#I AM VERY AWARE THAT HE IS ANGRY AT BRUCE I AM TALKING ABOUT TIM THO

[temperamentalaquarius]

Ugh the way fanon Jason calling Tim replacement v.s. canon Jason calling Tim pretender flattens Jason's motivations and the whole Jason and Tim relationship. 'Replacement' directs all of Jason's anger to Bruce. It makes Tim and Jason allies in victimhood. 'Here is this callous man that views us as interchangeable, can't you see that we're nothing to him?' 'Pretender' though... that holds Tim accountable for his role in making Jason's death meaningless. 'You saw everything I was, all that I gave, and you used it as a springboard to become what I should have been' is a lot more complex, and a lot more thematically accurate to Jason's whole deal. It's a larger gap for the characters to bridge, especially when Tim is coming from the perspective that his becoming Robin was not only right, it was necessary.

#jason todd #red hood #tim drake #Robin #Red Robin #(?) #idk what hero tag we're using for Tim these days #bitch i might wing #disclaimer cuz I'm tired of reading this comment #I AM VERY AWARE THAT HE IS ANGRY AT BRUCE I AM TALKING ABOUT TIM THO

[elowenp]

“What do you want?” Barbara asks, voice crackling with static.

It’s a silly question. Tim wants crime rates to go down. Tim wants Gotham to be a safer city. Tim wants to be a part of making that happen.

“A code name that isn’t stupid.” he says instead.

Barbara sighs. It doesn’t sound like a sigh though. It just sounds like the static’s getting louder.

~

“Bernard Dowd, scholar of the ages.” Tim laughs, arm slung round Bernard's shoulder. “I thought you were meant to be the fun one?”

“I am.” Bernard groans, “as soon as these exams are done I’ll be back to the usual student life. Getting drunk, going on dates, Gotham won’t know what’s hit it.”

“Going on dates?” Tim asks jokingly, even as a well hidden part of him turns slightly panicked. “Any successes an old friend should be hearing about?”

“Not really.” Bernard shrugs, jostling Tim’s arm. “Just a couple of girls I was better off friends with.” He pauses, thinking, before continuing with his voice involuntarily going a little higher. “Couple of guys too.”

“Huh.” Tim suddenly becomes very aware of all the places where his arm is touching Bernard. He doesn’t move it. “Better luck next time.”

Huh.

~

Tim’s been avoiding Dick. He’s been awkward around him lately, Tim thinks that Barbara must have said something. He’s not stupid enough to have done something to send Dick spiralling without noticing it.

“What do you want?” Dick asks, curious, without warning.

Tim wants to ask if Barbara put him up to this but he knows it’s a genuine question. Dick isn’t manipulative like that, not with family.

What does Tim want? Isn’t it a little late for Dick go be asking that question? All the things that happened after Bruce’s death put a canyon of distance between them. It’s slowly been growing smaller but it hasn’t disappeared. Neither of them have had time enough to spend together for that to happen.

An awful, bitter part of Tim that hasn’t stopped screaming since Robin wasn’t his any more wonders if Dick would even be asking if Damian wasn’t out of town right now.

“For us to go train surfing.” Tim says. Petty. Just so Dick will say no and his anger can feel righteous instead of ill-deserved.

“Okay.” Dick says instead. Easy and confident. Himself.

“Oh.” Tim’s anger fizzles into non-existence. “Okay.”

The canyon grows a little smaller.

~

“We should go to a skatepark.” Bernard says, a little giggly from the beer in his hand.

There’s a matching beer in Tim’s hand although it’s still practically full. If there’s an emergency he’ll be of no use drunk. “What? Why?”

“Why not? You were so good in high school! And you had fun doing it.” Bernard’s tone turns a little less giggly. “You should do more things you find fun.”

Tim is surprised enough that the “Okay.” slips out of his lips unbidden.

So maybe the beer bottle is a little less full than he’d like to admit.

They borrow a board from one of Bernard's flatmates and catch a bus to a skate park Tim remembers using when he was younger. As they go Tim tries to remember why he stopped. He tries to remember when he stopped. He can’t recall the answer to either question and annoyance rises in his chest over it.

Then Bernard is saying something and it has Tim snorting with laughter and he forgets his irritation.

Once they arrive Bernard settles himself at the top of one of the ramps like it’s a throne. “Entertain me!” he calls, “Impress me with your wheel-board magic.

Tim manages a kick-flip on his first attempt and Bernard makes a loud noise of approval.

A lot of stuff comes back to Tim fairly quickly. Most of skateboarding had been muscle memory for him and that’s something that being a vigilante hadn’t exactly hindered. As things return to him he regains some faint memories of why he’d stopped. Nothing specific, just that feeling of not having enough time. Of thinking that going to the skatepark wasn’t a particularly useful way to spend his hours while there was still real work to be done.

Tim’s always been a vigilante first, but he thinks there must have been a point when that wasn’t the only thing he was. Well, when it wasn’t the only thing he was that mattered.

“Come on!” Bernard shouts, teeth flashing white against Gotham’s grey-black sky. “I was promised entertainment!”

Tim laughs. He seems to do that a lot around Bernard these days.

He starts moving on the skateboard, deciding to leave the existentialism for another day.

~

First Dick and now Bruce. Tim’s family has really been making a habit of being weird around him lately.

He would normally think that the Bruce was worried about him, that Dick had passed along some bullshit about his mental health and Bruce was practicing some silent vigil. The problem with that theory is that Tim’s been getting better recently, so there wouldn’t be much point. At least he thinks he’s been getting better. It’s difficult to tell sometimes.

Bruce has definitely been acting weird around him though, so maybe he isn’t getting better. Maybe Bruce spotted something Tim didn’t and he’s on the road to insanity.

“What do you want?” Bruce asks one day as they’re both working in the cave. Not Batman. Bruce.

It’s a far stupider question than it was when Barbara or Dick asked it. Bruce is the person who made Tim’s desires what they are. He’s the one who took Tim’s obsession and carved it into a goal.

“What?” Tim asks, loud and confused and maybe a little angry. “What do you mean ‘what do I want’? I want the mission! What else am I supposed to want?”

Bruce stays silent for a moment and Tim imagines him turning the words over in his head. “Nothing else?” Bruce asks. He sounds sad and it makes the anger drain from Tim’s body. “Just the mission?”

“I don’t need anything else.” Tim says hollowly.

Bruce just nods, thinking. It makes Tim want to scream even as satisfaction rises in his chest.

It’s always been a point of pride that he can to lie to Batman. He’s hardly going to change his mind about that now.

~

“People keep asking me what I want.” Tim says, sat on Bernard's bed. “I don’t like it.”

Bernard's turns away from the laptop on his desk so he can look at Tim. “You ever tell them the truth?”

Tim shrugs. He isn’t sure what else to do. “Ish?”

Bernard smiles. “Anyone ever tell you you’re impossible, Tim Drake?”

“Only everyone I’ve ever met.”

Bernard barks out a laugh before sobering up and looking at Tim with ill-disguised curiosity. “Do you want to tell me the truth about it? Or did you just want to say the thing out loud?”

“I’m not sure.” Tim admits, and he has to stop himself from acting taken aback by the fact he actually said that. Tim never says when he’s uncertain. There isn’t room for it. Bernard must know that too because he looks at Tim in surprise, then scoots his chair closer to the bed so that he and Tim are almost touching.

Bernard looks very cautious. “You know that’s okay, right?”

“I-“ Tim starts, because is it? Is uncertainty the kind of luxury he can afford? “I want to want things. But it feels like I’ve forgotten how.”

“You’ve had a rough couple of years.”

“How do you-“

Bernard smiles knowingly. “You’re not as hard to read as you think, Tim. Well you are. But it’s not difficult to tell that some bad things must have happened since I last saw you.”

“Yeah.” Tim says hoarsely, thinking back to the burn of his muscles as he dug up Kon’s grave, the stinging of desert sand in his eyes, the moment of confusion when he woke up in a league of assassins base unsure if he’d had to die to get there. “Yeah. Bad things happened.” He shakes himself a little, because those aren’t the thoughts he wants lingering. He focuses back on Bernard who’s closer than Tim had realised, worry creased between his eyes. “What about you?” Tim asks, trying to exert some measure of control over the conversation. “What do you want?”

“Thought we were talking about you?” Tim might have let it go with that if not for the note of nervousness in Bernard's voice and the red creeping up the back of his neck.

“We can talk about both of us.”

“It’s not important right now.”

Tim reaches out then. He takes Bernard's hand in his because Bernard makes him laugh and he looks so nervous and Tim wants to. Bernard looks down at their hands in surprise and Tim doesn’t actually feel worried. Just expectant that Bernard is going to squeeze their fingers together more securely. He does. “You sure?” Tim asks.

Bernard just looks at him. Mouth parted with shock. He seems to come back to himself though and his expression of surprise turns into something more confident. More familiar. “What if I wanted you?” he asks, hesitancy and confidence rolled into one voice.

“Give me some time to remember how to want things, and I think I’ll want that too.” Tim replies, just as unsure and utterly certain.

Bernard tangles their fingers together a little more firmly in response and Tim feels more hopeful than he has in a long time.

#SO URBAN LEGENDS HUH?? #if dc say sike rn I am going to take that as a hate crime against me PERSONALLY #dc #dc fandom #batman #writing #fic rec #batman fic rec #tim drake #bernard dowd #red robin #timber #urban legends #batman urban legends #ngl i might clean this up and expand on it a bit and put it on ao3 #all the sections were meant to be as short as barbara's lmao #i'm so bad at writing romance i couldn't even get them to kiss #i quite liked how the other parts turned out though?? idk

[awhitehead17]

Batfam Alphabet: L - Language 

Summary: Jason doesn’t hesitate to drag his brothers down with him when Bruce starts reprimanding him about the type of language he uses on a daily basis. 

Enjoy! :D 

“Well this is just a load of bullshit! Why do they have to intervene? We’re perfectly capable of handling this.” Jason huffs and crosses his arms over his chest as he leans back in his chair. He can’t believe what he's hearing.

On the opposite side of the table Bruce levels him with a hard look. “Watch your language Jason.”

Jason blinks before sitting up straight. “What, it’s not like the kid is currently around to overhear."

“Jason!”

Glaring at the man, Jason scowls. This seems to be a regular topic of conversation between them recently because according to Bruce Jason swears too much, especially when he’s around Damian. The man, for whatever reason, wants Jason to be a good role model for the kid and apparently that includes him not swearing.

So now anytime he swears, Bruce points it out with a matching scolding tone and expression.

It’s a ridiculous notion because Jason being who he is was brought up with swearing, living on the streets for so many years exposed him to all kinds of things, one of which being the language people use. Swearing is just part of his vocabulary, half of the time he isn’t even aware he is doing it. As long as he’s not swearing at someone, then surely there should be some leniency.

“Oh come on!” He exclaims with a wave of his hands. “He’s been raised as an assassin, he was already tainted before we even met. Me saying a few words isn’t doing any harm.”

Before Bruce could respond a new voice joins the conversation. “To be fair you do swear a lot. Maybe you should try and tone it down.”

Jason turns to his right to glare at his older brother who’s lounging comfortably next to him. “Oh fuck off, Dick, no one asked for your opinion.”

Dick stares back unimpressed, he raises both eyebrows as if to say, “really?”

Jason recalls what he said and grits his teeth.

He points menacingly at Dick. “That doesn’t prove anything. Quite frankly I grew up in Crime Alley, of course I’m gonna swear, you hear it every minute in that place and typically as a kid you’re gonna pick up the habit. You know what they say old habits die hard.”

“Just like you did?” A different voice retorts with a snort.

Jason switches his gaze to Tim, who is opposite him next to Bruce currently playing with his phone, and blinks at him in surprise. “Uh, excuse me? I don’t know whether to be insulted or proud by that.”

It’s usually only him who makes death jokes so it’s come as a surprise to find Tim making one, a well-timed one too. Jason shakes his head, he’ll deal with those emotions at another time.

“Anyway, if we’re talking about who swears too much then why aren’t you giving Tim a lecture? He swears like a bloody sailor. If anyone needs reprimanding on his language it’s him!”

Tim abruptly stops fiddling with his phone and looks up, he rolls his eyes and glowers at him. “Jesus Christ that’s so immature Jason. How old are you, 10? I’m no way near as bad as you.”

His response gets a gleeful chuckle out of Jason. He knows exactly how the next few minutes are about to play out and he can’t wait. While the focus of the conversation had been on him, he’s glad for the opportunity to move it onto someone else and Tim happens to be perfect for the new spotlight.

Without any hesitation Jason digs into his pocket and grabs his phone. Once he has the device in hand he starts searching for the video he has saved for this very purpose. Call him petty, but he knew it would be good blackmail material one day.

“Oh really?” He drawls out, finally finding the video he had been looking for, “then what do I have here…” Jason clicks play and puts it on speaker so everyone in the room would be able to hear the audio.

After a second the sound of Tim’s voice could be heard. The teenager was clearly angry about something and certainly wasn’t holding back from letting his anger be known through his choice of words.

“You bloody bastard, why won’t you work you piece of shit. By god this is pissing me off now, I’ve been at this all fucking day and you’re still not fucking working. I am going to kill…”

The recording lasts for about a minute and is filled with Tim swearing his head off, cursing at everything and everyone and making empty threats. Once it’s finished Jason turns his phone off, puts it back in his pocket and leans back in his chair feeling smug about the situation.

“I rest my case.”

His words are met with a stunned silence in the room. Tim is blushing hard with his head buried in his hands. Next to him Bruce looks concerned, probably for Tim’s mental health and wellbeing. Dick’s staring at Tim with shock spread across his features.

After a few beats Tim lifts his head from his hands but keeps his eyes down staring at the table so he could avoid everyone’s eyes. “Okay in my defence the technology was really piss–annoying me. It wouldn’t work and I couldn’t work out why so I got frustrated and that happened.”

His response makes Jason snort and causes Dick to shake his head in disbelief. He knew Tim could be feisty but until that moment he never realised how bad his temper could get. Jason’s honestly impressed. However that doesn’t mean he’s letting Tim get away with it, especially when he’s getting blamed for something Tim does just as much of as him.

If he's going down then he’s dragging Tim down with him. It’s just unfortunate that he doesn’t have anything on Dick.

Jason’s broken out of his thoughts on ways he could get blackmail material on Dick when Tim speaks up again. He’s finally looking up at everyone though his still flushed face shows his prior embarrassment.

“Let’s be honest, is swearing really all that bad? As long as we’re not swearing at people then I think it’s fine. We’re not harming anyone. Who cares if we swear a little too much. And anyway, doesn’t everyone swear at some point?”

“Clark doesn’t.” Dick pipes up next to him.

Jason snorts. “That’s because big blue is a boy scout, of course he isn’t going to swear. He doesn’t count. Plus we’re from Gotham after all, it’s not like this is the most impeccable place in the world.”

Dick becomes thoughtful, humming his response. “Yeah that’s true I guess.”

“Boys.”

The three brother’s all turn and look at Bruce who had called for their attention. Jason had forgotten the man was even there, he had surprisingly been quiet until now. Maybe it’s because Clark was brought into the conversation, it must have peaked his interest. Jason files that information away for later.

“It doesn’t matter how much any of you swear, you shouldn’t do it at all. Damian is still young, he doesn’t need to grow up listening to that sort of language despite his initial upbringing.” Bruce firmly says, looking at each of them in turn. “You all know better and have good manners, going forward I expect you to use them.”

As Bruce rattles on about proper manners and the importance of them, Jason finds himself resisting the urge to smile. With every second that passes, it threatens to break out on his face. What makes matters worse is that he knows he shouldn’t smile, this isn’t a smiling matter considering how serious Bruce is being but the man is making it difficult to concentrate and to take the topic seriously.

Jason glances to the right to find Dick staring at Bruce with a hand covering the lower part of his face and Jason can tell that his brother is in the exact same boat as he is.

Apparently all it takes for him to break is Dick to glance at him and for them to make eye contact.

After that Jason couldn’t help himself but to burst out laughing, next to him Dick also breaks out into a fit of giggles. They laugh for a good while until they’re able to start calming down, by that point Jason’s cheeks are hurting and he even had tears forming in his eyes. As he takes a deep breath to compose himself he makes the mistake of looking over at Dick again, Dick looks back at him too and just like that they fall into another uncontrollable laughing fit.

While laughing Jason gets a glimpse of a confused looking Tim and a disappointed Bruce, but it’s Bruce’s scowling expression that triggers off another wave of giggles.

It takes even longer for the two of them to calm down. As he sits there Jason repeatedly takes deep breaths in order to collect himself. Once he’s calmed down a little, now able to breathe somewhat normally, he could feel how his sides are aching, how his cheeks hurt from the wide smiling and the tears coming from his eyes. He can’t remember the last time he laughed so hard that it hurt, and over something so trivial nonetheless.

When it feels like he’s finally composed himself he risks a glance at Dick to find his brother also in the state of calming down though there’s still a wide grin on face. He then looks at Bruce who is still staring at the two of them with his disappointed look. That’s almost enough to set himself off again. Almost.

“If you’re both quite done, we have important business to discuss, may I remind you that being the reason we’re meeting to begin with.”

“Hey, you’re the one who started on the whole language topic that derailed us in the beginning.” Jason defends himself and his brother’s. All Bruce does is huff at that, knowing Jason is right and can’t defend himself against it otherwise. Jason smirks victoriously.

Opposite him, Tim sighs loudly and makes a show to sitting up straight and sorting out some of the paperwork between them all on table. “Enough already, can we just go over the details and the police reports again and get to the end of this. I have better things to do than hear everyone bicker about language and manners.”

Dick gives the youngest a side look. “What you got planned? Is that who you were messaging just now? Is it your boyfriend?”

“What? No. Just friends. I ain’t telling you.” Tim snaps glaring at Dick.

Jason whistles. “Timmy’s getting some tonight then eh? Make sure to stay safe and use protection.”

“Jason!”

“Well he’s not wrong Tim, but where are you going? We need to know so if something happens we know where to look first.” Dick’s looking more concerned by the minute and Jason could see the flip switch from carefree older brother to over-bearing mother hen.

Tim blinks at them before turning his gaze to Bruce. In a whining voice he pleads the man, “Bruce, get them to stop!”

To begin with all Bruce does is run a hand over his face like he’s regretting every life choice he’s made and how he would rather be anywhere else but here. After a moment he sends exasperated looks at his eldest sons.

“Not much more to go, then we should be all caught up and ready to proceed with the case further tomorrow. Is it too much to ask for your full attention for the remaining hour?”

Jason sighs and sits up straighter, knowing play time is over and it’s time to be serious. One more hour won’t hurt, then afterwards there’s nothing stopping him from having a little fun is there. He nods at Bruce and picks up the piece of paper closet to him to examine the page. Dick does the same and finally Bruce proceeds with their meeting.

