#Clark: Nightwing will not be leading this mission -

[fluentmoviequoter]

Honeymoon Suite

Pairing: Dick Grayson x fem!vigilante!reader

Summary: Batman sends you and Dick undercover as newlyweds. At the end of the mission, neither of you want things to change.

Warnings: fluff, possible OOC, brief mentions of insecurity, reader wears a bikini once

Word Count: 2.6k+ words

A/N: Reader is a vigilante but there's no fight scenes or anything, it's more just gathering data for Bruce! I hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think or if you have any DC requests! :)

Masterlist | DC/Dick Grayson Masterlist | Request Info

This isn't necessarily Titans!Dick, I just like this gif!

“Since when do you investigate recently paroled convicts?” you ask, looking out over Metropolis. “This seems like more of Clark’s thing. Literally, journalist Clark could do this far easier.”

Bruce sighs, and you smile. You can exhaust him from miles away.

“Because he started in Gotham, and I want to make sure he doesn’t come back,” Bruce answers.

“And I’m still in sunny Superman-city, why? Our boy bought a plane ticket three hours ago.”

“Until he goes to the airport, I want your eyes on him.”

“And then what? He disappears, free to con people who don’t have a Batman?”

“You do it on purpose,” Bruce accuses. “If you’re done asking questions, I’ve got news.”

“Also Clark’s thing,” you quip.

“Never mind. You can stay in Metropolis.”

“You love me, Bats. I’ll stop; tell me.”

“Against our better judgment, we all do.”

You smile, remembering the first night you put on a mask and took to the streets of Gotham. One of your best friends had been permanently altered by Scarecrow toxin, and you were done being scared in your own home. The same week, before you really grasped just how dangerous what you were doing could be, you ran into Robin. Batman wasn’t with him, but you soon met him, too. Robin was your age, reckless, and had a heart-stopping smile, so when he asked you to stay with him, you agreed. Batman reluctantly agreed, likely more interested in getting you off the streets than anything. After a few months, Dick trusted you enough to remove his domino mask, and Bruce sighed as he followed suit. Your relationship with Dick, both in and out of the Robin suit, made you part of two families: The Waynes and the Bats and Birds of Gotham. Every new addition to the family and the team pushed you and Dick closer, and you know what your feelings toward him are, but you have to remind yourself daily that losing him isn’t worth getting it off your chest.

“Still there?” Batman asks.

“Sorry, yeah, I’m here,” you answer quickly, standing as you watch the sun go down.

“There’s going to be a slight detour on your way back.”

“Just tell me it’s somewhere warmer than Gotham,” you joke.

“Much. Nightwing – Dick – will meet you at the airport.”

You want to laugh at the strain in his voice as he says Dick’s name, but your attention catches on another word.

“Airport?”

✯✯✯✯✯

“Welcome to paradise, babe,” Dick greets, pulling you into a warm hug as you walk through the airport doors.

“Thanks,” you murmur, closing your eyes and letting him envelop you completely.

He keeps an arm over your shoulders, leading you to an expensive rental car. After tossing your small bag in the back, he holds your hand over the console, looking into your eyes and smiling.

“I have a question,” he begins. You nod, and Dick’s smile grows. “Will you marry me?”

Your eyes widen as you tell yourself that it’s for the mission.

“A thousand times yes,” you answer, watching Dick slide the ring onto your left ring finger.

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

Your hand remains in Dick’s as he begins driving, your dream life with him coming to life around you.

“I checked in when I got here this morning. The honeymoon suite is nice,” Dick says distractedly.

“Honeymoon suite?” you repeat.

Dick hums, and you lower your gaze from his profile to the ring on your finger. It’s going to be a long few days.

✯✯✯✯✯

“Your suitcase is in the closet,” Dick says, leading you into the small cottage with a hand on your back. He sees your confused look and laughs. “I packed a few things for you, I didn’t think you’d have beachwear with you in Metropolis.”

“Thank you.”

Dick lays back on the bed, propping his head up on his hands as he watches you open the closet.

“There’s a white bikini in there that I’m pretty proud of. I think it’s a better choice than you would have made.”

You roll your eyes before looking at the beachy pastels, sundresses, and swimsuits filling the bag. Dick chose things you have always wanted to wear but never felt good enough to buy for yourself. Losing your focus, you finger through the different fabrics, jumping slightly when Dick’s arms wrap around your waist.

“We have dinner reservations tonight, so pick a good one,” he whispers.

“Looks like they’re all good ones.”

“I have excellent taste,” Dick replies with an absent-minded tap to your wedding ring.

✯✯✯✯✯

“Good evening,” Dick greets the couple sharing a table with you. He pulls your seat out, keeping his hand in yours as he sits beside you.

“My, you two are just the most handsome couple I’ve ever seen,” the woman exclaims, leaning toward you. “You picked a fine one, didn’t you, dear?”

You glance over at Dick and smile. “I sure did.”

Dick’s thumb runs over your knuckles, and you let yourself go in the act. Losing yourself, you adopt this character of being a wife to the man you’ve loved for years.

As you eat and talk to the other couples celebrating engagements, weddings, and anniversaries, you lean against Dick’s side, playing with his fingers. After one particularly romantic comment about your eyes, you raise Dick’s hand to your lips, kissing the knuckle below his ring. He turns toward you with a big smile, pecking your forehead before pulling you closer. You could get used to this, which is incompatible with an undercover mission.

✯✯✯✯✯

The proximity is killing you. Dick is so close that you could touch him, and you do, but you try to show some restraint. You set boundaries long ago, including one stating that you would never kiss one another purely for Batman’s never-ending mission. Your firm position on that boundary wavers more with each moment. This island is doing something to you, and you’re terrified that it will ruin your relationship with Dick.

Every time Dick smiles at you or takes your hand, running his finger over the fake ring on your hand, it’s like a glimpse straight out of your dream life. Right now, reclined on the beach in a bikini of Dick’s choosing, though, the dream falls apart.

“Dick,” you whisper, tapping your shoulder against his chest.

He pulls his hand away from your hair, a flower you didn’t see him pick braided into a small section of your hair.

“There’s our guy,” you mumble after he hums, pointing with your chin.

“He coming toward us?” Dick asks, running a sandy hand over your arm.

“Not right now. If he’s looking for the same kind of victim as in Gotham, we’re going to have to set a trap.”

“How?”

You turn toward him, frowning as you answer, “Get in a fight and let me storm off.”

Dick’s eyes drop away from yours before nodding. “Not yet,” he mumbles. “It has to look real.”

“Dinner?” you ask, brushing his hair back.

His eyes flutter closed as he nods, aware that the social setting will make enough of a scene. That doesn’t mean Dick wants to do it, though, nor is he sure about using you as bait.

✯✯✯✯✯

“Do I look okay? This fits weird,” you complain, tugging the white sundress down on the sides.

Dick appears behind you, holding your wrists still as he meets your eyes in the mirror. He pulls your back to his chest, looping his arms over your waist.

“You look beautiful – you are beautiful,” Dick whispers. “So beautiful that I don’t know if I can yell at you.”

“We can change the plan. Pretend like we’ve been arguing all afternoon in private, and I can just choose a moment to storm off,” you offer.

“I don’t want to fight with you at all,” Dick amends.

“Hey.” You turn in his arms, looping yours over his shoulders. “This isn’t real, okay? I will never treat you like this.”

Dick nods, dropping his head to press his forehead against yours.

“Promise?”

You nod, dragging a finger along Dick’s jaw. “I promise.”

✯✯✯✯✯

“Yeah,” you mumble, fiddling with the napkin in your lap. “I got it earlier.”

Dick made a passing comment about working with others, glancing toward you at the end, and you took the opportunity to start a fight. The target, Bruce’s con man, is several tables away, but his eyes are on you. Dick’s eyes drop, and you desperately want to cup his chin and apologize.

“Working with women can be hard though,” someone says, continuing the conversation.

“It certainly can,” Dick agrees.

You stand up, silently tossing your napkin onto the table before you walk out. Navigating through the crowded tables, you take a deep breath when you exit and hear footsteps behind you.

“’Scuse me?” he asks.

You slow before you stop, turning toward him and wiping an imaginary tear.

“I’m sorry, I overheard and just wanted to make sure you’re okay. I’m a marriage counselor and I wouldn’t feel right about leaving you here upset.”

“I’m fine, or I will be,” you answer, slightly impressed with how easily he slipped into the lie. “It’s just frustrating to be married, and I wasn’t expecting it to be so different.”

“Marriage counseling is a great option even for newly-weds. I actually have a pay by the appointment service here on the island, if you’re interested.”

“Oh, really? That- actually, yeah, that sounds amazing. What do I need to do?”

“$1,000 cash, up front, and then you can come by anytime.”

“Soliciting for a false business is illegal,” a resort security guard says as he approaches. “I’m going to need to take you to the office for questioning.”

“Really, me? Because her husband looks a lot like the Wayne kid from Gotham, not Gray Todd or whatever he said his name was,” the conman argues. “What about impersonation?”

Dick walks outside just as the security guard looks toward you.

“What’s going on out here?” Dick asks, laying his hand against the small of your back. “Are you okay?” he adds quietly.

You nod and press back against him gently. “This guy was trying to steal our money, apparently.”

“Someone called in a tip that he’s been posing as a marriage counselor,” the security guard fills in. “Though, do you folks have ID?”

Dick removes his fake ID from his wallet, and you’re surprised when he hands one over for you too.

“Your last names aren’t the same, are these up to date?”

“I haven’t gotten my updated license yet,” you answer. “We haven’t been married long.”

“Ask them questions separately and they won’t be able to answer. They’re the con artists, not me!” the conman cries.

“Maybe I should take you two in for questioning too.”

“On what grounds?” Dick asks with an incredulous chuckle. “What would I need to do to convince you we’re married? This is ridiculous!”

You glance over, and a crowd is gathering at the door, so you tap Dick’s side to alert him. He takes a deep breath before speaking again.

“I’d like to speak to your manager in the morning, but for now, are we free to go?”

The security guard also sees the crowd and hesitates before nodding. Dick leads you away and back toward the cottage but pulls you to a stop at the bottom of the stairs.

“Are you okay?” you ask, looking over his face.

“People are still watching us and we need to keep this up or they won’t believe us,” Dick whispers.

“We’re leaving tomorrow. Does it matter?”

“If they think we’re not really married, they can’t prove anything about our guy. Then we just look like we lied to get a nicer cottage.”

You nod and ask, “So what do we do to prove it?”

Your arms are around Dick, you’re as close as physically possible, so you’re not sure what else you can do to look like you’re in love. Especially considering you are in love with him.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers before raising his hand to the back of your neck and kissing you.

He picks you up, a strong arm under your hips as he carries you up the stairs. You grip his shirt at the collar, returning the kiss but refusing to deepen it. As Dick unlocks the door, you drop your head to his shoulder and glance at the dissipating crowd, only a few people left who don’t mind imposing on a private moment.

Once you’re inside and Dick sets you down, he steps back.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I know it was the one rule, but I didn’t know what else to do,” he rambles, carding his fingers through his hair. “Sorry.”

You hold a hand up to stop his pacing and shrug. “We had to. It’s fine.”

Dick nods, another whispered apology rolling off his tongue before he offers to let you use the bathroom first. When he steps back, that proximity you thought would break you is taken away, and you realize that is was holding you together all along.

✯✯✯✯✯

When you walk out of the bathroom, Dick is staring out the window. The dark beach holds his attention until he stands wordlessly. Then, when Dick returns from the shower, he doesn’t speak to you. Opening your mouth, you want to ask him something, say anything, but he sits at the far side of the king-sized bed and makes himself comfortable with his back to you.

The last few nights, you started on opposite sides of the bed but woke up with Dick’s arm over your waist and both of you in the middle. Those moments are being ripped away from you, though, and you’re not sure why. If it’s the kiss, you told him it was fine. Dick is usually the one ready and willing to talk about this kind of stuff, but he is shutting you out.

Hating the distance and craving his closeness, you whisper, “Are you mad at me?”

The answer is barely audible, a sigh of, “Of course not.”

You breathe a small sigh of relief, moving your hand to the middle of the bed like an olive branch. “Then what happened? I’m really not mad about the kiss, Dick.”

Dick rolls over, his eyes bright in the minimal light of the cottage as he takes your hand (again). “I don’t want this to end,” he confesses.

After contemplating what this could mean, you whisper, “It doesn’t have to.”

Dick sits up, pulling you in, slow and methodical as he kisses you this time. As he pulls you into his lap, you enjoy knowing that there’s no rush or fear or lies behind this, just you, Dick, and the love between you.

“Maybe we should get married,” he mumbles against your lips. “Bruce will pay for a few more days.”

You pull back with a breathless laugh. “And listen to your brothers after they find out you eloped? No thanks.”

“So, you won’t marry me?” Dick asks, looking up at you perched on his legs.

“I’ll marry you as many times as you want, Dick Grayson.”

“Different honeymoon suite each time?” Dick jokes.

You duck your head against his chest as he laughs, gladly letting him hold you close for one more quiet, slow night before you return to Gotham.

“We need to pack, our flight is at 10,” you remind him.

“Don’t forget the white one,” he says against your cheek, leaving kisses along your face.

You are returning to Gotham with something far better than a new bikini or souvenir: Dick Grayson’s love running through your veins and your heart safely in his hold.

✯✯✯✯✯

✯✯✯✯✯

Bonus:

"It worked, Alfred."

"Excellent news, Master Bruce. Perhaps you could be the next to go on a trip and come back with a woman in your life."

#dick grayson x reader #dick grayson x fem!reader #dc comics x reader #dick grayson fluff #dick grayson fic #dick grayson imagine #dick grayson fanfiction #dick grayson

[nightwolf14292]

Dick Grayson Canon Lore Stuff:

(TW for Batman stuff, like spoilers and mention of injury/death) Hello, I know very little about the canon Batfamily because I can't exactly just read all of the comics (there's way too many, and they're very expensive T-T) so instead I spent like an hour reading the entire Fandom . com entry on Dick Grayson, and this is pretty much my timeline of important events that I got from that (I'm typing this in hopes that it'll help me remember it).

Dick Grayson Canon Lore Stuff:

•From a very young age Dick Grayson was trained as an acrobat, hence his job as a performer in his family's circus act.

•When he was eight years old, he overheard a well known crime boss threaten the circus performers if he wasn't paid by the circus owner. The owner didn't pay him, and that night Dick witnessed his parents high wire snap, leading to both of their deaths. (He felt responsible for not warning them)

•He was put into a juvenile service system, because social services in Gotham were full. In this system he was often beat up by the others, which led to him eventually being put into a Catholic orphanage instead.

•Bruce Wayne adopted him, but Dick didn't want to replace his deceased dad with a 'stuck up' billionaire, plus he felt like Bruce didn't give him enough attention (Probably because Bruce was still dealing with the trauma of his own parents death and didn't like getting attached to people in case he lost them as well), so he snuck out in hopes of solving his parents murder himself.

•He met Batman, also investigating the murder, which led to him finding out that Batman and Bruce Wayne are the same person.

•They find the crime boss, but he 'dies of a heart attack' before he can be arrested.

•Since Bruce saw so much of himself in Dick, he asked the boy if he wanted to become his sidekick and Dick decided to name himself 'Robin' after what his mother used to call him.

•He was trained for six long, hard months before he was allowed to do any real missions, and he had to go through one full night eluding Batman without help before he was allowed to officially become Robin.

•For the first year or so Dick had a lot of fun with his job, and treated it as a fun adventure he and Bruce participated in together.

•That was until he had a fight with Two-Face, in which Batman and the DA were both stuck in nooses. Dick cut the rope around the DA with a Batarang, but Two-Face had crafted a double trap and this made the floor fall out so the DA landed in a pit of water in which he drowned. This was Dick's first time witnessing an on-the-job death which would serve to haunt him for years to come, plus he got himself a beating from Two-Face (Okay but like, wouldn't he have been like 9 or 10 max Jeezums- 😭🖐).

•Bruce temporarily 'fired' Dick, not wanting to see him get hurt any more.

•Dick served as Robin for a while longer, still working with Bruce and also forming his own Titans team.

•When Dick was 17 he got shot in his shoulder by the Joker, which prompted Bruce to officially fire him out of fear for his safety. Dick decided that he didn't need Batman anymore, plus he had some issues with the way Bruce did things, so he moved from Gotham to New York to be more involved with the Titans, and he dropped out of highschool.

•Bruce didn't really like this, and told Dick that if he was no longer going to work with him he would have to retire the Robin title. Dick left Wayne Manor afterwards, and handed over leadership of the Titans to Wondergirl.

•Unsure of himself and what he should do now, yet not wanting to give up crime fighting now that it was such a big part of his life, he went to find Superman. For a brief while Dick stayed with Superman, and Superman told him of a Krypton hero who had been known as Nightwing. Because of this time with Clark, Dick decided to finally become his own hero free of Batman. He named himself Nightwing after the Krypton hero, and made himself a costume based off of something his father once wore back in the circus.

•Now as Nightwing he helped lead the Titans, though his relationship with Starfire was worsening over time.

•Jason's death was a bit of a turning point in his character. Even though originally he hadn't seemed to like Jason (mainly because Jason acted as his replacement, and because of his not so great relationship with Bruce) Dick seemed to grow into a kinder/gentler person after the event.

•A while after this, Dick discovered that the mob boss who had killed his parents was not actually dead but was in a coma instead. Dick went looking for him, but witnessed him being gunned down before he had a chance to do anything for himself. Bruce claimed that he was worried that Dick would seek revenge for his parents death if he knew the truth, so he told the young boy that the mod boss was dead instead. Dick was obviously upset because of this, and his relationship with Bruce stayed strained.

•While he was still serving with the Titans, Tim Drake sought him out and asked him to return to being Robin (Because after Jason's death Bruce was going crazy without a Robin by his side), but Dick refused because of his bad relationship with Bruce and his enjoyment for his current job. He did help Tim become Robin, though.

•A lot of bad things happened with the Titans, people passed, people left, people changed, but Dick fought to stay the heart and center of the team through it all.

•Despite their strained relationship, Dick tried to impulsively marry Starfire, but the ceremony was interrupted, which eventually led to Starfire leaving and returning to her home planet.

•Bruce was brutally injured by Bane, but because his relationship with Dick was so bad and he didn't want to 'force' his son to return, he temporarily gave the Batman title to the not-so-stable Jean Paul Valley, with Tim there to help him out. Jean proved too unstable, however, and Dick returned to Gotham to help Tim deal with him. Dick decided to step away from the Titans to focus on Gotham, and the still healing Bruce asked him to be Batman until he was alright again which Dick agreed to.

•During his time acting as Batman, Dick built a great brotherly relationship with Tim. In addition, Bruce admitted that he hadn't originally asked Dick to act as Batman for him because he didn't want to force him to come back, and the two finally began to fix their relationship.

•Dick pretends to be a villain working under Deathstroke for a while, until Deathstroke betrays him and kills at least 100,000 people with a bomb. Dick tries to find and help any survivors, but is unable to because of the radiation which weighs heavily on his mind. He also proposes to Barbara Gordon around this time.

•Dick recovers and Bruce asks him to join him and his current Robin in rediscovering his roots. Dick is hesitant, but Barbara insists that he helps, and suspends their engagement for the time being.

•Dick returns to the Titan's tower, because there's someone there pretending to be him. Turns out it's the revived Jason Todd!

•While on a case, he gets buried alive by a mysterious voice that tells him he's 'supposed to be dead'. He has a hard time finding work because he's in a cast, and is having some trouble due to his injuries.

•By this point his relationship with both Bruce and Tim have improved dramatically, and he's close with both of them.

•The Titans decide to reform their group.

•Okay I'm gonna try and put this as simply as possible… Bruce was targeted by a group called 'Black Glove', supposedly going insane and running away. Dick doesn't want Tim to have to deal with everything himself, so he returns. He gets kidnapped and drugged by the International Club of Villains and is scheduled for a lobotomy, but gets out of it because Bruce's 'insanity' was made up to expose the Black Glove. Batman fights with Doctor Hurt on a helicopter, but the helicopter explodes. Batman is fine and works with the Justice League, but then is seemingly killed in his confrontation with Darkseid. In his will, Bruce begs Dick not to become Batman. Because of his refusal to become Batman, someone else takes up the job instead, calling himself Batman but using lethal methods that Bruce would never allow. This 'Batman' is actually Jason Todd, who shoots Damian and almost kills Tim with a Batarang. Dick and Jason fight and Dick shoves Jason off of a speeding train, seemingly killing him though Jason says they'll 'Meet again soon'. Dick finally decides to become the official Batman, but refuses to make Tim his Robin because according to him, he sees Tim as his equal and not his sidekick. He instead makes Damian his new Robin, which of course pisses off Tim. Tim, believing Bruce to be alive, takes up Jason's old Red Robin mantle and goes searching for Bruce. Dick moves base because the Batcave reminds him too much of Bruce, and struggles because Damian is constantly reminding and taunting him over the fact that he will never truly be able to replace his father. When he next fights Jason, Jason remarks that if the Lazarus pit could revive him, it could revive Bruce too as he's being arrested.

