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gildedlead · 4 months

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All of the Wayne kids’ favorite Leaguers: True and Real and Accurate

Dick: Wonder Woman! Bear with me. Please. I think Superman was his favorite BEFORE he met Clark. Once he learned how big of a dork he was, the magic was sort of lost, doubly so when Clark became his unofficial stepdad. Diana? She stayed cool. Not to mention that in his Robin days, she often humored whatever hare-brained impulses he’d get. Please picture Batman’s bewildered expression when he finds Dick dangling from the Watchtower light fixture he specifically designed to be impossible for him to reach. Diana just, -shrug- “He said please.” You threw him Diana. You threw that child. She’d probably still throw him if he asked nicely, hell, she’d probably do it even before he has to ask. It’s ‘Boy Wonder’, not ‘Boy Bat’.

Jason: Black Canary. ‘Wonder Woman is Jason’s fav’ believers PLEASE hear me out. I think that Diana is Jason’s favorite in a ‘celebrity crush’ way, but Dinah is Jason’s favorite in a ‘cool aunt’ way. He met her unofficially at the Watchtower, but actually started hanging out with her thanks to Roy. They both like motorcycles and kicking ass, plus Young Justice having Canary as a therapist melds well with my vision of her helping Jason heal. And I think she’s used to yelling at Bruce on Oliver’s behalf, so it’s no big to do it on Jason’s too.

Tim: The Flash! If Dinah is the cool aunt, Barry is the cool uncle. Guy that shows up at the function with all the best snacks. He might eat half of them himself but damn if he didn’t bring them. In all seriousness, Tim saw pretty great merit in knowing a forensics guy that he can basically talk to anytime he’s stumped with a case without having to go through the “sorry to wake you” song and dance. Barry occasionally gets unhinged texts that are in the vein of “hey can you go about ten minutes back in time and tell past me about _____”. They’re usually pretty low stakes but sometimes there’s just a “got stabbed, do-over?” jumpscare sprinkled in. Bruce will never ever get shit from Barry about kid troubles. That man is a saint in Flash’s eyes.

Cass: Captain Marvel. She didn’t like him at all during their first meeting. For a person that’s good at reading body language, I imagine that seeing genuinely childish behavior on a grown man would be giving some crazy mixed signals. Once she learns that his powers are magic in origin rather than being alien or meta, her mind opens up a little more to the possibility that his exterior appearance might not be indicative of his actual identity. Cass guesses his age by their next proper meeting and makes it her business to keep an eye on him, always asking Bruce about him after he returns from League missions. Your honor, that 7’5” brick wall Champion of Magic is actually just Cass’ little buddy. She’s gonna get him some ice cream or something.

Steph: Green Lantern. Hal and Barry are like uncles, except if Barry is the cool one, Hal is the cringe one. Lucky for Hal, being a boyfailure is a good way to amuse Steph. Those two are gonna spend hours arguing with Bruce just for the hell of it, backing each other up on completely incorrect claims (Steph does it because it’s funny, Hal does it because he believes her). He does get bonus points for bringing her cool space snacks whenever he comes back from trips off-world. One of her favorite foods is a sort of hi-chew/gum thing from some other planet in Sector 2418 that doesn’t dissolve or lose its flavor, even after chewing it for days on end.

Damian: Aquaman. He’s a king. Like, an actual king. And he can communicate with fish. Arthur heard about Damian’s temper from the rest of the Leaguers and straight up does not believe it because every time he’s spoken to Damian, it’s been “hello your majesty can you introduce me to an octopus I have a few questions for it”. This one’s short. But I feel it speaks for itself.

Duke: Superman. Clark was NOT told about Signal taking up the day shift in Gotham until he was flying in to compare notes (read: flirt), with Bruce and met Duke when they both went to intercept a carjacking. Clark tries to be responsible like “I feel obligated to let you know that Batman doesn’t take kindly to metas in his city”, only for Duke to point at the big ol bat on his chest. After that, Duke usually intercepts Big Blue’s flight path anytime he comes into Gotham and the two just kind of hang out and shoot the shit while he does his patrol. Duke is also a little bit stoked to be regularly hanging out with The Superman, but even after the awe wears off, he can’t help but still think of Clark as just a cool, friendly guy. He gets someone to share the airspace with, Clark gets a bat he can stay in the sun with, it’s a win/win all around. Congrats Clark, you got one.

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envysparkler · 1 year

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idea that was prompted by the whump server: I’m a huge fan of the headcanon that Tim and Cass look very much alike despite not being related. while this makes for great fun in imagining them taking on similar superhero names and costuming, there’s another great avenue that lies overlooked.

Tim and Cass as Robin and Batgirl. simultaneously. interchangeably.

it starts as a prank on Bruce and Babs. their costumes are the same size and their coloring is similar enough to pass in the dark of Gotham. they go four hours undiscovered--it’s not Bruce or Babs that figures it out, it’s some random criminal, who in the middle of being beaten up by Robin, squints and goes, “are you a girl?”

needless to say, Bruce and Babs are Not Amused. Tim and Cass very much are. and their little gremlin minds start to think about how far they can take this.

they redesign the costumes--with Alfred’s help--to look more androgynous. Tim grows his hair out, Cass cuts it shorter. criminals lose their shit. they start dressing alike out of costume and Dick guesses wrong so many times, he gives up and just calls them both ‘duckling’.