#batfam alphabet #batfamily #Jason Todd #bruce wayne #dick grayson #Tim Drake #humour #lots of swearing #probably more than necessary #Brotherly Love #sibling relationship #annoying siblings #Petty Jason #this got away from me #i don't know what happened #tired dad bruce #fanfiction

[elysianslove]

hi! how have you been since the hell that ensued after halloween is?

also could you do a batboys college au? like their major and how the reader would meet them and all that jazz? 👉👈

-🐥

hi anon!! i’m not sure what ur talking about @ the halloween stuff hvsdhjs but! here are the batboys hc’s! i’m not very familiar with duke thomas’s character enough to write about him tbh, so he’s not included here :( but if you want me to add him let me know!! i hope you enjoy!!

dick grayson

out of all the batboys i really didn’t know how to choose a major for him

but

i think he’d do law tbh, specifically criminal law 

his main motivation to become a police officer in bludhaven had been to be able to help people in any way he can 

i forgot if it’s canon or not but he does realize how corrupt it is and he quits but that’s another thing we won’t get into that lmao 

anyways yes let’s just stick with law 

meeting you ! 

he shares one or two courses with you

one that’s really early in the morning 

and one that’s later on in the afternoon 

dick is like a magnetic okay

anywhere he goes people are just attracted to him

like literally he will breathe 

but someone call the ambulance there’s a person that’s passed out bc of how beautiful he is

but this is an 8 am class 😃

so there’s no way ur awake enough to notice him

coincidentally he sits next to you one time

and this is the one time

you decide

yeah lemme just fkn sleep is uni even worth it 

dick definitely notices right away but he doesn’t say anything 

he thinks you look so cute passed out on your desk like this 🥺

when the professor signals the end of the class, he watches as people file out and then he just leans over and nudges you slightly 

you nearly punch him bc he scared you ❤️

he just laughs and goes “class is over” 

you just sigh like the guilt starts to hit you and your heart begins to sink

and he sees your disappointed face and just goes 

“i took a lot notes. i can share them w you?”

lifesaver in every single way dick grayson 😻😻😻

you had another class that you had to run to and you were rushing

he was like “dw i’ll just give them to you whenever i see you next” 

and you 🏃🏻‍♀️ outta there

imagine ur surprise when u enter class at 12 pm and he’s there in all his glory 

after the lecture is over, he walks up to you as you’re packing and asks if you want to go to the coffee shop nearby 

to take his notes of course

and you finally register just how handsome he is 

so obviously you say yes wtf

and the rest is history 😼

he asks you out, properly, pretty early on tbh 

so unfazed lmfao 

now you take naps on his shoulder instead of the desk 💞💞💞

soooo into pda 

kisses u when he first sees you

when you’re parting ways

when he feels like it

straight up cuddles w during lectures i’m not even joking 

it’s disgusting how cute you two are 

gets you coffee for all those 8 am classes u have w him hehe

study dates always turn into karaoke sessions somehow don’t even ask lmao

jason todd

english literature 

this is a collective agreement right? 

right

definitely english literature 

i dont even think he wants to go to uni but he’s going to waste time plus this is bruce’s money 😏🤑

your major doesn’t necessarily have to be english literature as well

but you share one class

and my god 

you two disagree on everything

like every little thing

at this point if he says something and you slightly agree internally you’ll still say some opposing shit 

that’s kinda what draws you to him 

at first you genuinely had nothing against him

but then this kind of rivalry developed for no specific reason 

but it was fun

and he was hot

so seeing him get flustered or angry made him even hotter somehow 

but then

but t h e n

you’re not sure if your professor like ships you or something

so you’re assigned a debate topic on one of the books you’d discussed in class/one of the books you’ve read outside, and within each group are the two sides for and against 

not only were you in the same team as jason, but you were on the same side as him

so you had to work with him

the audacity of the professor omg 

but jason needs this course 

and 

well you don’t but it’s too late to back out now 

you two meet in the campus library after deciding on a book with the other two of your team

and 

honestly??? 

you two work so well together 

like insanely well

during the debate you destroyed the other team 

spoiler alert 

doing so well with jason kinda made you like hot and bothered 

seeing him in his zone

sexy <3 

what i mean to say is

you both end up making out in some storage room lmfao 

or hate sex 😏

professor has a phd in matchmaking 🤔😻

i think you two don’t admit you like each other

bc you’re both stubborn as fuck

but eventually you’re literally on his lap on his couch and it just hits you

and you lean back and go

“wanna go out w me” 

and he just shrugs and goes “sure” and pulls you in for more kissing hehe

he’s not v good at the boyfriend thing tbh

you have to chase him around and be like “sir!!! did u forget about me huh!!!”

he doesn’t mean to i promise

he gets all blushy and flustered once he realizes 

only ever into pda if he’s insanely jealous 

will straight up make out w u regardless of where u are or who ur with lmfao 

he’s still getting used to the little intimacies and all 

debates in class are so much more fun now cause he finds it so hot when u get all riled up hehe

that eng lit professor is so happy for you two omg

tim drake

okay i also couldn’t really decide for him

but maybe he’d study something like physics (or maybe computer engineering/computer science) 

idk u have to have a death wish to wanna major in physics so tim’s major it is

i’m not sure how it works for every other uni but my uni requires 6 credits of sciences to graduate 

so let’s say for the sake of this hc u take like just the first level of physics to get 3 credits 

and 

you’re struggling 😃👍🏼

so you like approach your professor with a few questions before the quiz 

but tim is also there

and he kinda makes small talk while you two wait outside the office

and he asks why you’re here

you show him

and he’s like “oh i took this course w the same professor as well, i could help?” 

it’s like an angel had descended from the heavens for you personally 

you take his number and decide to meet up with him after a few hours 

he’s of so much more help than your professor would’ve been, even if ur prof is a really nice and smart person 

and he’s super like

patient with you? 

also he pays for all the coffee and snacks you’re getting after you already get them 

ur like bruh i didnt 

dont pay pls

and he’s like no im loaded let me 😼

swooning <3 

and guess what!! 

you ace the quiz out of some miracle

first thing you do is text him and he congratulates you 

and then

bc ur not blind and tim is so fucking cute

you’re like “can i take u out to thank u” 

tim’s brain stops working but ! 

he does say yes eventually 

he becomes your designated physics tutor + your amazing boyfriend

being with tim is so like

chill

it’s a very relaxed time 

lots of study dates! and cafe dates! all hours of the day whether the sun is up or not 

into pda but to a certain degree 

like yes of course have a kiss pretty baby 

but also it will only be a small peck

any time anyone passes by like common rooms you two will be there snuggling on the couch, one or both of you completely passed out 

damian wayne

business major 100% 

or a bsba econ major, which is basically the business side of economics 

he has to take over his father’s company one day duh 

also i genuinely think damian would excel in this field 

he’s a very keeps to himself kinda guy in uni

like you only ever see him in your common classes and then he just

disappears 

anyways there was this party that everyone was going to, and damian wasn’t planning to

but dick accidentally read some groupchat’s messages and was like are u going

damian went 🏃🏻‍♀️

but dick was like go and try to make friends !!!! 

and dames cant say no to his big bro 🥺 so he goes

stays in a corner on the settings app the entire time

like half an hr in he just leaves and is walking home/back to his dorm when you come like rushing up to him 

you’re zooming 

and then you just latch onto his hand and lean up to press a kiss to his cheek, whispering in his ear “this person’s been following me for like 15 mins just please go along w this” 

he kinda stiffens but when he does notice that there’s a person eyeing you he slips his arm around your waist and just carries on walking

he walks you to your home/dorm and is like

so awkward 

but it’s okay ! ur a people’s person enough for the two of you 

you thank him so much over and over 

and then you’re like 

“can i take you out on a real date?” 

and then he becomes ur real boyfriend hehe

is still super stiff but it’s only bc he’s so hyper aware of how attractive you are

and i’m super positive he doesn’t have that much experience with dating so 

you hold the reigns 

but he’s a great boyfriend all in all tbh 

super attentive, super protective, and so loving 

isn’t into pda especially on college campus but he does like subtle pda

things like linking your pinkies or giving you his hoodie to just parade around campus hehe

end note; i’m sorry if these feel rushed or anything like. i used to be an avid writer for the batboys, but i just haven’t been feeling it lately. i still love to write from them bc i know these boys so well eeeeppp. anyways feel free to request some more!!

#dc comics x reader #dc comics headcanons #jason todd x reader #jason todd fluff #jason todd headcanon #dick grayson x reader #dick grayson headcanon #tim drake x reader #tim drake headcanon #damian wayne x reader #damian wayne headcanon #batboys x reader #batboys headcanons

[oh-mother-of-darkness]

“That’s the third story this month,” Tim said, putting aside his plate. “What is it this time?”

“It’s more rumors about the company,” Bruce said, passing over the newspaper. “And you.”

“Me.”

“Yes.”

“What now?”

“You appear to be embezzling, Master Timothy.” Alfred pulled Tim’s empty plate from the table and replaced it with a platter of bagels. Tim pushed the tray away from his seat. He had eaten enough already. 

“Great.” 

“The fact that it is untrue will not stop them from printing it.”

“Yeah,” said Tim, while he glanced over the article. “Yeah, I know.”

Stealing, it said, and money changing hands. Tim missed the next minute of conversation, vaguely aware of Bruce, Alfred, and Damian talking around him, but not processing what they said. 

Tim should make a joke. He knew that. There was a nasty article about him in the paper, and he should make a joke. That’s what they all did, in situations like these. 

Tim was getting fed up with situations like these. He took a few deep breaths, pulled a pen from among the hodgepodge of case files and breakfast plates, and scratched at the edge of the newspaper to see if the pen worked. 

The pen did not work. Well, Tim thought to himself. Well, that was the last straw.

“Are we doing emotions today?” he asked.

The rest of the table fell silent. Bruce put down his glass of orange juice. 

“What?”

“Emotions. Do I get to be angry?”

“Yes,” said Damian. 

“Yes?” said Bruce.

“Cool.” Tim took another deep breath. “I’m angry.”

Damian leaned forward, folding his arms on the table. He rested his chin on top of them. “Angry about?”

“This.” Tim waved the article in the air. “The bad PR. The lying. The… it’s slander, right?

“It’s libel if they write it down.”

“Libel then.” Tim felt his face starting to heat up. “I hate it. I shouldn’t live in a world where cameras watch everything I do, and I definitely shouldn’t be reading about myself over breakfast. When I didn’t do anything. This is all nonsense.”

Tim stood up, suddenly anxious to move around. He looked down at the article in his hand again, reread the headline, and snorted.

“I’m embezzling?” said Tim. “I’m committing fraud? I’m bribing and conniving and stealing my way through this shitshow? Please, do tell.” 

He threw the paper down onto the table. “I am just… so tired of these journalists, these blogs, these— I don’t know— these instagrams insulting me and bending over backward to find mistakes I didn’t actually make. Obsession. They idolize me. They hate me. Which one do we get today?”

Tim paced away from the table, towards the center of the room. “Yes,” he said, kicking at the corner of a rug. “Quote me in pastels on your, your whatever— your social media. Post every photo of me that exists online. Take the pictures of my family that I take, run them through a filter, and insult us on your way to exploiting everything we do. Love it!”

Tim paced back, stopping. “Damian?” he asked.

“What?”

“What else am I mad about?”

“Me?”

“Not right now.”

“The dating stuff?”

“Oh, yeah.” Tim threw his hands in the air. “Oh yeah! If I ever have to read anything ever again— much less answer questions— about who I’m dating, or who my family is dating, or if I’m dating my family, I’m going to lose it. I’m going to lose my shit. How many times do I have to say this?” 

Tim slapped a hand onto the table on his way past. Everyone in the room jumped at the sudden sound as Tim walked away again, hand stinging from the impact. 

“I will not write your trash headlines or your terrible stories. No, I will not answer your questions, and I will not bend my personal boundaries for your fantasies. I do not exist for you, personally, to receive favors, because—”

Tim floundered for a moment, gesturing vaguely. “Because I just, I just owe it to everyone, don’t I? That’s what I’m for? To do you a solid? To help you out? To make you feel better about your life by giving you my time and effort?”

“Tim,” said Bruce.

“And then everybody on the planet thinks I’ll do it again!” Tim clenched his fists. “And again, and again, and again, because now I have to. That’s my job now.”

“Yes ma’am,” Tim said to his right. “No, sir,” he said to his left. “Absolutely. Yes. What can I do for you? What do you need? Oh I am—”

“Tim,” Bruce said, softer this time.

Tim heard himself getting louder and louder, but he didn’t try to stop. He didn’t know if he could stop, actually.

“I am so tired,” he spat, “of smiling while I get screwed— and if I, if I do anything about it? Then I’m petty, and I’m harsh, and I’m the one at fault, and I’m no better than they are. Moral high ground my ass! I’m tired.”

“Yeah. Yeah,” Tim repeated. “I’m just here to give favors, but anytime I need something, anytime I ask, or even when I don’t, I’m expected to fall on the floor in gratitude. Oh thank you, my Lord and Savior, for blessing me with the human decency you should have been exhibiting this entire goddamn time.”

Tim kicked at the carpet again. “I’ve been working for seven days straight. I haven’t slept. It’s not cute, and it’s not fun, and it feels like dying, but here I am doing everything on Earth because it’s all my responsibility. The whole thing! All of it! So I’ll be—”

He raised a hand above his head with a lifting motion, rolling his eyes. “—I’ll be over here playing Atlas while everything I actually want to do goes down the drain. Fine! Used to it! I’m used to being stuck here because nothing— nothing ever goes right. It just doesn’t.”

“Be obedient,” Tim said. “Be polite, be perfect, be— I’m tired! I’m tired, okay? I’m tired, and I’m angry, I’m so angry that I’m going to scream. I am screaming! God! If everything could take a break for half an hour so I could just stop—”

Tim cut himself off, out of breath. Shit. He turned fully around and found the three of them staring back at him in varying stages of alarm. Damian appeared more interested than anything else, while Alfred’s eyebrows furrowed in concern. Bruce, of course, remained inscrutable. 

“And, um,” Tim added, suddenly self-conscious. “And whoever is hoarding all the good pens is getting written out of my will.” 

“Isn’t me,” said Damian, shrugging. 

“You’re already written out.”

“That’s valid.”

“I’m going to go now.” Tim pulled his backpack out from under the table. “I’m fine, don’t worry about it. See you.”

He marched out of the room, very aware of three pairs of eyes behind him. 

#big mad last night anyway #tim drake #damian wayne #bruce wayne #alfred pennyworth #batfamily #fanfiction #mine

[heyitsani]

We Don’t Share the Same Blood

Batman Bingo 2020: Ice Cream/”You are my dad, right?”

Word Count: 2026

Rating: General 

Warnings: Dick’s low self-worth, is that a warning?  This is fluff peeps, not much to warn about.

Pairing: None 

Summary: When Bruce is unable to attend parent/teacher conferences at Gotham Academy with Damian, Dick steps up and takes his place.  The evening ends with ice cream and a revelation that puts to rest a lot of questions Dick has been asking himself.

Notes: Dick get a little stuck in his head here, but it’s mostly fluff.  These brothers give me life and this makes me happy after such an awful Damian day yesterday.

I also put it all under the cut because there wasn’t a really good “preview” cut off point.  Not because it’s NSFW or anything.  Good, clean fun here.

You can also read this on AO3 here

While the idea of having kids and a family one day had always been one that Dick had subscribed to, he had never thought he would take the less traditional path.  He always expected to settle down with a partner, maybe marry them, and then have children through conception or surrogacy.  Yes, adoption had been an option to consider, but he had always wanted to make sure that his family genes continued through at least one biological child.  Not because he wanted his kids to look like him, but because he wanted a piece of his parents to continue on, even when they couldn’t.

He wanted a Grayson to be in the world after he had gone from it.  He wanted to be selfish on one thing.

What he hadn’t thought would happen was that at the age of 27, he would be taking custody of the son of the man who had taken him in after his parents had fallen to their deaths. He hadn’t expected to be doing it alone with no one but the man he thought of as a grandfather to guide him. Sure, Bruce hadn’t always been the best father, but Dick had always thought he had done the best he knew how. Mostly.  And Dick had always expected to have Bruce to fall back on when he felt like he was drowning in the ocean of parenthood.

But he hadn’t had Bruce.

It had been him and a child who hadn’t wanted Dick.  Damian had wanted Bruce, not a poor substitute in the shape of Dick.  And the young Wayne had made it clear from the very beginning that Dick was nothing but an inconvenience.  That he wasn’t Bruce and he never would be.

Then things had started to change.  Jason stopped trying to kill them and Tim was off trying to find the man they all loved like a father.  And Damian stopped fighting Dick every step of the way.  He still fought, but he slowly started opening up to the older man and things started to fall into place.

They were good.  Dick was happy and Damian was flourishing.  He watched the kid go from an angry murderous brat to a haughty self-entitled brat.  And then, eventually, Dick started seeing an actual child emerge.  And he did everything he could to foster that in Damian.  He tried to give him back the childhood that had been stolen from him.

And Damian slowly became a son.

And then Bruce came back.

And Dick felt like his entire world was torn away from him and there was nothing he could do about it. It had hurt.  It had burned.  And he had punished himself instead of taking it out on Bruce.  Because it wasn’t his fault.  And it certainly wasn’t Damian’s fault.  

So, Dick had done the only thing he could do.  He went back to his apartment and kept his distance so Bruce had the opportunity to become a real father to Damian.

At least until Gotham Academy was calling him stating Damian needed someone to pick him up because he was ill, and Bruce was not answering his phone.  Dick had still been listed as a secondary contact and Damian had asked for him over Alfred.  And, of course, Dick had dropped everything and gone straight to the school he had once graduated from to pick his brother up from school.

He hadn’t even considered saying he wasn’t able to.  Not for Damian.  Never for Damian.

And though the kid looked green around the gills, he looked far too grateful when Dick appeared in the doorway of the nurse’s room.

That day Dick had moved himself back to the primary contact for the school and promised Damian that he would always come when his brother called.  Always.  It didn’t matter what he was doing, if Damian needed him then he would be there.  Like he had always tried to be for all of his siblings since he had failed Jason so spectacularly when he had first come to the family.

Damian was different, though.

Outside of the fact that Dick had blurred the lines of brother and parent in his own heart, sometimes he felt like Damian did the same.  Like Dick was something more than just another brother.  And a part of Dick hoped that was true.  Even if the other part of him felt beyond guilty for taking that from Bruce.  It wasn’t like his father figure had meant to be taken away from them for a whole year, forcing Dick to step into far too many roles that he had never wanted. Including, “father” for a kid who would have rather been anywhere else.

“Are you even listening to me, Richard?”  Damian’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts, reminding him where they were and why.

Right.  Parent/teacher conferences that Bruce couldn’t be bothered to attend because the League had called on him.

“Sorry, Dami.  Got stuck in my head.”

Dick wasn’t surprised to see the teen heave a heavy sigh.  “I was explaining that these meetings are droll and pointless.  I am performing excellently in all of my courses and I don’t understand why we have to bother.”  Snorting out a laugh, Dick reached out and ruffled Damian’s hair.

“It’s so I can hear teacher’s gush about what an amazing student you are.”  His words were met with an eye roll before they continued their path to the first classroom.  And though Dick knew the teachers would all tell Dick that Damian was a bright kid and was very diligent, he knew they would also tell him that he was not the average middle schooler.

And Dick was well aware of that.

“Well, if it isn’t Richie Grayson,” a familiar voice called out.  Glancing over his shoulder, Dick smiled the familiar face of one of his old school friends.

“Hunter Blake, how are you?” Dick held out his hand to shake the other man’s but was surprised when the other man ignored it and found himself pulled into a hug instead.  It was quick, gentle, and over before Dick could really react but it still caught him off guard.  

“I’m good!  What are you doing gracing the halls of Gotham Academy on PT night?”

Glancing down at Damian, Dick was surprised to find the kid smiling brightly.  “Uh, I’m here with Damian.  Bruce couldn’t make it, so I’m filling in.”  Dick shook off the surprise at Damian’s expression just as he had the hug and looked back to Hunter.

“I don’t know why I never put that together.  I’m guessing you two are heading to my classroom now?”  Hunter looked down to Damian and Dick saw the teen nodding out of the corner of his eyes.  “I’m Damian’s art teacher.  Come on, I was just dropping off a forgotten purse in the office so I’m heading back that way too.”

“I didn’t realize you ended up teaching here.”

“Well, they certainly love to hire their graduates when they can,” Hunter laughed, and Dick nodded.  The trio walked in silence for a few more feet before Hunter was waving an arm toward a room.  “This is us.  Why don’t you go get your portfolio, Damian, while I talk to Dick?”  The teen wasted no time in hurrying off to grab something.

“So art?”

“I enjoyed it as a kid, turns out I’m pretty good at it but not good enough to make a living.”  Dick glanced around the room and took in all the art on display and shrugged.  

“You must be good with kids? Damian always talks about his art projects.  It’s obviously his favorite class.”

“No one has talent like him. He’s by far my most talented student. Probably the most talented student I’ll ever have.”  Dick followed Hunter to a wall of landscapes and immediately he could point out which one was his brothers.  The forest behind Wayne Manor was unmistakable but the style was one Dick had framed around his own apartment.  “He’s quiet and he’s reserved, but he is an artistic genius.  I hope he is encouraged at home to cultivate it?”

“I have numerous pieces framed around my own apartment.  I know Bruce has a few in his various offices as well.”  If anything, Dick had always worried that they had pushed it too much. But Damian was stubborn and if he didn’t want to do something then he didn’t do it.  So if he hadn’t wanted to draw, then he wouldn’t.

