#Jason Todd is being forced into Fatherhood

[castrianamore]

Bitter, Had the Heart

DC X Danny Phantom Crossover

Chapter 1: to see or to mistake

TW: Graphic depictions of Corpses, Mutilation, vile smells

Tim Drake was a brilliant Detective. He was a shareholder of Wayne Enterprises. Middle child of the family really. He was working on his degree in business at Gotham U, as expected. He also excelled, as expected. Nothing could have prepared him for this, though. I’m all his years of detective work nothing was quite this gruesome, this brutal. This slow.

A horrified terror filled expression struck across two gang member’s faces. Their deceased bodies had entrails splayed over the alley and he held a rag over his nose and mouth at the smell. It wasn’t just the decay setting into the bones and souls. It smelled like rotten eggs, sulfur. Mixed with the metallic scent of iron and blood and disgust.

Nightwing landed next to him.

“Oo that’s not pretty,”the man whispered. “Damn that stinks.” Time handed over a rag to his elder brother who very gladly put it over his nose.

“You’re telling me. This is one of the more brutal and gruesome cases I’ve seen in a while…” Tim was trying to take in what he could from below. They had to have been tortured alive as they had their entrails removed, at least most of the other rogue’s in Gotham made their subject’s deaths quick, even if painful but these? This was a new breed of brutal and horrific.

Tim was frustrated. He was a fucking detective for gods sake.

“How many is this now?”Nightwing looked at his younger brother before back down at the bodies.

“8… I think we can classify this as a serial case right now,”he huffed. He pulled out a notepad writing things down.

Smell of sulfur.

Entrails spread out.

Claw marks on the walls.

Symbols written into the alleyway walls in the blood of the fallen.

Faces frozen in horror.

This was the 7th and 8th one and of course it was similar to the others. Smell of sulfur. Entrails spread out. Once they got the autopsy report back he high suspected the heart will have been removed and a bite being taken out of the kidney if there even was one.

“So Gotham has another mysterious serial killer whose signature is as gruesome and messy as the Joker’s entire existence.” Tim had been frustrated with this case since it started and he was beyond grateful for the help. A lot of the bats were in on the case at some point. Duke had been trying to do Daytime recon. Tim and Dick were keeping up with police investigation, namely Dick who claimed he was coming from Bludhaven to help with the case. Got them both the inside information.

Bruce and Damian were trying to track down anything and it had been all hands on deck to keep a watchful eye on the city. Cass and Steph were off-planet apparently dealing with something from the covert ops team of Young Justice. Barb was doing her best to play eyes as she kept an eye on the various cctv footage around the city, but Gotham was big and there was always crime to attend too.

Tim was stretched thin himself. He normally had shareholder meetings in the mornings at least once a week, sometimes twice, and after that it was to his college classes. Tim had college, patrols, the company. Fuck. Let alone the occasional charity galas and other events he had to go to not only as a wayne but as a head of the company as a whole.

Tim was running on fumes as this case was running him dry. That was another reason why Dick was in town to lessen the load on Tim. He liked college and he knew that he wan’t exactly the most social person let alone the most normal(look at his job?) but he did want to do things sometimes with his friends. Though, he was sure his ‘friends’ probably wouldn’t be around for super long. Having mundane friends outside of super hero life was hard, let alone a romantic relationship. He had tried with the other heroes. He had tried with civilians but the civilians just couldn’t understand the time necessary and the excuses he was going to have to make.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to pursue a romantic relationship but it just simply felt as if he had no choice but to not. Wow, he was tired if hid mind was going off on it’s own separate tangent in mind distracting him from the task at hand. Speaking of…

A small flash of one of the police’s camera’s caught him off guard. Unbeknownst to the group a man in black tech wear with white accents and a mask pulled over his nose was crouched by the body. Hands gloves and a hood up over barely visible black hair. He was taking a sample it seemed of, what was that? How did he not notice that?

There was a green viscous liquid and he just collected it, not just an incredibly small amount, but what was on the body at all. It reminded him far too much of Lazarus water for his liking, but if someone had poured gelatin in it.

“Wing,”Time stated wide-eyed at him.

“I see.”

“We have eyes on a potential suspect,”Tim called over coms.

“Do not engage, follow,”Batman’s words echoed back to him. Duh. They wanted information on the dude. The two backed into the darkness a little more as soon as the police-men turned around he was gone. Tim and Dick watched his foot catch on the ledging as he climbed onto the roof of the building pulling down his hood and looking around. Eyes covered by a pair of goggles that were a stunning and haunting green color. Then it seemed he spotted the bats even from their vantage point, and as soon as they noticed. The man took off running.

“Shit!” Tim exclaimed, moving to jump onto the roof to pursue .

“Red! No engaging!”

“I’ve been following this shit for months, I’ve never been then close to a lead Nighty!” He exclaimed moving to follow.

“Language! But, really?!?” Nightwing followed after time the two moving with ease.

“Stop!!!” He yelled at the black masked figure who merely cocked his head to the side running backwards for a moment before jumping across to the next roof doing a roll. Experienced in parkour at least as Tim and Dick followed suit. Fuck he was fast.

“We need to corner him,”Dick hissed.

“Don’t tell B…”

“Don’t tell B what?”Dick replied before Tim threw two batarangs at his target.

“Red!” Dick exclaimed as the man dropped sliding on his knees to avoid the first one but as he got up the second one hit his leg. Bullseye. The person tripped holding his leg for a moment. A small grunt of pain could be heard as he scooted away from the two of them. The way their face was covered left no idea what thoughts crossed their mind. Nightwing landed next to Red as they stared at the man backing up against the wall to the roof.

“Don’t make us hurt you anymore. Tell us what you were removing from that crime scene,”Red threatened, grabbing his bo staff off his belt and letting it unfurl. The person shook their head as they used the short wall to stand up limping heavily. They weren’t incredibly close to the ground at the moment. At minimum a solid 8 stories high.

Pretty far up Tim would say. Which made the next move shake him. The man looked at them and slowly shook his head and by the time they both realized what they were doing their hearts broke. They gave him a farewell salute with two fingers and fell backwards off the edge of the building and neither himself nor Hightwing could catch him in time. Both running desperately to the edge wide eyed with panic.

It wouldn’t have been the first time someone had committed suicide to escape them. Tim doubted it would be the last either. Fate had it out for them in that way. Fate had it out for them in a lot of ways as Tim would find out over the course of events.

Though they never heard a smack against concrete as they rushed to the side, nor a scream of terror. So when they looked into the alley way the man wasn’t there anymore. Dick and him quickly using grappling hooks to get down.

“What the…”

“Where did he—“

“Infrared?” Dick suggested they both moved to look around them. Just the coldness of the alleyways and setting mid January weather. It was freezing in this alleyway.

“Is that a bed?”Dick pointed out the small campaign at the very back of the alley. A few cardboard boxes set up as a table with a few remains set there. Messy soaked sheets sat on top a cardboard bed with a messy pillow half destroyed it seemed

“Of course it’s a bad.” voice drawing them both out from their mission. “I never thought this would be the way I finally run into Two bats. You’re in front of my sleeping spot.”

They looked up to see a young man(teenager?) he only stood about 5’3. He was bundled up with a hoodie and a black trench coat over it. A soft blue scarf wrapped around his neck, hands shoved into his pockets with piercing blue eyes and ruffled black hair being held down by the matching blue beanie. He looked cold and from the infrared sensors on him the man was abnormally cold compared to most normal humans. A metà Maybe?

He had deep tired circles under his eyes. Skin far too pale to be healthy and a guant looks to his cheeks. His clothing almost just draping off his thin frame. He looked like he was very very sick if Tim could guess.

“Sorry for intruding, then,”Dick spoke up walking in front of him. Giving him a nod that he saw it too. “Did you happen to see a man fall from what roof?”

The man shifted and looked concerned Tim’s eyes looking of his shoulders, eyes, lips. Trying to pick up any subtle mico expressions.

“I just got back from classes, man,”The man sighs rubbing his forehead. “I’m half asleep and running 3 red bulls and a pack of saltine crackers.”

“Can we ask where you’re coming from?”Dick gave a charming gentle smile.

“The library.”

“I see, well we’re looking for a man dressed in all black with goggles with bright green lenses and black hair. He was sporting tech wear. You can give the police a call if you see anything?” Tim pulled out one of Greyson’s cards after he spoke. “We’re working with Detective Greyson at the moment for any leads so you can call the precinct if you see anything.”

The man took the card tossing it over his shoulder.

“ACAB, so can I sleep now? Or are we going to be playing a fun little game of 20 questions with me being the epicenter of the bats hyperfixations.”

“Ah… no, not at all. Have good night,”Dick stated as Tim was trying not to laugh as the man grabbing him grappling them up onto the roof. It was silent as they got a few blocks away before Tim burst out laughing.

“He just…”another laugh,”YEET!” Mimicking the card being thrown over his shoulder.

“That kid is suspicious.” Dick huffed maybe a little salty his normal charms didn’t work on him.

“He’s sassy not suspicious.”

“But his body temperature was—“

“He’s probably a meta Nightwing. Don’t tell the bats that you’re a meta, remember? It’s kind of Batman’s whole reason for keeping the city the way that it is, to protect metas.”

“You’re right.”

“I know. The kid looked exhausted the only thing I picked up from him was that he was beyond annoyed that he had to wait a second longer to go to bed. It’s,”he paused to look at his wrist. “2am.” A pause. If we was a student the mostly likely place he would have been would be the library. Even if you were walking from Gotham U library or a cafe it wouldn’t have taken you two hours to get where they were.” The library and most cafes closed at 11 or midnight.

“What did you realize? You’re smile fell.”

“The university library closes at midnight.”

“Okay and?”

“And this part of town is only a 45 minute walk from the library.”

“Is he our culprit they both have black hair. Could be especially if he’s a Meta explain why he was able to get away from us so fast.”

“I doubt it, that kid looked… sickly to say the least, but he was definitively hiding something.”

“So what was he hiding that he didn’t want the bats to know?

By the time they made it back to the alleyway the mysterious kid was gone.

“Dammit!”Tim exclaimed. This case was frustrating. Everything was going wrong.

“Look we at least know one thing right?” Dick was trying to make light of the situation. “He goes to Gotham U.”

“Dick.. we’re going to find hundreds of people who fall under the broad category. Let’s search “Black hair blue eyes” into the student database and see how many we come up. Let alone the fact that black might not be his natural hair color.”

“Hood could find him…”

“No, Hood has enough on his plate with these murders finding a homeless kid is not part of the problem at hand. The dude didn’t hurt anyone.”

“But if we run into him again,”Dick stared at the quickly disassembled bed the few ratty sheets now gone. “Do you think we could get him to the hospital for some help? Meta or not his readings were… rough.”

“We can’t force people into getting help all the time. It’s one thing for rogue’s who are more than a little insane but a guy who’s sick in the alley way?” Tim shook his head with a sigh rubbing the back of his neck. “We’d be chasing after half of Gotham.”

Tim rubbed his forehead a little frustrated with the general turn of events going on right now. Why couldn’t he get a lead on this fucker. He doubted that googles person would be much help. They looked like an investigator themself but at this point it was a lead and Tim was desperate. Each murder was more gruesome than the last like they were pushing their victims and themselves every time they did it. It had to have been a beast right?

“We need to find the masked person…”

“Yeah no I agree. Whatever they pulled off the body they were looking for that. They knew it would be there.”

“Think he’s the murderer?”

“Probably not, but they seem to know more than us which is concerning in its own right.”

“Not wrong there little bird.” Dick sighed. “We should leave. Head back to the cave.”

“Best, I have too many classes in the morning.”

“You have coffee addiction, you’ll be fine.” Dick smirked as they started back towards the cave moving to write a report of what they encountered on their patrol.

“You trying to feed my coffee addiction?”

“Absolutely not, B might kill me with that one,”Dick snorted.

It wasn’t as if Tim could sleep even as they got back to the manor to crash for night after writing their reports. He remained long after Dick had gone to get some sleep. Eyes focused on the screen and then down at his drawing in front of him. A rough sketch of the new person of interest.

Those eerie glowing goggles were stained into his mind as he leaned back in his chair looking at the file they had created for him.

Name: Unknown

Age: Unknown

Height:5’3 ~

Weight: 115-130lbs~

Appearance: Black hair in black tech wear and a respirator over his mouth and glowing green lensed goggles. White motifs along the outfit with a white D symbol over the left side of the chest.

Status: Unknown

Alignment: Unknown

All these unknowns. How were they supposed to figure it out. He had to meet this person again. He had to find them. He didn’t have a choice. This person was a key in his case. He sent a text to Jason.

“Keep an eye out for a guy that roughly looks like this” He sent an attachment of the drawing he did of the rough outfit in greyscale and what he saw.

“Oh… I know that dude. The people called him Distortion.”

What?

Jason knew of him? How did?

“How?” Cue Tim’s annoyed thoughts at how Jason didn’t care to share this information with them. Any of them. “And you didn’t think a new body on the streets who has a name wasn’t something you wanted to share with the class?!?”

More little bubbles as he was typing.

“He belongs to me that’s all you need to know. He’s an associate. A valuable acquaintance.”

“Well your associate was found removing evidence from my crime scene and bolting.”

“Need to know basis, Tim.”

“Do you know his identity?”

“No.”

“Age?”

“Yes.”

“Can i have it?”

“Absolutely not. He doesn’t want to be involved with the Bats or on your radar. I’d advise deleting the file you’re creating on him. He doesn’t take well to being on record right now.”

“Why?”

“Don’t know Don’t care but he’s incredibly useful and I’d like to keep him on our side and he was very hesitant on even coming to me. He only came to me because he’s operating out of my territory.”

“At least the guy has some respect.”

“He has street smarts. Now back off Tim. You know I let you in on a lot and that’s why I’m telling you this, but him? Distortion? Let him do his thing. If he tells me anything I’ll let you know.”

“What do you get out of this?”

“An investigator.”

“You have us?”

“Not all crime is big enough to involve the bats. Not all crime I can do all the work for for myself. He helps me out locating information and in exchange I leave him the fuck alone.”

Tim stared at the texts.

More typing bubbles.

“You tell Dick, Damian, or especially Bruce about this and I will rat you out for the Yelen case.”

Tim would be silent after all…

He stared at his doodle, ripping it up. It looked like shit anyways. He rubbed his face frustrated really as he made no changes to the file. Dick didn’t have to know about what he knew. This felt wrong to him though. Not just the whole Jason apparently knowing of the guy. If Jason knew of the guy but he remained under the radar of the rest of the bats it was concerning, and even as close as he was to Jason he wouldn’t put it past that guy to keep his issues to himself.

He always thought of himself really. First and foremost. It had been that way since his return mostly. It wasn’t like he never tried. Birthdays and holidays he’d show up. Tim wasn’t going to like that he noticed the mans change in demeanor the past year had done for him. A decrease in murders Jason committed in Crime Alley.

It was subtle enough unless you were looking for it, it wouldn’t be noticed, but tim did. Tim did notice. It reminded him of that breakdown he had a while ago. The anger returning to his brother like it had been there all along slowly increasing. The pit madness returning with a full force nearly driving Jason away from everyone. Jason wouldn’t talk about why the pit madness hit him so hard again.

He wasn’t exactly a feelings guy. None of them were. Dick was the most open of the Bat siblings to openly talk about their emotions and hell Duke had the most normal of a life before it all. Even he was hesitant. They all saw the Black Canary at least once every 6 months and that was only after a begrudging agreement with Black Lightning and the rest of the justice league. Most of they, themselves, weren’t involved in the justice league.

It was also why Cass and Steph being asked to go seemed to set him off. It wasn’t his place.

“He belongs to me..” Tim whispered out the words with a slight possessive tome looking at their texts chewing on his lip a little. A small habit he picked up when he was lost in thought and alone. Usually only when he was relaxed and with family. He couldn’t let people read his microexpressions out in public.

“For a solitary man, that’s quite a possessive statement Jason,”he mumbled into the batcave before standing up and walking up the stairs to his room. Not that he got much sleep either.