There's quite a bit of stuff that happens in between here, most notably the death of a young boy called Baby D which influences Dick's future character, but since I've been typing for hours:

Thinking about what Jason said, Dick takes Bruce's body from his grave and takes him to the Lazarus Pit. While it does reanimate the corpse, the revived 'Bruce' is angry and violent. This is because it was never Bruce at all, it was actually a clone of him. This gives Dick, Damian, and Alfred a similar hope to Tim, that Bruce is actually still alive. Tim brings evidence that Bruce is actually lost in time, and after a bit of digging and more evidence finding, they manage to bring Bruce back.

•Dick finally becomes Nightwing again, now with red on his costume which reflects his darker and more grim outlook on life and humanity after his time as Batman.

•Nightwing gets stabbed on a mission.

•He also, on a different mission, momentarily dies but they manage to start his heart again.

•Dick puts down his Nightwing title for a while and becomes a secret agent for Bruce, but the wiki has no info on this.

•Dick goes back to being Nightwing, finally returning to his original black and blue suit instead of the black and red one. He reforms the titans, but after working with them for a bit, but ends up moving back to Blüdhaven soon after.

•Someone is sent to assassinate Dick, and he gets shot in the head. He manages to survive, though he has amnesia and for a brief while becomes 'Ric Grayson' until he gets his memories back. When Ric tries to restore his memories he is kidnapped by the Joker who brainwashes him into believing that he was the Joker's sidekick, though he's eventually rescued and gets his memories back. After this event, he officially rejoins the Batman Family as Nightwing.

•There's no info after this.

Grrrrr I might do this for the other characters but idk because this took forever and I am tired lmao

#batman #dick grayson #richard grayson #nightwing #dick grayson lore #nightwing lore #batman comics #dc comics #lore #Canon #canon character #batman and robin #bat fam #batboys #batbros #batdad #batfam #bat family #jason todd #red hood #tim drake #red robin #damian wayne #robin #batman dc #batsiblings #dc batfam #dc batman #the batfam

[galaxymagitech]

Graveyard

Written for Dick Grayson Anniversary Week: Day 4 Prompt: Batman's Most Trusted

@dickgraysonweek

Summary: No one comes to save a mourning Bruce from himself. Until, months after Tim would have stepped in, Dick notices Bruce's recklessness on a League Mission. He returns to Bruce's side to help him back into the light, but ends up following him into the darkness instead.

Characters: Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Jason the Narrative Ghost

Warnings: Referenced death of a family member, dissociation, discussions of suicidal thoughts in a non-POV character, brief mentions of rape (specifically, Felipe Garzonas’s crimes, not of any main characters). Mild gore? I don't think it's that bad, but it's slightly present.

It wasn’t supposed to go like this. Bruce had made it clear that he didn’t want to see Dick again, not after their confrontation over Jason’s death. But there was an emergency, and the Justice League had called for all available heroes to come and help beat back the robotic alien army. And Dick, well, of course he came. Normally he’d be leading his own team during a situation like this, but he was on break from the Titans and he didn’t want to mess with their leadership structure. Indecision in battle is dangerous, and if the Titans weren’t sure who to listen to…it wouldn’t be good. Clark had asked Dick if he was sure he wanted to join the main Leaguers—he knew that Dick and Bruce aren’t on best terms right now, even though he likely doesn’t know the details. But Bruce is professional and Dick should be able to keep his head in the game.

Should being the keyword. And yet he can’t stop watching as Bruce faces off against twelve robots, because something…something is wrong. His heart nearly leaps out of his chest as an energy beam misses Batman by an inch. Bruce should’ve dodged that. Easily. The man doesn’t try to split up his opponents, lead a group of them off to dispatch separately. No, he fights all of them at once. When a blow from one of their four arms strikes him in the stomach, Bruce doubles over. He grins, even as blood drips between his teeth, dribbling down his chin and into the snow.

Focus, Dick orders himself as he dodges an energy beam and rolls between one of the robot’s eight legs, scoring its underside with a batarang.

Batman spins, his cape a whirlwind as he pulls two more robots into the fight.

Dick watches an energy beam scorch Bruce’s arm, and suddenly it clicks. Bruce isn’t trying to keep himself safe.

This is all wrong.

---

Dick may have given his keys to Alfred—or, tossed them away in the Batcave where Alfred would find them, at least—but his Batcave access hasn’t been revoked. He had thought it might be, after the way he left, but he had other plans for if this didn’t work.

It’s 4 PM. Bruce should be upstairs in the Manor, but he’ll come down eventually. In the meantime, Dick has a case that he picked up in New York with potential ties to the League of Assassins. He needs to analyze a sample of poison, and the Batcomputer will be useful for that. Dick could probably call up Clark and get access to some Justice League equipment, but…the Batcomputer is probably best for the job.

It's a convenient excuse. Dick might not be allowed in the Manor, but Batman wouldn’t deny Nightwing access to the Batcave’s equipment, not when it could save lives.

This is going to be awkward as hell, if it doesn’t devolve into Round Two. But Dick can’t just stand by while Bruce gets himself killed.

Fuck. That’s what’s happening, isn’t it? He knows—he knows that Jason’s death hit all of them hard. Dick and Alfred, hell, the entire superhero community…but especially Bruce. He knows. But Dick never would’ve expected this. Not of Bruce.

When Dick climbs off his bike, he finds that the Batcave is not empty. In fact, Bruce is hunched over the Batcomputer, cowl off but uniform still on, the same burn marks from the fight still present. Bruce turns around at the sound of Dick’s footsteps, and Dick sees a bruise on the man’s jaw that wasn’t there before. He went on patrol, didn’t he? That reckless idiot. No patrol after League missions unless absolutely necessary, and Dick’s kept an eye on the news—it wasn’t necessary at all.

“Dick?” Bruce asks, like he can’t believe what he’s seeing. His voice is hoarse from exhaustion and his eyes are glazed. Dick doesn’t think Bruce has slept in days.

Dick pulls the poison sample out from his pocket and holds it up. Instead of the nod of acknowledgement Dick was expecting, Bruce’s shoulders slump.

“You need access to the Batcomputer?”

“Yeah,” Dick says softly. “Have you slept in the last forty-eight hours?” Bruce grunts in the negative. Yeah, Dick thought so. “Seventy-two?” Another grunt. Dick steps closer. He can see the bags under his father’s eyes, the exhaustion evident in his normally military posture. “I’m worried about you, Bruce,” he admits.

Surprise flickers across Bruce’s face. “I’m…relatively uninjured.”

“Not for lack of trying,” Dick says. Bruce looks off to the side. Dick walks over to stand by the second chair by the Batcomputer, the one normally reserved for Robin, and hovers there, uncertain.

“You should…you should sit,” Bruce says gruffly. Dick sits. He thinks they both know that this means something. “What is the sample? Do you need help with it?”

This is definitely a distraction tactic, but the sample is important too, so Dick takes the vial out of the plastic bag he was keeping it in and places it in one of the machines attached to the Batcomputer. The two vigilantes fall into a practiced rhythm, cycling through tests and databases until Dick’s fairly certain that the poison is a paralytic that comes from a region close to a League base in the Amazon. He wants to keep working, find something else that they haven’t considered yet, just to keep this comfortable companionship with Bruce. He misses it so much. But he came here for a reason. “If you keep this up,” Dick says as he turns back from the hazardous waste chute, “you’re going to get yourself killed. And I’m worried that you don’t seem to care.”

“I’ve always been devoted to my work,” Bruce argues, even as he doesn’t outright deny the accusation.

“Not like this,” Dick says. He looks around the cave, the mess of files cluttering the medical cots, the dust on the giant penny, the number of windows open on the Batcomputer. “Not like this,” he repeats. “Bruce, you need to slow down and…and think. How many of those blows could you have dodged during that battle? How many of your injuries could you have healed if you stayed in the League infirmary for even an hour?”

“That’s not your concern, Nightwing.”

“It is! Bruce, I…” Dick feels his heart clench. “You’re going to get yourself killed. It’s…it’s terrifying. I know after…” He trails off. “I know after everything, it’s hard. I get it, okay? But this? You can’t do this.”

Bruce’s fists clench. “I’m taking all normal precautions. You don’t need to worry.”

“I think I do, Bruce. You’ve never been reckless like this before. I mean, what does Alfred think?”

“Alfred left,” Bruce says shortly.

What? “He’s coming back, right?”

“…I don’t know,” Bruce admits. He shifts uncomfortable. “Alfred…he said he couldn’t stay and watch this. So I asked him to take a vacation.”

“And he left? Just like that?” Alfred has dealt with a stubborn Bruce for far too long to just leave when commanded. There’s something that Bruce isn’t saying. And Bruce is perfectly capable of hiding things, so either this is something so bad that Bruce can’t hide it or, deep down, Bruce doesn’t want to hide it.

“There was a fight with Two-Face. It went badly. Alfred…had the same opinion that you do now.”

“Holy shit,” Dick says. “And you think you’re just fine and dandy?”

“I think,” Bruce says slowly, “that how I fight is my business.”

“Not if…not when you’re like this.”

“I’m fine.”

“Would you tell me if you weren’t?” Dick takes a deep breath and accesses the post-patrol reports, running a quick script. The list of injuries—far, far more extensive than it should be—prints out before his eyes. Dick’s stomach turns.

“You shouldn’t be looking at that,” Bruce says, almost apologetically.

“Then you shouldn’t get hurt,” Dick hisses. “What the hell, B? This isn’t…this isn’t recklessness.” He can’t bring himself to say the proper words. “This is deliberate.”

The air sits heavy in the Batcave. “I think you should go,” Bruce says.

“No.” Dick takes a deep breath. After seeing this…his breath catches as he stares at the list, and he forces himself to look away and face Bruce. Dick can’t leave. “I’m not leaving you alone. I shouldn’t have left you alone while you were grieving, but…I can’t. I can’t leave and come back to realize you’re dead. Don’t do this to me, Bruce.”

“I’m not—”

“Bruce, please.”

“Dick, you’re making—”

Yeah, Dick doesn’t want to hear how that sentence ends. “You clearly don’t care if you live or die.” Dick stands up. “Well, guess what, asshole? I care! I’m staying here where I can keep an eye on you and make sure I don’t wake up one day to the news of your corpse. And if you don’t want me to stay, then I’ll just live in the Batcave! And—and if you kick me out of here too, then I’ll follow you on patrol and fucking tranq you and take you to Clark. So what’ll it be?”

“Dick—”

Dick can feel the tears welling up in his eyes. He rarely cries anymore, but all he can think of is losing Bruce, so soon after he lost Jason. Dick can’t do that. He can’t lose another father, another family member. Not like this. “Jason wouldn’t want you to die, Jason would want you to live. And I need you to live. So I’m going to make damn well sure you do, no matter what you say!”

“Chum, I—”

Fuck, the tears are falling now. Dick wipes his eyes with his sleeve. “I don’t care if it’s selfish, you are not going to die. I won’t let you.”

Suddenly, Dick feels Bruce’s arms around him, pulling him close. Dick sinks into Bruce’s chest and slings his arms around Bruce’s waist. Bruce is alive. Dick will make sure he stays that way. He won’t lose him.

“If you’re willing to stay, I would…I would greatly appreciate it,” Bruce says. He doesn’t pull away. Dick clings close, afraid to let go.

---

On patrol, Nightwing sticks close to Batman’s side. It should be suffocating, but it’s better than the fear that freezes his lungs whenever the two vigilantes get separated. Dick leaps into fight after fight, brandishing escrima sticks and cracking jokes like it’s the only thing that’ll keep him afloat. Dick is painfully aware that if he can’t keep a light heart, then no one will. There is no Robin around to light the way. Nightwing will have to be enough.

It's hard, though, when Dick sees Jason on every rooftop and the Joker laughing in every shadow. It’s hard, when Dick realizes he hasn’t contacted his friends for two weeks—and none of them have contacted him. It’s hard, when Dick and Bruce trade nights of nightmares.

The first time Dick hears Bruce screaming at night, he throws himself out of bed, terrified that the Manor is under attack. But when he reaches Bruce’s door, he can hear the man crying and sobbing inside. This is wrong. Batman doesn’t have nightmares, Batman doesn’t cry out in his sleep. Dick hovers outside the door, uncertain, unwilling to cross that boundary.

Should he go in? When Dick was a child, he was always welcome after one of his own nightmares. But Dick is no longer a child, and Bruce having nightmares is completely uncharted territory.

Dick should leave. This isn’t his place. But he can’t bring himself to go back to sleep when he knows Bruce is suffering.

Slowly, he rests against the wall to Bruce’s room and slides down to the floor. He leans his head back, closes his eyes, and listens as every cry stabs at his heart. Eventually, it stops, and Dick drifts off until morning.

The next night, Dick dreams that he is sitting with Barbara in a small, quaint coffee shop. Outside the window, every adult is dressed as Batman and every child as Robin, but inside, Dick is just Dick and Barbara is just Barbara. “Don’t look at them,” Barbara says. “It doesn’t matter.”

And then she’s choking, doubled over with the Joker standing behind her, his bloody red lips twisted into a smile. His hand is buried in her back.

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Joker grins. “I can just twist, and—oops!”

Barbara falls to the ground. “Dick, help me! Dick, please, I can’t move.”

Outside, all the children drop dead. The coffee shop is on fire.

“Why?” Dick asks the Joker.

The monster laughs and laughs and laughs, and with every second his face loses its pallor and his grin shifts into a grimace, until Dick finds himself staring at Bruce.

“No,” he tries to say, but it doesn’t come out. He stumbles, only to find his back pressed into a wall. “No, wait—”

Bruce plunges his hand into Dick’s chest. Dick can feel it close around his heart. “Jason is dead.”

All the dead Robins outside sit up and twist their heads at unnatural angles. Their Batmen pick them up and hold them, like an army of despair.

“Jason is dead,” Bruce repeats, and Dick knows it’s an accusation, but—

“It’s not my fault,” he insists.

“These are your colors,” Bruce says. Dick looks down. He’s wearing a yellow shirt and green tights, and Bruce’s hand is still clenched around his heart. “Yellow. And green. It’s only missing the red.” And then Bruce pulls.

Dick watches, frozen, as his father holds a bloody, pulsating heart in his hands.

“I would give this to Jason if I could,” Bruce says. “But it’s not enough.” His grimace twists even further. “You’re useless to me.” He tosses the heart to the side. Around them, the flames burn brighter and brighter.

Dick wakes up screaming, with Bruce at his side.

Immediately, he pushes himself up into a seated position, flicking on his lamp and breathing heavily as he tries to force the dream from his mind.

“I’m sorry,” Bruce says. “I had to check. I heard you screaming. I had to check.”

And three years ago, Dick would’ve been angry. Would’ve ranted about invasions of privacy and paranoia. Instead, he slides off the edge of the bed, wraps his arms around Bruce, and lets his father hold him close. “I’m fine,” Dick says, wishing he believed it. “I’m fine. You’re fine. Everyone’s—” He chokes on the word. Jason.

“You’re alive,” Bruce whispers, as Dick buries his face in Bruce’s chest.

---

“Where were you?” Bruce asks as Dick pokes at his mac and cheese. They’ve been eating the most basic meals possible. Too much takeout and the papers will start to speculate. “I needed to consult with you on the Michaelson case.”

Dick sighs. This is why he moved out. Bruce does not need to know where he is at all times.

And yet, Dick gets it. Bruce didn’t keep track of Jason.

“I was looking for a job.”

Bruce’s brows furrow. “A job? Why?”

Dick rolls his eyes. Seriously? “A job. To earn money. You know, that thing that buys food?”

“I have plenty of money,” Bruce says, like he doesn’t see the problem there.

“I’m not mooching off of you,” Dick insists.

“It’s not…mooching. I’m happy to support you.”

Rich people. Seriously. “You don’t get it, B. I’ve got to get a job. Save up. Be independent.”

“You don’t need a job, Dick. Besides, you’re twenty-one. If you were in college, I would still be paying for everything.”

“Bruce.”

“Dick.”

“You don’t get it,” Dick says. He can feel his frustration rising. “I’m not going to be living with you or the Titans forever. You get that, right? This is temporary.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” Bruce says, looking down at his plate.

Dick stands up. “Seriously, B?” He moved back into the Manor to help Bruce out of the funk he’s in, not to staypermanently. But Bruce doesn’t seem to have caught onto that.

“You can stay as long as you want.”

Dick is already sacrificing everything he built by staying here. And he’s willing to do it, he is, but Bruce doesn’t seem to realize just what Dick has lost. “I don’t want to stay forever. I have a life. I have friends. I don’t exist solely for your stupid fucking mission!”

Bruce stands up too. “Richard John Grayson!”

“Oh, the full name, huh?” Dick scoffs. “You’re not my father, Bruce. And if you want me to give a fuck about language, then get Alfred back. Oh, wait—you drove him away!”

“At least I know where Alfred is! When you run off, you don’t tell me where. And when Jason ran off, he got himself killed!”

“I’m not Jason!” Dick screams. “And I’m a grown adult, I don’t have to tell you anything! You don’t own me and you don’t own my life!”

“Then you don’t have any right to dictate how I live mine!”

“I have the right to make sure you fucking live!”

They’re both heaving for air, fists clenched as they stand over the dinner table. Suddenly, the guilt hits, filling Dick’s lungs. It all just ran away from him, the whole fight spiraling and spiraling and spiraling. Dick didn’t mean for it to go like this. And instead of storming out, like he normally does after a fight with Bruce, he just slumps over and stands there, head hung.

“I don’t want to fight,” Dick says, eventually.

“I…I don’t want to fight either, Dick.” Bruce looks so very tired.

“I didn’t mean it,” Dick whispers.

“I know,” Bruce says.

“I just want to help.”

Bruce pulls him close. “I know.”

---

“Bet you can’t keep up, B!” Dick shouts, diving off a skyscraper. He shoots his grappling hook before he jumps. Bruce does not.

The two race through the rooftops, Dick adding in unnecessary acrobatics and Bruce replicating them, though not quite as elegantly. In theory, they’re patrolling. In practice, it’s the closest they get to a game.

The last time Bruce and Dick raced across Gotham’s rooftops, Dick was fourteen. The next time Dick thought Batman was looking down and tried to start the chase, Bruce growled at him to focus. Dick didn’t stop trying for another year.

Dick tries to push the dismal thoughts from his head. What matters is the here and now. The thrill of the wind blowing through his hair, the swooping in his stomach as he falls, the laughter that spills past his lips. This is how Batman and Robin used to be.

Did Jason do this with Bruce too?

Dick mistimes his landing and stumbles, forcing himself into a sloppy roll. When he lands on his feet, his shoulder is aching. That’s going to bruise, and bad.

Bruce, in the middle of copying one of Dick’s flips, doesn’t notice. Dick forces a grin onto his face and rushes forwards.

As he somersaults over the gap between the next two buildings, he notices a man threatening a scrawny teenager with a knife in the alley below. “You go on ahead, B!” Dick shouts. “You could use the head start!”

He makes short work of the mugger and ties him up for the police.

“Wait,” the kid calls out as Dick turns to leave. Dick pauses. “Can I…can I report something?”

Dick shifts his body language, trying to make himself appear open. “Sure!” He says cheerily—but not overly cheerily, just enough to be encouraging.

“There’s this tunnel,” the kid explains. “Some of us—I mean, some of my friends—go there to paint. I mean, I don’t. But some guys I know do.” Their shoulders hunch defensively. Dick’s not buying it for a second, but Batman and Nightwing don’t hunt down graffiti artists. “These guys came along one day, wearing these weird masks, and said we all had to get out. So I—I mean, my friends left. But some people were like, ‘screw it,’ and stayed, and no one’s seen them in days.”

That certainly sounds concerning. “What sort of masks?”

“Like, clowns. Hey, do you think it’s the Joker?”

“Maybe,” Dick says. Probably. But the Joker’s still in Arkham right now, so what’s he playing at? “What else can you tell me?”