Hunter smiled brightly and clapped a hand on Dick’s shoulder.  “I’m glad to hear it.  I would love to be able to say I have a Damian Wayne original hanging in my classroom one day.  I’ll let him show you his portfolio.  I’ve got other parents to mingle with.”

“Thanks, Hunter.  Good to see you.”  Hunter said a you too before turning to approach a mother cooing over her daughter’s work.  Looking down to see Damian holding a book in his hands, Dick smiled and moved to sit at one of the desks so his brother could show off.  And Dick couldn’t stop the swell of pride in his chest as his brother showed him piece after beautiful piece.

When they had gone through the entire book, Dick smiled at Damian and told him just how amazing everything was and he watched the teen glow under the compliment.  As if it meant something coming from Dick.  Something more than it would had it come from someone else.

“What do you say to some ice cream?”

“That would be an acceptable end to this evening,” Damian agreed after he had returned from putting his portfolio back in it’s place.  And Dick couldn’t agree more because ice cream was an acceptable end to just about any evening.

“Richard,” Damian called softly as they walked the street with their individual cones.  Dick hummed in response as he watched the other people on the street, enjoying the cool but not cold night air.  “Thank you for attending tonight.”

Looking down, Dick smiled. “Of course, Little D.  I know I’m not Bruce, but I’ll always be where you need me to be.”

“Yes, you are not Father,” Damian agreed.  And though Dick knew that, the words did sting a little.  “But in full disclosure, you may not be Father, but you know you are my dad, right?”  Freezing in place, Dick stared at Damian as he processed his words.  He wasn’t Damian’s father but he was his dad.  That is what the teen had said.  

“Dames…”  Dick wasn’t sure what to say.  Did he tell him that he couldn’t do that to Bruce?  Did he thank him?  Did he hug him?

“I apologize if I have overstepped, but I thought you should know.”  There was an awkwardness to Damian and a slight blush on his cheeks, like he was embarrassed to admit such emotion.  It made Dick melt.  “I have spoke with Father about this regard and he told me that it was completely understandable, given the time you and I have spent together.”  Bruce knew?  And he apparently didn’t care.  “But I just wanted you to know that you may be my brother on paper, but to me you are more.”

“Thank you for telling me,” Dick finally responded, voice thick with emotion.  He wanted to say more, he wanted to gush all of his emotions onto Damian and make sure he knew that Dick felt the same.  That no matter what happened, Damian would always be his son. “It means more than you know.”

Nodding his head, Damian looked from Dick to his ice cream cone and then started walking again.  “Come, Baba.  Jon’s birthday is approaching, and I must find a gift to give him or I will never hear the end of it.  You shall aide me on this mission.”

Baba.  Dad.  

“Of course, Dames.  We wouldn’t want to disappoint a Kent.  You’d never survive the puppy dog eyes.”  Dick spoke through the happy tears that built in his eyes at the name, following his son down the street to see what the shops could offer.

#Batmanbingo2020 #batman bingo 2020 #batman #dick grayson #damian wayne #nightwing #Robin #dick is damian's real dad #fight me #fiction #anikah writes

[animemangasoul]

We Parted Ways A Long Time Ago

Summery: Lucius Fox is Tim's emergency contact number.In which Bruce and Tim have drifted apart and Bruce doesn't realize it until it's a little too late

Chapter 4/4+

The door slammed open.

“What the fuck you leave before dinner for? You know how fucking pissed Alf-”

Both of his sons freeze at the sight of each other, Tim actually taking a step back, all previous cool long forgotten as his eyes widen and face pales.  

“Rep-- Tim?”

His youngest doesn’t say anything, only tenses up where he stands and a brief flash of hurt passes through Jason’s eyes. Bruce frowns. Sure Tim and Jay had a past. But he thought his youngest had gotten over it? Hadn’t he broken Jason out of jail while he was dead? Why was he now acting as if he was afraid of him?

Jason wouldn’t hurt Tim. Bruce could bet his life on it, and.... The lazarus pit had been responsible for his Jay turning into the hood, so Tim of all people should understand the sheer amount of work Jason had put into getting better, put into overcoming his trauma so for him to act as if Jay would hurt him....

Stepping up, Bruce raises a hand to lay on his youngest shoulder, just about to open his mouth to tell Tim that he shouldn’t be---

When a blazing glare from his older froze him in place.

Was Jason angry with him? Why?

But the glare is there, hostile, angry and a clear sign to shut the hell up.  

And then, in a blink of an eye Jay’s face softens just a bit, his stance loosens up and he takes on an air of friendliness that has Bruce taken by surprise. It’s not friendly like Dick, not as open, not as calming, but it’s the kindest Bruce has seen Jason look in a very long time and it makes his heart hurt. Because for a moment, it was as if he was seeing the little kid who laughed across rooftops in his red, yellow and green.

“What brings you back here Timbo?”

Tim had managed to center himself in that short span of time and now, a hesitant smile graces his lips as he takes a step forward, fingers coming up to curl around Jason’s sleeve almost in a silent apology.  

It almost felt like he, Bruce, had walked into a game he didn’t quite understand. Clearly his boys were navigating through something. Something that made Jason patient and Tim scared? And...

Jason reaches up then, hand slow and obvious in its direction, but when Tim doesn’t move away, he finally rests it atop of his head, ruffling his hair lightly and cackling when the younger scrunches up his nose at him, darting away.  

“What are you doing here kid?” Jason’s eyes flicker to Bruce and Bruce frowns back. “Aren’t you supposed to--”

“Visiting,” Tim cuts him off, voice soft. “B invited me.”

“Did he now.”  

The way Jason is looking at him, it almost makes Bruce tense. The gaze is scrutinizing, searching and whatever his son seems to find, he doesn’t like it. Making Bruce feel even more agitated.

What was going on?

What did Jason know?

And if Tim feared Jason what was the older trying to do? Since when did Jay talk to Tim like that. Talk to Tim like he was one of those victims he was so good at calming down.

What had he been missing here?

“Come on,” Jason finally said, breaking Bruce out of his momentary confusion. “Let’s go in. I’m sure Cass has been dying to see you again.”

Tim had stopped looking so pale by then, face still blank however and gaze fixed on his feet, but at the mention of his only sister his eyes snapped up and a familiar warmth bled through them.  

“Ok.”

They start walking, but they aren’t even halfway down the hall before a blur of a shadow flies from God knows where and lashes onto Tim.  

“Timmy!” Comes the resounding screech as a delighted Dick Grayson practically clings to the younger like a koala.

Tim stiffens. The motion is instantaneous as whatever friendliness that Jason had managed to drag out, shutters close behind an empty gaze, and Bruce finds his own smile waning at the sight. His youngest stumbles back from the warm embrace, lips parting slightly in shock and arms going up just to pause in a half-aborted motion.

“Timbits, little bro! I’ve missed you so much!”

Tim smiles, it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

Wha-- Tim liked Dick, right? Sure they weren’t as close as they used to be, but children grew up and siblings grew apart, especially brothers.  

So surely--

But just as his mind is about to descend into a rapid spiral of unending questions, the blankness fades from Tim’s eyes as quickly as it appeared and his son blinks once, twice before laughing, arms coming up to fully circle around his brother's waist. Spinning him around playfully to incite a delighted cackle out of the older.

Bruce shoulders relax.

He’s growing too paranoid for his own good. Interpreting every instance of change on Tim’s face as some sort of damning sign. Of course Tim had reacted the way he did. His son had just gotten out of the hospital yesterday for crying out loud. He was exhausted, not to mention the potential health issues he might be facing that Bruce still wanted to take a look at down at the cave.  

Dick jumping on him the way he did probably exasperated his already tired muscles.

“It’s good to see you too Dick.” The words come out chipper, any sign of whatever it is Bruce thought he saw nowhere in sight.

Yes, this was Tim. His son who might not feel quite at home with them yet but was undoubtedly still very much worshiping the ground his oldest walked on. No matter the years that passed, Dick Grayson would always be Tim’s hero.

“Look at you,” the eldest cooed, finally loosening his death grip around Tim’s neck and standing back to observe him. “Aren’t you looking healthier!” His hands come up to frame the youngers cheeks, pressing down on them and shaking Tim’s head back and forth. “You’re just too cute.”

A disgusted snort from Jason makes Bruce finally sigh and shake his head. Fondness curling his lip upward as he presses a firm hand against Dick’s shoulder to slightly push him back. “He just got out of the hospital Dick, try not to add to his stress.”

Eyes blowing wide, his eldest gapes at him, fingers still pressed on the Tim’s squished cheeks. “He did what?”

“You deaf?”

Dick elects to ignore Jason, gaze solely focused on him over Tim’s head. “He was in the hospital! Why didn’t you tell me?”

Regret of having spilled the beans already developing into an upcoming headache, all Bruce does is level Dick with a tired eye and a heavy frown. “There was no time.”

“But--”

“What is he doing here.”

“Dami!”

A careful sort of stillness descends on Tim’s frame, squished face going rigged at the sight of his only younger brother.

“Dami look who’s here!”

Damian’s arms are crossed, a petulant pout adorning his lips. “I am aware of his presence Grayson. Why is he back.” Leveling Tim with a glare, he almost smiles. “I thought we got rid of the trash this morning.”

Snorting, Dick shakes his head fondly. Bruce finds himself almost mirroring the action. Damian might have matured quite a bit these past couple of months, but his verbal rivalry with Tim still seemed to be present and accounted for.  

The threats and violence had been concerning, but with Dick’s tutelage and Bruce careful guidance, Damian had found other ways to express his displeasures and Bruce was proud to say that his youngest had taken up verbally sparring with Tim rather than hurt him physically these days.  

He’d come along way.  

He still spoke of Tim in an unfavorable manner when his second youngest wasn’t present, but whenever Tim was around, the scathing remarks dulled down to more childish barbs between school mates.

Progress.

If Tim had just been around to see it, perhaps he would notice how much his brother had changed, instead..... Bruce fingers curl up, and he pushes any thought of Lucius Fox to the back of his mind.  

Never mind that man---

“Look at him Timmy, hasn’t Dami grown taller? You’re still as short as ever though.” Dick stares down at Tim a delighted smile painting his lips, switching his gaze between both boys before finally settling on Damian. “Tim is staying over for dinner. Didn’t Bruce tell you kiddo?”

Damian clicks his tongue and glares. “I knew father was planning to bring the stray back, I just assumed Drake had enough dignity to not show his face around this place anymore.”

Bruce frowns. That was... uncalled for. Tim had yet to say anything back and Damian.... Damian shouldn’t have continued their usual spat if his other son didn’t feel up--

“What the actual fuck demon spawn!”

“Jason!” Dick looked utterly shocked, hands falling back to his side as he turns on his brother. “You can’t say that!”

The utter bewilderment gracing Jason’s features are almost as baffling to Bruce as his second speaking so harshly to his youngest.

Damian’s retort is drowned out by the waves of disappointment crashing at the shores of Bruce’s mind.

“Jason.” Maybe... perhaps he was missing something. “You can’t talk to your brother like that.” Still, there was no excuse in snapping at Damian in such manner.

“What,” Jason hisses back and... Bruce glares.  

His son stiffens, eyebrow raised in disbelief as if he’s surprised Bruce is willing to call him out.

‘You’re older than Damian,’ Bruce thinks disapprovingly. ‘You don’t get the same leeway he does. Not anymore. It’s time to grow up Jay.’ Sensing his seriousness from his body language, Jason relents, clicking his mouth shut and shaking his head, still looking shocked.

Maybe they needed to talk about this in depth later. But for now, a stop to the conversation was enough.  

Tim was here today, and Bruce wanted this dinner to go off without a hitch.  

“Whatever.” Looking truly beyond exasperated, Jason spun on his heels and stomped away. Bruce frowned after him. They would need to sit down and have a long conversation after this. Whatever was on Jason’s mind would need to come out before his son let it fester and build up to something that would be even harder to deal with in the future.

Shaking his head, Dick turned around to grab Tim’s wrist. “Come on babybird. Let’s go eat. Alfred has been so excited and--”

He continues to ramble as he drags Tim along, and Tim’s smile has grown into a more of a genuine one by the time they’ve disappeared behind the corner, Bruce and Damian trudging silently behind them.  

Something like relief overcomes Bruce and.... the niggling feeling that had been drilling at the back of his mind this whole family reunion finally subsiding. Tim wasn’t himself anymore and Bruce knew that, had accepted that, had even come to terms with his own part in Tim not feeling welcome in their home anymore, but... seeing him like this. Watching him slowly warm up to Dick despite his initial hesitation, it..... it gave him hope.

Tim loved them. Bruce knew this with every fiber of his being, and they loved him in turn. It just came down to showing this fact to his son.

“Father.”

Bruce looked down. “Yes?”

Damian’s face scrunched up. Several seconds passing as his son seemed to battle with something internally before he finally opened his mouth again. “Why is Drake back?” Bruce raised a brow.

“Because he’s family and he needs us right now.”

“We do not need him.”

“Perhaps,” Bruce said, resting his gaze on the retreating back of his middle child. “But we want him here Damian.” looking back down at his son, Bruce doesn’t continue until Damain’s gaze is once more directed at him. “And Damian.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t antagonize him.”

” What?” The utter surprise on his son’s face, makes his stomach tighten.

Shouldn’t what he said be a given?  

The fact that Damian was surprised that he---

Suddenly it becomes all too difficult for Bruce not to flee the scene. His face tightens, his heartrate spikes and for a second, he wonders, maybe.... maybe the reason why Tim hadn’t wanted to come.....

But just as soon as the thought surfaces, rationality brings it back down.  

He breathes.  

What was he thinking? There was no time for second guessing. And he already knew all of this. Tim was a sensitive child, he’d always been. Taking things to heart more easily than any of his children, but he was also capable of fighting his own battles and that’s probably why Damian was surprised with his interference. His children didn’t need him to argue on their behalves. He’d raised them well enough to handle their own strives and issues.

Look at Jason and Tim for example. He hadn’t even been there, and somehow they’d managed to get passed their conflict and patch things up. If given enough time, Bruce was sure Damian and Tim would one day reach the same milestone.

He was proud of them. Proud of his children’s capability to handle themselves, proud of who they’d become. But most of all, he was proud of the man Tim was growing into and given the chance, he wanted to be there by his side when his son finally realized the amazing person he was.

Damian had already gone ahead by the time he resurfaced back from his thoughts, and all Bruce can do is sigh and follow along. Some of the weight falling of his shoulders now that he’d managed to sort himself out.

Arriving at the dining room however, he’s met with a tense air so palpable, Bruce almost freezes in place. There his four sons stood, three of them looking utterly confused while Tim face was twisted into a grimace with eyes that exuded apprehension.

In front of them all stood Alfred. Plates in hand and a heartbreaking look in his eyes. Bruce felt himself grow cold. “It’s good to have you back Master Timothy,” Alfred finally said, breaking the silence and choosing to step passed whatever tension that most have brewed before Bruce arrived. “Please take a seat.”

Tim jerked his head into a nod and tried to smile again, this time a bit more sincere. “Of course Alfred. Thank you.”

That most have been the right thing to say, for Alfred loosened up and his expression eased. “Well then, take a seat everyone.” And with that he turned on his heels and stepped into the kitchen.  

Awkwardness descends on them, whatever most have transpired while he was unaware making Bruce helpless in providing a solution to fix it. Instead he looks at Dick and with his eyes ask for clarification. His son just shrugs back at him, darting a glance at Tim before looking back at him with pure confusion and distress. Bruce grimaces.

“Let’s sit down and eat,” he finally says. “You heard Alfred.” Rounding the table, he takes his place at the head, arms folding under his chin. Briefly looking up he smiles at Tim who meets his gaze and after a momentary delay grins back at him. The happiness behind it is shaky, but the smile is genuine enough, and Bruce takes it to heart. “Come sit next to me,” he says, and Tim does.

Shuffles his way past his brothers until he comes to a stop to his left. Silently he pulls out the chair and sits down. Damian rushes over to his right, slowing down when he notices that no one is challenging him for the spot and with all the grace of a born assassin throws himself into his seat, glaring at Tim. “I am father’s right hand.”

Tim looks up, blinks slowly at the glowering Damian before just as slowly looking away. “Where is Cass?” he asks, eyes fixed on Jay.  

His second oldest shrugs, taking the seat next to Damian who glares venomously at his action. “No clue. But she promised to be here.” Tim follows his movements with unwavering focus and Bruce finds himself feeling even more concerned by the sheer absurdity of Tim’s behavior today.  

“She’ll be here Timbo, don’t you worry.” Dick says, sitting down and swinging an arm around the younger’s shoulders, Tim doesn’t stop smiling this time, and Bruce finds himself feeling.... relieved?  

He frowns.

What was.... his emotions where all over the place today. That was unacceptable. He needed to get a grip. His children were getting along and here he was expecting what exactly? Anarchy? Murder?  

Ridiculous.

Whatever he was feeling, whatever Tim was feeling, whatever misunderstanding, haunting his family, it could all be solved later. The goal here was not to make something out of nothing. He needed Tim to want to stay, feel like he could stay and only then could he change things. But to do that, this dinner needed to go off without a hitch, and it couldn’t do that if Bruce was too busy worrying about-- If Bruce was overthinking things.

“Little brother!” The voice is soft but not any less delighted and Bruce looks up.

“Cass!” Tim’s halfway out of his chair, a wide grin dancing across his lips. “How was the recital?”

His sister laughs, putting two hands on his shoulders and pushing him back down. “It....fine.”

“Yeah?”

She nods, leaning down to plant a kiss on his head. Tim leans into it, eyes falling shut for just a moment. A snort from Damian makes him snap them back open however and Bruce feels his heart sink.  

He would have liked that expression to last just a little bit longer.  

Cassandra stiffens, but her hands remain on Tim’s shoulders, gently patting him for some odd reason. “Shame you not come.”

An apologetic smile pulls at the corners of Tim’s mouth. “Sorry. I passed out and I--

Her hand comes to cover the lower half of his face. “Shush, I understand.”

His son still looked apologetic and Bruce felt for him. He’d wanted to be there too, but Cassandra hadn’t allowed him. Because last time, well, he’d gotten into an argument with some of the parents there and.... needless to say she’d kindly asked him not to come the next time and he’d obliged. Finding some soles in Dick’s exclusion as well, his oldest having gotten himself an official ban when he’d somehow managed to instigate a fist fight.  

After that disaster of an incident, Dick had come back home and declared the father of one of the principle dancers a racist and a bigot and it was all Bruce could do to hold the rest of his children back from rushing the man’s house and beating the shit out of him. Still, Cass had kissed her brother’s cheek, thanked him but also told him he was no longer welcome there, his action being deemed unacceptable by the company.

His oldest had taken it like a champ, only later sobbing loudly and dramatically on his shoulder for hours bemoaning how unfair it was. He however also took soles in the fact that the father too had been banned as well. The other man for his racism and Dick for inciting violence.  

Jason, well Jason hadn’t officially been declared alive yet so he couldn’t really go either. Didn’t stop him from sneaking in though, arguing that he would be unrecognizable unless someone looked too closely.

So with that, Cass had been left with very few people to cheer her on, so Bruce understood Tim’s disappointment in himself. He really did.

“I still wanted to be there,” Tim mutters, breaking Bruce out of his thoughts. “You worked so hard and---”

Another kiss is planted on his head before Cass sidles away to sit next to Jason. “Next time.”

Tim smiles. “Deal.”

-----------

Dinner is eventually served and it goes well. It goes really really well, for a long time. Bruce can swear by it. His children talk, they laugh, they argue, and sure Damian snaps at Tim every now and then making that familiar uncomfortable feeling rise up in Bruce. And sure Tim doesn’t partake in most of said conversations, but he does smile and even seems to relax when Cassandra’s glare momentarily quiets down Damian.... Everything else is fine. They really are, so why does it all start to go wrong from there?

It all starts with a stupid joke from Dick. His oldest having been all over Tim all throughout dinner, his love for his younger brother quite evident in how he refuses to engage in any conversation with anyone else and practically cling to Tim, trying to make him laugh. And it’s a decent effort because Tim does laugh. Cracks his own jokes and everything, but the younger is clearly distracted by his phone and he keeps looking at it. His responses to Dick halfhearted at best, and any dialogue exchanged between them seems to die out even with Dick trying his best to keep them going.  