#batkids #batphantom #batfam fanfic #batpham #fanfic #batfamily #batfam #tim drake x danny fenton #danny fenton #danny phantom #slow burn #danny is confused #Tim Drake has a coffee addiction #jason todd and bruce wayne #jason todd #richard grayson #jason todd is red hood #Jason Todd is being forced into Fatherhood #Bruce Wayne #tim drake #damian al ghul #tim drake is a menace #Tim Drake is Red Robin #it’s complicated #dark fanfiction #graphic depictions of violence #graphic depictions of a lot of messed up shit

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Will o the Wisp (Danny)

by im_not_here_xp Danny’s parents’ portal explodes and kills Danny’s loved ones, he himself being extremely close to a second death. Clockwork intervenes to save the King of the Infinite Realms as his death would result in a major destabilization of the entire universe. Danny is forced into his core to recover, and Clockwork sends him to the DC universe to somebody who can guard the vulnerable ruler while he recovers. Jason Todd is just the man for the job, apparently. So now he’s got a (ghost) child running around his life. It seems he’s turning into his dad. Words: 19, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Series: Part 1 of Wispy Danny Fandoms: Danny Phantom, DCU, DCU (Comics), Batman - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Categories: F/M, M/M, Multi Characters: Danny Fenton, Clockwork (Danny Phantom), Fright Knight (Danny Phantom), Guys in White | GIW (Danny Phantom), John Constantine, Batman, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain, Duke Thomas, Damian Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Barbara Gordon, Kal-L | Earth-2 Superman, Hal Jordan (Green Lantern), Barry Allen, Diana (Wonder Woman), Bruce Wayne, Red Hood Relationships: Batfamily Members (DCU) & Danny Fenton, Batman Ensemble & Danny Fenton, Danny Fenton & Bruce Wayne, Danny Fenton & Justice League (DCU), Batfamily Members & Justice League, Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent Additional Tags: Danny Fenton Needs A Hug, Little Baby Man Danny Fenton, Ghost King Danny Fenton, Danny Fenton-centric, Hurt Danny Fenton, Eldritch Danny Fenton, BAMF Danny Fenton, Danny Fenton is a Little Shit, Protective Danny Fenton, Tired Danny Fenton, Adopted Danny Fenton, Danny Fenton Loves Space, Not Phantom Planet Compliant (Danny Phantom), Ghost Zone (Danny Phantom), Ghost Cores (Danny Phantom), Ghost Biology (Danny Phantom), Halfa | Half-Ghost Jason Todd (Danny Phantom), Alternate Universe - Danny Phantom Fusion, Parental Clockwork (Danny Phantom), Danny Fenton Gets a Hug, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Adoption, Adopted Children, Aunts & Uncles, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Crossover, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Jason Todd Gets A Hug, Protective Jason Todd, Jason Todd Has Issues, Jason Todd Adopts Danny Fenton, Good Sibling Jason Todd, Hurt Jason Todd, Fatherhood, Age Regression/De-Aging, Meddling Clockwork (Danny Phantom), Dimension Travel via https://ift.tt/oCkeWs9

#IFTTT #bruce wayne #batman #the dark knight #the caped crusader #gotham #dcu #dc #ao3 #ao3feed

[dickgraysonexchange]

With Day 5, we hit the end of our official assignment days (with treats soon to follow 👀). These folks have been patiently waiting, and now get to see the amazing things their giftors came up with!

Don’t forget to kudos and comment on your gift to show your giftor some love!

LITTLE PET for FREAKEDELIC [Art, Explicit, Rape/Non-Con, Underage]

Dick/Slade Wilson

Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Boypussy, Begging, Collars, Creampie, Orgasm Control, Overstimulation, Humiliation, Squirting, Vaginal Sex, Master/Pet, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, NSFW Art, Fan Comics

“You're still not a good pet. Not yet.”

Stupid pets need training.

TUMMY TROUBLES for LARIIMAAR [Fic, Teen And Up Audiences, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply]

Dick & Bruce Wayne

Sickfic

Bruce and Alfred have to deal with Dick's first illness in the Manor. or They were making great strides according to the 'becoming a family' pamphlet, but as much as Dick seemed to appreciate being treated like an equal member of the household, he was still a child.  Alfred remembered that better than Bruce did, and lectured him about it regularly.  But this was new territory - Dick was sick.

TATI for BADASSFICS [Fic, Teen And Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply]

Dick/Jason Todd, Dick & Jason & Others

Soft Domestic Fluff, Dick and Fatherhood, Implied Mpreg

When Dick had pressed, about if he had ever considered pups, ever thought of future partners and picking names, Jason had huffed, just a little affronted. “Just because I’m an Omega doesn’t mean I’ve been fantasizing about popping out pups since I was old enough to play house.”

“Oh.” Dick said, and there was a quiet pause where he shifted a little. “I did.”

STRINGS, WINGS, AND FORGOTTEN THINGS for SALPARADISELOST [Fic, Teen And Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply]

Tim Drake & Dick, Dick & Bruce Wayne

Good Sibling Dick Grayson, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Dick Grayson is a Ray of Sunshine, Changelings, Protective Dick Grayson, Protective Tim Drake

Changelings need other changelings. Tim's first trip to Haly's Circus ends up being more than he could have ever wished for.

LOOK AT THE PAYOFF for SUNCEREAL_BOI05 [Fic, Explicit, Rape/Non-Con]

Dick/Others, Dick/Slade Wilson

Gangbang, Police Brutality, Police Officer Dick Grayson, Undercover Missions, Rape/Non-con Elements, Identity Reveal, Possessive Behavior, Implied Relationships, Spitroasting, Spit As Lube, Come as Lube, Blood, Forced Orgasm, Forced Masturbation

When several members of the Bludhaven police department find out Dick is Nightwing, Dick’s carefully maintained life as a police officer comes to an end.

Slade should wait a while before he says "I told you so," on this one.

DOCENDO DISCIMUS for AURORAKANT [Fic, Mature, No Archive Warnings Apply]

Dick & Batsiblings

Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Dick Grayson-centric, BAMF Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson Tries to Be a Good Older Sibling, Dick Grayson Needs a Nap, Batfamily (DCU), Batfamily Shenanigans (DCU), Hugs, Stephanie Brown is Spoiler, Damian Wayne is Robin, Damian Wayne Loves Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson Loves His Family...

Dick has been tracking down a reclusive criminal mastermind for months. This weekend, he’s got a crack team of bat-siblings to help recover the damning evidence Dick needs to close the case. Of course it’s going to go perfectly what’s with that doubt in your tone?

COMPETENCE for SHARPBLUEJAY [Fic, Explicit, No Archive Warnings Apply]

Dick/Slade Wilson

BAMF Dick Grayson, Enemies to Lovers, Competence Kink, Teen Titans as Family, Canon-Typical Violence

Slade, Dick, and the Titans over the years, and how they find a way to fit together.

BETTER THAN NONE for MIAJACKSWILD [Fic, Mature, Graphic Depictions of Violence]

Dick/Original Character, Dick & Jason Todd

Dick Grayson Exchange 2022, Abusive Relationships, Domestic Violence, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Past Rape/Non-con, Hurt Dick Grayson, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Protective Jason Todd, Protective Bruce Wayne

‘Dick’s cheek is already reddening. It’s probably not going to bruise, but it definitely looks like more than a bit of playful roughhousing. Not that Jason would have believed that excuse anyway, not after the argument he just heard.’

#dickgraysonexchange #dickgraysonexchange2022 #gift reveals #sladick #jaydick #dick grayson #slade wilson #jason todd #bruce wayne #stephanie brown #damian wayne #tim drake

[enby-soup-computer]

Honestly? I find Batman as an isolated character rather boring. I find most characters in isolation boring. But Bruce suffers from being isolated fairly often because for some reason filmmakers have this concept of "Batman works alone", despite having Alfred even when it's early in his story. Bruce only becomes a compelling character to me when he has other characters around him.

When he's with Commissioner Gordon there's solidarity, in trying to fight for the right thing before the robins, and in fatherhood after. With Wonder Woman and Superman and the rest of the JL he becomes an interesting contrast, a voice of reason.

When Dick Grayson is first introduced he is suddenly flung into the fact that he is now responsible for another person. And now he has to be more careful, can't just yeet himself into stupid situations. He has to help this child learn to moderate his emotions, to guide him away from murderous anger.

When Jason Todd comes in, he is grieving his relationship with Dick, has made mistakes there. He sees another child who needs help, and he tries to stay removed, tries sending him to his grandmother. It very much doesn't go well. Suddenly he has another headstrong boy to guide and protect. When that relationship goes a little sour just before Jason's death, and really bad after his return, we also see more of Bruce's struggles with his emotional issues.

Tim forces himself into Bruce's path of self destruction after Jason's death, and we get a look at ruinous grief and the return from the brink. In many ways this warps Tim and Bruce's relationship, ways we see in later arcs, things like Tim's absolute willingness to sacrifice everything for Bruce, but also his inability to fully rely on him.

Stephanie's brief tenure throws him back to both Dick's Robin days, and in much more painful ways, Jason's.

Damian crashes in only a short while before Bruce gets lost in the time stream, so we don't get a ton of interaction between them while Damian's settling in, but after? After Bruce comes comes back? We get a Batman who's used to a Robin he can trust to work as his equal more than his sidekick, and a Robin who's just a breath away from going homicidally rogue. We get an estranged father who desperately wants to connect to his son who seems nothing like him (too alike to him).

So, TLDR; I generally don't find Batman on his own to be a terribly interesting character. It's when he's around other characters that his story becomes something compelling. He's the rice to the extended cast's curry for a bad metaphor; he is the base that gives them more substance and allows their flavor to shine.

Also if Wayne Family adventures got a show based of it I would probably die happy.

#Long post #Look batman's 'crusade' never really did it for me #It's always been characters that get me #World building is amazing but if I wanted pure world building I wouldn't even go to fiction #I'd just pick up a physics or history book #No #What I will always come back for is the characters #Because I find people and who they can be endlessly enchanting #And I know I left a lot of other characters out #Like Duke and Babs and the Foxes and the rogues and probably even more that I'm forgetting #I would've brought them up but it's already a long post and I don't know as much about their interactions with Bruce #I was already pushing the limits of what I know with Damian

[fanfic-lover-girl]

STORIES

Mama Padme AU (based on initial anon prompt)

Luke Runs Away - Luke runs away after becoming stifled by his parents', especially Padme, babying of him.

Sister Leia - Background of Leia's and Luke's childhood. Leia's POV during "Luke Runs Away"

Papa Anakin - Anakin goes to a flight show with kid Luke with a messy outcome. Prequel to "Luke Runs Away".

Padme Lets Go - Padme gradually lets go of caring for Luke as he becomes less dependent on her. Sequel to "Luke Runs Away".

Leia Lashes Out - Leia is frustrated with an assignment and lashes out at Luke.

Luke's Princess

The Perfect Bride - Three young women spend time with Luke as a final test to determine which becomes his consort.

To Impress Her - Luke tries to prove himself to his fiancée, Mater, but fails. Or does he? Sequel to "Perfect Bride".

Breaking Point - Luke begins to take charge of his relationship with Mater, but her instincts prevail. Sequel to "To Impress Her".

Mater's Regret - Mater reflects on her relationship with Luke after her heat. Sequel to "Breaking Point".

Silent Screams - Luke despairs over his lack of agency with his father and bride to be. Companion piece to "Mater's Regret" and sequel to "Breaking Point".

Dance With Me - Luke and Mater reunite at a ball at the palace. Sequel to "Mater's Regret" and "Silent Screams".

Mater's Heart (Part 1) - Mater persuades Vader to allow Luke to visit her planet for a special week. Sequel to "Dance With Me".

Mater's Heart (Part 2) - Luke visits Mater’s home planet and the couple air out their grievances with each other.

Day to Remember - Luke and Mater’s wedding day. Sequel to "Mater's Heart".

LLOM-related ficlets

De-aged Luke - Luke wakes up as a baby after Vader's beating in LLOM chapter 14.

Boba Returns Luke to Vader AU - Vader gives Luke the spanking he promised in chapter 19 and Luke's home becomes a prison.

Injured Luke - Vader brings Luke to the proposed Dantooine attack and Luke suffers major brain injury. Vader cares for him in the aftermath.

Force Ghost Luke in LLOM - Luke watches from force purgatory as Vader and mindwiped!Luke rule the galaxy.

Luke Sneaks Away - Luke sneaks out at night to participate in a flight show.

Vader is a Questionable Father - Dad Vader headcannon scenarios.

Other Star Wars

3 times Leia liked being the independent sibling - Leia has perks as the more independent sibling.

Behind The Veil - Luke helps a war torn imperial planet which has ties to the rebellion and is attacked by rebel allies.

REFLECTIONS/ANALYSES

Glee

Christianity in Glee - Comparing the Christian characters in Glee

Why I Dislike Rachel Berry - Rachel is not the worst character on Glee. She has some great qualities, but overall, I find her awful.

Batman

Fav Batman Robins - Jason and Damian are the most interesting robins.

Traits Robins Share with Batman/Bruce - The four batsons all have something in common with Bruce/Batman.

Problem with Jason Todd - Jason's character is atrociously mistreated.

Avatar the Last Airbender

Zukka Friendship - There needed to be more friendship shown between Zuko and Sokka.

How Makorra Parallels Kataang - Makorra is often deemed a knockoff version of Zutara. But Makorra has a lot of similarities with Kataang.

Star Wars

Theory on Vader's Healing in LLOM - Speculation on how Luke affects Vader's healing and deterioration in Little Light of Mine by sinfulskywalker.

Anakin Skywalker vs Jesus Christ: Chosen One Comparison - Similarities and differences between Jesus Christ and Anakin Skywalker as chosen ones.

Dad Vader Comparison - Comparison between star wars fanfics "Little Light of Mine" and "The Rod is Mightier Than the Lightsaber".

Rugrats

Sibling Relationships in Rugrats - The rugrats movie handled the resolution between Tommy and Dil as brothers poorly.

Dragonball Series

Manhood & Fatherhood - Nostalgia piece about Goku and Vegeta as men and fathers.

Reflecting on Chi-Chi - Reflecting on Chi-Chi's marriage to Goku and the issues within.

Gohan: Wasted Potential - Gohan's development and regression as a character.

Sons vs Daughters in Dragonball Z - Comparison between how sons and daughters are treated in Dragonball narrative and what they represent to their fathers. Ultimately, the girls do not amount to much.

Goku as a Father: The Good and Bad - Outline of how Goku shined and needed improvement as a father, especially to Gohan.

Saiyan Hybrids: Missed Opportunities - The Saiyan hybrids had great potential but were let down by the narrative, especially Pan in GT.

Yugioh

Failure in Yugioh GX - Comparison between Chazz and Zane's defining failures in GX, especially how they cope with failure.

STORY OUTLINES

Star Wars

Star Wars: Frozen AU - What if Anakin was like Elsa in Frozen but he struggled with dark side powers?

#fanfiction #star wars #dbz #rugrats #glee #avatar the last airbender #batman #llom #reflection #analysis #chrisitanity #tumblr posts #fanfic lover girl #star wars fanfiction #legend of korra #story outline #dragonball gt #dragon ball z #yugioh gx

[bluboothalassophile]

Hello, I just discovered your ‘Birds of a feather’ fanfic on archive of our own and I wanted to know if you are planing to update anytime soon.

Hello,

So how any of my AUs that are not Hopes for a Bastard, or a major story I'm writing, are all based off requests, so if you request it, I'll write it. Even if I'm slow, I will get to that. And just in case everyone doesn't remember the AUs to request, here's list:

JayRae:

Historical AU: Birds of a Feather on Ao3; which is the AU you're talking about, set on the cusp of WWI between Jason being a spy and Raven being a maid for his family. I do have a plot for this, but I only write it on request or if requests fit the AU.

Treasure Hunter AU: Gem of Scath or Bust on Ao3; set on WWII Professor Raven and Treasure Hunter Jason racing against Nazis to find the Gem of Scath.

