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ladytauria · 6 months

Note

Could I have number 47 for the pairing Jaytim, please? If not, have a wonderful day!

@deepwithintheabyss

i hope smut is okay <3

bodyguard au, with jason being involved with the martha wayne foundation & tim working as his bodyguard. is tim a vigilante undercover? is being a bodyguard his actual job? is this a no capes au? reverse robins? alternate canon, where jason didn't die? i dunno, this is just what came out when i started writing ^^;

anyway! i hope you enjoy <3

edit: some sentence structure things i didn't pick up on before. funny the things you notice after you hit post <3

“No one needs to know,” Tim murmurs, breath ghosting over the shell of Jason’s ear. The resulting shiver rolls down his spine to his toes, where they curl in his shoes.

“I thought— I thought you were supposed to be keeping me out of trouble,” Jason manages, in a voice that stays mostly even, and only a little breathy. He doesn’t pull away from Tim, though; not even when those long, clever fingers start untucking Jason’s shirt.

“I’m supposed to be keeping you out of danger,” Tim corrects. “A little trouble is good for you, now and then.” His hands are hot on Jason’s hips, walking him backwards.

Jason doesn’t resist. “You’re a bad influence,” he accuses. “I— I’m pretty sure this isn’t what Dad had in mind, when he hired you.” His knees hit his office chair. He sits.

"Maybe not," Tim says—and sinks to his knees. Jason is scarcely able to breathe. Like he can tell, Tim smiles up at him; something almost predatory in the curve of his mouth. "Call it a bonus, just for you." He pops the button on Jason's slacks.

Jason’s face is hot. The office is hardly the place for this—especially not when Jason has a meeting in an hour. But… It doesn’t even cross his mind to refuse. Not when Tim is looking at him like he wants to devour him. “S-sweet of you,” he manages.

“I’m a real gentleman,” Tim agrees, lips quirking. He eases Jason out of his slacks and boxers. Cool air brushes his dick, already flushed and half-hard, making Jason shudder—a whine following when Tim’s eyes darken, tongue darting out to wet his lips. Jason’s thighs are trembling.

Ice blue eyes dart up to meet his as Tim begins to roll up his sleeves. “Lock the doors, Jay,” he says. “We wouldn’t want anyone coming in and seeing you like this, would we?”

The noise Jason makes is strangled. His cock twitches. He has to be red down to his neck, at least. He fumbles for the button on his desk, hitting it clumsily.

Tim doesn’t tease—verbally, at least. Instead, he wraps his hand around Jason's cock; bending his head to lap at the head like a kitten

The sight of him is one of the hottest things Jason's ever seen. His breaths turn shallow; fingers digging into the armrests.

Tim looks up at him—meeting his gaze with his mouth on Jason’s cock. He almost whimpers. “I love the way you taste,” Tim murmurs. There’s nothing Jason can do to stop the shudder that rolls through him, nor the way his teeth sink into his lip.

Fuck. The things Tim does to him.

Tim skims his lips and tongue over Jason’s cock, lavishing it with attention while Jason does his best not to squirm. It’s hard. Tim knows exactly how to drive him wild, and exploits that knowledge ruthlessly, leaving Jason putty in his hands.

Tim hums, pleased as Jason's cock finishes hardening. He kisses the underside, just above his thumb—and then drags his tongue up to the head, drawing a stuttery moan from Jason. The chair creaks under his grip. Tim glances up at him, lust-dark eyes glittering with amusement. Then he closes his lips around the head of Jason’s cock and sucks.

“A-ah!” Jason throws his head back. “F-fuck, Tim,” he whines. Arousal thrums in his veins.

Tim swirls his tongue and bobs his head, taking more of Jason in his mouth. His hand moves in short jerks, squeezing and slackening like the fluttering of walls around him.

Jason throws his head back, forearm braced over his mouth to muffle the way he moans, embarrassingly loud in the quiet room.

Tim keeps going; enveloping more and more of him with the wet heat of his mouth. Jason can’t help but move, now, little twists of his hips that make the chair squeak beneath him. His breaths come in sharp, rough pants now; broken only by small hitched moans and whimpers. He tangles his hand in Tim's hair, silk strands winding around his fingers. Tim makes soft noises of his own; appreciative hums that make Jason's toes curl.

Finally, his mouth meets his fist, both of them working in tandem; sending wave after wave of pleasure rolling through Jason's veins.

Then—Tim lets go of him, and swallows Jason’s cock.

Only the steady hands on his hips keep him from bucking up into Tim's mouth. His mind is spinning; brain leaking out of his ears—or maybe just his dick. Tim's throat works; the muscles squeezing Jason's cock. He moans, low and deep, pressing his arm harder against his face.

Eventually, Tim has to pull off, panting a little as he goes back to those little kitten licks—coupled now with gentle sucks to the most prominent veins, and the underside of his glans. He works a hand into Jason's boxers, palming his balls and giving them a light squeeze.

Jason whimpers. “T-Tim—”

Just as Jason gets used to the feeling of Tim's lips and tongue, Tim swallows him down again. This time, he does— something with his tongue or the muscles in his throat that has Jason seeing stars. His belly is tight. His skin tingles. He feels a hair's breadth from exploding.

Two fingers press on his perineum as Tim swallows around him.

Jason lets out a strangled cry. "C-close," he manages, hand tightening in Tim's hair.

Tim hums, making Jason's toes curl. Then he eases off until Jason's cock is resting on his tongue. He tightens his lips and sucks, pressing on Jason's perineum at the same time.

Jason shoves two knuckles in his mouth, biting hard to strangle his shout. His thighs clamp tight around Tim, hips jerking upward; stopped only by the hand still holding him down. Tim works him through the orgasm with lips and tongue; the gentleness bliss up until it isn’t, until everything is too much.

He pushes weakly at Tim's shoulder, and Tim goes. A little bit of come dribbles out of his mouth. Jason whimpers when Tim’s tongue flicks out, catching it before it can fall off of his chin and stain his well-fitted suit.

Tim settles back onto his heels, looking pleased—with himself, but also with Jason, which has his stomach doing flips. "There we go," Tim rasps. He tucks Jason back into his slacks with exceeding gentleness, and fixes his fly before rising to his feet. "C'mon. You'll be more comfortable on the couch," he says, offering Jason his hand.

It takes Jason a second to muster the energy to move, but when he does, he lets Tim pull him to his feet and then to the sofa Jason keeps in his office. It’s mostly for Dick and Steph, both of whom like to drop in on him and hang out—and sometimes nap, in Dick’s case. But—sometimes Jason uses it too, like now, with Tim sitting down and pulling Jason after him, adjusting until Jason is lying against his chest, legs curled up beside him.

He’d grabbed Jason’s thermos on the way over. He opens it, the scent of one of Jason's favorite tea blends filling the air. Tim takes a drink, humming appreciatively before offering it to Jason. Sometimes Jason forgets Tim likes tea—though he thinks he can be forgiven, the way the man mainlines coffee.

“I didn’t, um— What about you?” Jason asks, when he lowers the thermos from his mouth. Tim is still tenting his pants.

“Later,” Tim says, still hoarse but not as bad as before. He cards his fingers through Jason’s hair. ��You should rest.”

Jason’s mouth twists, even as his body betrays him; slumping more fully against Tim’s warmth. “The meeting—”

“You’ve got time,” Tim cuts him off. “We can go over your notes together in a few.”

Jason huffs, but lets himself melt into Tim’s touch. “Bad influence,” he mutters, just to keep from going quietly.

“Best influence,” Tim counters, sounding amused. “You needed to relax.”

Jason makes a face. Tim’s probably right, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to admit it. “Quiet, m’resting.”

He feels more than hears the quiet laugh he gets in response. Tim lets him have the last word. Jason is sure, somehow, he’ll find a way to be smug later, though. Tim’s annoying like that.

Too bad Jason likes him anyway.

-> AO3 <-

#jaytim #timjay #asks and answers #tauriawrites #tauriawritesfanfic #imaginationcenter #deepwithintheabyss #nsft #tauriawritessmut

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kadencrafter78 · 1 year

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I'm thinking about a reverse Robin's AU focusing on Tim Drake. Because there's one thing I've seen a lot with these AUs and it kind of grinds my gears because it defeats the point of an AU: Red Hood Tim Drake.

One of my favorite things about AUs is the ability to see a completely different timeline because of the initial changes. But people who write these AUs keep making sure the second Robin dies. And it annoys me, so I want to get rid of that plot point.

So from there we have two options:

1. No Batfam Black Sheep

2. Tim leaves without dying

And I like that second idea, so that's what I'll expand upon. So here's a little snippet of writing about it.

Tim was never a Wayne. He wasn't Bruce's son, and he sure wasn't Damian's brother. Damian made sure of that. Tim was Robin because someone needed to be. He was Batman's partner, not a sidekick and not family. He followed Batman's rules because Batman laid them out. They weren't *his* rules.

Tim didn't put in the effort to wonder why he didn't care when the light drained from the Joker's eyes. He put it aside in the moment. It was the Joker, barely anyone would still call him human.

Batman did. He must have, considering the way he yelled while Tim stared at him with unblinking eyes. "He killed my father," Tim said to justify it. "He took the last family member I had." Tim's eyes furrowed as he stared up at his partner.

"Killing is wrong," Bruce told him. Bruce talked to him like a child. Tim always hated that.

Tim walked away, with Bruce screaming for him to come back. Tim didn't listen to him.

Years passed with no sight of Tim Drake. H head just disappeared. Batman found a new partner, Jason Todd. Batman's family grew. More sons and more daughters came into the fold and soon after joined the family business.

Tim looked down at Gotham with a scowl in his assassin's attire. Nothing had been done, not truly. It was marginally better, and people were less likely to be murdered in an alleyway. But aside from the Joker, none of the criminals ever stayed put away. It was still an onslaught of costumed and empowered criminals only dealt with by other slightly less insane people in costumes.

Tim leapt down as he saw the Penguin leaving the Iceberg lounge. He sprout out a blade from his bo staff and felt it cut through the criminal's flesh with ease. Tim dodged the gunfire of Penguin's antiquated umbrella and laid a few more marks into the older man. One more stab and the Penguin would be dead.

Tim heard Robin from rooftops away. It didn't take much effort on Tim's part to hear him as he fell to the ground with a clumsy landing. Tim looked back at him with vague recognition, having seen Batman's new apprentice in the newspaper.

Tim paused as he looked on at Robin. "You're here to stop me, aren't you?" Tim asked, feeling as if he already knew the answer.

"Please just put it down. I don't know what he did to you, but he doesn't deserve to die," Robin told him. This kid really was new.

Tim took that moment to make the final stab into the Penguin. He fully turned around. He pointed the staff threateningly at Robin. "Don't try to interfere again."

-------------------------------------

That was just what I imagined for a reverse Robins AU. Obviously Jason's name is up to change, because neither Tim nor Damian were Robin in this AU. What Tim was is still up for decision in my mind.

#tim drake #reverse robins #tim drake is red hood #kinda #villain tim drake #the kinda goes for both #league of assassins tim drake #batfam #batman

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lavenoon · 1 year

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So, I was wondering! In canon we know the reason Robin and Dusk started to bond was because he bantered back with them and kept up with their rhythm, creating a fun rivalry that eventually turned out into a closer relationship, with them worrying about the other a lot. In AU AU AU, what is exactly that makes Dawn reconsider his first impression of them? Was it like seeing them in action, or maybe they pushed themselves to their best performance after declaring him their rival? Or did he not even notice until one day he realized he was looking forward to seeing them and then had an Oh moment where he was like huh. Well time to turn up the charm! (and then internally cry because it doesn't work for the longest time XD). Totally not asking to have a better feel for Sun's characterization or any other writing reasons, nope! (I realize I adore reverse Sun a lot kjhkjh)

A multitude of things, in a way!

While the ankle-grabbing certainly set the tone (for Robin), there were many little moments that made Dawn just stop for a moment and reconsider them.

From "Why is this human so determined to make this job as difficult as possible" to "Wait huh they're actually not half bad" to "They take me seriously even as other agents invalidate my work. That's why they act like this."

Because other agents trying to explain away Dawn's (and Dusk's) quick rise of rank isn't just a thing of canon! Robin would be much more direct, though only when they assume Dawn isn't listening/ watching (he is, whoops, didn't wait long enough), and they go off. They're proud, and it is a little self serving, but they confirm that the rank is earned - "Why do you think we get paired up that much? If you could motivate me to improve by getting even remotely good enough, maybe I wouldn't have worked solo for so long."

Sun is used to people underestimating him, with his permanent grin and sunny demeanor - he half encourages it, even, or maybe better leans into it, to fly under the radar or surprise targets. It still chafes, but of course he wouldn't admit that. It's a mental adjustment to realize that this one agent who seems to have had it out for him since day 1 only did so because they assumed he's a threat to their position - a few things click into place for him then, and he sits up and takes notice.

Oh. Interesting.

It's not quite a crush (yet), but it's interest, and he's paying a lot of attention now!

Before that, he respected Robin as fellow skilled agent, though the jabs were rather harsh then, still. After this? He starts leaning more towards flirts and flustering, enjoying those reactions much more than the cutting remarks Robin opted for before :3c

(You and me both at Reverse Sun/ honestly Rival Sun in general because canon Sun got the same spunk if a different dynamic, I am constantly looking at myself with the "non judgemental, but very aware gaze" any time I write about him FGHDJSK)

#answer let luce #chaotikanvas #also image a hundred eye emojis pls I am. once again limited by my laptop #totally not writing reasons huh *looking*#I got distracted by dinner this took a bit to write out lmao #Robin ofc isn't aware of these attitude changes/ doesn't know where they come from or how to interpret them #so they just. dont. lmao #*they* already know how Dawn works and they arent gonna test him again #for sure #gfhdjs #oh right #accidentally undercover #AU AU AU

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msfcatlover · 9 months

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OKAY THIS IS A BIG ONE, just answer the ones you want to :D

DC (preferably Batman or Green Arrow or Superfam but actually everything) - games, comics, movies, books, fandom

what is your (can be more than one each category):

favourite fan AU

favourite headcanon

favourite female character

favourite male character

favourite comic

favourite canon AU (you know all these Future State and Kingdom Come and Injustice and Arkham verse and all that!!!)

favourite ship (IF you have one, otherwise the ones you can tolerate)

favourite death (if the character died more than in one universe or more than once, specify which death)

favourite powerset

favourite resurrection (LOL, same with #8)

favourite AU villain/antagonist (those who aren't villains but you imagine would be cool villains in your opinion)

favourite canon villan/antagonist (if characters like Jason or Talia then specify which plotlines/comics)

favourite DC loser.

sorry for bad English!!!! have a good day/night

Oh boy, that’s… that’s actually really hard for me. I have a hard time picking favorites, because I generally love things for very different reasons. I know much more clearly what I dislike when I see it; enjoying things is sorta my default state, y’know?