Tim’s fingers tap at his phone. He smiles and then taps something else.  

“And then he said that I can’t take a break because I took one yesterday, can you believe it!” Dick is grinning and after a second Tim looks up to return a similar smile.  

“You’re an idiot so I can.”

“Hey!”

“The only imbecile here is you Drake.”

Tim pauses and then bumps his shoulder into Dick as if nothing was said. “I’m just telling you the truth man.”

Dick throws an arm over his neck, digging his knuckles into his head.  

“Hey hey hey,” Tim splutters, flailing and not noticing Damian growing more and more agitated from being ignored.  

“Serves you right Drake.”

Bruce huffs. Relaxing back into his chair and picking his fork back up. The feeling of unrest subsiding within him again. Now that Tim seems back to normal.

But eventually Dick does let Tim go and said unease returns as Tim turns back to his phone, acknowledging his brother with one-word responses yet again. Bruce let’s it go on for a bit. Keeping his eyes firmly on his son, hoping, no praying that Tim would quit on his own. Stop messing around on his phone and start paying attention to his family, but---

Tim grins after clicking on something, fingers coming up to press at his lips as his shoulders shake and.... and.....

Bruce slams his fork down.  

Stillness descends abruptly. Each of his children looking up, startled. Even Damian who’d proceeded to climb over the table to reach Tim, pauses in his action to look at him. Bruce doesn’t care.

“Tim.” He says loudly.  

“Yeah?” Tim is looking at him in confusion, face pale and eyes darting back and forth between his siblings and him. In fact, all his children look confused.

Bruce doesn’t care.

“Put the phone away,” he says as softly and kindly as possible. “It’s rude being on your phone when you’re eating with your family.”

Tim blinks, mouth slightly falling open, eyes wide. Bruce sighs.

“Tim.”

But his son is not looking at him anymore, instead he’s staring across the table at his other siblings and Bruce can’t help but follow his gaze because.... what’s so fascinating about---

And.....

His blood runs cold, his face flushes and it’s all he can do not to absolutely die inside then and there because.....

There they are. Jason, Cass and even Damian. Their phones in hand, having been on them when he’d somehow ignored all of them and focused on Tim. Damian who’d gotten down from the table now is loosely holding his phone between his fingers, screen alight from the animal video he’d been watching and Jason, Jason had actually been calling someone and.... Cass.... of course Cass needed her phone. She used it to translate words she didn’t fully understand! and....

Oh God.

Oh God.

A cold sensation slides down his neck because suddenly, suddenly it feels like he’s just lost something. Him and Tim were playing a game and he’d just lost something.

“Old man, did you just...” Jason is gaping at him now, call disconnected, and eyebrows raised so high they disappear behind his hairline. “Did you just tell the replace – Tim that he and only he should put his phone down?”

He had.

“I did. But it goes for all of you as well.”

He’d singled him out.

He hadn’t even noticed the rest.

He’d only seen Tim.

“It’s rude to be on your phones or any devices when we’re eating. This is family time.”

What was wrong with him?

“So put them away, now.”

Jason snorts, the disbelief on his face slowly morphing into something much uglier. “You’ve never asked us to do this before. So what brings this up B? Tell us?”

Bruce does no such a thing. It’s not his job to explain himself to his children. This was beyond Jason. He’d made a mistake yes, but he was only trying to keep Tim close, keep him connected to their family and he couldn’t very well do that if his son was busy being distracted. So he stiffens and levels his second oldest with a glare, the glare is returned tenfold. Jason practically hissing at him. A clear sign he was unwilling to back down.  

“Jason you--”

“I understand.” Tim’s voice is soft, but it cuts through the air like a knife. “I’ll put it away.” He sends him a tiny smile and Bruce is taken back.  

Perhaps this situation could be salvaged after all.

“Lucius doesn’t allow phones at the table either. So I get it.”

Perhaps not.

“Lucius?”

Tim nods, it’s hesitant. Bruce bites his tongue, forcing himself not to say the words lying under the surface.

‘If you aren’t on your phone on his dinner table than why do you think it’s ok to do it here.’

He doesn’t voice this. He can’t. Lucius Fox was apparently held to different standards than him, so he couldn’t comment. He couldn’t say anything.

If he did, Tim could leave and---

“How are the Foxes?” The question is tentative, warm, friendly. It comes from Cassandra. His daughter leaning over the table, a giant smile painting her lips. “Tam.... well?”

It’s as if a fuse has been lit within Tim because he’s suddenly so much brighter it physically hurts Bruce to look at him.

“They are doing great.” Tim’s not even paying attention to him anymore. “Tam’s handling everything so well and now that I have a team around me I can even take those online collage classes Lucius signed me up for.” He too is leaning across the table now. “Luke is coming back tonight too so we’ll get to watch that movie you went to with Cassie.” Here he pouts and Cass snorts. “Anyways, it’s gonna be great and Tam misses you and--”

He goes on and on and on. Jason looks more interested as Tim keeps on babbling to Cass. His confusion falling away to reveal a sort of gentle fondness that was starting to look at home on his face.

Damian’s frowning next to him. ‘At least there is someone else who don’t like the Foxes,’ Bruce thinks sardonically, glancing at Dick to see his reaction.

Dick looks confused, but as the confusion slowly fades, an aching hurt takes its place. Dick’s face dropping into a wounded look and.... Bruce hates this. Hates seeing his oldest son hurt because he didn’t do what he should have done from the start. He should have been there for Tim. Should have made sure he always had a home with them before his son sought a new home elsewhere. And now, Dick was hurting because Bruce didn’t do his job as a father.  

It’s.... heartbreaking.

Tim doesn’t need him anymore, does he?

Not like he used to.

It’s then he locks eyes with Alfred. The old butler standing by the door, a dish towel in hand and looking.... he looks resigned, defeated, sad.

No. No, no, no. Bruce couldn’t let it end here. Couldn’t just give up. Not when his family needed Tim. Not when he needed Tim.  

He couldn’t give him up. Tim didn’t deserve to be given up on. That’s what Jack did and Bruce would be damned if he followed in that man’s footsteps.  

Clearing his throat he doesn’t acknowledge Tim’s sudden blankness. “Can I talk to you after dinner, in my office?”

Tim practically sags against the table, lips pulling into a frown. “I need to go home?” Bruce is already shaking his head before the kid is finished talking.

“I insist.”

Cass reaches out then, putting a hand over Tim’s wrist. “He go home.”

“I know,” Bruce huffs, rubbing his forehead. “It’s not going to take long.”

“But--” His daughter is leveling him with a look now. Dick shifts next to him. Mouth opening then closing just as fast.  

“If the kid needs to go home,” Jason finally speaks up, gaze darting between him and Cass before settling on Tim. “Then he needs to go home.”

“I’m not saying he can’t,” Bruce says, trying very hard not to lose his cool despite feeling like he was losing his son right then and there. “I just need to talk to him.”

“If father wishes to talk to Dra--”

“Shut the fuck up satan.”

“Jason!” Dick has finally snapped out of whatever had him troubled for the last couple of minutes, now he’s frustration fully directed at his brother. “Stop calling Dami names!”

“I’ll stop calling him names when he stops acting like them!”

“Fuck you Todd! Why are you even here? You should have stayed dead!

“Damian!”

“Stay out of it Grayson!”

“Enough!”

Bruce startles. For a second he’d almost assumed he’d snapped again, but no. It’s Tim. Both fists slamming on the table and chest heaving in anger. “Just stop! I don’t mind staying to talk to Bruce so just stop.”

Damian opens his mouth but... Putting a hand around his wrist, Bruce tugs him back. “Enough Dami.”

The hurt look he receives pulls at his heart but he stands firm. He needed this win. He needed to talk to Tim to make things right and he couldn’t let Damian mess it up. “Sit.”

He does. Quietly and disgruntled, but no more barbs are thrown out and things descend back into a quiet silence. The clangs of forks and chewing noises the only thing masking the awkwardness.

All phones are placed in the middle of the table. Even Dick’s phone is among those confiscated. Only Cass given the leeway to hold onto hers as she needed it to help communicate.  

She doesn’t focus on it though, keeping her voice soft as she initiates conversation again, tapping at her phone every now and then to figure out a word or two.

It’s almost peaceful. Everyone beginning to talk to each other soon enough, prompted by Cass and no more insults are thrown around. It’s..... nice.

Cass constant glances at the door the only indicator of discomfort that’s visible. He can’t blame her; his daughter had never been good with confrontations so Bruce couldn’t fault her for wanting to escape the current situation.

Fortunately, they all stand their ground and soon, it’s almost like the argument never happened. Bruce is content.

Dinner is almost over however, when the doorbell rings. Loud and shrill.  

What the--

“Alfred?”

“On it Master Bruce.” Alfred disappears down the hall, footsteps fading away.

It takes a minute, but finally the butler reappearance, a vaguely familiar man standing behind him.

“Luke!”  

Tim practically flies out of his chair, flinging his arms around the other man’s neck, laughter bubbling out of his throat. “You’re back!”

Lucas Fox chuckles, arms coming up to hug Tim. “Yeah. I got back early so I decided to come pick you up.”

“That’s so awesome!”

The other grins, Tim’s enthusiasm seeming to infect him with equal amount of energy. “I know right!” Turning to look at them, Luke’s gaze skims over their faces before they finally come to a stop on Cass. Over Tim’s head, he mouths a thank you.

Bruce freezes.

Did..... Did Cass. Looking at his daughter, he watches her smile back at Lucas, fingers tightly gripping her phone and....

And....

It’s as if the world falls from underneath Bruce.

“I need to go B! B? Bruce I’m sorry but,” Tim’s looking at him now, waving an arm at Lucas as he grins back at him sheepishly. “Let’s talk tomorrow ok?”

It’s a dismissal. A victory.

He’d lost.

Tim wasn’t staying here tonight.

He was going home, to Lucius Fox.

Bruce stares as Tim shuffles out the door, a goodbye hug for Dick, who somehow knows exactly what’s going on and manages to hug Tim with all the warmth of seven suns, peppering his face with kisses till the younger finally pushes him away laughing. He watches as he hugs and kisses Cass on both cheeks. He watches as he hesitates with Jason, eyes slightly suspicious, but still doesn’t chose to move away when Jason slowly, gently reaches down to ruffle his hair.

He watches his son smile back at him, watches as a business card is dropped on the end of the table and pushed in his direction. Watches as his son, his Tim walks away.

He just stands there and watches.

A silent Damian next to him. A tearful Dick on his other side.

He watches Tim go home, and it kills him.

Game over.

The end

-------one more chapter left guys------

@miss-choco-chips talking to you always helps me sort out my writing blocks!

@throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen Next chapter is finally here hun! Hope you like it

@river9noble tagging you for the first time ;) Hope you like it too!

#Tim Drake #Bruce Wayne #happytim au #Batfamily Fanfic #batfamily fic #dick grayson #jason todd #damian wayne #cassandra cain #luke fox #lucas fox #batman #red robin #nightwing #red hood #robin #black bat #batwing #jealous bruce #tim & bruce #lucius fox #lucius fox adopts tim au #lucius is tim's father figure #batsiblings fic #batsiblings #this took like forever to write #so hope y'all like it #anyone else that wants to be tagged please let me know #I don't mind #cheers everyone

[elareine]

(Batfam, Gen. Graphic and lovely idea by @elloryia​.)

James Hunter Dirkson the Third was having a terrible day.

It was supposed to be a simple job. Go in, hold up a gala of rich people, take one or two hostages, and get out. Wait for the rest to pay up, retire to the Bahamas. Simple.

He had prepared this minutely. The society columns were full of these faces; journalists stumbling over each other to report their net worth. There was an estimated 300 mil, give or take, assembled in this room, and James intended to take his fair share of it.

He’d even made a list of preferable targets. Luckily for him, one of them was standing right in front of him as he burst into the room—just a teenager and therefore easy to subdue, but heir to a fortune, and disabled to boot.

“You!” He pointed to Tim Drake. “You’re coming with me.”

“Sure.” Drake got up with disconcerting calm. James was just about to have him wait in the door when

“Excuse me?” a kid—Damian Wayne, if James remembered correctly—got up with the haughtiest expression James had ever seen in his life. “You are taking Timothy?”

“Yes! And there’s nothing you can do about it!”

“I am aware.” Was that a sneer? “The Drakes are so nouveau-riche. Are you sure they will be able to pay up?”

Noov-Nuf-what? James was tempted to slap the brat just for using words like that. But the suggestion that he might not get the money he was counting on was enough to make him sweat. “Well, maybe I’ll take you instead, then. Thanks for volunteering.”

There was a snort. James whirled around to the source of the sound.

…oh. That sure was a big dude. For a second, James was intimidated, before he remembered that he was the armed and dangerous one here.

“Kidnappin’ a kid? That’s a bit too easy, isn’t it?”

“Easy?”

“Big man with a gun, and you walk outta here with a squirt like that?” The man shrugged. “Just sayin’.”

“I’m not a coward!”

The man raised an eyebrow. It was sheer provocation. “Oh yeah?”

James was too angry by now to remember that he had no idea who the fuck that was. “I’ll show you—go to the door—”

There was a bit of a ruckus behind them, then a crash. When they turned around, it was to find another big man tangled in what was left of the canapées and a tablecloth.

James sighed, relieved. It was just Bruce Wayne, Gotham’s most notorious klutz and, by the looks of it, drunk.

Then he considered. Someone drunk and easy to control… just what would he be worth as the figurehead of Wayne Co.

“You!” he barked. “Get over here!”

“Huh?” Wayne looked around. He seemed to have difficulties locating James. “Who’s talking?” His speech was slurred.

“Here!” James waved his gun around a bit more for good measure. “Come with me or I’ll shoot you.”

“Oh, sure. Sounds fun!” Wayne was trying to get up, but progress was slow. And then, when he was finally standing, albeit unsteadily, a younger man in a tuxedo stepped in front of him, shielding him with his body.

“No, please, he’s drunk. Take me instead. I promise he’ll pay.”

“What the…”

Oh. Dick Grayson, James remembered. Bruce’s ward, rumored to surpass him as Gotham’s most eligible bachelor.

Hm. He was very pretty. Maybe James should consider it…

Clonk.

The last thing James Hunter Dirkson the Third saw before passing out was a tiny Asian girl waving at him.

It did not improve his day.

#batfamily #elareine writes #aprilfoolsfluffflipbingo

[bigskydreaming]

AND ANOTHER THING (he said while waiting for the bus, and far sooner than ‘this afternoon’, y’know, like a LIAR).

Something I NEVER see taken into account in regard to examples of Dick’s temper, but that really really NEEDS to be....

Is how rarely other characters are even made AWARE of the various things people do to Dick, and when they are, are almost never shown to be sympathetic towards Dick or taking his side against whomever perpetrated this.

Y’know, like in terms of how references to Dick and Bruce’s estrangement when he first became Nightwing are almost always framed as though both of them were equally at fault or stubborn. Instead of one comfortably sitting in their manor while INITIATING the actions and conflict that made the other more vulnerable one feel like he couldn’t be comfortable in that manor now.

Because when nobody ever is shown taking Dick’s side, in any of his conflicts with others, when they’re all like ‘oh this has nothing to do with me, I’ll be over there’ (while at the same time ALWAYS expecting him to act as a buffer or confidant or back-up in their own conflicts with the very same people)....

Then the ONLY source of anger about what someone has done to Dick....is inevitably going to come from Dick himself. 

The thing is, we’re all perfectly aware that anger has power as a form of validation. A declaration that whomever is expressing the anger over an injustice done is AWARE that an injustice was done. Its a neon sign flashing THIS WAS NOT OKAY.

And thus, there is both power in someone else expressing anger on another’s behalf....and a WANT, in almost all of us, to see someone else express anger on our behalf.

We all understand the desire, the need, to have someone stand up and say “I see what was done to you, and I am saying it was wrong, I am validating your feelings that you did not deserve it and you are justified in feeling hurt and upset.”

People being angry FOR US allows us the opportunity to not have to be angry on our own behalf. Because the thing is, anger IS exhausting, it DOES drain you to hold on to it for extended periods. But NOT because its inherently unhealthy or damaging to you....but simply because it is HIGH ENERGY. It is emotion and energy-dependent. It is charged. It is not an emotion that sits there idly, it is something that feeds off fuel....and thus drains in the process.

THIS is what’s really at the heart of how holding on to anger can hurt you and letting it go is sometimes necessary for your own well-being. Not because its unhealthy or damaging to be angry in the first place, but because its TAXING. It takes a toll.

And other people volunteering to pay that toll for you, to allow you that breathing room to step back and not have to feed that anger yourself because someone who perhaps has MORE energy and freedom to use it than you do at the moment, is expressing that anger FOR YOU....its a relief. It HELPS.

Think of how many Batfamily fics there are that essentially ALLOW Jason or Tim the luxury of....focusing on their issues, allowing themselves to feel hurt, express their trauma....BECAUSE other members of their family are expressing anger at things done to them on their behalf. Meaning they don’t have to. 

THIS is what’s missing from most of Dick’s interactions with the Batfamily, and that result in seeming displays of his ‘temper’....because hardly anyone is EVER doing this FOR HIM. Usually its JUST at Tarantula and/or Mirage, and in context of Forever Evil/Spyral stuff, there are some fics that take this route with Bruce.

But where are the fics that display friends or family of Dick’s expressing anger AT BRUCE specifically....for firing Dick? For BRUCE’S role in making Dick feel unwelcome and unwanted at home for all the years they were estranged?

Where are the fics that show anyone being made aware of what happened between Bruce and Dick after Jason’s death, and express anger AT BRUCE for doing that to Dick, for using his grief as an excuse to break Dick’s trust in his father that way......where are the demands from other characters that BRUCE be the one to step the fuck up and FIX THINGS, instead of just idly sitting at home for Dick to come back whenever Dick feels like swallowing his pride and reaching out for everyone else’s sake except his....since the wrongs done to him, by extension, remain completely unaddressed?

Where are the fics where someone calls out the Titans for how they jumped straight to ‘forgiving Dick’ for what he’d ‘done’ rather than ever LISTENING to Dick after Mirage, even though he was very clearly expressing on multiple occasions that he’d been violated, that his feelings about the situation were not of guilt, but of violation?

Okay, so acknowledging what Bruce did was fucked up after Forever Evil is a start....but why stop there? Where are the fics that have someone call out Jason and Tim for punching Dick and victim blaming him, Babs saying ‘he’s disappointed her yet again’....when even WITHOUT knowing that Dick actually died and what Bruce did.....they still all have NO EXCUSE for not having ever considered the state of mind Dick had to have been in back then....purely just from things they DID know about, like him being tortured for days right up til when he was likely rescued and immediately sent to Spyral within days (given he was there before his funeral was even held). For not taking two seconds to ever consider what the past year had to have been like, separated from all his loved ones and ANY possible support system, in the aftermath of all that....and not a SINGLE PERSON AT ANY POINT was ever shown even ASKING him....hey, are you okay? Y’know, after everything? Did anything happen during this past year we should know about, that you might want to talk about?

(I mean, its not like even under any circumstances, it would have been hard, having to act out a deep cover role as a spy who was ‘on board’ with all kinds of actions that are in direct opposition to most of Dick’s morals, like...why would that possibly have been hard for Dick or resulted in anything he might want to unload about. Or y’know, his frequent sexual harassment by Dr. Netz as part of his regular check ups he had no choice but to endure for the sake of his mission BUT I DIGRESS).

But like....you get what I’m saying? We see all the time, fics where Dick and others express outrage for Jason and what’s done to him by Joker, Bruce, others - and that’s GOOD. I’m just saying....that needs to happen for Dick as well, and NOT JUST solely in reaction to his rapes. Like....think of how many fics have Jason be pissed at Dick for Tim’s sake, because of the Red Robin thing.....everyone else gets to have family members be pissed on their behalf AT OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS OR HEROES....whereas Dick...at MOST, its people being pissed at Bruce for Forever Evil.

And considering how supremely fucked up Bruce’s actions were there.....the bar is waaaaaay too low, if that’s the only place its deemed necessary for people to be pissed on Dick’s behalf.