Constantine Dad AU: Fatherhood; By John Constantine on Ao3; I think everyone knows this particular AU of mine at this point, whether through others creating their own versions or talented and lovely artists like @mobz-art who've created a master piece with this AU; I blame mobz-art entirely for my reignited love of this AU, their work is stunning. It's about the premise of if Constantine adopted Raven when they met in hell. My particular AU does involve Constantine adopting many young magic users, and JayRae romance.

Calm in the Storm AU: Calm in the Storm as a whole is just whatever prompts I feel fit this AU and whatever requests come for this AU happen. It's an out of sequence story centered around a secret relationship initially and how it grew to be something more between Jason and Raven.

Percy Jackson AU: Queen of Darkness & King of Trouble on Ao3; Daughter of Hades and Son of Posiedon wreaking havoc and unleashing chaos upon the Children of Jupiter.

Explorer AU/Pocahontas: This AU set on the premise of a Union Officer post Civil War in the late 1800s and a Navajo medicine woman crossing paths and banning together to travel the precarious southwest.

Japanese AU: Homeward on Ao3; in which Jason is a foreign ronin sold into slavery by Talia al Ghul and eventually bought and freed by a tengu version of Raven who is taking him home.

Hopes for a Bastard Universe: which depends on what your requesting on if it will or won't fit. Batfamily, other pairings, JayRae, the actual series, it all fits in this Universe, so if you have specifics you're curious about just ask. @ravenfan1242; I'm still working on Is Now 'Yet'? so yes, you guys can request more.

Crime Lord AU: Devil's Deal on Ao3; my coffee shop AU really, in which Jason and Raven are each other's morning routine at the local coffee shop, from the moment they walk into the shop, to the point where they get to the counter, then part ways to their respective lives. Jason is a Crime Lord and Raven is a local writer.

Hogwarts AU: Diné in Scotland on Ao3; Raven is a Navajo witch from America, post Revolution, and Jason is a Scottish auror; their pathes intersected somewhere in 1781 and now Raven finds herself in Europe with no idea how she got there.

Star Wars AU: Walk the Stars on Ao3; Raven is a bounty hunter and Jason is a Jedi Warrior with Kyle Rayner as his unfortunate padawan as he tries to navigate the Clone Wars with the Roy clones, and evade King Bruce of Gotham who is convinced Jason is his son.

Gladiator AU: Slaves of Rome on Ao3; Jason is a Jewish slave, who took the blame so his little brother wasn't arrested for murder, son of Bruce who is a prominent Merchant, and is forced into the role of Gladiator. Raven is a Celt who's been captured and forced into the Colosseum, together they've banded an unlikely alliance in a vain hope to escape the Roman Empire

1930s AU/Addams Family: Abyssinia on Ao3; set in the 1930s in a sleepy town where strange happenings are afoot, and the newest slew of murders slay the strange town, as does the passionate love affair of Jason Todd and Raven Roth.

Vikings AU: A witch sentenced to die by the church is rescued by the very Viking raiders burning her home to the ground. Now the Viking finds himself with not only a single thrall, but four thralls as the witch protects her cousins. Jason and Raven must learn each other and the other's culture to survive and raise Raven's cousins.

Prince & Bodyguard AU: The Crown on Ao3: Jason is now crown prince of his country, he was never supposed to be the crowned prince. Now he's hired the medic he served with to help him find who assassinated his elder brother and his family. Jason is the Crowned Prince of Gotham, Raven is his smart ass bodyguard and medic.

Mermaid AU: is set when Jason and Raven both have unexpected encounters with the other and continue to have their lives intersect.

Supernatural AU: Jason's a Hunter abandoned by his family, and he used to hunt her. But they struck a deal and now he's partners with the most powerful Natural Born Witch of the age, and they travel the country handling out of control supernatural activity while Jason's lost family hunts for him.

Lost Son AU/Once Upon A Time: A chance one nightstand resulted in an unexpected child, who she gave up for adoption. Now, years later, that child has come for her to break a curse set on his father and the locals of his town in a vain hope to give Raven back the family she never had. Jason is the local bookstore owner who's vastly unamused with this tale, but puts Rae up in his spare room while she keeps an eye out on their son.

Modern AU: ER Nurse Raven is stress certified dating Petty Officer First Class Jason Todd, and it's never simple. Dating is hard!

Witcher AU (which I remember writing but don't know if I posted it... When I find it this is one of my AUs): Witcher Jason Todd's Destiny has long since been bound to the powerful sorceress Raven since he saved her from herself and now there is a child of surprise who's bound them both to the inescapable weavings of fate itself in brewing chaos.

Cowboy AU: Jason found himself free of the service, and after twenty years of having no family and now free, went on a bit of a trip to evade his crazy family. Somehow he landed in New Mexico where he got tangled up in the Roth Family and their Family Ranch, which has a far more complicated and tangled, bloody history than he'd have expected; as he is bewitched by the Ranch Owner, Raven Rachel Roth.

Lord of the Rings AU: Ranger Jason and his elven companion are on the hunt to stop the brewing darkness and save all of Middle Earth, while protecting Hobbits of all things. Raven is an Elf of Azarath who's run from her domineering grandfather and seeks to remain with the lost Prince of Gotham.

Werewolf AU: To be posted in the next week or two; all I'm going to say is that it's set more on the Irish Werewolf myths than the traditional werewolf myths.

Regency AU: To be posted in the next week or two; cliche I know, but it's going to be unique, I promise it will not be like anything you've read for this kind of AU in either DamiRae or JayRae.

