#‘those guys’ are literally Bruce Wayne in the movie | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

allysunny · 4 months

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Pls pls pls friends to lovers with an ass load of pining!!! I love the trope where literally everyone but her can see that he’s in love with her and they’re basically dating without the title. She’s in love with him too but a little more guarded/scared. They have fun traditions like a book club, and Bruce gives her the princess treatment. Pls pls pls, I’d literally love you forever if you wrote this

Obliviously in Love | Bale!Bruce Wayne x Fem!Reader

Words: 15k words

Warnings: Friends to lovers, pining, two idiots in love but way too blind to see it, Alfred being a very sassy butler (I love Michael Cane sm), possibly OOC Bruce (I've never written for him before), some angst, love confessions, Christmas! and mistletoe, eventual romance of course! Not beta, we die like Harvey Dent.

A/N: Hey everyone!!! Sorry for the delay, but as I told you, uni was kicking my ass. I'm back now, and hopefully I'll be able to write a lot!

So, this is my first Bale!Bruce request, and I'm so excited, but at the same time I'm super, super nervous because I've never written for this man in my entire life? I love this trilogy so bad and even rewatched all the movies as I was doing this, because I wanted to make sure I got him right. Sure, he's a vigilante and a billionaire and a supposed playboy, but he's also just a man, and I sort of wanted to explore that.

There's so many layers to this man, it is insane. If there's anything OOC about him, please do let me know. I swear to god I tried my best, and I hope you like the finished result.

This is my longest word so far - I'm so sorry! It was supposed to be kinda short and sweet but I just ran with it! I don't know if it was for the better or worst, but I hope you guys like it nevertheless. Again, I'm sorry if it's somewhat OOC, I tried to get everyone's personalities just right. I'm scared of not doing these movies justice. I also took some liberties with this - Bruce and Rachel don't have feelings for each other, Bruce often goes to charity galas, etc. Small things.

Also, it's set somewhat in between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight!

Anyways, enjoy!

Bruce Wayne was a lonely man.

Not that he minded, really.

Ever since he was a child, he knew most people were after him and his family for the money. Family friends cashing in favours done ages ago, things as small as having once lent his father an umbrella, women pretending to befriend his mother to accompany her whenever she went shopping, kids at school getting closer to him only to get a peek at the famed Wayne Manor and all the wonders it hid inside.

He'd rather be alone than have such leeches around him, surrounding him like vultures, waiting for an opening.

Kids who'd mocked him would apologise profusely days later, having learned about his family, offering their friendship. Once Bruce made it clear he had no intentions of inviting anyone to his place (he was just shy, really), they'd take back their so called “friendship”.

He was better off without such people.

They were few, the people he could trust. And even those he called his “friends”, he didn't trust completely. His childhood best friend, Rachel, had grown up and busied herself at the DA’s office. She reached out to him after he’d returned after all those years in training, but she was a busy woman, and Bruce had found a new passion himself – patrolling the streets of Gotham dressed up as a bat. They would talk often, but it simply wasn’t the same. They were still friends of course – childhood could link two people – but he’d changed, and so had she. No matter how well they got along, they were changed people.

So, he was back to square one, with no people to truly confide in.

There was, after all, a reason only Alfred knew of his secret identity.

No, Bruce Wayne wasn't a stranger to loneliness.

He preferred the peace and quiet of his home office to the loud ambiences of the parties thrown by pretentious people who wanted to pass by as charitable, and found that sometimes, being by himself was a better option.

Bruce Wayne could count with his hands how many “friends” he had, and how many were simply greedy bloodsuckers trying to get to his fortune.

All but you, though.

Never you.

Bruce met you a few years ago, at the bakery you used to work at.

He wasn't a regular - hell, he didn't usually eat at places like those. Bruce Wayne, the Prince of Gotham, dined at the best restaurants - a truth universally acknowledged.

But after being stuck in traffic for about thirty minutes (he'd sent Alfred on a makeshift vacation, having miraculously been able to convince the old man to take some time for himself), he decided to exit the cab and go for a stroll.

It'd been a stressing day, with about a hundred reports coming in for him to sign at Wayne Enterprises, the prototypes for his new motorcycle had proved to be a failure, and he was simply exhausted. A walk would do him good, clear his head.

That's when he walked by the bakery, noticing the colourfully decorated cupcakes and pastries on the shelves. The pastel-coloured frostings seemed far too pretty to eat, and curiosity got the best of him, compelling him to go inside and purchase one.

That's when he first saw you.

You took a while to take his order, quickly informing him you were working all by yourself. One of your coworkers was in labour, the other on vacation. You were baking, cleaning and waitressing on your own.

Bruce was surprised, to say the least. You were taking over each station, keeping calm even under pressure and tending to each task diligently.

When asked who baked the frosted treats, you smiled and told him you baked those yourself. Apparently, it was your first time exposing them, the owner of the bakery finally giving you some leeway to try your own cakes and sweets.

“No one's tried them yet, though,” you said, sheepishly. “People don’t really want to try anything new. They’re scared my food is going to suck. I keep telling myself they’re just scared of change, you know. To keep my spirits high.”

“I hear that,” Bruce replied. If he knew anything about people, it was that they were all terrified of the unknown. “It’s Gotham – what can you do? You bump into lunatics every other day. I’ll have the one on the shop window, the one with the pink frosting.”

Your eyes sparkled then, and Bruce swore he’d do anything to see them shine again and again.

“Really?” you asked, a hopeful smile playing in your lips.

“Absolutely. It looks good.”

You gave him an enthusiastic nod and went to retrieve the cupcake, placing it on top of a small place along with a fork. He paid for the treat along with a cup of coffee and sat down on a nearby table.

Unlocking his phone, he found a few messages from Alfred, asking him if he hadn't burnt down the Manor yet. Sure, maybe he couldn't cook nor clean nor take care of himself that well, but that didn't warrant a fire brigade to go check up on him, now did it?

Burned to the ground, he texted back in a joking manner. All that's left are the red slippers I gave to you last Christmas. Hadn't you lost them? It's a miracle.

Alfred replied just as quickly.

Should've let them burn too. Hideous things.

Bruce chuckled, assuring his trusted butler all was well, and locking his phone once again.

If he looked from the corner of his eye, he could see you, nervously chewing on your lip while you looked at his plate expectantly.

Right, he thought. The cupcake.

Bruce tasted the coffee first, deciding it was far better than whatever he was drinking at his office, and slowly cut the cupcake with his fork (because why would he use his hands). HIs eyes widened once he finally bit into it.

It was good, really good. It tasted like strawberries - not that artificial strawberry flavoured crap he was sure was in most of the food out there - actual strawberries.

The frosting was sugary, but not too much that it became nauseous, and the mix of flavours melted in his mouth.

You’d approached him, breath hitched as you awaited his verdict.

“So?” You asked, after a while, giving him an apologetic smile. “How is it?”

“It’s good.”

“Really?” You graced him with the brightest of smiles, holding onto your little notepad. “You think so?”

“I know so.” Way to go, Bruce. Not corny at all. You’re the man.

Pulling the chair next to him, you sighed in relief and sat down.

“You have no idea how happy that makes me. I was so scared no one was gonna like them.”

“The people of Gotham are idiots if they don’t want to try these.” He took another bite of his cupcake and your smile only got bigger.

“Well, you said it. It’s Gotham. Even something as simple as a different coffee order will get their panties in a twist. Look at how everyone reacted to that Bat guy. He takes out a few criminals and cleans the streets, and suddenly he’s the bad guy?” you inquire.

“Bat guy?” Bruce asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, you know! Bat guy! They’re calling him the Batman. You’ve probably seen him on TV. Black cape, black cowl, black, well, clothes?”

“Ah,” he nodded, “The Batman, yes. I might have heard of him.” Might have. “What’s his deal anyway? I think the police are calling the guy a criminal.”

You scoffed, placing a strand of hair behind your ear. “A criminal? The guy’s doing a better job than most cops. I think they’re just jealous. And pissed that someone’s not up for briberies.”

Bruce nodded, before turning to his cupcake. You thought what Batman did was right. He brimmed with pride.

“I don’t know – he sounds like your typical Arkham resident to me. Dressed like a bat, running around with a black cape?” It was practically wired into his brain by now, the way he attempted to detach his Bruce Wayne persona from his Batman one. Even if he’d just met you, even if you seemed genuine, he couldn’t help but keep up the façade. “They should probably lock him up.”

“That’s nonsense!” you exclaimed. “He’s the only one willing to do something right for this city. The only one who’s not being compensated by turning a blind eye to criminals like half of the GCPD are. The streets are safer with him around.”

So, he made you feel safe.

Well, not him – Batman did.

Bottom line was, he made you feel safe.

And wasn’t that the reason for all of this? To make Gotham a better place? To clean the streets, to give people some hope in amidst all the chaos and darkness? Wasn’t that his goal – to give Gotham citizens their city back to them, and allow them to live unruled by fear?

“Anyway - I’m sorry, here I am, sitting next to you while you probably want to eat by yourself. Gosh, I’m so sorry. Taking care of the shop by myself makes me feel a tad lonely.” You gave him another apologetic smile (although this one did not reach your eyes), and got up, hurrying behind the counter.

For a few moments, Bruce sat in silence, eating his cupcake, and sipping from his coffee. Good stuff – nothing like the ones Alfred prepared for him, but still good.

When he glanced back up, he watched as you quickly washed some dishes, brow furrowed in concentration. He took you all in, the way you carefully rinsed every dish, ensuring it was stable on the tray nearby before moving onto the next one. Once or twice, you looked up, observing the city through the windows. He saw you sigh softly and get back to work.

To say he was intrigued was an understatement. A big one.

It wasn’t only that you were strikingly beautiful – that helped too, quite a lot – but there was something more to you that Bruce couldn’t really pinpoint and wanted to get to know more of. He was tired of fake people. Of all the fake smiles and fake laughter and fake parties and having to pretend he was someone he simply wasn’t. It was all for the greater good, sure, but hiding behind a mask was draining. No one knew that better than Bruce Wayne.

Before he realised it, he’d stood up, placing his plate and cup on top of the counter. The soft “clack” of it made you turn around and your eyes widened slightly.

“Oh – “ you mumbled. “It’s okay, I usually just do that.”

“Lifting a cup and a plate won’t kill me, I assure you.”

You chuckled and took the dishes, turning to the sink.

“You’re not at all like what people say.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re not like they describe you,” you said with a small shrug. A strand of hair fell from behind your ear and Bruce’s hand twitched slightly, perhaps wishing to tuck it back himself.

“So you know who I am?” he asked, a curious smile forming in his lips. He wasn’t expecting to be completely ignorant of him – hell, it’s impossible to be unaware of his existence when you live in Gotham.

“I have a television and friends who love gossip magazines. It’s preposterous to think of a person who hasn’t come across your face, considering it’s slapped in nearly every tabloid ever.” You chuckled, soaking his plate. “And there was the matter of your credit card – I thought American Express was a myth.”

Bruce remained silent, which prompted you to go on.

“Everyone says you’re an arrogant jerk – “ The words come out of your mouth before you can process them, and he chuckles mentally, finding the way you stumbled over your words quite amusing. “I mean, that’s what they say – I’m not saying that you’re one, I just – I’m just repeating what’s been told to me. Anyway, yeah. You don’t seem like that at all.”

“And what makes you say that? We’ve spoken for all but five minutes,” he cocked an eyebrow, eagerly awaiting your answer.

You think for a while, gripping the towel at your hands and shrug again.

“I don’t know.” You turn to him. “Call it intuition, but I just felt like you were being genuine. I mean, you don’t have a bazillion models hanging off your arms – and it looked like you walked all the way here. No fancy sports car like the ones in the magazines either.” Another shrug. “You just seemed like a random guy when you walked in. No fancy titles whatsoever.”

Just a random guy.

Sometimes it felt like such a thing was unattainable for Bruce.

In front of the cameras, he had to be spoiled, rich, reckless playboy Bruce who bought hotels on a whim, hung around with hot models and spent his money on useless luxuries such as cars and yachts. When no one was watching, he had the weight of Gotham in his shoulders as Batman, sacrificing his mind and body every night just to make sure his people were safe.

It was impossible for Bruce to be just a random guy, no matter how much he wanted to.

But the way you said it – like you truly believed it – made him think twice about it.

You weren’t grovelling at his feet. Nor were you pretending not to know him as many others had done, in order to appear mysterious and different, and therefore catch his attention. No, you were just being you – or what he hoped was you. You knew who he was, admitted to seeing his face and knowing of his affairs, but that didn’t stop you from treating him like a normal person.

Just a random guy.

“Or maybe I’m just biased because you liked my cupcakes.” There it was again, that lovely smile of yours.

And you were funny too.

“I’ll admit, that was my tactic all along.” Bruce allowed a hint of playfulness to tint his voice, and your smile widened at that.

“Your secret is safe with me, Mr. Wayne.”

“Please, just Bruce.”

“Alright then. Your secret is safe with me, Bruce.” You smiled and went back to cleaning the counter. (You half expected him to leave without saying a word – why’d a billionaire entertain your company for more than a few minutes? – and were surprised when he stayed.)

“I’m sorry if I’m crossing a line here, but,” he started, “Would you like to join me for lunch one of these days?”

You eyed him curiously and cocked your head to the side, giving him a cheeky smile.

“Me? Really?”

“Exactly you.”

“Why? I don’t exactly belong with your people, Bruce – whoever they might be.”

“I was actually just hoping I’d get some free cupcakes.”

At this, you snorted out loud, covering your mouth with your hand. The other clients in the bakery looked at you with a slightly disgusted face, and it only made you laugh louder.

Once you stopped giggling (and after having wiped some tears from your eyes), you nodded and turned to him.

“Alright, fine. Lunch sounds great. Although – I’m sure you’re followed everywhere. And I don’t really want to be the latest gossip magazine cover.” You crossed your arms. Bruce nodded in understanding. After all, he knew how troublesome the media could be, especially when they were looking for any crumbs that might get them any insight into someone’s life.

(Un)fortunately for him, they couldn’t see past the playboy persona.

“I’ll take care of that – don’t worry.” Was his honest response. “Let’s say it’s easy for me to… become invisible.”

You leaned against the counter, smile ever so present.

“And how are you going to do that? Gonna wear a cap and sunglasses? A wig? Do we get to wear disguises? Maybe you could wear a mask!” Funny.

“I’ll just leave the American Express at home. Do you think that new Pizza place everyone’s been talking about accepts hundreds?” Bruce joked.

Your snort resonated through the bakery again, and the couple that had glanced at you earlier left, shaking their heads and muttering something about “decorum”.

The rest was history.

You and Bruce had become inseparable from that day onward.

Turns out that around you, he could be just a random guy, like he always wanted.

He started going to your bakery more and more, and convinced your boss to let you experiment with your cupcakes however you wanted.

“How the hell did you manage that?” you asked him, mouth open in wonder. “She told me I had full control of the menu! Two weeks ago, she said she didn’t want to try my sweets!”

“I’m very persuasive,” he replied, biting into a banana flavoured muffin – one of your more recent experiments. “It’s a bit chunky. Kind of bland, doesn’t melt on your mouth like the others do.”

“Yeah, I think I went overboard with the flour…” you mumble, writing something down on your notepad. “Anyways, how persuasive can you be? This woman has drunk the same cup of coffee for like, 40 years. She hates change.”

“Let’s just say I worked my regular Wayne charm.”

At that, you rolled your eyes and hit him with your towel but couldn’t hide the smile that graced your lips.

He’d stop by every day after work, eager to try out your new recipes and have a nice chat. It was freeing to have someone he could call his friend, with whom he could have conversations that weren’t about his job, his money, or his other affairs. It felt nice to be able to share things with you, things he couldn’t find it in himself to share with other people.

It took him a while, but he eventually told you things about himself. Slowly.

He told you about his parents, how much he looked up to his father and how he adored his mother. He told you about his childhood, playing in the gardens of his Manor or watching his father fiddle with the stethoscope, hoping one day he could make a difference just like him. He told you how sometimes he would just watch his mother apply makeup in her face, marvelling at how beautiful she looked. Other women of the high society always looked like they had this world and the next worth of makeup on their faces, but his mother was able to enhance all her natural features with a simple eye pencil or some lipstick.

“Makeup shouldn’t be used to turn yourself into something new,” she’d once told him, applying some sort of clear powder on her face. “Just to complement the beauty you already have.”

He found it easy to relate to that. Not the makeup, necessarily, but the whole “turning into a new person”. Batman was no different than him, nor was he someone different. He just brought out Bruce’s biggest desires, to keep Gotham safe.

In return, you told him about your childhood. About your first years in school, your friends and family. You told him about your passions, your wishes. How you wanted to travel the world and read as many books as possible. How you liked to laze around some Saturdays but couldn’t stay home and just had to get up and leave in others.

Bruce found the duality in you quite entrancing.

Some days, you’d be running around the Manor, goofing around with Alfred, and whipping up new recipes with him, the both of you jamming to old jazz that played on the radio – Alfred had been teaching you swing, and you enjoyed spinning around the room with him as lively tunes played.

(In fact, Bruce had walked in on you and him dancing a few times, and couldn’t help but lean against the doorway, watching and you laughed loudly and tried not to fall whenever his butler spun you around.)

It also went without saying that Alfred was over the moon now that his master no longer seemed to be alone. You might only be one person, but the Manor came alive whenever you were in it, and he relished in knowing Bruce finally had someone he could trust besides himself.

At first, Bruce thought of you as a friend. Someone he could confide in, someone to have a good time with and relax. But as weeks turned to months, he found himself developing stronger feelings. It wasn’t about “having fun” and relaxing anymore, it was now about seeing you, making sure you were alright, listening to your every thought and feelings.

He thought it was normal, though. After all, aren’t friends supposed to care for each other and be eager to spend time together? After all, it had been a while since he had friends. At least ones that spoke to him on the regular, that were there for him. This whole thing was new to him. So, he kept these feelings hidden, convinced they were nothing but the norm, enjoying whatever silly activities you engaged in.

You two had, after all, your own little rituals.

You loved reading – always had, and believed to continue doing so until you were dead and buried. And despite not having a lot of time to do so, Bruce did too. So, it wasn’t long before you two created your own little book club along with Alfred.

You would prepare a batch of cookies, Alfred would make some tea, and Bruce would wait by the fireplace in the living room, since there was really nothing he could contribute with but his insight on the books you were reading.

“So, what’d you think?” he asked, taking a sip from his tea, and placing the mug on the coffee table by his feet.

“I think it was terrible.” You replied.

Bruce nearly spat the drink in his mouth.

“Excuse me?!”

“I said what I said – it was a terrible book.”

“I think you’re the first person ever to call The Great Gatsby a ‘terrible book’.” He raised an eyebrow and looked at Alfred, who was intent on hearing whatever you were going to say next. He too was quite curious, but he had an inkling he knew where you were going with this.

You just shrugged your shoulders and brought your legs to your chair, sitting on top of them. You felt at home in Wayne Manor. Bruce had told you to make yourself comfortable after the third time you visited, and you wasted no time in doing so.

“Jay Gatsby is one pretentious motherfucker,” you say.

“Language!” Alfred tutted.

“Sorry – I meant; Jay Gatsby is one pretentious douchebag.” You bowed your head towards Alfred and the butler nodded in acknowledgment.

“Wait – why?”

“Are you kidding me?” All you could do was scoff. “Gatsby is an obsessive narcissist, an egocentric pathological liar who cares about no one else other than himself, and much probably, a psychopath.”

Bruce was perplexed. Very much so.

“I – I – well. I see.”

“And the way he objectifies Daisy throughout the whole book – he doesn’t even love her! He loves the idea of her. He’s a jerk.”

Bruce couldn’t even interrupt you, because you were on a spree, gesticulating with your arms and talking fast.

“But let’s be honest here, it’s not like she loves him either.”

“She doesn’t?”

“Of course not! She’s a shallow, materialistic, spoiled brat and I can’t stand her!” You finished your little speech by taking a bite out of a cookie and crossing your arms.

“Huh. Right.” Bruce said, grabbing his copy of the book. “Well, I thought it was a great book. And I don’t think Gatsby is any of the things you said.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes, really. I think he is a misunderstood soul.”

You scoffed. Again.

“He’s a misunderstood ass – “

“Language – “

“He is Alfred!”

“Yes, but you aren’t, and I would like to keep this household clean, for dear Master and Missus Wayne’s sake.” He replied casually, giving you that look you’d learn to interpret as “do not test me you silly little baker, for I am British and have the high ground”, and to which you just stuck your tongue out.

Bruce ignored the both of you and continued.

“And, well, I think he truly did love Daisy.”

“That’s impossible.”

“No, no, and here’s why, he did everything for her.”

“Name one thing.”

“Well, he waited five whole years for her. I think that’s rather romantic. He went great lengths to impress Daisy and win her love. The parties, the money, his whole persona – it wasn’t him, but he did it all for Daisy.” Bruce explained calmly. Alfred looked at him with raised eyebrows and just sipped from his teacup quietly.