#rape cw

[whumpbby]

So I had this idea, and please don’t kill me;], because there’s this returning theme in many fics where all the kids that came after Dick are keenly aware that Dick is the Golden Boy and one person Bruce pretty much treats as his equal in the family. And Dick is kinda aware of it and doesn’t like it much, and always tries to make the others feel better by being like, 

“Don’t be like that, he loves you too, Timmy.”

“I never said he doesn't love me, I know that he does. And I’m not resentful of you, Dick, because you deserve his love. But it’s just something that every one of us has to take into consideration in case.”

“...in case of that?”

“Just in case.”

Becuase they know that as much as Dick is the one to usually tear into Bruce when the man deserves it, he’s also insanely protective of the man and will never not take his side, even when the rest of them has genuine gripes. He’s the peace-keeper of the family, but he will go down hard on anyone who tries to get into Bruce’s face on their own. Partly it’s because he doesn’t want dissent and thinks that it’s his role to bring gripes to Bruce, and expects the younger ones to come to him with their misgivings so he can present and discuss them with Bruce so the issue doesn’t escalate when both sides can’t communicate properly. 

All that because in his head he’s about the only person sans-Alfred who really understands how Bruce communicates and most of the time he IS the most effective at bringing B up to speed on how he fucked up this week.  Except, that has the unwanted effect of B ending up somewhat coddled by Dick when it comes to emotional expression. Sometimes the others want a face-to-face and they need to see B take their words to heart and react to them, and that’s quite impossible with Dick running interference at all times. 

So, like, all others are aware that these two have this kind of a so-dependent relationship going on, and they’re mostly fine with it, except the rare few cases where they wanted to tear Dick’s head off for butting in where he’s not needed. Like siblings do.

All except Jason, because Jason’s relationship with Dick is different than all the others. Because, for most of his Robin days Dick was an absentee supposed-brother who was talked about, but rarely ever seen. His leaving the Manor was abrupt and surrounded by drama, so Alfred and Bruce were still not over it, and they missed the young man, so they mentioned him often. Not only that, Dick was a MASSIVE shadow to live under as a Robin, and Jason’s young life was spent bounding between hero-worship and admiration on one side, and darkest resentment on the other, because Dick was awesome, but impossible to live up to and, unfortunately, the only measuring stick Bruce had to judge Robin’s performance. Not to mention, that everyone else loved Dick uniformly - JL, Titans, everyone. Not once Jason heard someone telling him that “It has to be amazing to be Robin’s little bro!:)” And no one ever seemed to hear when he tried to tell them that he wouldn't know, Dick wasn't around much and when he was, being an older brother was far from his mind.  

So, like, until the late part of his first life, Jason’s perception of Dick was that of an unreachable ideal and the idea that he was Bruce’s Golden Boy was solid. Of course Dick was the first choice. Of course he was more important to Bruce. Bruce loved Jason, but if it was a ‘pick one’ scenario, Jay had no doubt who would be the chosen one. Jay didn't have the cushioning of Dick’s friendship the way others did afterwards - where they know Dick was the first, but can’t resent him, because he’s such a lovely guy. Dick showed interest in befriending Jay very late and it didn't manage to wipe off that impression. 

Which, to be honest, never stopped haunting Dick. Because, once he had a good thing with Tim and going, he realised that he’s a cool older bro and it’s actually fun to be one, it hit him how little he actually knew about Jason’s life and how little he cared to change it.  (I subscribe to the idea that even though Dick gave Jay his blessing to be Robin, there was a shard of resentment in him that he never managed to throw off, becuase he’s only human and he was as angry at Bruce for giving Robin away as he was angry at Jay for taking it) And how much of an asshole that had to make him in Jay’s eyes - and how he will never get a chance to fix it .   

So, like, because of all that Jason’s view of Dick was always, well, bleaker. Not like others looked at Dick with rose-coloured glasses, because he was a good person and they had good relationship with him, but Jason’s vision was always shaded.

SO LIKE LISTEN

I am thinking of a scenario where Bruce is facing a choice Dick vs Jason, and he chooses Dick. Maybe it happened when Jay was a Robin and it wasn't as black and white as it seemed - maybe Dick was in a desperately bad shape and Bruce had to pick him and go, even if that meant leaving Jay behind? And I am thinking, would Jay be aware of the stakes and make a brave face and be all like, no B, take him, he needs you more, I can manage. Or is he unaware and only learns of it after he realises he’s been left alone (in an enemy territory? some foreign country? another dimension?) and at first tries to make excuses for B, tries to tell himself that Bruce will come for him soon, that it was his fault for being stranded in the first place and he has to prove that he can survive on his own, that B trusts him enough to leave him on his own, etc. But the time passes, and the situation worsens (hostile environment? lack of food? bad weather? enemies closing in?) and his hope starts to dwindle and doubt creeps in.

Meanwhile, Bruce slowly loses his mind with worry and guilt, because he has one son in critical condition and another stranded god knows where and he should be going and getting him back, but can’t make himself move away form Dick until he knows the boy will live - or the way to Jason is barred by something - and he knows that he made a terrible choice, but he can’t make himself believe it was a bad one, and tries to believe that Jay is strong and will make it, that he was strong even before he met Bruce and that has to be enough. 

Angsty enough?  

#headcanon #who angst #living up to my name here

[nerdybirdboy]

REGARDING DAMIAN & DICK (and some other related things)

TW: depression, TW: suicidal thoughts

Ok, this is going to be partly canon and partly my own analysis of what I’ve read/seen in the comics.

I’ve read quite a few posts, both here and on other places regarding Tim and his views on the relationship between Damian and Dick. A lot of it, I haven’t agreed with and I thought I’d write a little about my own views and interpretations.

Some claim that Tim’s reaction when Dick announce that he’s taking Damian as his Robin is based on jealousy and rivalry, however, I disagree (even if jealousy is there at times, although imo it’s not the main reason in this case). Tim had lost many people, including his dad, the last year and a half or so when this happened and it’s hinted that he even was suicidal or at the least deeply depressed before Bruce ‘died’. His desperation could also be seen in his attempt to clone Kon.

(Tim had just stopped this guy from jumping off a building and he asked if things got bad for them, as in heroes, too and you get to see Tim’s ghosts. The issue ends with Tim calling Dick to talk and also showing the number to a suicide prevention line.)

Anyway, having lost so much, his last stable part was being Robin and it was also his last connection to Bruce, presumed dead at the time. Dick had also promised him that everything would be okay and Tim most likely thought that if Dick was to make any changes, he’d talk to Tim first. Instead he just pulled the rug from underneath his feet. He’s not angry because he thinks he deserve the role of Robin more than Damian, he’s not jealous at him being Robin. Tim wouldn’t mind to eventually hand over the mantel to Damian, but he was just not prepared for this. Not after everything that had happened, not when it was his last ‘anchor’. He thought Dick understood that, but apparently he didn’t and to him it felt like betrayal, a kick straight to the chest. To Dick’s defense, he most likely didn’t understand how broken Tim felt at the time and he also wanted to help Damian, which he knew had to be hurting even if he wouldn’t say so. Tim do get Dick’s decision once he calmed down, but that didn’t mean it hurt less. Especially since he thought Dick understood him. And yes, I am aware that Tim pushed Dick to take over the cowl and become Batman. However, in the end, Dick still choose to do that. Tim had no choice in the matter of being or not being Robin.

Now to Damian and Dick being close. Once again I’ve seen people saying that part of Tim’s dislike for Damian is because he’s jealous of him taking Dick away from him. Sure, thoughts of a jealous nature have occurred, though more in the style of ‘of course he’ll focus more on/like Damian better, he’s Wayne by blood’ and so on (which is the only reason Tim can think of to why he had to fight and earn his respect and love while Damian just gets it).

Contrary to what some believe, he’s glad Damian has Dick (even if he wish he had him too). If anyone would be able to tame the demon brat, it’s Dick. In Tim’s eyes, Dick is good for everyone. Yes, Dick hurt him, but he still can’t help but admire him, even though he’s also angry at him. Same with Damian, he and the gremlin has a very tense relationship, but that doesn’t mean Tim wants him any harm. He doesn’t love Damian, yet, but he doesn’t hate him either and he knows how important the boy is to Dick, Bruce and Alfred, so he does his best to be civilized for their sake. Yes, he does get that Damian had a horrible upbringing, but being nearly killed during your first encounter(s) with someone tend to colour things in a certain way (especially since he also assumed he’d hurt Alfred in some way, though it turned out he only locked him inside a room) and I think we can all agree that Damian can be hard to like. Tim is trying (as I know Damian is too, even if Tim is sure Dami wants him dead and gone, at least sometimes).

Unfortunately, he knows the brat can hit on his nerves more easily than anyone else, which is why he tries to avoid him, which unfortunately also means avoiding the rest of the family too. Which make it seem like he pushed them away, making him even lonelier than he was before. Because that’s one of the big things too, loneliness. Tim has a special way of thinking: logical, analytical, but still caring. In many ways, he is similar to Bruce, though he’s not fully as.... emotionally constipated and not as hmm... neat freak-y (there’s ofc other differences too) and he isn’t always very easy to understand and not always as good at sharing his innermost feelings and thoughts, making him feel lonely (even if that might not be the case). Though the fact that no one believed him adds to it too. He isn't one to just jump the fence and although he didn't voice it well, I think they should've had more faith in him. Instead, everyone was pretty much calling him crazy, telling him it was all just grief and in his head instead of properly listening (although some therapy would’ve been good for him).

Okay, I feel like I’m rambling now and that I still can’t really get out everything I want to say. I might add to this post later on (or just write another one more about what's going on during RR), but all in all, Tim is not straight out jealous of Damian, it’s a bit more complicated than that. He doesn’t really like him (yet), but he still wants him well. Now, if Damian could just stop trying to stab him, Tim would be overjoyed. (That’s a joke btw)

As for Dick, he still loves him, even if he's hurt too. Their relationship has a few cracks that needs to be mended, but it's not beyond repair. And although I personally think Dick should've handled things better (and remember that Tim is technically a kid too), I do understand his decision and he was grieving too (and Tim wasn’t easy to be around then either). However, Tim isn't the most open one, but considering how close they were, he should as least have talked to him before taking Robin from Tim and given it to Damian (although Alfred shouldn’t have handed Dami the Robin suit without talking to the others either). And in rambling again. I'll definitely stop now.

#headcanon #the big bird bro || dick grayson #gremlin bro || damian wayne

[seven-oomen]

First, I hope you’re enjoying your game.  One of my friends posted about how she’d just gotten her copy of it, and her husband’s response was basically “so, I’ll just bring you food occasionally and see you in a few days?"  Also, I hope you’re feeling better.  And man you are KILLING ME with these previews.  Oh god, Peter, what are you planning now?  How bad is this gonna hurt and for how long?  (Don’t answer that, I’m afraid to know. XD )

I think all those Hogwarts Houses are excellent choices.  I always think it’s fun to see how people sort various characters, because I rarely have any that I feel are firmly one House (maybe it’s because I’m a proud HuffleClaw, myself, doomed to waffle between Houses every time I take a quiz or read an analysis on the subject.)  Side not - can you imagine the furor that would have occurred about a Slytherin and a Gryffindor hooking up in Fourth Year (I think?), and then pulling an innocent little Hufflepuff transfer under their spell?  Would any of them have played Quidditch?  (Peter I feel definitely played, though I can’t decide what position.  Undecided on the other two.)

Poor Peter, having to behave himself.  Although debatably as long as he kept the fangs put away it wouldn’t necessarily be a risk, though I can see him being worried anyway.  That’s why he needs to find someone to spin his fur into yarn he can then make them scarves/gloves/sweaters/etc with.  And why he’s so into the clothes sharing.  Anything to get his scent on them as thoroughly as possible.

And I am so here for PTA Dad Peter.  Helping out at school functions so he can keep an eye on the younger kids.  Building new, supportive relationships with his older kids, helping them with college applications and essays, making up lists of stuff they’ll need for dorm rooms, finding apartments if any are going to the same or nearby schools and can share, making sure they all have pictures and mementos to help combat homesickness.  And now I’m thinking about the memory quilt again.  Goddammit I don’t want to make myself cry.  Again.  "Imagine Peter hearing their heartbeats for the first time."  Oh nevermind, I see you’ll do it for me.  Ugh, my feels.  Peter shifting to his wolf form and curling protectively around them all the time, head pressed up to their abdomen so that he can listen and scent at maximum effectiveness.  Them just gently stroking through his fur until one or both fall asleep.  (Also, how quickly do the other wolves in the family pick up on the changes in scent?  How do they react?  How do the older kids react to the idea of more siblings in general?)

And you know that whichever one wasn’t the one pregnant at the time would be super protective at the time, then turn around and insist they were fine and that the others were worrying unnecessarily when they were the one pregnant.  (Also, glad your brother was okay!)  I also like that it apparently took them nearly 20 years to learn about planning for this sort of thing.  I know you’ve mentioned Peter and Chris being the ones that do the stupid thing next chapter (or something to that effect), but really I feel the biggest moment of "what the hell, guys?” is Noah getting knocked up just two months after Chris.  It’s like, you guys had a huge, in your face, live example of why protection is important, and yet…  I’m also just going to assume that they have at least a king size bed to accommodate that many people, even if many of them are tiny people, and none of them mind piling.  That’s still a lot of bodies cramming into one bed.  (That much room would also come in very handy for…other reasons, which is why I feel certain Peter would insist upon it.) 

Also, omg, I was not expecting to be attacked by those pictures like that.  Tag your porn, dude XD .  But really, can you imagine the poor, unsuspecting college friends their kids bring home for visits getting a triple barrel of that with no warning?  Like they’ve just seen the goofy, weird pics that they have on their phone/on their walls.  They were not prepared for the sheer DILF power of that household live and in person.  But then, is anyone, really?

Loving all the names.  I actually know a guy named John who has a son named Jackson, so that one was particularly amusing to me.  I also noticed that none of the kids have been named after anyone in Noah’s family, at least so far.  And don’t worry, I wasn’t expecting to have those spoiled yet, though I’m happy to know you liked some of my suggestions :D .  Now if I could just remember which all ones I went with…  Didn’t really think to put it in anywhere, but for some reason I’ve always liked Alexander as a middle name for Peter, though I remain undecided on the other two.

And yes, loving the idea of more family cosplay.  Oh god, they would never get ANYWHERE at a con because they’d be getting stopped every 3 feet for pictures.  For Star Trek, I feel like they’d do groupings from assorted series and versions.  Chris, Peter, and Noah are totally OS Spock, Kirk, and Bones (Peter with strategically torn shirt, of course).  I think Melissa would be their Uhura, and Natalie would be Yeoman Rand (she wants to see if she can fake the hairstyle), because I dare anyone to tell them they can’t pull off dresses that short.  Since he has sword training from his hunter background, Melissa makes Julio be their Sulu.  Boyd, Derek, and Jordan would be Picard, Riker, and Data (Derek would totally figure out how to do that weird way Riker sits down, too.)  After much debate, I feel Stiles would be Kirk from the recent films (NuTrek, or whatever they call it), Jackson would be Spock, and Malia would be Bones.  I think Lydia would make an excellent Uhura for them, as well.  Scott would be Scotty because he can remember to answer to it, and it gives him an excuse to do a TERRIBLE fake accent.  I’m leaning towards Isaac for their Chekov, but beyond that can’t think what to do with everybody else, I’m not familiar enough with the different tv shows.

Marvel we’ve talked about some.  DC I have a few random ideas.  I always thought it would be funny to see Peter, Derek, Jackson, and Liam do the assorted Robins.  While I feel Peter is DEFINITELY more of a Jason personality wise, I think he’d be far more comfortable in Dick’s costume that Derek would be, and if Derek was Jason the heights would line up better.  Jackson would be Tim, and Liam would be Damian (because who else would play DC’s tiny and angry than TW’s tiny and angry?)  Also, don’t overlook the fun and variety of villains DC offers.  The last group costume I did was a cross between Bill & Ted and assorted Bat-villains.  We called it Bruce & Dick’s Excellent Adventure, and even photoshopped a sign to carry to help people get it.  Among our line-up was Cleo-Catra, Ivybeth the First, The Poison Queen, Harley Antoinette, Joker Napoleon, Freud Nygma, and Bane-thoven.  (I really need to do something with the various pieces of my costume someday.)  I know there are several girls in the Bat-fam now, too, depending on who all wants to be a part of it, or if they want to skew more Justice League/Teen Titans/Young Justice.

Oh man, Disney.  So many options.  I feel like Lydia and Allison as Ariel and Prince Eric is a given.  I also like the idea of Kira and Malia as Belle and the Beast, partially because of Malia’s issues about having to hide her nature, and also because I think she could absolutely rock that suit.  Ben could join them as Chip.  (Stiles would actually make an excellent Belle, but I feel that might just get weird.)  I can see Danny helping Erica rig up a Sleeping Beauty dress with strands of LEDs that keep shifting from pink to blue to green so the dress keeps appearing to change color (it’s a massive hit.)  I don’t know why, but I really want Stiles and Jackson as Elsa and Anna for some reason.  Scott can join them as either Kristoff or Olaf, depending on the mood he’s in.  Can’t quite decide for the other pack kids.  Since the theme is nominally just fairy tales, I think the dads could just opt for a classier, fancier version of their Red Riding Hood looks.  Maybe go for a steampunk edge or something (I would have included links here, but Google was not my friend today and I couldn’t find quite what I wanted.)  Rich velvets and wools in vivid scarlet and forest-y greens, black and deep brown leather and suede, lots of polished buttons and buckles, loose cotton shirts unlaced at the throat.  Mmm, yes.  And Peter could have one of those super fancy Victorian type nightgowns with the long sleeves and high necks made out of super soft and fine materials.  Instead of getting some kind of mask to wear, he’d just do his partial/beta/whatever you want to call it shift and let them add extra fur on with makeup to blend it in.  Everyone just thinks it’s amazing effects work.  He does opt for some cute wolf paw slippers since cons tend to get snotty about people going around barefoot.  (Applying and removing the fur is also how they learn his ears are particularly…sensitive…to a delicate touch in that form.)  

Lord of the Rings.  Yes.  Like, I can’t figure out who or any real details right now but.  Just.  Yes.

I feel like some years they enter the costume contest and some they don’t, just depending on their moods.  (They totally take the Jurassic Park group to a con and people adore it.  It makes for great skits.)

Random bonus thought for the day concerns dancing.  I was thinking about the whole drag queen thing, and whether Jungle was around in the 90s, and it sort of segued into what types of dancers they are.  I feel like Peter is a very good dancer.  Not quite competition level, maybe, but very skilled, nonetheless.  Like Malia, he’s just very comfortable in himself, in all forms, which helps with spatial and bodily awareness, in addition to his natural grace and balance.  I also feel he’s the most likely to have taken, like, ballroom lessons or similar as a kid, maybe at a parent or grandparent’s insistence.  With Noah I keep thinking about the various videos I’ve seen of Dylan dancing both outside of TW and as Stiles, and I feel his dad would have a very similar style of awkward disaster from the chest up, undulations worthy of a harem girl from the waist down (those Stilinski boys tend to leave a lot of confused boners in their wake.)  In Noah’s case, settling into his frame after that last growth spurt and learning self-defense/martial arts helped smooth most of the awkward out, but it resurfaces every so often.  Chris I think would be the least likely to dance, just because I feel his background would make him very self-conscious about it, whether he wants to feel that way or not.  He’ll dance if it’s just the three of them or just family, or for a slow dance, but that’s normally it.  However, if he’s drunk enough, or if Noah or Peter have dragged him into a dark corner to makeout for a while and gotten him all distracted and relaxed, he can be pursued out onto the floor to show off some actually pretty sweet moves once he lets go.

Anyway, gonna try and wrap this up, because I just realized it’s way later than I realized, and I should try and get some sleep at some point.  Enjoy your game, I hope it’s epic!

When this little paragraph made me realize I had a gaping plot hole in this chapter and I got to go back to fix it. My god my friend, you are a lifesaver!