Beauty & the Beast AU: @titanstalesofmidnight is the main blog this will be posted on as @shewhowillnotbenamed1 & I will be writing this particular AU when we can and when we want to.

~~~*~*~*~~~

DamiRae:

Greek AU: This is really my Odysseus AU, and there's only going to be 5 for sure plotted parts, but if you should have a request, feel free to ask. The premise is set upon Damian waking on Azarath where Raven resides as punishment from the gods, they slowly entwine their lives together and fall in love.

Royalty AU: Is to be set in modern times, where Damian is Prince of Nanda Parbat, and Raven is Princess of Azarath, they are to be having a turbulent affair which brings their nations on the brink of either war or peace, the results may vary as nefarious ex-lovers, and rival nations seek favor with the royals.

Bridgerton AU: This is Scandal on Ao3; there's no real big plot planned, but it is set on the premise of the broke Duke of Gotham seeking a fortune as a means to save his family from ruination because of his youngest brother, Richard, and the Duchess of Azarath evading any and all marriage proposals set to her until... the Scandal!

Vampire AU: Take a Bite Out of You on Ao3; when Damian Wayne invests a good portion of his life in disproving the supernatural while his half brother Timothy insists in it's existence; after the brutal and mysterious murders of their family. Unbeknownst to Damian, he's about to step right into the very world he does not believe in as the First Vampire and First Werewolf continue to hash out their break up; thousands of years later.

Into the Dark: Is not yet posted, though I will be posting it when Classes are over, is a similar premise as Calm in the Storm where it will be an out of chronological order story centered around the relationship of Damian and Raven, I just haven't gotten a good opening yet, but I do have a few snippets of it written out, but when I have that opener; sometime before the New Year, I'm hoping to kick start that series.

Nanda Parbat AU: Raven is a nameless, voiceless slave of the League of Shadows, summoned from an unknown hell for the Church of Blood, before Ra's al Ghul saw better purpose for her. She is the right hand of the heir apparent; Damian al Ghul, and rival of Mara al Ghul. Much is contingent upon Damian's heir apparent status as his elder sister is the disgraced shame of their family, and his cousin is psychotic, he is to keep the League of Shadows alive for the next millenium, but only if he weds assassin Lian Nguyen, daughter of Jade Nguyen, notorious assassin outside the League of Shadows, trained by Lady Shiva.

Neighbors AU: Damian is a world class pianist who's just moved in above a reclusive writer. They clash rather instantly when they meet and she learns he's the one disrupting her life with his constant practicing. Damian is merely unimpressed with the frumpy woman who scolds him mercilessly, until he finds out she's his favorite murder mystery writer.

CEO AU: Damian Wayne is the eldest son of Bruce Wayne, and CEO of Wayne Enterprises, putting him in a wealth bracket like Elon Musk. It is all well and good to have all the money in the world, but he desperately craves love which is not attracted on his money or status. Unsurprisingly Raven, a caretaker of her cousins, working on a struggling family ranch; helps Damian when his car breaks down in the middle of New Mexico, on the reservation, and she has no idea who he is.

Mafia AU: She is the most ruthless mob boss to ever reside in Hell's Kitchen, granddaughter of the Devil, Princess of New York City, and the most powerful woman in America in the 1950s. He's the competition's most secret weapon, their hitman, and he's been hired to take her out. Can he take her out before she puts him in her own crosshairs?

Dystopia AU: After Covid killed off most the world's population, survivors scattered all over the globe of a ravished world, he was running for his life from his grandfather. Somehow he found himself making a home in the ruins of the lost city of Azarath, which houses one of the last sects of humans alive. Raven is their Queen, and his fate is in her merciless hands.

Curse AU: Damian made a deal with the devil's granddaughter, and now the time to pay has come. In order to save his sister, Athanasia, he sold his soul to the demoness known as Pride, and she's come to collect what is due to her. Can he keep the curse at bay, or will he surrender his soul to her when she summons him?

Princess of Thieves AU: She's an illusionist and a renown thief; stealing from the wealthiest and seeking the most unobtainable goods. Damian is the competition who's always a step behind, until he proposes an alliance between them when she's framed for a murder she did not commit. Together they plan to steal her freedom back, as well as the life of the unknown targeting her and her reputation.

So if you specifically request the AU's above, I'll be happy to write it whenever I have a minute; holidays have me a wee bit busy at the moment, but I will get to it. Any and all 'Private' Stories I have on my profile will be made public again by the end of this coming week.

PS: All the DamiRae AUs above are being posted Christmas week! =)

#bluboothalassophile #hello reader

[heartless-error]

Broken, not perfect, but together. - Chapter 13

Fandom: DC comics, Batman

Pairings: Jonathan Kent x Damian Wayne (JonDami) & Jason Todd x Timothy Drake (JayTim)

Rating/Tags: Family feels, hurt/comfort, mental health issues, running away, brotherly love, adopted children, fatherhood

Other(s) links: AO3

Broken.

The Batfamily was broken.

It was six years ago, and they had barely stood together since then, trying to stand up despite guilt and regret.

Damian  was sure there was nothing to save, not after losing something that he didn’t know he cared about. But when a new opportunity to get back what they had lost appeared, he cannot help to doubt as his past decisions haunt him again.

If you love somebody, set them free. But you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.

Chapter Summary: He knew exactly what he was doing when he helped Tim and Jason six years ago. But at the same time, he didn’t. No one was prepared to let them go the way they did, not even him. And now, after dealing with the consequences all this time, his heart was about to explode, he couldn't breathe. Because they were there, they were right there. His brothers were in front of him, and he couldn't move, couldn't do anything, because, once again, the weight of truth was about to crush him mercilessly.

Chapter 13

 Now

 Silence.

 The batplane was completely silent.

 Technically not entirely, since like the many trips and flights that had been made with it, could be heard perfectly the ambient sound of the wind brushing and surrounding the plane as it advanced on its way, also the noise of the engines accelerating to reach their destination as quickly as possible, as well of the machines and the control panel echoing at the front of the cabin, with all the breaths and movements of those inside.

However, it was they, the bats in there, who were precisely in silence, without having uttered hardly any unnecessary words since they occupied their seats on the plane and taking extreme care of each of their movements, of their postures. The tension in the place and between them was such that they had the impression that any movement or whispering would unleash a true storm among all, although this was already occurring within each of them, it was preferable to keep it hidden and sheltered for the moment, covered and hidden in nobody’s eyes while they were in a clearly confined space and knowing what was about to happen.

 Bruce was at the front of the batplane, paying attention to the control panel, and gripping the steering wheel with more force than necessary. It was curious to see him like this, tense, inflexible and dressed in civilian clothes, especially when they had already been used to see the figure of The Dark Knight handling that transport with his gloves, the hood and the cloak tangled in the seat, not his father, not Bruce.

Cassandra, curled up in the passenger seat, was the only one who had deigned to sit next to him. Her gaze insistently alternated between the screen of the GPS that was indicating their current position, and in front, where she could contemplate the sky and the clouds that passed through them. But she seemed too impatient and agitated to appreciate anything.

Stephanie was right behind her, but at a safe distance from the control panel and the driver, also curled up on herself and quieter than they’d ever seen her be. Dick, on the other hand, was at the other end of the cabin, away from everyone and lost in his thoughts as he stared at nothing.

 Like him, Damian was there. Farther still, almost to the end of the cabin, sitting awkwardly and with his arms crossed, thoughtful, absorbed in his head and in everything that occupied and prowled around it without stopping.

Sometimes he looked up to capture the blue of the sky and the landscape below his feet, but he couldn’t concentrate to observe it better. He settled into his seat as best he could, trying to find a comfortable position that wouldn’t bother his injuries, something difficult after everything that had happened that morning. He also met Dick’s uneasy gaze several times, Stephanie’s too, but no one said anything, no one moved, they just turned away their eyes to continue silently and in the spiral of their thoughts, allowing the tension to build and the journey to become longer, more harrowing.

 Damian knew the distance from Gotham to Florida was not that much, or at least not that much compared to all the places where he assumed that Tim and Jason could be hiding. After all, it was almost eighteen hours by car, and only about three by plane, less on the batplane. Still, he had the impression that this journey was going on for days, weeks. It was endless, exhausting, and every time he glanced at the clock on the control panel, he suppressed a sigh as he realized that only a few minutes had passed when he thought it had been an hour, even longer.

 The fact that the whole situation felt like a countdown against him, calculating how much was left to ruin all his life and efforts these last six years, didn’t help.

 Damian knew exactly what he was doing when he helped Tim and Jason six years ago. But at the same time, he didn’t.

 Contrary to what some people on the plane were thinking, the idea to run away was not Timothy’s, nor Jason’s. No. The idea was his, all his. 100% Damian’s credit. What’s more, they even doubted at first, they were very surprised when he explained the idea to them, and they partially refused. It seemed crazy when after all at that moment they were being watched strictly by a family who didn’t believe in their relationship and Jason was still recovering from an unwarranted aggression that had meant a total rupture between both sides. Although in the end they ended up agreeing, obviously, which he didn’t regret at all.

He was sure that if the others found out about this, that he had not only been an accomplice, but the leader of the entire operation, they would be much more upset than they had already been, maybe he would even receive another punch. And he would probably start to receive the same questions that had already been asked before and had tried to answer ambiguously: How? Why?

 The “how” was pretty easy.

 At first, a simple call to his best contact was enough: Talia. She didn’t welcome the son she now called failure with open arms, but she did like everything that would benefit her and help her obtain the power she was after. His mother was a woman very aware of her own interests and recognized something that favored them at the time, she knew how to choose her battles well. Erase Tim and Jason from the map, make them disappear, it was one that was definitely worth it, so he didn’t have to convince her to agree.

 Jason was a well-known failed project of Talia, a boy who she revived in the waters of Lazarus’ pit, brainwashed, trained and commanded into battle to cause damage to Bruce and all of Gotham under the poisonous ideas that she had implanted in his damaged and resurrected mind, to later see how he not only reformed and fought again on the side of the bats, but fell in love with the one she most wanted to eliminate.

Timothy, no doubt, had always been a clear obstacle to Talia, even from his Robin days. Something she had been waiting to get rid of and get out of the way as soon as possible at any cost. She manipulated Jason and manipulated him to hate him, to break him, to kill him, because she was conscious of the obsession that his father, his grandfather, had with Timothy. Ra wanted Drake for himself, it was a fact. He wanted him, craved him, chased him, for him he was his perfect detective, the only worthy being who could challenge him, confront him. He wanted him to be his successor, his right hand, wanted him at his mercy and wanted to hand over his empire to him. Empire for which Talia had fought all her life and could lose to the third Robin.

Then, hiding the couple meant making her mistakes and her greatest threat disappear. Talia would gain respect and a big advantage with both vigilantes disappearing, she knew that, and she didn’t hesitate to take it all in immediately. Damian and the others didn’t have to wait a single full day before receiving instructions to get it all started.

 After that, only the most difficult thing remained: the metas. Because no matter how much Tim and Jason changed identities, went to another continent, or avoided cameras, they had been friends of metahumans who could easily find them at any time. Any Super could identify their heartbeats wherever they were, and any Speedster could run around the world for them in seconds. They wouldn’t get very far if Superboy, Impulse, or even Starfire were involved in their search.

 But he didn’t have to do much to fix that problem either because Jonathan volunteered. He didn’t even ask him, he didn’t even know that he was aware of what he was trying to do, but apparently, he was inside from the first moment, even before any plans were formulated. He simply appeared before them with a Kryptonian device sneakily pulled from the fortress of solitude and handed it over to them, assuring the red team that as long as they kept it close, it would block the metas and hide them from everyone without problem. It clearly worked, and too well seeing as how absolutely no one had been able to find them despite the many efforts made.

 So, getting it all done was not as difficult as anyone might think. Especially when nobody suspected them or paid attention. Everyone was too busy focusing on all of Tim and Jason’s movements back then, and he and Jonathan were sixteen and thirteen, respectively. No one knew what was happening until it was too late, until they had been at the airport and left that damn note in the cave.

 Regarding why they did it, he already explained how he was allowed that morning.

 His brothers were tearing apart, little by little. Gotham were taking away a lot of things from them and continued to do so every day. Their vigilante lives began to overwhelm them more and more and the family didn’t help but make it worse with their indifference and their way of dealing with problems, including him.

Damian was sure that if they had not run away, if they had stayed in Gotham and continued with the rhythm they were taking, they would have ended up finally breaking and, with them, their relationship.

 He just knows, he knows that’s what would have happened if he wouldn’t have intervened.

As much as Todd insisted over and over that he didn’t need the attention of the bats around him, that he didn’t want anything to do with the family, his actions indicated how badly he needed approval and apologies from Bruce. Like Tim, who had always depended on that kind of acceptance ever since he was a child and had driven him to seek it wherever he could obtain it. And it didn’t matter how much they both fought for each other, for themselves and their relationship, the rejection of the family, of Bruce, hurt, hurt them, made them suffer despite knowing what could happen, despite having hiding it for years to avoid the problem. They wanted to solve it, they wanted to fix it. But besides all of that, both were also rooted to Gotham and its people in a way that Damian could never empathize, sacrificing and fighting tirelessly for the city until they reached that point of no return where they were, where they sacrificed their lives and his whole being.

Their loyalty and sacrifice for the city, for the bats, was too big, it meant too much to both of them and if they didn’t let them go, if they kept tying up that way, eventually everything would have split them in two, it would have separated them, and they would have allowed it in order to keep the place standing and the bat happy. As always, they were able to consecrate their own happiness for someone else even without wanting to, without realizing it.

 But Damian did it, and he couldn’t allow it. He just couldn’t, much less at that time.

 Damian could lie to others and himself all he wanted, but the need for his brothers to be happy was there. The perspective of them losing what they had because the other bats couldn’t see it, sacrificing their happiness for them again, was too much for him. He thought it was too unfair.

He knew he had been an insufferable brat for years, that he had caused too much trouble, done too much hurt, and could have ruined their lives with his mere presence, but whether they wanted it or not he grew up, they all did, and his relationship with them had improved considerably over the years, too much to let what was happening happen in front of his eyes and stand with arms crossed. Damian’s appreciation for his brothers had grown in a way that he never imagined at first, feeling something that never thought what could feel towards no one, because he and Jason shared a similar past that made them lean on the other without words, and Tim… It was Tim, just like that. Both were patient and annoying until the end, but one day he realized that he loved them and couldn’t see how they were about to collapse.

 They were a weakness, he knew.

 But Damian knew too that he had been a participant in inflicting their suffering, and that moment was the best time to fix it, he could fix it. Because the best way to prevent Gotham, the family, and the vigilante lifestyle from destroying their brothers, was for them to leave everything behind, including everyone, including him. They couldn’t hurt them if they weren’t there. It was that simple.

And that was without doubt his best way to earn their forgiveness, to make amends with them: Give them freedom from all the chains that imprisoned them.

 Jonathan felt the same, he knew it. He owed the red team nothing, not in the same way that Damian did, he didn’t need to feel deserving of their affections or forgiven for his past actions, but Jason and he were friends, and Tim practically raised him with Conner. He was also too fond of them to do anything, and most importantly: he wanted them to stay happy together.

 Anyone would say that he and Jonathan, beyond the brotherly love they felt for the other two, helped them because they reflected too much their own relationship in the elders’. And they would be right.

They didn’t have the same story as them, and they weren’t the same people either, but unintentionally and without knowing they had turned in their greatest reference in terms of relationships, their support to carry theirs forward and, without a doubt, the push they needed to start dating. Their parents seemed not want to see what happened between them back then, as if it didn’t exist and everything followed its normal course, they kept doing it even today. They were both young, had not discussed their sexuality with anyone else and the indifference of their guardians stopped them from doing so. Nor did they know how to cross beyond the line of friendship with the one who was their greatest confidant and puberty is the worst time for human beings. They both felt trapped, confused, and the longest and closest healthy homosexual relationship they ever knew was Tim and Jason, who were in hiding and Damian didn’t even find out about them until the end, but they always seemed to understand and accept their situation more than their own parents.

 Then, when everything exploded, both didn’t hesitate when choosing sides, and not when they helped them escape too. The rejection of Tim and Jason may have affected them as if it had been directed at them, their relationship with their parents was almost irreparable, but they turned that pain into stubbornness and courage to confess  their feelings and help them to leave. Because they wanted them to stay together, they needed them to stay together, since that was their way of showing everyone, themselves, that they could be happy, that they were not in danger. Both Tim and Jason, and them.

 So, yes, they did. They helped them, planned, and carried it out, being fully aware of what they were doing.

 However, it was what came after that they didn’t consider.

 They became so focused on helping those two to escape, that at any moment they didn’t stop to think what would become of them and their surroundings once they left.

 They should have.

 The nightmares, the anxiety, the secrets, and the paranoia became his new normality. The enormous guilt that came with their actions hit them too hard and fast, without giving them time to even assimilate or change it, because once it was done there was no going back.

They both thought they were ready to let Tim and Jason go, but they weren’t. Not them, not their families, not their friends, not even the hero community. No one. The huge gap that their absence left in their teams and families was too big, but they had already disappeared and all that remained was that stupid note along with the consequences it produced.