By the time he’s got all the information the kid has, Dick knows Bruce is far ahead of him. He races along the patrol route, not bothering to do any fancy acrobatics. A few minutes later, Dick hears the sound of grunts from yet another alleyway and sighs, dropping down to join the fray.

Except, it isn’t much of a fray at all. There are two men lying on the ground, unconscious, one of them bleeding, a tiny kid cowering a few feet away against a building, and Batman straddling a third man, pummeling him in the face.

Dick freezes, taking the scene in. One of the unconscious men has half his limbs bent at artificial angles. The other appears to be bleeding from the temple and has a batarang pinned through his hand (batarangs aren’t supposed to be that sharp). And the kid, the kid is shivering, his arms wrapped around his knees as he pushes himself into the corner between the building’s wall and a dumpster. He’s wearing a ragged red hoodie and his face is far too gaunt to be healthy. Homeless, probably.

Another grunt pulls Dick’s gaze toward the third man, who Bruce is taking an unusually long time to subdue. Or—that can’t be right, because he already seems to be unconscious, not even moving as Bruce strikes him again and again. “Batman?” Dick asks hesitantly, stepping forward. Bruce doesn’t respond. He aims another strike at the criminal’s face and Dick hears a distinct crack. “B, I think you got him,” Dick says, his voice shaking ever-so-slightly. Another grunt. Another strike. This is wrong. The man is already unconscious. They’re supposed to tie him up and leave, why is Bruce still attacking him? “B!” Dick orders. “That’s enough!”

But nothing seems to be getting through. Bruce grabs the man’s shirt collar and slams him against the ground. His head bounces off the pavement, and all Dick can think of is that Bruce is going to kill this man, if he’s not already dead. Dick rushes forward and shoves Bruce in the shoulder as hard as he can. Bruce reacts instinctively, throwing a wild fist that Dick easily ducks, but now Batman’s standing up, and he’s not hitting the man anymore, so it’s—it’s okay.

Bruce freezes. “Dick—”

No names in the field. No names in the field. That’s all Dick can think of. Bruce is the stickler for that rule, but even Dick only ever breaks it when on rooftops, far away from the action. But here, in an alleyway in the middle of Gotham, with a witness…

Bruce is compromised. Dick knew it already, but not like this. He pictures Bruce’s fists pummeling the criminal again and again and feels…sick.

“What the hell was that?” Dick accuses.

“I didn’t mean—I didn’t see you. I didn’t know it was you.”

Dick laughs harshly. That’s what Bruce is focusing on? “Forget about me, what about him?”

Bruce tilts his head to look at the criminal lying on the ground. He swallows.

Dick kneels down and checks for a pulse. He finds one, thank god. Faint, but present. “He’s alive,” Dick reports. “But you could have killed him.”

Bruce just stares. Dick takes out the encrypted burner phone all of them carry and dials 911. Bruce watches silently as Dick says that an ambulance is needed. Dick throws a disgusted look at Bruce. Clearly he’s not going to be any help, and there’s still a terrified street kid to deal with. Thankfully, the kid looks too out of it to have heard Dick’s name, but if he’s still there when the ambulance arrives, he’ll get taken by CPP. And Dick knows that kids in Gotham often have a very good reason to avoid social workers.

“Hey,” Dick says softly, kneeling down a few feet away from the kid. The boy just shakes even harder. “I’m Nightwing.” Normally, he tells kids in Gotham that he works with Batman. But with what the kid just saw…Dick doesn’t even know if that’ll help him right now. “I fight the bad guys,” he says instead. The kid shifts, but looks at him with blank, blue eyes. Black hair, blue eyes, red hoodie…around ten to twelve years old…he looks like Jason, in his early days at Wayne Manor. “Can you tell me your name?”

The sound of sirens fills the air and suddenly, like a marionette, the kid jumps to his feet and takes off running. Dick doesn’t follow him. If the kid had the presence of mind to run, he probably has somewhere to go.

“Cave,” Dick says, voice hard. “Now.”

---

In the cave, Dick paces. Motion has always helped him think. But here, it doesn’t seem to be enough. What can Dick possibly say? Bruce was always the one who held him back, until Dick accepted the no-kill rule as part of his identity. But if Dick hadn’t gotten there in time…

A sick feeling churns in his gut. Batman wasn’t stopping. Batman would’ve killed that man.

If Dick wasn’t here, Bruce would be a murderer.

Dick gags and just barely holds down his light dinner. This is wrong. It isn’t supposed to be like this. This isn’t who Bruce is.

But maybe, this is who Bruce is now.

“You almost killed someone,” Dick says quietly, stopping to face Bruce, who stands over by Jason’s display case with his cowl off. Dick hates that damn thing. A GOOD SOLDIER. Like Jason was a soldier who died in a war. Like he made a choice to serve. Like he wasn’t a child in over his head who should have been protected by his family.

“You stopped me in time.”

“What if I wasn’t there?” Dick asks. Dick was trying to help, but…Bruce seemed to be improving. Just an hour ago, they were racing through Gotham. Dick thought he heard Bruce chuckle. How did everything change so fast? Will Dick ever be able to trust that Bruce is improving?

“But you were,” Bruce says, his voice filled with some emotion that Dick is too tired to name.

Dick was there, but he can’t always be, can he? Not all the time. He was willing to save Bruce from himself. He didn’t know he’d have to save Gotham from Bruce.

Dick steps forward and raises a hand to the glass display case. He looks at the costume, so similar to his own old circus leotard. These aren’t the clothes Jason died in. They aren’t burnt and tattered and stained with blood. It seems wrong, to remember Jason like this. With shining glass and a clean costume and a plaque.

But Dick can’t say he knew Jason well enough to decide on the right way to remember him.

“The kid looked like Jason.” Dick says it like a question, even though it isn’t one. “That’s why you were so…” Violent? That’s the understatement of the century. Batman’s always been violent, but he’s also always been kind, and that kindness was nowhere to be found in that alleyway.

“Yes,” Bruce says, and his voice shakes. Dick wants to pull him close and hug him, but he doesn’t think it would be appreciated right now. Dick’s not even sure if he could stomach it. This is Bruce, his mentor, his second father in every way that matters, but…but he just almost beat a man to death. His gauntlets are still bloody. “They were going to…”

“I know,” Dick interrupts before Bruce can continue. He places a hesitant hand on Bruce’s shoulder. “Bruce, Jason wouldn’t…Jason wouldn’t want this.”

Bruce goes stiff and takes a step back, forcing Dick’s hand away. “Don’t talk about what Jason would want,” he says, voice cold.

“He wouldn’t,” Dick says. He knows…he knows that this is a surefire way to start a fight, but he needs to get through to Bruce. He needs the real Bruce back. “Jason believed in Robin, believed in Batman. He would want you to be the man he…the man he believed in.”

Bruce shakes his head. “You have no idea.”

Dick steps forward. “Then tell me.”

“Jason killed Felipe Garzonas.” What? Dick cycles through cases in his head, but he wasn’t particularly involved in Gotham during Jason’s time as Robin. He doesn’t know who that is. “He said the man slipped. I wasn’t sure at the time. I wanted to believe him. But he didn’t even try to make the story convincing.”

Dick closes his eyes. “Jason,” he whispers.

“Garzonas had diplomatic immunity. Much like the Joker did shortly after Jason’s death. He...he was a rapist. He tormented a woman until she hung herself. And Jason went after him alone. I arrived to see Garzonas hit the ground, after falling from the top of a building with a railing.”

“He said he didn’t,” Dick protests weakly. “Jason wouldn’t.”

“Don’t pretend to know what Jason would or wouldn’t do.”

That’s fair, Dick supposes. He still…he still struggles to wrap his head around the idea of Jason killing, Jason who proclaimed Robin to be magic. And Bruce doesn’t know for sure. But whether Jason pushed Garzonas or not, that doesn’t change what Dick saw in that alleyway. “You almost killed someone, Bruce. What would have happened if he hadn’t had a pulse?”

Bruce’s every muscle stills. “What would you have me do?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

Bruce turns to face Dick, meeting his eyes. “If I had killed him, what would you say I do next?”

Why is Bruce asking Dick of all people? Batman doesn’t kill. (Neither does Robin.) It’s just how it is. Batman doesn’t. “Batman doesn’t kill,” Dick says. But that’s not an answer, is it? Bruce looks at him, like he’s waiting for more. This isn’t a situation Dick’s ever considered. He’s thought about what would happen if he failed. As Robin, he always figured Bruce would disown him, kick him out permanently and leave him to fend for himself. As Nightwing, he figured Bruce would put him to Arkham. “Batman doesn’t kill,” Dick repeats. “I don’t…what do you want me to say, Bruce?”

“Would you place me in Arkham?” Bruce asks. “I wouldn’t…I wouldn’t stop you.”

“No,” Dick says, before he can even think about it. Immediately, he wants to take it back. Of course he should put Batman in Arkham. If someone kills in Gotham, they’re a criminal, and if they wear a mask, they’re a Rogue. Bruce should berate him, tell him that Batman is no different, that if he kills, it’s Dick’s duty to stop him. But Bruce just watches Dick closely. Not like this is a test…like he genuinely wants to hear Dick’s answer. “I’d. I’d. I don’t know.” Maybe Bruce could throw Dick in Arkham. Probably could. But Dick doesn’t think he could do that to Bruce. “Batman doesn’t kill,” Dick repeats for a third time, clinging to it like a lifeline. He can feel tears welling up in his eyes. He turns around so that Bruce won’t see. “We don’t kill. It’s the first rule you taught me.”

“I know,” Bruce says quietly. “We don’t kill,” he agrees.

“I don’t think you should patrol right now.”

“Gotham needs me,” Bruce protests.

Dick turns around. “One week. I can handle Gotham for one week, and then you’ll be back out in the field. Okay?”

There’s a long silence, before Bruce eventually nods.

“Okay,” Dick says. “Pull yourself together, Grayson,” he mutters under his breath. It doesn’t help.

---

Fifty-six hours later, Dick wakes up from his third nightmare of the night. All he can see is Bruce’s body burnt and disfigured, bones clattering like a skeleton as he cries out again and again, “Why didn’t you save me?”Dick stumbles through the hallway, reaches Bruce’s door and, against his better instincts, opens it.

It doesn’t bring relief, though. All Dick can see are blankets, and that’s not enough. He shuffles over to the bed, wincing as the floorboards creak. And he can see Bruce, but his mind whispers insidiously. What if it’s an illusion? What if he’s not there? What if he’s dead? Tentatively, Dick raises a hand to touch Bruce’s face.

“Dick?” Bruce asks blearily, and Dick jumps back.

“I had to check,” Dick justifies.

“I’m here,” Bruce says. He raises a hand, slightly, letting it slip outside his blankets. Dick grabs the hand and holds it tight, fingers twisting around to feel Bruce’s heartbeat.

“You’re here,” Dick echoes.

---

On day four of Bruce’s forced break, the Joker, Killer Croc, and the Riddler break out of Arkham. Dick reluctantly admits that he needs help and tells Bruce that he’s back to being Batman.

“Are you sure, Dick?” Bruce asks quietly.

“I trust you,” Dick says. He doesn’t know if that’s a lie or not. Either way, it’s impossible to miss the flash of guilt on Bruce’s face. “We’ll stick together. No splitting off.”

Bruce nods. “Thank you, Dick.”

“Nothing to thank me for.”

Dick watches Bruce like a hawk. Although he hits perhaps a bit too hard, it’s nothing like the excessive violence Dick saw in that alleyway. Bruce is more reluctant to get hurt when Dick is watching, and Dick is sure to block the strikes that Bruce doesn’t avoid.

They finish patrol at 5:31 AM, battered and sore and exhausted, but Killer Croc has been returned to Arkham, and they have a lead on the Joker. That tunnel the graffiti kid mentioned may look clear now, but sooner or later, the Joker is liable to show up.

After one too many nightmares, they give up on boundaries. Dick humors Bruce’s first idea, which is to put cameras in their rooms to check on each other at night, but neither of them is satisfied that someone isn’t just looping the feed. When Dick finds himself checking on Bruce at four in the morning, Bruce mutters deliriously, “just stay, Dick.”

So Dick crawls next to him and falls asleep to the sound of Bruce’s heartbeat. He doesn’t have any more nightmares that night.

---

Donna calls. The Titans have been on another off-planet mission. She asks if Dick is coming back soon.

“I don’t know,” Dick says. “Bruce is…Bruce isn’t doing well.”

Dick can practically hear her purse her lips over the phone. Dick and Donna tell each other everything. “You’re living with him again?”

“Yeah,” Dick says. “Yeah, I…I am. Look, it’s really bad, Donna. I had to do something.”

“You don’t owe him anything.”

“I wanted to help him,” Dick says.

“Yeah,” Donna says. She sounds resigned. “Just…be careful, Dick. Please.”

“Always am.”

That’s a lie. They both know it.

---

The Joker returns to the tunnel that his henchmen set up. Along with him goes the Riddler.

Dick knows that with two villains, they’ll probably get split up. So when Bruce says that he’ll take the Joker and Dick will rescue the hostages playing one of the Riddler’s games, Dick holds out an escrima stick to stop him in his tracks.

“What?” Bruce growls.

“You get the hostages, B. I’ll deal with the Joker.”

“I don’t want you facing him alone.”

“Tough luck,” Dick says. Bruce may not be beating street-level thugs to near-death right now, but Dick doesn’t trust him against the Joker. Hell, Dick doesn’t even fully trust himself. “I can take care of myself.”

“Fine,” Bruce agrees reluctantly. Dick can see how difficult it is for the man, allowing Dick to face the Joker, and he’s grateful that Bruce manages to agree.

They split ways. Dick follows the tunnel, disarming booby traps until he finds the Joker perched atop a throne. Dick sighs.

“This ends here,” Dick says. “Whatever fucked-up scheme you concocted now, it’s over. I’d recommend you come quietly.” He bares his teeth. “Wouldn’t want to give me an excuse.”

The Joker doesn’t respond. Dick steps closer, wary of traps. Another step. Another step. Something’s off about the Joker. Something’s really off.

Another step. The Joker’s face has a waxy sheen.

Another step. That’s not just some bad makeup. That’s…

Dick spots the bomb strapped to the wax figure’s back.

“Fuck.”

His first instinct is to run, but a cave-in here could be disastrous. He tries to estimate the distance he travelled, and he guesses he’s right underneath the Narrows right now. And Dick does not trust Gotham tunnel inspectors.

Dick rushes forward. Two minutes on the clock. Only one bomb, as far as he can tell.

He makes quick work of it. A minute in, and the bomb’s disabled. Dick looks around. He must be missing something. A trap’s never just a trap, with the Joker. It’s never this easy.

Fear shoots through Dick. Of course. It’s not a trap for him. It’s a trap for Batman.

Dick takes off in the direction of the Riddler’s game, where he assumes the Joker will also be.

He arrives just in time to see the bullet hit.

Brain matter splatters all over his face, and Dick can’t breathe.

---

“Dick.”

Dick isn’t here. He isn’t. He isn’t here. Not here.

This is a nightmare.

Dick has had this nightmare before. He picks up a gun and shoots the Joker, and it feels good. Bruce picks up a gun and shoots himself. Bruce picks up a gun and shoots Jason. Bruce shoots the Joker. Bruce shoots the Joker. Bruce shoots the Joker.

“Batman doesn’t kill,” Dick whispers, but it’s a lie. It’s a fucking lie. Batman doesn’t kill, but Dick watched him shoot the Joker and he doesn’t even know how it happened. Just that the Joker’s head exploded and Bruce stared at him and then said, quietly, “I’m sorry, Dick,” and then everything went sort of fuzzy and—

His lips feel disconnected from his body. He wants to talk, to scream, to beg. To ask why. Why did Bruce do this? Bruce, who hates guns with his whole soul. Who sees the good in everyone. Who could never kill.

Was Dick just lying to himself this whole time? Pretending like he could help Bruce, like he was what Bruce needed, like he could stand in for the magic of Robin?

Cold water hits Dick’s face. It’s a decontamination shower. Why is he in a decontamination shower?

Blood runs out of his hair, flowing off his suit and swirling around the drain. Oh. That’s why.

The Joker is dead. Dick knows that, because Bruce checked for a pulse, face stony. Bruce killed the Joker. And Dick didn’t stop him.

Because Dick could have jumped in front of that bullet. There was a split-second, where he saw Bruce’s finger tense on the trigger. Where he knew what was going to happen. And he watched. He watched it happen.

The water turns off. Someone presses a towel into Dick’s hands. He just stares at it blankly, before sliding down to sit on the stone floor. He should change out of the Nightwing suit, probably. But it’s so difficult to even twitch one of his fingers. Bruce sits down a few feet away from him.

“You killed him,” Dick says eventually.

“Yes,” Bruce agrees. “I did.”

“Why?”

“He had a detonator. He was going to kill the hostages. And I didn’t know where you were—he might have. He might have killed you too.” Bruce wraps an arm around Dick’s shoulders. Dick feels empty inside. He should—he should feel revolted, shouldn’t he? This is a—this is a killer.

(But this is his father. This is Bruce.)

“You always find another way,” Dick says.

“I didn’t want to.” Bruce inhales deeply. “I’m sorry, Dick. I’m sorry that this happened. But I’m not sorry for what I did.”

Dick closes his eyes. He can smell blood, thick and metallic. Can practically taste it. But he also smells Bruce, and the unique scent of the Batcave, and—

How did it end up like this? Dick was supposed to help.

“I’m sorry,” he ends up whispering. “I failed you, Bruce. I’m so sorry.”

Bruce pulls him close. Dick can feel himself start to cry. He doesn’t deserve to cry. He’s just as responsible for this as Bruce. “You didn’t fail me,” Bruce promises.

“I did,” Dick mumbles. “I did, I failed you. I failed you.”

“Don’t say that,” Bruce tries to order, but Dick’s never been good at following orders. “You did not.”

Dick swallows. “You were always there to catch me and I…I let you fall.”

A hand runs through his hair. Dick lets himself rest against Bruce. They’re murderers, the both of them. Dick doesn’t want to pull away and find out what comes next. “Dick, look at me. Please.” Reluctantly, Dick opens his eyes to look up. “This is not your fault. This was my decision alone, and you couldn’t have…you couldn’t have stopped me.”

But Bruce doesn’t get it. It was his decision, but it was a decision Dick let him make. Dick knew Bruce shouldn’t be out in the field. He knew he shouldn’t split from Bruce when hunting down the Joker. He knew that Batman was violent and dangerous and unpredictable, but he couldn’t see past Bruce.

Dick still can’t see past Bruce. Because he should be fighting him and throwing him in containment, but he’s not, he’s not. He’s just letting Bruce hold him, comfort him, lie to him.

Suddenly, a horrible thought strikes Dick. It takes root in his stomach, and grows and grows and grows until he can’t ignore it. It makes too much sense. “This isn’t the first time,” Dick whispers, “is it?”

Bruce lowers his head. “No, Dick, it isn’t.”

Dick pushes himself away from Bruce and stands up. Bruce stays seated. “When?” He demands.

“Before you got here. I stopped caring. I only…I only realized he was dead after I left the scene. I went back, and there wasn’t any pulse. I didn’t mean to,” Bruce says, like that matters.

Dick doesn’t know what to say to that. “That’s why Alfred left, isn’t it?” Bruce nods. Dick tries to wipe the tears from his eyes. “I should take you to Arkham.”

“Okay,” Bruce says, resignation filling his voice.

“I need to stop you,” Dick says. “I—you’ve gone too far. You’ve broken all your own rules. I need to.”

Bruce just closes his eyes.

“Say something!” Dick shouts.

Bruce looks straight up at Dick. “I accept your judgement.”

“You’re supposed to fight me,” Dick screams. “You’re supposed to say you’re right, you’re supposed to tell me I’m wrong, you’re supposed to put me in a cell until I agree, you’re not supposed to just come quietly!”

“I’m not going to fight you.” Bruce swallows. “You’ve always been better than me, Dick.”

Dick laughs. “That’s why you let me come to the Manor, isn’t it? It’s not because you wanted me back. It’s because you wanted me to judge you! I was a fool for thinking I was welcome, wasn’t I?”

“No,” Bruce says. It’s finally something other than the quiet acceptance of before. Arguing feels right. “No, Dick. I…I wanted you to stay. It was selfish. I let you stay against my better judgement. I didn’t want you involved at all, to know about this. I wanted to spare you this burden. And I’m sorry that I couldn’t.”

Dick kneels down next to Bruce. “I don’t think I can put you in Arkham.” It’s true, and Dick hates himself for it.