Like, take the AU question. I’d be hard pressed to tell you whether a good Reverse Robins setup was something I liked better than, say, @jube-art’s Superfam/Batfam role-swap (which, if you haven’t seen it, go check it out!)

I’m also working my way through canon chronologically, and am still in the early/mid-90s, so there’s a lot of characters I haven’t officially gotten to, and a lot of stories I haven’t gotten the chance to really dig into yet. (I made it to Knightfall, realized I hadn’t put any of the buildup to that arc in my comic library, and decided to go back and read Barbara’s time with the Suicide Squad instead.) I don’t feel comfortable planting a flag on this until… oh, at least until ~2006, probably. (Which, given just how many books/characters suddenly got added in the 90s, will probably take a while.)

(There are also lots of characters who have so much potential in their backstory/power set, but who never got to use them to their full potential. Or who only had the cool parts of their backstory tacked on as an obvious retcon in the process of writing them out of the story, because the fans were vocally upset about them, meaning they never got the exploration any of those story ideas deserved.) (I have a special level of ire for power sets that are really cool on a surface level, but where the creators added just one power too many to stop them from being fully interesting. For example, Menagerie’s bugs having mind control properties overcomplicates her too much, in my opinion. Or—if you’ll let me hop over to Marvel—a character like Alpha who has all the “standard” superpowers, but only one at a time? What makes that interesting is having to choose between being super-strong or invulnerable or super-fast (etc.) therefore this character should not have ranged attack options built into said power set; it disincentivizes him from ever getting up-close with enemies, forcing the writer to choose between having the character be stupid or having the character never use the interesting elements of their powers. (…I mean, Alpha being stupid is kinda the point of his plot, but you see what I’m getting at, right?))

I will say, I adored Jason’s post-Crisis Robin run (in both Batman series, though for very different reasons) and so far very little has brought me as much joy as reading DC’s Detective Comics from that time period! And those few pages of Dan Mora’s B&W cyberpunk short that went around recently had me absolutely frothing with excitement for the possibilities that verse holds. And Jason being Tim’s Robin brings me endless joy, which neither canon nor jerkfaces will take from me.

(Aaaaaaaand while shipping isn’t the catharsis I come to comics for (thank gods, basically every canon ship I’ve witnessed thus far has been awful in motion even when their potential is off the charts,) I can actually blame DCEU SuperBat for getting me into this whole mess in the first place. Blame @susiecarter, whose fics I found immediately after watching someone do a deep-dive analysis of everything that went wrong with BvS, which I paused when I thought, “Huh, these are actually all really good points… I bet fanfiction has done this exact story, but with much better execution, recognizable characterization, and probably a hell of a lot gayer. Let’s go check.”)

#my life #mine #dc comics #questions #trust-and-jump #//#This doesn’t answer almost any of your questions #Sorry

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trust-and-jump · 1 year

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Talia and Jason before the Pit

I warn you: Bad English!!!!! Bat English...

Okay, this might not look like it to you, but the piece is in my Reverse Robins AU, which includes The Thing where Jason Todd is Kind Of immortal:

But this definitely can be read as non-RR!AU thing.

So. Bad translation; I feel like everything I write in English is funny or irritating bc of all my mistakes and typos and poor word choosing.

also despite long warning it's short lol. just wanted to post it because I like to torture myself and turn my good enough (for me) Russian texts into super-bad English ones.

Hope someone will like Talia in this.

But nevermind, read it if you want:

takes place when Jay is healthy enough and fed already; I think maybe he is with al Ghuls for six months at least; I feel like I should say eight months.

She worried about him when she was away - constantly, relentlessly. First she saw him as a connection with Bruce. Then as someone in a snake pit who can't take care of himself. Later… as a child in her care. In any case, he was her responsibility; Jason. And that, somehow, was a worse burden to bear than it was with Damian.

Of course, it didn't help her newfound horror that it seemed like something terrible had happened every time Talia wasn't around. A failed "test", a punishment without her knowledge and permission, some glimpse of his wounded mind… and much more. It seemed like she couldn't leave Jason alone even for a day. Although.. that was the problem, wasn't it? Jason, as a rule, was not alone. As far as Talia knew, it was because of others that all the incidents arose — no fault of Jason at all.

Maybe she was biased. So what?

In any case, nothing — and no one —could have prepared her for the day when Jason died. When Jason died and she only found out about it a couple of hours later.

Her first thoughts were a special kind of mess, when she was only able to move, but not to think.

Looking back, Talia could admit that she handled the situation much less gracefully than she should have. However, the incident forced her to admit to herself that Jason had become dear to her. Much more than planned. The insignificant life of that fool who was too careless and decided that an ugly fight with a teenager who could not answer for himself... the fool that attacked Jason with a sword, who won dishonorably and meanly— who thought that all those training sessions (where they - ordinary trainees - attacked him in droves) meant killing "dead bird" was a success and lead to a reward - when the opposite was directly said to all of them… that fool's miserable life wasn't worth the mercy Talia had shown him. And she gave this mercy only because she was too distracted by the sudden (and, oh God, so familiar) sound of the boy's breathing. She twitched her bloody fingers uselessly, and then rushed to him.

For the first time since fate had brought him to the abode of evil, to the net that she had selfishly set, Talia did not think about Bruce looking at Jason. The boy clung to her, shuddering, but he did it cautiously, timidly, and she could not stop herself as she stretched out her hand in response, gripped his shoulder and pulled him closer, tighter, almost hugging. She couldn't stop herself from kissing the top of his head, running fingers through his hair, feeling the edges of the scars with her fingertips.

What am I doing, Talia thought suddenly. Why is he here.

Why weren't they in some place where the sun goes down.

Where the shadows don't fall.

Where it's never hot.

Where there were no green eyes and rotten waters and captivity and prison.

Then Talia thought about those terrifying moments before Jason - miraculously - breathed again. And remembered how she felt— in her mind, she was standing on the edge of a cliff in front of a black abyss, and the wind was blowing in her back.

No, she thought furiously. It won't happen.

It was convenient enough that in the last couple of months, Jason's affairs have been addressed first to her and only then to her father.

No one could find out about Jason's second death. The Demon was kind enough not to test the boy's mortality, but if it turns out that Jason had this gift — or a curse — nothing would deter his tests and inquiries.

And, if today's terrible day had shown something, Talia would never be ready to agree to it without a fight. Without a lost already battle.

And therefore, the Demon's Daughter decided, muttering into the hair of her ward everything's alright's and you'll be okay's in her own language, I will keep it a secret.

Jason was gradually relaxing. He was strong, a fighter from the start, but the whole misfortune took a lot of energy from him; he fell asleep, feeling safe with Talia. And her heart sank. She wasn't sure she deserved that trust. She could only hope that she wouldn't lose it.

___

that's all, look at my food now. I ate a lot and I am happy for a few hours. Because I love to eat, it's literally my favourite thing to do. food is life. if I'm full I'm happy. delicious. I love cooking too.

the screenshot is from Batman (1966).

Now look at this:

but hey, I don't mind Talia/Jason thing in Lost Days. because it wasn't meant to be liked by people. I just wanted to clearify that in my AU it didn't happen.

Okay, if you read here, just PLEASE tell me if you see any mistake!!!! or poor word choosing!!!!! or typo!!!! I'm bad with English, help me 😭😭😭

#talia al ghul #jason todd #lost days #lost days au #batman fanfiction #fic writing #reverse robins #batman #catatonic jason #catatonic Jason todd #batfam fic #bad english #bat english #Talia al Ghul and Jason Todd #Talia and jason #reverse robins au #age reversal au #Reverse Robins

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ali-annals · 1 year

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high tide came and brought you in

Pairing: Jasonette

Rating: T

WC: ~6.4k

A/N: I did almost use redhead-continuity Jason but refrained from cursing y'all like that; you're welcome.Title from This Love by Taylor Swift.

Dick=14 Cass=17 Jason=18 Steph=19 Tim=20 Duke=21 Damian=21/22ish Bruce=45 Alfred=65-ish? (I wanted to make him Sebastian, but Jason would actually listen to Alfred, so there's no mention of Alfred.) Mari & class are 18/19ish.

Italics indicates emphasis or thoughts, bold italics indicate writing.

Summary: Little Mermaid AU where Jason is Ariel and Marinette is Eric. Reverse Robins AU.

My dear niece, Marinette,

I am troubled to hear of this bullying from your classmates. This Lila girl does not seem like she is an appropriate companion.

I have thought about your situation and believe I have come up with a solution. Bring your classmates for a real educational trip to my lands. I know you are not fond of flaunting your connections, but I think they will cease and desist with their troublesome pesterings if they know you are supported by people with power and influence.

Let me know whenever is most convenient for your trip, and I shall make sure al Ghul Palace is prepared for you and your entourage’s arrival.

I have enclosed a missive for your mother in this post; please pass it along to her.

Damian sends his greetings to you and your family.

With love,

Talia al Ghul,

Heir to the Demon

Marinette slid the note back into the envelope and looked out at the sea. All she had seen for three days was sea, sky, and the occasional dark speck of land in the distance. Hopefully, by night’s fall, they would have arrived at her aunt’s private docks.

As much as she loved the sea, she was getting tired of the constant movements and plain scenery; she would be glad to have solid ground under her feet again.

The wind tossed her hair into her face and she brushed the strands away to better see the fish swimming beneath her.

This whole trip, everyone had been suspiciously silent. Ever since Aunt Talia had invited her and her classmates on this trip, they had been much nicer towards her.

She snorted, glad the sound of the wind and the breaking waves covered the unladylike sound. Nicer. Yes, they had stopped openly bullying her and now simply ignored her.

Mari turned from the railing and perched on her seat, sliding the letter between the covers of her book and cracking it open to her current page.

Her study of the Mer language, or Seaspeak, was taking much longer than her studies of other languages. She supposed it was because it required many different sounds than any other human language she had heard. Luckily, since she spoke Mandarin fluently, she was used to picking out the tonal sounds in languages, which made recognizing the syllables somewhat easier.

Hopefully, Aunt Talia or Damian could help her with her studies while she was there; they both spoke Seaspeak fluently, as they were selkies. Well, Aunt T was selkie. Damian was half-selkie half-mer, a result of a relationship Talia had had with a mer years ago. She’d always wondered how being a hybrid species affected him and his transformation, but never asked, lest her favourite cousin think she was prying.

Damian was notoriously private and territorial, only tolerating or liking a few people. Mari was proud to be counted among that number and did not want to be removed simply because she was overwhelmingly curious about the sea and the various seafolk that lived in it.

The dark clouds that gathered overhead made reading her book very difficult, and the wind kept whipping her pages around whenever she lifted her hand to copy something into her sketchbook (the thing closest at hand when she wanted to try writing Seaspeak).

Mari collected her things and stood up to return to her cabin.

The deck tilted noticeably as they crested a large wave. Looking over the sea again, Mari noticed the storm quickly rolling in. Ugh, this was going to delay their arrival and docking, wasn’t it.

The storm quickly passed right over them, the waves large and sloshing over the sides of the deck. Mari did a final check that all her classmates were in the hold before she followed them.

Lila was standing by the edge, her fingers gripping the railing tightly. Mari splashed her way across the deck and gripped Lila’s wrist. “Come on, it’s safer in the hold,” she called above the wind.

A sailor behind them called a warning as a gigantic wave crashed over the bow, drenching both girls. Mari sputtered and moved to wipe the water out of her face. The instant she removed her hand from Lila, the girl flung her with surprising strength over the side.

Mari barely had time to realize she needed to take a large breath before she plunged beneath the icy-cold depths, Lila’s face, twisted into a satisfied smirk, the last thing she saw.

~~~

Jason swam around the shipwreck, collecting strange human mementos and wondering when Bruce would finally let him on land or at least to the coast, to observe the humans.

He was tired of never being told the real reason why the younger mers weren’t allowed to explore past certain markers Bruce had set in place.

Swimming up through the wreck made him look up at the surface of the ocean, and he noted that another storm was coming. The distinct creaking sound of an older ship passing overhead caught his attention, and he decided to go human-watch. Sometimes storms made human belongings fall overboard, which he found later on his circle of the designated area he was allowed to roam in.

Jason popped his head above the waves and watched as the humans not dressed in the ship uniform scurried into the bottom of the ship.

Only two were left, one by the railing, which Jason could already tell was a stupid idea, and one who had been looking at the square object that had strange symbols on it– what he assumed was human language.

The one with the square object approached the one by the railing as a large wave crested.

Jason watched as the two humans got drenched, then the first threw the second over the side.

He noted in horror that the human was sinking rapidly, bubbles escaping their mouth. Floating debris sank around them, making him surmise the human had been hurt by the litter.

Well now he had to interact with the humans, Bruce.

He swam quickly towards the human, catching them in his arms without breaking his glide and continuing up to the surface.

He popped up behind a small mound of rock a few feet from shore and laid the human’s top half sideways on the rough surface, slapping their back and hoping they hadn’t swallowed too much water. He wasn’t sure if they had the same type of circulatory system mers did, but checked at their neck for a pulse just in case. There seemed to be a strong, steady pulse, so he kept slapping their back and hoped that would suffice.

A minute later, they coughed and spat out a mouthful of water, clawing at the rock to raise themselves and breathe deeply.

Jason was frozen by their pretty eyes and features and forgot to duck beneath the waves as soon as they awoke.

He was pretty sure this was a female human, but he wasn’t sure.

The human’s mouth moved, but he didn’t understand the sounds that they made. Suddenly realizing he needed to go, he ducked under the somewhat calmer waves and left, staying a safe distance away but close enough to make sure the human stayed safe.

After a while, the human slowly swam the few feet to the beach.

Jason watched from behind the rock as they splashed up the beach and collapsed into a ball, coughing.

They stayed there for a while, rubbing their limbs together for warmth. Jason was just about to approach them again when another human arrived from the direction of the palace high on the cliff above the bay and took the human away.

He hoped they were okay.

~~~

Marinette woke up coughing, spitting salty seawater out. Had she dreamt someone was slapping her back or…?