 The batfamily fell apart like a house of cards in a matter of days, and it could have been in hours if they had not been focused on the search, but the fights continued without rest and the resentment along with the tension didn’t do more than increase over time. The Titans and all the metas who knew the missing ones contributed to the search, but there was no clue, making the situation worse if possible. They were all trying to find a common culprit, or a valid and less painful reason than the one they had to leave because they were unhappy, they even hoped to find them, but they weren’t going to get anything.

And as the days, the weeks, the months went by, the tension increased, everything got worse and both Damian and Jon had to get away from those whose presence could no longer bear, either due to a total loss of confidence after what happened, or because they found themselves seeing themselves as those traitors who had brought suffering to their family and friends.

 Damian couldn’t trust anyone, not anymore, not his father, not Grayson either. He felt like everyone had fallen too high from the pedestal on which he had them and had to watch Bruce fall into another self-destructive spiral where no Robin was going to get him out this time. The betrayal and rejection he had felt from them didn’t allow him to have a civil conversation with none until eleven months after what happened at least, and even with Grayson he needed more time without wanting to yell at him until he was hoarse. Yet, he had to endure seeing how Brown, Batgirl, walked away increasingly because she couldn’t bear to see their faces, and how Cassandra came back from his mission in China to find her lost and broken family, how Alfred completed his tasks silently and not daring to say a word of it too, afraid to bring up the subject and cause again all those discussions both new and old that originated after the disaster.

Jonathan also felt deeply betrayed by his father and his lack of response to what happened, for his inflexible opinion in agreement with Bruce’s and his indifference to what his son felt. Damian knew they had a fight much stronger than Jon had wanted to admit, that he threw more things in his face than he said, but he decided not to pressure him on the subject and respect if at any time he wanted to give more details. Besides that, his boyfriend saw how Conner Kent crumbled at the loss of his Robin, how he looked for him without a break over and over again to the point of even neglecting his responsibilities with his team and his own health.

 All that pain, all that loss, all the tears, the screams, the fights, and the problems, they caused it. All of them. Without hesitation. And the best thing is that they weren’t planning to fix it. No. They would take the secret to the grave if possible, because if there was one thing they couldn’t regret or back down, it was to make Tim and Jason happy, despite the enormous price they had to pay.

 In their poor defense, they didn’t know that everything was going to fall apart like that. They didn’t come to think that the reaction would be so strong, nor the chain of disasters that followed. But it wasn’t until they saw everyone suffering and tearing apart that they realized what they had done, and that everyone would get very angry if they found out about their actions.

 So, they had no choice but to keep quiet and move on, because what else could they do? They hid it all, they studied, went together to prom, moved into their apartment in Metropolis, Damian got a job, Jon is in college, and despite the difficult family situation and missing the red team a lot, they looked for their own happiness and normality where they knew they could find it, where they taught them they could get it.

 And they were fine, really.

 They were together and fine. The weight of guilt was not so big if you shared it, and they both learned to lie fairly well together at an early age, also to continue side by side no matter what. They didn’t even have to lie that much, just pretend, because they never had a clue where Todd and Drake were, the best was not knowing it and the moment they saw them go through the airport gate, they too disappeared for them completely.

Mostly, they couldn’t talk normally with their parents, sometimes they had to be too on guard or alert in case someone discovered something, every now and then everything became too much and they lost control of their emotions, but they always ended up overlapping. They had nightmares in which everyone surrounded them and yelled that it was their fault, in which they saw flashbacks of happy moments turned into true horrors, where they heard resentment, poison towards them and pure hatred. But despite waking up screaming, crying, begging for forgiveness, they didn’t forget the most important thing: they did it for a reason, and they weren’t responsible for everything.

 If you love something you have to let it go, and that’s just what Tim and Jason chose to do. As much as they had been the ones to give them the option, it’s what they chose and they had to respect it, they had to deal with it. They couldn’t tie them to a life of misfortune, nor force them to return when they weren’t even part of the real problem there.

 Damian was determined to do that for as long as possible, to protect their new lives with everything he had, during all of his if necessary, because that decision was the only selfish decision that his brothers had made in a long time, the only one they had made thinking of themselves, and he felt they deserved it, he knew they deserved it. He was going to fight to preserve that.

 For that, maybe he should have tried a lot harder in Zodome to avoid this disaster.

 He had to hold back himself not to curse and fall prey to his anger when Gordon revealed in the batcave that the reason they had found his brothers had been because of the explosion in which he had been involved. He had felt so helpless, because he hadn’t found out what had caused the disaster until that meeting, and it didn’t make it better.

The whole time he thought that the terrorist cell he was chasing was on the island because of its black market and its easy access, didn’t come to imagine that they were going after a hidden supercomputer of the league that they wanted to sabotage and that they would also fail in their attempt, almost killing him and uncovering his lies.

 If he had been faster, if he had been more focused, if he hadn’t been regretting and missing his brothers again, if he had been better, none of this would have happened. They definitely wouldn’t be on their way to Florida.

 He could have prevented so many things. And yet he had failed, failed them, again.

No matter how hard he had fought for them, how long he had resisted, in the end everything had fallen apart because he couldn’t fulfill a simple mission or control his temper.

 It was very frustrating.

 Damian dug his nails into his forearms, squirming in his seat. His back hurt, also the side of his face where Grayson had hit him before. His fingers itched a lot, he wanted his phone back, his comms, something. He wanted to call Jonathan and make sure he was okay, safe, at least hear his voice to be able to calm down. But they had both been isolated from each other and from everyone by the time Damian made his confession.

As they thought it would happen, just when the others learned the truth took all forms of communication and kept them under surveillance. Jon was surely under the strict and impassive gaze of Clark after a warning from his father. As if any of them could jump in at any moment and alert Tim and Jason that they had been caught and they were going for them, when in fact they didn’t know how to contact them or where they were.

 He sighed, felt Grayson’s gaze on him again but completely ignored it. He was tired, angry, and resentful. He felt like an animal on the way to the slaughterhouse, his heart pounding and his mistakes hounding him, reminding him of everything he could have done to prevent this. He didn’t want to talk to anyone, he didn’t want to see anyone. All he wanted to do was scream, get mad, scream more, fight and beg for them to turn around, to stop the plane and all this madness, to go back to Gotham and forget everything they knew so they could get on with their lives like until now.

 But that was already impossible, everything had changed, and they were not going to forget it, they couldn’t.

 Looking straight ahead, Damian remembered Barbara Gordon’s soft grip on his arm before getting on batplane, he remembered the way she leaned, whispered an apology and with an indecipherable look said it.

 “Even if you don’t know it or want to admit it, you need this Damian. You need to see it.”

 He considered his answer, but he just gave her a cold look and got on the plane. He sat in his place, waited for takeoff, and hadn’t moved since, still quiet and waiting for this journey to end and see the destruction of what his life had been until now.

 Everything was still silent; everyone was still quiet.

 Damian didn’t care. After all, he had been six years without speaking, what mattered a little more?

 ~0.0~

 They landed before lunchtime, outside the city, about a thirty-minute walk from the town. They were not detected, and their objective was not to attract the attention to alert the former vigilantes of the place.

 Even after landing, for a few seconds, no one dared to move or say anything at all, even though some of them seemed to be about to get off the plane and begin the search immediately. They all stood still as if they could break a fragile peace that had never existed. The tension seemed to reach its peak just as Bruce got up and began to give directions of the procedure to be followed. Without having Oracle’s help this time to track them down immediately, they had to break up into groups to explore the area and check out the places they already knew Tim and Jason had been seen, hoping to meet them.

 Dick and Cass would go to the local electronics store and its surroundings, where Tim might appear. It was obvious why Grayson chose to search for Drake first, and why Cass was with him, since there was no doubt that Timothy could attack him as soon as he sees him. He didn’t blame him; he would do it too.

Brown would take care of the library, where they saw Jason. She was not in much danger with him if she found him, at least not entirely. Stephanie was not so involved in the conflict and her relationship with Jason had always been neutral, they had a mutual respect that they could use to their advantage this time.

 Damian was evidently forced to go with his father, who was clearly not going to leave him alone on the plane and was watching and controlling him like he was still ten years old and was planning to do something stupid. Much to his regret, he planned to check out the downtown area and where the other two had been seen crossing a pedestrian crossing that morning, having to cover a less specific and greater terrain.

 Great.

 Damian had assumed his complaints would not be heard at all, no matter what he felt, how angry he was or how bad what they were doing was. So, he decided to apply the total ice tactic and be silent all the way to the small town, analyzing the route, the place, thinking how easy it would be to run and alert his brothers before disaster struck. He didn’t, and he didn’t say a word as they all parted, and the search began. Just kept going next to his father, rigid, tense. He felt as if he were outside his own body, in another place, everything seemed out of focus and his nerves were on the surface. It was difficult to breathe, his chest contracted more and more, and he didn’t want to look at the streets, at the people. He feared so much meeting Drake and Todd. Standing next to Bruce looking for them, he felt like the most twisted of the traitors, again.

 The traitor betraying again, what a surprise.

 At least the place wasn’t too bad, for what little he deigned to see. As reported, the town was small and cozy, smelled of the sea and clean air. It was close to the beach and it was a sunny and lively place, very neat and beautiful with a close community made up of families and locals from there along with some tourists. They all seemed quite close and upper-middle class, from what could be seen.

 It was very different from Gotham.

 Laughter, lively conversations and happy sounds of children and adults, accompanied by the sound of the waves in the distance and life in general in the city were heard. It was refreshing, something new, different. There was no fog, no dark alleys, trash, rats, or the constant threat that a madman dressed as a clown would brutally murder you and your children for fun.

 Damian had stopped for a second to look at a lady who was walking his dog -a white chihuahua very ugly, but funny and whose face of sorrow in this life alleviated his anguish a little- when his father’s voice made him turn to him in annoyance.

 “I have brought your phone and comms.” He said to him as he continued walking, urging him to follow him and quite attentive to the area in case he saw any sign of those he had come looking for.

 Damian didn’t answer, he just kept walking beside him.

He knew he wasn’t going to return any of this or stop watching him until he was sure he couldn’t interfere with his plans, but he was informing him of it to gain ground with him. It was always his way of trying to score points, it was a kind of punishment veiled with concern and the usual parental explanation for not looking so bad. The typical “I have punished you with this, but I’m being good, I hope you understand and forgive me because this is your fault for misbehaving, not mine.”

 It won’t work.

 “I’ll give them back to you as soon all of this ends.” He continued saying when seeing that he didn’t obtain an answer.

 Damian rolled his eyes and continued in silence, walking briskly. It hadn’t worked, mostly because he wasn’t thirteen anymore and knew the trick, so he was still angry, a lot.

Bruce had to realize that hadn’t gone as expected, because he heard him sigh and call him again, in a slight tone of reproach.

 “Damian.”

 No answer.

 “Damian Wayne.” He called him again in a severe tone. “Can you speak to me, please?”

 He didn’t speak. What’s more, he looked at a couple that passed right by them as they walked to a black Lab, who seemed very happy to be there. Reminded him a bit of Titus, he missed him, his friend had a good life.

 “You are no longer a child, and I hope you understand that in these situations you are required not to behave as such.”

 He frowned. Really? The trick of maturity wasn’t going to work either right now, much less when the first to treat him like a child it was precisely him, invalidating his opinions and keeping an eye on him. He couldn’t be serious.

 He snorted and kept walking, not wanting his temper to get the better of him again and crossing the crosswalk that he recognized as the one from the photo he had seen on the batcomputer. His heart clenched for a second, he lowered his head holding his breath, because he was stepping on the same ground that his brothers had passed, they had been here and now he was crossing it with his father while they were looking for them.

The chances that they were getting closer to them were more and more real, the option of being found head-on were many and his hands had started to sweat. He didn’t know what he would do if that happened, he didn’t know how he would react if it was Bruce and he who ended up finding them before anyone else.

 “Giving me the silent treatment will not solve anything of this, son.” Bruce ended up saying again, crossing the street in  a tired tone and ignoring the internal struggle that Damian had at that moment.

 At that, the last Robin looked at him angrily, because of what had said in itself, and because he had called him “son”. He had no right to play that trick at the moment, at all. He refused, and he was too upset right now to that.

 “What we’re doing either, but we’re doing it anyway, right?” He finally reproached him with coldness and aversion.

 He listened to Bruce sigh again and kept walking, stepping forward to leave him a little behind and still without looking closely around. He continued going down the street after crossing the pedestrian crossing, staring at the ground and with his heart beating faster and faster. He didn’t want to walk, he didn’t want to do this, he didn’t want to continue arguing, he wanted to go home and hold Jonathan until they couldn’t make out where one began and the other ended.

 “You have to understand that this is necessary.” Bruce justified himself behind him, still in that serious and exhausted tone.

 Damian felt anger wash over him once more, almost rising up his throat and burning it to start screaming and throw words sharp like knives. But they were in public, the goal was not to attract attention and nothing good would come of losing control now.

 They came to an intersection with an avenue, but Damian continued without looking back, hoping to lose sight of his father for as long as possible.

 “For whom?” He asked with annoyance. “Tt.”

 Clearly solely for them. He, Grayson, or whoever couldn’t live with what they had done. But that wasn’t his problem, nor was it anyone’s. They didn’t have to do this, it was unnecessary, but after all Damian was the selfish one for not having said a word about what he did for years.

 Of course.

 He hoped to hear an answer behind him, knowing that his father would try to lecture him, scold him, or make him understand his point of view, but curiously he got nothing. When Damian took a couple of steps across the intersection, he realized that he didn’t listen either the unmistakable Bruce’s steps behind or beside him, they had disappeared.

 He frowned and snorted exasperated.

 “What? Now is it you who’s going to give me the silence treatment?” He complained in annoyance and stopped on his own steps to turn around and look at him, the disgust inside him urged him to start another discussion.

 However, when he caught a glimpse of his father and realized that he was completely still, rigid, standing and watching in awe to his right, fixing his gaze in something, in someone, which was far down the avenue, that disgust quickly transformed into a mixture of anxiety and emotion so strong that Damian could have passed out if he hadn’t been so on guard.

 Slowly, fearfully but curious, he turned his head and followed his father’s stunned gaze to where it had been frozen.

 And he wanted to scream.

 He wanted to scream, cry, laugh, he wanted to run there, wanted to flee, wanted to do many things but felt completely incapable of doing none because like Bruce he froze, was petrified and was unable to react, unable to decide.

 Because they were right there.

 Timothy Drake and Jason Todd were right there. A few meters from them.

 His hands started to tremble, to sweat, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t, his throat was closed, his lungs could barely function well, his heart was beating so hard he couldn’t hear anything else, his head was in chaos, everything turned and stirred.

 But it didn’t matter, it didn’t matter at all, because they were there, they were just there.

 Damian couldn’t look away, couldn’t do anything but stare intensely, trying to assimilate that it was true, that it was them, in front of him. They were alive, they were fine, they were there, and they still hadn’t realized that they were near, observing them and about to run towards them.

 They were on the sidewalk, talking lively with two women, who seemed to really enjoy their company. Their postures and smiles were relaxed, open. They were side by side and chatting with each other as if there was no other problem in the world, and if he paid enough attention, if he tuned his ears enough, he could hear Jason’s deep voice and Drake’s light laugh in the distance. And they had definitely changed, they had grown. They were more mature, more adults plus attractive if that was possible. Jason still kept his white lock in his hair and his leather jacket, but his posture was less threatening, calmer, it seemed more centered and stable than ever. Tim had cut his hair, and looked shorter if possible, but he kept that soft and genuine smile he never wore while he was in one of the expensive suits he wore at WE.

In the eyes of both there was light, there was life, a shine that he had never seen in them. They carried an aura that he never thought he would witness in them.

 His eyes itched, he could cry, he didn’t know if he had already started to cry. His instincts screamed at him, screamed so much, so many different things and with such force that he didn’t know which ones to follow. One part told him to pick up his father, get away from that street, not alert others and leave in order to keep that light in them forever. But the another yelled at him to run towards them, to approach them suddenly, hug them hard and never let go, because he had missed them so much, and was glad that they were still together and so calm.

 The instincts to go to them seemed to win definitively when Jason’s bigger figure leaned closer to Timothy’s to put his arm around his shoulders, causing the smaller to smile at him and intertwine their hands together without hesitation, where -for a second- an unusual shine on the fingers of both hands caught his eye.

 Rings. That were rings. They wore rings. Wedding rings. Alliances.

 His resolve broke, his mind went blank. Without realizing it, Damian took a step, then another, another. Tentative, automatic, unconscious steps. He still couldn’t barely breathe and now his gaze was focused on their clasped hands, on their posture, in that hug, at their smiles while they were still talking without realizing they were there.