“That’s okay, Dick,” Bruce says. “Should I turn myself in?”

Dick closes his eyes. “Don’t put this on me, Bruce. Don’t—don’t do that. Don’t make this my responsibility.”

“There’s always room for you in the League,” Bruce says softly. “You have Clark and Diana’s respect. And, of course, there’s Titans. If you can’t stay, if you can’t have any part in this, I understand.”

Dick shakes his head and settles so he’s leaning against the wall only inches away from Bruce. Bruce doesn’t reach out to him again. “I already have a part in this.”

“You don’t, Dick. I swear you don’t.”

“I should have been there,” Dick whispers. “I left you. I left you to grieve alone after Jason’s death. I knew I should’ve pushed. I knew I shouldn’t have left. I—”

“No,” Bruce says harshly. “No. I made you leave. You made the right decision. No one would blame you for leaving after that. The fact that—the fact that you came back at all is a miracle.”

And Dick can’t help himself. He reaches for Bruce’s wrist and twists his fingers around to feel the pulse. And it’s there, it’s there, strong. Alive.

“I understand, Dick, if you can’t follow me down this road. I understand if you need to stop me.”

“I can’t stop you,” Dick admits.

“That’s okay, Chum.”

Dick leans his head against Bruce’s shoulder. “I don’t want to leave.”

“Okay.”

“I know I should,” Dick says. Bruce doesn’t deny it. “I want to stay. I want you to live.”

“You will always be welcome here. Even if you decide you can’t be here anymore.”

“What would Jason think of us now?” Dick asks.

“I don’t know,” Bruce whispers.

Did Jason push Garzonas? Or did the rapist slip? Would Jason have approved of Bruce killing the Joker? Or would he see it as a betrayal?

Neither of them can ask him. Neither of them can turn back time, and neither of them can speak to the dead.

“What happens next?” Dick asks.

Bruce’s hand cards through Dick’s hair once more, slow and soothing. “We go on.”

#dick grayson #fanfiction #batman #batman fanfiction #dc fanfiction #dick grayson fanfiction #batfamily #batfam #dc comics #dc #dcu #fanfic

[duskyashe]

CAMP NANO DAY 14

[AO3]

========={·§·}=========

Bruce was going to regret coming to the watchtower today, he could tell. He could already feel the headache coming on.

"Okay, okay, next round! Fuck, marry, kill, billionaires who aren't total assholes! Michael Holt, Simon Stagg, and Bruce Wayne, I'll go first!"

Today's meeting was listed as team bonding. Playing preteen girl games was not what he'd had in mind.

"Oh you know I have to go with fuck Bruce Wayne, I mean, have you seen that man? He makes himbo look hot—"

Dick's not-so-silent laughter from his spot next to Bruce was not helping things in the least. If he didn't love his son as much as he did, and if he wasn't 100% sure Cass and Damian would murder him in his sleep if he did, he would have silenced his oldest one way or another after the third time he nearly fell out of his chair from laughing so hard.

"I'd have to say fuck Holt, marry Wayne, and kill Stagg, Lois would kill me if I said otherwise," Clark answered thoughtfully, though the smirk he was failing to hide bellied his amusement at the entire situation.

I should have kept the lead lining in the cowl, Bruce thought darkly as he fought not to glare at the Man of Steel while Dick finally succeeded in falling off his chair. The rest of the League, sadly, were already used to Nightwing's eccentricities and gamely continued on as they were.

"—marry Bruce Wayne so I can seduce his fortune from him—"

The Dark Knight had to exercise his iron self control to keep himself from groaning out loud at that comment. Please, for the love of Alfred, will someone pick to kill me?

"I honestly can't decide if I'd want to fuck Brucie or marry him more, they both have their advantages—"

Finally, it was his son's turn, and Bruce's dread grew by leaps and bounds. He knew that grin. He knew Dick was a full grown adult, but the urge to ground him had never been so strong and the younger man hadn't even opened his mouth yet.

"For reasons I will not be disclosing at this time but might possibly include the nickname potentials, I would fuck Mike, marry Brucie, and kill Simon. Thank you for coming to my TED talk!"

And then it was his turn. Bruce shot his son a Look, before turning to the rest of the League. Pretty much everyone else had gone already, and the urge to decline participating in this round was strong, very strong, but then Hal Jordan opened his mouth and issued a challenge. And if there was one thing raising so many kids had instilled in him, it was the inability to back down from a challenge.

"So, tall, dark, and scary, what'll it be? Are you going to marry Bruce Wayne so he can fund all of your sick gadgets, seduce his money from him like Plastic Man? Maybe you'll be a gentle lover to him like Aquaman here. Or maybe Brucie is the one person in the world you break your code for. Come on, what d'ya got for us?"

And Bruce—Bruce thinks about it. It's been years since he first joined the League, he's gone on countless missions with these men and women, trusted them to watch his son's back when he couldn't, and he finds his decision already made for him. Plus, there's another thing raising so many kids had given him—comedic timing. Discreetly checking to see if Dick was still recording, even after his mishap with the physics of sitting on a chair properly, Bruce turned to stare the Lantern down.

"Jordan, I have no desire to fuck, marry, or kill Bruce Wayne, either literally or figuratively."

Bruce could see the protests forming at the tip of the pilot's tongue. Clark diligently tried to suppress his own laughter while Dick was staring at Bruce in amazed glee. Before Hal could properly express his protests, Bruce reached up and removed his cowl, working his hand through his sweaty hair in annoyance before turning a deadpan look on the man, one eyebrow raised in a pale imitation of Alfred's Look.

"I trust you can understand why?"

As the collective members of the Justice League burst into shocked screeches of denial and protest, with Clark's warm chuckles and Dick's own roaring laughter acting as counterpoints to the background noise, Bruce couldn't help but smirk. He still felt a headache coming on, now from the noise rather than from the meeting itself, but overall, he can't say he regretted how it had turned out.

========={·§·}=========

So this one came from a pin I saw on Pinterest, which I sadly have not been able to find the original Tumblr thread for, about the League playing fuck, marry, kill with pre-identity-reveal!Bruce lol I read it out loud to my boyfriend, who ended up laughing as hard as I was, and he told me I should write it, so I did! ^⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠^ If anyone wants to send me a link to the original thread so I can link it here, that'd be amazing, cuz I want to properly credit the people who inspired me to write this in the first place (⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)⁠♡

Also, I feel like I've been saying this a lot recently, but I apologize for not posting yesterday, I had a really long and fun day out with my boyfriend and ended up having neither the time nor the desire to write anything by the time we got back home ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠⊙⁠_⁠ʖ⁠⊙⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯ before he flew out here, I hadn't seen him in a month, and before that, it had been almost a year, so I'm making the most of the time I have with him (⁠；⁠^⁠ω⁠^⁠）I don't think that's too much to ask for, but I also feel horrible about not writing and posting as much as I initially wanted to this month. I figure, by explaining myself to y'all, it might make it easier to convince myself it's truly okay to take time for myself and my boyfriend, y'know? 乁⁠(⁠ ⁠.⁠ ⁠ര⁠ ⁠ʖ̯⁠ ⁠ര⁠ ⁠.⁠ ⁠)⁠ㄏ that's the hope, anyway lol

Have a good morning/day/night, everyone!

#batman #dc comics #justice league #pre identity reveal!Bruce #crack fic #fanfiction #Nightwing is part of the Justice League #the only people in the league who know Bruce's identity are Dick and Clark #batman au #rated m for language #i dropped a lot of f bombs in this one #haha oops #sorry about that #fanfic #Michael Holt is a real DC character #so is Simon Stagg #i know next to nothing about them though #camp nanowrimo 2023 #camp nano 2023 day 14

[wolfsbanesparks]

Heads Up Seven Up

Tagged by @zorilleerrant: post the last 7 lines of your current WIP.

I have so many so here's a few snippets under the cut.

The Legend of Nightwing and Flamebird (written for FTH and for camp Nano. Basically Dick and Kara are the reincarnations of the Kryptonian legends)

The thought of seeing him again, to hear his voice, even just in a recording, made her words stick in her throat. The man who claimed to be Kal hesitantly held out his hand to her, offering peace, offering answers, perhaps even offering asylum. Kara had so many reasons to reject those offers, so many reasons not to trust him. If he was lying to her, then the real Kal was out there somewhere, scared and alone. But for all her attempted bravado, she was scared and alone too. She wanted this kindness to be real almost as much as she wanted him to be lying. Kara took his hand and let him lead her away from her pod and into this strange new planet she had landed on.

Pretty Little Thing (my ongoing serial killer mystery fic)

And now Clark felt like an ass for all the times he’d found excuses to leave those conversations. He wondered if he had stayed, if he had listened, would Cap have told him about his magical side missions? Would he have told him about how he got his powers, how they worked, how he learned to use them? Would he have reached out to Clark to let him know where he was going and how long he would be gone? Would it have made a difference at all? But none of those were questions he would ever know the answer to. He promised himself that when they got the Captain back–and they had to, he couldn’t stand the thought of actually losing him, not like this–he would listen to anything and everything the Captain said.

A Mind of His Own (Another fic for FTH about Billy and Hal after Billy's identity has been discovered)

Barry cleared his throat awkwardly beside him, leaning in as if to tell him a secret, one that apparently everyone except Hal was aware of. “Cap…Cap isn’t a member of the League anymore.” “What?” Hal dropped his feet to the ground, spinning around wildly to face his friend. He could already tell that his eyes were bugging out from behind his mask. “You’ve got to be kidding me. What happened? Did he quit?” “No he was…suspended from active duty.” “Why? For how long?” “At least until his eighteenth birthday.” “Excuse me? His what?”

I've got more, but these are the main ones right now (though I do have a Duke Thomas fic I literally just started too)

I'm going to tag a few people but feel free to jump in if you're interested/have something you want to share! @cerealboxlore, @theycallme-ook, @feebisart, @electricdazeworld, @penny-anna

Thanks @zorilleerrant for tagging me! This was really fun!

#shazam #billy batson #kara zor el #clark kent #hal jordan #dc comics #my writing #dc captain marvel #ask me whatever you want y'all #I have so many WIPs right now it's kind of crazy #Camp nano is going to be the only reason I finish anything #Well better get back to writing all these stories!

[nightwing60thanniversary]

Clark Kent's Relationship to the other Mantle Holders

Clark has a personal connection to most of the Nightwing successors.

Dick Grayson Clark’s relationship with Dick spans decades. Since very early on their relationship has been defined by mutual trust. As a friend to Batman, Dick and Clark meet soon after Dick becomes Robin. Dick hero worships Clark, which comes out less or more depending on the writer. In some cases their team-ups treat them as equals (Legends of the DC Universe (1998) #6 ) while other times Dick has much to learn from Clark. (Superman (1939) #700).

Clark inspires Dick to become Nightwing in every main canon universe by telling him about the legend, if in different ways. (More info here.) Clark checks up on Dick from time to time once he’s settled in Blüdhaven (Nightwing (1996) #30). Mostly they are brought together by cases that lead to Metropolis and once Dick operates in New York, their paths cross even more (Nightwing: Freefall (2008)). Dick thinks of Clark as inspiring and powerful while Clark appreciates Dick’s detective work and focus (The Adventures of Superman (1992) Annual #4, Action Comics (1938) #841-843). 

They know each other well, so well in fact, that Dick expects Clark to figure out the truth while Dick is forced to work for Slade as Renegade (Nightwing #115), and Dick knows Clark is the real Superman once he comes back to a distrusting community after having lost his powers for a year. (Action Comics (1938) #841)

When Dick becomes Batman Clark’s grief causes him to react in anger at first. He’s just lost his father and now his best friend. He claims Batman was the real Bruce and therefore Dick wearing the cowl is wrong. Diana and Dick manage to make him see reason and Clark begins to look forward to working with Dick (Superman/Batman #76). When Clark has to deal with New Krypton and later with the trauma of losing his home for a second time, Dick’s there for him (World’s Finest (2009) #4, Superman (1939) #703).

Chris Kent (Lor-Zod) Chris Kent is the adopted child of Clark and Lois. (Action Comics (1938) #845) When he crash lands on Earth in a Kryptonian ship, Clark immediately feels responsible for him. Clark bonds fast with the child and enjoys speaking Kryptonese with him. He also sees himself in Chris and what would have happened had he landed in a big city instead of a small town. When the government abducts Chris, Clark saves him and asks his parents for advice on how to hide him (Action Comics (1938) #844). 

When Chris’ parents try to subjugate Earth, Chris doesn’t want to go back to being their pawn. He’s grown to love his adopted parents. Despite Clark’s efforts to save him, Chris ends up sacrificing himself to make sure his biological parents are trapped inside the Phantom Zone once again (Action Comics (1938) Annual #11). 

Years later he still considers Clark and Lois his parents (Superman (1939) #696). 

During War of the Superman (2010), Clark and Chris briefly reunite. Nightwing and Flamebird are tied to the phantom zone. In order for it to remain closed forever and for Clark to be able to remain on Earth, Chris once again decides to sacrifice himself by using his Nightwing powers to trap his biological father inside the prison dimension. 

Karen Starr (Kara Zor-L) Karen Starr, also known as Kara Zor-L is the Earth-Two counterpart of Kara Zor-El and the cousin of Kal-L. Her relationship with the Clark Kent (Kal-El) of the main universes is defined by hardships but also a mutual understanding.

She first encountered Clark Kent of the main universe, the one that was Nightwing, in the pages of Justice League of America (1960) #147. She instantly preferred him to her version of Superman, which doesn’t mean she had a bad relationship with the Clark of her universe. In fact, the Clark and Lois of Earth-Two adopted her.

Karen returns to Earth-One some time later and joins the Justice League Europe. On one mission she ends up suffering a serious injury that is untreatable with normal methods. Superman helps by using his heat vision. Kara is saved but not without losing a significant portion of her powers. Clark worries she’ll hate him for it but Kara doesn’t. (Justice League Europe (1989) #9)

When the first Crisis happens, Karen’s home Earth-Two disappears and with that even her past (Secret Origins (1986) #11). Clark’s and her relationship grows strained when her memories of Krypton turn out to be fake. She is of Atlantean heritage (Justice League Europe (1989) Annual #2). Because of everything she believed was a lie, she has lost her place in the hero community. That the Kara of the main universe has finally landed on Earth, doesn’t help. She feels as if there’s no place in this universe for her anymore. Clark who was happy to have had another living relative is disappointed by the revelation (JSA Classified (2008) #1), but he’s there for her and treats her no differently (JSA Classified (2008) #2). Another Crisis event finally reveals the truth. Kal-L reveals to Kara that with Earth-Two destroyed, the universe has unsuccessfully been trying to integrate her into the main universe. She is in fact Kryptonian.

Kara trusts Clark enough to ask him for advice. When she wants to go serious with her company Starware, she asks Clark how to handle her secret identity (Power Girl (2009) #22-#23).

Damian Wayne (Injustice)

When Lois Lane is killed by the Joker, Clark’s ideology regarding criminals changes. He’s in favour of harsh punishments even leading to death. Damian shares this opinion early on due to his upbringing. When Nightwing dies during a prison break, his stance against his father’s softer methods only solidifies (Injustice: Gods Among Us #6).

Damian works as a spy and footsoldier to Superman in the second year. The third year he spends imprisoned, Bruce pleading with him and the others to switch sides, Damian refuses. He’s still convinced Clark is right. Even when Alfred discusses with him that Clark has gone way too far his opinion doesn’t change (Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Five #13).

It’s not until he has his father’s death to answer for, that he breaks his ties to Clark and his ideology, setting out to liberate Earth from the remaining regime. (Injustice 2 (Video Game), Injustice vs. Masters of the Universe)

In the video game Injustice, one possible ending causes Damian to betray Clark and defeat him.

Van Zee Van-Zee is one of many Kal-El doubles existing on Kandor (Superman Family (1974) #185). Their relationship has a bit of a rocky start when Van-Zee falls in love with Lois over a distance (Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane (1958) #15). Regardless, Clark helps him and Kandor whenever he can (Superman Family (1974) #183). Van-Zee sometimes has to remind Clark to not overexert himself (DC Retroactive: Superman The 70s (2011) #1).

Jason Todd Jason and Clark met while he was Robin. Same as Dick, Jason hero worshipped Clark quite a bit, and Clark thought he was a good Robin successor. (Action Comics (1938) #556). Clark doesn’t have a favourable opinion on Red Hood. He lets Jason walk free as a favour to Bruce. He’d prefer to see him charged and convicted. (Red Hood and the Outlaws (2011) #14).

#clark kent #dick grayson #chris kent #karen starr #van-zee #jason todd #superfamily #batfamily #dc comics #nightwing60thanniversary #spotlights #clark kent spotlight #mod post

[stoptellinglieslois]

Principal of pleasure part 14

Dick went to the falls to think and collect his thoughts and has a flashback of a conversation with Jason Damian and  himself.

Superman x Nightwing pairing

Dick

I was at the waterfalls and Clark was right it was humid here the water was warm to the touch.

I went in letting the cascade wash over me as I have a flashback of me and Jason and Damian we were at the diner that me and Clark met for our first date. Yes I did take them there but I didn’t have time to look around for another place to meet up with them.

We all sat and Damian was not happy that I was going on a mission with Clark he made it very clear. “Why do you need to do that with him.” Damian said to me angry and said it loudly to some of the people curiously looking in our direction.

“Keep your voice down please people are staring at us.” Jason chase after him. “It’s true why do’s he have to go there with him, he will crack under him.” Damian said not believing I would take this mission. “Damian he’s already cracked so stop thinking there’s going to be anything that’s gonna fix this, And even if he’s married to Bab’s it’s to late for all that shit do you hear me you little dweeb.” Jason leaned over the table he was baiting him.

“No one is cracking ok no one is cracking.” I repeated my hands are up in front of me in a whoa whoa gesture.

“Who are you kidding here Dick huh not me and not this fool and shell of a former man I bet...” Jason threw a bunch of sugar packets at Damian cutting his rant.

“You buffoon.” Damian spat at Jason and tossed some packets on the table.

“What century you are on seriously no one says that. Anyway you have no right to tell Dick what to do.” Jason lowered his voice as he said that keeping the edge off his voice making it sound softer.

“This is a long time team mate for some of you. and this is what you do to her  why because of him you would throw it all away for him I’m pretty sure if he never seduced you wouldn’t throw your life away.” Damian said I was feeling the words sink in and I knew where he was going with this.

“I am not going to cheat on Barbra I married her I love her.” I said defending myself.

“But are you in love with her.” Jason said in a very hush way he didn’t want to offend me I already knew that but I knew the scale of this answer Jason didn’t want me to deny anything but he didn’t want me to make a mistake my younger brother was on my side I knew he was I could feel it even.

And I knew Damian felt it to he didn’t like it seeing me fall for someone else, He knew to I was in love with Clark I didn’t know how long he knew I was in love with the man of steel probably forever.

“Jason I love Barbra I’m in love with her. Guys let’s just order ok and let’s just drop this please boys lets talk about anything but me.” I wanted out of this conversation we we’re to in public to carry on this type of conversation.

“I don’t want to drop it because you will be leaving tomorrow morning with him I don’t have a lot of time to scold you.” Damian said clutching the menu rumpling it in his fingers. “Do you know how hard it is to see two parents having a one sided love, My mother was in love with my father but my father never loved my mother, She still holds a candle for him even when I knew it will never happen they won’t lead each other along don’t lead her on Grayson I know you won’t be honest to her if you are alone with him.” I stayed quiet watching him Jason didn’t say anything his silence spoke volumes.

the light yellow colour walls and old school decor I felt very small as I felt small Damian told me the truth about what my future with Barbra would be like. It would be bleak and I would hurt her I’ve already have hurt her on our wedding day, I did nothing good that day from the moment I got up to the moment I slept with Clark in the washroom.

Jason called over the waitress and she got are order’s as we sat waiting and thought of Clark.

He was so crazy and in such a mild manner at the same time, I loved it when we were together he made me feel out of control. I loved it all of it because the way he made me feel it was a mixture of a roller coaster ride to a smooth rid in still water and both of them feel good to me I can’t deny it.

But Barbra was safe and I didn’t want to be her beard and that’s not why we got together in the first place.

My flashback ended and I let the feel of the water soak my skin my eyes are closed I have no idea how long I was in here.

I got the feeling I wasn’t alone I opened my eyes and found Kal in front of me soak in wet and naked.

I was so shocked I was not expecting him to be here I told him to give me space.

“Kal what are you doing here.”