“Bruce, the whole thing was a circus.” You reached in front of you to grab another cookie and took a bite out of it, missing the way your friend’s gaze dropped to your lips and then returned to your eyes in just a millisecond. “He was just showing off.”

“Perhaps,” Bruce said, “But perhaps he was just trying to be someone worthy of her. I’m sure love can make people do crazy things.” He wasn’t one to talk. It’s not like he knew what “love” was. He’d crushed on Rachel as kids, but that’s all it was, a silly childhood crush.

Perhaps the love he had for his city could count. He did do crazy things for it. Dressing up as a bat was an example.

You nodded your head a few times, pondering his answer.

“Maybe, yeah. But I don’t think so. If he loved her, he should’ve just said it. There was no need for all the show.”

Alfred raised his eyebrows once again. A very you-ish reply. He was enjoying this immensely.

Bruce replayed her words in his head. He should’ve said it. Surely, it wasn’t that easy. Jay Gatsby wasn’t your average man. He was a mystery. He had secrets and things he needed to hide. It wasn’t as easy as just walking up to Daisy and telling her “I love you”. It wasn’t that simple. “You think so?” he asked.

“Well, yeah! Absolutely – I mean, why complicate things?” you replied. “He should’ve just dropped the luxuries, the parties, he should’ve just stopped with all of the eccentric millionaire thing, looked her in the eyes and say, ‘I love you’. Simple.”

"Absolutely! I mean, why complicate things? Just look someone in the eyes and say, ‘I love you.’ Simple.”

“Simple, huh?”

You nodded, taking another sip from your tea – you drank it sickeningly sweet, with lots of honey, while he preferred one or two spoons of sugar.

“Yeah. Simple. No need for the fancy parties, and mysterious acts. Just be genuine.”

“That’s an interesting perspective,” he mumbled. “But sometimes people have reasons for not saying what’s in their hearts. Sometimes they must hide their feelings.” It was true. You didn’t know he was Batman – you couldn’t. He needed to keep you safe. All you knew was that he worked a lot, plenty of times exhausting himself and arriving home super late. It was for the best.

Alfred hummed thoughtfully, which earned him a curious look from the both of you.

“Oh, nothing, nothing. Please, do continue,” he said, gesturing for you to go on.

You gave him a weird look but simply turned to face Bruce once again.

“Reasons? Like what?”

Bruce couldn’t look you in the eye now. He shrugged and got suddenly very interested by the coffee table by his feet.

“Fear, maybe. Fear of what might happen if they open up. Fear of losing someone precious.”

You hummed, “Well, in my book, it’s always better to be honest and take the risk. Life’s too short for illusions. If Gatsby had just said it, maybe things would’ve been different. Who knows? But I still think he was one pompous son of a bitch.” You leaned back in your chair with a smug grin and finished the rest of your tea.

Alfred just excused himself and made his way towards the kitchen.

You certainly did bring some life into this once empty house.

You were lazing around in a Sunday afternoon, mindlessly scrolling your phone as a rerun of a show you liked played on TV. Even after a few years, it could still get some laughs out of you, and you’d look at the screen and smile.

All of a sudden, the couch dipped next to you.

Bruce had jumped over it, and landed next to you, sitting down comfortably, as if parkouring around Wayne Manor was something he did on the regular.

“Shit! Holy – Bruce!” You nearly jumped out of your seat, clutching your chest. Sometimes you wondered if Bruce wasn’t some sort of ninja. Being able to hide himself and be so silent wasn’t normal, and at times, to be frank, a little bit creepy.

He acted as if nothing was wrong and turned to you.

“Friday night, charity gala, you and me,” he said, matter-of-factly, as if he’d simply asked you what the weather was like outside.

“Excuse me?”

“Yeah, the Carringtons are throwing a big party this Friday. It’s supposed to be this big fundraiser. The profits will go for new police facilities. As if those corrupt idiots needed them…” He sighed. “And clearly, Bruce Wayne must attend. And, as expected, he has to bring someone.”

You whined and threw your head back in frustration. You’d been to a couple of galas with Bruce. Most of them were dreadfully boring, filled with fake people whose only purpose there was to flaunt their money and pretend to care about whatever topics seemed most controversial. You hated them. The fake smiles, the gross men leering on you, the women shamelessly throwing themselves at Bruce (not that you minded. After all, you two were just friends. It just made you uncomfortable that they were so forward about his advances. Clearly, he wasn’t alone. He had you. Could they not see it? But of course, you two were just friends. Which meant you weren’t jealous. You just felt sorry for them, and extremely uncomfortable whenever they looked at, spoke to, or touched him. Duh.)

“I can’t go.”

Bruce grimaced.

“Why?”

“I’m busy. Sorry Bruce, I have plans.” What a liar.

Your friend smirked and nudged his head towards the kitchen.

“Alfred checked your schedule – you’re free for the next two weeks.”

Your jaw dropped and you looked back at the kitchen, where Alfred innocently prepared a few sandwiches.

“Damn him! I swear that man must’ve been a British spy!” you muttered, shaking your head.

“So, are you coming with me?” Bruce pressed on.

“I can’t – I have to return some videotapes.” You replied smugly.

Bruce gave you a dry laugh and threw a pillow in your direction, which you failed to dodge.

“Very funny. I’m serious – I can’t go by myself. Look, I know what this is going to sound like, but the Carringtons are only doing this to show off. They don’t care about the police; they want to show Gotham just how rich their grandfather’s money has made them. They’ve been around for years and never once donated – why now?”

“Just because you have to go, doesn’t mean that I have!” you too threw a pillow at him, but as always, his reflexes were on point, and he managed to catch it mid-air.

“Look, you’d be doing me a huge favour.”

“I have literally nothing to wear.”

Bruce gave you a blank stare – that excuse did not stick anymore, not after he’d bought you a different dress for each party he had taken you to (“Think of it as a thank you gift”, he said).

“Just take a model. Or an actress. Or some other celebrity. You know me Bruce, I don’t belong with those people. They’re not my crowd.” You grabbed another pillow and prepared to throw it at him.

“I can’t stand another night of pretending to spend my free time buying hotels and yachts.” Bruce said your name softly and you let your guard down, lowering your arm. “It’s not me, and you know it.” You looked into those chocolate brown eyes that seemed to have soften – those eyes of his always made you melt, and you often found yourself saying yes to his every whim.

You pondered your choices.

He could take a model or an actress. The headlines would love speculating who the hell was Bruce Wayne messing around with this time. He’d have to pretend to be someone he was not for a whole evening – though you didn’t know why; only that, for some reason, he had a reputation to upkeep – and the next morning you’d wake up and seethe as you watched the shots paparazzi got of your best friend and some random floozy slobbering on top of him.

Or, you could go with him. It’d be a pain in the ass to pretend to like all of those people and to interact with those phony idiots who thought money was worth anything and would try their best to snake their ways in Bruce’s close circle. But you’d spend a nice evening with your friend, wear a pretty dress, drink some expensive champagne and be able to laugh at everyone else with him. There were worse fates than that, you were sure.

“Fine,” you sighed, “I’ll come with you.”

Bruce did a small “yes” gesture with his arm, and then grabbed a nearby pillow. “Now, where were we?”

“Oh – OH don’t you dare, Bruce Wayne!” You lifted your arm once again, but before you could throw the pillow in his direction, he’d grabbed your arm and pulled you to him. You fell on top of his body, hands on either side of his head as they bore the weight of your body. Your face was inches away from his, and all you could do was stare into those brown eyes that had you so weak.

You blinked repeatedly, before quickly getting up. Your cheeks were flaring up and you grabbed your phone, standing up from the couch.

Bruce, on his end, was speechless. He watched as you stood up, unable to form a coherent sentence.

“I – I should go. I need to… yeah, I gotta – I gotta do something. I’ll see you later.” You mumbled, and within seconds, you were out the door.

When you were gone, Alfred left the kitchen and walked towards the couch where Bruce was sitting, still silently staring at the wall.

“Is everything alright, Master Wayne?” he asked, although he didn’t really need an answer. He knew exactly what was going on with him. After all, he’d raised this boy like his own son for years.

“Yes,” Bruce cleared his throat, nodding. “Yes, yes, I am. Everything’s fine. How about those sandwiches you were making?” He tried changing the topic, but it was too late.

As Alfred walked back to the kitchen, he couldn’t help but think that he should probably schedule an optometrist appointment for his master. After all, one can’t help but be concerned when such a smart, capable man was so blind to matters of the heart. Almost as blind as a bat, one could say. He’d keep this joke for later. Bruce would hate it. Even better.

Funnily enough, Alfred wasn’t the only one who thought Bruce was blind to his feelings.

In fact, it seemed like everyone could see how smitten the Wayne billionaire was with you.

When you two went out, he would look at you with this sparkle in his eyes, looking at you as if you were the most precious thing in the world.

You walked into the party, arm linked with his, and it was as if the whole world stopped to look at you two.

Everyone knew about your existence – it wasn’t the first time you accompanied Bruce to parties – Bruce Wayne and his close friend. Friend. Yeah, sure. If the glances he stole were any indication, the Wayne heir was nothing but completely enamoured with you. In fact, it was incredible how much he’d changed. His whole attitude changed when he was accompanied by you. No longer was he the reckless billionaire who drank too much and humiliated himself, but the elegant man who liked to engage in conversations (as long as the topics were interesting) and had a heart of gold.

Yes, everyone seemed to spot the change in demeanour whenever you two were together.

“Bruce!” A voice could be heard from the distance, and Rachel Dawes made her way towards the both of you. She smiled and spoke your name once she noticed you were the one accompanying her childhood friend, before hugging you. “Oh, it’s so nice to see you here!”

You hugged her back and gave her a genuine smile. You’d met Rachel before more than a few times – she was a lovely young woman with a great sense of justice, and you were sure she was going to do great things for Gotham’s wellbeing. You also enjoyed her company greatly, since she had once told you all of the embarrassing stories about Bruce’s childhood. “I had no idea you were going to be here!”

“Yeah, well,” she looked around and smiled, seemingly looking for someone. “I was just as surprised as you were.”

Then, a very familiar face emerged from the crowd, calling out “Rachel!” and walking to her side.

“There you were – you left so abruptly; I thought something was wrong.” The man said, before turning to look at you and Bruce. You took him in. Dirty blond hair and a familiar cleft chin. You furrowed your eyebrows, before it finally clicked in.

“You’re Harvey Dent – I’ve seen you on TV before,” you said, and he smiled in acknowledgement.

“That would be me, yes.” He put forward his hand, and you shook it, introducing yourself.

Harvey then turned to look at Bruce, extending his hand to him.

“And you must be Bruce Wayne. Rachel talks about you a lot.”

Bruce shook it and nodded.

“Hopefully she hasn’t disclosed everything about me, otherwise I’d be ruined.”

The two men chuckled, and you took that opportunity to look at Rachel. You looked from her to Harvey, opened your mouth and wiggled your eyebrows, earning a laugh from her. Rachel moved to your side as Bruce and Harvey spoke about Gotham and took your arm.

“Well, well, Miss Dawes. Is there anything you’d like to tell us?” you asked in a hushed tone, still wiggling your eyebrows up and down. “How’d you meet?”

“At work. Harvey is running for district attorney. One thing led to another, and…” she trailed off, and you nudged her torso with your arm.

“And now you’re shagging future attorney Harvey Dent. Look at you go!”

Rachel covered her mouth with her hands and supressed a scoff.

“You’re unbelievable, and I never want to hear those words coming from your mouth ever! It’s just a casual thing, we’ve only gone on a few dates. Besides, you’re the one attending a charity gala with Gotham’s most eligible bachelor. I think every woman in this room has you on a death list.”

“Pftt,” you waved your hand dismissively, “You know we’re just friends. Nothing for those women to be jealous about.”

“Ah, I see. You’re just friends.” Rachel nodded, feigning seriousness in her voice.

“Yes, we are. Stop with that face!”

“What face?”

“That face you always do,” you motioned towards her face, nearly pouting. “We are! And that’s the end of the discussion! I don’t even know why we’re talking about my non-existent relationship with Bruce when you’re probably going to be First Lady someday – this is huge.”

Rachel swatted you with her purse and returned to Harvey’s side before giving you a cheeky smile – it felt nice to have a girl friend you could talk to in these scenarios. Usually, it was just you and Bruce, which, however pleasant, wasn’t the same thing as having a girl in there. You were happy to catch her off work – Rachel seemed like a different person at the office. While there, she maintained a strong and serious attitude, you were happy to see her when she had no work business to worry about and could simply be a girl with you.

“Well, I’m afraid I’ve wasted too much of your time, Mr. Wayne,” Harvey said, shaking Bruce’s hand again. “It was a pleasure to meet Rachel’s oldest friend.” He then turned to you, “And a pleasure to meet you too, Miss.” “Likewise,” you replied.

Bruce nodded.

“Of course. I’ll be sure to send you a nice bottle of Chardonnay when you’re elected district attorney,” he said in his best careless billionaire voice, and nodded at Rachel before the two walked away. “Who would’ve thought,” he muttered to you, beckoning a butler who was carrying a tray of champagne glasses close to him.

“Well, I think they’re lovely together,” you smiled and grabbed a glass, smiling once the liquid hit your lips. Champagne was always welcome.

“Well, you think everyone looks lovely together. You’re a sap.” You laugh at Bruce’s comment and hold onto his arm. He brings you close, absentmindedly, and the two of you walk around the party, occasionally being stopped by the average donor.

After eating some entrees and mingling with the guests, soft music started to play and ring throughout the room. You looked up, pleasantly surprised, and tugged at Bruce’s arm.

“Come on,”

You didn’t have to tell him twice – he was growing tired of pretending to share the same interests as these vile people. He wanted a respite from keeping the charade up, so he gladly took your hand and led you to the middle of what had become the dancefloor. You two weren’t the only ones in there, a couple more pairs having decided to dance.

Bruce gently held your waist and pulled you close to him, his other hand coming to lift yours.

“Thank you,” he spoke, ignoring the way everyone’s eyes glued onto the two of you.

“I could see you were about to actually punch that man right in the face,” you chuckled, looking at the person in question. He was a middle-aged man who could probably stand to lose a few pounds for the sake of his health, who was trying to talk Bruce into introducing him a couple of models. You just had to come to the rescue, because Bruce actually looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel. Thankfully, he was a good actor and simply promised the man he would surely hook him up with the woman of his dreams.

“I think it goes without saying I’m not introducing jack shit to him. I’m pretty sure he’s assaulted his female employers. I should have someone investigate it.”

“My, my. Bruce Wayne, ever the White Knight.” You smiled, and you could swear that for some minutes, the entire world faded away as the soft melodies of Camille Saint-Saëns filled the air.

He snorted at that but did not say anything.

The two of you kept dancing. You found looking into his eyes extremely hard, so you avoided his gaze, looking straight ahead at behind his shoulder continuously.

“I still haven’t told you how beautiful you look tonight,” Bruce finally broke the silence between you two, and you returned his gaze. He’d bought you a floor-length black John Galliano gown with delicate lace trim and a bias cut, and you had actually screamed into your pillow once you saw it – it was far too pretty.

“Thank you,” you reply, brushing some invisible dust from his shoulders. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

Bruce lowered his voice and looked you in the eyes, making your breath hitch in your throat.

“I mean it. You do look stunning.”

The two of you stopped dancing for a few moments, and you were unable to look away from his almost magnetic gaze. Time seemed to stand still, and you gripped his shoulder tighter, to make sure you were real, and he was real, and this whole ordeal was real.

He was just about to speak again, when you were interrupted by a loud, shrill voice.

“Mr. Wayne! Oh, what a pleasure to have you here!”

You quickly pulled away from him as Catherine Carrington, a woman in her mid-40s with long, blonde hair approached the both of you and placed two loud kisses on either side of his cheeks. You looked away, trying to figure out how to properly breathe again, and fanned yourself with your hands.

Harrold Carrington, Catherine’s husband walked to her side and shook Bruce’s hand, far too interested in talking to you. You stifled a laugh – whoever was in charge of his wig had tone a terrible job, because it was clear as day his hairline was receding, and the hair he had on was fake.

“Ah, you must be the mysterious friend everyone has been talking about. We’ve seen you around a few times, haven’t we Miss? But I don’t think we’ve properly met – I’m Harrold Carrington. And may I say, you look splendid this evening.”

None of the Carringtons seemed interested in their spouses. Catherine was fawning over Bruce, and Harrold’s eyes lingered far too long on your exposed collarbone and cleavage. So much so, that you turned from him uncomfortably. Bruce was quick to notice your discomfort, and pulled you next to him once again, wrapping a protective arm around your waist.

“I’d appreciate it if you could keep your eyes on the lady’s face, as opposed to her chest, Mr. Carrington,” he said with a smile that you could only identify as fake, and that smug voice he used when he was feeling particularly cocky.

All of the colour drained from Harrold’s face, and he stuttered, trying to form a coherent sentence – which he failed miserably. “I – I, well – I wasn’t – I would never! I – I was just –“

Bruce faced Catherine once again and gave her another fake smile.

“Lovely party Mrs. Carrington. Very nice of you to raise money for the Gotham Police Department. Very charitable, indeed. And the champagne is just splendid. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I heard someone was eating caviar, and it’s not a real party without it, now is it?”

Effortlessly, he brought you away from the couple.

Once you were out of sight, he looked at you with a worried expression.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“Yeah – he was just creepy. Shit, I hate galas.”

“Tell me about it,” Bruce sighed, before shaking his head. “How long have we been here for?”

“About two hours.”

“How about we ditch at three? I think it’d be a crime to abandon this party now. Especially when you look this dazzling.”

He was giving you that look once again, the one you couldn’t quite decipher, and you felt butterflies in your stomach.

Bruce, on the other hand, was freaking out. You looked lovely, even more so than usual. He’d been dancing with you, and all was perfect, and then that hag Catherine had to go and ruin everything.

Was it too much to ask for a quiet dance with his friend?

Friend.

The word tasted wrong in his mouth.

No, you weren’t his friend. At least not anymore.

He thought about your dance moments earlier. How you’d held onto him, far too shy to look him in the eye, lips slightly parted and eyes sparkly. He thought of how easily you leaned into his touch and how he liked having you by his side.

He thought of how much he enjoyed spending time with you, how much he laughed in your presence, how free he felt when he was with you. He could be himself, something that he felt he couldn’t be anywhere else. You were his safe haven. You were everything.

It was that night Bruce Wayne realised he was in love with you.

One time the both of you went out to do some Christmas shopping.

(“In November?” Bruce had asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

“Christmas sales have already started! And I bet everyone’s going to start super soon, so we need to get to it!” Was your reply. Bruce could only sigh and agree, like he always did when it came to you.)

Besides, it was the first Christmas you’d be able to spend together after 2 years of friendship. The last two had Bruce way too busy with his company (at least that’s what he told you. In reality, he had been tracking down a few criminals who’d been wreaking havoc days before.

The main point was: after two years of being friends, you would finally get to spend Christmas together. It’s not that you’d suffered those Christmases without him; you had friends and family. But you wanted to spend the holidays with who you now considered to be your closest friend.

Bruce, however, wanted to spend Christmas with the woman he was in love with. He hadn’t found the courage to tell you – not yet. He was afraid of ruining things, of hurting you. So he kept silent, relishing in the friendship the both of you had.

Approaching the mall, you had a small list in your hand, filled with names of everyone you wanted to buy a gift for. He had around five people in mind, so he did not need all those preparations.

Once you were in the crowded mall, Bruce would hold you close to him, shielding you from everyone who might bump into you. His hand would respectfully be in the small of your back, and if he needed you to get out of someone’s way (people who refused to look up from their phones were the worst), he would slide it to your waist and gently pull you towards him.

You’d stopped at a beauty store, wanting to buy a new skin care package for your closest friend at work – heavens knew how badly you needed her to keep you sane – so you’d asked Bruce for his opinion on a myriad of perfumes.

“See, I like this one, but I think the smell is a bit too strong,” you mumbled, squeezing some of the hand lotion’s sample on your hand and applying it there. “Here,” you reached your hand to him, and nearly all the air was sucked out of your lungs when Bruce carefully reached for it, holding your pulse in his and bringing it to his face. His lips nearly brushed against your skin as he took the smell of the lotion in, and at least a dozen of women who were shopping nearby swooned.

Bruce let go of your hand just as gently and you blinked a few times, trying to wake up from your little trance.

“It is a bit strong, yeah. You mentioned she’s got a sensitive nose, so maybe something less floral?”

You were quick to nod and walk away, afraid he’d notice the way your cheeks heat up and your pupils dilated.

Once you turned away from him, focusing on the other hand lotions, he sighed, still feeling a buzzing sensation in his hand. It was as if he could still feel your skin against his, and he had to shake his head to return to the task at hand. Control yourself.

At a clothing store, you held up different sweatshirts next to him, asking for his opinion on a gift to your father. He gave you his earnest opinion, and insisted on carrying all your bags once you were done.

“Bruce – come on, I can carry them. I’m not a baby,” you’d told him, sighing in exasperation.

“Just allow me. You’re still picking up things left and right, it’s better if I carry these for you.”