Curious deep teal eyes met hers as the being beside her froze. She coughed more. Were those fins? Was this an actual mer? She’d read that they were very shy and wary of humans, surely this wasn’t normal? Were they a siren luring her to her death? Was this an outlier, a mer-human ambassador or something?

“Thank you. Did you save me?” she asked, wondering if they understood human language. She tried in French, Mandarin, and English, but none of them produced a reaction. Instead, the mer dove under the waves and swiftly left.

Marinette waited till she got her breath back, then swam the short distance to the beach. Up over the cove was the peninsula Aunt Talia’s palace was situated on. Good, she was close, then.

The water was just as frigid as when she was pushed, but she was soon on the beach and sheltered by the rock wall from the brisk, cool wind.

Mari rubbed her arms and legs together as quickly as her flash-frozen muscles allowed, hoping to warm up enough to move and attract one of Talia’s people’s attention.

Before she was even ready to stand, one of Talia’s courtiers climbed down the thin footpath worn into the cliffside with a wool blanket.

“Lady Talia wished to see who was washed up on her lands, but I must say we did not expect you to be Lady Marinette,” said the courtier, Honour Guest, who was also Talia’s bodyguard.

“I didn’t, either,” replied Marinette, her teeth chattering.

Honour wrapped the blanket around her and carried her up the cliff to the palace. Slowly, the warm wool blanket did its job and warmed her up. As soon as they reached the palace, she was shown into a warm room and presented with a wool dress warmed in front of the fire. Hot tea was served, her hair dried, and gradually the last vestiges of cold faded from her body.

Talia knocked and walked in briskly. “Welcome here, Marinette.”

“Thank you for the invitation and sending Honour, Aunt T.”

“It’s no problem,” waved off Talia. “What happened?”

“What do you mean?” asked Mari.

“What happened that you arrived on my beach without your classmates or my ship?”

“I fell overboard. There was a large wave when I was telling Lila to come join the others in the hold.”

“Ah, you were with Lila,” nodded Talia, pretending to believe Mari's excuse. “Of course you were.”

“Okay, she tossed me over. She was really strong, though, Aunt T. Definitely much stronger than what a normal 18-year-old human female should be.”

“Interesting,” mused Talia. “Damian was out hunting, but he should be back shortly. I’ll send him your way when he returns.”

“Thank you!”

~~~

“WHY were you interacting with the humans?!” yelled Bruce.

“The person was gonna drown if I didn’t!” Jason defended himself, angry that Bruce was scolding him about his good deed. “You’re always saying the humans are gonna hate all mers because of the sirens and the bad mers! I saved one and you’re mad about that?!”

“You are marinated for two weeks!” said Bruce, putting his fin down. “The boundaries are there for a reason.”

“And you won’t tell me that reason!” Jason argued.

“You don’t need to know the reason, you just need to follow the boundaries,” said Bruce firmly. “Need I remind you of the last time you left the boundaries, to find Sheila?”

Jason rolled his eyes and left, annoyed that Bruce would bring up his disastrous meeting with his bio-mom. How was he supposed to know she would sell him out to merhunters? Was he just supposed to ask her and expect her to tell him her traitorous plans??

~~~

Damian coughed, gaining Mari’s attention. She sprang up from her seat overlooking the docks, waiting for Talia’s ship to return to its home port with her classmates.

“Dami! You’re here!”

She hugged him briefly, knowing he didn’t like extended physical contact.

“Hello, Marinette. It’s good to see you again.”

“It is! How have you been?”

He raised an eyebrow, smirking at her slightly. “Have we not regularly corresponded enough for you to know that I am in perfect health?”

She rolled her eyes at his jesting. “Yes, but it is common to inquire after the health and well-being of people you care about when you have not seen them in a while; did your etiquette instructors teach you nothing?”

“Yes, I am in the peak health possible. How have you been? I notice you have arrived alone, which I must say, is preferable to your rabble of classmates showing up here.”

“Unfortunately, they’ll be arriving soon. Lila pushed me overboard during the storm and a mer carried me to shore, and then Aunt T sent Honour down to get me.”

Damian frowned. “I like Lila less and less. But you say a mer carried you to shore? Do tell me how that occurred.”

~~~

Jason entered the dark cave a little nervously, the thermal vents producing warm, multi-coloured currents that gave an ominous vibe to his surroundings. Well, the Sea Witch wasn’t exactly popular or bright in these parts.

“And what brings the little fishy here to my cave today?” a cackling laugh sounded close to his ear, making him jump and dodge the brightly coloured tentacles of the Joker.

Brightly coloured purple and green, a way of showing others how toxic and unsavoury an organism was. He was desperate, though.

The palace above the cliff belonged to a human that Bruce knew ages ago, and apparently, they were not good people. Jason hoped the human he saved was doing alright, and the palace people would take good care of them, but he needed to see it for himself.

Thus, his appearance at the forbidden cave now.

“I want to be a human,” he stated boldly, a little unnerved by the deranged laughter echoing in his ears.

“Ooh? Daddy couldn’t wave his little fork around and give you legs, so you had to come to me?” taunted Joker. “Couldn’t, or didn’t? Oh, a little teenage rebellion? Well, what is life if you don’t make a bad decision or two,” he cackled, tentacles gripping the wall and carrying him around the cave as he collected random ingredients and strangely marked bottles.

Jason noticed various human objects around the space, some of which he had never seen before. What were they for? Did all humans use these or were some only for one human or a special human?

His attention was grabbed by the Joker unfurling a large, long scroll in front of his eyes with a flourish. “Just sign here, and I’ll get those legs for you.”

Jason looked at the weirdly floating pen beside the scroll and at the words on it.

“I have to give up my voice?”

“Well, I’m not doing this for free!” said Joker, faux-scandalized. “Take the deal or not, I don’t care. It’s quite generous if I do say so myself.”

“I’ll belong to you if I don’t kiss the human?”

“Yes, a fair deal.” The Sea Witch laughed eerily, pushing the pen towards him with a curled tentacle.

Jason gripped the pen and wrote his name quickly across the bottom of the contract.

Joker produced a shell and instructed him to repeat the words on the scroll; Jason could feel his voice getting fainter and fainter as the shell sucked his voice away.

With a loud cackle, Joker handed him a bottle of disgusting-looking green stuff. “Take this when you’re at the surface so you don’t drown on your way up!”

~~~

The class was extremely subdued as they drove to the palace in the carriage Talia had sent to bring them up from the docks. They barely spoke a word, not even visibly awed by their beautiful surroundings.

Talia greeted them as the maids took the class’s luggage to their respective rooms.

Marinette considered being mean and hiding from the class, but most of them appeared to be actually saddened by her supposed drowning, so she decided to show them she was alright. Plus, it would be fun to see Lila’s reaction.

Stepping out from behind Talia, she looked Lila in the eyes and smirked. “Welcome to al Ghul palace.”

“Marinette! You’re alive!” The class crowded her, repeating variations of the same words, happy their classmate hadn’t died, and relieved they didn’t have to explain to their host that her niece had been drowned in a storm.

Talia showed them to their rooms and told them the west wing –where the guest suites were– was available for them to use, and the main sitting room, dining room, and garden were at their disposal, but everything else was private.

Marinette kept an eye on Lila and noticed the other continually glancing between her, Talia, and the class. Likely worried she’d expose her, Marinette thought dryly.

That wasn’t her style; she preferred subtle tricks more difficult to trace back to her, or manipulating people into doing the dirty work. Lila had a lot to learn if she wanted to actually be good at being bad.

~~~

Jason came back from his angry swim looking pleased. Bruce frowned.

Duke swam up to his throne. “B, I think something’s up with Jason.”

Bruce nodded. “Get Cass and the others to keep a subtle eye on him.”

~~~

The First Day

Jason looked at the bottle contemplatively, then tipped it up and chugged the sour-tasting liquid. A weird tingling feeling spread throughout his lower body as he watched his beautiful red scales turn into two legs. He attempted to stand up and promptly collapsed.

How do humans use these? he wondered.

After hours of getting used to walking and maneuvering his body on land, he began a careful ascent of the cliff.

Halfway up, some pebbles bounced off his nose.

Ouch.

Wrinkling his nose, he glanced up and saw the human he had saved looking curiously down at him.

Again, she spoke to him, and again, he understood none of it.

Shaking his head, he mimed speaking, then waved his arms ‘no’.

With a sound of acknowledgement, the human nodded and extended their hand, making encouraging motions. Once he was close enough, he gripped the hand and let them pull him up the rest of the way.

He landed on a bed of wildflowers, a comfortable resting place, though it was a bit pokey in spots.

The human squeaked a swear in dolphin language and Jason’s mouth dropped. More high-pitched noises came out of their mouth, amounting to gibberish, and Jason realized the human had no idea what they were saying.

Why was their hand over their eyes? Didn’t humans need eyes to see where they were going, too?

Something soft hit him and he noticed the human threw their outer clothing at him. A gift? Were they trying to trade? But he had nothing to trade, currently

…oh, humans covered their skin in those strangely-shaped pieces of cloth. Maybe that’s why this one was acting strangely, even for a human, because he had not yet procured some of those pieces?

The human made a ‘stay’ motion at him, with a questioning expression, and he nodded, hoping the human wasn’t going to get a merhunter. Although, maybe the human didn’t know he was a mer since he didn’t have fins anymore.

A few minutes later, the human emerged from the large building and rushed back toward him. Some of the pieces of cloth were in their arms.

They handed them to him and imitated putting them on. He nodded and pulled the strange things on. They were a weird feeling against his skin, as he was used to nothing between him and the water unless his protective armour was on.

He cleared his throat, automatically attempting to speak before remembering he couldn’t.

The human turned around and smiled when they saw him in the human coverings.Their smile was like the sunrise on the horizon, and he wanted to see it again.

The human took his hand in theirs and set off towards the large building.

Inside, it was lavishly furnished, with strange human objects all over and several humans in black human coverings moving around.

The human opened a door and let him into a smaller room. They pulled out a square object like he had seen them with on the ship and opened it, then motioned between him and it. He carefully took it in his hands and his eyes widened in surprise. Seaspeak was written on the surface.

This must be the equivalent of the mers’ scrolls, he realized.

He pointed at the object and nodded vigorously.

The human smiled again and produced a smaller square object and feather, using the feather to produce Seaspeak on the object.

It was slow going, but the human managed to write a fairly legible note.

I am Marinette. I am a human. Are you a mer? Can you not speak? Do you understand any human speaking? I mean no hurt to you.

He motioned at the feather, which the human –Marinette– passed over to him.

I am Jason. I am a mer. I lost my voice to a Sea Witch to get legs. I know a bit of the human speaking called ‘Arabic’.

Marinette’s eyes lit up. “Can you understand me?” she asked in slow Arabic.

He nodded enthusiastically.

“Can you read or write Arabic, or just speak it?”

He wrote on the object again, using the bit of Arabic he’d gotten Bruce to teach him.

I can read and write a little bit.

Marinette nodded.

Marinette. What a pretty name, just as pretty as her, he thought.

“Wait one minute, please,” she requested, and he nodded as she ran out of the room.

She made using legs look so easy, he thought, then noticed her trip over a bump in the carpet, and grinned.

A few minutes later, she returned, dragging another human by the hand.

Jason ignored the immediate pang of jealousy that she apparently dragged all her men around by the hand and instead focused on worrying about the newcomer being a merhunter.

The man was tall, darker skinned than Marinette, with black spiky hair and dark green eyes; despite being a complete stranger, he seemed eerily familiar, but Jason couldn’t put his finger on it.

Marinette motioned between the two. “This is Jason, a mer. I think he’s the one who saved me. Jason, this is Damian, my cousin; he lives on this estate and is fluent in Arabic and Seapeak.”

Damian frowned. “My mother and her mother are very close, but we are not blood cousins,” he told Jason in Seaspeak. “Were you the mer who saved Marinette from drowning yesterday?”

Jason nodded, wondering why the cousin distinction needed to be made.

“Thank you for saving her life,” Damian bowed in high court fashion.

Jason’s brow wrinkled. This Damian knew mer customs?

Marinette’s wide eyes bounced between the two.

Damian glanced at her and his hard green gaze softened.

Jason looked between the two. So that’s what the territorialism and cousin clarification was about.

“I asked him if he was the one who saved you yesterday and he said he was, so I thanked him. You didn’t miss much.” Damian told her in Arabic, so he could understand it.

Marinete smiled at Damian. “Thanks!” She turned to Jason and copied Damian’s bow. “Thank you for saving my life, Jason.”

He nodded.

Damian looked at the paper that he and Marinette had been writing on.

“How long until the enchantment wears off?”

Jason stopped staring at Marinette and frowned. How did Damian know? This guy was being very suspicious.

He held up 3 fingers, hoping humans counted the same as mers.

“Three days?” asked Marinette.

He nodded again.

“What will happen when the enchantment wears off?” asked Damian neutrally.

Jason grabbed the feather and scrawled a basic explanation in Seaspeak, debating how much to tell to his apparent love rival.

Wait, was he even a rival? Were the two humans in a relationship already? No, Marinette had clearly family-zoned Damian. Jason felt a bit of sympathy for him, but not too much.

Did he want to be a love rival? Did he want to be Marinette’s lover? Yes, she was pretty and a nice person, but she was a human and he was a mer. He had only come here to make sure she was okay and to maybe learn more about the human world.

Wait. He came here to see if she was okay. Clearly, she was; they were her family. But they weren’t good people, and Bruce very strongly didn’t like them.

Did that mean she wasn’t a good person? She hadn’t sold him out to a merhunter yet, so she was already leagues ahead of his biomom.

…Unless her family were merhunters and this was a trap. He didn’t think so, but he’d keep an eye out.

The main objective here was to get that kiss so he wouldn’t belong to the Joker. He could figure the rest out later.

~~~

Layers of giant kelp tied Jason to the pillar, dangling him in front of Bruce’s throne.

“Who are you and what did you do to Jason?” Bruce demanded, fingers tightening around his trident.

The mask of Jason’s face fell away to reveal the face of the Joker. “Aww, you found me out so fast. You’re no fun! Now, your little fishy, on the other hand…he was so much fun to watch! But you won’t get his remains from me!”

A pair of electric eels zipped through the water, chewing through the kelp strands in a flash and freeing the Joker, who followed his helpers back to his cave, disappearing in a cloud of ink.

~~~

Marinette watched as Damian reluctantly explained things about the human world to Jason, who permanently wore a look of wonder on his pretty face. She was curious about the white streak in his hair but knew Damian was at his limit answering one person’s questions, so she simply sketched the pair in her book, imagining outfits combining the human and mer worlds.