End of part 14 next is part 15 

Thank you for reading  

#superman #Nightwing x Superman parings #nightwing #robin dc #dc robin #dick x clark #clark kent #dick grayson #jason todd #damian wayne #slash fic #slash fanfiction #slash fandom #slash #Fanfic #fanfiction #fanfic smut #fanfic readers #fanfic stuff

[toulousewayne]

Justice League Series

———————————///////—-

This is a concept for a live-action Justice League Tv Series that could be adapted on something like HBO MAX or a another network or streaming. This series would be in the same universe as the Batman Tv series I’ve been developing on here.

Synopsis: Batman has gathered Earth’s Strongest heroes to defeat a external force that can’t be stopped by himself.

———

Cast/Characters:

Bruce Wayne/Batman…..Ryan Guzman

Clark Kent/Superman……Ian Harding

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Diana Prince/Wonder Woman…. Christian Serratos

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Martian Manhunter……...Michael Jai White

-

Barry Allen/The Flash……..Sam Claflin

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Hal Jordan/ Green Lantern….. Brant Daugherty

-

-

Arthur Curry/Aquaman……….Kellan Lutz

-

-

Other characters that will appear in the show.

- Supergirl……Lili Reinhart

-Nightwing…….Leo Howard

-Aqualad…………Jaden Smith

-Donna Troy……. Samantha Logan

-Kid Flash………..Colin Ford

In the Finale:

- Batgirl……Bailee Madison

-Black Canary…….Chole Bennet

-Green Arrow………Austin Butler

————

Seeing if this was on streaming TV series the episode count would be anywhere from 8-13. For the first season will go with 10. Each episode is about 59 minutes, and all give a little summary for each episode.

This series will take place between season three and four of the Batman Tv series that’s on my master list.

——

Episode Lists:

1.World Finest Pt. 1:

- Bruce travels to Metropolis to investigate a lead he has on a secret case file. He stops a weapons deal and is met by the Man of Steep himself. Bruce much do his dismay decides to enlist Clark help due to the nature of the weapons which are not man made.

-The two undcover information about Brainiac and decide they’ll need more help to stop this invader.

2. Earth’s Finest Pt. 2:

-The two track down Wonder Woman an immortal warrior to help them with Brainiac plan to take over the planet.

-They return to Metropolis where Lex Luthor has enlisted several of the trinity’s rogues gallery to stop them.

-A new hero that goes by Martin Manhunter arrives with in time to help the Trinity.

3. There’s More:

-Superman recalls his arrival to Earth,and Manhunter tells him how his home as well as Superman’s was really destroyed and it was all thanks to Brainiac.

-The Flash calls his old friend from Coast City to look into a alien he stopped a few nights ago in Star Labs custody.

-Aquaman resurfaces after several of Brainiac’s men attempt to break into Atlantis.

4.I in Team:

-The alien from Star Labs awakes and breaks from his cell. The Flash and Green Lantern track him down in Metropolis.

-Aquaman warns the other heroes that whatever space invasion they come across needs to stay out of his waters,or they’ll be hell to pay.

-The heroes join forces to stop the mutated alien from Star Labs. Batman realizes that sometimes working in a team could get the mission down faster.

5. Backup Plan:

-Doomsday,Deathstroke, and Reverse Flash have been set free from their respective incarnations and are set to keep the newly formed heroes busy while Brainiac finishes his plan.

- Nightwing calls his old friends Kid Flash and Aqualad to assist him to look into a series of alien attacks in Bludheaven.

7. Girl of Steel:

- Clark learns he’s not the sole survivor from Krypton anymore with the discovery of his cousin Kara who has been held captive and brainwashed by Brainiac.

-Donna Troy arrives in Bludheaven to help the boys with the last alien attacks in city.

-Now free from Brainiac Kara tells the Justice League the truth about Krypton and just how dangerous Brainiac can be.

8. Young Justice:

-While the mentors are trying to find out where Brainiac will strike next Batman assist Nightwing a mission for him and the other young heroes.

-Nightwing and the team travel to Santa Prisca to stop another alien weapons deal but are ambushed by Vandal Savage and Bane.

9.And So It Begins….:

-Brainiac has arrived and has launched his army on Earth, the Justice League and Supergirl go into battle.

- Young Justice rally and stop Bane but Savage escapes;Superman and Batman get on the Mother Ship and come face to face with Braniac.

10.War and Peace:

-Wonder Woman instructs Young Justice to assist on Earth with Flash and Aquaman while she and Supergirl go onto the ship to rescue Batman and Superman.

-Batgirl arrives Black Canary with a device that can magnify the Canary cry which painful to Braniac’s aliens. Green Arrow assists the remaining JL members and the young heroes on the ground with the invasion.

-The Trinity fight Brainiac on his ship and with their efforts as well as the other heroes Brainiac retreats the planet.

————

End Credits/ Director Notes:

Filming for the series would take place in Liverpool U.K. or London for Metropolis and Washington D.C. would be CGI for the first few scenes for Wonder Woman.

In this Universe the team of Young Justice is hinted at but is not formed until later in the timeline.

Superman and Batman have already met in this universe. Superman as of the first 5 seasons of the Batman Tv series hadn’t physically appeared and won’t until Season 6. Even though the events of season 1 the JL series takes place in the past.

Wally and Dick met sometime after the later became Robin.

Black Canary has already met Batgirl and Batman in Gotham before she moved to Starling City.

Much like Batman in most versions Wonder Woman has rarely been seen in person and not much photons exist of her.

Most of this season takes place in Metropolis.

#batman #superman #wonder woman #dceu #dc live action #justice leauge unlimited #justice league #dc comics #young justice #brainiac #metropolis #gotham city #aquaman #the flash #green lantern #black canary #Justice league tv series #green arrow #martian manhunter #batfamily #supergirl

[verymuchimmortalcat]

The Chronicles of Marinette Wayne

For Bio dad Bruce Month Day 22: Library/Books

ao3

@maribat-bdbwm ​

Marinette had first come to live with him when she had been five and had just lost her mother. The only reason she was coming to stay with them had been Dick, who was much more excited at the prospect of a younger sister than Bruce was about another child and a grieving one at that.

When Bruce had first been contacted about having a biological daughter who had just lost her mother, he had thought it would be better to send her to someone like the Kents. Someone who would provide her with a stable family where she could lead a happy life. But then Dick had found out when Bruce had gone to Alfred for advice and had convinced him to bring her to the manor. Had convinced him that letting her go now might affect her in the future, and he wasn’t wrong (not that Bruce had considered how it might affect her since it would definitely look like he hadn’t wanted her, he just wasn’t sure if he was the best candidate) but the life they lead wasn’t one he wanted to drag a five-year-old into. When he had voiced that thought Dick had retorted with, “well, you’re not planning to put her in a cape and let her fight the rogues, are you?”

Of course not, he had no intention of doing that. She was five for heaven’s sake, and so the matter had been decided. She would live with them.

 .oOo.

 Marinette had warmed up to both Dick and Alfred almost instantaneously. Bruce spent what time he was at home hovering around her uncertainly. She spoke to him occasionally but not a lot. He had learnt (from her, he’d done an extensive background check and looked into all the details of her upbringing prior to this) that she liked pink, her favourite food was chocolate chip cookies and that she had a favourite soft toy that she always slept with. But even though she spoke to him she was never as open with him as she was with Dick or Alfred. It took her a week before she came to him willingly instead of him talking to her.

It had been shortly after he had returned from patrol. The door to his room had opened and tear-filled blue eyes stared at him, he could see her clinging on to her soft toy. He got up and walked towards her, she was still lingering in the doorway. Kneeling to reach her height he asks softly, “nightmare?”

She nods, tears still streaming down her face.

He looks at her unsure of what to do.

“Would you like to go back to sleep?” he asks quietly.

She shakes her head vehemently.

He still is unsure of what to do. Acting on a random whim he stands and picks her up. She clings to him and he definitely doesn’t marvel over how she fits perfectly in his arms.

He takes her to the library and picks out The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, sitting on his favourite armchair he seats her on his lap and starts to read to her, “Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy…”

 .oOo.

 Alfred finds the two of them passed out in the armchair the next morning. The crick in his neck and the lecture he gets from Alfred about how an armchair is not the proper place for either of them to sleep are worth it when Marinette comes to him that night with the book in hand asking about, “Mr. Tumus”

“Mr. Tumnus,” he corrects her gently.

She nods in agreement and repeats, “Mr. Tumus.”

 .oOo.

 Him reading to her becomes an event. She drags Dick into it too, whenever he isn’t with his Teen Titans in New York that is. Alfred provides them with milk and cookies and he reads to Marinette and Dick every night before patrol. They stop once she falls asleep and either him or Dick take her up to bed before patrol.

About a year after they start this routine, he returns from patrol to find a crying Marinette in his room. She just cries harder once she sees him. He holds her until she falls asleep resolving to talk to her in the morning.

He takes her to the cave the next morning, after breakfast, with Dick and tells her about Batman and Robin. When they head back to the manor she heads to her room and doesn’t come out before sundown (Alfred took her lunch to her room and had somehow talked her into eating). He spends the whole day worrying about if telling her was the wrong thing to do. She had lost her mother mere months before, she shouldn’t have to worry about her other parent too. She comes down for dinner and after dinner she still drags them to the library. She doesn’t fall asleep like she usually does, instead when he completes a chapter Marinette asks the two of them to wait, runs out and returns, panting, a few minutes later with something colourful in her hand. She then hands it to both him and Dick it’s a thread with beads on it. She hands Dick two of these, one has red, green and yellow beads and the other is purple, black and yellow, and his has blue, purple and black.

She grins up at the two of them and says cheerfully, “lucky charms. Dick’s is like Robin and yours is Batman.”

“And the other one?” Dick asks

“Batgirl,” she exclaims cheerfully.

Bruce as always is amazed at her never-ending optimism, kindness and hopefulness. Dick offers her a sunshine smile of his own, hugs her and says, “Thank you Sunshine.”

Once she lets go of Dick she looks at him with her big blue eyes, and Bruce ruffles her hair and gives her a smile and tells her he’ll carry it with him at all times. She smiles wider (something Bruce wasn’t aware was possible) and says goodnight before skipping back to her room.

 .oOo.

 Barbara convinces Dick to bring Marinette to the library after he gives her the lucky charm. The two of them leave the manor dressed in casual clothes and treat it almost like a mission to go and come back without causing any news scandals.

When they return Marinette’s carrying the entire Chronicles of Narnia series and pestering Dick about visiting Barbara again.

He points out that they already have the Chronicles of Narnia in the manor library, Marinette opens the book to a random page shows it to him and says, “but look this one has pretty pictures.”

He reads from the newly acquired illustrated copies that night.

 .oOo.

 As Dick starts to pull away more and Bruce tries to get him back, the tension in the house is high on good days. They don’t spend as often reading in the library anymore. He still reads to Marinette after nightmares, but Marinette no longer pulls them all to read while they have cookies and milk.

And then Dick leaves. He still visits Marinette, takes her out or Barbara will drop by and take her to the library. But he doesn’t spend any time in the manor other than to speak to Alfred. But there’s no longer a Batman and Robin. Gotham has Batman and Blüdhaven, Nightwing.

Marinette no longer comes to him with her copy of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe after nightmares,

 .oOo.

 When he first brings Jason home, Marinette had decided to spend the day with Dick in Blüdhaven. When Alfred brings her back the next morning, she’s shocked but she decides she’s going to be his friend. She takes him on a tour of the manor. Bruce trails behind the two, unsure of what to do, before he’s called away by an emergency at WE.

When he returns the two of them aren’t in either of their rooms, the several sitting rooms or the media room.

Alfred is the one who finds him during his search for the two and says, “I would check the library Master Bruce. It seems the young Master Jason has a love of literature.”

Sure enough, that’s where he finds the two. On the armchair that he had used that very first night, the both of them being tiny enough to fit in one seat, curled up and reading. Not wanting to disturb the two he steps back quietly. The two of them come as soon as Alfred calls them for dinner, and Jason’s certainly more animated than he had been the day before.

 .oOo.

 Marinette talks Dick into visiting, Bruce is simply glad to see his son back temporarily even if Dick refuses to talk to Bruce. He forms a tentative friendship with Jason. Bruce finds the three of them in the library before he leaves for patrol, Marinette’s reading The Magician’s Nephew out loud while the two of them sit next to her with milk and cookies in hand. His heart warms at the sight, he wishes he could take a picture but he doesn’t want to disturb them. Footage from the security cameras will have to do.

 .oOo.

 When Barbara’s shot, Marinette’s there everyday that Barbara’s fine with visitors. The rest of them accompany her as often as they can. Even as things slowly return to some what normal, Marinette spends nearly half her time with Barbara.

And then Jason dies. Marinette spends more time outside than at the Manor, or so Alfred says. And Bruce, well he isn’t really sure anymore.

He sends Marinette to Paris for her own safety. He’d met and befriended a nice couple during his travels and they had agreed to let his daughter stay with them for a while.

Marinette doesn’t care about his reasons, when she leaves for Paris she takes all her things but leaves the illustrated set of the Chronicles of Narnia that he had bought for her as a birthday gift after she and Dick had first visited Barbara.

 .oOo.

 Shortly after Robin hits the streets once again, Tim comes over to the Batcave in a panic one night. Rambling about an unsigned package that was just books and a slip of paper with a number on it. He had wanted to check it for any possible signs of danger. Bruce had agreed, it was definitely a strange thing and with the lives they lead no one could really tell for sure.

And then Bruce sees the books and tells Tim there’s nothing to worry about. It’s a new set of the Chronicles of Narnia. There’s a charm hanging from one of the books. She’s gotten better at making them since she was five.

He sighs and says, “The number’s safe. Call her, she’ll probably explain better than I can.”

He doesn’t join Tim, Marinette hasn’t spoken to him since she was sent to Paris and he doesn’t know what to say to her now.

 .oOo.

 There’s a supervillain in Paris, someone new, something about rock monsters. He takes Clark and Diana to check it out. He sent Marinette there so she could be safe, not so that she ends up in another city infested with villains.

When he gets there, there are two children. The girl feels really familiar, the way she speaks when she talks to the flying butterfly head is really familiar but before Bruce can worry too much about it the fight is done and the two kids are swarmed by the press. Before they can move from where they are, the girl- Ladybug says something to her partner and swings out. The next thing he knows she’s standing in front of him and the anger is visible on her face, “Get out. Get out of Paris right now.”

“We’re here to hel-” Clark starts to say when she cuts him off.

“Not you, I want Batman out of this city right now,” she repeats glaring at him. He knows those eyes. They’re the eyes he looks at every day in the mirror. The eyes he shares with his daughter.

“Marine-”

She doesn’t let him continue, “Uncle Clark and Aunt Diana can stay for a while if they can keep their emotions in check but they’ll have to leave too. I want you to leave now.”

He can see Clark and Diana reeling and slowly figuring out what’s happening. Ignoring the two of them he asks, “how?”

She laughs, not the tinkling cheerful sound that he had heard in the manor but a bitter sound, and Bruce wishes he could fix this.

“I was given the miraculous and now I’ve promised to protect this city. Why, regretting your decision to send me here?”

Yes. Very much so. But the words wouldn’t come out of his mouth, and he watches silently as she turns and leaves.

Bruce can feel the weight of Clark and Diana’s gazes. Shrugging off their questions he heads to the nearest teleporter.

His only child that hadn’t wanted this life had been pushed into it.

 .oOo.

 Tim and Marinette have kept in contact. He’s caught several of their conversations, though he’s never joined one.

It’s been nearly a year since he saw her in Paris. And then Tim’s dad tells him he can’t be Robin and that he can’t contact the hero community anymore. Two days later, Ladybug shows up in Gotham worried out of her mind. Stephanie’s the one who finds her and brings her to the cave. When she first starts talking to him, he’s so relieved to speak to her again that he misses out on a bit but the gist of what she said would be, “did something happen to Tim?”

He can tell she’s annoyed with what happened with Jack Drake. But before she can speak, Nightwing walks into the cave to find a detransformed Marinette. And before Marinette can figure out what’s happening, Dick has engulfed her in a hug and Marinette’s laughing. Bruce smiles as he returns to the Batcomputer, it’s been a really long time since he’s heard her laugh.

 .oOo.

 Marinette stays for the next week. She’d apparently panicked and told everyone she had a family emergency and wouldn’t be back for the week. Bruce was glad that she still considered them family, especially after that disastrous conversation in Paris.

She spends time with Barbara, Stephanie and Cassandra. Apparently, Stephanie and Cass already knw her and have spoken to her a few times. She spends some time with him, speaks more to him than she has in the past two years after he sent her to Paris.

On her last day in Gotham, he finds her and Cass in the library. She’s sitting with Cass on the armchair and she and Cass are reading Prince Caspian. They must’ve been here the whole week if she’s gotten to that far. The idea of reading those books in the wrong order is like sacrilege to Marinette.

She returns to Paris when the week ends, but has now added him to her semi-regularly contacted people.

 .oOo.

 Marinette pulls away again after Stephanie dies. From what Tom and Sabine tell him, she’s spending what time she’s not in school, with Alya. Bruce knows that Alya Cesaire knows that Marinette is Ladybug, realises she’s throwing herself into superheroing. Bruce wishes she’d inherited some of his better habits.

She doesn’t visit again for a while. Not until the attack on Titans Tower, and even then he doesn’t see her. He doesn’t know if anyone did.

But when he’s in the library to check something for a case he realises all of Jason’s favourite books that Marinette had with her were back in place.

He doesn’t mention it to anyone.

 .oOo.

 Darkseid happens. When he returns from the time stream, things are different from how he left them.

The whole family comes to the manor, after he returns. They’re all telling stories over dinner. Stephanie speaks of a little girl who idolises batgirl. Dick carries out an over dramatic reproduction of one of his and Damian’s patrols, while Damian complains about how inaccurate it is. Jason’s laughing at the two of them. Cass and Marinette coax Tim into talking about the whole Mr. Sarcastic mess. Dick looks gleeful as everyone rips into Tim’s momentary lapse in a sense of style, before Tim brings up Dick’s first Nightwing suit as a defence. Barbara points out the lack of pants in the first two robin costumes, and the others laugh (Damian grins) while Dick and Jason splutter in indignance. Marinette (who people tend to forget spent a good chunk of time with Dick when she was younger) describes in an exaggerated manner some of Gabriel’s, he’s missed quite a lot, worst akuma costumes and marvels over how he managed to create them while also being a world-renowned fashion designer.

As all of them continue to talk happily, Bruce slips out of the dining room. They deserve a break, but someone still needs to take care of Gotham.

Gotham has unnaturally less crime today, still takes him time to finish his patrol though. Unnaturally less crime in Gotham is still more crime than what most other cities face.

He heads to the library to grab a book to read before he sleeps. There’s a light on in the far corner of the library. When Bruce heads there he finds a large plate with crumbs on it with a few empty or half-finished glasses of milk next to the plate. His children are scattered around. They’ve pushed back the seats and have mostly spread themselves on the carpet. Marinette curled up between Dick and Jason and still reading from the practically ancient copy of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Jason’s reading one of his classics. Damian’s sitting on Dick’s other side and is animatedly talking about one of his pets while Dick listens to him attentively. Tim and Barbara are going over something on her laptop at the table, and Stephanie and Cass are curled up against each other and talking quietly. Cass is the first to see him and smiles at him and beckons him to join them. Picking a book off the shelf he joins them on the floor.

When Alfred finds them there the next morning, having gotten used to finding them asleep in the library several times over the years, he just sighs and tells them that breakfast is ready and if they’d like hot food, they’d have to get off the floor. All of them scramble up and as they leave the library, he can hear them starting to plot on how to get Alfred to join them the next time.

#here have another pre written one shot #this one's like really old #like written in may old #this whole thing really got away from me #it's about 3000 words more than I thought it would be #i just thought it would be a 100-200 word drabble #maribat #bio dad bruce wayne #mbdbwm2021 #my writing

[ckbookish]

BATMAN BINGO MASTER POST 2020

1 "I thought you were dead.": I Still See Your Ghost 

Today was just not Dick's day. First he overslept his alarm and was late to work. Amy had been less than impressed at his tardiness... Then He had bungled what should have been an easy take town... But the straw that broke the camel's back was Tim. Dick had forgotten to call Tim. 

2 Friendly fire: Fratricide 

Jason was pissed. No, Jason was enraged. Yeah, he was enraged at the whole mess his family-- if that’s even what they were to each other anymore-- had gotten him in. It was meant to be a simple night. Break in. Torch the drugs. Maybe shoot a couple of people and go home. But no, Batman heard about his plans and decided that arson was too extreme. “Someone could get hurt.” Well someone had gotten hurt, a lot of someones. 

