exploring potential and she almost laughed, thinking about Dick and Jason in the trees, doing flips and trying to show off for each other.  How strange it must have been for Jason to wake up and realize that this was all gone, that Bruce had pretty much abandoned him to his fate.  She wondered if Jason ever drove by the manor and remembered his childhood.  Were the memories nice?  Or sour in his stomach now?

The front door was already open when YN got there, the butler, Alfred, standing there to greet her.  He took her bag, setting it on a side table before leading her into a sitting room off the main hall.  Once again, she was struck by the home, imaging Jason there, getting into trouble.  She almost smiled a little, then became sad. The look in his eyes the few times he had talked about this place, he was ruined by this place, by what he had lost.  She was heartbroken until Bruce Wayne walked in, then she just felt anger.

“I see you have figured out who the donor was,” Bruce began, moving to sit in a chair, motioning for her to sit in another one.  She sat down, eyes narrowed at him.  “I wasn’t expecting you to be so angry.”

“I’m not angry about the money,” she said.  “But I will no longer accept it.  And the apartment, I have already packed and told them I will be breaking the lease.  You can cover the cost of that, I don’t want it.”  He looked surprised, then annoyed.

“You need a place to live while you study.  That grant will only cover tuition,” he said.  She shrugged. 

“I’ll move in with Jason and Dick then,” she said.  The name Jason seemed to slap Bruce in the face.  He went from looking displeased to haunted before masking again.  “I already lied to him about where the apartment came from, I’ll come clean now that I know that you were supplying it.  I don’t want your money, Bruce Wayne.  I have enough deadbeat dads in my life, I don’t want to be indebted to one.”

“I am not…” Bruce started but she held up a hand.

“Why haven’t you tried to talk to him?” she asked, one hand clenching on the arm of the chair, the other a fist in her lap.  She wanted to scream at Bruce, tell him how much damage he did, how much Jason hurt because of him, but she wouldn’t, let him explain himself. 

“If he wanted to see me, he would come to me,” Bruce answered as if that were the end of it.  YN scoffed.  How idiotic were rich men that they just expected everyone to bend to them.

“You’re the parent Bruce, not Jason.  You should seek him out, you should have sought him out when he died, like Dick did, brought him back, like Dick did,” she said.  “The more you avoid him, the more you ignore him, the less likely it is he will come to you.”

“He was supposed to be here today, not you,” Bruce said cooly.  YN glared at him.  “He would find out about me being the donor and then come confront me.  Not you.”  She stared; glad she had gotten out of that apartment now.  He must have bugged it, hoping to spy.  How boring his summer must have been as she had just sat in her room, spending the days either trying to distract herself or just letting herself sob.  YN stood and shook her head.

“I’ll let him know when I see him next,” she said, heading towards the door, grabbing her bag and storming out.  She waited until she was a few streets away before calling Jason.  He didn’t answer, so she messaged him instead, telling him she would visit Dick’s later.  She needed to clear her head and work on finding a new place to live before it got dark out.

Jason had waited for Dick to get home from the gym and lunch with Barbara before demanding they do something together.  Something that they could talk while doing, unplugged, just them.  Dick grabbed his stuff, loaded the car and they headed into the woods to the North of the city.  It was a good day for a hike, late August, so hot but having cooled off some in the last few days.  It would probably be scorching again tomorrow, but today they could spend the early afternoon climbing the small peaks and valleys of the forest.  Jason could talk and Dick could listen, and vice versa. 

“So, what is with the hike Jay?” Dick asked after a half an hour of walking in silence, leaving Jason to his thoughts.  They weren’t great thoughts.  He kept wondering why Bruce would just abandon him, not once, but twice it felt like.  Did Dick know?  Did Bruce call him often to get updates on him?  Or did they talk, and pretend Jason wasn’t there still? 

“Did you know Bruce was the donor for YN’s mom’s treatment?” he asked.  He had to know how much Dick was hiding from him.  He was behind his brother and nearly ran into him as Dick froze on the trail.

“He…WHAT?” Dick asked, turning around to stare at him.  The surprise in his eyes wasn’t fake, that much was easy to see.  Jason let out a relieved breath.  It would have been really annoying to have to leave Dick behind too, but he could only handle so many lies and half-truths at this point.  “I honestly thought it was Maroni trying to convince her to join him.”

“She thought that too at first, but Maroni apparently was livid she left the country, no, I went to see her last night and she showed me the bank statements, the company funneling the money for her.  Plostast Holdings.”  Dick sighed and looked down.

“Ah yes, Bruce and his anagrams,” he mumbled.  “Apparently letting me pick the company name was too boring so he’s forcing names on you lesser Robins.”  Jason cocked an eyebrow and let out a bark of unamused laughter.