"Jason," she finally spoke, sensing Damian at his limit. (She was unsure why; Jason could literally be no quieter and he was perfectly polite. Usually, Damian quite enjoyed discussing differences between seafolk and humans.)

Jason looked at her questioningly.

"Aunt Talia has a lovely pool to swim in. Could you teach me how to become a better swimmer?"

Jason looked at Damian, who hesitated, then nodded, and nodded back at her.

She stepped into the pool, feeling quite cute in her new swim outfit, and noticed Jason already splashing about in the shallow end, trying out swimming with legs, not fins.

She smiled back at him and swam over.

"How do you normally swim, when you have fins?"

Jason demonstrated, a little awkwardly since he didn't have fins anymore, then Marinette copied him.

They did several laps, Jason demonstrating techniques he barely thought about since he lived in the water, and Mari copying him.

She was a natural, quickly picking up on his corrections even though he couldn't speak. Occasionally he had to use his hands to manipulate her body to the proper form, but she always nodded when he looked at her in question.

So why was Damian glaring at him from the bushes surrounding the pool?

Jason tossed a glare back, and because he was petty, started being a little more touchy-flirty.

Marinette responded well to it, blushing and giggling sometimes.

Well, he didn't have to kiss her on the third day, just sometime within that specified timeline, right?

Slowly, Jason leaned in, caging her against the pool wall and between his arms.

Her azure gaze flicked down to his lips, then back to his eyes, her own drifting closed.

The noise of several people laughing and talking as they approached the pool interrupted the moment, and they jerked away a respectable distance. By the time Lila, Alya, Nino, Sabrina, Ondine, and Kim caught sight of them, they were halfway across the pool swimming laps.

~~~

The Second Day

Marinette turned to the shelf to grab another book written in Seaspeak for Jason.

He saw his chance and moved close behind her, reaching for it with his long arms.

She turned, grazing his chest. Her breathing hitched and she stared up at him, a tiny smile on her face.

He leaned down slowly, liking the feel of her body heat against him. Mers had lower body temperatures since they lived in the sea, and the human warmth was very pleasant.

The door to the library swung open and Damian marched in and paused in disgust at the scene.

Marinette flushed and escaped Jason's grasp quickly, stammering explanations.

"Uh, we were just- uh, getting a book, you know, so we could communicate better so we uh, don't have to rely on you to translate…"

Damian rolled his eyes and lowered a stack of books to the tabletop.

"I'm not blind, Marinette."

She flushed even deeper and refused to look at Jason for the rest of the session.

~~~

In the evening, she attended a dinner with her classmates at an acquaintance of Talia's, leaving Jason alone and another day gone by without a kiss.

~~~

"Your Majesty," the black-scaled siren bowed mockingly in front of the Mer King.

"Selina," Bruce inclined his head.

Her companions eyed him, fins flicking the water slowly.

"We have news for you, Brucie," said Harley. "The sirens are allied with the Sea Witch, Joker, and they're planning to overthrow you soon."

"How soon?" Questioned Bruce, immediately making plans.

He'd been sending out searches for Jason for the past couple of days. Was this a deliberate means of distracting him from the uprising he'd been watching for or was it a coincidence?

~~~

That night, an informant of Talia's arrived with news of the siren uprising against the Mer King. Talia immediately ordered her warship prepared to aid the mers. Mari joined the ship's crew.

~~~

The Third Day

Jason saw the rush of the humans in black as they headed towards the warship at the docks. He dropped the curtain at his window and decided to see what was up.

They had better not be going out to hunt mers from what scraps of information he had given Damian and Marinette.

He noticed Marinette among the bustling crew, Damian beside her and Talia at the foot of the dock, barking orders and directing the ship's loading.

Jason approached the duo and handed Marinette a scrap of paper he had scrawled some questions on.

What is going on? Are you going on the ship?

Marinette nodded. "There's an uprising of the sirens against the mer king. Aunt T has an informant who let her know what was happening, so we're setting off to help."

Help who?

"Oh, the king, of course. He's–"

Damian nudged her. "Mother wants you to join her."

"Oh, thanks, Dami. I'll talk to you later, Jason!"

Marinette raced up the plank to speak to her aunt and Damian turned to Jason, his hands behind his back.

"Please watch over Marinette while I am otherwise occupied."

Confused but willing to do anything, he nodded and signed the mer symbol for a promise.

Damian nodded thankfully at him and headed up the plank.

Jason watched as the rows of humans in black lined up and Talia conducted a swift drill, then handed them over to her general, Jade.

The ship set off and was soon on the open sea.

~~~

Damian turned to Marinette. "May I have my coat, please?"

Marinette unfurled a lovely black fur coat from a bag at her feet and handed it to him.

Jason's breath caught. Was that a seal coat?

Talia eyed the two with the coat, then removed her own from her bag and put it on. Mother and son dove off the side of the ship, splashing into the waves below in their seal form.

Marinette realized Jason was staring at her, perplexed, and confirmed that yes, her aunt and cousin were selkies. Or, half-selkie, half-mer hybrid, in Damian's case.

They weren't too common in these parts, so hopefully, they could get close enough to the siren revolt to do some damage before the sirens realized these weren't ordinary seals.

The ship soon arrived at the sirens' pod, where they were gathered facing the Mer King's army.

Marinette gasped. On the side of the sirens, right beside the Joker, was Lila!

"I knew something was off about her," she muttered. "Of course, she was partnered with the Joker against Bruce, and she's a siren."

Jason noticed his older siblings in a line beside Bruce and whistled sharply, his special signal echoing across the tense atmosphere.

Four heads snapped to him, and he saw relief, surprise, and confusion cross their faces. A little thing called guilt nudged his conscience, that he didn't even leave a note or tell someone that he'd be back in 3 days or less.

~~~

The standoff broke as both sides charged at each other.

Talia’s sailors had protective charms on them, allowing them to continue tossing out nets and piloting the ship around the sirens, distracting them from the mers and selkies behind them taking out the sirens a couple at a time.

The battle raged throughout the afternoon, reinforcements appearing for both sides. Talia and Damian were tireless in the pursuit of sirens. Marinette noticed them dragging Lila off and shook her head. Lila was asking for whatever came her way when she pushed her off Talia's ship.

The Joker was enraged at his pod being dismantled and charged straight for the ship, cutting speedily through the waves with propulsion. Using his tentacles to climb up the sides of the ship was easy, and he snagged Marinette and Jason in a tentacle each, squeezing tightly.

Marinette shivered as the damp suction cups stuck to her skin, the odour of rotten fish exuded from the tentacle making her cough.

Unfortunately, the limb's grip was so tight it constricted her breathing, making the coughing worse.

Ugh, being held hostage sucked.

She squirmed in its grip, trying to reach the knife tucked into her waistband.

Jason's arms were longer and he yanked her knife from her belt so vigorously he almost ripped the belt off.

With a quick slash, he freed himself from his tentacle and moved on to Mari's.

She inhaled with a gasp as Joker cursed and thrashed in pain at losing ¼ of his limbs; he dropped to the ocean with a splash and Jason dove after him, knife firmly in hand.

Red foamed on the waves formed from the excited roiling just beneath the surface; the multitude of eyewitnesses held their breath in a mixture of excitement, suspense, and concern.

"Jason!" Bellowed Bruce, speeding over to the commotion.

Jason's head breached the waves as he gasped, shaking the water from his hair. Droplets fell in a sparkling rainbow.

"Joker is dead!" Announced Jason, and everyone cheered.

Even with her limited knowledge of Seaspeak, Mari knew what he said, and she cheered as loudly as anyone else.

Joker's death broke the spell Jason is under, she realized, a little sadly.

"Jason, you're okay?" Bruce asked, checking Jason over everywhere. "Why do you have legs?!"

"...Joker gave 'em to me," said Jason sheepishly.

Realizing this should be a private conversation and damage control needed to be done now that the battle was over, Bruce clasped Jason's shoulder once, then headed back to the head beings in charge of various groups.

Marinette and Jade lowered a rope over the edge for Jason, Damian, and Talia to climb up.

She grabbed Jason's hand and pulled him off to the side to inspect him for injuries. Besides a couple light abrasions from debris in the water and a bump against the ship's rough wood, he was perfectly fine.

~~~

Talia removed her coat, which was magically dry, and rolled it into her bag.

Damian glanced between Jason and Mari, looking into each other's eyes and laughing in relief, and slowly removed his own coat and stored it in his bag.

Talia laid a hand on his arm. "She's happy."

"I know," he replied. "That's why I'm here, motionless."

~~~

"I gave up my voice as payment, but if I didn't fulfill the terms, I'd become Joker's," Jason explained to Marinette.

She frowned in sympathy. "What were the terms?"

"I had to kiss you by the end of the third day."

Was that sunburn or a blush?

"It's not the end of the third day yet," said Marinette suggestively. "We'd better make sure this isn't a soul-binding contract applicable after death."

She leaned up on tiptoe, bracing her arms against his shoulders as her soft, warm lips met his.

~~~

"I'm turning back into a merman," Warned Jason from his seat beside Marinette at the bow of Talia's ship.

"Talia!" Called Bruce from the waves below them, and Jason groaned.

His legs were replaced by a long, scaly red tail with delicate translucent fins.

Marinette gently ran her finger over the lacey end of a fin and his tail jerked.

"That tickles!"

"Sorry," she grinned, not sorry at all.

Bruce climbed up the ladder Talia reluctantly let down and immediately headed for Jason.

"What were you thinking, Jason Peter Todd-Wayne?!" Full-named Bruce.

Marinette looked at him speculatively. So you're one of the Mer King's sons…

She headed over to Damian to give Bruce and Jason some privacy.

"So, you're brothers, huh."

He side-eyed her. "I don't wish to discuss it."

She nodded and rocked back and forth on her heels awkwardly.

He sighed and faced her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "You teleport over to al Ghul palace regularly. Long-distance can work, you know."

Surprised, she looked at him fully. "Thanks for your support, Dami."

"You know I have romantic affection for you, correct?" He asked abruptly, turning to face the sea.

Oh, so we're talking about the elephant seal in the tub. "I'm aware."

"You seem to be quite fond of Jason. I wish you luck with him. I'll always be here for you, however."

"Thanks, Damian." She hugged him briefly and headed over to Jason when Bruce left him in search of Talia.

"So, how much trouble are you in?"

"I'm marinated for a month," he sighed.

"...an after a month?"

He lifted his head. "I'll be free to see you whenever. But how long are you staying at Talia's?"

"Another week or two. But I have a magical stone that allows me to transport between my home in Paris and the al Ghul estate. I'll be able to see you fairly often!"

"'Really? That would be wonderful!"

He eyed the animated discussion between Talia and Bruce at the other end of the ship.

"So apparently Bruce is Damian's father?"