3 Hypothermia: Weekend Commute 

Dick Grayson makes his way home during the first snow fall of the year, when he finds himself confused and cold, miles from home.

Chapter two Bruce's perspective.

4 Superman: Bringer of the Dawn

The Aftermath of when the Joker shoots Dick.

or

Where do you go when your family tells you to get out?

5 Shot: The Gratitude Trap

Bruce finds himself in the dark, a place he never thought he would be when it came to Clark Kent and Dick Grayson. Yet here he is digging for answers, because he is too scared to pick up the phone and call. 

6 Two-face: The Better Choice 

How do you reconcile the man who was once your friend with the monster he has become? Bruce reflects on how the man he once called his best friend changed. How could the man who helped him foster Dick, hold that baseball bat? 

7 Drowning: Omori’s Law

Deep in the sewer's under Gotham, Batman is trapped. There is no back up, no Robin. He is faced with the single truth that he tried to teach each of his partners... You have to save yourself. 

  8 Found Family: A Restoration from a Resilient Heart

Dick just wants to not be alone with the shadows in the house. Bruce doesn't realize he has lived with them for far to long, and maybe he doesn't have to anymore.

9 Adoption: The Irrefutable Truth

When he reached the reception, he found himself looking around a fairly empty room. There were a few call girls in the corner filling out forms, an older woman holding a dog, a kid that looked about twelve and a middle aged man who looked like he was ready to cry. He knew no one. Dick was about to turn around and head back to his desk when the on duty officer called out to him. Officer O’Conner was one of his fellow rookies, he had a thick accent. Dick thought he might be from Louisiana. “Grayson! Why didn’t you say your brother was coming to see you?” Dick looked at him with his mouth slightly open. There was no way he heard that right. “My what?” 

10 Bruises: Mr. Wayne

Tim is new to this. He's only been Robin for a little over six months. It was going well. But now he was going to be fired. Batman wouldn't want a partner who got caught at school with a black eye. Would he?

11 Bruce is dead: You Have One Saved Message 

Gotham gossip columns spread lies and smear good people's names. But yet Damian can't help but think maybe this mornings article was true.  That despite all his claims of being the true son of Bruce Wayne, he was in fact the only unwanted one.

12 CPR: Vital Signs 

Robin wakes to find him and Batman in an exploded factory. With Batman injured and the building burning around them, Dick struggles to get them both to safety.   

13 Dad:  Storge 

Bruce could have sworn his spirit had left him momentarily.  The sudden hollowness that filled him couldn’t be explained in any other way. 

 “Your dad must have his hands full with you.”  Elizabeth Ribbons leaned forward and patted Dick’s shoulder, as he reached for yet another slice of cheesecake from a passing waiter’s tray.  

Bruce fixed his eyes on the ice sculpture that hid him from view.  It suddenly seemed like the most interesting design in the world.  The soft lines of the ice on the otherwise insignificant over sized swan seemed like a lead shield...  Because Dick would read it easily in his expression. He wanted to be Dick’s dad.  But he wasn’t. 

14 Stealing the Batmobile: T-Minus Six Hours

Some days Tim is sure that he’s gonna be killed. Usually it’s some luck shot or near miss that made his life flash before his eyes. Not today though. Today he was positive Bruce was going to kill him. Yes, today was the day that Timothy Jackson Drake was going to be put down. He’s not sure that even Nightwing could save him. He was going to go down in history as the first sidekick to be murdered by their mentor. Because the Batmobile was definitely not where he’d parked it.

15 Wayne Enterprises: Amidst the Absence of Meaning 

Bruce is worried. He's running on less than three hours of sleep, and way too many cups of coffee. He had messed up. That much was obvious. The question was would Dick forgive him?

A gruesome night on patrol bleeds into Bruce's work day and now all he can wonder is if this is the thing that will push Dick over the edge? Had he finally seen to much pain?

16 Ransom: Sum of My Worth

The ring of the phone seemed to echo through the manor’s still too quiet long, winding halls, and everyone present collectively held their breath. Bruce lunged for the phone.   

17 Secret Injury: Hiding in Pain Sight

“What?” Dick asked sharper than he meant to. He was tired.

“Nothing.” Tim said with a small smirk. “Heavy is the head.”

Dick closed his eyes, glad that Tim couldn’t see them. He was so sick of this. Tim, Jason, Damian and Cass all didn’t think he was good enough, well Cass hadn’t said that, but Dick could read her. They didn’t think he was up to the job. Well they didn’t need to tell him that. He knew it.

18 Superboy: An Interlude in Breathing 

Tim looked out over the water in a daze. Bruce and Dick had gone somewhere below deck and he was alone. Well there were strangers on the ship mingling and talking excitedly--but Tim gave them no notice. Instead he watched the water lap up against the hull and crash down back to meet the dark, cold waters. They were far enough out that he could no longer see the shore. It was just endless expenses of sea and sky. Something tickled his neck and he started, only to realize he had been crying. It was only a tear slipping under his collar.

The days after the battle of Infinite Crisis

19 Betrayed: Smother

She took another drag of the cigarette, letting the smoke roll in her lungs for a long moment before allowing it hiss out between her teeth. The screams from the warehouse weren’t completely muffled by the distance, or the walls. Perhaps she was only imagining them. But then, sounds like that, she didn’t think she could dream up. She jumped after a particularly high pitched yelp. “Get a grip.” She dropped the cigarette and pulled out another. Her hand shook as she lit it. “It’s just some random kid. He’s not--” She bit back a sob. She didn’t deserve to cry. She had no right to tears, not when it was her fault.   

20 Crowbar: Breaklights

The mail fell to the ground and the paper smacked the tiles hard.  The sound in reality couldn’t have been all that loud, but it seemed to echo around the entryway.  Bruce didn’t look at the dropped bills and the invitation to a fundraiser for the new Gotham women’s shelter.  He was too fixated on the small stamp with the queen of England's head on it.  Wolverhampton.  

The large envelope was far heavier then it should have been.  Bruce could feel bile crawling up his throat.  

He had forgotten.

21 Deathstroke: Debts and Dues

There were some things that were never pleasant, getting caught in the snow without socks, losing your keys, and not being able to remember the name of a song. Having a gun pointed at your chest, Dick felt, qualified as extremely unpleasant. He stood stock still. The barrel of the gun was still hot, it burned slightly as it dug into his sternum. Even with his uniform he could still feel the heat left over from previous rounds fired. He didn’t flinch. He couldn’t flinch. “Move.” “You know I can’t.” Dick wondered if Slade had the guts to do it.   

22 Mission Gone Wrong: Murmur in the Quiet Hours

Superman? Clark froze. He knew that voice. But-- he had never heard it sounding so sad. Was that-- no. Clark dove for his phone, still on the counter from when he got home last night. The screen was black. Dead. Clark swore and dropped it. He was in his coat and shoes before it hit the counter top.   

23 Kidnapped:  Chum 

Dick trumped through the leaves, stopping his feet roughly. He relished the sound of the crunch beneath his shoes as he tread on the brown, dead leaves before him. He felt rather justified in his satisfaction. After all the world had taken so much from him, why wouldn’t he do his best to crush it in return. The woods were cool and as he went deeper into them they grew darker. The sun had long set, and the sky was quickly vanishing as the trees grew thicker. Wayne Manor was far behind him. He was never going back. He hated those pristine walls, those old floor boards. He hated the quiet. He hated the stuffy furniture and the rules and the vases and pictures. He hated his new guardian and that… that… Dick couldn’t remember what Alfred was called, but he hated it. The bag on his back felt heavy. It had everything Dick owned in it. Well and a toothbrush that Alfred had given him. But he didn’t think that was really stealing. 

24 Riddler: Seeking Silence on Shortwaves

Normally Dick would be happy to listen to Tim talk. In fact, Dick thought it was one of his favorite sounds in the world. Tim rarely allowed himself to be excited about things. Hearing him speak so freely and openly to Bruce and him about his plans was refreshing. Dick only wished it wouldn’t be at the cost of his life.

Batman hadn't always been so strict about talking unnecessarily over comms. When it was just two of them it hadn't mattered, their walkie talkie system had always worked. But now that Nightwing and Robin were in Gotham, it seems insane that they never realized: if only one person can talk over the radio at a time... how could they call for help?

25 Mr. Freeze: Glimpsing the Sun While Trapped in the Rime

He almost called Bruce between his fourth and fifth class. He pulled his phone out, leaning against his locker, and half dialed his number when a warm hand fell on his shoulder. “Hey.” Dick spun around and blinked back black spots as his body protested the sudden movement. A blaze of red hair filled his vision and Dick felt a small fire build in his chest. His face split into a wide smile.

After a run in with Mr. Freeze Dick finds himself feeling odd at school, but he can't go home, not when Barbara's asked him to drive her to Betty's party after school.

#batman bingo 2020 #Master Post #Batman #CK Writes #Nightwing #Dick Grayson #tim drake #Jason Todd #Damian Wayne #Red Hood #Red Robin #robin #My Writing

[iwhumpyou]

Ok so we know Jason has met superman and idolises Wonder Woman when he was robin. So maybe he sees them as an aunt and uncle along with a couple of the other leaguers. But then he comes back and he’s murdered several people and he’s the red hood but they don’t know he’s alive. So maybe they try to stop him themselves when he’s gone outside of Gotham for a case? And find out he’s alive and they haven’t been told? Idk I’m just rambling.

Okay, I may make this a longer fic at some point, but the idea of Hood being confronted by Superman was too good to pass up.

~#~#~#~#~#~

Jason really wished that Roy and Kori had stayed.  He’d never faced the Justice League without them as a shield - Roy and Oliver fought, but Green Arrow would never let Roy be locked up, and the League still had fond memories of the first Teen Titans and Starfire.

Hood, though, Hood they hated.

Jason wasn’t sure if they were just disgusted by how far he’d fallen, or if it was their protectiveness of Batman, but he could feel the hate directed at him as a sonic boom heralded the advance party.

Unfortunately, the Outlaws had definitely pissed off the JL in their latest couple of missions, and Jason didn’t want Roy and Kori to stay just for his sake.  He didn’t want to stay either, but his hands were the only thing keeping Batman’s blood inside his body, where it belonged, so unfortunately he couldn’t get up and leave.

“Red Hood,” Superman said, voice cold, “Get away from him.”

Also unfortunately, Jason had run into Batman on a case outside Gotham, outside the Bats’ jurisdiction, so Batman’s call for help had summoned his superhero buddies instead of Nightwing or the Replacement.

“Not if you want him to live,” Jason replied, glad that the helmet covered his facial expressions.

The only warning he got was the tensing of Superman’s eyes - before Jason could blink, he was flat on his back, staring up into icy blue eyes.  He felt like he’d been hit by a train.

Surprise gave way to horror - “Wait,” Jason said, struggling to get up, but Superman’s hands were as unyielding as shackles, “He’s bleeding -”

“He is being taken care of,” Wonder Woman’s boots stepped closer, “Red Hood.  You and your Outlaws have been leading us on a merry chase.”

Well, given that they tried to arrest them every time they showed up, of course the Outlaws kept running away.

Jason opened his mouth to make a quippy retort, already resigned to his fate - he didn’t have any Kryptonite, and maybe Roy and Kori would sneak into the Watchtower to break him out later - but was halted by a low, gravelly voice.

“Jason?” Batman - Bruce called out weakly, “Jay?”

Goddamn the man for sounding like that.  For pushing Jason out of the way of the blast that had nearly shredded his side.  For refusing to be the cold-hearted bastard Jason wanted him to be.

Above him, Superman and Wonder Woman exchanged a look.  “Jason!” Bruce called out again, now sounding frantic.

“I’m here!” Jason called out, and hissed as Superman’s arms tightened, “Let up, will you, the boss man wants to see me.”

“Jason!”  Supes and Wonder Woman exchanged another look and suddenly, Jason was on his knees at Bruce’s side, arms wrenched painfully behind him.

All of the insta-travel was making his stomach churn.

“I’m here, B, calm down,” Jason snapped, and Bruce’s head weakly twisted towards him.  Green Lantern had some green construct pressed to the wound, and Flash had a blood transfusion line set up.

“Jay,” Bruce exhaled slowly, slumping back.  He sounded very out of it, Jason needed to ask the Replacement for the cowl footage.  “Robin, report.”

Jason felt his stomach twist painfully - in tune to the increased pressure on his arms, Jason had to arch back so his shoulders wouldn’t dislocate - but it wasn’t the first time Bruce had gotten confused and mixed up which of them had the R at present.

“I’m fine, you colossal idiot, you’re the one that decided to play martyr,” Jason snarled, but Bruce had taken the ‘I’m fine’ as permission to slip back into unconsciousness.

Jason narrowed his eyes - typical Bruce - and startled when he realized no one was pinning his arms anymore.

Green Lantern was gaping at him.  Flash had frozen still.  Wonder Woman looked stunned, which was not an expression he’d ever seen before on her face.

“What?” Jason asked, a little self-conscious.

“You’re not Robin,” Green Lantern pointed out.

Jason very nearly growled - Jason knew that, thank you very much, it was the cornerstone of half his issues - and the voice modulator put the appropriate amount of rage into his words, “Not since a mad clown blew me up, no.”

Now they all looked sick.  “Jason?” Wonder Woman asked, disbelieving.

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out.”  He briefly calculated the odds of making a run for it now that Bruce was stable and no one was holding him down, but his plans were arrested by Supes appearing in front of him.

“Take off your helmet,” Superman ordered.

“What?  Why?”

Superman didn’t bother asking a second time - Jason yelped as air suddenly slapped against his bare face - clearly X-ray vision was enough to figure out how to unclasp the thing without it turning into a bomb.

“You could’ve waited two seconds,” Jason grumbled, squinting up at Superman.

Superman was staring at him, his expression roiling, and Jason flinched back violently when - in the space of a blink - Supes was crouched in front of him, hand outstretched.

“Jason?” he asked softly, and Jason stayed perfectly still as he...brushed the white lock of hair out of his face.  “You’re alive.”

And suddenly Jason had an armful of crying alien as Clark wrapped him up into a tight hug.  “You’re alive,” he repeated brokenly, and Jason slowly patted his shoulder, extremely confused.  Diana had crouched behind him, eyes wet and full of wonder.

“Did - did B not tell you?” Jason asked hoarsely, a lump rising in his own throat as his eyes prickled.  Hal had a hand pressed to his mouth, eyes shining, and Barry was looking at him in painful, disbelieving hope.

“No,” Clark said, his voice cracking, “God, Jason, no - did you think we would - no.”  His hug squeezed tighter, “I missed you so much, kiddo.”

Jason returned the hug, whispering back, “I missed you too, Uncle Clark.”

#fanfic #batfamily whump #jason todd whump #bleeding #emotional whump #identity reveal #request fill #follower extravaganza

[theogygiaisland]

He's the Sweetest He's the Meanest That's Just the Way it Goes (Meow Meow Meow)

Characters: Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake,Cassandra Cain, Damian Wayne

Warnings: Teen (13+)

Categories: Crack, Fluff

Words: 2,000 words

Read on: AO3

So, Bruce had a very valid reason for the tail.

Very valid.

Very pain in the ass.

--

Prompt: BruKitten | Jason Todd returns home | < 2000 words

So, he had a very valid reason for the tail.

Yes, very valid indeed. It came from a very displeased magician and a very arrogant Hal Jordan and a very well timed spell and a very idiotic Bruce.

Very justifiable.

Very pain in the ass.

“It’s okay, Bruce.” Clark says, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Bruce wants to grunt at him, a quick ‘I’m-too-tired-of-this-bullshit’ to his ‘You-should’ve-let-me-have-Jordan-get-hit’ teammate. He really did try for it. But what releases past his teeth is a frustrated breath that sounded so much like released gas from a pressurized container.

Clark blinks, once, twice, eyebrows becoming one with his hairline.

“Did you just hiss at me?”

Bruce does the not-grunt again, tail flicking in irritated twists. Clark laughs.

Bruce definitely does not like this. Damn you, universe, just damn you.

“Go home Bruce,” the alien decides to say, before Bruce’s inner zen decides that no, it does not want to be cooperative, thank you for asking Bruce. “We’ll contact you again when we get a hold of Z or Constantine, alright?”

Right.

How could he forget about the magic users going dark? Probably between being a totally normal hero to a normal hero with cat ears.

Selina would definitely think this hilarious. He should probably avoid her before she puts a bell on him or something– actually he should avoid everyone outside the very absurd JLA mission before they do something horrifyingly imprudent.

Since he is Batman, what he needs now is a two-step plan involving a quick getaway from everyone that begins with a sprint to the Batmobile and a tactical retreat from the world at large because Batman cannot be seen with cat ears by the Gotham criminal scene and Bruce can never be found out with a tail by anyone. At all.

He puts a pin on the thought. Sorry Selina.

“You should be good– I’ve already told Nightwing about the situation and he says he’s got Gotham covered while you’re…uhm…while you’re out of commission.”

Bruce does a very un-Batman wrinkle of his nose.

Fuck. Right.

There’s also his children.

The absolute menaces.

Okay. Fine. Clark just mentioned telling Dick, and if it was just Dick, he didn’t have to worry, because Dick wasn’t a tattle tale and he could keep a secret, right? He knows Dick is a private person, the only people he would tell were probably immediate family, right?

Right. An immediate family of six– maybe even ten depending on the day.

Double fuck.

No, not thinking about it. He’s not going to think about it. This is totally fine. Think of the plan, Batman, the two-step foolproof plan. Inner zen, Bruce, find your inner zen. Do not scratch the alien and his meddling, Bruce. Do. Not.

Clark and his shit eating grin leads him to the Zeta tube. Bruce applauds himself for not finding out if he has claws on his kryptonian friend. Good job, Batman!

The pristine walls of the JLA warps around him into the familiar jagged rock of the cave, but before he can skitter off into the safety of his well thought out tactical retreat, he’s greeted with an unfamiliar red dot on the ground that just drives him nuts.

“Quit it, Dick.”

“You’re no fun B!”

Dick drops from his perch on the uneven bars with a laser pointer and Bruce in his ‘holy-shit-don’t-percieve-me’ state tries to talk himself out of augmenting his two-step plan into a three-step-ploy that starts with incapacitating his eldest.

Instead, he continues marching on, like a good soldier.

“Hey, Bruce, where are you going?”

Rather than acknowledging the innate need to growl (because he’s a father, dammit, irritating as Dick may be) he marches past his son and into the elevated platform of the Batmobile, hoping for a quick getaway where he can spend his next few weeks in relative cat peace.

That’s if his stupid finger-scanning car lock mechanism cooperates with him, dammit!

The window opens, the dark tint sliding halfway.

“I think you’ve gone slow with age, Father. Even Drake predicted you’d be using the Batmobile as your getaway car.”

Bruce does his not-grunt at his youngest. Damian’s already got that mischievous look in his eyes that he gets when he’s planning on doing something he knows Bruce wouldn’t like and Dick purposefully encouraged.

It absolutely raises the hairs on the back of Bruce’s neck.

Rather, he turns around, back down the platform stairs, carefully dodging a giggling man-child that is Dick Grayson and starts in revising his plans; because by now he thinks his plan should instead involve mind altering drugs for Dick and Damian and all he has to do now is make his way to the key rack hoping to at least find reprieve in–

SNAP!

“Steph will not believe this.”

–reprieve in– fuck! The universe really hates him, huh.

“Don’t even look for the keys B, Dick mentioned you’d try to use the cycles out of town, and I could not, under good conscience, let Gotham see Batman with anime cat ears on those things. Sorry, B.” Tim says, as he adjusts his camera some more.

Believe him when he says he adores his kids, and loves it when they continue on hobbies that aren’t their nightlife, but this is just rude!

Ruder than when they scrapbooked all those Brucie headlines last Christmas.

“If you could just look at the camera and say ‘Nya!’, please I’ve got Babs pay me a 20 for one–”

SNAP!

Bruce groans, totally and 100% achieving the very human reaction because the universe totally and 100% hates him and Tim is totally and 100% unapologetic with every picture he takes.

They’re literally billionaires!

Again: rude!

Instead, he does a little not-exactly-run (because he is the feared Dark Knight, and he’s committed to the brand, okay?) towards the cave stairs hoping to get into the garage so he can at least take his BMW out of the menaces that are his children–

–and gets stopped by Cass’ big wide eyes looking at him like it’s her birthday already–

–-which, with Cass, is still an absolute threat. The last birthday she had had involved him bailing his kids out of the county jail in Nebraska, an adopted flamingo, and a broken nose (not in that specific order).