You two checked out a jewellery shop – you’d been saving up to buy your mom a pair of earrings, and while you busied yourself looking through rows and rows of pairs, looking for the one you had your eyes on, Bruce quickly excused himself, and turned to a shop helper.

Approaching the counter, he placed the delicate pair of pearl earrings next to the cashier, glancing around just to make sure you weren’t paying attention to him.

“Would you like these to be gift wrapped?” The cashier asked.

“Yes please.”

Bruce continued glancing around. You too were speaking to a shop helper, pointing to the delicate pair of gold earrings you wanted to get.

“A gift for a special someone?” The cashier asked once again with a polite smile. Bruce wasn’t dumb. If he were anyone else, this would be a regular, standard question asked by shop clerks to keep a friendly conversation going. But he’s not just anyone else. He’d noticed the way the woman had glanced him up and down with a wishful expression and could bet all his money that if he were to reveal more than necessary, then she would turn to any gossip magazine as soon as he was out the door and spill whatever nonsense she thought it was going on.

He gave her a curt nod, paid for the earrings (now neatly placed inside of a box and wrapped with a pretty red ribbon), and returned to your side, hiding the box inside his jacket’s pocket.

“Did you find them?” he asked once he got to your side, and if it were anyone else, you would’ve jumped, but by now you were used to Bruce. You seemed to lean into his side and smiled, looking at the pair of hoops the shop helper brought to the counter.

“Yeah – she’s gonna love them! I was super scared they’d be sold out Bruce, I’ve been working my ass off to get these. I’m so proud of myself,” your smile was contagious, and Bruce found himself bringing you closer to him by the waist and giving you one of his super rare smiles. Once again, every woman within a five-mile radio sighed, basically eating him up with their eyes. It was no secret Bruce Wayne was a handsome man – not to mention Gotham’s most eligible bachelor – but to see him act so affectionate in public was a completely different thing, and it was clear more than woman had gotten jealous just looking at you.

(Their boyfriends were not happy with the way said women ogled Bruce up and down.)

“I’m proud of you too.” Bruce replied. It was true. You were a hardworking woman, and he beamed with pride at your accomplishments.

Of course he didn’t tell you he bribed the store to keep the earrings stored until you came along to buy them – he wasn’t about to let someone snatch the thing you’d been working so hard to get – but it didn’t matter. You’d earned it.

You grinned at him and reluctantly broke free from his hold.

“I’m gonna go pay for these, meet me outside?”

He nodded and walked outside of the store, hand coming to pat the box inside of his pocket. They’d look incredible with his mother’s pearl necklace, that’s for sure.

He carried your things to the limo, and upon arriving to the Manor, he distracted you with promises of hot chocolate and marshmallows, before handing Alfred the little white box and telling him to keep it a secret. The rest of the evening was spent with the two of you discussing presents, drinking your hot chocolate, and watching some Christmas movies as the wood in the fireplaced cracked piece by piece, enveloping you both in a cozy warmth.

Later that month, the two of you were sitting at an expensive café, having a few treats, and talking about your Christmas shopping. Although the place was very fancy and its prices had shocked you, so had the quality of their food.

“This is garbage,” you said, eyeing the cupcake on your plate. “Holy shit, who baked these? It feels like I’m chewing on a brick!”

“Yours are much better, yes,” Bruce agreed, taking his own cupcake, and looking at it carefully. “And that’s this awful taste?”

“I think she added lemon juice, but it doesn’t work in this recipe, not at all. You’ll see, it’ll basically nullify the sweetness of it, and the whole thing is just gonna taste like one sour cupcake. Gosh, people pay their rent’s worth of money for these?”

Bruce could listen to you talk for hours on end. The way your eyes lit up when you found a topic you were interested in, and how genuinely passionate you were about your hobbies. Your genuineness was something he praised and found himself looking for more and more. In fact, one of the reasons he’d taken you to this specific café was because he knew the cupcakes sucked – he’d eaten there before. He just wanted to hear you talk about them.

An old woman approached your table, wearing a Santa Claus had on top of her head, and a few Christmas related pins on her waitress apron.

“Is there anything else I can get for you?” she asked with a smile.

“Oh, no thank you, we’re fine.” You replied, returning it «.

“I see. Well, I’d just like to say, it’s a real gift to see such precious young love.” The woman gestured at the both of you, and your cheeks flared up. “This city can be so dark and gloomy sometimes; it warms my heart to know that love still prevails on top of all. You two are such a lovely couple.”

“We’re –“ you coughed, trying to clear your throat. “We’re not – we’re not a couple.”

“Oh!”

“Yeah, we’re just – we’re just friends!” you were quick to correct her and refused to meet Bruce in the eye.

Oh, right. Bruce. He was staring at the old woman, completely lost in thought. This woman thought you two were a couple. Did you look like it? And why had you shut her down so quickly? Did you hate the idea that much? Would it be so terrible if the two of you were to date?

“Oh, I am so sorry then, my apologies!” the waitress was quick to apologise. “It’s just – you two look rather lovely together. I’m sorry for the intrusion.” She walked away and you covered your cheeks with your hands, trying to mask the sudden blush that had overcome you.

Bruce, on his end, was still staring at where the woman had been. Did you two look like a couple that much? He wouldn’t mind it. No, not really, he wouldn’t mind being a couple with you. He could finally drop that stupid playboy persona, be one step closer to his real self. He could protect you and always keep you safe and closer to him. He wondered what it would be like to wake up to you every morning and be greeted with that dazzling smile of yours. Would you ask him for five more minutes in bed? Act all grumpy until you had your morning coffee? Would you drag him out of his bedroom to start the day and be productive?

“Shall we go?” you interrupted his thoughts, placing your now empty mug on top of your plate. “It’s gonna get dark soon, and I wanted to see the Christmas lights.” Your voice was lower, still tinted with some nervousness. Bruce snapped out of it and nodded, walking towards the counter to pay the bill.

While he was gone, you made your way to the bathroom and splashed some water on your face, to wake yourself up and hopefully cool down.

Once you were ready, you walked out of the café, strolling the streets of Gotham.

Sometimes it surprised you how pretty your city could be. Sure, there was chaos and corruption, and most of the times it was a fucking shithole, but it was still home, and the tall buildings and bright lights could still take your breath away.

You and Bruce walked side by side. You were still far too nervous to look at him, so you kept your distance. Bruce, respectful as ever, remained by your side, refusing to touch you until you gave him permission. As you were looking at the prettily decorated shop windows and houses, he could see the way your body shivered and trembled.

That’s what you got for refusing to bring a jacket because, “your outfit looked far too pretty to be hidden behind a coat”.

“Cold?” he asked.

“N-no. Not at all. I’m fine. I told you; these tights are really warm.” Your voice was trembling, and your teeth were close to chattering. A part of Bruce wanted to see you fight for your case just a bit longer, while the other just longed to envelop you in his arms and keep the cold away.

“Oh, really? Because I’m pretty sure the tips of your fingers are turning blue.” He said with a smug expression.

“No, I’m fine.” You replied, nodding eagerly. “I told you; I wouldn’t be cold. I’m not.”

Bruce just nodded and kept walking by your side.

After a few minutes, it was far too obvious you were freezing. Your body was trembling, your teeth were chattering, and he was sure he could see your lips becoming a dark shade of purple.

Wordlessly, Bruce began to remove his jacket.

“What are you doing?” you asked, turning to him in confusion.

“Preventing you from catching pneumonia,” he replied, handing it to you.

“N-no, T-that’s not n-necessary, Bruce. I’m fine. I’m n-not cold. I’m f-fine! See? Just p-peachy.”

Bruce had faced criminals and villains and corrupt cops, and they’d all lied to him at one point or another. None was as bad as you.

He gave you one of his “I told you so” looks, and you nearly pouted, spreading your arms as he helped you put the jacket on. Almost instantly, you felt warmth spread through your body and sighed in relief. Bruce also removed his scarf, and carefully wrapped around your neck, hands lingering on your face for longer than necessary when he brushed a few strands away from it.

“Better?” he murmured.

You looked at him through your lashes. He was close. Very close. So close, that you could hear your heartbeat hammering on your chest. You gave him a soft “mhm” and he returned to your side, keeping a respectful distance from you.

“Aren’t you cold?” you asked him. It made you feel terrible – it was freezing in Gotham, and you’d taken his only sources of comfort.

“I’m fine – believe me. I’d much rather have you not freezing on me.” He replied.

“Are you sure? It’s very cold.”

“I promise.”

You nodded and continued your silent stroll.

Suddenly, while crossing the street, some careless motorbike showed up out of nowhere. You shrieked in surprise, and froze in your place, closing your eyes in fear. A pair of strong arms pulled you away, and you collided with a strong figure. Bruce was holding you close, cursing the driver under his breath. Once you looked up to you look at him, he turned to you.

“Are you okay?” he asked, looking all over your face to make sure you were unharmed.

“Yeah – just – that dickhead –“

“I know. It’s like you can’t trust anyone with a license these days.” He muttered. It hurt to part from you. It was like you were made to stand next to him, body slotting perfectly with his. Reluctantly, he pulled away from you, giving you space, but was surprised when you held onto his arm, like you usually do.

You looked at him, silently asking for permission, which he granted. You scooted closer to him, and he smiled.

The two of you continued walking through the streets of Gotham, making comments on the architecture, the lighting, the people. There were small stalls selling all sorts of trinkets and goods, a sort of small Christmas market, and you smiled as you saw kids running around with balloons or cups of hot chocolate. It was dark and gloomy, but once again, Gotham could be so very beautiful.

“A pretty flower for a pretty lady?” An old vendor asked, extending a pretty rose in your direction.

“Oh, no thank you – “ you mumbled, shaking your head, but Bruce was quicker.

“Thank you.” He nodded, taking the flower in his hands. He handed the man a bill (and surely a big one at that, because the man’s eyes widened, and he stared at it for quite a while before thanking Bruce profusely.)

Bruce turned to you and handed you the flower.

You weren’t sure if it was from his jacket, or if your whole body had simply decided to set itself on fire. You took the flower and brought it up to your nose, the intoxicating smell of it filling your senses.

“Thank you,” you said, still looking at it. No one had ever bought you flowers.

“A pretty flower for a pretty lady,” he repeated the old man’s words, and continued walking with you by his side, but not without hearing the old man say something about how “beautiful it was to see love bringing people together”. You didn’t seem to have heard it, but Bruce did, and he smiled.

It was Christmas Eve, and you were in Wayne Manor, having dinner with Bruce and Alfred (whom he begged to take a seat at the table with the two of you). There was wine and plenty of food, and the three of you had a great time, sharing funny stories and anecdotes and just enjoying each other’s companies.

You had promised your family to visit them the day after and were dead set on spending the Eve with Bruce.

After dinner, you sat near the fireplace, talking about books, movies, and whatever silly topic that came to mind. You, with your legs comfortably spread on the couch, Alfred on the big chair, and Bruce on the floor, by your feet. To him, that was the closest he had to spending Christmas with his family, and wondered if his parents would’ve enjoyed your company. Of course they’d have, he thought, you’re perfect.

After the three of you had played a few games (Alfred had won at charades, his Batman impression making you laugh for five minutes straight), you stood up announcing that, since it was almost midnight, you wanted everyone to open their gifts. It was more about you giving yours away than opening them, really – you were quite proud of the gifts you’d bought and wanted Bruce’s and Alfred’s reactions as soon as possible.

“Alright, alright, alright, me first! Here – Alfred, these are for you!” You handed him about five different packages, and he looked at you with a fond expression in his eyes.

“You didn’t have to, Miss.”

“Well, but I did. I need to spoil my swing partner, don’t I?”

He smiled at your antics and slowly opened the packages, one by one. Inside, there were a few woollen sweaters with matching-coloured ties.

“They’re really warm, you know. And it’s real wool – the quality of these is amazing! And you can even wear them without the ties, for a more casual look. What do you think? Do you like them?” you asked eagerly, hoping to get the response you wanted.

“I do, Miss. Thank you. These are lovely.”

You beamed and hugged him tightly. “Promise? There’s a receipt somewhere if you don’t like them – but I just thought they looked so cool and they were so pretty and the fabric is so soft, and – “

“Yes, Miss. I promise. Thank you. These are splendid.”

“Well, since we’re spoiling Alfred, I don’t really want to get left out.” Bruce joked, before reaching for an envelope sitting on top of the Christmas tree (decorated by the both of you on the first of December, thank you very much.) He handed his butler the envelope and sat back, awaiting his reply.

“So, you’ve finally decided to get rid of me.” Alfred said, looking at the contents of the envelope intently.

“Don’t be so dramatic, it’s just a few weeks.” Bruce replied smugly. “If anyone deserves a vacation in this house, it’s you.”

When Alfred didn’t reply, Bruce raised an eyebrow, worry starting to pool in his stomach.

“Alfred? Is everything okay?”

Alfred sighed and shook the envelope in his head.

“A ticket to the Maldives, Master Wayne? You’ve outdone yourself this time.”

Bruce grinned, nodding. “I’m glad you like it.”

“I do indeed, but, if I may express a tiny complaint…”

“Of course, Alfred. You can always speak your mind.”

“You’re a bit of a cheapskate, Master Wayne.”

You burst out laughing, nodding along with Alfred.

“A cheapskate. I see. And why is that?”

“After all I’ve done for you, three weeks of vacation seems a bit stingy, don’t you think?” Although he was saying this, he had a smile playing in his lips. Clearly none of it was serious.

“It’s not like I can function without you Alfred. Can’t have you enjoying too much time off, now, can we? You might remember just how fantastic life is outside this place and never return. You’ll be here forever. You’ve changed my diapers when I was born, and you’ll change them when I’m old and gray.”

“I knew I should’ve never accepted Thomas Wayne’s job offer back then.” He muttered. But he then turned to Bruce and gave him an earnest smile. “Thank you, sir. This is very thoughtful of you.”

After that, it was his turn to give you your presents. He gave Bruce a (very expensive) bottle of wine, that he expressed “wanted it to be opened on a very special occasion” with a wink – which made Bruce clear his throat and change the subject. You received a burgundy scarf he’d brought from his latest trip to England, from a shop you’ve expressed your admiration for a few times.

“Holy – oh my god! This is incredible, I mean, look at it!” You hugged him tightly and wrapped the scarf around your neck, not caring that it was far too warm inside the Manor for you to require a scarf.

“Well, now, it seems to be getting rather late for me,” he announced, standing up.

“Oh? You don’t wanna stay here until midnight?”

Alfred shook his head.

“I’m afraid not, Miss. I’m quite tired. I’ll be retiring for the night.”

“Alright, Alfred. Goodnight.” Bruce said with a curt nod.

“Goodnight, sir. Goodnight, Miss.”

You’d turned away to investigate your scarf once again, you missed the look Alfred gave his master, which made him sigh and look at you fondly.

“Alright – now it’s my turn! I need to go get your gift, just wait in here!” You were quick to stand up and disappear into the hallway. You’d been gone for a few minutes, so Bruce went after you, wondering if everything was alright. He bumped into you near the grand staircase at the entrance, and you jumped.

“Christ – you need to stop scaring me like that!” you reprimanded him.

Bruce chuckled, and you shook your head.

“Anyway,” you mumbled, presenting him with a small black box. “This is for you. I know it’s not nearly as fancy as the ones you already have but – well, it’s Christmas and it’s the thought that counts, is it not?” There was a certain nervousness in your voice, Bruce could feel it.

He gently took the box from you, and opened it, revealing a fancy looking black Hugo Boss watch. His fingers trailed the screen and the expensive leather strap.

“I know you have a ton of those, but I thought, hey, this one’s special, this one’s from me!” Before you could keep on with your nervous ramblings, Bruce brought you close, hugging you tightly. You smiled against his chest and wrapped your hands around his torso. This was nice. This was comfortable and familiar and nice.

“Thank you,” he whispered into your hair, and you almost melted at the cadence of his voice.

“You’re welcome.” You replied.

When you two pulled away, something caught his eye. Looking up, he realised the both of you were standing right underneath a few branches of mistletoe. You followed his eyes and blushed furiously, your whole body heating up.

Bruce said your name and you turned to look at him, feeling as light as a feather.

“Look, I – there’s something I would like to tell you.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhm.”

Bruce thought of all you’d been through together. Laughter, tears, giggles, and scowls. You’d had great times, reading books, walking around, spending time together, and bad times, when he blew you off, choosing Gotham city at night over you. He thought of all he told you, all he trusted you with.

“I just wanted to say that I really enjoy spending time with you,” he began.

“I enjoy spending time with you too.” You inched closer to him, hands still on his chest.

“You’re amazing, and I’m so glad to have you in my life. You see through my charade. I can be myself when I’m around you.”

He thought back on the charity gala, on you wearing that lovely black dress, dancing with him. He thought of holding your hand and pulling you close to him to keep you safe. He thought of your sparkly eyes and delicate lips, and how much he could stare into the former and how badly he wanted to kiss the later.

“Thank you for all you’ve done for me. I guess what I’m trying to say is…”

He thought about how badly he wanted to always be with you. How much he’d love to wake up next to you, feel your skin against his, be able to shout from the rooftops that you’re his and his alone. He thought about dropping to one knee and seeing you walking down an aisle wearing the prettiest of white dresses. He saw a lifetime with you, side by side.

“What I’m trying to say is…”

He thought about Batman.

How he’d have to cancel date after date after date, prioritising the black suit over your relationship. He thought of you getting worried sick when he got home late, frowning as you looked at his scars and bruises. He could see it vividly, how you’d cry and beg him not to leave you, to choose you over the city for once in his life, and how he’d leave you to cry all of your tears as he put the cowl on.

“Is…”

“Is…?” You pressed further, eyes dropping to his lips.

He saw argument after argument, saw you screaming at him, accusing him of not loving you. He saw nights spent in the couch, because you were far too angry to let him in your bed. He saw your sad eyes welling up with tears in the middle of romantic dates after he’d told you he had to go because the bat signal was shining in the night sky. He thought about someone finding his identity and going after you first and foremost. He saw you tied up in some random chair, mouth gagged and tears running down your streak as some criminal tortured you to get to him.

He saw your lifeless body inside a coffin, skin devoid of colour, eyes closed, to never open again, and how he’d spend the rest of his life hating both himself and his mask.

He thought about Bruce Wayne, and Batman.

And he realised you couldn’t possibly love both.

“Is… You’re a great friend. Thank you.” He squeezed your arms in a comforting manner and walked away, leaving you wide eyed and speechless under the mistletoe.

Later, he’d gift you the first edition of your favourite classic novel and wish you goodnight with a polite nod of his head, going up to his bedroom.

Before he went to sleep, he locked the pearl earrings and his mother’s necklace inside his drawer.

Things were awkward between you two. Your friendship with Bruce was still there, but he was sort of distant. Your weekly book club meetings still happened, and he still dropped by your café to drink coffee and try new cupcake recipes, but everything seemed to have changed after Christmas Eve.

So, you tried to move on with your life.

A few weeks after Christmas, your bakery started to work with a new supplier, and you quickly befriended the delivery guy, Tom. While you started to look forward to his visits more and more, it still did not feel the same as when you were with Bruce, and you felt guilty for hanging out with him.

One day, Bruce came in for his regular cup of coffee and a cupcake and found you smiling and giggling at a guy at the counter. His first reaction was to punch the guy to next Sunday, but thankfully he calmed down and approached you with a polite smile on his face.

“Hey there,” he greeted you, not sparing Tom a single glance.

“Oh! Hey Bruce – this is Tom. He’s the delivery guy from the new supplier.” Tom’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull when he realised the Bruce Wayne was standing in front of him and tried his best to shake his hand nonchalantly.

“I’ll be right with you,” you told him, and continued your conversation with Tom.

Fucking Tom. Who even was this guy?

And why were you smiling so much? What the fuck did he have that Bruce didn’t?

Most likely, it was what Bruce didn’t have that make a difference – a mask, a secret identity, a promise made to Gotham.

After you were done chatting with the delivery guy, you placed a cupcake and a cup of coffee in front of Bruce, but instead of sitting down with him, you returned to the counter and resumed your conversation.

Bruce cursed himself mentally.

On Christmas day, after you’d left, Alfred had asked what happened.

Bruce told him everything. How he couldn’t be with you because of Batman, how he couldn’t risk your safety and life, how he pushed you away.

Alfred lectured him, telling his master that his mask was going to be the end of him, but Bruce refused to listen and went to the batcave to busy himself and get his mind off you.

As he looked at you now, radiant and smiling at someone else, he realised that he might’ve made a big, big mistake.

It wasn’t long until you two started dating. It was casual, nothing too serious, but Bruce still seethed on the inside. He found himself staring at you for longer, hands lingering on yours whenever he touched you, and his heart ached more and more whenever he saw you with Tom.

You seemed so happy with him.

Seemed.

Because the truth was, you weren’t doing as well as Bruce thought you were. Tom was a nice man, yeah, but there was something off about the whole thing. He was good looking, yes, and very kind. He listened to you and made you, his priority. He was a dream. But there was just one problem, he wasn’t Bruce.