I also like that it apparently took them nearly 20 years to learn about planning for this sort of thing.  I know you’ve mentioned Peter and Chris being the ones that do the stupid thing next chapter (or something to that effect), but really I feel the biggest moment of "what the hell, guys?” is Noah getting knocked up just two months after Chris.  It’s like, you guys had a huge, in your face, live example of why protection is important, and yet…

Because oh yeah I wanted to make it canon that wolves can detect a heartbeat of the embryo at 4-5 weeks. Which is about a week after the heart starts beating. And oh yeah, Chris is two months along by the time Noah gets pregnant... shit. I wrote something else in that flashback.

And now I got to fix that, so cheers!

I also finished writing my chapter today! Yay! All glorious 13K of it. And I’ll be editing and posting tomorrow (or technically later today as it is past midnight.) Oh, I’m so excited, I’m so excited to see what you think!

As for the game, my god it is awesome!!! I played a few hours today but my heart raced so much I had to pause after two hours because I was getting dizzy because of my heart. But it’s a great game so far, very accessible and it just draws me in completely. It’s so good.

Definitely what I needed after my day at work.

hehehe I’m happy to see my previews and writing and getting emotions, it sounds so bad, but that makes me smile because it’s getting the desired response and that’s awesome. 

“Cue Lego Movie music”

can you imagine the furor that would have occurred about a Slytherin and a Gryffindor hooking up in Fourth Year (I think?), and then pulling an innocent little Hufflepuff transfer under their spell?  Would any of them have played Quidditch?  (Peter I feel definitely played, though I can’t decide what position.  Undecided on the other two.)

I think Peter would’ve been a chaser or beater, somehow those seem to fit him well. Noah played but he was a keeper. (which would be funny if Peter was a chaser since they would get to battle lover’s disputes on the quidditch pitch) Chris I feel wouldn’t play quidditch, he’s too busy trying to keep track of his studies and really just likes to watch the sport but not participate. I think he’d be more into care of magical creatures and defends against the dark arts than any kind of sport. Though he does join and excel at the dueling club.

And the scandal of Peter and Noah dating from fourth year on would be massive, people can barely wrap their heads around it. But they’re happy and they’re just doing their own thing. And they don’t pay attention to anyone else but what they think and what Chris thinks of them.

Peter shifting to his wolf form and curling protectively around them all the time, head pressed up to their abdomen so that he can listen and scent at maximum effectiveness.  Them just gently stroking through his fur until one or both fall asleep.  (Also, how quickly do the other wolves in the family pick up on the changes in scent?  How do they react?  How do the older kids react to the idea of more siblings in general?)

<3 <3 it’s honestly an adorable image. The twins are very active when dad’s curled up around them, knowing just where to kick so Peter’s wakes up by a foot to the face. Though he doesn’t mind and just nudges back gently, letting out a low grumbling noise or whine that he knows the babies can hear in utero. As for how quickly, it depends on whether or not they smelled it before. Jackson, Ben, or Scott wouldn’t pick up on it. They weren’t wolves around pregnancies before. Malia and Derek catch on quickly though. They start noticing the scent change at around 5-6 weeks and hear the little heartbeats of the new family members.

Malia is moderately excited, she’s a little worried about her dad and how he will handle pregnancy at his age. (Although he’s like 35 when he gets pregnant, that counts as a geriatric pregnancy, dad... I’m worried.)

Stiles just flips between the two of extreme worry where he read up on pre-eclampsia and other pregnancy complications and birth complications and omg what if that happens. But he’s also so so excited because omg he’s finally gonna be an older brother!!

(He knows he’s Ben’s older brother, and he adores the tyke, but it’s different when you have a pregnancy close instead of a five-year-old sibling from one day to another.)

Jackson is pouty and a bit grumpy. He feels like he’s losing baby status in the family more and more and he doesn’t know how to deal. (Ben was a bit difficult to get used to for him but Chris handled it well by setting time aside for his baby Jackson. It helped. But now he’s a teen and there’s going to be two more babies and he’s- he doesn’t know how to feel. When Chris breaks the news he wants to have another baby he’s even more torn but he does come around, deciding that he will always be the baby of the family, even when he’s not.

It’s a good compromise. And the three parents set some time for each of their kids so everyone gets attention.

Allison handles it the best out of the teens, she’s very excited for all of them and immediately to volunteers helping with decorating the new nursery. She paints a few awesome looking murals of Winnie the Pooh or Bambi or some other cutesy Disney animals (Or maybe even a space/star wars or a fairy tale ala Fables theme?) and just goes all out. She also convinces Malia to quilt a blanket for the new baby and helps her knit a few cute hats. She’s just extremely excited and happy.

Ben is very happy too, he’s finally not the youngest anymore and he’s happy to be an older brother. He also finds it fascinating to learn how pregnancy works and how those babies got in there in the first place. They let him tell them how it works and explain some basic details, sperm, egg, you need both to have a baby and the baby grows in pops and papa’s belly. But they leave out any details that Ben doesn’t figure out or doesn’t ask about to keep it more age-appropriate for him. 

Though Ben’s smart and he figures out a lot on his own. Noah and Peter are honestly impressed by Ben’s deductive skills. They knew Jackson and Stiles had them, but they hadn’t expected Ben to show them too. He’s a quiet observer.

They were not prepared for the sheer DILF power of that household live and in person.  But then, is anyone, really?

Honestly, I don’t think anyone is. Nobody can resist the sheer DILF power.

Since the theme is nominally just fairy tales, I think the dads could just opt for a classier, fancier version of their Red Riding Hood looks.  Maybe go for a steampunk edge or something (I would have included links here, but Google was not my friend today and I couldn’t find quite what I wanted.)  Rich velvets and wools in vivid scarlet and forest-y greens, black and deep brown leather and suede, lots of polished buttons and buckles, loose cotton shirts unlaced at the throat.  Mmm, yes.  And Peter could have one of those super fancy Victorian type nightgowns with the long sleeves and high necks made out of super soft and fine materials.  Instead of getting some kind of mask to wear, he’d just do his partial/beta/whatever you want to call it shift and let them add extra fur on with makeup to blend it in.  Everyone just thinks it’s amazing effects work.  He does opt for some cute wolf paw slippers since cons tend to get snotty about people going around barefoot.  (Applying and removing the fur is also how they learn his ears are particularly…sensitive…to a delicate touch in that form.)  

I- this whole thing? yes. Headcanon accepted because it is that good. I can literally just see them going in steampunk hunter, red riding hood and the wolf. thank you for putting that image in my mind XD

I feel like Peter is a very good dancer.  Not quite competition level, maybe, but very skilled, nonetheless.  Like Malia, he’s just very comfortable in himself, in all forms, which helps with spatial and bodily awareness, in addition to his natural grace and balance.  I also feel he’s the most likely to have taken, like, ballroom lessons or similar as a kid, maybe at a parent or grandparent’s insistence.  With Noah I keep thinking about the various videos I’ve seen of Dylan dancing both outside of TW and as Stiles, and I feel his dad would have a very similar style of awkward disaster from the chest up, undulations worthy of a harem girl from the waist down (those Stilinski boys tend to leave a lot of confused boners in their wake.)  In Noah’s case, settling into his frame after that last growth spurt and learning self-defense/martial arts helped smooth most of the awkward out, but it resurfaces every so often.  Chris I think would be the least likely to dance, just because I feel his background would make him very self-conscious about it, whether he wants to feel that way or not.  He’ll dance if it’s just the three of them or just family, or for a slow dance, but that’s normally it.  However, if he’s drunk enough, or if Noah or Peter have dragged him into a dark corner to makeout for a while and gotten him all distracted and relaxed, he can be pursued out onto the floor to show off some actually pretty sweet moves once he lets go.

Malia definitely inherited Peter’s dancing skills, I like to think Jackson did as well. Those three are the best dancers in the family. They just move with natural ease. 

Allison is a decent dancer, her gymnastics training really helps but she’s not as fluent as her brother, sister, or dad.

I feel like Noah and Stiles have awkward flailing down to a T but every once in awhile there’s a hip movement worthy of a fucking professional dancer and it’s very confusing. But yeah, totally agree with that assessment of them.

Chris isn’t much of a dancer and neither is Ben. Both of them are very self-conscious. Chris gets better when he’s drunk because he let’s go of insecurity but even then it’s not great. He just doesn’t dance, it’s not his thing. Although he was a very good grinding and hip rotation move. He’s also pretty good at jump style once he lets himself go and just turns his mind off. but the rhythmic jumping just feels natural to him. He also likes to slow dance since he can just bury his face in Noah’s shoulder or nuzzle Peter’s cheek and just forget about everything else.

Also, I like to think they all love to sing. Chris’s voice is best suited for country I feel like. Noah’s more for singer-songwriter. And Peter just loves singing pop songs and he knows how to hit some high notes. 

And now I am going to bed because It’s almost three am XD And I need some sleeps. Thankfully I have the day off this sunday.

#ben says stuff #once upon a time comments #submission

[the-sweetest-dragon]

Puppy Love

Pairing: Platonic!Jason x Barbara

Word Count: 2383 (This was seven pages... oops)

Warnings: Mentions of death and anger

Summary:  Jason feels that he isn’t welcome in the Batfamily after coming back from the dead and Barbara is on a mission to help him feel better about his place in this family.

AN: I rewrote this I don’t know how many times and I’m still not 100 percent in love with it, but I’m tired of it controlling me so here it is.

Tags: @incorrectbatfamiliaquotes @audder17 (Both of you really helped with this story and it wouldn’t exist without you.  Thank you )

_____________________________________________________

Standing in the giant ballroom of Wayne manor, Jason contemplates why he’s here.  Charity was always a big part of his life when he lived with Bruce before dying, and Jason always enjoyed helping people.  But now, Jason isn’t sure of where he fits into the family or why he’s even here to begin with.  

The large Wayne family mills around, waiting for Alfred to appear and give them their partners for today.  Alfred, always in charge of giving them their assignments, was uncharacteristically late.  Jason looks around the room, trying to find someone that would actually talk to him.  He spots Dick, deep in conversation with the demon child and knows that he probably shouldn’t go over to talk to them.  Cassandra is standing in the corner, waiting silently.  Jason starts to walk over to her when the doors to the ballroom swing open, announcing everyone to Alfred’s presence.  He carries a tray of coffee in one hand, and several envelopes in the other.  Alfred sets the tray down on the table and clears his throat before speaking.   

“Alright, here are your assignments for the day,” says Alfred as he passes out the envelopes, which contain their partners name and assignments.  “There will be no trading and no complaining.  Master Bruce has specifically given you each new partners.”  A collective groan is heard throughout the group.  “Yes, I am aware that your lives all suck.  Now, get on with it.”

Barbara watches Jason from across the room, waiting in silent excitement as he opens his envelope.  She had asked Bruce at the beginning of the week if she could be paired with Jason for a change, and she hopes that Bruce listened to her.  Jason has been home for several months now, at least officially.  He had reappeared two years ago and had spent a lot of time hating them, which had almost been harder to endure than him being dead.  Knowing that someone you care about is alive but hates your guts?  One of the worst things you could ever imagine.  Babs knows that Jason belongs here with them, but convincing him that he’s worth their concern is a whole different problem.  

Jason opens the envelope, and Babs feels a burst of happiness.  He blinks a few times before looking towards where she is perched in the large window.  Jason shoots her a tight lipped smile and starts to walk over to where she is.  Barbara knows that Jason isn’t comfortable in the manor, and she couldn’t blame him.  The family had grown a lot in the last few years, and the noise took a lot of time to get used to.  Babs still wasn’t used to the number of people running around the house, which was growing every year.  The number of kids running around the house brought light and life back into the dark halls.  

“Hey Jay,” Babs says as Jason settles down beside her.  The old nickname burns through Jason, like someone made him eat coal.  Uncomfortable with her knowing stare on his face, he looks out the window.  It was a beautiful fall day, the leaves had just started changing color.  Autumn had once been Jason’s favorite season, but the excitement wasn’t there anymore.  

“Hi Barbie.”  Jason turns towards Babs, a forced smile settling on his face.  “I’ll go grab us some coffees.  Still take two sugars?”

“You know me too well Jaybird.”  She smiles and Jason feels his heart clench uncomfortably in his chest.  Babs squeezes his hand and stands from her place in the window, stretching as she does so.  Jason sees the scars from years of vigilante work in that strip of skin that shows as she stretches.  The bullet wound that had left her paralyzed for years, silver and healed over completely.  Jason remembers crying that night, hoping that she wasn’t dead and praying for hours.  Coming back to see her walking had been a shock to his system.  “I’m going to go grab my coat, and then we can go, okay?”

Jason just nods and heads toward the table holding the coffees.  The ballroom had slowly thinned out in the past few minutes.  Tim is helping a very pregnant Stephanie into her coat and Jason can hear Dick laughing somewhere with Duke.  A lot of things had changed while Jason had stewed in his anger, but the happiness that charity work brought to these people had not.  Jason allowed himself to relax slightly, enjoying the peace that comes from silence.  He grabs two coffee cups from the try, making sure to put exactly two lumps of sugar into both cups, before heading out to Barbara’s car.  She’s standing by the drivers side door, gently swinging her keys around one finger.  He hands her a coffee and watches her smile as she drinks.  

“Thanks Jay.”  Jason just nods and gets into the car.

The drive was mostly silent, filled occasionally with Barbara singing softly along with the radio.  She desperately wants to talk to him, wants to reassure him of his place in this family, but she can’t seem to get the words out.  Every time she tries, she notices he’s looking out the window at the trees or straight ahead at the road in front of him.  She gathers her courage and begins.   

“Jason.”  She takes a deep breath and Jason begins to worry.  Babs hadn’t used his real name since he had officially came home.  It was always a nickname of some sorts, reminding him that his past would always be filled with warmth.  The worry settles in his stomach like a brick.  “Jason, I know coming back must have been hard for you.  We all knew that things would be different, but…”  Babs trails off for a second, gathering her thoughts.  “I miss you.  I miss the Jason that would do cartwheels in the cave out of pure excitement.  I miss the jokes and the smiles.  You were this light in my life, in all of our lives.  When the Joker-” Barbara stops for a minute, biting her lip to keep her from crying.  “When the Joker killed you, my heart broke.  Bruce may have lost a son that day, but Dick and I lost a brother.  And I was so angry, at Bruce, at the world, for taking you from us.”

Shock travels through Jason’s body, making him shake.  He had always just assumed that Barbara and Dick had been fine after he died.  They had never been close, but Jason had always looked up to them.  They were his role models.  As her words sink into his brain, he realizes how blind he really is.  They had been hurt just as much as he had.  He had been so filled with rage and resentment, that he hadn’t taken the time to think about how him dying had affected his family.  That’s what he has now, a family that cares about him.  

“We wanted the Joker to pay, but Bruce wouldn’t let us.  Him not going after the Joker is what finally broke me.  I left and refused to talk to Bruce.  I could understand why he didn’t go after when after what he did to me, but you?  The Joker deserves to rot in the ground for what he did to you.”  Barbara takes another deep breath and parks the car at the adoption event.  “You can’t imagine the happiness I felt when I heard you were back.  I knew you wouldn’t be the same.  Whatever had brought you back would have a cost but I was willing to pay it to see your face again.  Knowing you were alive was the only thing I cared about.  And now you’re home with us and I’m so happy to have you back.  You’re different, but you’re still you Jaybird.  I wouldn’t trade you for anything.  You deserve to be a part of this family, whether you think so or not.”

Babs looks up to see tears forming in Jason’s eyes.  She’s slightly shocked that her words had such an effect on him; Jason rarely cried, even when he was younger.  He was always stoic and hard, especially after coming back from his own personal hell. She missed his laugh and smile; it felt like it had been decades without it lighting up a room.  But he was smiling now, smiling through his tears.  Babs smiles back at him, knowing that it’s just what he needs. 

Collecting himself, Jason finally gets out of the car, making sure to also open Barbara’s door too.  Once she’s out of the car, he gathers her small body in his arms, hugging her tightly.  Though shocked, Babs makes sure to hug him back just as fiercely.  He had grown so much in the last few years, making it hard to wrap her arms around him.

“Thank you Barbie,” he whispers into her hair.  Babs can’t help but smile as she lets him go.  She pats his chest and grabs her bag out of the car.

“Anything for you Jay.”

Hours pass at the adoption event.  Jason is in charge of the puppies finding good homes; all of the dogs there were ones that had been abandoned for some reason or another.  Barbara helps families with the adoption papers and getting the necessary free supplies from the humane society.  Jason had always been more of a dog person, so he stays closer to the dogs.  For whatever reason, cats always sensed something amiss with Jason and it makes him uncomfortable.  He knows that the Lazarus pit that had brought him back changed a lot of things about him, but cats seemed to sense that something was wrong with him.  Jason hates thinking about it and tries to not worry too much about it.

“Hey Jaybird!  Can you check on the pit bull puppy?” Jason hears Babs yell from her spot at the adoption booth.  Jason feels himself smile slightly.  After their little talk, Jason feels this weight lifted off his shoulders slightly.  Knowing that at least one person cares about him is something he never knew he needed.  

“Where’s it at?” he yells back.  Babs smiles and gestures to his right.  Jason turns and sees the smallest pit bull puppy he’s ever laid eyes on.  The poor thing couldn’t have been more than a few months old, almost too young to be away from its mother.  A small tag outside the pen states that her name is Joan and she’s seven weeks old.  A worker at the humane society had found her two weeks ago in the streets of Gotham, dirty and starving.  

Joan is sitting calmly in her pen, watching Jason with silvery blue eyes.  He reaches a hand through the squares of the pen, letting her sniff his hand.  Jason is shocked when Joan nuzzles his hand slightly, but is quick to smile at her.  Jason looks around to see if anyone is watching before climbing into the pen.  He’s not allowed to directly interact with the dogs, but he feels that Joan is calling out to him.  She’s instantly playful, wanting him to throw a ball she’s been chewing on and Jason complies, letting her wear herself out.  Pitts are playful dogs and love attention, so that’s exactly what Jason gives her.  

Babs would never admit it, but she had picked this event specifically for Jason.  She had hoped he would find a special animal to take home with him and once she spotted Joan, Babs knew that he wouldn’t be able to resist.  Jason had always had a soft spot for dogs, something that hadn’t changed in the years he had been back.  

Joan soon tires herself out and curls up on Jason’s lap, surprising him for a moment.  Jason smiles and holds the small puppy close, knowing that he’s falling in love with small Joan.  He closes his eyes, feeling completely relaxed for the first time in years.  Her soft breathing lets him know that she’s fallen asleep in his arms.  The thought of this poor dog is comfortable enough to fall asleep on his chest after everything she had gone through, warmed his heart.  

Noticing that Jason was still in Joan’s pen, Babs smiles and pulls out her phone to take a photo.  She has been taking photos of her family and friends for forever, but she only has one of Jason.  It’s always hard to get Jason to sit still long enough for a picture, so she was lucky to have even one.  The photo was of his first Christmas with Bruce and his face was lit up with joy.  It was Barbara’s favorite picture and she cherished it with her whole heart. 

Babs snaps the photo quickly, admiring the way the sunlight glints off of Jason’s jet black hair.  The small puppy is barely visible in Jason’s arms, but you can just make out the top of her head.  She smiles and makes a mental note to print that one out in the future.  Walking towards him, Barbara notices the way Jason sits with Joan, holding her delicately in his large arms.  

“Well, what do you think Jay?  Is she ready to go home with you?” she asks, though she already knows the answer.  Jason opens his eyes and smiles at her.  A real, vibrant, smile.  Babs’ heart soars; she had missed that smile.  She hands him the adoption papers, which he takes carefully, trying in vain to keep Joan asleep.  He signs his name at the bottom of the page and hands the papers back to her.  

“We are more than ready to go home, Barbie.”  Still smiling, Jason stands and steps out of the pen.  Babs scratches Joan behind the ears for a moment, smiling like a loon.  It hits him suddenly; she had planned for this to happen.  “This was your plan the entire time wasn’t it?”

Barbara just laughs and leaves the pair to stand in wonder at this woman who had focused so much time and energy into finding Jason someone to love again.  Jason meets Joan’s eyes and shakes his head.

“She’s crazy Joan.”  Joan just barks in response, and cuddles closer to Jason’s warm chest.  Jason now knows he will never be alone again, not with Joan or Babs in his life. 

#jason todd #red hood #barbara gordon #oracle #batgirl #jaybabs #batfam #puppies #dc comic

[holyhikari]

if you walk away

for Dick and Dami Week 2019

It’s one of those nights.