“Lesser Robins?  Watch it I’ll cut you right now,” Jason said, pulling out a knife and dancing it between his fingers.  Dick rolled his eyes but pulled out a knife just in case his brother felt stabby.  “So, he didn’t tell you about his scheme?”

“No, he didn’t,” Dick admitted.  Jason couldn’t tell what bothered him more, not knowing or the scheme itself.  “He must have been trying to draw you out, probably thought if you found out about it that you’d confront him.” 

“Well, he’s wrong, I’m not going to him,” Jason said, moving now to keep walking.  He started running, wanting to feel the burn in his lungs.  He didn’t stop until they reached the overlook, and he could see the city below them.  He leaned on the railing, looking over everything and hating it.  But loving it.  The conflict warred in him.  Dick caught up to him and leaned on the railing, facing away from the city.

“What are you going to do if you’re not going to him?” Dick asked.  Jason shook his head.  “He won’t come to you, remember, that’s not how Bruce operates.”

“Well then I guess we’re at an impasse,” he answered.  “YN knows it was Bruce too.  She might confront him, but that’s her own thing.”  This time Dick let out a humorless laugh.

“You think that she is going to confront him for herself?  She is going for you, so that you don’t have to,” Dick said.  “Make sure when you see her next you do something special, if she’s going after Bruce, she’s going to deserve at least some flowers.”

“We should head back to the city, I’m sure the cast list is out by now,” Jason said, ignoring Dick’s implications.  Dick let the matter slide and they headed down the trail, driving back to the city. 

Once back home Jason checked his phone.  He had a missed call from YN and a message saying she would see him later, neither thing was concerning to him.  He checked him email and shook his head.  Phantom – Jason Todd.  She was right, he was a madman again, at least this time he got a mask.  Then he noticed her name.  Music Supervisor – YN YLN.  Wow, that was a big job for a freshman.  He was about to tell Dick the news when someone knocked on the door.  He knew it was YN, only the two brothers and their girlfriends knew the door entry code, but Barbara had a key to the place.  Jason opened the door to find YN carrying a couple bags.

“Congrats on Phantom, I moved out, can I stay here tonight until I find a new place?”

#jasontodd #jason todd #jason todd x reader #jason todd x you #jason todd x y/n #redhood #red hood #red hood x reader #red hood x you #red hood x y/n #strangeduet

[klbwriting]

comments on fanfics

I thought about writing this post for a long time and decided, fuck it, I'm gonna write this.

All over my dash I see people being disappointed because nobody is leaving comments on ao3 anymore/rebloging things on tumblr.

And the only thing I can think about this is: it's so true.

Two weeks ago I posted the epilog of my 60k words fanfic (I've been writing on it for almost a year and got some positive feedback on it) and I got ZERO comments, or kudos on the epilog.

I can see that people kicked on it, but I have no idea whether they liked it or not. (And I used to get a comment on my story now and then)

Last week I posted the first extra chapter (I planned three of these) and also got no reaction.

No I'm just sitting here, wondering if my writing is just true shit.

This is also the reason I was hesitate to post this. Maybe it's not the people and just that shithole of a story I've been writing.

Things like are just running around my head now and must say that the motivation to even finish those extra chapters is gone.

GUYS, IF YOU LIKE A FANFIC PLEASE LET THE AUTHOR KNOW, IT MEANS SO MUCH TO THEM.

So if you read a good story, not some bullshit like mine, write that comment.

[klbwriting]

🟢 You are still a writer even when you haven't written in a while.

🟢 You are still a writer even when you feel like you aren't writing enough.

🟢 You are still a writer when you feel like your work isn't good.

🟢 You are still a writer when other people don't like your work.

🟢 You are still a writer when you aren't published.

🟢 You are still a writer when you only have works in progress.

🟢 You are still a writer if all you write is fanfiction.

#when your work isnt good #that speaks my insecure ass #my work is terrible

[klbwriting]

more of these but Nina is accidentally in every other one LOL

[klbwriting]

Our Strange Duet

Chapter 4 - Help From Hoping

Fandom: Red Hood

Pairing: Jason Todd x f!reader

Warnings: violence, blood

Summary: Jason goes on patrol, gets hurt, and shows up at YN's place, just like old times

Taglist: @deans-spinster-witch @amberpanda99

But still I can't help from hoping To find someone to talk to Who likes the way I am - Waitress