Mari nodded. "Aunt T and Bruce have a really weird dynamic."

~~~~~~~~~

A/N: If you're confused about the marinating thing, it's the equivalent of grounding for a mer. Because they're marine life, they're marinated, as opposed to grounding, which is for ground life/humans.:)

#jasonette #maribat #DCxMLB #fic #ali writes

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megamindsupremacy · 1 year

Note

Ao3 Wrapped!!! 📝

27. What do you listen to while writing

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

Ao3 Wrapped

27: I cannot listen to anything while I'm writing lol. Music is to stop thinking, no music is for when I need to get my brain moving and shakin

28:

(Context: Reverse Robins, Steph is the Red Hood-figure, Tim is Oracle, Steph has just come back to Gotham for her insanity murder spree)

Steph’s grip tightens on the window ledge. “What do I want,” she repeats softly, staring out into the city. Her eyes are unfocused. “I want this goddamn green out of my brain. I want to kill everyone in this rotting, horrible city. I want vengeance and I want to try that new hotdog stand down the block. What I need, Timothy, is a reason to not fling myself off this building and let death finish what it fucking started.”

Never let it be said that Tim was good at emotions. He was, despite his claims to the contrary, the worst at emotions, second only to Bruce. What Tim thought, but didn’t have the words to say, was You were my best and only friend and When you died it tore the family apart and Jason has been trained to avoid your fate because we’re all so scared that what happened to you could happen to him and If you die again we’ll never recover and If you die again I might follow you

What Tim says is “Bruce can fix you, if you just talk to him.”

^it's from my Reverse Robins fic "unspoken words" and I like it because it shows how messed up literally everyone is after Steph's death. Everybody started spiraling Very Very hard and they don't really come out of it until years after Steph comes back from the dead. I don't know why i was so mean to everyone in this fic.

Also, it was one of my first forays into writing actual dialogue and improving my writing abilities so I'm very happy about that

Bonus: My favorite thing I've written this year, from a fic I have yet to publish (I have been working on this fucker for months so help me god I will finish it. It isn't even that long it just doesn't want to be written)

Context: Cryptid Batfam AU. Most of the bats are regarded as urban myths, demons, extraterrestrials, or similarly otherworldly beings. Steph has been going out as an obviously human vigilante for a few weeks, ran into The Bat and his Robin, and disappeared for a few more weeks

The Spoiler’s reappearance causes a very quiet, very very small, mass panic.

She moves with a stuttering smoothness, disappearing into shadows in one moment and stumbling across rooftops the next. She speaks in a pidgin of clicks, whistles, and hoarsely croaked English. The crooked, homespun aspects of her costume are gone. Instead of a black shirt and tights with a facemask and a solid purple cloak over her, she is consumed by the color, now a dark, deep eggplant spotted with white and gold. The spots thicken into the shape of a bat on her torso. Her face is completely covered by a blank, black mask. She has, without a doubt, been turned from a human girl into something else.

#i should make an ask tag #ask game #writing (allegedly)#open to more asks!

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capttain-emo · 3 years

Text

Ok so there’s been a lot of things going on in my life and one thing that I’ve stopped doing, much to my own sadness, is stopped writing as much. It’s not that I don’t have ideas it’s actually the opposite. I have so many ideas they keep me up at night. I just.....haven’t actually done anything with them? So I figured that I would share some of the ideas here and if any of them sound cool to you then please let me know. I just feel like it may help with the unmotivation and decision making a bit. I don’t know if that makes sense but basically the ones I’ve been thinking about the most are three Young Justice core four stories.

Pirates of the Carribean AU- Ok ok hear me out! So essentially there are a bunch of islands all connected through an alliance called The League of Justice. Each island would have their own main league member. But when the governor of Gotham, Bruce Wayne, gets killed and one of his sons kidnapped things quickly change. Cassie, Conner, and Bart are the representatives of the islands to rescue Tim who was kidnapped by the League of Assassins who are convinced that Bruce is still alive. It follows almost the path of the Red Robin series but with more Young Justice and very Pirates of the Carribean vibes

Young Just Us (Young Justice rewrite)- This is just essentially just my take on everything Young Justice. From their first meeting, missions, and identity reveals. It would still have the fun aspects of the characters but it would also be a bit darker, focusing on real issues such as mental illnesses, insecurities, abandonment issues, and more. It would focus in on them as characters are how they have to navigate the challenges of trauma, teamwork, and the troubles of being a teenager

Red Hood and the Outlaws AU- It’s a Reverse Robin AU to the extreme, reverse all DC sidekicks. Tim Drake was killed by the Joker only to come back with a vengeance. Conner Kent was forcefully pushed aside by those he needed, he is only a clone after all. Bart needed help, he needed rehab and therapy. But what he got was the streets. Cassie was tired of being unknown and ignored, it seemed like no matter what she did it was not enough. Life had given them all the short stick but they weren’t about to let that hold them down.

#sydney speaks #writing #young justice #core four #cassie sandsmark #bart allen #tim drake #conner kent #dc #young just us #timkon

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peppersonironi · 3 years

Note

12, 21, 19

(Is this late? Oops. Sorry!)

12: Favourite character to write about this year

Stephanie Brown, easy. She's my spirit animal, so I might be doing a touch of projecting, but I honestly don't care. She's just pure chaos in the best way. Some of my favourite lines that I've written are for her. Such as:

"What's up bitches? I brought donuts!"

"My waffles await!"

"FEAR ME!"

"Welcome to Steph’s Glitter Bomb Palace, Where Snitches get Stitches™! So don’t tell Bruce or I’ll sic Jason on you."

She's also the character I've gotten the most comments on. People really seen to enjoy how I write her!

A close second would be Duke Thomas. Bliss, a fic I wrote for the 2020 Duke Week, was one of my favourites! Or maybe Damian? His dialogue just comes easy to me.

21: Most memorable comment/review

the batfamily exist:

everyone: is,,is that allowed?

On Code Orange (Batfam/Young Justice Crossover)

*Or*

I have wanted to read a DCU/MCU crossover for a VERY long time. This story is such a delight. Your characterisation (and for me an introduction to The Signal) was fascinating in the extreme. I loved the game playing and the fact that I could watch (open-mouthed) as Bruce Wayne enjoyed childlike fun with his children and Alfred(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) was the cherry on top of the icing on top of the cake. I look forward to your updates in a way that you wouldn't believe.

On Batfam/Avengers Crossover

19: Any new fics to start next year

Oh boy. So many. You know what? Here's a list. It'll be good to get these ideas out. Plus, you guys can tell me what you'd rather see first!

Gen/just Batfam

Crack fic based off this piece of dialogue (came from a convo between my sister and I): Tim reached forward and poked Duke's face. "You're right!" He exclaimed. "You really *do* squish like a block of wood!" Duke Centric.

Based on THIS Incorrect Quotes. Talia moves into the Manor because she's sick of Ra's. Featuring a bunch of good mom!Talia.

Based off THIS Incorrect Quotes. Jason runs for President as Red Hood. I have so many ideas! This'll be really fun.

Loosely based on THIS post. It explores Jason and Cassandra's relationship, and how it evolves.

Duke Thomas Big Bang Fic (can't say much, but it'll be great!)

Platonic (need to be certain you understand that. There were some misconceptions w/ my Discord server) Slow Burn between Tim and Damian. At the beginning the absolutely despise each other. But over time they realise their own insecurities, and how they don't actually hate the other. And by the end they fully admit and embrace their being brothers.

Reverse Robins with Damian as the oldest (I made THIS post talking about it a while back. But I've highly revised it.)

Reverse Robins with Duke as the oldest (I wrote THIS fic, but I think I want to change this into a series!)

Cassandra as Batman. Stephanie as Catwoman. Carrie Kelley as Robin.

5 Times Bette Kane was the mastermind behind the batkids' pranks without Bruce's knowledge, and 1 Time her brilliance was brought to light.

5 Times Duke thought that he couldn't possibly get any more siblings and 1 Time he met the cousins (AKA: Duke meets the extended family)

Birdflash

Birdflash in the JL/JLU universe (based off that one hexagon by @novaviis ! Super fun!). The league is inviting potential members to the Watchtower one day. Except Wally wasn't there during the choosing of said members. So he's completely shocked when his husband Nightwing shows up. They have to act like they don't know each other, which basically involves Dick flirting his butt off with Wally, Wally trying desperately to remain professional, Bruce digging in the corner, the rest of the League in varying degrees of disapproval and confusion (at least a couple have seen Wally's wedding ring. So that adds a while 'nother layer).

Young Justice soulmate au. Dick, and eventually everyone else, knows that Wally is his soulmate. Wally is oblivious. Lots of pining and angst in this one. Slow burn to an extent (depends on how long I make it). But definitely a happy fluffy ending in sight!

Batfam Meets Young Justice

THIS fic.

Duke gets yeeted into the YJ universe, and promptly passes out. He wakes up in the Watchtower, and breaks out of the confinement the Team has set up for him. Pulls shenanigans (some unwittingly) and used his powers. The Team and JL are confused, and panicking. Because this guy keeps muttering things about the Batfam. And he has a bat on his chest.

The Team break into some ancient temple after getting info on a new Supervillian plot. They find purple clothed woman draped across a throne. She talks, and they panic, as she knows all their secret identities. The only one who isn't, is Tim. He looks bored. Alternatively: Steph needs Tim's credit card to take his sister out on a date, and absolutely refuses to text.

While the Team is on a mission to stop Lady Shiva, a dimensional portal opens up and spits out a strange Robin (Damian) and what seemed to be a female Batman (Cass as Black Bat). This new dynamic due promptly defeats Lady Shiva and all the goons. The Team is freaked out, and 'apprehends' the dimensional anomalies, bringing them back to the Watchtower. Where the due promptly break and and start chaos. Featuring "Toxic" by Britney Spears. I will not explain why.

The Watchtower gets a sudden emergency message from the Batcave. They accept, to find a stranger calling himself Signal panicking about Robin being missing. They all look at Tim, who ignores them, and says that he doesn't know where Robin is. Some naming shenanigans occur.

(Not sure if this fits here, oh well) Set in Season One, Bruce is tired of Clark's attitude towards Superboy, and adopts the clone himself. Not sure how far this'll go, but at least goes through Dick's time as Robin. (Based on THIS Tumblr post)

(Also iffy on placement) a continuation of one (not sure which? Probably Damian as older) Reverse Robins fics. It's a retelling of Season One of YJ, with Dick as Robin. Nightwing (Damian) feels protective of his brother, and so takes on the role Black Canary had in the show, training the Team. But as time goes on, he ends up being more of a big brother to the group. Cameos from the rest of the Batfam as well! And an Identity Reveal (including finding out Dick and Dami are brothers) at the end!

Batfam Meets the Justice League

Cass takes over being Batman for a bit, because Bruce was an idiot and broke his leg. This happens to line up with when the Justice League reach out to the Dark Knight, in order to extend an invitation to the league. They eventually meet Bruce as Batman, and are confused as to why he is so tall. And male.

Joyfire

Lian accidentally reveals her three parents' relationship by calling Bruce 'grandpa' over dinner.

Museum Heist

THIS fic

Operation: Seduce Nightwing. Based on a post for an ATLA ot3, Wally and Artemis realise silumaneously “Hey, we kinda have the hots for Dick” and decide together to see if he likes them back. Which involves a heck ton of over the top flirting, and shenanigans. The Team is sighing on the sidelines at their idiocy. Dick is internally combusting and thinking “Do they like me back? I’’m not sure.”

5 times Dick and Wally fought over being the middle spoon, and one time Artemis had had enough.

Set in Season 3 (but ignores some canon), Bart is kidnapped by some mad scientist obsessed with the Speed Force. The Team mobilizes, and gets Bart back from the evil base. But when they get there, they find Wally West freed from the Speed Force. He and Artemis reunite, and everyone is happy. They prepare to leave. Then the Pick-up Squad arrive in the bioship, and Dick gets out. Everyone is expecting Dick to give Wally a hug, because hey, he's his best friend! What they weren't expecting was him to run forward and pull the speedster into a passionate kiss. They go back to the Watchtower, and some more stuff happens.

Soulmate AU where the first thing your soulmate says to you after they fall in love with you is tattooed on your body.

Post Season Two Get Together. Starts with Artemis living with Dick as opposed to Will. Might be Slow Burn? (They come pretty close to kissing) Eventually Wally comes back. Arty and Wally are back together. They both live in the same house as Dick, for convenience. Then some more Slow Burn happens. Maybe some Birdflash moments. Arty tells Wally she kinda had a thing for Dick. Wally admits the same. Maybe a touch more Slow Burn. They Eventually get together.

Batlantern

AU where Bruce met Hal back when he first came back to Gotham. Fic goes through how their relationship evolves over the years (up until current time, when Damian is 13). I'm considering a relationship reveal with the Justice League.

Hal's interactions with Bruce's kids.

Green Lantern Corp acting protective of Hal when Bruce comes to Oa. This was an ask that I got, and I'm holding off on writing it till I get as much into on the GL's as possible, as all I know if their characterization comes from that animated series, and Guy Gardener's (Hilarious!) parts on Young Justice.

Marvel

Like 3 different versions of the Peter Parker Field Trip to Stark Tower Trope.

2-part Crossover with the Batfam (they exist in the same universe), where the Avengers go to a Wayne Gala, and interact with the family. The second chapter involves them heading out the next night to try and contact Batman.

THIS fic.

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i-am-ironic · 4 years

Text

I was gone for six months and suddenly my best friend has a baby!

Part 2 of this

I wasn't going to do this part but so many people wanted a part two and I came up with this idea!

*******************

Jon was excited, not for the long boring meeting that was about to start, but for the food he was going to get at his best friend's house after the meeting. Of course this might not be the worst meeting, there was supposed to be a new hero from Gatham, that could be fun. He wondered if Damian Robin was friends with this new hero, and if they were another adopted sibling.

As more and more people filed into the justice league's meeting room, Jon Super-boy kept looking and not finding his friend. Once everyone was seated the batfam entered, always so dramatic.

The big bat himself entered first, followed by most of his kids. Nightwing, Red Hood, Black Bat, and Red Robin all walked in, Red Robin making a beeline for the computer. The last to enter was Robin next to a girl in a black suit with red accents. If this wasn't such a serious meeting Jon probably would have teased Robin about the matching suits. She must be the new hero. He whispered something to her in french, so they were friends, very interesting.

When everyone was seated the meeting began in the same way it always did with a report from all the leaders about how their city's were doing. The second order of business was the mission jon had just completed. It had taken him six months, two trips off world and eleven other people but he had finally stopped the alien who had wanted to destroy the world.

For Jon this part was just as interesting as the updates. he did his best to look like he was paying attention but really he was listening to damian talking to the new hero, Ladybug. Everything they said was in french, which made things harder for him because he didn't speak french.

Superman was almost done with the debriefing when Red Robin spoke up, "Ladybug, Agent A needs you right away, code G."

The woman nodded standing. Robin stood too but was stopped by her hand, "i can deal with this Robin, ill call if i need back-up."

He frowned but sat back down. Looking back at superman to continue.

"Thank you superman, for that very detailed debriefing," batman said standing and walking to the head of the table,"now as I'm sure you have heard there is a new hero in Gatham. Red Robin is calling her now she had to leave a moment ago. While we wait for her I would like to give you some backstory, she was thirteen when she became a hero, in Paris. She fought a supervillen for five years before he was finally defeated. Her partner from those days has since retired. She moved to Gatham for college and began working with us as a vigilante about five and a half months ago,"

"That about sums up my life this far," the woman herself stood in the doorway holding a pile of blankets.