When you two went out, you often found yourself wishing it was Bruce’s arms wrapped around you. When you two went shopping and you decided to go try on a few hand lotions, Tom simply bent over to sniff your hand, and you were brought back to that time last November when Bruce held you with such gentleness, you nearly melted.

Tom always reminded you to bring a jacket, and you did so diligently, unconsciously put off by the idea of wearing his. He’d once given it to you, and it just wasn’t the same. He didn’t wrap it around you securely, he didn’t brush the hair away from your face, he didn’t look at you the way Bruce did. He was an amazing guy, and you liked him.

But that was it.

Still, you kept your relationship going, hoping your feelings would change.

After all, it’s not like you had ever felt anything for Bruce, right?

He was just a good friend.

You enjoyed spending time with him, sure, but that was it.

So, you looked forward to every time the two of you hung out. And your heartbeat quickened every time he was near. You couldn’t get your eyes off him. You easily got angry or upset whenever other women looked at him, and even more so when he entertained their advances. You longed to have him hold you in your arms.

But that was all normal, right? It just meant you were great friends.

You mind goes back to Christmas Eve, and the way he hugged you. Standing under that mistletoe, there was nothing you wanted more than to kiss him. You remember looking at him and wishing so bad that he would lean down and press his lips against yours. Just friends don’t kiss.

And that’s what you were to him – just a friend. He’d say that himself.

So why were you so heartbroken?

Looking at an empty coffee mug, it suddenly hit you like a train.

You were in love with Bruce Wayne.

And he didn’t love you back.

So there was no need to feel guilty over going out with Tom, right? Even if you didn’t particularly want to kiss him and didn’t want his hands around you when you two went out. Even if you were reluctant to introduce you as “your boyfriend” and had more than once ditched him to stay home and rethink your life decisions.

Even if when the two of you went out on dates, you barely paid any attention to him, focusing on the times you’d sat down with Bruce over a drink and just laughed your asses off and spoke until the crack of dawn.

Even if you didn’t really love Tom.

Yeah. No need at all.

On a lovely April afternoon, you were helping Bruce do some spring cleaning. You were both wearing some casual, old clothes, and helping Alfred to make sure the Manor ended up spotless.

You were currently in charge of the spacious living room, carefully placing picture frames on top of the coffee table so you could clean the fireplace. You looked at the framed memories. Pictures of Bruce as a child, or with his parents. There was one with a young Bruce standing on his father’s shoulders, and another one of him hugging Alfred.

You smiled to yourself. What a cute kid, he was. He seemed so happy.

There were pictures of him with Rachel, knees scraped and clothes dirty from the mud, and some with you. Your gaze lingered on those.

There was one framed selfie with the two of you, faces full of flour and whipped cream. You’d been teaching him how to bake, but the whole ordeal ended up in a small food fight – which he’d won. You chuckled at the memories of trying to teach Mr. “I’m far too rich to cook because I have people to do it for me” how to measure cups of flour, and break eggs. You’d held onto his arms and guided him to make sure he got the measurements just right.

Something inside of you flared up the memory.

The other picture in your hand had been taken at the Carrington gala.

You were wearing your pretty (and extremely expensive) black dress and were smiling at the camera. You were leaning into Bruce’s touch, who was holding you close by the waist. Instead of looking at the camera, he was instead looking at you.

Somehow, tears had clouded your vision.

How you had loved dancing with him. Being held by him as if you were the only person in the world he cared about. Your fingers traced his figure in the picture, and a tear fell down your cheek, falling on top of the glass.

“Hey, are you done with the fireplace?” You jumped at the voice behind you, and dropped the frame, which fell on the floor and broke into a million little pieces.

“Shit!” you mumbled, quick to crouch and try to pick up each glass shard. Bruce was quicker though, and made his way towards you, pulling you away from the soiled floor.

“No, get away from this, you might get hurt. I’ll call Alfred and – “ he looked at you and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Tears were streaming down your face, and you couldn’t look away from the mess you had made. “Hey, are you okay?”

“I’m sorry,” you choked back a sob. “I’m so sorry – I broke it.”

“No, no. It’s okay, we’ll just get a new frame.” Bruce assured you, hands resting on your shoulders.

“No – fuck – it’s not okay! None of this is okay!” You cried, and he pulled you against his chest, running his fingers through your hair.

“It’s just a frame. We’ll get a new one. And we’ll clean the floor.”

You cried in his arms for a while, until your sobs subsided into quiet sniffs. Bruce didn’t really know what to do, so he stood there, holding you tight. He’d never let you go.

After a while, you broke the silence.

“I – “ sniff, “ – I broke up with Tom,” you mumbled.

Bruce’s expression was one of surprise. Really? Why would you though? You two seemed happy.

“I… I don’t really think I liked him…” you continued; voice muffled by his chest. “I think I was dating him simply because I wanted to forget you…”

What?

He looked at you, but you refused to face him, face pressing harder against his chest.

“I’m such an idiot, Bruce… Everything was fine, and then I went and fell for you… And now our friendship is going to be ruined, and I broke your picture frame…”

Bruce held you tighter. You fell for him?

“I’m sorry, Bruce… I’m so sorry – I promise I’ll fix this. I – I’ll stop loving you and we can go back to being friends, and – “

Bruce used his thumb to lift your face up and looked straight into your eyes. There was nowhere to run. You were trapped, and so was he.

“You love me?” he asked, voice as soft as you’d ever heard it.

You couldn’t bring yourself to say those words out loud, so you opted for nodding.

“But – Tom –“

“Tom was a distraction,” you sniffled, “And I feel terrible about it. But I didn’t really like him. I just wanted to forget about you.”

“You love me,” Bruce repeated, using the same thumb to rub circles on the skin of your cheek. His gaze fell on your lips.

He had two choices. He could let you go once again. He could walk away from you, tell you he didn’t love you back. He could watch as you eventually moved on with your life (this time for real) and protect you from having to choose between Bruce Wayne and Batman.

He could give up the love of his life forever.

Or he could kiss you. He could tell you how he felt. He could trust you with that darker side of him, and you two could figure it out along the way. He could take it easy. He could bare his heart and finally tell you how you felt.

Two sides of him fought against each other, but ultimately, one was stronger.

He bent down and took your lips in his, sliding his hands up to your face to cradle it.

You were surprised to say the least, but pleasantly so. You wrapped your arms around him and kissed him back with vigour, tears of happiness falling down your cheeks. How you’d wanted this. And now, it was finally happening.

When you two parted for air, Bruce refused to let you go, standing mere inches away from you. His nose nuzzled yours, and he whispered a quiet, “I love you.”

You don’t know wat surprised you more. That he’d say it, or that you said it back.

“I love you too,” you smiled, pressing yourself against him and kissing him once again.

Bruce wrapped his arms around you, attempting to convey all his feelings for you in a simple kiss. All the longing, the love, the desire, the friendship. Everything he couldn’t find the words to say, he poured into that kiss. And you smiled, accepting all his confessions, all his words.

“Well, it was about time, don’t you two think?” Alfred said from across the room.

You jumped and just stared at him, embarrassment overtaking you.

“Yes, I’m talking about you two. Do you know how bothersome it was to see you moping around and sulking because you hadn’t kissed her on Christmas Eve, sir?” he asked, crossing his arms.

“I – You wanted to kiss me on Christmas Eve?” you turned to Bruce and gave him a soft smile.

“I did. I really did. I’m so sorry I didn’t.” he replied, before looking at Alfred. “Could you please leave us alone now? I don’t really recall paying you to mind my business.”

“You don’t pay me enough not to, sir.” The butler replied with a cheeky grin and that “I have the high ground, for I am British and old and wise” smug look of his. “I am glad to see the both of you are finally getting along. If you need me, I’ll be cleaning the Manor, since no one in this house does it.”

You laughed and faced Bruce once again, cupping his cheek.

“I thought you didn’t even like me. I mean, on Christmas…”

“I’m sorry about Christmas. I really did want to kiss you, it’s just… There are things about me – things you don’t know. And I’m afraid of telling you because I don’t want you to get hurt.” He replied, hand coming up to touch yours.

“You can tell me anything Bruce, you know it. Right?”

He nodded, and hugged you close one more time.

“I do. And I love you. I really mean it.”

Bruce could hear the smile in your voice when you replied.

“I love you too.”

For once in his life, Bruce Wayne did not feel completely alone. On the next room, he had his trusted butler, who had raised him as his own and acted like a parental figure all these years. And in his arms, he had you. The love of his life, the woman he loved the most in the world.

Holding you close to him, he knew he could trust you, no matter what. He knew you’d accept him, because if anyone would, it was you. And he would cherish that forever.

Later that night, a small white box was taken out of a locked drawer and placed inside of his pocket.

Bruce led you to the same spot you’d been on Christmas Eve, handed you the small box, and after carefully placing the necklace around your neck, finally kissed you.

There was no way he was ever letting go of you.

A/N: And that's it! I hope I was able to do both this trilogy and this request justice, I was really worried about it. I wrote most of it in one sitting, you have no idea, I just kept on writing and writing and writing and when I realised it, it'd gotten kinda long and out of hand.

I also hope this Tom character wasn't useless? I mean, he sorta was, he was just a plot device, but I hope he didn't feel rushed or whatever.

Anyways, I hope you guys liked it! I really do!

Have an amazing day, everyone! <3

#bruce wayne x reader #bruce wayne x y/n #bruce wayne x you #bale!bruce wayne #bale!batman x reader #bale!batman #bale!bruce wayne x reader #the dark knight #the dark knight trilogy #nolanverse #the dark knight fanfiction #the dark knight fanfic #nolanverse fanfiction #bruce wayne fanfiction #batman fanfiction #batman x fem!reader #bruce wayne x fem!reader

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solar-wing · 8 months

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🦇 Surviving Damian: BatBro's Life 🎞️

I don't know why, but the way Damian turns to look at Dick in this clip has me rolling

🦇 🎞️ A/N → A continuation of my Batbro Headcanons with everyone's favorite little assassin, Damian. This is also inspired by this post from @batsiblingfun. This mixes in a lot of different elements from different DC shows and movies, but still all tie together. Conner x Reader along with Damian x Raven included. WARNINGS: None really. family fluff, minor threats of violence. You and Damian conspiring together. Bruce needs his lawyers. Mentions of trauma and therapy. Joker being Joker.

🦇🎞️ Summary → It's one thing to find out Bruce Wayne is your biological father. It's another thing to find out you also have a half-brother from the same father who also didn't meet him until around the same time you did. Now, some would consider getting a new older brother to be a good thing. Of course, when they point out what they see as an ideal image of that, Damian Wayne is more or less far from it. Truthfully, you'd need an entire documentary to explain that trauma. But, in his defense, he did warn Bruce not to make him a middle child. Oh well...

🦇🎞️ Word Count → 5.3k

REBLOGS and replies are greatly appreciated, please! 💛

🦇 ENJOY 🎞️

— Some may imagine having Bruce Wayne as your father entails a glamorous and extravagant life.

— "Oh wow! Your dad is Bruce Wayne? That's so cool!" "I bet you've been to so many great places." "Have you met any celebrities before?" "Your life must be so interesting!"

— To answer that, depends on the day. The watchtower is cool, but not as interesting as what you saw on that one trip to Puerto Rico. Would Superman even be considered a celebrity? And, define interesting.

— Because if you mean 'interesting' like waking up every day wondering if it's going to be some random supervillain that unalives you, or your own brother, then yes, your life is fascinating.

— What most people don't consider when they find out your father is Bruce Wayne is not only did you all of a sudden get a new parent, but you also got new siblings. As your eldest brother Dick once said, "I went from being an only child to living in utter chaos every day." The only difference is that Dick actually somewhat thrives in chaos. Which is weird considering you'd think it'd be someone more like Jason who lived by that statement.

— You, on the other hand, would rather go without the constant weird shit that goes on with your father and siblings all being a bunch of vigilantes who save your city and the world from crazy clowns and guys who clearly like to live every day like it's Halloween.

— But, the thing is, 90% of the shit you have to deal with doesn't even come from those creeps and villains. It's literally from your own house, specifically one person.

— At one point in your life, you wished to have a sibling. Someone you could share that irreplaceable bond with. Fighting over small stuff like the remote, or who got first dibs on Alfred's cookies. Only to kiss and make up later when one of you got bored or hungry. Insulting and torturing each other only to join forces if someone outside of you two decided to mess with the other. Coming up with crazy schemes that would inevitably shorten your father's life expectancy.

— You know, normal stuff.

— You'd think Dick would get the title of 'most stable' among your siblings, but surprisingly, that was awarded to Jason, which, I know right?! Mind you, 'stable' was being used on very loose terms here. But, Richard was almost more like a second dad than a brother, which you figured came with the role of being the oldest sibling. Since he had the most experience dealing with an emotionally absent Bruce, he'd pick up where he fell off. Of course, Bruce got better over time and learned how to not distance himself whenever his feelings got even a little poked, but Richard was always your go-to whenever you needed support.

— You'd almost considered Jason for the title of most unstable, but then you met Tim, and realized Jason was actually better than you thought, considering what he's been through. Your second oldest brother wasn't really open towards you, but as you two started to spend time together, you grew on him and vice versa. At one point, the Red Hood persona vowed to not only do everything he could to keep you safe but as innocent and pure as you could be. He would not let Bruce and his questionable parenting ruin another child. His earlier methods were probably not the most effective. CPS was still calling at least once a week.

— There weren't enough words to describe Tim. When you first came to the mansion, he seemed completely normal and sane for the most part. Then, after you discovered your father's side hustle, you realized how opposite the reality was. You remembered something your mom said about the only things she was scared of. "I only fear two things in this life; God and the IRS." Well, you'd definitely be adding a certain Red Robin to that list. There were just things Tim would say or do that he thought was completely normal, and you'd be discreetly dialing a mental hospital, fearing for your safety. Why did you know the number for one off the top of your head? Let's just say you had your reasons. But, you'd rather have Tim as an ally than an enemy, so you refrained. That didn't stop you from keeping them on speed dial though.

— Yes, you definitely had some interesting siblings, but none of them compared to your other brother. The one you regrettably shared blood with. Hopefully, he didn't hear you say that.

— It was one thing to have Bruce Wayne as a father. It was an entirely different thing to have Damian Wayne for a brother.

— The first day you two met, Damian had already been at the manor for a few months when Talia had left him with Bruce while she went to handle business. What business that entailed, your father kept you in the shadows, and quite frankly, you were grateful. After your mom left you on the manor's doorsteps with a note that just read, "Trust me, he's yours," your life was never the same.

— You remembered being excited that day. You finally got to meet your dad, and you got a brother out of it too! Multiple brothers and sisters actually! Whoever was out there listening to you had answered your deepest wishes.

— Now, you wished they just minded their damn business.

— Unlike Damian, you were not aware of your father's secret identity. So, when you met, you were a little more than put off by Damian's first greeting towards you.

— "Father, I thought we discussed your habit of picking up street rats and turning them into your next apprentice."

— Truthfully, that was actually more than a pleasant start to your relationship with the trained assassin. When you eventually heard the story of how Dick and Damian "met" for the first time, you suddenly felt grateful at the fact there were no sharp objects nearby...that you knew of.

— If you happened to start locking your bedroom door at night and setting booby traps to alert you if anyone came in while you were sleeping, that was no one else's business but yours.

— The thing was, you tried to connect with Damian, but he would keep brushing you off. Bruce really wasn't that much help as he didn't have the best track record with his first three kids.

— The issue was you and Damian came from two completely different backgrounds, despite your shared parenthood.

— Damian was raised among an organization of highly-trained assassins and was molded from the second he was born to take over from his grandfather who was the equivalent of an undead lich, only he was actually alive. You had a normal childhood for the most part. You went to school, made friends, tried different hobbies, etc.

— You saw Damian as uptight and weird, and he saw you as naive and weak.

— Of course, as everything does in this family, shit only got more intense.

— After Bruce ran a DNA test and confirmed you were indeed his son, they got you set up in the manor and your new life. Your last name was officially changed to Wayne with you wanting to keep your mother's surname hyphenated in there.

— You wanted to decorate your bedroom, so you asked your dad to take you shopping, fully intending to take advantage of your newfound wealth (your mother taught you well). Bruce figured it'd be a great way for you and him to get to know each other as he was trying to be more of the supportive dad that Dick and Jason lectured him about. And if CPS decided to give him another one of their 'visits,' he'd rather not provide them with any more reasons to be taking down notes. He was still trying to find a way to punish Jason for that stunt.

— And at Alfred's suggestion, he brought Damian along, thinking it'd be great family time for the Wayne men, and it'd give his firstborn a chance at being an actual kid since Damian never decorated his room when he first got there.

— You went all out. At some point, Bruce wondered if everything he was buying was starting to become too much, but you threw him the puppy dog look you mastered at three years old, and he folded like a lawn chair. Your mother had grown resistant to that trick so, it was great to finally be using it again. Posters, knick-knacks, a new desk, a whole gaming set-up, LED lights, a gaming chair, you name it, you got it. You'd even tried to get Damian to get a few things for himself, wanting to get to know more about your brother.

— "I don't need materialistic objects to satisfy myself like you and other low-lives do. Besides, you're only doing this to 'make up' for the more than likely poor life you lived before with whoever your harlot mother is."

— Alright, that did it. You tackled Damian in the middle of the mall, throwing all your weight on top of him. Of course, you were unaware of his combat training so he threw you off pretty easily, pushing you to the ground and twisting your arm behind your back to where he almost broke it. Bruce had to yank him off you and grab you as well to prevent you from charging him again while everyone else around was taking pictures and videos.

— Bruce's PR team was not happy with the stories and articles on the gossip websites the next morning. But, they managed to twist it around into a positive light, painting the Billionaire Playboy as the role model male, doing his best to raise his two boys as best he could being a single father.

— "Oh, he's such a family man. #EvenMoreAttactive". – @Supermom92

— "He's a good man, Vanessa. A good man." - @mooreswhore

— "This is what we need more of. Strong men taking charge in their son's lives." – @topalpha

— "#GladTheyAin'tMyKids." – @aynonymous

— Of course, this did nothing to help the relationship between you and the youngest Boy Wonder, but Alfred's reassurance eased Bruce's headache.

— "Truthfully, Master Wayne, it would seem to me they are already falling quite well into their new roles as brothers. It will get better over time."

— When exactly was better? Because things only seemed to get more tense between you two. The fights didn't end there. As you spent more time in the manor, you'd gotten to know your other adoptive siblings. And particularly, spending time with your second oldest brother, you'd learned some defensive moves in fighting that only led to your fights with Damian getting worse now that you could hold your own a little more.

— Only there were some moves that you knew that Damian didn't, which really caused a shit storm.

— It may have taken Dick and Jason's combined strength to hold Damian back from trying to literally slice your throat open after you introduced him to the art of the cheese neck. Jason thought it was hilarious and low-key well deserved since your half-brother decided to cut open one of the stuffed bears you had since you were four. Alfred was able to put him back together, but that didn't help the need for revenge you had in the pit of your stomach.

— Since he couldn't murder you, he decided to go with the next best thing he had in mind; mental torture!

— He knew you loved Scooby-Doo, but had a slight fear of some of the monsters and scenes from the show. Look, shit from back in the 70s could be creepy with how they decided to do specific stuff. And sadly on your part, Damian had amazing resources thanks to dear old Papa Bruce.

— So, one day when you thought Bruce was on a business trip (he was on a League mission, and Dick, Jason, and Tim were nowhere to be found along with Alfred), you had the manor to yourself. Or, at least, you thought you did.

— Let's just say Damian decided to place you in your own Scooby-Doo episode, only a tad bit more rated R. Last time you checked, the vampire from that one episode didn't actually have blood and guts dripping from his teeth while chasing Shaggy and Scooby.

— Yeah, Bruce low-key had to invest in a therapist for that one. And CPS definitely took a note down when they saw part of the costume had fallen out of a trash bag and your "concerning" reaction to it. Damian had no shame.

— "Next time, he'll think twice about whose neck he's slapping."

— "Master Bruce, I really do think they're starting to grow on each other, if I do say so myself." This time, Alfred's words were not reassuring for the billionaire.

— Eventually, you and Damian came to a mutual understanding. You stay out of his way, and he would stay out of your way. And it worked! At least until you found out the big secret, and no not the one where Tim...actually, never mind.

— It was an accident, really it was. At least that's how Jason and Tim tried to spin it when he had to explain to Bruce how you thought Red Hood and Red Robin broke into the manor. In truth, they thought you were at a friend's house studying, and the tracker that was stitched to your backpack showed that.

— Hold up... tracker?

— You'd grill them and your dad for that later.

— Now, you were constantly in the Batcave and working Damian's last nerve. You kept asking to help on missions or patrol, and shockingly, this was the one time when Bruce put his foot down and said no to having an adolescent child fighting crime with him.

— Who would've figured?

— The most he'd let you do was help Alfred with comms and computer stuff. Of course, that'd only lead to you and Damian getting into one of your brotherly spats over the comms.

— "At least I have competent training to be in the field. You can barely defend yourself against a cat." Damian sneered into his mic while roundhouse-kicking a thug.