Violence happens, wherever he is, regardless of what he needs or is supposed to be. Regardless of who he should be; which mask or maskless or no identity at all. It explodes, time and time again, it persists, it devours. And Dick is there  — has always been there — to do something about it. He’s there to intervene, to kick and throw punches, to fly, to scream, to make amends, to make war.

Tonight, he happens to be there to get shot in the head.

Bang.

It’s — well, it’s too fast. That’s good. Quick death? Is he — he’s alive. But he was shot. But he is alive. But he was shot, he lets the terror sink in deep for a moment. Shot by a no-name criminal that for some reason was able to sneak up on him like he hasn’t been fighting for his life — and more — since he was a child.

Some reason? Pft. You’re getting old, Grayson , he thinks. Or distracted. There’s too many hostages and Batman and Robin and Red Robin’s safeties to worry about and this is a stupid rookie mistake and his head hurts because he could be in Bludhaven sleeping but he’s not, he’s dead.

No. He’s very much alive, getting dizzy and knocked down to the ground as someone collides with the man who just — who just shot him in the head but didn’t kill him. His right arm is busted from a fight that should’ve been much easier had he been well rested, an agonizing sensation spreading like forest fire. Agonizing, sure, but familiar enough. He uses both of his arms to get up as if they’re simply covered in some scratches from Alfred, The Cat.

“Nightwing!”  This is Robin, somewhere.

This is Damian, actually, because he sounds terrified.

(Much later, Damian will argue that he screamed for Dick moments earlier, almost in perfect sync with the gunshot itself. But Dick is hearing it. He’s hearing his baby brother calling from him right there and right now.)

He blinks, the world coming back into focus. Batman, all power and control, is on top of the shooter. Or alleged shooter. He’s not a threat anymore, that’s clear, and Dick takes a moment to analyze the situation. A few steps away, there’s a thick puddle of red on the asphalt; there’s Tim helping a woman to make a tourniquet to stop the blood coming out of a wound on her tight; there’s Red Robin’s fighting staff on the floor.

To the right, a criminal passed out, gun barely out of his grasp.

Dick almost laughs.

“It was very close to you,” Batman grumbles from his left. “We thought —”

“I’m fine,” Dick interrupts. “I’m just slow tonight.”

“Shouldn’t have called you to help.”

He agrees, but he’s not worried about answering Bruce right now. Instead, he makes a thumbs up to Damian as he runs over to them, katana in hand and a certain madness to his usually precise movements.

Despite it all, Dick smiles. But he needs to say something. What comes out is: “I’m A-Okay.”

He is. He really is A-Okay. Although close, it was another gun who was fired, not the one pointed at him, he’s great. The tiredness deep in his bones will be gone after some good sleep. It has happened before. Dick is a fighter, yes, but he’s human and sometimes all the sorrow he has felt over the years makes it almost impossible to move, let alone fight. And he admits it — albeit to himself solely — even if the man who trained him does not.

But, despite him being A-Okay, Damian does not speak to him for the rest of the night.

Dick is off to chase a bird.

He fistbumps Tim. He pats Bruce on the shoulder. He hugs Alfred, who, of course, patched him up, fixed him where he needed the fixing and scolded him where he needed the scolding. He’s not Nightwing anymore; he has showered and changed into Wonder Woman pajamas that Steph once bought Jason as a joke (he loved it, but left behind at the Manor with many of his memories.)

It’s a sad thing that Dick knows when Damian disappears because he is miserable. The others didn’t seem to worry earlier when Robin left the Cave without a word to go upstairs still full dressed like a traffic light even if it’s against the rules — traffic light is as Jason loves to put it; that’s just Damian, sometimes, eerily silent, footsteps always getting away from where you are, right?

(He’s being too hard on them. Especially on Bruce. Dick knows he’ll check on Damian once he puts Batman to rest.)

To Dick, it’s not that simple: most of the times, Damian, once so reserved and arrogant, wants to stay by your side. There’s the I’m-going-to-draw kind of leaving, the I-miss-my-pets kind of leaving, I-think-you-want-me-to-go kind of leaving and a few more that he has grown familiar with. And this is for sure Damian leaving because he thinks it’s dangerous for others to be around him.

Dick wishes the boy wasn’t so hard on himself. But, then again, it’s a family trait.

“I’m coming, kiddo.” He murmurs to the portraits on the walls. “Hold on.”

The way to Damian’s room is something he knows by heart and he hums a soft tone to bright the corridors of the Manor, but, mostly to do something about the sadness that threatens to break free from his chest and drip, drip, drip. When will Damian think of himself with the same love Dick does? Soon, if he allows himself to hope. Today, if he succeeds.

“Can I come in?”

A muffled hmmmmpft reaches his ears through the door. He decides it’s good enough of an agreement, and steps inside. Dick finds the curious image of Robin’s back to him, sitting on the window sill of Damian’s room. He’s facing the outside world that is made of a soft golden sky, the Manor’s gardens stretching far under his green boots and the city’s outline peeking out of the early morning fog.

No one says anything for a while.

“Are you —,” Damian clears his throat. “Were your injuries well taken care of?”

“Alfie is the best,” he says. “But there is something bothering me.”

Damian doesn’t look at him. “I trust that Pennyworth will be glad to be of assistance.”

“Kiddo…”

“Goodbye.”

Dick represses a sigh and crosses the distance between them. He sits by his brother’s side, not a single part touching. Instead of looking at the horizon — or whatever Damian is fixating on —, his eyes gently take in the boy’s tense posture. Damian knows he’s being watched, of course, but his face stays pointedly turned away.

“Mask,” it’s all Dick says.

“It is not wise to remove my mask when I’m in uniform.”

“Wanna look you in the eyes,” he insists. “And you shouldn’t be even dressed like this upstairs. Alfred will have you clean the Cave for a week.”

Damian clicks his tongue, but obeys. Still not looking at Dick, he then jerks his head in the direction of a nearby tree. “Those birds are now aware of my secret identity and it’s your fault.”

“Look at you and your time-inappropriate jokes,” Dick weeps away a fake tear. “So proud.”

“Learned from the best.”

Despite the light teasing, Damian says each phrase as if it’s the last one in the conversation. Dick does what he does best and ignores every evidence that he’s supposed to go away right now, Richard and makes himself comfortable where he is.

Enough small talk.

“Are you mad at me?”

Damian scoffs. “Should I be?”  

“There’s no should or shouldn’t when it comes to feeling.”

“I am not angry at you, Richard.” he rests his small hands on his knees, nails digging into the fabric. “I am simply not in the mood.”

“Not in the mood?” He echos. “Conversation mood? Or me mood?”

Damian’s voice softens almost imperceptibly. “You can stay.”

“Thanks. Because I want to.” His fingertips touch Damian’s chin, gently having him turn until Dick is face to face with familiar green eyes. “Any chances you’ll tell me what are you feeling right now?”

“...everything.”

“Everything sure is a lot,” Dick winces. “Is this about tonight’s patrol? You thought I was hurt.”

“I thought you were dead ,“ Damian all but snarls, small frame trembling.

“I’m right here, kiddo.” He takes off one of Robin’s gloves, guiding Damian’s hand to his chest, where his heartbeat is steady. “See? Still alive and kicking.”

“I know,” he whispers, twisting Dick’s shirt into his fist. “But…”

I know, but I’m still scared, the gesture seems to say and Dick recognizes the emotion that has his brother eager to hold Dick in place, here at home. Give up this life and stay safe forever. Dick has lost count of how many times he was too close to saying this to his siblings and even to Bruce himself. If Damian hadn't grown up taught by violence, under Ra’s cruelty and surrounded by the myth of the Dark Knight, if he didn’t need it so desperately, Dick wouldn’t let his brother near Robin’s mantle or any other.

But they’re far too lost.

Damian doesn’t look like he’s ready to accept a  hug right now, so Dick settles for talking into the night until he is, words heavy but tone light.

“Sometimes, a patrol is — you can’t describe it.” He gently pries Damian’s hand off him, squeezing it. “You can’t. You can’t put it into any word you’ve learned so far and to feel it means barely getting out alive. And you think: maybe I’ll retire. I’m not old, but I do feel old and maybe I’ll retire. Just for a little while. Just enough for me to learn a word powerful enough to make sense of my experience. And ‘I'll come back. I’ll come back and save the world and never think of retiring again.”

“...but we would not live peacefully as civilians, I believe.”

“We wouldn’t,” Dick smiles sadly. “But sometimes anything seems better than...this.”

“Thinking about leaving this life makes me feel as though I’m letting it win.”

“It?”

“Gotham.”

Damian points vaguely at the rooftops at distance, some barely visible through the morning fog, but Dick feels like they should both be looking at something inside them, something that, even if part of a heart or part of a soul, even if flesh or bones, is still made of skyscrapers and dirty alleys.

A long time ago, Alfred said he wouldn’t be surprised if someday Bruce found out that his cape had become one with Gotham’s long shadows at twilight time. Master Bruce... , he had sighed, you act as though you are a protector, but you do not seem to know how to distinguish yourself from what you are protecting. You won’t find a way to heal if you keep pretending that your pain is pinpointed to a map.

Gotham’s Welcome! sign is alive and well despite some minor acts of vandalism, Bruce hasn’t healed to this day, and so hasn’t Dick, and they both know they won’t, but they’re still trying, aren’t they?

“Not a fair fight, kiddo.” Dick closes his eyes, lost in a time before himself.  “Bruce — we never stood a chance against this city.”

“Then why —”

“Why to do anything at all?” He raises an eyebrow. “You know the answer, Damian.”

“No names in the field.”

It’s a perfect imitation of Batman’s voice.

Dick’s Batman. (Damian’s Batman. His first one, at least. Perhaps his favorite one. Perhaps, not. Is it even possible to compare? It’s not the time, he thinks, Grayson, it’s not the time to love Damian so much it hurts, you need to be in one piece to pick up his, all scattered around Alfred’s immaculate, clean floor that sometimes Damian prays on. Although Dick is not sure to whom.)

It’s softer than he intends: “We’re home.”

“But I’m still in my uniform.” Damian’s childish stubbornness to have a valid point almost makes Dick smile. “No names.”

“Whatever you say, Damian.”

He doesn’t put up a fight, doesn’t indulge Dick’s silliness. Not even a mere huff of annoyance or a show of rolling, mocking green eyes. Instead, he lets out a sniffle.

“I do know. I do know why I fight even if I’m not capable of changing everything permanently for better. You, Father and, well, everyone who works with us, allies and associates—”

“And family.”

“...and family. You all taught me the value of making a difference, as small as it may seem.”

Damian then hesitates, biting his lower lip. He stays like this until Dick taps his shoulder and says: “Go on.”

“But sometimes I want to… I spent so much time learning, absorbing, understanding and practicing better values. An entirely new moral code. But sometimes I wish I wasn’t able to think as hard and as unforgivingly as I do. To feel as deeply as I do.”

“You—”

“I wish I wasn’t human,” his voice cracks. “I don’t trust myself to be one. I haven’t even behaved like a human most of my life anyway—”

“Damian,” Dick interrupts. “Breathe. Please.”

“I… Tonight, earlier, I...”

“Don’t fall for this. You’re not those broken thoughts, you’re not your past, you’re not what anyone wants you to be in the future.” He still is holding Damian’s hand, and he squeezes it. “You’re not what you’ve done with your hands and even if you were — look at me — even if you were, I’ve seen these hands being gentle, being delicate,  being strong, being heroic, being loving most of all. Towards people, animals, plants. Towards me .”

A  grief-stricken sob bursts out of Damian’s body and Dick is pulling him onto his lap a second before he starts crying. He wraps his arms around him so tightly it looks like he won’t ever let go.

“I’m sorry,” Damian manages to say. “I’m…  I’m afraid I’m not making any sense. You really scared me.”

Dick shakes his forehead against Damian’s as if saying, Don’t apologize.

“I get what you mean, kiddo.  Not human, huh? I bet Batcow doesn’t have these dilemmas. Lucky.”

“Richard,” Damian snorts, lips twisting at the taste of his tears. “Do not underestimate Batcow’s very rich inner world. You do not know her as well as I do.”

“I don’t. But I like to think I know you. And — behind the spiky hair with too much gel (Dick ruffles it), baby-like cheeks (Dick kisses them), potato nose perfect for booping (yes, Dick boops it) and the bratty attitude (Dick is okay with it)  — you’re good. Ten years under the Al Ghul’s guidance didn’t really change that. And I don’t think ten or  twenty more would have, either.”

“No,” he shakes his head. “I appreciate the feeling, but don’t do this. You know I’d have grown up to destroy the world.”

“I don’t think so. But there’s really no point thinking so hard about what-ifs.”

“I think I did.”

Dick frowns. “What?”

“I think I destroyed the world today,” Damian hides his face into Dick’s chest, sniffs slowly fading out. “When I heard the gunshot and I thought it was coming from the gun pointed at your head.”

“Hey. Hey. I’m good. I’m here.”

“I killed him. I killed him as Father pinned him to the ground. I killed him when he was being incapacitated. I killed him when Drake called Commissioner Gordon. I killed him when you — you idiot — smiled at me and said you were A-Okay. I killed him when we finally got home. I killed him when Pennyworth said he broke your arm in three different spots. I’m killing him right now.”

“You know you don’t have to do this for me, right?” Dick sighs. “I’d never ask you to.”

“I know. But I can’t make these thoughts stop.”

“And how does it feel?” He asks, not unkindly.  “Like revenge?”

“Like suicide. Like I’m killing myself alongside all you've taught me.”

“You’re okay, kiddo. The thought of someone really hurting you doesn’t exactly make me calm, either.” Dick’s blood boils as he remembers Heretic.  “I promise it’s okay to feel what you’re feeling right now. That your fists are the answer. Hell, that your fists should be the answer. I mean, why can’t they be? Why is Bruce’s way the right one for you — us?”

Damian mumbles something that sounds suspiciously like: “I hate it when Todd starts making sense.”

“But in the end, you know why we never take lives,” Dick says. “It’s not set on stone that you’ll lose control someday. Also, we’re here to make sure you stay true to your golden heart, bird. And you know what? Here is not that bad of a nest.”

“You make it accep— okay. Good.”

“So do you,” Dick promises. “It’s an honor to be a part of your family.”

He clears his throat and rests his head on the crook of Dick’s neck. “You’re a very significant part of my life indeed, Richard. I look forward to staying by your side.”

“What’s this?” Dick rolls his eyes fondly. “A business meeting?”

Damian clicks his tongue. “It is not a common procedure to tell your business associates that you love them.”

“That is not what you just told me, smartass.” Dick kisses his hair.

“But is that what you heard me saying?”

“Yeah,” he nods. “At this point, I’m fluent in Damian .”

“Good.”

“I love you too, by the way.”

Dick can feel Damian’s small smile against his skin. “It is not hard to notice.”

They stay hugging like this for a while, until they can hear the others downstairs and everything seems truly awake outside. Dick knows Bruce will soon be here to check on Damian, even if he wishes to be asleep; he knows, too, that he’ll go back to Bludhaven in the evening, and Damian won’t.

“Are you feeling any better?”

Damian gently moves away and Dick misses his warmth instantly, but doesn’t complain when he takes a few steps to the middle of the room. He watches him stretch out and fail to bite down a yawn.

“I am,” he promises, and that’s enough.

This time, when Damian walks away from him to meet his dad, it’s the kind of leaving that promises not to take too long.

#dickanddamiweek2019 #dick grayson #damian wayne #dc comics #batman #my writing #the robin to your batman

[cat-the-dragon]

JayTim week Day 5:  Fake/Pretend Relationship // Royalty AU

AO3 Link

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Tim stayed deathly silent, hoping that his iciness alone would convey the weight of his disapproval.

No such luck. The old earl kept prattling on about how much more suitable to rule Tim was compared to his older brother because at least Timothy had been adopted from a ducal family and not street performers.

Tim took a deep breath to calm himself, then smiled as sweetly as he could, and told the old fart that he would be sure to relay his message to his father the king.

Earl Duchamp blanched, and started stuttering. Tim didn't give him any sympathy, or wait around for his rushed excuses, instead storming out of the room.

This had been happening more often as Tim came of age, all manners of ensconced and stupid noblemen and women coming up to him to tell him how relieved they were that one of Bruce's adopted sons at least had some blue blood. It did tend to be accompanied with the most unsubtle hints about how good a queen someone of their family would make, and Tim was completely fed up with it all.

He did tell Bruce and Dick of each one of these unsubtle offers for support to get himself declared as the crown prince, and he knew that Bruce liked having this list of problematic nobles. But Tim felt his patience with hearing insults aimed at his amazing brother or his dead parents wear thinner by the day. He didn't know how long he would last before he started challenging these idiots in duel.

He had already done everything he could to make his unwavering support to Dick obvious, but apparently that wasn't enough. Normally, he would have been able to send out a message about his lack of ambition toward the crown by carefully choosing his marriage, but as a second prince, the possibility of his marriage was too big an exchange currency to get wasted in a single political statement. Especially one as obvious as his unwavering support for his older brother.

But thinking of marriages... Maybe he could get lover. Something scandalous enough that idiot nobles would stop thinking he is as close-minded as them?

Someone low-born. But who could protect themselves against petty nobles. Male would be nice for shock value. With loyalty to Bruce, and who wouldn't try to use Tim for more power. Already, Tim could only see one suitable candidate, but he kept listing qualities, to feel out the solidity of his choice. Someone he could separate from without worry for either of their reputations later. That Bruce wouldn't be opposed to as Tim's lover. Someone the people loved and whose appearance next to Tim would not cause the commoners to fly out of the handle with outrage. Who had enough power of his own that even the nobles wouldn't want to get in a fight with him.

The Red Knight.

If Dick was the fairytale prince, poor street performer adopted by a king after his parent's tragic death and now set to be the next king that everyone adored because of how good and empathic he was, then Duke Todd was the hero of an epic poem.

Jason Todd was born a commoner, maybe even less than that, at one point there had been rumors that his mother had been a lowly whore, though no one dared besmirch the Red Knight's mother now.

Through determination and hard work, he had became a member of the palace guards, and one day, had saved Prince Richard from an assassination attempt. That had made Bruce take notice of him, and he had been given a horse, a house, and the title of Knight, as well as a place in Bruce's own escort. Then one day on the battlefield, Jason, then called the Red Knight, dove in front of a spear to protect his king. He almost died from his wounds. Bruce had given him the title of Duke, a land, and the fortune necessary to administer his fief as a recompense.

But that wasn't where the list of Jason Todd's achievements stopped, at least not as far as Tim was concerned. One thing Bruce had forgotten when appointing his recompense was that his Knight had never learned to count or read. Todd had yelled at Bruce that he was illiterate and couldn't administer a Duchy, and Bruce had offered to lend him his best royal tutors to avoid to the both of them the humiliation of having to retract his recompense.

And so Jason Todd had learned. He was now an excellent reader, and could verify his Duchy's taxes on his own. He now knew how to read, speak and write several languages. He read for fun, and had opinions on classic writers, his land was flourishing under his care, and he, as far as Tim could tell, had never accepted a single bribe.

Even though he was now a Duke, he had never made a move to get the people to stop calling him the Red Knight, and so it was how he was still referred to half of the time. Another man could have taken offense to this, but he seemed prouder about this title than that of Duke, and that was yet another reason why everyone adored him.

Truly, there was no one better suited to play the part of Tim's scandalous lover.

A smile now firmly pressed to his face, Tim power-walked down the corridors to find the chamberlain. He bumped into Dick on his search and paused. "Oh, hey. Could you tell Bruce that Earl Duchamp just offered me his support to climb up before you in the line of succession? I'm a bit busy."

Dick caught his arm before Tim could make it much further. "What else happened? You never smile when someone tries to kiss up to you. Were you jinxed?"

Tim blinked at Dick. Oh, yeah, right. Might as well use this as a set up for his plan. "No. I am in love, Dick."

Tim used Dick's surprise to slip out of the hold, now running down the corridor so his brother wouldn't catch up to him.

By the time he found Alfred, he was out of breath, but he probably had the most gleefully manic expression on his face. "Alfred! I need to get a message out to Duke Todd, to meet me at his earliest convenience!"

Alfred blinked in surprise. "Very well. I shall let him know."