Damian walked over to her and carefully took something from the blankets, an even smaller bundle. "She wouldn't stop crying would she?"

"She wanted her dad."

Thats when it clicked: Damian was holding a baby girl, the woman had said the baby wanted her dad and now the girl was reaching up for damian's face. Ladybug walked over next to batman.

Damian had a baby. DAMIAN HAD A BABY!!!!! This was not happening! The same Damian who hissed any time someone tried to touch him, had a baby?????? That didn't make any sense! Where did he get a baby??? You leave for six months and suddenly your best friend has a baby! Ridiculous!

Ladybug began speaking, "im sure many of you are curious about my powers but I'm afraid I can't disclose that information. If anyone has any other questions I would be happy to answer them."

The Flash raised his hand, when ladybug nodded at him he said, "Is that your and Robin's baby?" Barry, always so quick to adresse the elephant in the room.

Ladybug turned slightly red but replied, "In a manner of speaking, yes. But not in blood. Are there any other questions?"

When no one said anything the meeting was adjourned, the heroes heading back to their citys. Jon joined the batfam as they left.

"So Robin would you like to explain why you had a baby and didn't tell me?" Jon asked.

"No."

"Ha!" Jason laughed as they stepped into the tube headed home. "He just doesn't want to explain how he reverse kidnapped a baby."

Stepping out into the bat cave the team walked to there respective changing areas. Leaving only ladybug and the baby with Jon.

"Could you explain?"

She laughed, "sure, basically a lady handed damian little Gabrielle here and sprinted off. We never found the lady so damian and I adopted her. Lagaly she is damian's daughter though. Can you hold her while I detransform?"

"I guess." He took Gabrielle from Ladybug as a bright light over took her.

When the light vanished the young woman standing there smiled at him, "Im marinette by the way."

"Nice to meet you marinette," he said handing her back Gabrielle, "Im Jonathan but everyone calls me Jon."

"Nice to meet you too," she looked behind him and smiled even brighter, "Dames, we had better go up stairs for dinner."

Damian kissed her and took the tiny mask off of Gabrielle's face.

"So im an uncle now, right Damian?"

"No kent my daughter will not be calling you her uncle."

"Why not?!" Marinette and Jon exclaimed at the same time.

"Mari not you too." Damien said in mock horror. "I knew i shouldn't leave you two alone together!"

Marinette giggled. At this point they had reached the kitchen and marinette took Gabrielle from Damian to put her in her high chair.

The three of them continued talking as the rest of the family joind the dinner table. Marinette and Damian took turns feeding Gabrielle mashed sweet potatoes. Everyone laughed and joked, even talking to Gabby some times.

After dinner about half of the team had to go home, everyone else went to their rooms or to the movie room to watch Avitar: the last Airbender, which wasn't a movie but they wanted to watch it on the big screen.

Damian whent to put Gabby to sleep, it was too late for them to go home and Alfred had already prepared a room for them.

"So how long have you and Damian been together?" Jon asked Marinette.

"Two years in May. I didn't meet his family until five months ago though." She smiled, "I met them the same day we got Gabby, I understand why he didn't want me to meet them for such a long time. I mean who could have guessed I was a hreo too?"

"Im glad he found you. He seems much happier when you are around." Jon said.

"Marinette can you come say good night to Gabby she wants you." Damien called from the top of the stairs.

"Ill be right there!" Marinette shouted back.

Marinette walked up the stairs as Damian walked down. "So I guess you like her." Damien said.

"She has the best friend stamp of approval." Jon replied enthusiastically.

"Thats good," Damien said thinking over his words before he continued, "because, I'm going to ask her to marry me." He poped open a ring box revealing a beautiful diamond engagement ring.

"Wow! Oh my god!! Can I be your best man?!!" Jon was vibrating with excitement.

"Sssshhhhhhhhh!! You have to keep this on the down low! No one knows about this not even Alfred!"

"Im pretty sure Alfred knows everything. Especially the things you don't think he knows. Its his secret super power." Jon contredited. "I should probably head to bed i have to get up early tomorrow."

"Why would you need to get up early?"

"Because Alfred is making pancakes and i want to be the first one to get some."

As jon drifted off to sleep he thought about if he would be as good of a dad as damian was, and if he would be able to find someone like marinette.

*******************

Sorry this i late but I was having trouble writing this chapter. Also has anyone else been watching avitar non stop, like at this point I'm pretty sure I've seen it 12 times.

Next im going to write a soulmate au so if you want to be tagged in that let me know. I hope you enjoyed! (The wifi is down at my house sorry if you weren't tagged, ill try again later)

@wannajointhecrabcult @corabeth11 @i-wanna-be-a-ninja @animegirlweeb @spyofthenightcourt @ivymala07 @marinettepotterandplagg @thequeenofpotatoeunicornss @bisha43rbs @dreamykitty25 @sublimesoulbouquet @maribat-is-lifeblood @thestressmademedoit @crytallized @tomanyfandomsonmymind @karukofox21 @nightstarblue @certifiedbidisaster @our-preciousss @lilyreadbooks12

#daminette #maribat #damian wayne #damien #marinette x damian #marinette x damian happy #marinette cheng #maridami #batfam

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ladytauria · 9 months

Note

16, 17, 28, and 37 for the fanfic ask game!!!

-@bi-bats (i have a sideblog and the laws of the land are not in my favor. Thus, anon ask)

(Also bestie it is 3:20am for me i feel you on the should be sleeping 😂)

waiting for the day tumblr lets us ask things from sideblogs 😔

oof well i’m glad i’m not the only one up way past sleeping time 😂😂😂

thank u for asking, i had fun with these~

16. What’s an AU you would love to read (or have read and loved)?

Jason Lives AU 😌

Okay no, for real xD As much as I do love that AU, that’s not my answer xD I am a big fan of AUs in general & am pretty much willing to read any regardless of whether or not I’m familiar with any source material OR if it’s not a genre I enjoy. (Bc it’s fanfic & my fave/one of my fave pairings so like. It’s always a genre I enjoy!)

One of my favorite AUs I’ve read tho is this one, which isn’t shippy, altho the writer does write Jaytim. It’s just… a really creative alternate origin for Tim & I love it. (Also! Gender-fluid/trans!Tim!)

Robin, Flamebird, & Sparrow - Moxibustion — Batman and Robin get injured a lot in the field. It's a fact, they can't deny it. Somehow this lead to them gaining their very own paramedic.... whether they want one or not. It's fine, sort of? Now if only they could get their erstwhile paramedic to stop getting hurt...

17. What highly specific AU do you want to read or write even though you might be the only person to appreciate it?

Highly specific AU? One based off of the Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir. Basic premise? Necromancers are extremely powerful, but due to the way their powers feed off of life, they’re also very sickly looking and physically weak. They are paired up with cavaliers from a young age, who swear vows to protect them from harm (vows which include the phrase, “One flesh, one end”) & serve their needs. The original plot is also enemies to lovers, so like??? Yes.

Anyway, my thought is that Jason ends up as Tim’s cavalier, unwillingly, but as they grow closer, they become fonder of each other.

IDK if I would want to include the Lyctorhood plot (which, what Lyctorhood ultimately is does count as a spoiler for the first book? So I won’t explain it here just in case!) but. I do think the dynamics there would be fun~

28. Does anyone read your fics before you post them? If so, who?

Sometimes I ask @candra-hearts to look over them. She may not be in this fandom, but she’s wonderful & helps me figure stuff out when I need it. Otherwise it’s just me~

37. Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it?

Oh, jeez. Honestly the amount of traction / attention all of my fics have gotten is more than I expected ^^; I love my writing but it’s always a surprise when other people do too!

But, hmm. I’ll say this one (features smut). It was the first tagged JayTim fic I posted xD (I have a pre-relationship Reverse Robins series as well, but haven’t tagged the pairing yet).

#asks and answers #bi-bats #i love ur url btw #i also almost did an animorphs fic for animal transformation during jaytimweek #but real life happened & i didn’t get anything done

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mental-dilemma · 4 years

Text

A Quick Meeting Part 4?

Damian’s an exchange student in Paris taking it easy until an Akuma attacks and he gets to meet ladybug. -----------------------------------------

Ok before everyone starts pancking: I am Emu-Lumberjack I just decided to create a Sideblog for all my writing so that way those who follow me exclusively for that don’t have to deal with the chaos that is my main blog

also I’m sorry it’s taken so long to post this but just between school and work and school and just general exhaustion it’s been hard for me to write.

and as always all credit to the Au goes to @ozmav

pt.1

pt. 2

pt. 3

“I don’t suppose I could bribe you to drop the matter.” Damian said sitting down in Tim’s office. He and Ladybug were situated next to each other while Tim was on the other side of the desk.

“Nope.” He turned to Ladybug, “I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself, making sure Damian didn’t disappear and all that. Anyway I’m Tim Drake, Co-Ceo of Wayne enterprises and Damians older brother.”

Ladybug turned to Damian and quietly said, “So does everyone in your family constantly talk like they’re trying to impress a victorian lord?” Damian snorted. Tim, unable to hear what she just said, looked to the two agape.

“At least I have a reason.” Damian responded, this time loudly enough for his elder brother to hear. “Anyway Tim is in CEO mode right now, which is pretty rare. Usually he’s a bumbling zombie dependent on coffee to function. In fact I remember one time when Dick took the last cup he----”

“I’d suggest stopping right there or I’ll tell her about the batcow incident.” Tim interrupted.

“Did you just say batcow? Because I understand each of those words separately.” Ladybug said, and even though her mask still concealed half her face Damian could tell she was really confused.

“Don’t ask. Just don’t.” Damian said quietly.

“Anyway. I never caught your name and considering the fact that your in a mask I assume you’re a hero. Which is surprising because none of us knew Paris had heroes.” Tim cut the two of them off before more could be said.

“Yes that’s becoming a common theme I’m finding,” Marinette began. “My name is Ladybug in the mask. I have a partner, Chat Noir, but he’s currently indisposed, something about paint in his hair.” Damian stifled a laugh as Marinette continued, “We have been operating out of Paris for the last few years, early on we tried contacting the Justice league but Green Lantern told us not to prank call him.”

“Oh did he now.” Tim said, leaning his head forward.

“Yes he did. Thankfully my power allows me to reverse all damage done during a fight. Including any lives lost or monuments destroyed.”

“That sounds like a very useful power. I'm sure that the heroes of Gotham would love to work with you.” There was a twinkle in his eye that Damian knew meant Tim was concocting some scheme. He was about to jump in, but Marinette got there first.

“Yes I’m sure you would but the issue is we currently have our hands full here although from what Damian told me you guys sound much more fun to work with. At least the villains have better costumes.”

Tim noting her wording turned to Damian, “Did you tell her the family secret? You know what Alfred will do if he finds out.”

Damian smirked “I’m not an idiot Drake this was all her. She could rival you for deductive reasoning.” Marinette just sat there looking innocent.

“Well that explains why the two of you were sneaking around together, Ladybug should I assume Damian knows your identity as well?”

“Yep.”

“Well this is going to be a nightmare. But this just means I can formally invite you to Gotham at least. Ha just leave it to the Ice Prince to leak the identity on his first civilian trip abroad.” Tim leaned his head back, closing his eyes.

“Actually it was you guys who tipped me off.”

Tim suddenly opened his eyes and looked her straight in the eyes. “Come again.”

“Well it was the fact that no one had spied Robin around Batman while Damian was in France. Then the fact that you were patrolling rather than him tipped me off that Robin might be on a vacation..” Tim just face palmed.

“Of course that would happen, how did we not see it coming.” He muttered to himself. “Wait, that begs another question: how did you two meet.”

Damian blushed and before Ladybug could respond he said “not important, there was an akuma. Now do you need anything else.”

“Actually yeah. Ladybug you mentioned the video you sent to Green Lantern, well Batman found it and wanted us to investigate. He didn’t know Green Lantern had seen it or otherwise he’d be on his way back to Ooa healing from a scolding from Alfred. Dick and Jason wanted to come but Bruce needed someone he could send discreetly and who better than the Co-CEO of Wayne industries who could just be checking up on the Paris branch.” Ladybug was impressed by the scheming having Dick Greyson or Jason Todd come in would stir up villain or media activity but Tim the third son wouldn’t.

“Well if you want we can meet up with my partner later and you can formulate a list of questions. Plus it seems you and Damian have some catching up to do.”

“There was a reason I came to Paris Ladybug. Being forced to talk to Tim was not one of them.” Damian made to leave only for a yoyo to catch his leg. Ladybug smirked at him. “Maybe a five minute chat couldn’t hurt anyone. Family reunion and all that.”

“Great then as long as everyones in agreement I can set up a time with chat later this evening for all of us to talk things through and get a strategy in place.”

“Are you sure about this having the league involved is going to cause a lot of chaos and even more dangerous villains could target Paris.”

“Tim I have dealt with so much crap the last couple of years that at this point I will take Darkseid over Lila…… Oh crap. We forgot about Lila.” Marinette looked at Damian who was coming to the same realization she was. He called out Lila in the bakery, and outed himself as a Wayne.

“Do I want to know?” Tim said rubbing his temples. He did not miss highschool.

“Lets just say school tomorrow’s going to be interesting, and I think we’re going to have to put the meeting on hold till after it. Ladybug and I are going to need to deal with school tomorrow, and caffeine isn’t gonna cut it.” Damian said.

“Then again if we aren’t lucid tomorrow might not be so bad….” Marinette began

“Do not even finish that, you even more than me need sleep. Between fashion, school and heroing you function off an hour.”

“You.. have a point. I’ll brief Chat on the situation on my way home. In the meantime I’ll leave you too to the brotherly bonding I’m sure you need.” she pulled her yoyo from her pocket, “See you tomorrow Damian, and whatever plan you hatch up make sure nit doesn’t include killing anyone.”

“Goodnight Ma--- Ladybug. And no promises.” The boy caught himself before revealing Ladybug's identity. She gave him the look of ‘don’t fuck up my secret identity bird boy’ before jumping out the window to run from rooftop to rooftop.

“So. how long have you had a crush on her.” Tim pulled Damians attention, and Damian was sudden;y very glad he had said nothing about not killing his brother.

--------------------------------------

“Do you think they’ll actually help this time?” Chat’s voice rang over the phone, Marinette had stopped behind one of the chimneys to talk to him in private.

“I don’t know, at least now they are actually considering it rather than just brushing us off as children.” Marinette was tired but they needed to have this chat now, there wouldn’t be any chance to in class tomorrow.

“Yeah, just don’t get your hopes up. They left us to fend for ourselves for 3 years and are only doing this now because of Damian if you didn’t know him then none of this would’ve happened.

“Ok but why does that matter that it’s Damian? They could’ve been doing it because of Jon too.”

“Oh please, you're more dense than our class sometimes. Jon would’ve noted it then forgotten to tell someone, but Damian told Batman right away. Why do you think he did that?”

“Chat I am too tired for this.” Marinette could feel Adrien facepalming through the phone.

“Oh I am not spelling this out for you, this time you get to figure it out yourself.”

“Fine. but next time you need help on your calc homework don’t come running to me.” Marinette hung up on him and made her way home. The parisian streets were nice and quiet for her, no akuma meant maybe another hour of sleep.

Once she was out of the suit she let Tikki rest and got right to work on the new piece she was making for Jagged, he wanted to somehow have the score of his newest piece sewn onto the pants for his next concert, and she had to brainstorm.

Twenty minutes went by.

Then an hour.

Then two.

Finally she put up her pencil and put on her pajamas, as she was falling asleep Adriens words kept replaying in her head, and the meaning slammed into her like a truck. Pulling out her phone she sent one message.

Oh fuck off

tag list: @clumsy-owl-4178 @pawsitivelymiraculous @yuulxd @smolplantmum @inarachi02 @notmycupoftea26 @laurcad123 @unknownvsworld @jeminiikrystal @megawhitleycalderonpaganus

#The dilemma writes #Maribat #damian wayne x marinette dupain cheng #Damianette #Damientte #Chat noir #Kwamii #fics #fanfic #myfic #damian x marinette #platonic ladynoir #platonic adrienette

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transhoverfish · 3 years

Note

What are everyone's "abilities" in Survivors? Ryley has good hearing and Milo glows but what do the others have?