— "First of all you stuck-up brat, Alfred the Cat and I have a lovely relationship and we were play fighting. Secondly, the only thing you're competent at is proving what happens when you forget to use protection!" You quipped right back.

— Dick and Tim tried holding back their laughs while Jason just shouted "DAMN!" Bruce had to pretend not to notice Damian's glare through the domino mask and Alfred pretended to scold you while giving you a fist bump. The Boy Wonder was grinding his teeth.

— Then, a miracle happened. Well, really it was a traumatic experience that Bruce would have to pay for more sessions with your therapist but still was a miracle in the end.

— In another one of his crazy schemes, Joker decided to target Bruce Wayne again, but this time, the newly discovered heirs to Wayne Enterprises, at least, that's what the media was referring to you as.

— He hired some goons to abduct you and Damian from your school and hid you both in one of his many secret hideouts around Gotham. And Joker, never one for subtlety, of course, decided to send out a televised message to Brucie Poosie, a name disturbingly similar to Joker's nickname for Batman. He'd addressed that later.

— Your father and siblings immediately jumped into action of course and started searching the entire city, checking all of Joker's known hideouts and connections. Only, Joker had apparently taken some inspiration and notes from Riddler because while he was busy taunting and trying to shake down Bruce Wayne for everything he could, he was leading Batman and his little birdies (his nickname for all the Robins) on a wild goose chase.

— The more and more time went by, the more and more they got worried for you. Of course, they were worried for Damian as well, but he was used to these kinds of situations. This was your first (and frankly, probably not last) kidnapping.

— At first, you weren't scared (much). No offense, but, Joker always kind of seemed like a joke to you. The fact his whole persona was based on a mad clown really didn't help. You had also never really watched the news or heard people talking about some of the horrible things he had done. You always just heard the part when Batman swooped in and kicked his ass.

— Well, if you made it out of this, you'd definitely have nightmares and a new fear of clowns to add to your list. May have to start considering two-hour sessions with your therapist.

— But, to your surprise, Damian had helped to keep you calm and protected you from seeing more of Joker's 'fun side'. Whenever the clown or one of his thugs got a little too close to your holding cell for your brother's liking, he always placed himself in front of you, just in case they decided to fuck around and find out so he could be ready.

— When the green-haired villain went on one of his disturbing tangents or talked about his plans for you two in case your father didn't follow through with his demands, Damian would cover your ears. Of course, it didn't do much, but the sentiment was appreciated. Your older brother, despite his 'quirks', actually did have a caring side to him. It just took being kidnapped by a psychotic clown and your lives being in terrible danger for it to show. Go figure.

— Of course, your father and siblings eventually tracked you and Damian down and came to your rescue. From what you had seen from your father and brothers in their fighting style, they always were more smart and sneaky with their attacks and ambushes. Jason was more of the impulsive and brash one who liked to rush in, but he grew more into the Bat's style over time. Especially seeing how the last time he rushed into something concerning the Joker, well, there's no need to go down that road.

— But, nope. This time, Bruce was not forgiving with his 'justice' towards Joker. Honestly, you and your siblings were a little worried that Bruce would break his number one rule on no killing for the first time, but he still held back. In the middle of all the chaos, you'd even managed to surprise Damian when some goons tried to surprise you and him after he broke you guys out of the cell. And who said video games couldn't teach you a thing or two about fighting?

— Damian was impressed, and more than curious to see what kind of games you were playing that taught you the fastest way to incapacitate a 200-pound man with a few jabs and well-placed strikes. That or you were insanely lucky to have a man who could barely defend himself against a child. Either way, a win was a win for you.

— Obviously, things changed a bit when you two returned home.

— For one, your family became a lot more clingy and overprotective than before. And that was saying something considering they had a tracker stitched into your backpack without your knowledge before. There was a rotation between the brothers of who would drop off and pick you up from school. This was already a rule before, but now, it was just even more intense with you not being able to leave the manor or go anywhere without someone from the family accompanying you. Bruce started training you in self-defense and combat, with regulations and supervision from your brothers so he didn't make the same mistakes he made with them with you.

— You appreciated it all, and it definitely did help you feel a bit safer (in the beginning), but, really one of the most shocking changes not just to yourself, but everyone else was Damian's change in attitude toward you. Of course, he wasn't outright hugging you or anything crazy like that, but he was more cordial and almost friendlier you could say.

— It was also very apparent Damian had developed a similar protective stance toward you. You being the only non-vigilante in the family meant you kept an aura of innocence and light-heartedness the rest of your family had lost a long time ago. They were more than determined to make sure you kept that light and never lost it like they did so many years ago.

— Thankfully, your time with Joker wasn't anything too traumatic. Joker was actually on one of his schemes for once and didn't do anything too drastic. But, that didn't stop your brother from glaring down any suspicious figure who got too close to you for his liking. If you asked to hang out at a friend's house, Damian took over Bruce's role of asking for details on your friend, they're parents, where you'd be going, and all that extra stuff. If you were aware of the fact that Damian was running full background checks on your friends and their families whenever you went to hang out with them, you pretended not to notice.

– Bruce also had a teary moment of being a proud father seeing how Damian was showing already to be just like him. Which, if we're being honest, was actually a terrifying thought.

— But, it wasn't just Damian who started making an effort to build a more friendly bond between you two. You'd contributed as well. Showing Damian the ways he could learn to let loose and actually be a kid instead of a trained assassin all the time.

— You'd invited him more than once to hang out with you and your friends that you made from school. Hesitant at first at the idea of hanging out with others that weren't you and his family, you managed to convince him when Dick, Jason, and Tim got into one of their own brotherly spats, and Jason decided to start chasing the two around the house with a rag wet with a 'mysterious' substance.

— "Your local comrades quarters it is then." Damian muttered before quickly ushering you out the door with Alfred towing behind since you needed someone to drive you. Damian offered since he kept claiming he knew how, but Bruce still wasn't going for it.

— With your help, Damian actually learned to make friends with kids his own age. He developed hobbies and interests that had nothing to do with anything sharp or pointy (that didn't mean you weren't gonna booby trap your room still just in case).

— He even joined an art club at school and you both decided to enroll in a martial arts club together as well. It'd actually become quite the inside joke between you two. There was one guy in there, Carter, who swore he was the best fighter in the entire school and he could take any one of these 'runts' down, including you and Damian.

— Now, you were still learning and getting comfortable fighting from your lessons with your dad and brothers. When Carter decided to pick on you and Damian as the Wayne brats and challenged you both to a sparring match, boy he did not know what he was getting himself into. Especially when you and your brother looked at each other with the most mischievous evil smirks anyone had ever seen.

— When Bruce got a call from the school later that some parents were looking to try and sue him for the 'extensive harm' his kids did to their kid, he could only raise an eyebrow when you and Damian appeared in his office, smiling like you both were innocent angels.

— "See, Master Bruce. I told you if you'd given it some time, they'd grow on each other." Alfred said to him later that evening.

— Only Bruce was now more concerned than ever. When you and Damian basically hated each other, he only had to worry about the terror and havoc you two would unleash inside the manor. Now, that you were basically best buddies, he'd have to worry about inside and outside the house.

— "I'm gonna be meeting with my lawyers more frequently, aren't I Alfred?" Bruce asked.

— Alfred gave a small chuckle as he patted the man's shoulders. "Oh, Master Bruce, most certainly."

— The butler wasn't wrong.

— You and Damian became like a force that everyone was scared to cross. Even your own brothers were slightly afraid of the kind of shit you two could get into. You'd come up with the crazy schemes and ideas, mapping out any and all details while handling any technological stuff which you had gotten really good at considering the time you spent with Alfred in the Batcave monitoring missions. And, Damian would do the more physical acts required as well as sneaking and sleuthing around if need be.

— Bruce had a meeting with his attorneys at least once a week because of you two.

— You'd even developed your own sense of overprotectiveness over your older brother. Some guy in the art club Damian had joined at school decided to try and pick with him and messed up one of his paintings. Surprisingly, Damian was calm about it and didn't even yell or react at him. Just scoffed at the guy and called him pathetic.

— You did not have a similar reaction.

— When word got around the school and managed to reach your ears, you were for lack of a better word, feeling quite revengeful. The next day at school, that guy became the laughingstock of your entire class when a private photo mysteriously made its way into every student's locker in your grade.

— When Damian found out, he immediately confronted you about it, and you could only smile innocently while feigning ignorance.

— "Why, brother?! How could you even think to accuse me of such a vile act of one's breach of privacy."

— "Y/N..." Damian said.

— "Fine, it was me. But, you have to admit, it is quite a lovely picture. And besides, nobody messes with my brother except me." You smiled.

— Damian only gave a small smile, grabbing you to give you a noogie on the head before walking for the exit of the school to head home. He tried not to let such a small statement get him overly emotional since he'd never really had anyone before you and your family be so caring and defensive over him. Not even his mother.

— The older you two got, the more close you became. At one point, Dick even started to joke that if one of you had gotten involved in some stupid and even dangerous plot, it wouldn't be long before the other got involved as well.

— "You'd even given yourself the nickname of the Blood Brothers since you and Damian liked to remind your other siblings more than once who Bruce's actual kin was, especially Dick whenever he went on one of his tirades about being the first Robin blah blah blah...

— Tim did happen to point out your chosen name's disturbing similarity to one widely known supervillain to which you scoffed in response.

— "Oh please, Brother Blood wishes he had half the brains and looks me and Dami have. Isn't that right, bro?" You said turning to Damian holding out a fist bump.

— "I refuse to get involved in this."

— And given your bond with each other, it was of course all too expected that you would each get involved in each other's love lives. When Damian was sent away to Titans Tower to learn how to be part of a team, you were very pissed at Bruce since he was breaking up you and his team.

— Honestly, Bruce hadn't even considered that, but he was happy and looking forward to the much-needed break from his weekly meetings with his lawyers concerning his sons and their growing stack of attempted lawsuits.

— It was a shock to not only you but to Damian from how you knew when he returned from the tower on a visit, and you asked "Who is she," with your arms crossed and tapping your foot against the ground.

— From your daily calls and messages, you'd picked up quite fast that Damian was crushing on someone, you just didn't know who. You figured it may have been that Tara girl you heard had joined the team, who should consider herself lucky she succumbed to her own fate and not the one you'd planned for her after finding out what she did to your brother and his comrades.

— Superman and Wonder Woman were still campaigning to put you on the League's high-priority watch list after hearing and witnessing some of the things you got up to with and without your brother. So they and everyone else in the League who had the fortune (or misfortune) of meeting you had no qualms that whatever you planned for the blonde earth-powered girl, was nothing short of maniacal.

— When you found out it was Raven after your dad brought you along to Damian's surprise party at the Tower with the rest of the team, you managed to get a chance alone with the half-human, half-demon girl, exchanging some friendly banter and humor. You'd also jokingly (but also not jokingly) warned her that if she hurt your brother in any way shape or form, you'd give her a fate worse than anything her father could ever imagine.

— Weirdly enough, she smiled and gave you a pat on the shoulder.

— "I promise, you don't have to worry about anything from me. And, I can see now why he cares a lot about you. You both protect each other."

— To which you replied with a simple, "He's my brother." Nothing else needed to be said between the two of you. You both were aware of Damian's past, you more than Raven of course, so you knew Damian sometimes needed some extra care and love. You could clearly see that was something she had every intention of making sure he got.

— You approved.

— Now, if only you could get Damian to approve of you and Conner.

— Let's just say, neither your father nor your brothers were anywhere near please when they found out about you and the half-Kryptonian's relationship.

— Dick just couldn't fathom that both of his baby brothers were dating someone from the two teams he helped co-found.

— Jason didn't like that you were dating someone he couldn't really intimidate or threaten the way he wanted since the dude was a literal teen Superman.

— Tim was oddly okay with it at first. But, when you started abandoning him and your regular scheduled gaming sessions for your dates and hangouts with Conner, he was more than ever determined to take down the half-Kryptonian.

— Damian didn't like the idea of you with someone so much stronger than you and could hurt you very easily. To which you pointed out he was dating a half-demon whose father has more than once tried to take over the universe and she almost helped him in succeeding.

— "Not the point, little brother."

— You did have to warn your boyfriend though, because, unlike your other brothers with the exception of possibly Tim, Damian had his own hidden secret cache of Kryptonite for emergency if it was ever needed.

— How you knew?

— Well, after you and Conner announced your relationship, you noticed your father and brother consistently making trips to the vault where all the Kryptonite was stored. And, you once caught your dad making a smaller version of the 'special' jewelry he used to fight Superman that one time, which you figured had to be for Damian.

— "Oh come on! I don't see anyone walking around with crosses and holy water whenever Damian goes out with Raven. But, y'all are ready to pull out all the stops whenever Conner and I even look like we're about to hug!" You yelled at your family.

— Damian stepped forward, placing what was supposed to be a comforting hand on your shoulder.

— "I do apologize brother. But, you should really be blaming Father for this, since I did technically warn him what would happen if he made me a middle child.

— "He did." You heard your father's day from behind.

— Someone really needed to make a documentary about your life.

BONUS:

☀️ | Bat Family | ☀️

☀️ | Masterlists | ☀️

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lonelywretchjervistetch · 1 year

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My DC Cinematic Universe: Superman (Part I)

Prologue

This post...I am scared to finally make this post. Because lemme tell ya, it's been a LONG time coming, this post. But OK, here we go, finally. With a new DC cinematic universe on the horizon under James Gunn and Peter Safran's purview, we know have a golden opportunity to actually make a series of movies based on DC Comics properties that are...y'know, actually good. And while literally nobody is ever going to read this, I really, REALLY needed to get this out somewhere. And so, Tumblr is the chosen platform to hear my feverish ramblings. Without further adieu...

Chapter One: Superman is My Favorite

I love Superman. Of all the DC comics heroes, Superman will always be my favorite. Some of you may not get this at all, because Superman is always seen as boring, too black-and-white, and having no problems. But the issue with Superman isn't his character; it's his portrayals. Superman is, perhaps, the most misunderstood character in DC Comics.

Now, I'm not denying that Superman, on first glance, is a little boring. He's got seemingly limitless power, he has a loving relationship, he doesn't seem to have any major problems in his life, and his story is...well, it's old. Really old. There doesn't seem to be much there. But the right stories use Superman as the way he should be used: a lawful good champion of hope who overcomes his problems to try and do what he thinks to be the right thing.

Look, the main thing that people forget about Superman is that he's essentially human, in every way but biologically. Superman is the costume that Clark Kent wears. And Clark Kent should always come first. He's a guy raised on a farm is the middle-of-nowhere Kansas, and he's moved to the big city to be a part of something bigger than himself. And Superman? Superman is just his way of doing the right thing in the best way he can do it. No more, no less.

See, almost every incarnation of Superman makes him unnaturally wise, unearthly good, and a bastion of peace and the ultimate right. That's fucking bullshit. Clark is Clark. He has desires like all of us do. He has fears, he was worries and anxieties, and he makes mistakes. He has opinions you don't agree with, and he has problems of his own he has to deal with. He's experienced heartbreak from a crush who rejected him. He's been bullied and picked on. He's into something that literally nobody else around him is into, but he tries to get people into it regardless just so he has somebody to talk to. Clark Kent is essentially human, trying to do what he thinks is the right thing, like everybody else is in this world. And everybody seems to goddamn forget that, just because of where he comes from, and what he can do. They see the powers above the person.

You know that speech by David Carradine in Kill Bill Vol. 2?

Superman didn’t become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he’s Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red S, that’s the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears; the glasses, the business suit… that’s the costume. That’s the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us, and what are the characteristics of Clark Kent? He’s weak, he’s unsure of himself, he’s a coward. Clark Kent is Superman’s critique on the whole human race.

Frankly, it is amazing how incorrect that is, and it feels like this is what a lot of people think of Superman. Superman is not Batman. See, Bruce Wayne died the night his parents did, and is no more than the mask that Batman wears to seem normal, and so slightly honor the memory of the Waynes. Clark Kent, on the other hand, uses Superman as the mask to wear so that he can help people, and so that he can do some good. Superman is Clark's way to enact the motto of another hero. You know...

Superman is the ultimate symbol of Clark Kent's responsibility. And while that's a very morally ideal way to look at the world and one's place in it, it's still how Clark sees things. He is Clark Kent first, Superman second. And Clark Kent believes that Superman is the best way for him to do some good, and to inspire that desire to do good in others if he can.

But, of course, living in a grayscale world as we do, that idealism can have some serious flaws when faced up against reality. In fact, this is likely why Superman is seen as naive and Gary Stu-ish to many people, in and out of universe. But again, Clark grew up as a human. He lived in the real world, with real stressors, morals, and consequences for one's actions. He is fully goddamn aware that existence exists in an entire rainbow of morality. But he believes in what he believes in, and his stubbornness to let go of his belief in people's ability to be better is what makes him Superman. It doesn't make him better than anyone, and he doesn't believe he's better than anyone. It just makes him hopeful for the good in people.

And I think I love Superman so much because of that belief. He is optimism made flesh, in a world where pessimism too often reigns. And no matter what he does, he can't hide that behind a cape and suit. Anybody who meets Clark in person would agree that he's one of the most positive people they know. Maybe to a fault sometimes, but still positive regardless. And that is something we've been missing in DC Comics films in general: positivity and light. For God's sakes, not everything has to be gritty and grimdark. Lighten up, for Chrissakes!

It could be argued, and argued well, that the last good Superman film was Richard Donner's 1978 classic Superman: The Movie, as well as Richard Lester's superior sequel, Superman II. Both movies, well dated as fuck, are still modern masterpieces, and should be recognized as such. We truly did believe a man could fly, only to watch him crash-land over and OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN since.

More importantly, Reeves' Superman is compassionate and strong simultaneously, able to light up the screen with a wink and a smile, but also provide faith that things will be OK. However...he's a little too perfect in some ways, and that's mostly just because he's from a VERY different time period. The Metropolis of the Donner-Lester films is a place where crime lives, but also a place that's far more black-and-white than it is grey. And it is true that Superman flourishes in a black-and-white world, where good is good and bad is bad. However...is that particularly interesting? Not really. As I said, he comes from a different time.

Bryan Singer's Superman Returns brings back this Superman, now played by Brandon Routh. And while this Metropolis is also very morally black-and-white in some ways, it also takes in some of the grayscale of our modern media. And this turns out to be a huge problem, because Superman comes off as...well, a combination of boringly superior and somehow also a deadbeat dad? Which is so crazy in terms of contradiction, honestly. There may be something interesting in there, but it's not a great move on Singer's part. Plus, he adds another tick to the James Marsden cuck counter, because dude is typecast into that role somehow.

And then...and then...

I rewatched Snyder's Man of Steel for this, and understand...I also saw this movie twice in theaters when it came out. And lemme tell ya, it's only gotten worse in my eyes since that point. I realize that this is a divisive movie if there ever was one, but I'm very comfortable on the hatred side of that fence. Why? Where do I start?

First things first, I live Henry Cavill, to be completely clear. I think, even in this slog of a movie, he has his moments. In the ending scenes, when he's talking to the general, and when he shows up at the Daily Planet, he really does feel like Superman to me, at least a little bit. The problem lies in everything that happens before. THis film is the epitome of treating Superman as the superpowered alien before treating him as the Kansas farmboy. God, let's see if I can hold it together long enough to talk about this coherently.

Cavill's Superman is just Jesus without the beard. He's set up to be this perfect paragon of good and right, despite doing some of the most heinous things that Superman's ever done on screen. The actions that Clark takes in this movie are so un-Superman-like, I can barely stand it. And I'm not talking about the killing Zod thing, because that wasn't his fault. No, he does so much more shit Superman wouldn't do, from the beginning.

Remember that scene with the bully in the bar, and how Superman takes his truck and destroys it utterly? Yeah, um, he just almost certainly destroyed that man's livelihood, all because he got upset? Clark has a MUCH thicker skin than that, literally and figuratively, so he'd swallow any bruised pride and just move on. Because not only is that an example of using his powers irresponsibly, but it's also just genuinely wrong. Maybe that was Snyder's way of showing that Clark is flawed, but it doesn't read that way. That isn't just a character flaw, it's a violent and destructive temper. Plus, that action was taken for the audience's sake, not Clark's. We saw our hero getting bullied, and now Zack Snyder shows up the karmic retribution for those actions. But it's so out of character for Clark, that it immediately took me out of this interpretation of the character. And that's a mild example.

The TV series Justice League Unlimited, whose version of Superman is fantastic and should be appreciated FAR more than it is by most people, has a pretty famous quote and scene.

I feel like I live in a world made of cardboard, always taking constant care not to break something, to break someone. Never allowing myself to lose control even for a moment, or someone could die.

Superman knows exactly how powerful he is. Because power and responsibility are tied together, he is and always has been aware that his prime responsibility is to protect others from his own power. As all people on this planet do, he must take responsibility for his own actions, especially when his actions should be very dangerous. And to a certain extent, Cavill's Superman knows this. After all, he turns himself into the military, so he's aware of this idea to a certain degree. So why...why on God's green fucking Earth...does he do this?