 Just as he was about to start running, a firm and powerful hand grabbed his forearm hard and pulled him back, making him complain and stumble in surprise on his steps. He hadn’t seen that coming, and he turned astonished to see how his father, surprised too, had clung to his arm, and held him in place, shaking his head.

 He looked at him in startled, almost panicked, breathing hard and with a million questions going through his mind, but discarding them all quickly at the fact that he was stopping him from going to his brothers.

 A shrill chime that was too familiar rang out somewhere, but that wasn’t important to him right now.

 Damian shook his arm hard, flustered, grabbed Bruce’s hand, and tried to pull it away from him, shaking his head. But he couldn’t push him away, his father didn’t let him go, he tried to take a step towards his brothers and was pushed back again. He was breathing faster his heart was going to explode.

 “No.” His father said, his voice also broken with nervousness. “Wait. No.”

 He didn’t want to wait. He couldn’t. But the fact that it was precisely Bruce who wanted to wait now, who was stopping him right now, turned his alarms back on and in his agitation, Damian realized that something was wrong, that he was missing something.

 Shaking his head hard and trying to regulate his breathing, he turned his gaze back to the ex-robins to realize that the scene in front of him had changed, that indeed, in his surprise for having them close again and his focus to watching them, he had been missing an important detail.

 A very important detail.

 The women his brothers were talking to were not the only ones on this street, there were more people there, it was full of adults, more groups talking to each other, men and women waiting for something in front of a building. A big one, well-kept, with traffic signs specific that he knew and with a gate of colors, childish. It was now open and from which children were coming out, who were screaming, shouting, laughing, and running to the adults who welcomed them with open arms.

 Wait.

 The adults were parents. This was a fucking school.

 “Dad!”

 “Daddy!”

 Two voices, shrill and childish, repeated those words with genuine joy as they quickly approached Tim and Jason, whose smiles grew up, and they looked fondly at each other.

 A boy and a girl, small, smiling, and excited, entered the scene. Holding hands and running as fast as their short legs allowed them, they finished throwing themselves towards Jason and Tim, laughing happily, with squeals of excitement and a warm welcome.

Jason caught the girl in mid-jump, hugging her tightly and not taking long to cover her face with kisses as she squirmed and laughed out loud, happy in his grip. Tim bent down to extend his arms and receive an effusive hug from the boy, separating shortly to leave the most tender and gentle kiss that Damian had never seen on his cheek while the child allowed himself to be picked up carefully to be hold. After that, they both ended up with smiling children in their arms as they talked, greeted the other and laughed with them.

 “I haven’t said everything.” Barbara said. “You have to see it, Damian.” Barbara said.

 Well.

 Shit.

#myfic #jaytim #timjay #jondami #damijon #tim drake #jason todd #damian wayne #jon kent #jonathan kent #timdrake #jasontodd #damianwayne #jonkent #jonathankent #red robin #red hood #robin #superboy #redrobin #redhood #supersons #dc #dc comics #dccomics #batman #batman comics #batmancomics #batfamily #batman family

[schweeeppess]

Get Back Up (Batfam AU)

a/n: Sooooo, what is this? another au i’m going to kill myself over 😂 why yes. yes it is. Author’s note is short, because my brain hurts. technical no capes au because the bats were the only ones who didn’t become heroes. everyone else still is. like the justice league, titans, and then titans are still a thing just not with any bats.

there that’s your info. if there is no codename, there was no ******ing career. Emma is an OC, and Dick is married to Kori in the au. It will be expanded on.

I hope you like :D

Tim stretched as he walked for the indoor gym, rubbing at his eye with a palm afterward. Even from the hall he could hear the sounds of impact on a heavy bag.

He snorted, pushing the hair out his eyes, stepping into the room and seeing what he’d already suspected.

“Hey, Jason!”

Jason glanced over at his shout, resting a hand on the bag to still it and taking out an earbud.

“Bro, how early do you wake up for this? It’s ten.”

Flashing a smirk, Jason rubbed a wrapped knuckle. “You know the saying, Timmy: Early bird gets the worm.”

Tim shook his head as he sat on a bench and looked up at his brother. “What worm is there to get?”

In an informal response, Jason shrugged, picking up a grey towel from the ground and wiping at the sweat on his face.

Changing the subject Tim said, “Dick’s coming over today; says he’s bringing Mar’i and Emma.”

He caught the rolls of hand wraps Jason tossed him, continuing. “Kori’s on Titan stuff, otherwise he’d probably bring her too.”

Jason took a seat beside him as Tim started wrapping his hands, taking a long drink of water from the bottle he’d had under the bench. When he finished with the water he wiped his mouth, leaning his forearms on his knees, and looked sideways at Tim.

“So you’ll have someone to train with in your weight class,” he drawled, a brow raised a little, lips pulled in a smirk. “It’s gonna feel great to win, huh, Baby Bird?”

“I hate that nickname,” Tim muttered. Louder he insisted, “I’ve won spars with you.”

“Yeah, ‘cause I let you.”

“No way you’re that much of an asshole.”

“Hi, have we met before? My name is Jason Todd.”

“Fuck off. I’m banking it on your pride not letting you admit it: I’ve beaten you fair and square.”

There was a loud gasp from the doorway and the brothers paused their arguing to see Mar’i standing there, hand over her mouth that was stretched wide in a grin, eyes sparkling mischievously.

She looked up at her dad—who was standing just behind her—still grinning, and said, “Uncle Timmy said a bad word!”

Paling, Tim immediately started to protest. Fuck my luck.

“I didn’t know you were already here!” he defended.

Dick smiled brightly, shaking his head. “It’s fine, Tim.” To his daughter he said, “Mar’i, don’t snitch on your uncle, and do not say any curse words. Your mother would kill me, and I like to think I’m a good dad.”

Mar’i pouted and Jason smirked, getting up and greeting his niece by way of scooping her up in his arms and swinging her around, saying “I missed you, Starlight!”

Tim smiled at the scene, noticing the outfit Dick was wearing for the first time: jeans, a blue button-up, and his favorite jacket, shades hanging from the collar of his shirt.

“You look like a dad,” he grinned. “How’s fatherhood, Grayson?”

His brother snorted, walking over to take Jason’s previous spot. “You’re just asking? Mar’i is six—I’ve been a dad for six years already, and now you’re asking.”

“Uh, yeah?”

Dick laughed quietly and Tim caught sight of his second niece in Dick’s arms, asleep. Wordlessly Dick passed Emma over to him.

When she was nestled in the crook of Tim's arm Emma fussed a little, squirming as if to get comfortable in this new human's arm, and Tim offered her his unoccupied hand. She grasped two of his fingers tight in her tiny little hands, and Tim forced himself not to make any cooing sounds at her. Instead he grinned widely.

Smiling gently at his daughter, Dick spoke. “It’s great. I mean, yeah, I miss six hours of sleep, but I wouldn’t give them up for the world. They’re my girls, you know?”

No, he didn’t, but Tim could imagine. He imagined being woken up every two hours or so in the middle of the night at his baby wailing, calming her down for her to go back to sleep, changing her, feeding her, and doing it all over again at different times throughout the day, and it seemed daunting and terrifying.

Yeah, no, Tim was fine with just visiting and carrying.

“Sure,” he answered, shifting to kiss his niece's head before looking over to where Mar'i had Jason on the ground, an arm pinned behind him.

Jason was grinning and Mar'i was cheering, jumping off her uncle and flying over to her dad to boast proudly about taking down her professional boxing uncle Jason.

Dick smiled a little bigger, saying, “Awesome job, Mar'i!” Glancing to his brother who was picking himself up he said, “Maybe your uncle Jason's getting old, huh?”

She laughed, whipping around to face Jason who gave Dick an indignant look.

“I'm twenty six, Dick,” he protested. “If anyone's old it's you, Mr. Thirty-One-Year-Old.”

“Technically, you're both old.” Tim smirked a bit at both their offended looks. “What? I'm twenty one.”

“Actually,” said a new voice from behind them all, “you're all old. I'm seventeen.”

He didn't even need to turn around to know who it was, and Tim rolled his eyes.

Jason narrowed his own, crossing his arms over his chest, and said, “Shut it, half-pint.”

“Tim's shorter than I am, actually,” Damian corrected with a wicked grin Tim's way, stepping into view.

“Emma's the youngest! We're all old,” Mar'i declared, jumping at her uncle Damian for a hug. He caught her and hugged back. “Hi uncle Dami!”

“I've told you to call me Damian since you were Emma's age,” he huffed.

“Aww, but Dami, don't you like your nickname?” Tim smirked at the withering look Damian sent him.

Jason grinned, adding, “Naw, I think he prefers his nickname: Baby Bat.”

Damian snarled at the mention of the name, so Mar'i tightened her arms around his neck in warning and Damian choked.

“Mar'i,” Dick warned, amused. “Don't choke your uncle, even if he's being dumb.”

“Sorry,” she called, releasing Damian to run over to her dad and take a seat on his leg, smiling sweetly.

Damian rubbed the back of his neck then turned a little to glare at Jason.

“Call me that name one more time and you'll be retiring early,” he hissed.

“Boys,” Bruce's baritone greeted as he stepped into the room.

Tim glanced over his shoulder and nodded once before looking back down at Emma.

Jason offered a two-fingered salute and said, “Old man.”

Damian didn't do anything but offer a peace sign, stepping closer to Jason to jab at his side with an elbow.

Dick smiled, moving to stand and shifting Mar'i to his hip in one fluid movement. “Hey, dad,” he greeted, hugging the older man when he was within range.

“Grandpa B!” Mar'i cheered, throwing her own arms over her grandpa's broad chest for a hug.

Bruce hugged both of them, kissing Mar'i on the head. When Dick stepped back, leaving Mar'i in her grandpa's arms, Bruce asked, “Where are Emma and Koriand'r?”

“Well,” Dick started, “Tim's carrying Emma, so you'll have to try and pry her away from him now--” Tim narrowed his eyes at Bruce “--and Kori's working with the Titans right now. She'll be over as soon as she's done.”

When Bruce nodded, Dick asked his own questions. “Where are Duke and Cass?”

“Cassandra is visiting Stephanie and Barbara for the next two hours, and I think Duke went out for something he needed. He should be back in about thirty minutes or so,” Bruce answered.

Dick nodded. “Got it.”

Turning to Tim, Dick suggested they start stretching before they sparred. Tim pouted because it meant that he would have to surrender Emma to Bruce, but agreed anyways, rising to pass the infant over to his adoptive father with narrowed eyes.

Jason was giving Damian a noogie as Tim left for the gymnastics room with Dick, and looked up to them briefly to call a see you losers later.

Tim was so tempted to flip Jason the bird, but remembering that Mar'i was there kept him from doing so, and he instead hurried after Dick faster.

When he reached him, Dick smiled.

“Ready, Baby Bird?”

“I hate that nickname,” Tim said, shifting his stance and smiling. “But yeah. Let's do this.”

tags: @mizmahlia @boosyboo9206 @an-all-write-life @avengerdragoness @crazyfreckledginger @red-balistic @emmadevr  @tomscaprisun @queen-fighter @jaybird-rednerd @shirokokuro @aaren-27 @disgrays-on @prettylittlebrownskingyal @osejn @v01d-ch1ld @angstytodd @rosevered

#my writing #my work #my fanfiction #au #batfam au #boxing au #Dick Grayson #Jason Todd #Cassandra Cain #Duke Thomas #Damian Wayne #Tim Drake #Bruce Wayne #Emma Grayson (OC) #Mar'i Grayson #I hope you liked .D

[violetsmoak]

Pieces of April [8/?]

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21099044/chapters/50202530

Summary: On the anniversary of his death, Jason’s second life takes an abrupt new turn and he’s faced with a challenge that neither Batman nor the All-Caste prepared him for.

Rating: PG-13 (rating may change later)

Warning(s): Past Jason/Isabel, kidfic, minor canon character death (pretty sure you can guess who), I’ll add more warnings/tags as I think of them.

Canon-Compliance: Takes place in between the two RHATO series, so after Roy and Kori and before Artemis and Bizarro. Jason and Isabel Ardila

Author’s Note: Exactly what it says on the can. I’ve had this idea kicking around my head for a while, getting in the way of finishing the next chapter of Philtatos and I figured if I started jotting down the basics of it, I could stop thinking about it.

________________________________________________________________

Tim drives to one of Jason’s safehouses in the Bowery, about halfway between his apartment and the bar where he found Jason earlier. The place is a rundown, fire-damaged building with boarded-up windows and a sign out front advertising cheap studios.

“Do you need any help?” he asks as Jason gets out of the car.

“Just how much stuff do you think I need?” is the irate response before Jason vanishes into the dilapidated lobby.

Tim scowls at his back.

Someone remind me why I’m helping this jerk again?

The memory of the very tiny human still in the nursery at Gotham General makes his facial muscles relax.

Right.

Given the circumstances, Tim supposes he can overlook Jason’s inconsistent moods. He needs someone to lash out at right now while processing, and it’s not like Tim isn’t used to it. Better him than the criminals of Gotham; Jason’s pretty good these days about not using lethal force, but he might not care so much if he goes out without his head on straight.

Speaking of going out…

Tim surprised when Jason actually returns to the car ten minutes later instead of just vanishing. As he indicated earlier, he doesn’t have very much with him, just a worn duffel bag that he tosses in the backseat of Tim’s Porsche before having himself back into the passenger seat.

“Hope there aren’t any severed heads in there,” Tim remarks lightly as pulls away from the building. “I just had the seats redone.”

Jason rolls his eyes. “A guy makes one grand statement and they never let him forget it.”

“You don’t want people to forget it.”

“True,” he agrees with a sharp grin that is anything but humorous.

It’s a short journey back to Tim’s place, but he still drives around the block to use the secret entrance to his base of operations.

“What, I’m not good enough for your front door?”

“Be my guest. Say hi to Vicki Vale when you do, she’s usually lurking nearby.” When Jason shoots him a sharp, questioning look he elaborates, “An occupational hazard of being the face of WE is having paparazzi camped out around my place every now and then. I figure you don’t want your face showing up on the front of the Gotham Gazette.”

“Yeah, that might have been worth mentioning when you offered your guestroom.”

“Guess it’s a good thing like all responsible Bats, I have an underground secret hideout.”

He pulls into the back alley and flips the switch that activates the hidden ramp; the ground falls away and leads down toward the carpark. Tim won’t lie, he enjoys the way Jason’s eyebrows go higher the further in they get. The rest of the Family doesn’t come here—even during citywide emergencies, the agreed-upon convergence point tends to be the original Batcave—so Tim doesn’t have a lot of opportunities to show off.

And maybe showing off to his former childhood idol is something that doesn’t go away, no matter how many years or murder attempts.

That subbasement is nowhere near as large as any of the Caves, but there are two other cars and a half-dozen motorcycles in various states of modification parked in a circle. Tim eases into the only empty space and cuts the engine.

“Welcome to the Nest,” he says as he gets out of the car. “It goes three floors up not including this level. Outside it looks like just another apartment building behind my place, so no one would expect an actual secure installation inside.” He gestures as he speaks. “Ground floor’s got my crime lab and containment units, the second floor’s all training stuff, and the third’s the communication’s hub. There’s even aerial access, but I haven’t had to use it yet.”

Jason shakes his head. “Must be nice to be Dad’s favorite.”

“I wouldn’t know, you’d have to ask Dick.”

“Is that a popcorn machine?”

“No self-respecting hero’s lair should be without one,” Tim quips. “Come on, the living area’s this way.

They head up the stairs to the main level, and Tim doesn’t miss the appreciative glances Jason casts his tech and gear. He opens his mouth to offer to hook Jason up—extend the olive branch, so to speak—but stops himself; he doesn’t know if, after this whole baby adventure is over, Jason’s even going to want to stay in Gotham.

He slides open the hidden door, revealing Tim’s apartment. It’s the same deliberately clean open-concept room as he left it, except for one change. Across from the aquarium that hides the entrance switch, Tam Fox is reclining on the divan in the living room, one hand holding a glass of wine and another flipping expertly across her tablet.

She startles at the sound of the secret door sliding open, and that movement makes Jason tense, fingers ready to grasp for a weapon if need be.

“Relax,” Tim tells him, unsurprised when Jason does the opposite. “She knows everything.”

“And that’s reassuring how?”

“I trust Tam with my life, and to put my interests above WE’s or Bruce’s,” he explains. “Since at the moment you and I are working together, that means she puts your interests above WE and Bruce’s too.”

“She can hear you and knows how to speak for herself,” Tam quips, putting down her glass and standing up. “Who’s this?”

“This is Jason, the friend I was telling you about.”

Tim can almost hear Jason scowling at that; he trusts new people about as much as Bruce does.

Funnily enough, they both make the exact same face.

“And since when is there wine in my apartment?”

“Since you sent me scrambling around Gotham running errands, you generously decided to buy me a bottle of this very nice Riesling,” she replies, studying Jason. “When you said you had a friend with an emergency that required diapers, I was expecting Batgirl. Or Wonder Girl. Or Pru. Or, heck, even that Lynx-woman.”  

“Lynx?” Jason repeats, shooting Tim a disbelieving look. “Ghost Dragons Lynx? There’s no way you have that much game.”

“Then he didn’t tell you about what almost happened in Paris,” Tam informs him.

“Anyway,” Tim interjects. That’s all he needs is for Jason to hear about his own near brush with fatherhood. “This is Tam. Officially she’s my personal assistant, but I think ‘friend and confidante’ covers the relationship a lot better. And Tam, this is—"

“Jason Todd,” she says immediately, her eyes fixed on the other man in disbelief. Tim is momentarily caught off-guard. “It took me a minute, but I recognize you anywhere.”

Okay. I didn’t expect that. Though I probably should have. The Foxes were invited to all the same benefits and events Mom and Dad were. She probably knew or knew of Jason.

“Tam,” Jason repeats, tilting his head to one side and frowning at her for a moment like he’s trying to place her. His expression clears. “Tam. Tamara. Fox, right? You knocked Ned Davenport into a potted plant during Bruce’s birthday party one year.”

For once this evening, Tim is the one to feel a little bit off balance. Jason never talks about his time at Wayne manor in anything but unpleasant terms. And yet, Tim knows from Alfred’s stories that there were happy times and that once, Jason was as much a part of life at the manor as Tim or Damian.

 “He deserved it for ‘accidentally’ grazing my boobs when he passed by. Three times. And—and that’s not the point! You died!”

“I got better,” he replies with a bitter twist of his mouth.

She gapes for a moment, then reaches for her glass and downs the remainder of it.

“I’m going to become an alcoholic before I’m 25,” she tells the empty glass in a resigned tone before turning back to Jason. “Okay. I don’t even question this stuff anymore,” she informs him. “He could show up tomorrow with the Devil himself and I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“Kid Devil, maybe. Lucifer doesn’t like Gotham. He's more of a beach-party kind of guy."

Tam stares, clearly unsure if Jason is being serious or not; Tim actually isn’t sure either and decides to change the subject.

“You want something to drink?” he asks as he heads for the kitchen. He doubts Jason will notice or care, but his mother raised him to be polite even to people that don’t like him. “I doubt you want anything alcoholic after everything today, but I think I’ve got Zesti—”

“Water,” Jason says absently, looking around the apartment. Now that Tam has been proven as a non-threat, he’s clearly more interested in assessing his surroundings.

He notices the large pile of boxes and bags by the stairs at the same time Tim does.

“What the hell’s this?”

“I called Tam and said it was an emergency and that we needed a few things.”

“This is not a few things.”

“Well, you don’t know how long you’re going to need them,” Tam replies. “Congratulations, by the way.” Tim can’t see Jason’s expression, but doubts it’s a good one from the way Tam quickly adds, "Or no congratulations? Where are we on the whole 'congratulations' thing?”