He backs away quicker than he can imagine and up on top of the holding cells, which is a feat in itself because not even Cass can scale this one.

“Aww, look how cute he is!”

“Shut up Dick, I’m concentrating on the aperture settings–”

“No one cares Drake! Grayson hand me the mouse toy, I have to test something–”

Bruce is tired, he’s sore, he’s got a new appendage that’s irritating his buttcheeks and he’s got uncooperating ears that’s always turning to where Cass is cooing at him and Tim is flicking through the settings of his camera in quick irritating ticks! ticks! ticks!

So sue him when the first thing he says when the motorcycle comes in loud and hot with–

“Fuck.”

Jason.

“Jesus old man, Dickie wasn’t kidding around when he told you you’ve gone kitty.”

At least it wasn’t Stephanie. His kids are menaces, but Stephanie holds the title for a reason.

“I have not gone kitty.” Bruce snarls, trying not to sound whiney because that never translated well with Jason, but he’s irritated and at least he’s trying god dammit.

Jason takes it in stride, eyeing the way Bruce’s tail puffs out in agitation. “Wow, someone’s a cranky cat.”

“Cute.” Cass says helpfully.

“Eh, not so much.” Jason tells her. “Although I don’t know why I imagined his cat-sona more Persian than Calico.”

“I am not a cranky cat.” He says a little bit offended because he’s a goddamn Bat and of the human variety, thank you very much. Again: sue him for being irate. He can afford great lawyers and he earned the goddamn right.

“Alright, alright, we had our fun and games.” Dick says, putting the laser pointer into the back pocket of his jeans and pushing Tim’s camera away. “You can come down now, B.”

Tempting. Exhaustion and adrenaline is battling for dominance in his head but surprisingly, he’s cool about that. Way to go Batman.

It does help that he’s definitely very cool about the way he’s away from his children too.

Bruce replies with a not-grunt.

“Down, please?” Cass says, making grabby hands to her father, eyes deceptively innocent. Almost too innocent. Bruce gives her a not-grunt too.

“Father, this is unbecoming.” Damian says, as if he did not hide Alfred(the cat)’s toy behind him.

Tim even slings his camera around. “We’re done now, we promise.”

They all get not-grunts.

Bruce watches as Dick turns to Jason, communicating in head tilts and half shrugs, which is half endearing because– c’mon this is Jason they’re talking about and Bruce didn’t know his eldest sons communicated, much less to this degree– and half concerning because Jason’s eyes flashed a bit too green for his liking–

“Alright, fine!” Jason says, throwing his hands up in the air and catching them into a fold over his chest. He clears his throat, “B, please put Dickie out of his misery and stop being a drama queen.”

Bruce blinks.

He also gives Jason a not-grunt.

“Whelp, I’ve always been a dog person anyways.” Jason gives a two finger salute. “It’s been fun, see you losers never.”

“Jason…” Dick says.

“What?!”

The older man sighs. “Please? Just like what we talked about.”

“What– no way!”

“Please little brother?”

Bruce’s brain stops.

Because Dick hasn’t called Jason that since– since–

“Fine!” Jason huffs, stomping his foot like how he did when he was 13 and Robin, and he was told he couldn’t read his book– the Tempest– until he gets over his concussion, and the brows that made a caterpillar on his face were the same brows that Bruce found endearing in this little spitfire of a boy he called a so–

He turns towards Bruce, hands clenched at the side. “Please, dad?”

He doesn’t miss Dick’s soft whisper ‘that’s my little brother’. He does miss Tim handing Cass a 20 dollar bill.

Bruce felt a furball in his throat which is goddamn weird because he didn’t even lick himself clean, but it’s there, because this is Jason, so Bruce tries. “Jay–?”

“Yeah, well, it was to come sooner or later, wasn’t it.” Jason says, looking at his feet and looking smaller than he is, kicking imaginary stones like Robin did when he was embarrassed and conflicted.

Bruce couldn’t help it really. He pounces.

“Wait– No– God Bruce– Wait dad!”

Too late. Bruce is on him, crushing and hugging and brimming with joy his tail straight up with a rumble in his chest and he’s grasping at his son–

“God dad, are you purring!?”

Bruce doesn’t dignify that with a reply, focusing instead on squishing his instincts to lick his child clean because he’s happy but he’s not that much of a cat.

Yet. Not that much of a cat yet.

It is a struggle and oh so goddamn weird, but he didn’t care.

Cass must’ve been watching because she elbows her way into the hug under Bruce’s arm, dragging a Tim to be squished in the pile as well. And where there’s a cuddle pile, Dick Grayson surely follows because the next moment Bruce’s tail is squashed and Damian’s frame is tucked into the circle as another pair of arms encircles everyone.

Bruce is happy, as he falls to his knees and dragging his children with him because the adrenaline he felt just a second ago? Total freaking loser. He’s exhausted.

But that’s okay, his son, his Jason is here, together with his Dick and his Damian and his Tim and his Cass and her pointy elbows, and someone’s knee in his side, and a too tight grip of a hug–

And Bruce's family’s here, and his ‘goddamn-I’m-home-and-contented-and-my-menace-children-are-too’ purr can be heard echoing through the cave.

#batfam #calypso writes #bruce wayne #dick grayson #jason todd #tim drake #cass cain #beloved #damian wayne #briefly #clark kent #i apparently have 3 other fics i havent linked here #OH WELL

[prismacolor19]

I was thinking about how in Nightwing #78 (2021) Alfred wrote in his letter to Dick he writes one every year and then it got me thinking me about how great it would be if while Bruce was looking through Alfred’s things he found more letters that Alfred had written for each member of the Batfamily, Jim, and the other heroes each year.

I am now head canoning that ever since Bruce first became Batman Alfred realized how Bruce becoming Batman could also also lead to something bad happing to himself or himself being killed so each year Alfred always wrote a letter to Bruce and wrote a letter for each member of the Batfamily as they became adopted into the family. Alfred also wrote a letter to Jason each year even after he died because it helped him to heal and stay connected to Jason. He did the same thing when each member of the family died for the same reasons.

I would love for their to be a comic series that’s just about Alfred and the Batfsmily and Alfred’s letters to them. I would love to read and see Bruce’s thoughts and reactions when he finds all of these letters and reads his and see and read each family member’s reactions and thoughts as they read these letters and when all of them come together and talk about what Alfred and said about each of them. I would also love a comic book series that’s just like this one, but it’s about Jim, the Justice League, and Dick’s generation of hero’s reading their letters from Alfred to them.

I am also saying that Alfred also wrote a letter to Jim Gordon, the main members of the Justice League and the one’s Bruce is close with, and later to Dick’s generation of hero’s each year thanking them for putting up with Bruce/Batman, being his friend, being their for him, and looking out and taking care of him, especially since Alfred and the Batfamily always can’t and can’t always get through to him.

I mentioned Dick’s generation because a lot of Dick’s friends and generation of heroes have worked with Batman such as Wally when he became Flash and joined the Justice League after Barry died, Kyle when he became the new Green Lantern and joined the Justice League after Hal died, and Conner when he became the New Green Arrow and joined the Justice League after Oliver died, and Roy when he became RedArrow and joined the Justice League.

Batman also respects Dick’s generation of hero’s and thinks highly of each of them, and knows he can trust them and has trusted them. I believe that Bruce/Batman deeply cares about Dick’s generation of hero’s and has gone to them for their opinions, guidance, and help before, especially when it comes to dealing with their mentors and Dick and Jason.

Alfred has the time to write a letter to each of these people each year and it’s no secret as to how much Alfred appreciated, deeply cared for, and loved each and everyone of them, especially Jim, Clark, Diana, Barry, and Oliver. Because of them Bruce would come home alive and safe each night and after he went on missions with them. Alfred thought frequently, especially when Bruce went out as Batman and with the Justice League how without them being in Bruce’s life, Bruce would have been so lost in life and alone and would have been consumed in more darkness than he already is in.

All of them have been their for Bruce throughout his life and Jim has been their for Bruce since the day his parents died. All of them have done more for Bruce than Alfred could have ever hoped for. Each of them has brought so much joy, light, optimism, and laughter into Bruce’s life and have made him feel human and have given him more reaosns to live for in life than just being Batman, stoping crime, and saving Gotham.

They all became Bruce’s support in life, his friends and family and Alfred was always felt at peace and was always happy to know that Bruce had these special people and friends in his life looking out for him, watching over him, taking care of him, and loving him, especially when he couldn’t. For all of these reasons Alfred will always be eternally grateful to and love the Justice League and Jim.

#Nightwing 78 inspired #my Alfred head canon #My Bruce head canon #tagging more later. I have got way to many hero’s and people that I needs to tag.

[jinmukangwrites]

Whumptober Day 17

Blackmail | Wrongfully Accused

Ao3

-o-o-o-o-

Clark sets the recording device down on the metal table in front of him and is careful to keep his entire being nothing other than professional even though the person handcuffed to the table in front of him is someone he's known for a very, very, long time. 

He honestly can't really grasp quite just what's going on tonight. He didn't plan to come to the Watchtower tonight, let alone lead an investigation involving someone in the super community… normally it was Bruce who handled things like this.

But well… given the situation… Bruce wouldn't be able to touch this one even if he wanted to.

"I just want to let you know that this conversation will be recorded, but any civilian names or personal details will be censored. So feel free to be open and honest. No secrets. Just tell me what happened."

Across from Clark, the man's hands clench ever so slightly, blood staining the fabric of his gloves. A beat passes, the fists loosen, and nothing is said. Clark can practically feel his restlessness. His heart is jumping to be let go. But he can't loosen the cuffs keeping his hands trapped on top of the table. This goes higher than him.

"Dick," Clark tries, "you need to talk to me if you want us to figure this out."

Dick's silent for a moment. Clark can hear his teeth grinding, like he wants to keep silent for longer. Clark keeps his gaze steady on Dick and tries not to focus too hard on the splatters of blood dotting almost every portion of his body. Smeared across his cheek. It's not his blood. 

Dick lets out a short exhale. "I already told the cops... I don't remember what happened. I just… woke up there."

Clark offers a smile. "That's okay. Then how about we talk about some other stuff you didn't tell the cops. Like why you were at the crime scene to begin with?"

Dick pauses. Worries the inside of his cheek. Then sighs as he clenches and unclenches his hands. "It's sorta a… long story."

"We've got time."

"Okay…" Dick breathes after a minute. "Okay… I... It started about a week ago…"

-o-o-o-o-

About two blocks away from Dick's apartment building, there's a grocery store run by a sweet old lady who definitely doesn't belong in Blüdhaven. The thing about her that’s so rare in this city is that she's kind—she gives cheap prices, donates unsold produce before it rots to various homeless shelters, and she never kicks out a single customer no matter how much they smell like drugs or look broke. She lets homeless kids sleep inside the store during the night, as long as they help her open the store in the morning. 

It's a nice grocery stop. Which is why Dick goes to it every other Thursday, the moment he gets his paycheck and pays his bills, to get groceries to last him until the next time he's paid. 

He didn't even realize he was in a pattern. That something about his life was predictable. It was just something he did without having to think about it. 

Every other Thursday was a shopping day. 

And unfortunately, it made him predictable. 

He doesn’t even realize how predictable until he notices a discreet, black car following him about a block away. Bruce always warns against predictability. It makes it easier for people to target you. And of course Dick's had to goof it up this time. 

He tries to keep towards the more crowded streets as he walks home, but the thing about Blüdhaven is that no one is out unless they really need to be. The entire span of road in front of his apartment complex is completely empty. The car pulls up besides him before he can even break into a run.

The side doors of the car swing open, and out walks two men dressed in dark suits and sunglasses. They have a classic american gangster vibe to them, but Dick has the feeling that these men have nothing to do with the gangs. Dick eyes the front of the car where another person sits at the steering wheel, unmoving. 

"Mr Grayson," one man speaks. 

"Look," Dick replies wearily, taking a cautious step back and holding his grand total of three bags of groceries closer to his chest. "I don't know who you people are, but whatever this is, I don't want any trouble."

"Of course not, Mr Grayson," the man replies. Dick watches wearily as the man steps aside from the back side door. "You must understand that we don't want any trouble either."

The gesture is clear. They want Dick to get in the car. He considers making a run for it, but then the man flicks the side of his jacket over, revealing a gun strapped to his hip. 

Dick swallows and approaches reluctantly. Here he is, thinking that the Dick Grayson kidnappings would have ended after he left Bruce and the manor behind. 

So much for that hope. 

The man takes Dick's groceries and shuffles further aside to let him into the car. The other man silently returns to his seat in the back of the car next to Dick, while the man who spoke earlier climbs into the passenger chair. The engine starts without another word. 

"Where are we going?" He asks, his nerves getting the best of him.

But before anyone answers, a hand is wrapped around his face and soon Dick's senses are overwhelmed by a sickening sweet smell. He tries to struggle, but he's easily overpowered, and soon enough, Dick's vision blacks out thanks to the chloroform.

When Dick wakes up, he's tied to a metal folding chair and placed in the center of a dark open space. Probably some sort of wearhouse. It's impossible to know for sure, because it's so dark and his head is spinning from the after effects of the drugs. 

He immediately tugs on the ropes that keep his wrists to his sides. He tries to kick out his legs as well, but nothing works. He's decently restrained. Well… they're definitely knots that he could probably loosen in just a few minutes, but well… he would have to be Nightwing. Dick Grayson? He's just some guy. 

"Well, well, well," says a voice in a very cliche manner. His head spins as he looks up to find who talked, but he manages to catch sight of the person as they walk into the light and stop in front of Dick, their hands folded across their chest. "If it isn't Nightwing."

-o-o-o-o-

"He knew your secret identity?" Clark asks, and he can't help but sound surprised. 

Dick nods, then bites his lip. "His name was Jesse Mullen."

One of the victims, Clark notes with grim realization. "What did he want with you?"

Dick sighs and avoids Clark's eyes. He stares down at the table like it's the only thing he's allowed to look at. "He knew I was Nightwing. He… used that to… God, Clark, it's gonna sound like I had a motive, and I promise I wouldn't-"

"Just tell me what happened, Dick," Clark says softer than what’s probably appropriate. Dick takes a deep breath and curls his fists once again. 

"Okay. He… he wanted me to work with them. Guard their illegal weapon shipments from the cops, clean up trails. He had pictures… proof that Dick Grayson was Nightwing, and he told me if I didn't do what he wanted or go to anyone for help he'd release the pictures and everyone would know who I am… and that Bruce is Batman."

Blackmail. Clark resists pinching the bridge of his nose.

Blackmail. A motive. 

"I couldn't just… I couldn't let our identities be outed, so I agreed," Dick continued, "I helped them. I decided to… treat it as an undercover mission you know? Find a way to take them out from the inside… I- I can give details on the shipments if you want?"

"I think we should talk about what led you to the scene of the crime," Clark offers, which he immediately regrets because Dick instantly shuts closed any doors he had open. 

"I told-"

"That you don't remember anything," Clark confirms. He sighs and gives Dick a level look. Dick looks tense. Upset. Like talking more will cause him physical pain. "Dick… I'm here because Bruce can't be. I need you to be open, and honest with me. Otherwise… Dick we'll be forced to send in someone else. Or J'onn."

Dick's eyes widen. "I know, I know it's just…" Dick pauses. Takes a deep breath. "Okay… okay. Um. So yesterday… Mullen sent me a message…"

-o-o-o-o-

"No shipments tonight, huh?" Dick huffs, dropping his phone down onto the coffee table. "Thank god. Then maybe I can figure out how I'm going to get out of this mess."

He leans back against his sofa, bringing his hands behind his neck so he can stare at the ceiling and think about how screwed he is. He can't even risk talking to anyone about his situation. Dick doesn't know where Mullen has put the photos he showed Dick… nor if anyone else has them. If he got Bruce or the others to help him take down Mullen and all his friends, there's no predicting how safe they'll be when the dust settles. People figuring out Dick's identity is a problem… but Bruce Wayne? People would go insane. 

No, Dick has to keep this to himself and find a way out of this on his own. He tries not to think about how the last time someone used his identity like this to blackmail him was Blockbuster… he tries not to think about how that one ended up. 

He stands up from his couch and looks back to his phone, an idea forming in his head. 

Maybe… while Mullen is busy doing whatever he does when he's not holding Dick's identity over him like a bone on a string, Dick can sneak into his office and find any clues on where his blackmail has spread to. 

Dick grabs his phone and rushes towards the closet where he keeps his Nightwing suit; soon enough Dick's swinging out into the night sky and landing right outside Mullen's office building. He's met here plenty of times in the past week to know exactly what floor and window belonged to Mullen's office. Unfortunately though, he's also been here enough times to know the window is bulletproof so he can't easily break in. He'll have to either go in from the floor or through the roof which, from Dick's current standing, is twelve stories above him. 

Through the front door it is. Or well, sneakily from the front door. He sticks to the shadows rather expertly if he says so himself.

There's a shocking lack of guards in the hallways. Mullen has hired thugs up the wahzoo. Every time Dick's been here in the past week, there's been guards practically in every hallway. In front of every door. 

Now it's just empty. 

Dick continues undeterred though. He's about two stories from Mullen's apartment now, and he can't worry about the lack of thugs when he's so close. 

He opens the door that leads to the next staircase leading another floor up and…

He wakes up. Rough hands grabbing his shoulders and tugging his wrists behind his back to be cuffed. He feels awful. He can't think. It's all he can do to get his feet below him as he's hefted up so he's standing. He blinks his eyes open, and looks at the scene before him with growing confusion. 

Blood. Everywhere. 

"You have the right to remain silent," the cop that had cuffed him snarls. Dick's heart pounds. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law."

-o-o-o-o-

"They took me to the Blüdhaven police department… tried to get me to confess to murder… they wouldn't listen when I said I didn't know what happened. One moment I was going through the halls and the next I'm being arrested… it's a good thing you guys showed up when you did… the detective was about to try and take off my mask." Dick paused to take a breath. "That's it. I swear, Clark, on my parents' graves, I didn't kill anyone. It's all just a huge misunderstanding."

Clark remains silent for a moment, trying to make sense of Dick's story. When the Justice League was notified of Nightwing's arrest… Clark couldn't believe it. They rushed towards the BCPD as quickly as they could to collect him before anything bad happened—seeing as the Justice League is responsible for dealing with its own members when it comes to things like this. Clark thought arresting Dick was as insane as the inmates in Arkham Asylum…

But then the police sent over the files they had on Dick's arrest. But then Bruce told Clark in secret about what Dick had almost succeeded in doing to the Joker. What Bruce suspected what happened to Blockbuster.

Bruce confirmed Dick, in extreme situations, had the potential to be lethal. The documents the police sent simply… confirmed it. 

"Dick, are you sure that's all you remember?" 

Dick nods his head. "I swear. I wouldn't- Clark you don't think I'd actually kill anyone? Would you?"

Five men. Each bludgeoned to death by what appeared to be Dick's escrima sticks. Electric burns littered their bodies. One's throat was sliced open with a wingding. Bruce doesn't want to believe Dick killed anyone, but he's forcing himself to. Clark doesn't think Dick could kill a human, but the evidence is there. 

Clark sighs, dreading the next order of business. He places a small device in the center of the table, right next to the recorder, and steals his nerves. 

"Dick, do you think you can explain this?"

The device hums to life, a blue LED flashes before a holographic screen appears midair, showing the surveillance footage of Jesse Mullen's office, where Nightwing barges in and leaves no one standing. Dick watches the footage with wide eyes, his skin losing more and more color the longer the video goes. As Dick watches, Clark can't help but try and find a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this. Maybe Dick was possessed? Or mind controlled? Or body snatched?

When they initially picked up Dick, J'onn had mentioned Dick not having any influence in his brain, but that couldn't have been anything more than a light reading. Maybe J'onn just needs a more in depth session with Dick's mind to find foulplay… 

Dick's heart wasn't lying when he told Clark his story.

Then again, most Bats know how to trick a super that can hear their heartbeats. 

The video ends with the police barging in to arrest Dick. Dick's eyes remain on the screen until the device flickers off. Then, ever so slowly, Dick's eyes trail towards Clark. 

"That…" Dick starts, his voice sounding rough and small. "It… couldn't have been me. I- I don't remember doing that. I wouldn't do that. Clark, please, you have to believe me."

"We're looking into it, the investigation is still-"

"Investigation?" Dick squeaks. "Is B- is Batman-?"