This stupid...STUPID...IDIOT...destroys Metropolis.

And NO! No, this is NOT all Zod's fault! Clark should know better. For somebody who's wary enough of his surroundings to control his own immense strength on a 24-hour basis, how does he not think about the COST OF HUMAN LIVES he's about to allow by letting Zod remain within the city? He's obviously focused on you, so GET HIM THE FUCK OUT OF THERE. And actually...come to think of it, HE ALSO DESTROYS SMALLVILLE! During his fight with Faora and Non! He actively throws and tackles people through buildings, buildings with people that he knows! Superman would not be this thoughtless and irresponsible. In other words, Bruce was right.

Oh, and the whole "killing Zod" thing? Yeah, that's not Clark's fault. It's also no Zod's fault. It's the fault of these people.

JUST RUN YOU IDIOTS, YOU HAVE SO MUCH SPACE AND TIME

Seriously, they just stand there! I would've immediately taken off through any open space I could find! And they just stand there and wait to get lasered while Cavill screams for the 10,000th time in this movie? YOU MADE SUPERMAN KILL ZOD, DUMDUMS.

Anyway. Yeah, this is not Superman. Plus, the Jesus allegory is so overtired, guys, come on. He's extremely powerful, we get it, that doesn't make him a literal god. Doing that completely removes any form of humanity from him, and that's super-damaging to the character. If you write him that way to exacerbate his alien, holier-than-thou nature, it just detaches him from our perspective, and makes us care less about the character. Poorly written, and poorly plotted. It's immensely frustrating.

Now that said, there are some excellent live-action versions of Superman. Tyler Hoechlin is perhaps the most balanced version of the character, allowing us to know him as a human, while also appreciating that he's a man of great power, and one who's aware of what that power means for himself and those around him.

Tom Welling, for what it's worth, is also a very good Clark Kent...but not a great Superman. To be fair, that's a consequence of the CW itself, which only Hoechlin's Superman has really broken away from in the end. Smallville's Superman also suffered from not being able or willing to fully lean into Clark being Superman, which led to some odd choices throughout the series. On the contrary, Dean Cain, despite being an inveterate douche-nozzle, did a good job playing Clark Kent and Superman, but definitely leant more into the Superman-as-Kent angle most of the time.

But you want a really, really good Superman? Well...

Animation has been very good to Superman, especially the incarnation seen in the official DC Animated Universe, as played by Tim Daly in Superman: The Animated Series and George Newbern in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. The former is allowed to flex his muscle as both Kent and Kal, and does brilliantly in the role. Newbern's Superman is usually seen in costume, but is also very down-to-Earth as the flying superhero, to the extent that you can see Clark Kent coming through the red, yellow-and-blue.

Personally, I like Daly's version just a little bit more. He doesn't think he's better than anybody else or always right, but he always does his best to what he thinks is right. He makes mistakes, and his personal life is a goddamn shambles, but he's still trying his best. And that's all I ask of Superman: he should always be trying to do his best, and we should know that. He's not automatically perfect. And he's trying to navigate his idealistic, optimistic values in a multichromatic and complicated world which should be so disappointing so often.

But the question now, for me at least, is this: What would I do with a Superman film? Like, if I had full license to write and make my own Superman movie, how exactly would I do it? Here's the thing, this is a question that comes in several parts for me, so I'm gonna break this up into multiple posts. Plus, it's obviously just theoretical. Gunn isn't going to make an origin movie again, and he's already planning on putting Henry Cavill back as Superman, so this is all academ-

...Well, HOLY FUCKING SHIT.

Index: Superman

Part I: Why I Love Superman

Part II: On Lois Lane

Part III: The Kents

Part IV: The 'Rents

Part V: The...Frendts?

Part VI: Lex Luthor

Part VII: The Real Villains

Part VIII: Superman's Rogues Gallery

Part IX: The Story - Act One

Part X: The Story (Acts Two and Three)

Part XI: The Story - Climax

Part XII: Epilogue (Part One)

Part XIII: Epilogue (Part Two)

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sixpossumsinaclownsuit · 2 years

Text

Hello, Tumblr! This is Red Batty speaking.

I'm all done with school now so, hey! I thought I'd open my ask box for fic requests.

I'm not ready to do straight up smut, but I'm not against something spicier either. I'll just have to make the final call, but I can do the same prompt but milder if I'm not comfortable with the ask. No Yandere either, there's too many impressionable teens on this hell site that might think that's true love and I'm not risking it.

Below are the characters I'm willing to write for!

Justice League Dark

John Constantine

Etrigan/Jason Blood

Zatanna Zatara

Deadman/Boston Brand

Batman/Batfamily

Batman/Bruce Wayne

Robert Pattinson/Batman 2022 version

Comics version

Christian Bale/Dark Knight version

Arkham games version

Anything more niche than that literally just ask I'm probably down, like if he's voiced by Kevin Conroy, I'll probably write for him

Nightwing/Dick Grayson

Red Hood/Jason Todd

I haven't played Arkham Knight yet so Arkham!Jason isn't available yet

Red Robin/Tim Drake

Oracle/Barbara Gordon

I can do Batgirl!Babs also

Batgirl/Cassandra Kain

Spoiler/Stephanie Brown

I'm also open to do Spotlight/Duke Thomas but I know f$%king nothing about him so if its an ask generic enough to apply to any Robin I'm down.

Rogues Gallery

Comics, Arkham games and animated series versions only right now. Well, that and Nolan!Rogues. Just not Bane, don't make me write fic for Rises.

I could do Gotham but it'd have to be plot nonspecific or you'd have to be specific about the ask (not against that) but still,,, yeah ahem anyways

Harley Quinn

Arkham games version

Comics version

Animated series version

Still haven't seen BoP or Suicide Squad so not those versions yet,,, sorry gang

Poison Ivy

I WILL do Harlivy if requested, and Harlivy x reader, and Harlivy x Selina x reader… Basically just send me your ideal fictional polycule and I'll do it. Love wins.

Mad Hatter/Jervis Tetch

Scarecrow/Jonathan Crane

WOOF Cillian Murphy too fine, if not specified that's the version I'm writing

Riddler/Edward Nygma

NOT PAUL DANO VERSION. I'm sorry but the 2022 la version is a little creep and I won't write fic for him

If I get a Joker ask It better be the f$%king Lego Joker ONLY.

Bane

Catwoman/Selina Kyle

Zoe Kravitz Selina my beloved, so hmu for 2022!Selina if you like also

Uhhhh I'm tired and ran out of ideas, If I missed one literally just ask

Justice League

just animated series and comics. No, I haven't seen Snyderverse. Yes, I'll be a little bitchy about it. Shazam and Aquaman and Wonder Woman can stay though. I'll write for live action Aquaman and WW, but not Shazam bc he's. Literally a child. Mkay.

Superman/Clark Kent

Batman (see above)

Green Lantern

John Stewart

Hal Jordan

Wonder Woman/Diana Prince

Aquaman/Arthur Curry

Flash

Wally West

Barry Allen

Green Arrow/Oliver Queen

Haven't seen Arrow in years so bear with me if you want arrowverse!Ollie

Arcane (League of Legends)

Caitlin

Vi x Caitlin x Reader or any other polycule for that matter

Viktor

Jayce

Silco

Vander

Jinx

Fallout 4

Nick Valentine

Hancock

Piper

Preston Garvey

If there's anyone missing just talk to me about it, thanks guys love u

Skyrim

Brynjolf

Mercer Frey

Vilkas

Farkas

Aela

Serana

Cicero

Adrianne and Ulfberth War-Bear (at Shieldmaiden's)

this one is niche as hell they're not even companions or marriable but I'm putting it on the list

If there's anyone missing just talk to me about it, thanks guys love u

Markiplier Egos

Damien/Darkiplier

Engineer!Mark

William (the colonel)/Wilford (motherloving) Warfstache

Yancy

Illinois Jonesiplier

Heist!Mark (I'm not sure if this is Actor!Mark or not but oh well he's on the list)

Antisepticeye (he almost counts)

Mortal Kombat

I'll do the game or the movie I'm just a bit rustier on game lore, pls bear with me.

Scorpion/Hanzo Hasashi

Sub-Zero/Kuai Liang

Kenshi

Liu Kang

Raiden

Johnny Cage

Sonya Blade

Johnny x Sonya or Johnny x Sonya x reader

Jax Briggs

Kitana

Kano

Kotal Khan

Jade

Cassie Cage

Jacqui Briggs

Kung Jin

Takeda

Marvel

I'm having a bit of a love/hate relationship with the MCU right now so these are the few I'm writing for, if there's someone you want me to write for from comics lore, just hmu and we'll see what I can do for you

Moon Knight

Marc Spector, Steven Grant, Jake Lockley, all together or individually

Doctor Stephen Strange

**or any of his variants.

Also AUs. I'm down for AUs like "in this universe of DS he's like [blank]" so when mcu!DS comes through its like [blank]... you get the idea.

Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximo

Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff

I'll do Peter Maximoff also but X-men get their own special section, see below

Loki

2012!Loki

TVA!Loki

President!Loki

Disneyland Loki

X-Men

Its not that I think I'm better than people because I prefer writing comics/animated series it's just. I know that better. And the movies make my head hurt sometimes but a few of them are cool it's literally random so just. Ask.

Cyclops/Scott Summers

(This one for my bestie mwah)

Emma Frost

Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner

Deadpool (does he count? Fuck it, he was a trainee)

Colossus/Piotr Rasputin

Mystique/Raven Darkhölme

Magneto/Erik (Magnus) Lensherr

This is one I will write straight from the movies because good lord is his character hot as fuck compelling and a dilf well written

Shadowcat/Kitty Pride

Rogue/Anna-Marie

Gambit/Remy LeBeau

Gambit x Rogue x reader, and any other polycule basically

Quicksilver/Peter Maximoff

Storm/Ororo Munroe

There's so many at this point I can't remember them all just ask

Defenders

Daredevil/Matt Murdock

Jessica Jones

Foggy Nelson

Karen Page

Punisher/Frank Castle

I ask that you keep my punisher reqs spoiler free as I'm catching up on the show right now

Spiderverse

Peter Parker

Peter B. (ITSV)

Tom Holland

Andrew Garfield

Tobey Maguire

(I'm rustier on the live action babies so give me grace here)

Spiderman 2099/Miguel O'hara

Spider!Gwen

Spiderman Noir

Spider!Gwen x Andrew Garfield!Spiderman

Spiderman/Miles Morales

He WILL be aged up or shipped with a teen reader, anything else will get doused in gasoline and set on fire.

Eddie Brock/Venom

Note: I'm more willing to do spiderverse x ocs bc I know the spidersona brainrot is real. Hell, at this point, I might do oc x oc content for spiderverse because I've been there (and I've got a bestie with two spider ocs in a ship, love u cas)

Doc Ock/Otto Octavius

Doc Ock/Liv Octavius

Lmao I might do liv x aunt may if its funny or wholesome enough

Mysterio/Quentin Beck

It'll only be mcu!beck if explicitly stated that's what you want.

Green Goblin/Norman Osborne

Electro/Max Dillon

Sandman/Flint Marko

Lizard/Dr. Curtis Connors

If you think I'm missing someone just ask

Umbrella Academy

Luther Hargreeves

Diego Hargreeves

Allison Hargreeves

Klaus Hargreeves

Ben Hargreeves

Viktor Hargreeves

Fka Vanya for anyone not up to speed, he's going by Viktor now that Elliot Page has come out

I will not use she/her pronouns or the name Vanya, if I get a req for Vanya it will be written for Viktor.

Nolan!Verse: Inception & Tenet

Robert Fischer

Eames

Arthur

Saito

Ariadne

I'll do he/him or she/her pronouns for Ariadne following Elliot coming out

The Protagonist

Neil

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hobisstar · 2 years

Text

no more running | dark!bruce wayne x reader

Summary: Y/N was tired of being trapped in the Wayne Manor, Bruce says its for her safety. Was he protecting her or just keeping her to himself?

Warning: Mention of murder, harmful doing, possessiveness, obsession, Evil Bruce Wayne, and Melatonin pills.

A/N: Okay, basically im an DC and Marvel fan also! Ive been reading Batman/Bruce Wayne fics for the past 2 days now and decided to make one. I watched The Batman movie last night and I LITERALLY BECAME MORE IN LOVE. I know Batman is more so like a natural hero so hes like A hero but does villain like things. So i thought what if he was just like Dark all around MORE than usually? This is my first one so thoughts from you guys will be highly needed. Its a one shot so its gonna be a little short! Enjoy!

“Y/N!” Bruce yelled following her through the Wayne Manor. “Look at me when im talking to you!”

“No! Because im sick and tired of you acting like you control me Bruce Wayne, when you in fact do not. What exactly are protecting me of when you are the most Dangerous man in the room right now!” She walked into their shared bedroom or so.

They’ve been bumping heads recently, a lot to to be honest.

He hasn’t been the nicest and to be honest he doesn’t regret it.

The crime rate in Gotham had gotten higher and even the day light was dangerous to be out in.

But last week, something changed in Bruce. Maybe it was the intruders he killed with his bare hands and had Alfred dispose of the bodies.

It was for her protection, they deserved the beating.

“You killed those intruders Bruce... You promised me you’d never kill, ever. To me being out in the city is safer than being in a shared room with someone who’s not even a hero but the same as those people out there.”

Bruce knew his temper, and oh was it rising as the more she badmouths him and compared him to those people.

“I was protecting you. You are fragile and can get hurt. I'm not letting you get hurt because of who I am or what I've done outside the manor. Yes, I've killed two men that dared step into our home. How was I supposed to know that they were just after me? They could’ve spotted you and harmed you.” He stepped closer to Y/N grabbing the so called 'bag' she was trying to pack.

“I told you if something were the happen outside you aren’t allowed to leave the manor. I meant that with every inch of light I have left. “

“You can’t keep me in here Bruce-“

“No I can. And I will. Its not safe out there. Hate me. Dislike me. Want me dead. Do whatever you please but you aren’t leaving this home.”

Y/N huffed and walked out the room.

“Ill get out one way or another.” She thought in her head.

5 hours later

It was about 9pm. Bruce- I'm sorry The Bat was out around this time and for sure wouldn’t be back till 4 am.

“Ms. Y/N are you sure we should be breaking Bruce’s orders like this? What such a hassle to just get outside.” said one of the maids.

Since the morning after the argument ,Y/N has been plotting in her head a few escape routes.

Of course the main ones or either locked or emergency usable only.

She huffed and grabbed the backpack. “Yeah well, I really have other business to attend to outside of this Manor. If Bruce comes back tell him, I'm in bed. He usually won't bother if I'm sleeping. I should be back at 3 am. Call me if he calls Alfred saying Hes on his way back. I'll use the front door to get in. See Ya” Y/N said and ran to the bat cave using the only exit she knew would be open.

She was leaving because her mother called her and said that it was urgent. Her father had been mugged and wasn’t doing the best and she needed to see him if the time was to come if he was laid to rest.

Dealing with Bruce was enough in her plate, but shed do anything to see her family for the last time.

She took his bike and speed off…

At Y/Ns parents house

“Oh my! Y/N dear i thought you said Bruce had the place on lock down?” Her mother said raising her eyebrows.

“He does but I told one of the maids to call me if he gets home before I do. Im willing to risk anything to see my family ma.” Y/N half smiled and looked around.

“Where’s dad?”

“Back here honey!” She heard her dad shout.

“Turns out he just had some bruises and sprained his ankle. Hes fine but because of his old age, it was worst than that.” Mother said.

“Gosh ive been away so long I forgot you are a doctor.” She chuckled and walked to the room.

“Papa!” Y/N said and ran to him.

“Wow you’ve grown my girl. I can’t believe you are even here right now. This city is a mess and I know Bruce would never let you out with the way the crime rate has sprung up.” He chuckled then looked at her.

“He doesn’t know im here… I promise I’ll be back-“

“You need to get going my girl! You know the city shuts down at 12 am now! There is no reason for him to be out so late.”

“WHAT?!-“

As if it was a que Y/Ns phone rung in pocket.

She picked it up with no hesitation. “yes?”

“Y/N! Mr. Wayne is 20 minutes away! Please hurry back!”

At the Wayne Manor

…

“She’s not home yet!”

“OH MY GOSH”

“We need to make it look like she was here for hours!”

“What if he notices that she wasn’t here?”

“Cave has been opened..”

After are the commotion it settled down when that alert went off.

Was it Y/N?

Was it Bruce?

They were scared shitless. Scared that all hell would break when he gets up here and there is no y/n.

The handle turned and the door opened.

They all released a sigh of relief.

“I made it back in time!” Y/N smiled a little out of breathe.

“Oh gosh Ms. Y/N you had us all covered in fear. Hurry along now he should he arriving shortly.”

She nodded and ran up the stairs to their shared room.

She sighed happily as she sat on the bed. Being out was funny for the little time she could be out.

Seeing her dad being healthy and her mother also doing the same made her so happy.

“Maybe I should start sneaking out more often.” She said out loud since she thought she was alone.

“No. Because I could’ve sworn I made clear instructions that you stay in the Manor.” Bruce said from the chair in the darkness that filled the room.

She jumped up and turned on the lamp looking at him. “W-When did you get home?”

“Y/N I never left. Because I knew you would try to leave so i planned to stay in tonight and watch over you. Alfred told me what you had said to the maids.” He stood up going to sit on the bed.

“Bruce i just wanted to see my mom and dad-“

“Does it matter?! You could’ve gotten hurt!” He yelled looking at her with pure darkness in his eyes.

She jumped back from his booming voice, slightly cowering away but stood her ground.

“But I wasn’t! I told you you dont own me! If I want to leave I should damn well be able to leave!”

He slightly chuckled and that smile soon went away with it. He stood up and just walked out not saying anything.

She signed and fell to her knees surprised she even said everything without once stuttering.

“I need a bath officially” she said and went I the bathroom and closed the door.

In the kitchen

(Warning ⚠️: this part is were the Melatonin will be used. It will be taken with tea for a better nights sleep. You may continue reading at you’re own risk:).)

“You are being to harsh on her Bruce.” Alfred said.

Bruce sighed. “Im not. She got hurt once while being out and I never forgave myself for it.”

“That was 2 years go, Sir. She’s more matured. You trained her to fight and protect herself, yet you have her locked away like she’s Rapunzel.”

“That doesnt matter! She needs to be in the manor Alfred. I rather she be locked up here in safety then locked up some where I CANT find.”

Alfred sighed. “Whatever you say. Here’s the madams tea and melatonin as usually.”

“Thanks.”

Bruce grabbed the tea and pill and walked up stairs to their shared bed room. Usually around this time shed Be in the bathroom getting ready for bed so he went with his gut and opened the bathroom door.

She was relaxing in the tub and sat on the side of it watching her not saying a word.

Gosh, how he just wanted to protect her. So what if he was being protective or possessive I mean he wanted the best for her.

Staying in the house was only for now when the curfew on the city was just on.

“Im telling Alfred to put the manor on lockdown. The maids will be going home tonight.” He said still looking at her no emotion in his eyes.

She looked up at him. “You-You can’t do that!”

He put the tea on the counter with the pills.

“You are not to leave the manor until the curfew on the city is lifted. You will stay in the manor every day and every night. You got hurt once because of me. And that was my fault. I love you to much to see you get hurt again because of my lack of protection. This is most I can do to protect you and Alfred. You two are my World and im not loosing either of you. I will never allow it.” He stood up and walked out.

Maybe one day, She will see that his protection is all he can bring. He loves her and will never let her get hurt EVER AGAIN.

Bruce went down the his cave and just started writing away about a few things for the city but it soon turned Into

Never let her out Never let her out Never let her out

Never let her out Never let her out

Never

Let

Her

Out

Has he perhaps gone mad?

#the batman #the batman x y/n #the dark knight #robert pattinson x y/n #bruce wayne #bruce wayne one shot #battinson #robert pattinson #the batman 2022 #Robert Pattinson oneshot #the vigilante #burce wayne x reader

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bitimdrake · 1 year

Text

I posted 10,175 times in 2022

That's 4,343 more posts than 2021!

468 posts created (5%)

9,707 posts reblogged (95%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@queerwizarrds

@lemontongues

@sagely-n-a-i-v-e

@captainragtag

@broke-bruce-wayne

I tagged 10,165 of my posts in 2022

#dc - 3,802 posts

#tim drake - 818 posts

#txt - 815 posts

#critical role - 796 posts

#dick grayson - 643 posts

#* - 476 posts

#art - 463 posts

#laugh tag - 462 posts

#misc - 427 posts

#vid - 368 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#anyway these people remind me of a childhood friend who would constantly declare she hated things and then try them and realize she didn’t.

My Top Posts in 2022:

wait i would also like to present a concept

A friend of Tim (chose your favorite, let’s say Ives) is super hyped about this new movie coming out, and Tim is like, I’m a rich boy, I can make dreams come true. He pulls strings for them to go to the premiere and be right up next to the red carpet.