I don’t think either of us has the energy to get into what happened with Isabel just now. Redirection time.

“Did you have any trouble picking up the stuff?” Tim asks as he gets two glasses from the kitchen cupboard.

“Trouble?” she snorts, and her voice instantly goes from bemused to annoyed. “Do you know how hard it was to get all of this delivered without someone seeing me? Or seeing that it was baby stuff? That’s all I need now is Vicki Vale adding cradle-robbing and teen parenthood to her stories about us.”

“What’s Vicki doing this time?” Jason asks.

“She’s been trying to prove Tim’s Red Robin for the better part of a year,” Tam says. “She tried to get me to confirm that last year when all those ninjas tried to kill us, but I panicked and said we were engaged just to distract her.”

“Talk about taking one for the team,” Jason mutters.

Tim glares at him, and if he shoves the glass of water into his hands a little more forceful than he needs to, oh well. “She trots out that dead horse whenever Tam and I happen to be in the same room together.”

“Which is doing wonders for my career,” Tam deadpans. “People already scream nepotism because of who my father is, but now I’ve been reduced to either Tim Drake-Wayne’s assistant or Tim Drake-Wayne’s fiancée.”

“Hope he’s paying you overtime,” Jason says and wanders over to the intimidating tower of cardboard and plastic. He makes a face. “How much of this shit did you order? There’s like a lifetime supply of diapers here.”

“Trust me, that’ll last a month if you’re lucky,” Tam informs him. “My nieces and nephews did nothing but eat and poop for the first year of their lives.”

Jason appears vaguely horrified. His gaze rests on something else. “Is that a car seat?”

“How else were you expecting to bring home a baby? Carry her on a subway?”

Neither man has a response to this.

“Oh, this is going to go well,” she sighs. “Neither of you has any idea what you’re doing, do you?”

“That would be putting it lightly,” Tim acknowledges, and side-eyes Jason. “We should probably sit down and talk options, but that can wait until tomorrow if you want.”

“Tomorrow,” Jason agrees, and he sounds so exhausted and lost, that Jason takes pity on him.

“Come on, then. I’ll show you to the guestroom,” he offers and starts up the stairs. “It’s right next to the bathroom, if you want to shower. The water pressure here’s not great—” He shrugs, as if to say, ‘Park Row, what can you do?’ “—but it’s unlimited hot water.”

Surprisingly, Jason follows without comment.

“I’ll be here,” Tam says, and there’s an undertone to her words that suggest she’s not going anywhere until Tim explains the whole story.

And isn’t that going to be fun…

________________________________________________________________

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Next Chapter

#jaytim #jaytim fanfiction #babyfic #accidental baby acquisition #enemies to lovers #slow build #tim drake #jason todd #tam fox #angst #drama #snark #tam doesn't get paid enough for this

[a-wayne-at-heart]

[Bruce, Jason, & Damian Panels] The New 52′s “Convergence: Batman and Robin” (2015)

Writers have shown us time and time again that fatherhood does not come easy to one Bruce Wayne. It definitely wasn’t easy raising a Dick Grayson or a Tim Drake, let alone a Jason Todd or a Damian Wayne, even with Alfred Pennyworth around. (Not to mention his “daughters” and other less-troublesome “sons”). But we’ve gotta hand it to the ol’ Bat - he never stops trying.

This miniseries is aptly entitlted “Fathers & Sons”, and it’s easily becoming one of my favorites.

We’ve seen the pattern of resentment among the Robins that comes with feeling replaced. All the four (main) Batboys have gone through it at one point in their vigilante careers: Dick with Jason; Jason with Tim; Tim with Damian. And now, interestingly, Damian with Jason?

You’d think that the li’l former assassin would have gotten over his insecurities after having proven himself a more-than-capable Robin to both Bruce and Dick... Perhaps, it’s a testosterone thing? Or possessiveness over their father?

Whatever the reason, it paves the way for combination angst-and-fluff interactions that I absolutely adore!

A little backstory (and some spoilers):

"Convergence" was a company-wide DC Universe crossover event during the New 52 run focused on Braniac's obsession with collecting cities from ended timelines and trapping them in domes on a planet outside of space and time. It has several spin-offs, including this two-issue one.

In a domed Gotham City, Batman and Robin rescue Poison Ivy from some rogues. She had been cultivating Robinson park in order to feed the citizens for free, and her colleagues basically saw it as bad for criminal business. When Killer Croc attacks Batman, Red Hood (with his assistant Duela Dent, a.k.a. Scarlet) shows up unexpectedly and saves him.

“Jason... Todd? Why’s he here?”

In the next set of panels, both Bruce and Damian question Jason’s sudden appearance - but probably for different reasons. Bruce seems genuinely curious but welcoming, while Damian’s more he’s-not-supposed-to-be-here.

More under the cut:

“Where have you been?”

Not “Get lost, you’ve done enough”, not “I’m calling the cops on you”.

Awww, Bruce, your “daddy” is showing!

“... Because I have help.”

Fandom tends to portray Batman as a lone wolf who hates working with others, when that’s only partly true. He rarely (openly) asks for help (for efficiency and martyr-ish reasons), but he also rarely has to. The Batfamily has his back whether he prefers it or not (which, I’m pretty sure, he does). And, once in a while, he’ll acknowledge it and have symptoms of gratefulness. 

In the last panel, I like how the artist puts the quote beside Damian’s face. I’d like to think that Bruce is either acknowledging the importance of having his Robins, or hinting to Damian that Jason’s contribution to the fight was valuable. 

“Maybe it’s time you got yourself a new partner. Or an old one.”

Now, the following scene is very reminiscent of an exchange between Bruce and Tim regarding Damian (which I previously posted about here.) The irony being that Damian’s in Tim’s shoes this time, insecure about where he stands with Bruce now that the long-lost black sheep of the family has returned. Like Tim, he feels that said sheep should earn his place in the family and resents that Bruce seems to be forgetting years of ugly life-threatening disputes with Jason.

But, as far as parents go, Bruce is fair, to say the least. In moments like these, he tries to reassure the concerned child of his love and lets him/her see where the other is coming from.

“Of all the things I learned from you... how to be a father was not one of them.”

If you’ve read the “Batman and Robin” series (the second volume, where Bruce reclaims the cowl from Dick, and Damian stays as his Robin), then you’ve seen the frustrating tug-of-war between Bruce and Damian. Bruce was learning how to be father; Damian, a son. There were so many lovely moments between them that actually made me tear up!

In this heartfelt scene, Bruce is seeking comfort from (the ghost of) his father. Clearly, Batman and son still have a ways to go. If there’s something that can get under Bruce’s skin - apart from his parents’ death, of course - it’s family tension.

(In spite of their argument, Bruce considers taking Damian on patrol, knowing how much his son loves it.)

“I don’t want to fight you.”

I suppose being a fictional vigilante family affords them the right to be this ExtraTM  (on a rooftop, a helicopter on standby),  but really this is just your typical brotherly brawl at home.

Throughout the issue, we get a glimpse of a now-“reforming” Jason. He shows up out of nowhere, with no other agenda than to fight side-by-side with his family. He holds back his punches against Damian even when he could use “self defense” as an excuse to Bruce. (Maybe he can relate to Damian? After all, they’ve both tried to kill Tim out of Robin-fueled resentment.) His defenses are down when Bruce calls him out for his “unacceptable” behavior”. Here’s a Jason who wants a truce, however uneasy.

Damian’s disdain for Jason isn’t unfounded, though. Jason’s track record... Well. Come on. Plus, remember the time when he humiliated Batman and Robin, almost exposing Dick and Damian’s secret identities to the whole world via the internet? 

“Both of you... STOP IT.”

And the “daddy” just keeps falling from his cape. 

Before Bruce gets to answer such a loaded question, a disembodied voice interrupts their moment (whew!) and tells them that the cities will have to fight one another to survive. 

... Which, of course, is unacceptable to Bruce, whose mantra is that there is always another way. A group called The Extremists arrive in Gotham City and the Batboys are forced to push aside their differences to deal with the threat. 

“Both of you... concentrate on your jobs.”

Damian’s snarky by nature, and Jason’s not one to just let a li’l brat get away with insulting him, so...

Annnnnnd Batman breaks his no-civilian-names-in-the-field rule like a mother hen panicking for her two chicks.

Now, this next set of panels just... *sigh*.

In a clever (or desperate?) attempt to get his sons to work together, Bruce actually uses his opponent to reenact a traumatic Batfamily moment. (I mean, how may Bane-like villains are there? And, how many parents do you know use life-and-death situations as teaching moments?)

“We’ll get your father.”

And, just like that, a mutual protectiveness over their father (come on, Jason, just say it already) actually gets them to cooperate!

“We still have a job to do. Together.”

You know who you wouldn’t want as your enemy? Crime-fighting brothers who have just recently made ammends (and have Batman as their dad!).

“Got you.”

“I’m here...”

"This is what we do. This is what we’ve always done. We protect the things that are precious to us.”

“The universe made us orphans, but we don’t have to stay that way. Go be with your family, Bruce.”

And the cherry on top? Our favorite Batfamily “uncle”/co-parent droping by from the sky to share in the feels... (He clearly watched the whole thing unfold.)

In spite of how much his children push him (or each other) away, Bruce doesn’t give up on them (and, well, vice versa). He’ll let them run away, but not without stuffing a care package in their knapsacks first (figuratively speaking).

World’s Greatest Detective, in peak physical condition, revered by superheroes and villains in the Multiverse... and “dad” is still his greatest challenge.

#dc #batman #bruce wayne #red hood #jason todd #robin #damian wayne #alfred pennyworth #new 52

[jamiekturner]

The most popular DC animated movies to watch in a lifetime

One of the most celebrated cinema couples – DC and Warner Bros – brought to our attention the most amazing comic book-based animation movies ever. They mastered the skill of bringing superhero adventures to life, and they’re continuing to provide the best entertainment for all audiences.

DC animated movies are so good that they have a lot of cinematic adaptations. Yet, unlike the surreal and expanded universes of Marvel Studios, DC’s straight-to-video animations celebrate the actual heroes as they were presented by their comic books.

In short, DC animated movies are not Sci-Fi mash-ups, but they tell the standalone story just as it is. That’s why they’re worth to watch.

Ready for some good DC animated movies? Here is our list of the best DC animation movies you should watch:

Superman/Shazam: The Return Of Black Adam

Shazam, for instance, is a neglected DC character. This is the superhero alter ego of a boy named Billy Watson.

Billy becomes Shazam each time he says his name, all before he meets a wizard that can change his life forever. The mortal enemy of our hero is Black Adam. He returns from the past to haunt and kill Billy before he obtains his Shazam powers, and Billy has to fight him over and over again.

Producers made the smart move of introducing Superman to the audience – Clark interviews Billy, and then fights next to him and helps him defeat Black Adam. The movie targets young dreamers who wish to have Billy’s magical powers and to feel better accepted.

Justice League: The New Frontier

Although DC Comics began entertaining us in the early 1930s, Justice League animated movies appeared only in 1960. The masterpiece The New Frontier treats a post-WWII tale where all leading heroes join strengths to defeat the evil about to destroy Earth.

Many of today’s favorite DC heroes were actually introduced with New Frontier, and so was the concept of godly creatures working hand-by-hand with strong humans for a good cause.

Green Lantern: First Flight

The reason why we all love DC animated movies (or their comic books) is the inherent weirdness of their characters, or maybe how that weirdness is fully embraced.

Green Lantern is a good example of such animated DC movies – a unique comic figure in the role of a space cop Hal Jordan who owns a magic green ring that makes his wishes come true.

And yet, Green Lantern Jordan shoots laser blasts and decides to travel through space. Meanwhile, he discovers and confronts a dangerous conspiracy within the Green Lantern Corps.

The only weakness of Green Lanterns is the color yellow.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

We all appreciate a good Batman-Superman story, as these are our two most beloved animation heroes. Superman would only entrust his Kryptonite bullet to Batman, as he’s the only person that’d actually use it if Superman loses control.

In the Public Enemies movie, the two heroes join forces to deal with a government conspiracy – Superman was framed for murder by President Luthor, and Batman is the only hero from the crowd that helps him solve this problem.

Who could be a more serious enemy than the head of the state? The ultimate fight will cause Superman and Batman to face their other superhero friends, and to do the impossible to clean their names. With plenty of thrilling moments and explosive action, this movie guarantees some serious fun!

All-Star Superman

All-Star Superman was produced by Grant Morrison, and belongs to the category of finest comics ever. All along, we were made to believe that the only thing that can destroy Superman is Kryptonite (basically, Superman was indestructible to us!), but Grant Morison changed it all with his unconventional All-Star Superman.

We were shocked at the very beginning of the movie – Superman got overdosed with solar radiation, and we got to watch the last year of his life. Yet, the protagonist remained hopeful and optimistic, and we enjoyed that together with the producer’s artistic mastery.

As expected, Superman did the best he could to help people in different ways, as he knew he wasn’t going to be around for long.

Batman: Under the Red Hood

We’re all haunted by a mistake from the past, and Batman is no exception. In his case, he regrets not being able to prevent Jason Todd’s death, his beloved second Robin who fell into Joker’s hands. The question that confuses us here is – What prevents Batman from killing the Joker?

The Joker doesn’t stay in Arkham for long, and each time he gets out he causes destructions and death. Batman, however, doesn’t want to take this road – he is afraid that if he kills the Joker, he won’t stop killing.

This is without a doubt one of the best DC animated movies, and a remarkable Batman story. The crime drama takes multiple hard-boiled and mystical turns, and takes our breath away ‘til the very end.

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths

In Crisis on Two Earths, DC animation films discussed multiverse for the very first time. Causal viewers were all head over heels, experienced what’d happen if all Justice League heroes had evil counterparts trying to destroy Earth. Bad, nonetheless, is not the only answer to this question.

Batman’s doppelganger is Owl-Man (James Wood), and his character is simply brought to perfection in this movie. The fight is intense until the very end, making us wonder who could possibly win this battle.

Wonder Woman

This animated movie doesn’t only tell us who Wonder Woman is, but also explains many of the things that happened before and after she got this title. It explains in a very masterful way what enigmatic origin actually means, and makes us like Princess Diana with or without her wonder woman features.

As Princess Diana ventured the male world, she was still a naive and well-tempered lady. Yet, she had just enough skills to turn into layered hero Wonder Woman, an exciting storyline with top-notch pacing that kept us motionless in front of our screens. For a superhero tale, Wonder Woman has a pretty realistic and faithful origin development, and treats an evergreen topic – justice.

Justice League: War

Here’s one of the newest additions of the Justice League saga – the readapted 52 story of Justice League: Origin. Here, we can enjoy a completely reinvented and DC-untypical universe set and the New 52 canon’s confines.

We may like or dislike the characters in New 52, but that doesn’t make War any less compelling, fun, or visually spectacular. It is still amazing to see how superheroes team up as one wouldn’t expect them to, as when Batman and Green Lantern or Superman and Wonder Woman learn to work together.

Justice League Dark

At a certain point, DC animated movies decided to explore the mystical side of their Universe, and the decision was a total success!

They introduced us to Swamp Thing, John Constantine, Zatanna, Etrigan, and Deadman – the dark heroes that hallucinate of demons and kill each other. Batman is once again supposed to take the lead – he looks for John Constantine, the master of these mystical arts, and asks for his help.

In Justice League Dark, we have the unique opportunity to enjoy superhero action blended with horror, and produced with the animation finesse only DC Films can provide. Better yet, it showed us that every comic book we love can easily become a dark tale – it only takes some imagination!

Teen Titans: The Judas Contract

Teen Titans also got their own animated movie to tell the story of their superhero team. The Judas Contract updates this storyline in a modern way, introducing the betrayal of their favorite fan.

You may discover differences between the cartoon continuity and the comic book, but the story will still impress you – the Teen Titans have become more mature, and producers have discovered the right dark sides of their story to create this movie.

Superman vs The Elite

This time, Superman fights vigilantes who kill and injure villains with their powers. The subplot takes place in two imaginary enemy countries, and Superman tries really hard to stop this never-ending war.

Consequently, the Elite go after the leaders of these countries to stop the senseless violence – it may sound a bit nutty, but so does the imprisonment of super-power villains who can get out without any problem.

As Man of Steel cuts loose, the Elite discover that Superman is not willing to hurt people, and that’s what is holding him back. For the audience, this is a fact writers of such stories often leave aside – Superman is not only a superhero, but also a lovely human being.

Teen Titans Vs. Justice League

Being a sidekick in a DC animation movie is not the best role you can have, as it is in the case of Robin and Batman. And yet, sidekicks manage to earn the acknowledgment and respect of Earth’s most powerful being, as they prove to be able to oppose any force.

This theory is first tested in Teen Titans vs. Justice League, where leaders don’t have their weapons anymore, and can only rely on their protégés to save the world. The movie has a lot of similarities with the Judas Contract, and you should watch both of them to feel the full impact.

Son of Batman

Grant Morrison’s latest creation Damian Wayne has raised many controversial comic book debates ever since it joined the DC animated universe – some of us can’t understand how Batman’s sons don’t have his maturity and ability to do better than him, while others simply enjoy watching Bruce in a role of a caring father with a hidden identity.

Along the way, Bruce deals with serious fatherhood challenges such as teaching his sons not to kill criminals, which is a unique screen transition from Batman’s well-known past to his intriguing future. The movie has three parts, and all of them feature animal-human hybrids that add up interest to the story.

Batman vs. Robin

For those who didn’t watch it, Batman vs. Robin is kind of a sequel to the Sons of Batman trilogy – we don’t get to watch Nightwing dealing with his family heritage, but we still deal with Damian Wayne who continues killing because he was raised by the League of Assassins.

It is disputable whether DC needed another movie on this story, and it is actually very good that the villains take over: Watching them challenging Batman over the fate of Damian’s soul is one of the best DC animation moments ever!

Batman: Assault on Arkham

Even though Batman has been mentioned in the title, this is not a Batman movie. The Dark Knight opens up the setting, but he has only a supportive role. The throne this time belongs to the Suicide Squad – a group of brave villains on a suicide mission.

Amanda Waller sent our favorite characters Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, Harley Quinn, King Shark, KG Beast, Black Spider, and Killer Frost on duty in Arkham Asylum, where they’re supposed to fool Riddler into providing them information. As long as they manage to defeat Batman!

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse

Here’s another misleading title: Superman and Batman won’t be working together this time, and they’re both in the shadow of a new character and Clark’s cousin Super Girl. As Kara Zor-El arrives on Earth, she tries to settle in and to control her amazing powers. Clark shows her around, and suggest she should live among Amazons to gain self-control.