!!! YOU HAVE ASKED ME ABOUT MY AU !!! THE FLOODGATES OF YELLING HAVE OPENED!!

OK SO. as u mentioned ryley has good hearing and milo glows. basically,

ryley = good hearing

milo = glowy boy

emily = electric detection (cooler than i describe rn my vocabulary is small)

danby = like emily's but reverse. controls electromagnetic things

roman = night vision

jochi = the most superpower like one, he got quick regeneration.

avery = telepathy!

bart = also kind of telepathy but more like future telepathy. he has future vision.

and i. never thought of one for ozzy actually and at this point i have no idea what to give them that wouldn't have been brought up prior so. u know genetics are weird! they just dont have anything ig. nobody look at me LABDKABDLABD

AND ALSO paul and marg have powers! paul got that peeper enzyme carrier thing, and marg got the very funny power of feeling others emotions. yes that includes the fish. yes this is one of the primary reasons she didnt kill paul over a decade of dealing w him. yes she hates it.

and the vesper haven't been sick long enough to develop anything! or at least thats what im going with bc i havent thought of anything for them yet 😔

AND NOW: LONGER EXPLANATIONS. IM GONNA GET CARRIED AWAY SO ITS UNDER A READ-MORE.

first off on the list: bart! so bart.. kinda has futuristic visions?? but the things he sees are not set in the stone,, as in if he dreams about smth (a lot like ryley can!) it is possible to change those events! most of these visions/telepathy type stuff were bc of the emperor and warpers, and also al-an! once the sea emp died and the warpers all calmed down his powers kind of go away a bit. i think i wrote al-an sort of mentioning it in one chap of awa?? but its only kind of implied. so he has rlly similar powers to avery except he can't tell what others are thinking and he can only kind of tell how his closest friends r feeling. so right now bart pretty much doesn't have powers! he can communicate w the warpers and sea emps much easier than the others tho (he's the only one that can talk to warpers! im not sure he'd get along w them after being hunted down by them for like 12 years though KABDLSBRLSHD)

avery has telepathy! this is because when he first shows up he jokes about having telepathy and i was like "haha. WAIT." and then he got telepathy! i realize its a bad idea to not come up with their powers until as im writing but uhhh well. i never said i was a fantastic writer who's smart. KANROSHROSBF.

he also kind of had marg's empathy ability but wayyy dialed back. he can only tell how other humans are feeling and he can only vaguely understand it as opposed to feeling the emotions himself like marg does. so he can kind of tell how others are feeling and he can tell what theyre thinking about! unless of course for plot convince he can't. strong emotions, especially strong negative emotions (ie. fear) can overwhelm him and makes his powers stop working. and if someone is convinced they're right then he wont b able to tell they're lying/hiding something! yay plot convenience!!

roman has night vision. i have no way of making this sound cool he just straight up can see really well in the dark. like a cat. most of the powers were based off where they originally landed and what would help them in that area! and roman landed in the sparse reef, which is so dark all the time i cry thinking about it. so he has night vision! his poor eyesight is probably all kinds of fucked up now tho.

jochi has regeneration abilities! now i know this might sound a bit much but he just heals from cuts and stuff faster and like. he bones heal fast. and he's more likely to survive smth that might usually kill someone, but its like a 10% higher chance of living nothing too much. he doesn't rlly get scars as much as the others, and its healed his old ones a bit more! this is by far the most unrealistic power of them all, but ya know its alien fish planet game who cares. basically bc his life support systems failed his spine got all fucked up and he got infected faster bc he was barely alive for the first few days and spent a lot of time w bart who was looking after him. power helped fix his back, but he still has a rlly bad limp and pretty much constant pain. big mood there khasar 😔✊

emily can detect electromagnetic waves! works best underwater. kind of like ryley's, but instead of hearing noises she can only hear anything electric, like vehicles or ampeels or heartbeats. gets all fucked up during thunderstorms though sadly. she's the only other one that can kind of hear warpers and can tell when ones about to warp around but she cant actually talk back to them. pretty sick if u ask me tho.

danby has p similar powers to her bc ampeels also spawn in the bulb zone. except he can sense them at a much smaller distance, cant hear warpers, and can control the waves around him! mostly just his own tho. so like, he can quiet his heartbeat or make it stop all together. scary power that he does not know how to control. uh oh. but he can also control other creatures a bit! he's very good at hiding bc of this, which is nice bc he loves to hide from scary things. very big mood once again.

milo is glowing powers! looks a lot like the transparency of a ghost levi or a crabsquid, although he isn't as see through as them. you can def make out like veins but not bones or organs. his powers are activated by touch, the more force behind will create more glow and more transparency! a poke = goes away within a few seconds, a slap = stays for a minute or so. instead of bruises, he just glows until the bruise would normally go away. he's basically a living glowstick. i have another joke for this but i cannot physically convince myself to type it bc its some shit emily would say to him and i cannot embarrass him like that LABDLABDKABAKD

andd ryley's super hearing! can hear basically everything within a mile radius at all times. im bad at math and i don't know the metric system but i think that's like around 1k meters. wait does the metric system use mile already. no. ONCE AGAIN NEVER SAID I WAS SMART.

OK ANYWAYS back on track! this means he can hear about half of the crater at all times. he's gotten p good at blocking out background noise and anything far away. typically only hears everything within like 300 meters of himself. so when he does get back to just hearing everything its like. u ever take out headphones in a busy place and everything kinda hurts for a few seconds bc its so much noise. yeah like that but 500x worse. he's able to concentrate on specific areas within this 1 mile field but if its far away it fucks him up good for a lil while. sorry ryley :(

and then the other two degasi! as mentioned before, paul can carry enzyme like the peepers, but he also can kind of make some himself! only small amounts and it works a bit less than the peeper enzyme does. he does not have to cough it up though thankfully it just like. idk how to describe this idea it can just kind of leave through his skin?? he has like no control over his power at all it just kind does its own thing and he deals w it. this is primarily how he and marg survive for so long w/o dying to kharra!

and finally marguerit! highly empathetic abilities that allow her to feel the emotions of anything around her! i thought it would be funny as hell to give MARGUERIT of all ppl Big Emotion Disease. this is a big reason why she has had yet to murder paul and why she's a lot less murderer like in the au. its hard to kill someone if you. you know. can feel exactly what they are. probably the reason she adopted Dog Bart/Legally Preston Emotionally Not. saw sad puppy and felt too bad to leave him. like paul, she has basically no control over it and is one of the reasons she does NOT want to go back to the survivors base and be around so many other ppl, she'd be feeling like, 13 ppl's emotions at one time. all these powers have fucked up drawbacks dont they??

once again sam, robin, jeff, maxim, and ozzy are (for now at least) not gonna have any powers! mutations are weird and ozzy just didn't get anything, and the vesper haven't been sick long enough for any yet!

OK THATS ALL. HOLY SHIT SORRY FOR YELLING FOR 15 MINUTES. GOT CARRIED AWAY. hopefully that explains everything tho OABEOABROANRJS OK BYE MY PHONE IS ALMOST DEAD

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lifeinahole27 · 4 years

Text

CS ff: “Walking the Tightrope” (Chapter 1/10) (au)

Summary: Killian's daily routines are a matter of habit. When he wakes up late one morning, his routines all change for the better. Emma doesn't care about routines, but she does care about Killian, no matter how reluctant she is to admit it to herself.

Rating: E (much later in the story)

Content Warnings: There will be a part where pictures are posted without permission. It happens much later in the fic but if that’s not your thing, I want to put it out there now. And, of course, sexual content will be present. I will update these warnings for each chapter to pinpoint those sections!

A Special Thank You: Oh man, how do I put my gratitude into words? There are two constants in my CS fic writing life that I am so incredibly lucky to have. Thank you @captainstudmuffin for just downright prodding me in the ass to keep me moving when I wanted to give up. You were always there in the right capacity to keep me going. You did that reverse psychology thing with me that I always do to you with “Well, if you want to give up, that’s your choice...” and it worked. And then there’s @phiralovesloki who has listened to me self-depreciate for hours on end and still keeps me moving forward. And then you both turned your attentions to helping me get this thing edited and proofread. You handled all my tantrums, all my fits, all my problems. I love you both to the moon and back.

And of course, thank you to the @captainswanbigbang for going with this rewrite idea. All of you modding this and putting shit in line and answering questions and being awesome and informative and helpful... my eternal gratitude for helping get this, my possible magnum opus, finished and out to the fandom. Much love to you all!

A/N: I wrote a lot of notes above here to start. Because of that, I’ll keep this line brief. Enjoy!

Find it on Ao3 & FFN!

-x-

Chapter 1: The Art of Routines

September 30: Monday

Every day, Killian Jones walks from his respectable dwelling by the Storybrooke Harbor to where he works, located right off the main drag. Storybrooke is nearly the definition of small-town America, but it houses a quaint-sized office of a British publishing firm that opened a branch over here last year. Three months ago, Killian took a chance to upend his whole life and applied for a junior editing position.

From a life in the Navy to a redirection of passions towards the fine art of literature, Killian has used a rigorous set of routines to get through every major upheaval in his life, including but not limited to the aforementioned relocation from London to a small speck on the map.

He uses his daily habits from the moment his alarm sounds in the morning until he shuts his eyes at night – operating his life in a tidy way and controlling what he can control while doing his best to accept whatever tries to throw him off.

Because of his method to build up his regimens, he knows that anything that lasts beyond two weeks becomes more likely to stick.

And for six weeks, Emma Swan has been part of his routines. Monday through Friday they cross the street together. They never speak. Sometimes they’ll smile and nod in greeting, but it’s enough in Killian’s book. Or at least, they’ve come to some unspoken agreement that it’s enough. Since the middle of August, this has been his norm, and thus it is now just another thing that marks time throughout his days.

The only reason he knows her name is because of the star-shaped badge she wears on her hip. That and being the sister of the sheriff are dead-giveaways to an identity. He’d heard of Emma long before he saw her as Will Scarlet filled him in on the townies. She, on the other hand, probably doesn’t even know his name. But he’s okay with that. He’s not out to meet the love of his life – not after what he went through with his last major relationship – but to enjoy a walk across the street with an ease he doesn’t understand and doesn’t have to.

Day after day, he continues on, never looking back to see if she’s still looking at him. He’s afraid of what he might find if he does: either she’s also glancing back and this immediately becomes something different, or she isn’t and he’s effectively found himself with some kind of rejection complex. Both ideas are ridiculous. At the mere thought, Killian snorts and picks up his pace.

On October 1st, Killian discovers how easy it is to throw off the delicate balance of a routine as strong as his. The alarm never goes off, or if it does, Killian either doesn’t hear it or turns it off in his sleep. He wakes, instead, to the sound of his text messages going off in quick succession, followed by the phone ringing and Will’s chirpy voice alerting him as he answers that he’s going to be late.

With that, his eyes shoot fully open and he throws himself into action, hoping to get out the door in record time. He skips the coffee and the shower, throwing on the clothes he set out last night and hoping his hair stays in place with the water he combs through it. He’s out the door fifteen minutes late. His boss, Robin, will hopefully understand - he’s one of the most easy-going people Killian has ever met. Will is going to take the piss out of him, but that’s no different from any other day. Killian knew it was a mistake to share his location with his friend but in this case, with Will able to see that he was still at home when he should already be making his journey, he wasn’t going to complain about it.

Instead, what he’s most upset about is that he’s going to miss Deputy Swan standing at their corner.

And he’s right: she’s not there when he gets to the intersection. He pushes the button and diligently waits until it turns before crossing, just as he always does. It’s when he gets a full view of the patio in front of Granny’s that his steps suddenly halt. There she is, checking her phone and sipping from a to-go cup, standing at the table closest to the entrance. She glances up and sees him on the other side of the small fence that surrounds the front of the patio, and her eyes go wide.

Quickly, she jams her phone in her pocket and exits the patio with two cups in hand, heading towards the sheriff’s station and away from him until she stops just as suddenly. She turns around to where he’s still glued in spot, knowing that each extra minute is asking for more torture from Will, but she walks up to him and he wouldn’t move if a bus came careening down the sidewalk at him.

“Hi. This might be weird but… nevermind. Forget it.” She turns again, but Killian hastens after her.

“What seems to be the problem, love?”

She spins around to face him again, a perturbed look on her face. He doesn’t know if it’s at him or herself, though, so he waits for her response.

“I’m not…” The words trail off, but she redirects. “I thought you might need coffee. You’re always so punctual. Figured if you were running late, you didn’t have any. But that’s probably ridiculous and just…” she trails off again, turning to dump the to-go cup into the bin nearby but Killian lunges for it.

“No no, wait!” He catches the cup just before it leaves her grip, smiling wide when he successfully rescues it. “Thank you, Deputy. I appreciate it.”

“Swan. Emma Swan.”

“Oh, I know,” he responds, surprised at the devilish tone to the words. The only time he flirts anymore is when he’s two pints in at The Rabbit Hole on a rare night out with Will, and even then it’s with no intent behind it. His watch buzzes and Killian glances down to see Will is calling him again. When he sees the time, he can understand why. “Bloody hell. I’m incredibly late,” he says quickly, moving to continue his journey to the office and forgetting all his manners.

“Is there something else I can call you, Incredibly Late?”

“Killian Jones!” he calls out as he gets to the corner by the post office. He spins on his heels to turn back to her, lifting the coffee again in thanks.

There’s an odd little smile on her face when he says it, but he’s still moving and has no time to wonder what it’s all about. “See you tomorrow, Jones!”

Her words follow him around the corner and he grins as he picks up the pace to the office.

He’s amazed at how quickly his day turns around after officially meeting Emma Swan. Robin isn’t even mad when he shows up late, just happy that he’s finally sitting in front of his computer working on the endless edits he’s been helping with for a new book by an established writer. One that has terrible punctuation skills, apparently. And spelling. And grammar.

It’s barely been a half hour when he finds his thoughts drifting to the woman he only knows by name and reputation, and knows that somehow, his daily routines will never look quite the same. He wonders how much this little interaction means to her, too, if she looked so out of sorts when he was late today. And startlingly, he realizes that it did turn into something.

Running a hand over his face, Killian looks back at the page he’s supposed to be proofreading. He’s read the same sentence at least three times and still can’t figure out why it doesn’t feel right. It’s too early in the day to shut his office door and start reading everything out loud, however, so instead he saves his changes and closes the file, opening up a rain app on his phone and letting the sound soothe him while he stands up and stretches.

“If you’re playing the calming sounds, I feel like you’re ready for more coffee,” Will says from his doorway.

“You’re probably right,” Killian says, finishing his current stretch and turning off the app. “Shall we?”

“Ask Robin what he wants. Your treat since you were so late this morning,” his friend adds as he turns from the doorway.

Killian makes a noise of aggravation, but still walks the short length to Robin’s office to inquire.

Robin is locked in his own work, looking back and forth between three cover mockups that Will’s department would’ve sent over when they were ready. He glances up when Killian enters but only barely. “Coffee run?” the other man asks as he nudges each design around.