Tim knows nothing about this movie. Ives’s rambling has gone in one ear and out the other. He has not looked up a single thing about it. He’s just doing this because it’s a cool thing to do for his friend.

This will prove to be a mistake.

Down the red carpet comes one of the actors, a man long down on his luck, who has finally made his big break in a real Hollywood movie. We’ll call him Not-Eddie. An actor not known for such roles as: Tim’s fake uncle to stop Bruce from adopting him.

Actor Not-Eddie makes eye-contact with Tim. Tim makes eye-contact with Actor Not-Eddie.

Actor Not-Eddie would very much like no one to know he once accepted money to help a teenager commit fraud. (It’s tough making a living, okay?)

Tim would very much like no one to know he once paid someone to help him commit fraud, exclusively so he could prevent the billionaire who has since adopted him from adopting him back then because they were Going Through A Thing. Tim would especially like no one to know that he committed this fraud so effectively that every government database in existence still holds records for his uncle Eddie, who looks weirdly like that cool new actor.

They have been staring too long. Ives, oblivious, says, “Hey, you know that guy from somewhere?”

Tim panics.

1,328 notes - Posted September 17, 2022

actually I think people who complain about superhero comics with stuff like “ugh it’s so silly Cyborg turned into a planet” or “Jason Todd being resurrected by Superboy Prime punching the universe is ridiculous :/” are akin to people who don’t like musicals saying “actually musicals are bad because it doesn’t make sense that the characters break into song”

1,565 notes - Posted January 2, 2022

A lot of people assume that almost all superheroes fit a standard of having masked (literally or metaphorically) hero identities and separate civilian identities they keep stringently secret. In reality, the identity management across the DCU is wide and varied and includes:

The classic: people who grew up as regular civilians, and later took on masked identities, hiding the connection between the two (e.g. most Bats)

As above, except minus the mask, with such seeming forthrightness heroes that no one realizes they even have a secret identity too (e.g. Clark/Superman)

Characters who once had secret identities, until those identities got revealed and they could no longer have any secrecy (e.g. Cassie/Wonder Girl)

Characters who have civilian identities and hero identities, but make no effort to hide that they’re the same person (e.g. Dinah/Black Canary)

Heroes who have fully abandoned any pretense of duel identity at all and literally just use their own name for heroing (e.g. Donna Troy)

Characters who can’t have secret identities, because their identity is blatantly obvious on first sight (e.g. Vic/Cyborg, Kory/Starfire)

Characters whose “hero name” is actually their real name--often because they’re not from earth--and for whom the dichotomy of “adopted hero identity and real civilian identity” just wouldn’t make sense (e.g. og Raven)

As above, but they later create a secret civilian alias to live as, which may or may not become more than an alias (e.g. Raven as “Rachel Roth”, Diana/Wonder Woman as “Diana Prince”, Kon-el/Superboy as “Conner Kent”)

Characters who are just really, really bad about keeping their secret identity secret and might not even care (e.g. just. all of the Arrows)

2,030 notes - Posted August 9, 2022

red hood and the outlaws? no, no, you misheard me. red hood and the INlaws. local teenage crime lord gets unwillingly mentored by his big brother's most determined friends.

2,177 notes - Posted February 4, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

i do really love the idea of Time Shenanigans leading to ~13-year-old Damian meeting all former Robins at the same age, because every single one of them is just the exact opposite of what he’d expect.

Dick, who Damian expects to be the cool nice supportive one, at thirteen is fucking furious at the idea that there are any Robins after him. Stephanie, far from the perky optimist he knows, is a hardcore cynic who thinks Batman is super cool and hasn’t even become a vigilante yet. Jason, who has previously interacted with Damian mostly via bullets, is a sweetheart who’s exceptionally insecure at the idea of Bruce getting another Robin.

And meanwhile Tim at thirteen is like “oh you’re the next Robin? Heck yeah, that’s awesome, glad it worked out.”

7,796 notes - Posted March 3, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#year in review #*#oops forgot this in my drafts #anyway tldr: i spend too much time on this website sorry #god i forgot the inlaws was this year #once again i am having dreams of removing the outlaws from existence

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mumble-muse · 2 years

Note

PLEASE GUSH ABOUT THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE

Welp, I've officially been asked and so I'm taking this permission and running with it.

To save y'all I'm gonna hide this insanity below the cut. I am not an expert in any of these topics and I wrote this on my phone so apologies for any errors!:

This is structured around some nonsense essay titles I made up in about five seconds, but actually turned out to cover most of what I love about this film <3

The essential duality of hero and villian in Lego Batman

So first to address what Hideo Kojima says here (I can't believe I just wrote that...)

So one of the main themes/story beats of Lego Batman is that Batman is a hero who looks and acts a lot Iike a villian both in the context of the film and throughout his canon.

This is both true of his appearance and his arrogance and rejection of teamwork/asking for help and human connection.

In the film this is contrasted with Joker who is a villian, but desperate for human connection, good at teamwork/asking for help, less visually scary, and actually a big softie to many important people in his life (see Harley and Batman).

Both characters are explicitly called out about this contradiction by Phyllis the gatekeeper of the phantom zone who questions whether Joker is really evil enough for super jail and Batman good enough to be a hero.

For example, late in the film Joker demonstrates his explicitly ambiguous villainy by helping save the day by encouraging the Gotham villians to join the efforts to rejoin the city (literally and figuratively 😉)

As is pointed out in the tweet linked, both of their hero and villainy is largely in relation to each other. Batman is only a hero in relation to the Joker who is in turn classified as a villian. Both Batman and Joker are definitionally incomplete and aimless without each other.

Added to this are the bad guys from the phantom zone who are framed as evil, and truly evil in a way that the Joker is not, but Batman might be due to his treatment of others.

Each of these villians are spurred to action by the Joker by him invoking their corresponding heroes - as these essential opponents with whom each bad guy has a similar relationship. In this way the villian/hero dyad is reinforced.

And as Hideo Kojima says "They are more than rivals, they are inevitable." Like...

So we are left with the question of what defines heroism and villainy? For Lego Batman a lot of the answer lies in our relationships and relations with others and our community.

60 years of canon: making a 21st Century Batman film

Okay so as a reward for reading this far, I will tell you a badly kept secret. I freaking love superheroes and Batman in particular. I've read enough comics and seen enough films etc to get the majority of the in-jokes and references in this film (and there a crap tonne). Those are my qualifications for the following statements:

I firmly believe this is one of the best portrayals of Batman and Bruce Wayne in all Batman media. Just... somehow this dumb movie just got him perfectly.

Somehow it captures both the inherent comedy of Batman, and also the angst and the drama of Batman.

Somehow also manages to be one of my fav Dick Graysons and Alfreds. Parenting your troubled child, anyone?

So Lego Batman is in the same universe as the Lego movies.

I absolutely love how they integrate references to the comics, to the shows, to the movies, to Batman's rogues gallery etc, and I think in a way that isn't too alienating to newbies and just super fun as fan. Condiment Man! The Penguin and his penguins! Catwoman hacking and saying "Meow Meow"!

References the big classic gotchas of Batman on a loving way, rather than in a needly way! Yes, why is crime so high?

Batman hating Superman in a very dumb fun way is my favourite trope in Batman media, just after Batman and Superman being in love 😘

How to write a multiverse: the case of Lego Batman

It integrates the world rules of The Lego Movie i.e. this world takes place on a literal table, probably in the same basement.

This manifests in the climax but also throughout! In the first act bomb threat, the phantom zone villains, and just... Will Arnett Batman!

Batman is still a Master Builder! It's blink and you miss it, but it's an element in the climax and throughout.

So it's kinda fun if you're familiar with the other movies and the wider multiverse, but it really doesn't ruin anything if you aren't.

Just a refreshing approach in this world of multi-film tie-ins!

The music slaps!!!!!!!!!!!

Who's the (Bat) Man?: The music of Lego Batman

The Batman intro song? Amazing. Literally a joke a second.

Super fun pop songs!!!!!!

The song that plays when Batman looks at Barbara lolololol

The busby berkley style number at the end??? iconic!!!! The message you're left with being "Friends are family"????????

Animation in the 21st century: the case study of Lego Batman

The animation is sooooooooo coool!!!!

So there has been this general trend towards realism in CGI animation which is... okay... It's pretty technically cool, but for lots of people who love animation it can result in a loss in terms of what makes animation a great medium in of itself - for me this looks like experimentation with motion, colour, shape, and style!

Lord and Miller (the producers of this film) have also been involved with some of my favourite animated films of the last decade - for example, the Cloudy with a Chance series and Into the Spiderverse. I don't know if that's a conscious thing on their part (could google, but this is already too serious without extra research lol), but essentially if they're involved in an animated film I'm gonna be confident I'm gonna love the animation.

This film is brightly coloured, deeply silly, and a film that is firmly rooted in it's medium.

Obviously everything is lego shaped but the way they use that!! Sometimes you forget they are little lego people, but sometimes they hit you over the head with it! With stop-motion sytle! With little visual jokes! With their little lego arms!

Everything is so shaped!!!!

Bromance, clostedness and the homoerotic in Lego Batman

TL;DR Batman and the Joker are gay for each other.

Okay so one of the central conflicts of this film is that the Joker wants Batman to tell him that he values their relationship. And when Batman refuses he makes the face in the gif above...

Like damn dude, that is one sad lil guy

Joker spends the rest of the movie trying to make Batman say the Joker has an important and meaningful place in his life and acts very divorced until he does.

Obviousssllllllyyyyy this is not necessarily inherently homoerotic or romantic... but also... fellas...

The resolution of the film is Batman admitting that the Joker is special to him and affirming his value. 🥺🥺🥺

There is a lot to say about Batman's performance of hypermasculinity, including the way he pushes away all discussion of emotions and relationships. This is strongly contrasted with Joker's more queer-coded characterisation and Robin's actively camp portrayal. However, the resolution of the film is partially driven by Batman finding a place for both the Joker and Robin in his heart and life, and allowing himself to relax his performance of solitary toxic masculinity.

Arguably the film is leaning towards Barbara/Batman as a romantic pairing but ultimately they end up as like a friend dynamic which is honestly kinda lovely.

One of my fav reoccuring jokes is that Batman and Bruce Wayne are "roommates" and are co-parenting Dick/Robin. Like it's not a joke that Robin maybe has two dads, but that Batman is so reluctant to open up to people he'll lie about his identity to such an extent. Also Robin is just soooooooo psyched about having two dads! (see gif below and my final lil rant).

Found family, generational trauma and fatherhood in Lego Batman

Oh look, it's tumblr's favourite trope! Who doesn't love a bit of found family? Batman canon has a very strong history of this trope which is largely absent from the live action films (which i am so cool and chill about of course)

As mentioned, Robin thinks he has two dads for like half the film and is so stoked!!!! He loves his new family deeply, completely, and immediately.

Alfred is Batman's dad!!!!!! And Batman is Alfred's son!!!!!!! And Robin is Alfred's grandson!!!!

Batman lost his parents to the violence he seeks to remedy and locks away his heart and rejects his friends and family out of fear of losing them to that violence too 😭😭😭😭

Padre! Papa! Dad!

Cuz friends are family!!!!

I realise this gets more and more incoherent as it goes on so I can only apologise hahahah. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Go watch Lego Batman!!!!!!

#so um #watch this dumb movie <3 #the lego batman movie #long post

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someoneimsure · 2 years

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What are some of your all time favorite charcters?

Oh, that's simple! I've never ranked them together before so this is gonna be fun.

BATMAN, Bruce Wayne from DCAU BTAS & JLU. Batman's core character was a man who cared so much about his city that he willingly dressed up as a bat to scare criminals off the streets because he would never want anyone to experience the horror he suffered as a child. This is the Batman who would sit next to Ace and hold her hand as she died. This is the Batman who would threaten the United States government if he thought it would save lives. This man is a freaking legend. (Not to be confused with the Batman of TNBA. Fuck that guy. He's a hollowed out shell of his former self and it makes no sense to me at all how BTAS Batman became JLU Batman and then TNBA Batman. The timelines don't add up at all.)

RED HOOD, Jason Todd from the DCAMU Under the Red Hood. I watched the movie before I read the comics, and I honestly prefer the movie ending over the comic book ending. It's what got me into reading the comics. He just fascinates me so much. Like, I love his ugliness and the way his story made me open my mind and think about the possibilities. Even now, I honestly want to sit down for a minute one of theses days and write a version of UTRH for BTAS. (It also honestly still confuses the hell out of me why Nightwing was there in the beginning and never came back for the end in the movie version. Like there wasn't a storyline going on in Bludhaven in the movies that would require him disappearing for the second half of the plot--just think of the possibilities!)

RED ROBIN, Tim Drake-Wayne from the Red Robin run. This man has an identity crisis every other issue, I swear, when he isn't falling to his death and thinking about how he only wishes he could see Conner again. The homoerotic subtext and subtle un-reciprocated romance has sold me on the Timkon. That's not to mention his most basic and fundamental trait: He exists as Batman's anchor. That's what his entire reason for becoming a hero is all about: keeping the Batman grounded and preventing him from becoming a violent maniac that needs to be put down. Because, deep down, Tim is intelligent. Yes, I do think he is a genius. Is he the smartest Robin? Dependson how you define intelligence. He's certainly not the most skilled and fundamentally he is kind of a loser, but he understands The Mission without being told, understands the "necessity" of Batman, doesn't need a tragic backstory to do what it takes to save a hero, and that makes him a hero in my book.

ROBIN V, Damian Wayne from the comics. It's hard to pin down exactly what storyline I like about Damian because I haven't read any good ones yet but my all time favorite panels are those with him and Jon Kent. Specifically, Damian telling Jon not to doubt himself because he was made for the purpose of becoming Superman--a sentiment Damian also shares. I didn't understand the character all that much before that, but I was sold. I literally look at every panel with him in it differently because of it. Damian is an "I am destined to be Batman. Everyone else needs to get over it" son of a gun, and I can totally get behind that attitude of "This is me, deal with it." He is my spirit animal, and him loving animals and being a piece of shit is just a bonus.

THE FLASH, Wally West from DCAU JLU. My all time favorite episode of the entire JL&JLU run was his. He set the bar for superheros for me and everyone else simply fails if they cannot reach that bar. I still remember the episode of Flash and Substance where The Flash asks Batman and Orion to make an appearance at the opening of the Flash Museum. My favorite all time scene was him sitting next to The Trickster and just talking to him to convince him to give up his enemies. They have such a good rep that The Trickster willingly agrees to turn himself into the police just for The Flash. That's such good writing. Now, in my mind, a superhero should help everyone, even their enemies.

SUPERBOY, Conner Kent from the Young Justice comics. I haven't read his solo run yet and it's in the queue but I'll get there eventually, but the tone of the Young Justice comics and his growth as a character throughout has rapidly made him my all time favorite YJ character. My absolute favorite part about him is the black and white morality he has and the conflict between him and Tim. Like, I understand in real life that black and white morality is a child's dream, but I like heroes who have lines they will absolutely not cross. (He's better than the YJTV version which feels like a blank slate and an over all bland character who should have run off and rebelled against his 'destiny' long ago.)

I was going to include my favorite characters from other franchises but my memory is shit if I'm not looking directly at the thing I want to talk about so I hope just the DC stuff is okay.

#asks #thanks for the ask! <3 #DCAU #Batman #Red Hood #my post #The Flash #my favorites #Red Robin #Tim Drake #Tim Wayne #Bruce Wayne #Jason Todd #Damian Wayne #my meta

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happytheoristavenue · 2 years

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My opinion: Batman is one of the most down-to-earth heroes in DC Comics

Batman, The World’s Greatest Detective. He is the hero that is always ten steps ahead. He can profile you just by observing your daily routine. That’s how goated he is. He is a master in martial arts and has a budget to create and maintain his many gadgets, including his car. He is one of the most brilliant people in DC comics. There are many reasons to heed Batman’s warning, but I feel like people just think Batman is crazy. While he is not perfect, listening to him could save the world. His warnings would save the world because he uses logic and his knowledge to make those warnings.

One reason I believe Batman is the most down-to-earth hero is his past. As we all know, Bruce is of the Wayne fortune; the dude literally grew up as the only child on a vast estate. His parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne, took him to see a movie, and Thomas took them down to Crime Ally to meet Alfred. In that ally, Bruce’s parents were gunned down in front of him by a random criminal on the street. That alone is pretty traumatizing for an 8-year-old boy who had never been on the road. When he became an adult, he made sure to learn martial arts and everything he could about how to solve complex crimes as a detective. He also spent every night on the streets, watching these criminals and taking notes. One traumatic experience on the streets of Gotham shook his entire world. If that criminal didn’t gun down his parents, he would have never got to experience what it was really like in Gotham City. He wouldn’t go on to witness the corruption and disturbingly high crime levels. Superman, or Clark Kent, crashed on Earth in a little ship when he was a baby, and he had an everyday life in Smallville. Compared to Bruce as a child, Clark didn’t really experience crime as he did. So, when comparing the two, Superman seems very much out-of-touch with what city life is like.

When you think about it, heroes like Superman and Wonder Woman are literally in the clouds. When they see a crime, they swoop down, stop the criminals, and leave. Meanwhile, Batman is on a rooftop scooping out the scene. He thwarts the criminals, chases them for a bit, beats them down, and interrogates the last one standing to get information. These are two different styles of crime fighting that I’ve noticed, and it is because of Batman’s different kind that makes him unique. Does Superman watch criminals from the shadows? No, Batman does. Watching from the shadows allows Batman to properly observe criminals in their natural habitat. He sees how they act, their usual routines, and the places they target, and he hears their conversations. Those criminals usually work for prominent villains like Two-Face or the Joker. Listening to those conversations will help him be able to predict the next big plan to wreak havoc on Gotham. He understands that even the tiny muggings can lead to something bigger and more threatening. You don’t see Superman thinking about these things, he’s just the guy with super-strength stopping any crime he sees, or he’s in the Watch Tower.

This brings me to my next point. When I think of Wonder Woman and Superman and basically any hero that can fly, I think of people in the sky. Batman even says it in the animated movie Justice League Dark. In it, citizens in places like Gotham and Metropolis commit heinous crimes, but they all claim that they saw monsters and had to act. In a meeting about the matter, Superman and Wonder Woman suggested that they may be dealing with magic or something that causes hallucinations. Batman disagreed and said that people were just crazy. The League had encountered magic before, and even members had magical abilities. Still, they assumed that they were good people. There were good points on both sides, and Batman was wrong in the end; however, I see where Batman came from. Superman and Wonder Woman weren’t on the streets like Batman was. He was even created by a traumatic experience on the streets of Gotham. In this perspective, people are not always who they say they are. He saw them as people who needed help, of course, but he didn’t just assume that there wasn’t something going on psychologically.

Batman is not perfect, he’s been in the wrong before, and he’s even represented the antagonist ideal in some stories. But we can’t deny that his head is on the ground instead of the clouds. Which is one thing that makes him my favorite superhero. Superman is incredible, and this post is not to bash The Man of Steel. I’m just saying that he doesn’t think about the things Batman thinks about. Batman sees the bigger picture; he can sniff out corruption from the Batcave. Batman may be bleak and depressing sometimes, but he knows what he’s talking about.

#batman #batman comics #alfred pennyworth #the dark knight #justice league #justice league dark #wonder woman #the joker #the waynes #thomas wayne #martha wayne #dc #dc comics #dc animated universe #dc animated movies #warner bros

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trekkele · 3 months

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How much violence do you think Batman should be able to get away with while still remaining as "one of the good guys"?

There are times where he is way more brutal than necessary to just your average crook. Threatening someone with crushing their skull with the Batmobile (Arkham games), to beating people senseless and unnecessarily risking them dying (some choices in the Telltale Batman game), to cutting a cannibal's finger off for threatening only Bruce himself and no one else's life (although obviously he killed some people already) (a Batman/Catwoman comic), breaking criminals' bones as an intimidation tactic before and/or after they told him everything (comics, games, movies,...), etc.

Like that's some really unheroic things to do and Bruce sometimes admits to liking dishing out this kind of punishment. But then he turns around and preaches to everyone how they went too far for breaking ONE bone, especially to the Robins. How many people really know this vicious and cruel side of Bruce, I wonder...

How would you imagine the Batkids reacting to a video of Batman calmly and in a calculated way torturing information out of someone, almost like a real villain? And his cruelty rivals that of Jason during his utrh and rhato days where he was the most mentally unstable and that's like a Tuesday for Bruce? And what if that video is a few years old, and shows a little Robin (Dick or Jason, maybe) being sent away to stake some place out or to return to the cave just a few minutes prior? Obviously they'd be horrified, but what then? Do they go looking for what happened after the torture and maybe find out it was for vital information that relsulted in stopping the city from getting blown up and that the victim was then rehabilitated and now works for Wayne Enterprises.

Just, Batman's methods were horrifying but it was enough to shake/scare this specific person out of a criminal life style, then give him a well-payed job in one of the branches of WE in another city without Batman, now having built a family with kids and the guy looks the happiest he's ever been. And this case isn't the only one, and a majotity of criminals end up like this, with only a few ending up the same as before or worse.