The Narrows was active tonight. Dick was off in Bludhaven, dealing with a gun running deal involving Two Face so Jason was on his own, patrolling the area on what was apparently, the busiest night for petty crime in history. He didn’t mind the downtime, and by downtime he meant punching some muggers, maybe cuffing a few of Maroni’s minions to a lamppost, but he was getting bored tonight, itching to go to YN’s place. He had hoped maybe around 1AM he could have checked on her, not waking her, just making sure her windows were secure. God out of context, and even when she had given him permission he sounded like a stalker. He might as well cuff himself to a lamppost. He got the drop on a drug sale to a couple of young-looking teens, approaching, making sure to look as scary as he could, moving the gun he carried so it glinted off a floodlight over the alley door of a nearby club. Scare the teens into not seeking out the drugs and the criminals into leaving the kids alone. The kids took off, but the drug dealer wasn’t exactly frightened. He laughed, producing a knife. Jason glared.

“Dealing to kids is pretty low, even for scum like you,” he said. He could see the dealer roll his eyes, not bothering with a retort. Jason fired, intending to injure the dealer, get him cuffed somewhere as well, but the guy moved, throwing his knife. It was well thrown, slicing through a weak spot on Jason’s arm, right where his protective shoulder padding met the armor on his arms there was gap and that’s where the pain lanced through him. He didn’t flinch, approaching the now dead body of the dealer. He knelt down, frowning at the sight. He hadn’t meant to kill this guy, not that he was heartbroken over it, but he was worried. It was a less than a minute fresh kill and yet the body was…melting, skin dripping, blood that was almost a purple color seeping from the wound. Jason reached to where he kept some evidence bags and collection devices on his belt, getting some skin samples and blood drops to take back to Dick. Something was weird about this body, and he didn’t want whatever it was to sneak up and bite them in the ass because he didn’t do his due diligence. He heard sirens nearby and took off.

He was climbing a fire escape, wanting to get to a rooftop to contact Dick when he felt the pain from the cut in his arm. O ya, that was still there. He winced and sighed, getting to a secluded spot and removing his helmet. He looked at the cut, seeing it took very red around the open wound. He couldn’t wait to get this taken care of or if would definitely get infected and he hated infected wounds. He was 13 the first time he got one and it had made him violently ill for a week and he never wanted that experience again. He put the helmet back on and took in his surroundings. There was a safehouse nearby, or there was YN’s place. It was an easy choice. He dropped by her window, the ledge barely enough room for him to fit, but he made do. He knocked and the light came on. Her face appeared, looking freshly awakened, but still alert. She saw him and opened it, letting him climb in. By the time he closed the window and curtains again she was back with a large first aid kit.

“Do you need help getting the gear off still or have you made that part easier?” she asked, and his heart stuttered. It was just like old times, she was ready to just help, no questions asked. He pulled off the helmet and she took it, setting it gently on her dresser. He moved to his arm, removing his armor there and then hitting a button on the back of his neck that had the chest and shoulder protection loosen. She grabbed the front, pulling it off him, quietly working like this happened every night. She did have to help with his shirt, getting it over his head.

“Maybe could have just cut off the sleeve…” Jason said but quieted when he saw her looking at him, her eyes crawling slowly over his skin, taking in ever muscle, freckle, and scar. He smirked a moment, glad he still could get this reaction from her, then he blushed as he thought about her, what she would look like, feel like, so many things he normally only let himself think about when he was alone.

“Get on the bed Jason,” she said, and he startled for a second, blanking on why she was asking him to do that and then thinking of about one thousand things to do in that bed with her. “Be easier to stitch up your arm if you’re laying down. He turned a shade of red he didn’t know existed and laid down, letting her angle his arm on a towel so that she could get a better look at it. “I took some low level EMT classes over the summer in case I ever met up with you again…”

“So that’s why you have a first aid kit the size of a dishwasher,” he said, grunting a little as she disinfected his wound. She chuckled before shaking her head and getting the needle and thread ready.

“No, I bought that the day after we started talking again, knew it was a matter of time before you showed up bloody at my window,” she said, starting to stitch him. “So, what was it tonight? Assassins? Mutants? Rogue nun?”

“You’d be surprised that nuns are very violent,” he said. “But no, a drug dealer. He was selling to some kids, I was going to shoot his shoulder, injure him so I could cuff him somewhere for the cops, but he threw a knife at me, ended up killing him. Then he melted…” The needle stilled for just a moment, but Jason noticed.

“Melted?” she asked, waiting a second too long. He frowned, side eyeing her as she tied off the stitches, putting everything away to be cleaned before bandaging his arm. She moved to put things away, but he grabbed her hand. He was ignoring the question gnawing at his brain now.