And it’d all be fine, if it wasn’t for Darkside to kidnap Super Girl and to try to misuse her powers. The movie guarantees an exhilarating plot and exciting action, but the original comic art (Michael Turner) is often considered too sexual for the story behind it.

Justice League: Doom

We are all familiar with Batman’s trust issues, in particular the discrimination against people with unusual powers. This explains why he always had a contingency plan to use the Justice League’s powers nefariously, in case the cohort went rogue.

Doom teaches us to expect the unexpected, and takes us on an action-packed journey which also showcases sorrow and regrets. We empathize with Batman as his loved ones are in danger, and that danger is actually caused by his own mean plans.

The movie also brings us the classic villains such as mastermind Vandal Savage, but also his less-known fellows Star Saphire, Bane, and Metallo.

All things together, there’s little chance you won’t enjoy this faced-paced and stellar thriller. The recipe of success has all the right ingredients: a compelling and riveting storyline, well-executed and crisp-clear animation, and the best possible voice performance.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Vol 1 & 2

For those who think the opposite, there is only one The Dark Knight Returns animated movie. What the title here tells us is that the story has two parts, and these parts are brought together on screen for the first time.

Regardless of it, we must agree that this is DC’s best attempt so far to stay true to the Dark Knight story, and to adapt it to viewers’ expectations. The Dark Knight here is older and about to retire, but before he does, he meets his cruelest enemies – the Mutants.

The struggle is obvious – Batman is no longer physically fit for the task, and he needs to train a whole new Robin to help him (Carrie Kelly). To the pleasure of viewers, however, Mutants and gangsters end up regretting messing with Batman, just the way we, faithful fans, would like it to be.

All in all, this movie confirmed that Batman is still a symbol of power, and no one can take this from him!

Batman: Year One

While watching this movie, one may even think it does not belong to the DC animation series. Unlike all action-packed Batman pieces we got used to, Year One offers a slow-paced and grounded development of events, just the way Frank Miller described it.

The screenwriter answered the most intriguing question of the Batman fans’ community – How did Batman come to be? How was it possible for an orphaned trust fund boy to turn into the Dark Knight?

Year One follows Bruce’s growing up in corrupt and vicious Gotham, and the situations that inspired him to pursue justice at all costs. At the time, Bruce had few encounters with criminals already, and decided to wear a mask in order to intimidate them.

Year One also introduces us to another important character in the story – Lieutenant Gordon who’d just moved to the city and is terrified by what’s going on there. He needs to stand against his entire police department, the mobsters, and the Catwoman how’s jealous of him.

Justice League: Throne of Atlantis

Throne of Atlantis deals mainly with Aquaman’s origin, a neglected character in the superhero community who talks to fish, and is often mocked because of it. What the Justice League fails to realize is that Aquaman can control the oceans, or what forms in fact 70% of the Earth. Throne of Atlantis explains to us where he comes from, and how he becomes a respected member of the Justice League.

Superman: Doomsday

When LexCorps accidentally unleash a murderous creature, Doomsday, Superman meets his greatest challenge as a champion. Based on the “The Death of Superman” storyline that appeared in DC Comics’ publications in the 1990s.

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox

If you’re a Flash fan too, you must agree it felt good to see your favorite hero headlining a movie of his one. Flashpoint Paradox is perhaps the darkest DC animation film ever, so creepy that even Scarlet Speedster’s charm can’t shine through.

The storyline is very involving: Barry Allen travels through time to prevent his mother’s death, but his attempt results in destroying the DC Universe as we knew it ‘til now. This means that Bruce Wayne will be murdered in front of his father, and that he’ll never become Batman.

The Flash won’t get his powers, and the rest of the superhero crew will absolutely transform the Earth. Wonder Woman, for instance, conquers Great Brittan, while Aquaman drowns most of the old continent. Meanwhile, the US government imprisons Superman forever, and the Justice League simply doesn’t exist.

Even if you watch this movie for the 10th time, you’ll still spot changes you missed before. What a visual delight!

BATMAN: GOTHAM BY GASLIGHT

Gotham by Gaslight came to a very important conclusion: As old and explored Batman’s story could seem, there is always a way to shed new light over it! If you’re into new animated movies, you shouldn’t miss this masterpiece.

This time, we’ll be traveling to Victorian Gotham, and our enemy will be infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper. To stop the terrors he’s causing, Bruce Wayne goes undercover in the unprivileged part of Gotham, and behaves in a way we never really expected.

Of course, the movie doesn’t deprive us of our favorite Dark Knight features, but the new package he comes in is truly fascinating. Regardless of the conditions, Batman blends easily into this exciting world, and we can’t wait to see how Gotham will be recreated in the future!

Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay

Since we’re talking of new DC animated movies, we shouldn’t miss Suicide Squad – the piece that never stopped fascinating us. The thin line between these powered creatures saving people or taking over the world creates a superb tension, both for other DC heroes and for the audience.

Hell to Pay has another great squad mission to present us – Amanda Waller’s last chance to save her soul by obtaining a ‘getting out of hell’ card. The turn of events will leave you speechless!

Batman: Gotham Knight

Here comes another highly unusual Batman animation. Gotham Knight contributed Christopher Nolan’s movies the same way Animatrix did with the Matrix trilogy.

This time, the best Japanese directors and American writers joined forces to complete the story between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. The result of their work are six amazing short movies that embrace Batman’s entire life and the mysteries around him.

Batman: The Killing Joke

The Killing Joke is often referred to as the story that made Batman what he is today and perhaps one of the best animated Batman movies ever. It took multiple recreations in over 40 years to come up with a piece as marvelous as this – a brutal and controversial story where the Joker manages to prove that one bad day is enough for everyone to go crazy.

Batman: Bad Blood

Batman fans settled (somehow) for the Son of Batman and Batman vs. Robin movies, and for the idea of Batman not having the end he deserves. The third part of this story (Bad Blood), however, crossed the line.

We’re not saying that nothing interesting takes place in this movie, but the turn of events is so fast that we can hardly keep track of it. We lose Bruce Wayne at the very beginning of the movie, and we don’t even get to mourn him in the 75 minutes of exhausting plots waiting for us.

The best part of the top DC movie comes somewhere along the end – The Bat family fights together, and Damien finally takes over. This is also where we get to see Batwoman (Kate Kane) in an animation for the first time, and she looks exactly as we remember her from the original comics.

Green Lantern: Emerald Knights

The anthology sequence of Green Lanterns combines multiple short stories, and each of them treats a different Green Lantern Corps member.

Since there was no way to create a story on every character, filmmakers focused on the favorite protagonists, and ensured fans will enjoy every minute of watching. Note – even if you watched all animated DC movies, you may find these stories confusing.

Batman Beyond: Return Of The Joker

Welcome to the story of the new Batman Terry McGinnis! This is also his first encounter with the atrocities inflicted upon Batman for more than 35 years, which results in this movie being too grim and dark for children to watch. Another big return is one of the Clown Prince of Crime (Mark Hamil), just as good as he used to be before.

Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm

Last but not least, there is the very best Batman movie: Mask of the Phantasm.

In this DC animation film, you will find all Batman features that you like – the beautiful animations, the involving voices, and the origin story of Bruce Wayne presented in a whole new and fresh light. Odds are great this will be the best Batman performance you’ve ever seen!

Ending thoughts on the best DC animated movies

We hope that our list of best DC movies invoked some good memories of the time spent exploring the DC animated movie universe. We, the same as all fans of the best superhero cartoon movies are looking forward to enriching this collection, and we promise to keep you posted on upcoming DC animated movies! Meanwhile – have fun!

If you enjoyed reading this article about the best DC animated movies, you should read these as well:

48 Of The Best Short Animated Films (Oscar winners included)

34 Of The Best Motion Graphics Studios And Their Work

Kinetic Typography: Best 47 Videos

  The post The most popular DC animated movies to watch in a lifetime appeared first on Design your way.

from Web Development & Designing https://www.designyourway.net/blog/inspiration/motion-graphics/dc-animated-movies/

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Will o the Wisp (Danny)

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/oCkeWs9 by im_not_here_xp Danny’s parents’ portal explodes and kills Danny’s loved ones, he himself being extremely close to a second death. Clockwork intervenes to save the King of the Infinite Realms as his death would result in a major destabilization of the entire universe. Danny is forced into his core to recover, and Clockwork sends him to the DC universe to somebody who can guard the vulnerable ruler while he recovers. Jason Todd is just the man for the job, apparently. So now he’s got a (ghost) child running around his life. It seems he’s turning into his dad. Words: 19, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Series: Part 1 of Wispy Danny Fandoms: Danny Phantom, DCU, DCU (Comics), Batman - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death Categories: F/M, M/M, Multi Characters: Danny Fenton, Clockwork (Danny Phantom), Fright Knight (Danny Phantom), Guys in White | GIW (Danny Phantom), John Constantine, Batman, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain, Duke Thomas, Damian Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Barbara Gordon, Kal-L | Earth-2 Superman, Hal Jordan (Green Lantern), Barry Allen, Diana (Wonder Woman), Bruce Wayne, Red Hood Relationships: Batfamily Members (DCU) & Danny Fenton, Batman Ensemble & Danny Fenton, Danny Fenton & Bruce Wayne, Danny Fenton & Justice League (DCU), Batfamily Members & Justice League, Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent Additional Tags: Danny Fenton Needs A Hug, Little Baby Man Danny Fenton, Ghost King Danny Fenton, Danny Fenton-centric, Hurt Danny Fenton, Eldritch Danny Fenton, BAMF Danny Fenton, Danny Fenton is a Little Shit, Protective Danny Fenton, Tired Danny Fenton, Adopted Danny Fenton, Danny Fenton Loves Space, Not Phantom Planet Compliant (Danny Phantom), Ghost Zone (Danny Phantom), Ghost Cores (Danny Phantom), Ghost Biology (Danny Phantom), Halfa | Half-Ghost Jason Todd (Danny Phantom), Alternate Universe - Danny Phantom Fusion, Parental Clockwork (Danny Phantom), Danny Fenton Gets a Hug, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Adoption, Adopted Children, Aunts & Uncles, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Crossover, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Jason Todd Gets A Hug, Protective Jason Todd, Jason Todd Has Issues, Jason Todd Adopts Danny Fenton, Good Sibling Jason Todd, Hurt Jason Todd, Fatherhood, Age Regression/De-Aging, Meddling Clockwork (Danny Phantom), Dimension Travel read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/oCkeWs9

#IFTTT #bruce wayne #batman #the caped crusader #the dark knight #dcu #ao3 #ao3feed

[bluboothalassophile]

Hi blu! From the 100 prompts could you do #41 - “Welcome to Fatherhood” with Bruce saying it to John? For the Dad Constantine au? I love ur fics & the relationships you’ve built between these characters!!!

Hello,

Okay, I want to say I like this prompt, I like this trio, and I think I’ve found a good way to write my favorite Bombshells trio, but without Zatanna being the ‘mom’ figure. I don’t ship Constantine/Zatanna, never have, and despite not shipping it I can’t write it. So I hope you enjoy the dynamics here and the story! =)

Welcometo The Seventh Circle of Hell…

Constantine wondered how the bloody hell it was that he wasstuck with not one, but two girls, who were always at each other’s throats.

Raven and Zatanna got along about as well as cats and dogs,and the two girls were probably going to blow his house to Hell if they didn’tlearn get along at some point or another.

Which had lead Constantine hiding out in the one place heknew neither of his daughters would look for him as he nursed a scotch andcontemplated giving up and just calling Zed for help. God knew he was fuckingup this father thing if he couldn’t even get two teenaged girls to get alongfor five minutes.

A hand clasped his shoulder and Constantine reluctantlylifted his head to find himself staring at the only hero he found to be competentand worth talking to and working with. Batman, also known as Bruce Wayne.

“I thought I would find you here.”

“I am a creature of habit,” Constantine chuckled tonelesslyas he yawned then knocked his drink back before motioning the tender foranother. The woman poured him two and before he could as he watched as Brucetook the other glass and they sat in silence. For a long time neither of themspoke. Constantine was trying to remember when the bloody hell his life hadgotten so fucking hard!

Raven… Raven was his first daughter, and she was the easychild. It was fucking weird to think of the demon as the easy child. Fuck heknew that she wasn’t an easy child, so withdrawn, and independent, inquisitiveand quick to temper and rage if she didn’t keep her precarious control. But shewas so easy, she was easy for him, he got Raven. Constantine could sit withRaven in silence and not feel like he was neglecting the girl, they couldsimply hang out, he just had to focus on teaching her, and that was reallyabout it. Raven just wanted… she wanted love and loving her was as easy asbreathing. She just wanted that love, to know she was loved, and as an empathhe knew his youngest knew she was loved by him and Zed, and adored by Lucifer,Mazikeen and Chas.

Fuck, Raven was the most lovable demon ever.

Then there was his newer daughter, Zatanna Zatara, and she’dhad a father who had loved her before, and a cousin who was like her brotherbefore he had died. Zatanna was light, she was happy, exuberant, she was kind,and giving, she just gave everything to everyone all the time; it must havebeen that Italian passion of hers. She was all fire where Raven was ice. AndZatanna wasn’t easy, fuck the girl made life hard. Zatanna demanded attention,she demanded to learn, she made her hatred of demons well known and made it apoint to berate and torment Raven; who was already withdrawn enough and wasretreating further away from everyone now that Zatanna was there. And it painedConstantine.

He adored both his girls, but he just didn’t get it. And hedidn’t know how to stop the wars that had ignited.

Just this morning he’d been a bloody rabbit! A fuckingRABBIT! While Raven and Zatanna had also been transformed into a rabbit andmouse. But all that for Raven’s book; a book which had been given to her by theonly person Constantine knew she regularly interacted with outside the magical community;Jason Todd. And Zatanna had proceeded to berate and tease and torment Raven abouthaving a crush on the young Robin, and that had lead to this fucking mess andnow he was drinking because if he didn’t get away from the women he’d blastthem both or tie them together until they got along.

Light and Dark were clashing so violently at his house, andZed was out for a girl’s weekend with Renee.

“When I adopted Jason, before Tim, Dick and Jason tried tocontinuously kill each other; then after…” Bruce trailed off grimly.

Constantine understood then as they both stared at thecounter. The near death of Jason Todd, not anyone’s finest moments even as achild had killed the Joker to save her friend. The silence was heavy betweenthem for a long time as they both remembered that grim day. The day that sealedJason and Raven’s bond and started their friendship.

“Things improved when Cass, Tim, Duke, and Damian joined thefamily,” Bruce commented.

“They transfigured each other into animals, and me into arabbit,” Constantine stated icily as he sipped his drinking. “A fucking Rabbit!”

“Siblings apparently fight,” Bruce said dryly.

“I have two of the most naturally magically gifted girls inmy house and they can’t even get along for five minutes! It’s driving me bloodybonkers!” Constantine snapped.

“Clark had the same problem when Conner was discovered,”Bruce said.

“Oh fuck, I knew what I was signing up for, B, I adopted abloody demon! I didn’t think Zatanna would be a problem as Zatara was fuckingstupid enough to put on Nabu!” Constantine sighed.

“Welcome to fatherhood,” Bruce stated dryly.

“Welcome to the Seventh Circle of Hell,” Constantinecorrected dryly.

“They’ll be better,” Bruce shrugged.

“Or send each other to hell, you know Raven doesn’t likepeople outside the magic community as it is, and Zatanna only likes peopleoutside the magic community, and she just seems determined to ruin Raven’s oneconnection to the outside world, which happens to be your son, and I just don’tunderstand this need to hurt each other the girls have,” Constantine sighed.

“I only came because Raven materialized is Jason’s room innear tears, Jason’s at space camp though, took some convincing on my part tolet her let Alfred check her over,” Bruce said.

“Great,” Constantine groaned as he dropped his head to thebar.

“Zatanna showed up, she’s currently getting an earful fromDick about her actions,” Bruce said calmly as he sipped his own drink.

“Bloody hell, do you want the girls!?” Constantine’s headsnapped up as he glowered at the man who could barely handle his horde ofchildren had better expierence handling his daughters than he did.

“No, I’m just telling you they are safe,” Bruce said.

“Raven is the bloody Gem of Scath, the Devil Himself wouldtear the fabric of reality apart with the other angels to keep her safe, and Zatannais more than capable of taking care of herself,” Constantine stated calmly.

He just… he just wanted them to get along, he was sure they’dbe good together if they stopped swinging at each other with intent to maim orkill.

“It will get better,” Bruce said.

“Sure it will, all I need now is to adopt another magicallyinclined little girl; maybe a demigod, complete this circle of Hell, I swearif Black Orchid wasn’t in that house it’d have fallen apart, and without Zed I’mfucking clueless what to do, and they’ll kill each other and I can’t stop them,”Constantine barked out a bitter laugh. “The worst part, the worst part, B, isthat they’re both two of the most powerful girls of their magic types, and theyrefuse to get along. Do you even realize how long it took me to convince Ravenshe wouldn’t hurt humans, or being an empath was alright? Then Zatanna comesinto life and smashes all that progress to hell.

“And do you realize how difficult it is to get a teenagegirl to stop crying about her father ‘dying’ to host Nabu and will never be herfather again, only for the little demon to point out it’s possession and not bya demon!? I swear to God they are out to hurt each other and drive me to anutter house!”

“I do,” Bruce said.

“I just, I don’t get this animosity between them, I lovethem both B, but I wanted to throttle them today,” Constantine sighed.

“It gets better,” Bruce said.

“I’d better go retrieve them before they blow your house to Hell,”Constantine sighed. He didn’t have favorites between his girls, he’d loved Zedsince he had met her, he’d been a father to Raven longer, and now there wasZatanna, and he couldn’t truly be her father but damn him for trying. Dragging hishand through his hair he pulled a cigarette and lit it, he wondered if there wasa way to get them to get along, without doping them with potions.

~~~*~*~*~~~

“I just… want her to like me!” Raven sobbed into the phoneas she sat curled up on the floor talking to Jason and Zatanna was strickenhearing what Dick had forced her to hear.

“This isn’t my… she’s not…” Zatanna started.

“Grow up Zee, she is, and there’s only one of her! what areyou going to do if she dies thinking you hated her, and she couldn’t even callyou for help because she thought you’d laugh at her!?” Dick snapped, and Zatannastiffened hearing that from him.

She was well aware of Jason, and how narrowly they all wouldhave lost him had Raven’s empathy hadn’t acted up and she went to the teen.

“Yeah, think about that while you torment her, because fromwhat I get about her, she’s got it a hell of a lot harder than you,” Dick snappedas he walked away.

She looked back through the crack of the door where Ravenwas crying into her knees and bit her lip.

#bluboothalassophile #fanfic #one shot #constantine dad au #john constantine #bruce wayne #raven #zatanna zatara #family bonding