This, too, is like clockwork in his life, which is why Robin already knows why he’s standing in his doorway. “Aye. Would you like me to bring back the usual or will you need something stronger today?”

“The usual is fine. Else I’ll be tempted to add liquor to it and no one at the home office will appreciate what I think of their last company email.”

“I have that whole rant recorded. You’d better make sure I don’t have anything stronger today or else they’ll get it verbatim.”

“Remind me to have you killed later this week after that chapter is edited.”

“I’ll pass it on to your secretary to be added to your calendar,” Killian mentions offhandedly while he leaves Robin’s office. This isn’t the first time Robin has scheduled to kill him for information he has on his superior. Killian’s sure it won’t be the last, either.

As he leaves, Killian catches sight of the pictures on the wall. There’s a few scattered around his office, mostly of Robin’s adorable son Roland and his late wife. Marian passed just after Roland was born, making Robin’s decision to head up the American branch of NeverEndings Publishing House an easy one. The reason he’s stayed so long is also evident in the pictures of Regina Mills, the mayor of Storybrooke, scattered among the others. Regina was his “diamond in the rough” - the woman he never expected to meet and fall in love with shortly after he set up shop here.

Along with pictures, there are paintings and his degrees, an antique wall clock that matches everything else, and a vintage bow and arrow hung behind the mahogany desk he nearly lives in some days. The whole thing feels like the den of some expensive cabin in the woods, but Killian knows for a fact that Robin put most of this together on the cheap.

He passes his own little office again, noting the blank walls, the tidy desk, the single chair on the opposite side for small one-on-one meetings. He’s never really gotten around to decorating his work area. His degrees are still in one of the boxes in his flat, as are all the pictures of his friends and family from back home.

There’s a single frame on his desk - just a picture of him and Liam at graduation that was packed into his luggage when he moved. Liam is beaming with pride while Killian looks like he’s about to bolt from the courtyard they had all gathered in after the ceremony. His left arm is tucked close by his side, and he knows for a fact it’s because he was trying to hide the prosthetic hook he wears from being in the pictures.

“So, why were you late today?” Will asks when they reach the doors and head outside.

“Alarm malfunctions,” Killian responds, as if there could be something besides human error to blame. Will just nods as they make the short trek down the street to Granny’s. Foolishly, Killian hopes to find his favorite deputy out patrolling or stopping for her own midday caffeine, but the only blonde in the diner is Ashley, the attentive but clumsy young server.

Well, the only blonde woman. Dr. Whale, trying his best to flirt with Ruby, doesn’t count.

“Have you heard anything I’ve said in the last three minutes?” Will asks, a touch of exasperation in his voice but humor lighting up his eyes. Instead of answering, Killian just pushes him forward to place his order. He pulls Killian up next to him and presents him to Ruby. “Tell Jones here that he has to come out with us on Friday.”

“The only thing I have to tell Jones is to place his damn order,” Ruby responds, her expression challenging Will in the way that only Ruby can. She looks back to Killian with a sweet smile. “You paying for all three?” He nods as he hands over the cash. Ruby winks at him, processing the change and handing it back before spinning from the register to make their drinks.

“Come on, mate. Come out this Friday.”

“I still have things I’m trying to unpack.”

“You’ve been saying you were going to unpack those things for the last three months.” He throws air quotes when he says “things” as if they’re fictitious items Killian invented for the sake of an excuse. He almost invites Will over to see what he’s talking about but feels like that would somehow turn into a standing invitation for his colleague to come over whenever he pleases.

“Yeah? And now I might mean it,” Killian retorts instead. Ruby places their drinks down on the counter before Will can press any further, and Killian spends an extra moment thanking the younger Lucas for exceptional service, as always.

“Kiss ass,” Ruby says as they gather their drinks and leave. There’s a smile on her face, though, and Killian knows that her days would be infinitely less exciting without him and Will pestering her at least once an afternoon.

When they get back, Will takes Robin his coffee without having to be asked, which Killian is grateful for. But he’s barely seated in front of his computer again before Will is popping back up in his doorway.

“You’ve been summoned to the dungeons, mate.”

Killian drops his head for a second, trying to gather the energy to just… get up and go see if suddenly his benevolent boss has had a change in heart regarding his tardiness this morning. But Robin just waves him in and motions for him to sit down.

“As you know, we originally hired you to be a junior editor to collaborate on projects.”

“Aye, that was the explanation I was given when I interviewed.”

“Well, we’ve gotten a new project that I’d like to see you take on. This isn’t quite a promotion, but it’s a test to see if I can trust you with something bigger than just standard edits to a pompous arse that doesn’t know his p’s from his q’s… literally.”

“I’m definitely interested. What is this project?”

“A young author has written a novella that twists fairy tales. It’s short but it’s deep, and I want your best on proofreading, but also on suggesting edits. He’ll be in to discuss the project at the end of this month, so keep working on your current progress until then. I’ll send all the files your way this weekend so you can start reviewing them whenever you’d like. Sound good?”

“Sounds excellent,” Killian says, genuine enthusiasm coloring his answer. “I look forward to it.”

Another disruption to the orderly life he’s been living, but honestly, this is almost as good as meeting Emma Swan. At least this feels like his disastrous start to October is no indication on how the rest of the month will go.

-x- October 2: Wednesday

The next morning, Killian is back to his impeccable schedule, so he’s calm and collected when he strolls up to the crosswalk. Only minutes later, Emma walks up, eyes trained on her phone, earbuds playing music that she nods her head in time with. He takes a moment before she notices him to appreciate the view, to take in the dark jeans she likes to wear instead of a uniform, with black boots up to her knees. Her red leather jacket is half-zipped. Soon the weather is going to grow colder and he wonders if she’ll be warm enough on her walks.

She looks up, then, and smiles at Killian while he raises a hand in greeting. She hesitantly waves back, moving to stand next to him while they wait.

“Good morning, Swan,” he greets just as the light changes and they start to cross. Her response is mumbled as she pulls the earbud from one ear.

“Have a good day, Jones,” she says, dipping her head as a parting gesture. There’s a smile pulling at his cheeks, and he turns to look at where he’s going instead of risking the possibility of running into something and ruining his mood.

For the rest of the week, they get to the crosswalk and he greets her. They part ways at the diner with her sending salutations before she walks up the path. In a way, it becomes a new routine for them. It’s one of the only changes to his days that he’s accepted as a normal progression instead of an uninvited intrusion.

On Friday, hours after his daily dose of Emma, he’s in the middle of the last chapter he has to edit when Will pops into his doorway in the afternoon. He goes to save the files and start the coffee routine, but Will enters the room fully and places two coffees and a bag with lunch on the corner of his desk.

“I hear you’ve got a bigger project coming up. Figured I’d be a good mate for once and encourage hard work instead of mucking around like we usually do on Fridays.”

The times that Will has been genuinely kind to him are definitely countable on his hand, so he’s almost afraid to ask if there’s a “but” included somewhere in there. However, Will just gives him a cheeky grin and heads right back out the door.

When he’s made the final change and checked over the whole chapter again, it’s beyond the time that he normally leaves, even when he stays late. His eyes are burning and his stomach is growling again, but there’s a sense of victory when he sends the files back to Robin and shuts down his office for the weekend.

He’s surprised to find Will on the couch in the reception area, asleep by the looks of it, and Killian is this tempted to leave him there because he knows exactly why his friend is still there. But the man brought him lunch and still owes him a beer for repayment of some good deed or another, so he knocks into one of Will’s shoes and snorts as he startles awake.

“Come on, then. Sorry to have kept you waiting.”

“Damn right, you are.” Will’s response is groggy and expected.

Killian makes sure the building is locked up tight before they walk the few blocks over to The Rabbit Hole. He’d rather be in bed, or watching whatever his neglected Netflix queue has in store for him. While Will obviously went home and changed into something more casual, Killian is still stuck in his suit from work. It’ll have to do.

One drink, that’s all he’s promised, and then he’s going home to get the sleep he deserves and return to his normal order of events.

They’re barely through the door when he realizes his plan is going straight into the bin. There, in all her blonde glory, is Emma Swan. She’s parked near the end of the bar waiting for Jefferson to take her order. As he moves towards her, he hears Will greeting other acquaintances, but he’s too focused on getting to interact with Emma outside of their usual crosswalk that he doesn’t veer off course.

“Fancy meeting you here, Swan,” he greets as he props up next to her.

She jumps a little, clearly not expecting him to be there beside her, but regains her speech far easier than he would’ve if the situation were reversed.

“I’m sorry, you’re that figment of my imagination that only lives on Main Street. What are you doing here?”

He chuckles at her description of him and rubs behind his ear in a nervous gesture. Two more sentences and this will officially be the longest he’s ever spoken with Emma, and he’s enjoying it far more than he should.

“Out for a drink with my mate Will to celebrate a project ending.”

“Scarlet? See, I always thought you had better taste than that,” she says, a smirk on her face and her eyes shifting over Killian’s shoulder to where Will must’ve come up behind him.

“Oy, just because I’m romancing your friend doesn’t mean you have to insult me.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what it means,” Emma responds to him, but there’s lightness and sarcasm in the whole exchange.

“Romancing? You mean you finally worked up the nerve to tell Belle you fancy her?”

“Like three weeks ago, mate. This is why I tell you to come out more often.” Will claps Killian on the shoulder with those words, accepting the beer that Jefferson deposits on the bar for him, and walking back to the large gathering of people in the middle of the room that Killian is just realizing are mostly people he knows.

“Not one for socializing very often?” Emma asks, following his line of sight and waving to her brother at the table. Killian swallows a little harder when David sizes him up, eyes scrutinizing the whole time.

“Not as much as I used to. Will and I usually make our ventures out earlier in the evening and in the middle of the week when we do.”

“So is it the expat club or something? You and Will, Robin, Belle. I think Tink stops in and drinks with them every couple weeks or so, too.”

“Will and I work at NeverEndings with Robin. The rest is all just coincidence.”

She hums in consideration, sipping slowly from her drink. “There’s room at the table. Wanna come join us, too?”

“That depends.”

“On?”

“Is your brother going to murder me for speaking to you for longer than three and a half minutes?”

She glances back at David, who turns back to the group suddenly, clearly pretending he wasn’t watching them.

“Listen, he’s overprotective but he’s yet to kill anyone I had a conversation with. People I’ve dated, on the other hand…” she trails off, lifting her eyebrows to emphasize with a little shrug.

He can’t help the laughter that erupts from him at that. She’s delightful. He could spend all his days having frivolous conversations with her and probably never grow tired of it.

“Come on, I promise he doesn’t bite unless you ask. Which is unfortunately more than I ever wanted to know but that’s what happens when you become best friends with your brother’s wife.”

“Thanks for sharing your pain with me. I hope it eases the burden of your knowledge,” he says low enough so only she can hear as he pulls out one of the remaining chairs for her. Her thank you is a quiet and pleased murmur, and he has to remind his heart to stop the constant drumroll so he can get through this evening with his dignity intact. He drops into the seat next to Emma and tries to bury the way his skin itches at the sudden change in his routine.

A chorus of introductions goes around, with Emma giving names to random faces as she goes. He does know a majority of the people at the table, even if just by reputation. It’s nice to meet the kind schoolteacher that is David’s aforementioned wife, though he’s seen her in the library more than a handful of times since his arrival in town.

“Everyone calls me Snow,” she explains after Emma calls her Mary Margaret. “Less syllables, more Disney Princess-ish.” When the topic shifts from greetings to the usual breakdown of everyone’s days, Killian seizes the moment no one is paying attention to them.

“A Disney Princess that enjoys a little kink in the bedroom. Good to know,” Killian whispers in Emma’s ear, and her hushed laughter is music he wants to play again and again.

When the conversation really starts flowing, he finds he’s less interested in drinking away his week and happier to engage with the people around the table. David still regards him with suspicion, but it probably helps that he doesn’t look like he’s trying to crawl into Emma’s knickers as the night continues on. He finished his singular beer ages ago but opts for water during his next trip up to the bar, along with food because Emma bursts out laughing when his stomach growls in the middle of her talking about a digital filing system they’re implementing.

Emma nurses her one drink, and so he’s relieved to find her willingness to talk is due to genuine interest instead of alcohol’s influence. Of course, it may be because he’s supplying her in onion rings until she finally orders her own.

Their group slowly begins to break up, starting with the people who have someone home waiting on them. Then the couples start to leave, and Killian is pleasantly surprised when Emma all but shoves David out the door with Snow, insisting that she’s more than capable of taking care of herself.

They talk of all things small: she tells him about working law enforcement in a small town, and he shares his experiences in Storybrooke since moving. She asks about his job and actually listens when he starts talking.

“What’s this then?” Killian asks when Emma pushes up her sleeves.

She looks down at it, scoffing a little. “A dumb symbol of youth and rebellion,” she replies. “I got it when I was sixteen because James and I got in an argument about how perfectly behaved I was.”

“James?”

“Oh, David has a twin brother. You know how people joke about having an evil twin? David actually has one.”

“Your family is delightful,” he comments, wanting to reach out and touch the heavy lines of the flower on her wrist. “Why this?”

“Buttercups are my favorite flower.” He’s learned so many new things about her so very quickly, but he files this information away in the event he has a chance to use it.

It’s when their whole group has officially departed that they realize the rest of the establishment is similarly abandoned, with only Jefferson wiping down bottles behind the bar.

“Sorry about that, mate. Time for us to clear out?”

“I was gonna wait until I was done cleaning to see if you even noticed the place was empty,” Jefferson responds when Killian sets the last few glasses on the counter. Emma is behind him at the table still, gathering the smattering of bottles and the rest of the stuff to be washed. “Been a while since I’ve seen her talk that much to anyone she didn’t grow up with,” the other man remarks, nodding his head towards Emma.

“My favorite bartender back home would probably say the same of me,” Killian admits, placing a few extra bills on the bar as a tip and wandering back over to help Emma get the last of the dishes from his late dinner and her ridiculously large pile of onion rings, of which she ate every last one.

“Thanks Jeff. Have a safe trip home,” Emma tells him as she hands him the items.

As they start walking, he expects anything but for Emma to fall back into casual conversation with him about the moving process he went through. He takes it in stride as they slowly amble down the street and back to their crosswalk.

“I’m this way,” Emma says, indicating the direction she normally arrives from in the mornings.

“I know,” Killian responds, his tone soft and content. “It was lovely getting to meet you, Emma.”

He holds out his hand, giving hers a firm shake. Once upon a time he was a lad who could court a woman without blinking an eye. It’s that thought that has him turning her hand and bringing it to his lips, eyeing her playfully from beneath his lashes as he looks up at her. This small gesture feels so foreign, but he likes the way she’s giving him a puzzled little smile.

“Goodnight, Swan.”

“See you Monday, Jones,” she almost whispers as he releases her hand.

They head off in their separate directions, with Killian gently brushing his lips in wonder.

Routines be damned, this is much better than a casual wave in the mornings.

-x-

Chapter 2

#cs ff #cs ff au #sarah writes ff #csrt

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