Like, how are you supposed to react to that??? This is the same man that's upstairs working on a charity project for orphans and cancer patients right now! You're going to be sitting at the dinner table together! The man's a father figure to most of them! What. The. Fuck.

I mean i have an answer but i dont think youre going to like it.

I think a Batman that is unnecessarily violent/cruel, or is for the sake of being violent/cruel, is a Batman that is out of character.

And i think the fact that he does enjoy being Batman, is part of it. He knows he’s violent, he knows violence is cruel, he knows he enjoys it a little more then he should. That the reason he has such a tight leash on … literally every aspect of being Batman.

Also, scolding the Robins for being too violent is obvious? Those are kids, they’re still being trained. I know fandom likes to paint every bit of parenting Bruce does as hypocritical or overbearing, but cmon on now. Being capable of something doesnt mean you have to go through with it. His kids were always meant to be better then him, and that means keeping their hands as clean as possible.

Also torture is proven to be ineffective, and if Batman is anything efficient. So thats out of character too ¯\ _(ツ)_/¯

(And Jason wasnt mentally unstable during UTRH or RHATO. He ran a criminal empire bbyboy was very stable.)

What your real question is is “Does the end Justify the means and if so to what extent” and the answer is both “no” and “it depends but probably also no”.

Also is there a reason you sent this verbatim to @frownyalfred and then to me right after i reblogged one of their posts or is that just a fun little coincidink

Edit: that last question sounds very accusatory, its not! Im just curious because this is a pretty well thought out, thorough ask, so like it does make sense that you would have copy-pasted it, but also the timing was pretty pat. Im also not expecting an answer so im not sure why i even asked.

#asks #i dont like this ask ill be honest #not just because i havent interacted with any of the things cited as sources but also because #theres a lot of reasons Batman is shown as overly violent #none of them are for character reasons tho #violence is a tool #cruelty is not #so that answers that #as for the robins being scared of bruces violence. that depends.#has that violence ever been turned on them?#if you’re like me and that answer is ‘no and if it was written i dont fucking care it is wildly out of character’ then i suppose that and #that

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jupitermelichios · 7 months

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8, 9, and 10 if you want to! :)

8) a character you think did nothing wrong but fandom demonizes?

I know exactly enough about homestuck to know saying vriska here would be a funny joke, but not enough to actually know who she is or what she did or didn't do wrong, lmoa

Memes aside though, Scott McCall is innocent and I am prepared to defend him in court if necessary.

I do get why fandom didn't latch onto him the way they did other teen wolf characters, he's the platonic ideal of a highschool boyfriend and that's not the kind of character that usually appeals to people Doing A Fandom, but people hate him So Much, and I don't get it. He's just a little guy, he's a little birthday boy. Why are you hitting him when it's his birthday?

I especially don't get the 'Scott is a bad friend' take that's so common it has a canon AO3 tag. Him and Stiles have a pretty unhealthy co-dependant friendship, absolutely, but it's very much mutual, and Scott is just as ride or die for Stiles as Stiles is for him. They're just a couple of weird little guys who have had no one else to talk to but one another for years, and have ended up with a freaky psychosexual mess of a friendship, we've all been there.

(also 90% of all female characters from kids cartoons, but that's a wider issue than just fandom taking a dislike to a character. the fact that there are people who think mable pines committed any crime worse than 'having the emotional maturity of a 12 year old while being literally 12 years old' is baffling and terrifying in equal measure)

9) a character that did a lot of things wrong in canon that you think fandom woobifies?

Loki, obviously. I've done my time in the MCU fic trenches, and oh boy some of the Loki takes I've seen...

Stiles Stilinski, the counterpart to the demonisation of Scott. They are basically the exact same level of problematic in a very believable teenage way in canon, but in fanon Scott becomes a monster and Stiles becomes a woobie.

Every single member of the Batfamily, but most of all, Alfred Pennyworth. He's a fun character and an excellent valet, and he loves Bruce and the kids, but my god was he a shit parent. How does anyone look at Bruce Wayne and conclude Alfred was a good parent? It baffles me. 'I raised master bruce'. you ruined a perfectly good orphan is what you did. look at it. it's got anxiety.

(There is one exception to this, and that is the Alfred from the Gotham TV show, who has done nothing wrong in his life ever, and does stuff like hug Bruce, and tell him that he loves him, and actually talk to him about his trauma. 100/10, best Alfred, don't @ me)

But the big one, the one that will result in me just blocking people so I don't have to see their takes on my dash, is John Constantine. And this isn't fully fandom's fault, recent DC TV and animated movies absolutely also do this, but the result is just this horrible oroborous of bad takes as TV writers who think they're too smart for comics inform the opinions of fans who don't want to engage with moral ambiguity, and then the writers respond to what those fans enjoy by making him even more toothless, and around and around it goes until you get this character who is utterly unrecognisable as John, and cruicially, feels fictional, which is the absolute worst thing a version of John can be. If the fact that multiple Hellblazer writers have reported meeting him irl doesn't feel at least a little bit plausible, that's not John.

(and if this is your first time hearing about that, yes multiple otherwise apparently sane writers of a vertigo comic book have claimed to have met the character they created in real life, and the fandom just accepts that as a canon part of his mythos. comics are wild.)

10) what is your favorite “problematic” fandom?

I guess it depends how you define problematic.

I made the decision not to engage with it anymore when jkr lost her mind, and also because I just lost interest and moved on to other fandoms as I got older, but I'm not going to pretend I didn't have a lot of fun in the harry potter fandom when I was a teenager. It was my first real fandom, and I'll always have some nostalgia for it for being my gateway drug into this community, despite everything.

The Fannibals are some of the most talented and creative people in fandom, the art and fic for Hannibal is absolutely incredible, definitely the highest average standard of fic I've encountered in a fandom. Plus it's nice to have a fandom where you know people are capable of engaging critically with dark content. I won't say there are no antis in the fandom, they seem to turn up everywhere these days, but they're easily drowned out by the people who actually remember stuff like SLS and YKINMKATO

I have a weird soft spot for Twilight, something about it just hits the so bad it's good groove in my brain just right, and the recent twilight renaisance has been very fun to watch, but I haven't really engaged with the fandom all that much beyond reblogging some memes (and writing an 8,000 word not!fic about how much better twilight would be if bella swan was polyamorous that one time)

And despite the whole ackles tapes conspiracy theory, and the prevelance of tinhatting, and the dumb shipwars, I'll always have a special place in my heart for the supernatural fandom. it's a fucked up place to live, but I had a lot of fun there, and i still visit on occaision.

#ask meme

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ellana-ravenwood · 2 years

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Mama's boy(s)/girl - Batfam x Fem!Reader

Synopsis : The title says it all, just a few things about the kids and how they’re definitely your babies.

Just a drabble I suddenly wanted to write. Hope you’ll like this short thing :) :

Please, do not repost my stories anywhere else, under any other form, do not translate and then repost them either. Thank you.

My masterlists : @ella-ravenwood-archives

__________________________________________________

“Who’s the biggest “mama’s boy/girl” ?”, was once a question asked to your children during an interview for a local paper.

Your kids all instantly yelled at the same time : “DAMIAN !!” (including Damian himself, as he said times and times again that being a Mama’s boy was hardly something he’s ashamed of, indeed he’ll happily yell “ME !” to that question. He even takes it as a great win, to be honest), but it wasn’t quite the truth.

No. No it wasn’t. Because that interviewer only asked them, right ? And that was a mistake. Of course, they’d say Damian. They knew it made their little brother happy, and they knew it was the most obvious answer to anyone who didn’t know their family very well.

But it wasn’t quite the truth.

Because if you asked their father, or Alfred, they’d tell you : “It’s literally impossible to rank the one that is the most mama’s boy/girl”. Because they all are. They might not always show it publicly, but man anyone who knows them is just used to them demanding cuddles or asking her things.

“Moooom ?” was a word often heard yelled across the manor. And if Bruce was nearby, and they wanted to ask something he could totally do for them, they’d still say : “Do you know where mom is ?”

Dick

Dick, to anyone that do not know those kids, would be the “second most mama’s boy” in their eyes, as he’s never been afraid to show his affection for you in public.

As soon as he started to consider you his mom, and calling you that, as soon as he realized his own biological mom would probably be ok with it and want him to be happy…Dick Grayson became very attached to you

During galas, tiny him would come sit on your lap around the table and fall asleep on you. There’s hundreds of pictures of you carrying him back to the car (he really was a small kid, for an eight year old). If you and Bruce would let him have an interview (with you present, so the journalist wouldn’t ask him things that would hurt him) he would always gush over how amazing his mom and dad are.

When sick, he’d look for you first. He’d ask you to get a drink for him, he’d stick near you whenever there was big events, hide behind your dress etc etc…

Publicly (and privately) Dick has always been very open about loving his mom to death. Even now, as an adult, it’s not rare to see pictures in tabloids talking about how they had a lunch date and Dick hugged you while waving at the camera (he looooooved to embarrass you publicly. And vice versa, to be honest).

At the Manor, whether it was when he was eight or now as a mid-twenties guy, he always asked for your hot cocoa and snuggle in front of a Disney movie. His teammates in Teen Titans and Young Justice used to tease him about that, until they realized that you really were super awesome and kinda got jealous (You always made sure to make hot cocoa for all of them…it’s quite a sight, now, as they’re all well into adulthood, to see them snuggling against each other in Wayne Manor’s living room, drinking hot cocoa and watching The Lion King).

Damian

Damian doesn’t care what anyone says, if he suddenly wants to latch onto his mom and not let go, then he will.

To the surprise of many, you and him connected instantly. Damian never really had a “normal” mother, one that would pamper (if not baby) him when he didn’t feel well. Talia loves him, yes, and deeply at that, this was no secret. She would always be Damian’s mother. But because of her upbringing, and how she thought she was supposed to raise her son, there wasn’t always the place for display of affection (especially not when Ras was around). Nobody taught Talia how to love, being raised by Ras Al’Ghul was not synonym of warmth and safety. Quite the contrary. But she surpassed that now, and you and her ? You were far from hating each others. There is place for two moms in Damian’s heart. Love was the root of why you and Talia, despite all odds, actually understood each other (but that, I will talk about in another story...hehe, story about Talia and Batmom’s relationship coming soon, I’ll put the link of it here once I write it.).

Love. Yes. The reason Talia brought Damian to Bruce, the first time, wasn’t actually because it was part of her father’s plan. But because she knew. She knew that there, he would find what she, deep down, always wanted : love.

Damian unfortunately didn’t have the early childhood so many dreamt for him. But you were damn if you weren’t going to give it to him now (and Talia would come back in the picture later, she had a lot of healing to do too).

So when Damian came in the house, and there was suddenly this person who loved him unconditionally no matter what, even when he made mistakes (mistakes, in the League, were not appreciated...Ras told your son one too many times that he held his life in his hands, and to not disappoint him again), of course he’d turn into the biggest mama’s boy ever.

You were there in the tough times, but also in the good ones. With you, he learned that it was normal to laugh like crazy because of a stupid joke, to play in the leaves in Autumn or in the snow in Winter, to annoy his father by spraying him with a hose in the summer, going to see bees and flowers in the spring…

Damian is extremely close to you, and he doesn’t give a hoot what anyone says or think.

There is photos in magazines, of Damian grumpily burying his face under your arm, trying to avoid getting his picture taken, and you protecting him instinctively. There’s also photos of you just giving him random piggy back rides around town, or of you just talking to someone at a charity event, and him holding onto you with his arms around your waist, hugging you from behind and half-sleeping on you, because he just feels safe when you’re around, and he seeks this comforting feelings that evaded him for so long.

Most people wouldn’t think so, but he’s very affectionate, and just like his mom, has those random burst of “too much love” and has to get them out by suddenly hugging you (reference to this story : A Mother’s love : Burst of Affection).

He’s definitely DEFINITELY a mama’s boy, and will never care if people mock him for it because you know what ? Yesterday his pet frog died, and only his mom’s arms were able to console him.

Jason

Jason chased after his own biological mother for years, but she never wanted him. She never wanted a child. So when he stole his way in Bruce Wayne’s life, and when Bruce Wayne’s girlfriend accepted him as his own in a heartbeat…how could he not become a Mama’s boy ?

He always asks for your opinion (whether it’s before or after his resurrection), he cares about what you think of him, and you’re probably the only one who could change his mind about something. He often went out of his way just to see you and spend time with you.

He needs you, and always will. You’re the only person that always supported him without faltering, even when he did some pretty fucked up things. The only one that always stuck by him no matter what. He needs your presence, he needs to see you at least once every week or he gets sad and just misses you.

As a kid, he definitely took advantage of the fact he had a new mom, and Bruce often joked saying the boy was glued to you…but it was kinda true. He’d hug you for no reasons, just because he felt too happy to have you in his life. He’d always ask you 328323 questions and you would just patiently answer them all…You taught him how to play guitar and piano. You and him often had dance parties that made Bruce roll his eyes but also smile like crazy.

As an adult, the only reason he went by the mansion for a long time was just to see you (and Alfred). He’d sneak in, spend a few hours with you, and leave before his dad would come back. For some reason, he was never as mad at you as he was at him…Sure now he forgave him and he’s quite the “daddy’s boy” too, but..Maybe it’s because you were always so gentle and knew exactly which words to use to soothe him ?

Bruce wasn’t always great with showing his emotions (though when he did show them, it was always a feat because man the dude could get emotional and show them he loves them), but you ? You just knew exactly how to handle that little scared boy who was hit and trampled on most of his young life. You just knew exactly what to say, what to do…seriously, how could Jason Todd not turn into a mama’s boy ?!

Tim

Now Tim. Oooooh Tim. He’s the one that, if you don’t know him personally, you’d least think is a mama’s boy, with his aloof kind of persona, and work obsession. He always seems to be busy doing something, and rarely shows his emotions in public…But oh, oh if you know him just a little, you know he’s the biggest mama’s boy ever.

Now when Tim entered yours and Bruce’s life, his parents were still alive but…What kind of parents don’t even notice their eight year old son left for a few days, and didn’t come home and all ? What kind of parents just give their son up as a ward to someone they don’t even know, in exchange of a big check ? Bad parents. Parents that aren’t physically abusive, but that never acknowledge their kid.

You know the book and movie “Matilda” ? Tim is Matilda. He’s a genius, a sweet and kind boy, but his parents never noticed anything about him. They never noticed him at all, never read him a bed time story, tucked him in, made sure his teeth were brushed, his homework done…or just care overall.

So when he arrived in the Wayne’s household and this kind woman with a beautiful smile did all that to him without even being his mom ? It was very novel for him, to be cared for. To feel like he actually existed. Like he was loved.

Tim always sought you for everything. “Wanna play video games ?” “Hey wanna help me do that science project ?” “Hey, how do you tie a tie ?” “Hey can we make cookies ?”. He was always chasing after you and your attention.

And he got it so easily ! It wasn’t that difficult to start calling you “mom” when his parents were gone and he was officially adopted into the Wayne family (to be honest, he even almost called her “mom” a few times before all that).

Tim craves for attention, even if he doesn’t show it much. And you never shied from giving it to him. He’s a true mama’s boy in that he really think he can’t function without you or your love anymore, that you fuel a lot of his motivation and really help him live normally.

Without you, he’d still be that boy no one knew existed. While now, in this family…He’s a mama’s boy, though you wouldn’t know it if you didn’t know him personally. He lives for you to softly caress his scalp, running your hand through his hair as he works on his computer. And he will fight dirty just to get the seat next to you during movie night (how many times Jason or Dick, who were much taller than him, ended up split in two with their hands covering their crotch after a nasty hit by their “baby brother” just because it was HIS turn to sit next to you, and they were trying to play him ?).

Cass

Notoriously a daddy's girl but oh man is she a mama's girl too. She’s also the only girl in the family, so you KNOW she’s going to take advantage of it a lot.

Cass has the (bad ?) habit to steal your clothes. It doesn’t even matter if they’re too big/small for them, she makes it work in clever ways. More often than not, you’ll see her walk by with one of your favorite shirt and before you can say anything, she’s like : “Reminds me of you, smells like you” and you don’t have the heart to tell her off.

“It smells like you”. To many, this could be such a weird thing to say. But knowing Cass ? She was raised to be a weapon. Not even taught how to speak. And she found other way to say things, than with words. She relied on other “senses” almost (even if the act of speaking wasn’t a sense). Nobody would have kind words for her, and she couldn’t give them words anyway either...So she found comfort in other things.

Smells, sounds, physical touch.

Smell was a big thing for her. She always felt better, if she could only smell something that reminded her of those she loves, of something she loves. And so, the reason she stole your clothes ? It was because of this. Because then, she could feel surrounded by your warmth and love, just by wearing something that smelled like you. She associated your smell with something comforting and nice. If you had to leave for a few days ? She’d definitely steal your clothes.

Cass demanded physical touch the most. She’d been touched starved most of her life, her own father never having as much as a pat on the head for her. So when she felt like she needed it ? She just came to cuddle.

Not that you were going to complain. You were happy, that you’re only daughter was such a mama’s girl (there might be, sometimes, a little competition between you and Bruce about this sort of things).

Duke

Duke hadn’t been with the family for long, he came in later than all of your other children. He was already in his late teens, his parents weren’t quite gone, and him living at the manor was suppose to be temporary...And here you all were, years later, with him still here and still very much part of your family. And Duke ? Didn’t seem like it, but oh, oh he was SUCH a mama’s boy.

You made it too easy, to become a “mama’s boy”. You were just always there for them, how could they not rely on you for most things ? How could they not seek your presence ?

Duke noticed first hand his siblings being super close to you, and he always thought that it wouldn’t happen to him because he had a mom already. Because he came in too late. Because because because...

And here he was. Years later, coming by the Manor just to get some of your apple pie. And last week ? He came by because you were going to be home alone and he could have you for himself and talk to you without one of his sibling interfering.

Don’t get him wrong. He loved his brothers and sister. But sometimes, just like them really, he wanted to have his mom just for himself. To talk to her about his life on his own, to hear what she had to say, to get her full attention.

Funny, how Duke never thought he’d become greedy with her attention, and yet here he was. And was that really wrong ? He didn’t think so.

It felt too nice, to have a someone you knew would never give up on you, no matter what. Duke actually thought about whether it was a good thing or not, that him and his siblings relied on you so much...And he came to the conclusion that it didn’t matter. None of them had an easy life, so what if they sometimes wanted to be pamper by their mother ?? It’s not like you hated it, quite the contrary.

Bruce

When he was a kid, he was definitely a big mama’s boy. He worshipped his mother and father, he thought they were the greatest people that ever lived. Which is why the trauma of losing them turned him into a vigilante.

For years and years, he walked in the darkness. He was “Vengeance”, he beat up criminals every single nights to...

No. If there’s one thing he learned, is that it was never really about vengeance. It was about love.

Love for his mother.

For his father too, of course.

For the city he grew up in.

And later, for his children (his “true strength”).

And for you, of course.

After he lost his mom and dad, Bruce changed. And he stayed in the shadows for years, before finally...

It’s not his mom, who saved him. But it’s “a” mom. “THE” mom, if your children had their say (and they definitely did).

One day, he came back from patrol, and you and Dick were waiting for him. Well. You were waiting for him. Dick was fast asleep, in your arms.

And Bruce...Bruce had a flashback of himself, age 8, not long before his parents died, asleep on his mom in that exact same position and-

Full circle.

Your husband was sure that it was at that exact moment he finally realized how far he’d come. He wasn’t “Vengeance” anymore, hadn’t been for a while. No. No he was a beacon of hope.

And who was his hope ?

His family.

Vengeance, had never been what made him become the Batman.

No. Love did. Love for his parents, for his family, for his city...

Love, and hope that what happened to him never happen again.

It’s as he saw you, sitting in his desk chair, with Dick in your arms (and oh, he was so small for his age), that he understood for good.

Love was his driving force.

From the first love he ever felt, the one of a mother, to you.

Full circle. It starts with a mom, it ends with a mom.

So if there was going to be just one person who would NEVER give your kids grief for how they were such big mama’s boys/girl, it was definitely him.

Because he knew. Bruce knew.

He knew how warm and strong a mother’s love was.

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Ok here. I hope you liked it :). It’s not much, not like a well thought out thing, or an actual “story”, I wrote it in less than an hour and didn’t spellcheck or anything, I just wanted to write this all of a sudden, and just let my mind wander haha. T’was pretty nice. I often speak about how Batmom’s affection for the kids is endless, but rarely how the kids pull a “uno reverse card” on her a lot, and are affectionate in return haha. As usual, comments/reblogs are always welcomed and more than appreciated <3.

Thank you for reading, and see you soon with a new story :).

#Batmom #Bruce Wayne x reader #Batman x reader #Nightwing x reader #Batfam x reader #Richard Grayson x Reader #Jason Todd x reader #Red Hood x reader #Tim Drake x Reader #Damian Wayne x reader #Robin x reader #Red Robin x reader #Batfam imagine #Batmom imagine #Cassandra Cain x reader #Duke Thomas x reader #Batmom x Batkids #Bruce Wayne imagine

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