“Thank you,” he said softly. “I know I can’t just drop in like this anymore, I’m not your boyfriend or anything…”

“Jason, you’re my forever, you never have to ask to come here, I will never shut you out,” she said, looking at him. “Boyfriend, friend, whatever, you can always come to me.” He nodded, swallowing hard.

“Thank you,” he said softly. “Um, so before, you paused…”

“The melted people thing?” she said quickly. He nodded. “I just know that Maroni is probably involved, and it makes my skin crawl. The only thing I really know that he told me in the brief time I was speaking with him, was that he had something new that he was going to implement, something to make sure his drugs were able to be the only pills people wanted. I’m not sure what it is or how it works though.” He nodded, sitting up more as she sat down on the bed next to him.

“Thank you for the information, I’ll talk to Dick about that later,” he said. She reached out, brushing hair behind her ear and she leaned into the touch before catching his hand and holding it.

“I wanted to talk to you about something, can you stay for a little bit?” she asked. He nodded. The city could be burning, and he would take a few minutes for her, no matter what his vigilante drive told him, if she needed him, he was going to be there. She got up, grabbing some papers from her desk, sitting down again, showing them to him. “I wanted to find the mysterious donor to thank them for trying to help my mother and for setting me up back here in Gotham. Be honest with me, did you or Dick do this? Is this corporation that is listed at the official ‘donor’ one of yours?” she asked. Jason took the paperwork, looking at the bank statement and then the letter. His eyes caught on the name of the company, Plostast Holdings and his heart stopped. ‘The last stop Jason, where you were when I found you, and the place you’ll be when you are old enough to be a Wayne and not just a Robin’ Bruce had said, laughing at his own lame anagram. Plostast was where Jason would be able to make a name for himself, turning the company into whatever he wanted, something for after Robin so he could keep helping people. Jason’s vision was tunneling, and he felt himself falling.

“Jason? Jason!” YN was calling. He moaned softly, eyes opening. She was over him, staring down at him, worry creasing her forehead. “Are you ok?” He must have passed out. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know that you would react like that.” She helped him sit up again, feeling his face and looking into his eyes, making sure he was all back. He could feel he was sweating; his head was aching at the moment.

“Do you have any pain pills?” he asked, he needed something, or he wasn’t going to be able to focus on getting back home. She nodded and reached into her kit again, getting some headache meds and giving him water. He took them and drank the glass, trying to organize his thoughts. “Bruce…that’s who the donor was,” he said finally. Her eyes widened.

“Why? Why would he do any of that? Have you talked to him?” she asked, already knowing that he hadn’t. He shook his head again. “Why would he help and not talk to you about it?”

“I don’t know, not like he cares about me at all,” he said, fists clenching. He felt her hand on his cheek, turning him to look at her again. “Green?” he asked. She nodded. He tried to will away the anger and rage that came to him at the thought of Bruce out there, butting into Jason’s life but not coming to him directly. Why do it this way? To draw him out?

“I will go to Bruce, talk to him. I will make sure he knows I will pay him back; I don’t want any of his money, not when it should be spent on you,” she said. Jason leaned to her, his head falling to her shoulder. “He doesn’t get to abandon you and then try to buy me. If I had known…”

“You would have taken the money anyways,” he said softly. YN turned to look at him, almost offended. “I would have forced you too, to go and help your mom. I know the treatment didn’t work but at the time it was hope and you needed it and I would do anything for you, including telling you to take Bruce Wayne’s money.” She smiled softly, looking at him. He looked at her and he wasn’t sure when the moment shifted. One second, he was looking at her, glad for her to be there with him and the next he needed to kiss her, for her to know that he still loved her, that he still wanted to be hers. She must have felt the same because in an instant their lips met and she was holding him, one hand in his hair, the other on his back, his arms around her waist, pulling her to him. He wasn’t sure how long they kissed, going from deep and passionate to soft, little kisses traded over several minutes of just smiling and whispering to each other. He barely noticed when the sun started to peek into the room.

“You need to get home, Dick will be worried,” she said softly. He nodded, looking at her, a question on his face. “I won’t be kissing anyone else if you’re worried about that, who could I possibly kiss that would live up to Jason ‘Red Hood’ Todd?” Jason smiled and nodded, pulling his shirt back on and getting his gear back on again. She went, grabbing the helmet from the dresser. She kissed him again before he put the helmet back on and headed out the window. The morning was bittersweet, mixing the feeling of getting what he wanted, YN back into his arms, with the confusion of Bruce. He didn’t know how he felt, but he needed answers.

#jason todd #jasontodd #red hood #redhood #jason todd x reader #jason todd x you #jason todd x y/n #red hood x reader #red hood x you #red hood x y/n #strangeduet