"Batman is locked out of the case because of his ties to you." Clark sighs when Dick's face pinches. "We're doing the best we can. Looking into every angle. All we ask is that you cooperate."

Dick nods his head, eyes still wide and skin still pale and heartbeat still honest. "I am, I promise, I'm telling the truth."

Honest heartbeat belonging to one of the most honest people he knows. 

Clark finds it in himself to try and offer a smile. He hopes it doesn't come off as tired. "Then, unless you have anything more to say, we can be done with this." Clark picks up the recording device and gives Dick an inviting look. Dick nods slowly, which invites Clark to stop the recording and stand up from his chair. "Just sit tight, someone will be over to take you to a holding cell for the time being. We'll…" Clark pauses, feeling unsure if he should say anything. He takes a deep breath. "We'll figure this out, Dick. If you're telling the truth, then I'll do everything in my power to find what really killed those men."

Hard resolve passes through Dick's face. He inhales and stares right at Clark with a fire in his eyes. "I'm telling the truth."

Clark finds himself nodding. "Then, I'll see you soon, Dick."

Clark turns from the table Dick's still cuffed to and opens the door to the interrogation room. With a single glance back, Clark shuts and locks the door behind him.

Clark will get to the bottom of this. For Dick's sake. And for his own. 

#dick grayson #clark kent #nightiwing #superman #batman comics #dc #dc comics #fic #fanfiction #jin writes #whumptober 2020 #no.17 #blackmail #Wrongfully accused #interrogation #blood tw #kidnapping tw

[vikingpoteto]

hostage situation (AO3)

It isn’t the first time Bruce Wayne had been kidnapped. It certainly won’t be the last.

But for sure it’s the most jarring kidnapping experience he’d ever had.

He was in the middle of a charity gala when he was taken, which is upsetting because he was really invested in the cause this time. Alas. Bruce wakes up in a dark room, something for which he’s grateful, because he might have a mild concussion. He had been tied to a chair and left on the corner of what seems like an abandoned warehouse - unfortunately, Gotham is littered with those - and he can barely see the silhouettes of a group of people on the opposite side of the empty place. Bruce’s captors.

Bruce takes a deep breath and tries to access the situation in a calm manner. The ropes keeping him in place feel… cheap. Like those plastic rope children use to play. He could possibly just slip out of the bound since no one bothered to tie up his feet. The knot restraining his wrists is uncomfortably tight, however. There is a gag in his mouth. There are at least 5 goons watching him, but they’re smart enough to keep their distance so Bruce can’t make a lot of details about them.

That being said, it feels almost too easy to escape. He wouldn’t even raise suspicion about his secret identity if he did… which means there must be some sort of catch. Bruce wants to make his escape as simple as possible, so it’s best if he figures out what are their tricks before attempting anything

He knows for sure they’re not dressed as clowns, so this can’t be the Joker’s doing. They don’t seem to be dressed as old-time gangsters, so no Two-Face either…

A voice in his right ear interrupts his musings. “I have eyes on him. He’s conscious and tied up. Oracle is checking the building for traps.”

It’s Tim. First comes the relief that Tim has found him. He won’t have to do anything to compromise Bruce Wayne’s identity. Then comes the realization that these people had him unconscious long enough to take him from his own party and they didn’t notice the earpiece he always has to communicate with his family in case the need arises.

Could it be that this is a trap for the bats? Maybe Bruce’s identity has already been compromised and his captors are using him as bait for the others? The thought disturbs him and he wishes he could warn Tim somehow.

Then a second voice joins Tim’s and Bruce’s worry spikes.

“Am I crazy or is he tied with one of those toy jump rope thingies?” Jason asks.

“Looks like it,” Tim says evenly.

“That’s hilarious.”

“Hood, our dad has been taken hostage. Be serious.”

“I am! The thing is at least one of us is kidnapped every week. At some point you get used to it. Anyway... seriously, this looks like a cartoon. I almost expect him to just… slip out of that chair like he’s Bugs Bunny or something.”

Tim snorts and Bruce sighs. He really wished Tim would notice how strange it is that he’s so losely guarded, but, honestly, his hope was lost the instant he heard Jason’s voice. Tim is the smartest boy Bruce knows and Jason has the best instincts, but when the two of them get together it’s as if their intelligences cancel one another out. What was it that Steph said that one time? When Tim and Jay team up they drop all of the brain cells.

"Wait," Tim says. "Look at his face. That's tired #7. I think… I think he can hear us."

"No way, man… they can't be that stupid. There's no way they're stupid enough to leave a whole earpiece unnoticed."

If only.

"Bruce? Bruce, if you can hear us, blink twice."

Bruce sighs again… and blinks twice.

The two boys explode in laughter and Bruce honestly hopes they're seeing him through a camera feed, because they are very loud.

On one hand he's happy that Jason and Tim are finally getting along.

He just wishes they bonded over literally anything other than making fun of other people.

"Oh man-" Tim stutters and Bruce can imagine him wiping tears of laughter as he tries to control himself. He can still hear Jason snickering on the background. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Bruce. It's just... those kidnappers are so bad ! How are they this bad? How did they get you?" Then, after a brief pause. "I mean, we're not laughing at you. "

"I am," Jason says cheerfully.

There is the distinct noise of someone slapping what sounds like the back of Red Hood's helmet.

“Behave, you two!” Another voice joins the frequency.

Dick. Thank God. The only person that can control Jason and Tim is Dick. If Dick is the one leading the mission, this should be over soon.

“B, sorry this is taking so long,” Dick continues. “Babs is scanning the building again because she didn’t find any of the traps at first. There is a chance their security system is analog or something.”

“Tsc,” and there is a fourth familiar voice now. “We should just storm in and remove father from this humiliating situation at once.”

Oh no . Oh no, it’s Damian. Damian is Dick’s kryptonite. If he’s involved, Dick will have his hands full and there will be no one to stop Jason and Tim from just… blowing the place up for the hell of it.

Bruce doesn’t know from what angle his sons can see him, but he attempts to sign something. His bound hands are numb, so no sign comes naturally, but he tries nonetheless.

“Girls, girls, look at that.” And there’s Steph. What this situation needed was another chaos maker. “He’s saying… Hm… Who they work for? Bruce is asking who they work for.”

Never mind. Steph gets to cause chaos once because she is the only child considerate enough to notice Bruce’s feeble attempts at communication.

“Maybe he wants us to figure out who these guys work for?” Tim suggests. “I mean, knowing the M.O. would make it easier to figure out their security.”

“Penguin is in Arkham, but maybe these are loyal followers?” Dick comments.

“Negative. This place is nowhere near as damp and nasty as Cobblepot’s usual dwellings.”

The boys start discussing possible villains, their usual traps and how to overcome them. Bruce is glad they’re covering all the possibilities, as one would expect from a bat. They must always be ready for anything. That being said… they don’t seem to hear it when Steph hisses “ Cass, what are you doing?”

Before Bruce can react, a shadow drops from the ceiling. She doesn’t make any noise as she gracefully lands in front of him. His eyes widen in panic and he glances at his kidnappers on the other side of the warehouse. None of them seems aware that there is a bat in their lair.

Cass gives Bruce a soft smile and signs the word uncomfortable before going behind him and loosening the bound on his wrists. She gently massages Bruce’s numb fingers as though making sure his circulation will return to normal soon enough. When he can barely feel himself restrained, she seems satisfied with her work. She cards her fingers through his hair as if encouraging him. After planting a kiss to his forehead, Cass disappears the same way she appeared with only a slight breeze.

Her brothers have stopped bickering.

“Did Cass just-”

“Hey guys,” Duke’s voice interrupts. “I just heard the kidnappers talking. Turns out they didn’t mean to kidnap Bruce. They were trying to rob the building, Bruce walked into them and they panicked and knocked him out. Now they’re freaking out because they don’t know what to do with him.”

Silence follows.

“So the reason Oracle can’t find any traps…”

“It’s probably because they don’t have any traps.”

More silence.

Batman prides himself in being prepared for anything. Bruce has well-crafted scripts for any possible situation… except for this one. All he can do in this situation is use his recently freed hands to facepalm.

“This is it. We have no viable option but to kill them.”

“ROBIN, NO--”

All in all, it’s a mess. Considering one of the kidnappers promptly passes out when Nightwing drops in front of them, the rescue mission definitely feels like overkill. Clark once said Bruce has too many children and he thought that was a stupid thing to say until he found himself in a situation where his children outnumbered the gang that kidnapped him. It barely counts as a fight as Stephanie and Jason alone immobilize the criminals - granted, Cass was busy holding back Damian, Tim was busy laughing, Dick was busy checking the vitals of the woman that passed out at his sight and Duke was busy getting rid of the rest of Bruce’s restraints.

“What were you thinking?” Dick asks the criminals. “You guys aren’t even wearing ski masks, for heck’s sake.”

“We just needed the cash, okay?” One of them responds miserably glancing at his friends that are currently being cuffed by Steph. “We didn’t expect to run into the owner of the building.”

“And you guys were just… pulling a heist barefaced like that?” Duke questions.

“Look, we’re new in town. We left Metropolis, because how does one survive there? They have Superman! Plus we didn’t think Batman was real…”

At that, Tim starts laughing so hard Jason has to hold him to keep him from falling.

“Dude!” Steph throws her hands up. “If you guys want to be criminals in Gotham, you gotta add some pzazz! Throw in some themed costumes, I don’t know…”

“ Batgirl ,” Bruce chastises and his voice might be still a  bit raw from the gag, but he can still sound like a stern father. “We do not condone crime.”

“You’re right, we don’t. … But if you’re going to do crime anyway-”

“Look, we’re just trying to get by, okay?” A woman cuts in. “Our shelter got defunded and it’s hard to get a job when you don’t have an address!”

All of the kids are suddenly both uncomfortable and sympathetic. These are not the criminals they usually deal with, no real harm was done and none of them are truly happy about taking these people to jail.

This, however, is a situation Bruce has a script for.

“I’m sorry to hear about your predicament,” he says, pulling a business card from his pocket. “Here. Wayne Enterprises has a program of support for people in situation such as yours and we’re always looking for new employees. Lots of people leave Gotham.”

Behind him, some of his children groan and Jason hisses something about not adopting these ones too, but Bruce simply ignores them.

After all, this wasn’t that unusual of a night for all of them.

#batfam #batfamily #bruce wayne #tim drake #jason todd #dick grayson #cassandra cain #stephanie brown #duke thomas #poteto writing #this is just fluff and crack ok #i thought i'd share this here #batfam fanfic

[soepicsokim]

CatWing 4

Chapter 4 - First Burn - Hamilton

    Jason puts on his helmet and walks to the staircase, “Come on Duchess I have a date with Sionis.” He lets out a chuckle and runs down the stairwell leaving me on the roof.

    Shaking my head, my eyes flash green, slowly my hair is braided to the side and I’m no longer wearing a ninja tunic. My clothes are replaced with leather leggings and a black leather jacket with a cat eye in green stitching on the back. “Black mask and the Zombie. I’ll pay tickets to watch this.” Taking a few steps back from the roof ledge I smile then run jumping off the roof and diving down to the street below.

    A red motorcycle comes out of a hole in the wall and speeds beside me as we race down the streets of Gotham city.  The dark empty streets are perfect for racing, I could see my reflection through the shimmer on the motorcycle. Jason smirking as I fly past him, "Not much further, be ready for a sudden stop." Jason begins slowing down, I turn around and get close beside him.

    Jason parks his bike and I land behind him. He gets off the bike and looks at me through the lens on his helmet. "Looks like I won. Sionis normally is a coward and hides up in the steel mill."

    Using my x-ray vision, I sense that he is inside, "Looks like seven people inside, including Sionis. What did you need him for anyway?"

    Jason chuckles again, as we stalk towards the entrance of the factory. "That's a surprise Duchess. Now watch Zombie in action. Would you prefer a stealth approach or guns blazing?" He takes the safety off of his pistols and I can see a smirk under that helmet of his.

    "Surprise me Red." With my three words, Jason bursts through the door, quickly killing 2 of the men inside.

    Jason looks towards the third man, "Take me to Black Mask, NOW." He puts the gun to the man's head, as the man leads the two of them to him. Leading them upstairs as he takes out more of the armed men in the process.

    "Only three men left In the building, Death."

    Jason's small smirk tells me a story. "He’s probably heard the shots, I assume he's on the highest floor, hiding away. Typical coward." We enter the 4th floor, looking around and seeing nothing but boxes. Jason yells out, "Normally I wouldn't cut you a deal, but the man I have here can be saved if you just cooperate Black Mask."

    “In your dreams Hood.” A glint of light shines off the barrel of Black Mask’s gun as he raises it up from the shadows aiming at Jason’s heart.

    I jump in front of Jason without even realizing it, the bullet fires, flying at a speed normal people would never see it. My eyes watch the bullet as it crosses the room. It hits my chest, at the bottom of my ribcage, leaving a hole in the leather jacket. I look down then back up at Black Mask with a smirk on my face. The bullet lands on the ground, crumpled and bent giving off the sound of a metal coin falling on a concrete floor. My eyes flash red as I tilt my head to the side. “You shouldn't have done that.”

    In two steps I’m across the room hiding in the darkness behind Black Mask. I’m close enough to see his body attempting not to tremble with fear.His breathing is slow and calculated while he still has his pistol raised in Jason’s direction. I reach out and grab the pistol throwing him against the wall. “Burn.” Papers next to his body start to burn from the focus of my heat vision.

    Fingers wrap around my arm pulling me back into Jason’s armored chest. “Stop. We only came to steal his client list.” His fingers leave my arm as he makes his way to the safe, “A little help Midnight.” His head tilts in the direction of the lock on the safe.

    I roll my eyes as I walk in that direction, “Lev rrup, (Behind you.)” My eyes look at the glass window at the complete darkness. I move fast as I rip off the door to the safe and grab as many files as I can before Batman and Red Robin bust through the window. “Told you Zombie.” I instantly hide in the darkness of the room and watch Jason lift a gun to Batman. I feel jealousy rush through Jason's emotions quickly before he snuffs out all his emotions.

    “Don’t take a step in my direction. You can’t be trusted around me.” Jason’s voice is cocky as a smirk plays under his helmet.

    Red Robin slowly moves to check on the people Jason has already shot before cautiously walking towards Black Mask and the burning paper around him.

    Jason takes a step around Batman and briefly whispers, “Hi Bruce,” as softly as he can before Jumping out the window. He laughs as he falls before he launches a grappling hook and lands safely below.

    I whisper from the dark making my way to the window, “Be careful with them, the Robins will all do whatever it takes to survive.” My eyes lock with Bruce’s as I crawl through the window seal. I see sadness and betrayal behind his eyes just like he can see the same emotions in mine. I hover a small ways away from the window seal before I speak louder so he and everyone else can hear me. “I’m erasing myself from the narrative. Let people wonder what happened when you all broke my heart. He has torn me apart for the last time.” I took a step back on the air and looked up at the boy in blue, “I'm watching it burn. The world has no right to my heart. You forfeit all rights to my heart.”

    I fall to the earth below stopping an inch from the ground while keeping eye contact with Nightwing sitting on the roof. A small tear slides down my cheek before evaporating from the heat coming from my eyes as I set a car on fire and launch myself into the atmosphere above. I stop right before I leave Earth's Atmosphere and just float. I don’t really need air to breath and I can cancel out the noises of down below and just let my mind rest.

    My eyes slowly close as my hair comes loose from its braid and floats behind me in waves, my clothes transform from the destroyed leather jacket and pants to an oversized t-shirt that says ‘Metropolis High’ and black sweatpants. Sniffles leave my noise as I think about everything. “My supposed soulmate has fallen in love with another woman. I can’t keep searching or scanning for him or my family anymore.I’m going to stand back and watch the world burn. My only possessions are my memories. The memories of when I knew he was mine.” A shuddered breath leaves my lips as I hear the fluttering of fabric approaching quickly.

     There was no time for me to become completely invisible before Superman stopped in front of me, “Lydia.”

    I keep my eyes closed and sigh, “Sir.”

    He crosses his arms in front of him and raises an eyebrow. “It is polite to look at the people talking to you, young lady.” He clears his throat, “Would you like to explain why Bruce just called me and told me to search the atmosphere for my rogue daughter?”

    I roll my eyes as I open them and tilt my head to the side, “Superman has a daughter? I must meet her and warn her that he might abandon her.” My hands ball up into fists at my side. I assume Jason can feel my anger because I feel calming emotions coming from him.

    “DON’T.” He takes a breath, “Don’t talk to me that way. I am still your father and I will still be your father even if you don’t want me.” His arms fall to his sides as he keeps a fixed gaze on me. “Would you like to talk about whatever,” he motions to my body, “this is?”

    I look away and quickly can hear a worried heart beat from the one heart I don’t think will ever love me again. “Can you be my dad for like a minute? Then you and everyone else can abandon the experiment again.” My eyes stay locked to his as he gives a quick nod. “You used to tell mom that this was the best way to relax when you were on constant missions. I wanted to try it and see if it could help fix a broken heart.” My hand shoots up between us, “Don’t, I can’t be trusted around you. And besides you broke my heart too dad."

    He moves a few inches back away and motions me to continue with his finger. "I know you all thought I was gone. But I imagined there would be this amazing family reunion and you all would welcome me back with open arms and he would be mine again. But instead I was forgotten and now I'm willing and ready to see you all burn." My eyes light up quickly then go back to my normal green color.

            "I'm not naive, I've seen him with women. I've seen you with people too. I just never thought I would be replaced." I close my eyes and just listen to the silence of space, "This won't be a normal thing between us. I'm 20, I don't need a father.”

    “So, you are just writing everyone off? We don’t have a say if we want back into your life?” Clark raises an eyebrow, his cape barely moving behind him. “What if we want to be part of the narrative?”

    My eyes drift down to the Earth below, all the blues and some of the greens merging together. Light bends around the curvature of the world causing it to look like the world is standing in a spotlight, almost like everything is burning. “Earn my trust. Show me I am truly needed. Know that I will not always be the good guy.” I give a quick tilt of my head as if I am challenging him.

    “So you went to Metropolis high?”

    My eyebrows scrunch together before I look down at my shirt. “No, the Master gave this to me the last time he spoke to the students in Metropolis.”

    Clark locks his jaw and grits his teeth, “Who is your master?”

    Feeling threatened, my eyes flash red and I instantly become invisible, “Nice chat Clark.” I quickly dive to the world below and land in the ocean. On instinct I curl into a ball and close my eyes trying to avoid the memories of Lex Luthor walking in as I am strapped to a medical table. Lex Luthor standing beside Ra’s Al Ghul as I’m being beaten senseless by assassins while pure Kryptonite is at my feet.

     Being forced to fight Batman, Robin and the Justice League over and over again to keep their attention away from him. Having things thrown at me or extra experiments happening to me because he thought he could brainwash me to kill my father. I blow air bubbles out of my mouth as my transparent state becomes visible. I swim up a river before I decide to find a shore line and dry off on the side of the river.

     I climb up the wall of the river and lay under cherry blossom trees. The breeze has been creating a soft background noise with the leaves gently brushing against each other. I don’t know if I lost track of time or if I honestly wasted the day away under a tree by the potomac river. Looking across the river at Arlington, Virginia watching the night life start to come out. Families walking up and down the street, a man passing by walking his pomeranian.

    “It’s a nice night Miss Kent.” A man's voice appears from behind me.

     “That it is.” I slowly turn around to face the voice, “You happen to know who I am, but I seem to not recognize you.” A fake smile appears on my face as I stand up to converse with the man.

     “It’s my job to know the inner workings of everything in and around Gotham. Including your family and every secret known to you, or him." He extends his hand as if he was going to shake mine. “How is Superman doing now that his oh so precious daughter is back?” He motions with his hand to come towards him.

    I approach and hug him as an old couple comes towards us, “Oh darling I have missed you. Please don’t ever leave again.” I hug him and watch the couple walk by us smiling. My eyes turn red when I notice they are at a safe distance, “Who the hell are you and what do you want?” I try to quickly get away from his hold.

    The man holds on tight and whispers in my ear, “The Court of Owls is intrigued to watch how you settle into your role in society.” He turns me to where I am facing the river, “Don’t follow me.” In an instant his body and arms are gone and I am alone again.

     Taking in a deep breath I look around then shrugging, “Time to go for a walk.” I head off in the direction of the Hall of Justice.

#Superman #CatWing #chapter4 #Batman #Redhood #Robin #Blackmask #Nightwing #Cat #Lydia Kent #richard grayson