"Magnificent!" Tim beamed, already running out because he might still have an overbearing older brother chasing him. It had been a while since he felt so alive. Maybe he should get up to mischief more often.

Two hours later, Tim was hidden in a tree, snickering at his brother's loud cries of "Timmy, who is iiit?" When he spotted Alfred heading his way followed by a familiar mountain of a man. He probably should have given Alfred the time to answer after asking him to call the Red Knight for him...

He jumped down to the ground and tried to look moderately put together. "Oh, great. That was fast. Thank you Alfred."

Alfred had his prim and proper face on, but Tim could see a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. "It just so happened that I had afternoon tea scheduled with Sir Todd to discuss the fine point of miss Austin's literature today."

Tim swallowed. "I am sorry for disturbing your plans."

Behind Alfred's back, the Red Knight was giving Tim a disbelieving stare. Well, nothing much he could do about the circumstances now, was it.

"Would your urgent meeting with Sir Todd have anything to do with the crown prince chasing you, your highness?"

Tim gave Alfred is brightest grin. "I sure hope so. I need to be able to have a talk in private, could you arrange it?"

"Well, by such a nice afternoon, I would recommend going out for a bit of a ride along the river."

"Brilliant." Tim grinned and started walking toward the stables. Then he paused, looked back at Jason and cleared his throat. "I mean, if you're okay with it?"

The Red Knight was still giving him a disbelieving stare, but he shrugged and followed Tim, so it was probably alright.

The stable hands rushed to get them horses as soon as they saw the illustrious figures asking for them, and before long, they were riding out of the castle.

Tim kept glancing over his shoulder until the Red Knight cleared his throat. "So, Why is Prince Richard searching for you? Or more importantly, why are you avoiding him?"

Tim turned back, grinning, but he sobered up at the suspicious expression aimed at him. "I didn't want to have to answer to his questions before I talked with you."

The suspicious expression didn't go away, and Tim sighed. "You must be aware that many nobles are coming to me offering me their support to get myself declared heir to the crown in prince Richard's stead?"

It might not have been the right thing to start out with, as Sir Todd had turned thunderous hearing his words. "And so you needed to have a secret meeting with me to confirm my support before you confront him about your betrayal?"

Tim almost fell off his horse in surprise. "No, god no." He peered at the Red Knight's still angered expression. "Though seeing your reaction to this assumption does reassure me that I was right in choosing you for my plan."

The narrowed eyes he got in response were a proof that Sir Todd's suspicion were still clinging. "And what might your plan be, your highness?"

Tim looked around to confirm no one was eavesdropping on them, then nudged his horse to come closer to the knight's. "I was going to ask you to be my lover."

Todd jerked, then stared at Tim. "What? Your What?"

Tim shushed him, then elaborated in a still hushed voice. "You don't have to actually sleep with me. But I'd like to introduce you as my lover to as many people as I can for the spring festival."

"But why?" Asked the knight, still looking totally out of his depth.

"Oh, right. I skipped a step in my explanation again. Most of the people trying to convince me to overthrow Dick use my higher lineage as a reason for it, and they generally have the ambition of marrying me to a woman in their family before or after the fact." Todd nodded along, but didn't look like he had caught all of Tim's reasoning. "Publicly claiming that I am lovers with the Red Knight would send the message that I couldn't care less about lineage, and that I am not looking for a queen. It should give me a break from these vultures before I end up killing one of them."

Sir Todd looked a bit less angry and a lot more considering. "And what would the advantages be to me?"

Tim paused. He had thought about his would be lover's security, but he hadn't thought about arguments to convince him to do it. He rooted about for what he knew about the knight. "Well... You would get the satisfaction of annoying them. I chose to ask you specifically because they can't really try to threaten you for being with me." He took a deep breath, thinking some more. "Since me showing a preference for males would also weaken my claim on the throne, that would also be a way to reinforce Richard's claim?"

Sir Todd stayed silent for a minute. "I would enjoy messing with these idiot nobles... And I do have enough power to protect myself while doing this... But I have a Duchy to administer, I am a pretty busy man."

Tim nodded eagerly. "It isn't a problem, Duke Todd, as I said, I don't actually expect you to come sleep with me every night, and my princely duties aren't so heavy that I can't get leave form them every now and then to come and visit you at your estate."

The duke groaned. "If we are going to do this, please call me Jason. Does the King know of your plan?"

Tim shook his head. "No, I didn't tell him, I just had the idea, and I wanted your answer before I made any announcement. I did tell Dick that I was in love, though."

Jason gave him an appraising look. "Is that why he was looking for you?"

Tim laughed. "I'm already having way too much fun with this plan, I can only imagine how much more I'll have when you're actually in with me."

Jason sighed. "I can't believe I came to a point of my life where I am saying this, but yes, your highness, I will be you lover."

Tim rubbed his hands in glee. "Great. Let's go back to the castle, we can try and get Dick to catch us in a compromising position. Oh. And if we are going to do this, please call me Tim."

Jason made his horse turn around and trot back with Tim's. "Great. I am already regretting it. I thought we were doing it to fuck with the stuck up nobles, not prince Dick?"

Tim looked back and grinned. "We are, but fucking with Dick is always a bonus."

Jason shook his head, but snorted and pushed his horse to go faster, turning their trip back into a chase.

Tim dismounted his horse still high from the feeling of a conspiracy going as he wanted it to, and the childish pleasure of a good game on horseback. He turned to grin at his brand new 'lover', but hear Dick's voice yelling for him awfully close by, and running footsteps. Oops.

Before he really had a plan, Jason had caught him around the waist, pushed him in an empty stall and crowded him against a plank wall.

Tim had a moment of total brain freeze. Oh, right. He had forgotten how very handsome and well built Jason was, hadn't he? Or, well, no, it wasn't really forgettable, but he hadn't thought about how he would be getting up close and personal with all the handsome in the course of pretending they were lovers.

Also, tall, tall enough that his hasty try at a compromising position had him leaning a forearm right above Tim's head and positively looming over him, and that was. That was something.

He jolted out of his daze when he saw a black tuft of hair moving over the top of the stalls, right. Dick. Compromising position.

He hasty put his hands on Jason's sides, trying not to focus on the muscle definition he could feel under the fabric, and went to his toes to kiss Jason's lips.

Jason jolted, but got with the program fast, moving one hand to cup Tim's cheek and adjust the angle, while simultaneously pulling him in so their hips were flush.

Tim moaned, earning himself a questing tongue nudging past his lips, and moved a hand to grasp at a broad, muscular shoulder. His other hand roamed about, feeling all the ways in which Jason was most definitely still keeping up to shape on top of all his duties, and he wanted desperately to be touching bare skin. And why wouldn't he?

At the same time as he opened his lips to invite Jason in, he tugged at his tunic, untucking it and slipping a hand underneath.

Jason shuddered a bit under his hand, slipping his own hand under Tim's ass and lifting him up, then pressing up against him. Tim was a bit blown away at how easily Jason managed to lift him despite the fact that he too had plenty of weapon training and was mainly made out of solid muscles.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, they didn't get carried away any further because Dick interrupted them with a shrill scream of. "JASON? You're... With Jason?"

Well, compromising situation, managed.

Jason let go of Tim a bit abruptly, but not enough that he couldn't catch himself, and Tim cleared his throat, brushing his admittedly messy hair out of his face and smiled lopsidedly at his brother. "Hum. Surprise?"

Tim was internally dancing with glee at how flawlessly his plan was going. Dick was such a huge gossip, everyone in the castle was sure to know within hours.

Well, a bit later. Dick seemed like he was a bit broken at the moment.

"Please let me tell Father about it?" He mumbled to complete the illusion.

Dick nodded, but otherwise stayed stuck in place.

Tim grabbed Jason and pulled him out of the stables, stifling his giggles as long as they were within earshot of his brother. Jason put a hand on his back, looking a bit bemused as Tim wheezed with laughter. "His face! Did you see his face. This is priceless!" Tim guffawed for a minute before he could take a deep breath, then looked up into Jason's faintly smiling face and smiled big and wide. "Let's go tell Bruce all about our torrid love-story!"

Jason shook his head, but still looked very amused. "I really should have said no, shouldn't I?"

Tim chuckled. "Probably, but it is too late now, lover mine!" Still grinning at his giant prank, he took Jason's hand and jogged toward the castle. "Our love cannot be stopped anymore!"

Jason grunted, but followed him without a hitch as they headed toward Bruce's study. An idea came to Tim and he pushed Jason in an alcove then pressed himself close to him to whisper in his ear without risks of getting overheard. "We have been in love for one year, but you always insisted that I had to come of age before we could consummate it."

Jason blinked, then nodded. "Of course, you're already four years younger than me and a prince, I wouldn't want to get hung for touching you before your twentieth birthday."

Tim sighed exaggeratedly. "Yes, a shame for lost time, but you just can't help being such a gentleman... Thankfully we can catch up for that time now that we've come out publicly about our relationship."

Jason finally snorted. "Are you really not going to tell the king the truth?"

"Where's the fun in that?"

Bruce took the tale with a sigh and a head-shake. "The two of you should have told me, I would have laid the groundwork for your public revelation. How do you intend to go about it?"

Tim cleared his throat. "Well... Dick just caught us... Hum... In the stables... The whole castle should know before tomorrow, and then it will seep in town soon after. I can just show up with my lover next to me for the spring festival opening and we can make a formal announcement at the great ball?"

Bruce nodded. "I guess it will do well enough." Then, as they started getting up and heading for the door. "Tim, Jason? I have to tell you that I do approve of your relationship. It will be good for morale to have one of my sons seen publicly with one of the people's heroes, I might even manage to have the churches of the green light of Will accept to marry you if you wish to, but I will need some time. As I said, had you told me earlier..."

Tim swallowed, throat suddenly dry. Well, that wasn't quite what he had expected. "Thank you. We can wait, it's okay."

Jason wrapped an arm around Tim and bowed to Bruce. "I thank you for your esteem, my King. But Tim and I... We aren't ready to discuss Marriage just yet, maybe, maybe next year."

Bruce closed his eyes with a faint smile. "Yes, do enjoy your young love without constraints, but remember my offer. Now get out with your lovely aura, I have work to do, and you two have to find a place where you won't be walked in on."

Tim blushed and walked out.

They silently headed for Tim's chambers and sat on his bed. "Well. I wasn't expecting that."

"Me neither." Jason sighed. "It's always a shock when King Bruce takes it upon himself to compliment me that way."

Tim looked up at Jason's face and huffed. "You are worthy of every compliment, and he is right, our people love you, me being seen with you is not only acceptable, it will make the royal family even more loved than Dick and Bruce already make it, and I should have guessed Bruce would see it that way."

By this point, Jason the Red Knight was blushing furiously. "Can you stop it. It isn't for real."

Tim set his face and rolled on all four on his bed. "It could be. This kiss was incredible. I wouldn't mind a repeat. I wouldn't mind you sleeping here either."

Jason stared at him, then he set his shoulders and stood up. "You have just decided to pretend to be with me to ward off pesky nobles, and this castle is full of nosy maids... And princes. I have also not told my people that I intended to stay over. If you still feel that way by the time you can free an evening to spend at my estate, then I will have no problems with having you in my bed, but if we are to do this, it will be neither now nor here. It will not be rushed, I won't allow it."

Tim swallowed, taking the declaration in. "I accept your terms. I hope I can manage to free myself tomorrow, then, lover mine."

#jaytim week #jaytimweek2018 #jaytim #royalty au #fake relationship #pretend relationship #prince tim #prince dick #my fandom and me #cat writes

[thepartyresponsible]

Ficlet - Shake the Devil Out of Me

there were some questions about what, exactly, happened when phil went to question dick grayson and tim drake. so, for HellsBellsSinClub and schneefink on ao3, here you go.

this is an excerpt from shake the devil out of me that didn’t fit in the fic. so, if you haven’t read the rest of the fic, i doubt this will make any sense.

At first, there’s very little about Richard Grayson that reminds Phil of Jason. Which is odd, considering their shared background and the fact that, physically, they could pass for brothers.

But Grayson carries himself like he’s fifty pounds lighter than Jason, like he’s never met a bad day or a bad man in his life, and there’s an easy, friendly charm to him that Phil’s never seen in Jason. When Phil shows up at the Blüdhaven Police Department and asks for a meeting, Grayson gives Phil’s badge a cursory scan, pours burned coffee into a travel cup, and follows Phil out into the street without telling anyone where he’s going.

He doesn’t even bring his sidearm.

“Oh, sorry,” Grayson says, as they make their way down the stairs to the sidewalk. “I didn’t ask if you wanted any coffee. There’s a place up the way, though, if you want. There’s bagels.”

“No, thank you,” Phil says. He’s a little thrown by the consideration. “Is there somewhere in particular you’d like to have this conversation? It’s personal.”

“Right,” Grayson says, glancing at him. “You said it’s about Bruce.”

“I did.” That is, in fact, the only detail Phil had given him before Grayson had jumped to his feet and hustled him out of the building.

“Park’s fine,” Grayson says. He nods toward an empty bench. “The squirrels by that one are pretty friendly. I feed them, sometimes.”

Phil blinks. “Do you,” he says. He can’t quite make it a question.

“Can I see that badge again?” Grayson asks, shuffling his coffee cup to his far hand and holding the near one out to Phil.

“Of course,” Phil says, and passes over his SHIELD credentials without hesitation. He sizes up the park while Grayson meanders his way over to the reasonably isolated bench, not even bothering to look up from the badge he’s holding in his hand.

“Yeah,” Grayson says, as he passes the badge back to Phil, “exactly what I thought. That’s either absolute bullshit, or you’re above my paygrade.” He tosses him a bright, careless grin, like he doesn’t take it personally either way.

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Phil says. “I read your file.”

Grayson settles onto the bench and smirks up at him. That’s the first time he reminds Phil of Jason. They have the same crooked, confident smile, almost flashy enough to hide the danger underneath. “Read my file? I’m flattered,” he says. “Do I get to see yours?”

Phil smiles back, thin and unapologetic. “I doubt it.”

“Not on the first date, huh?” Grayson takes a sip of his coffee and blinks innocently at the startled look Phil throws his way. “Yeah, you didn’t seem the type.”

Phil takes a seat on the free side of the bench and considers the best way forward. If he had to ask Jason, he’d be direct, but he’d do it from a safe distance. Jason’s instincts run so strongly to fight that startling him with anything is a gamble. But Grayson’s older, and seems a great deal more functional.

“So,” Grayson says, “Bruce. You a reporter?”

“I’m a SHIELD agent.”  

“Yeah, I don’t know what that is.” Grayson shrugs, amused and a little rueful, the kind of apology that has undoubtedly charmed him out of all kinds of trouble in the past. But Phil’s not here for anything that can be charmed away, no matter how gifted Grayson is.

“You’re in law enforcement,” Phil says. “You know there are crimes that are difficult to prosecute. There are, sometimes, people who cannot be stopped through traditional avenues.”

Grayson blinks at him. It’s slow, patient. His posture – loose, relaxed, almost sprawling – doesn’t tense or shift. But something sharpens in his eyes, and that’s the second time that he reminds Phil of Jason.

“That,” Grayson says, after a moment, “sounds like you’re promoting vigilantism to a police officer.”

Phil tips his head. Vigilantism, he thinks. That’s an interesting reaction. “I’m a SHIELD agent, not a civilian,” Phil says. “It’s not vigilantism when it’s fully sanctioned by the government.”

Grayson blinks again. He considers Phil for a moment and then shrugs. “You know,” he says, with a short laugh, “I’m really not sure what the hell we’re talking about here, Phil.”

“Bruce Wayne,” Phil says. “We’ve recovered some evidence.”

“Recovered some evidence,” Grayson repeats, tipping his head back. “Of what?”

“We recovered,” Phil says, “a victim.”

“Did you?” Grayson shifts the coffee cup in his hands. For a second, he’s still, staring down at the ground, and then he drains the coffee, crumples up the paper cup, and throws it toward a recycling bin at least three yards away. It sails neatly into the bin.

Third time, Phil thinks, clocking the resemblance again. He’d know that aim, and that casual physical confidence, anywhere.

“Some kinda white collar thing?” There’s nothing about Grayson’s posture or expression that seems feigned, but Coulson doesn’t buy it. He thinks that calm only runs skin deep. “You guys some financial investigation unit? Is that what SHIELD does?”

“I’m afraid not,” Phil says. He watches the way Grayson casually hooks his thumbs into his pockets, shrugs his way into a deeper lean against the bench. On the surface, it’s not a threatening posture, but he keeps his legs sprawled out, feet planted, and, if he’s anything like Jason, he could be on his feet in half a second and bashing Phil’s head into the concrete the second after that.

“C’mon, Phil,” Grayson says, “help me out here. What are we talking about? What do you want to know about Bruce Wayne?”

Phil shifts, straightens up. “When you lived with Bruce Wayne,” he says, “did he hurt you?”

“Did he—what?” For a moment, Grayson looks deeply and genuinely confused and then something passes over his eyes, something that moves too quickly to identify but might be worry or pain. After it’s gone, he just looks angry. “What the hell is this? What are you investigating?”

“Your file with BPD is very interesting,” Phil tells him. “As are your medical records from your teenage years.”

Grayson, Phil realizes, is faster than Jason. He’s on his feet almost before Phil can blink, and Phil doesn’t go for his gun because it’s too late to do any good. Grayson takes a quick handful of steps away from him, and then turns back to face him.

All that amiable calm is gone. If this were Jason, Phil would already be wiping spit off his face. “Bruce Wayne made me the man I am,” Grayson says, voice low and serious.

Phil nods and stands up, keeps his body language casual but his hand near his gun. “And are you proud of the man that Bruce Wayne made you?”

There’s that flash of darkness again, and then there’s nothing. Grayson’s face is entirely blank as he turns to go, and that, right there, is the moment that reminds Phil of Jason the most.

  Tim Drake reminds Phil of Jason from the moment he settles, mutinously, into the seat across from him.

“I’m missing an English exam for this,” Tim tells him, lips thin and eyes narrowed. “So it better be important.”

“I’ve seen your GPA,” Phil tells him. “It can take the hit.”

“Where’s Bruce?” Tim says, looking around. “You can’t question me without him present. I’m a minor.”

“I’m afraid that would involve a pretty significant conflict of interest,” Phil says. “And I’m not law enforcement.”

“I don’t care who you are,” Tim says. He sets his chin high and crosses his arms over his chest. Phil wonders if there are any fresh bruises under those long sleeves. “The school administration might be intimidated by a man in a suit, but Bruce wears a suit every day, so they’ve lost their effect on me.”

Phil leans back in his chair and raises his eyebrows. “And do you often associate Bruce Wayne with intimidation?”

Tim considers him with an intelligence that Phil finds disquieting. It’s not that he’s smart. Phil was a smart kid; he knew other, smarter kids. It’s that his threat awareness is beyond precocious for his age, and that’s not the sort of intelligence you’re born with. It’s the kind someone teaches you.

“You’re the one Dick talked about,” Tim says.  “The agent from SHIELD. Phil Coulson.”

Phil isn’t sure what to make of the idea that Grayson and Tim talk to each other. He doesn’t know why Tim is still living with Bruce, if Grayson, who seems to be a legitimately decent human being, is in contact with him.

“We’re trying to help,” Phil says. It’s a mistake. He knows it as soon as he says it.

It had taken Jason months to accept any kind of help from Phil. He doesn’t know why he thought Tim would trust on a faster timeline.

“I don’t need any help,” Tim tells him, standing up. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got an English test to take.”

“Take this,” Phil says, dropping a card onto the table. This, he thinks, is probably another mistake. “If you decide that you need help after all, you can call us.”

Tim hesitates for a second and then reaches over and swipes the card off the table. “I’ll be giving this,” he says, holding the card up, “to my lawyers. Goodbye.”

And that, Phil thinks, is the first thing Tim does that doesn’t remind him of Jason at all. They might have the same stubborn streak, the same instinctive resentment of any suggestion that they might need help from anyone, but Jason is, by far, a better liar.

As Phil leaves Gotham, he knows he won’t be hearing anything from Tim, or his lawyers.

If he wants to fix this, he’ll have to go to Jason. Or Bruce Wayne.

#writing #fic #ficlet #shake the devil out of me