Steph is the only one that can tell them apart with a single glance. no one knows how. she gives a different explanation every time someone asks.

the consequences balloon outwards. everyone is afraid of messing with Robin and Batgirl because sometimes they’ll get defeated so easily it’s humiliating and sometimes their entire life is unraveled before their eyes. Lady Shiva treats Tim like a surrogate son. Ra’s is delighted to have found a worthy opponent-slash-successor that’s solved the apparent limitations of the human body.

but the most hilarious consequence of all--

when Hood busts into Titans Tower, Robin listens patiently to his monologue about all the ways Batman failed Gotham. then takes Hood down the moment he makes that first punch. and hugs him when he’s lying on the floor groaning.

“wrong,” Robin says. “Bruce still loves you.”

(it takes Jason a week to realize that Tim and Cass are not the same person.)

(it takes Jason two weeks to realize that Tim and Cass are not identical twins.)

(it takes Jason several months to realize that Tim and Cass are not blood-related at all and even after he sees the results of the genetic tests, he still refuses to believe it.)

(Tim and Cass look at each other and shrug. in synchrony.)

#fic ideas #tim&cass #tim and cass use their newfound ability for the noblest cause of all #being little shits

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wondersinwaynemanor · 27 days

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we all know that the Wayne kids are each other's best friends. but with Steph, each one of them partners with her for specific reasons.

with Dick, it's mostly about beauty, skincare and hair. they tell each other which make up brand is better, which eyeshadow color and eyeliner technique matches the other's eyes, which face mask gives the best nutrients on their faces, which hair mask suits their hair color. they even do each other's make up and nails when they're both free. Dick asks her if they are any new skincare products that are released from this brand that they both like. Dick keeps thanking Steph for that perfume she suggested that Wally loves on him.

with Jason, it's about food. Steph isn't much of a chef herself, let's leave that all to Jason, but she's the person he usually asks to try when he tries a new recipe. maybe it's because they're usually the ones who eats after patrol together while the rest of the family choose to rest and go home. or it's because it's Steph who usually suggests to the family about the snacks they're going to have during movie nights. or the restaurant they should try for the weekend. they sit on the rooftops while eating Big Belly Burgers as they talk about the food that's famous in Italy or Greece.

with Tim, it's about boybands and concerts. i mean, Tim has crushes on boybands and Steph is the same, so they're the perfect combination. Tim goes to her to fangirl about a new boyband song and they argue which member is the best singer or the hottest, if you ask Tim. Tim, being a nepo baby, gets VIP tickets and it's Steph who he invites to when attending concerts. they wear neon colors and have posters, and lose their voices by the end of each concert.

with Duke, it's about bike rides. yes, the rest of the family knows motorcycle rides, but Duke has created a special bond with Steph with it. it all started during morning patrol, The Signal passed by Steph's university and she knew, he needed help. so she hurriedly used this Halloween mask to conceal her face and use one of her professor's bikes just to help Duke. of course she gave the bike back and parked it exactly where her professor did. they sometimes travel outside of Gotham with just their bikes, either as vigilantes or as civilians.

with Damian, it's the games. Steph loves playing around the family like setting up traps and poking at them with the water and paint guns. Damian finds this very intriguing, so he goes to her when he wants to plot something for each family member. they also go to the carnivals together. Steph is more than willing to be competitive with Damian when it comes to carnival games. or even just a game of Scrabble and Chess.

and with Cass, well, Steph partners with Cass in everything. they're together.

we already know this.

#steph centric one #batfamily #batkids #batfamily headcanons #stephanie brown #dick grayson #jason todd #tim drake #duke thomas #damian wayne #cassandra cain #stephcass #batman #batfamily prompt #dc comics #yel chronicles

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medusas-graveyard · 10 months

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Unhealthy Obsession.

Okay wait actually, remembering how it took a while for Pariah Dark to get sealed off just means that they were some bending in his sworn oath, right?

Okay another angst prompt, consider; softly insane! Danny.

(Tw: Dark!Danny, morally ambiguous? No one's having a great time tbh but like it's poetically soft imo. Also our boy's officially lost it :∆ his words are cryptic.)

Final warning: This is depressingly sad for Danny's part, sure. But he's also unjustified so I'll classify this as [Dead Dove: Do not eat]

Danny's adopted by the Waynes just like, a bit little short time before his coronation (also he's around 16-18 years old because I'm dragging the desperate for validation because he never felt seen unless someone praises him trope). At that time span he's this very rarely seen brother that's absolutely trying his best between juggling his very impromptu 'how to be a proper monarch' lessons (read: the ancients drilling manors, rules, oaths, etc to his poor head because they don't want a repeat Pariah Dark) and being a present family members because he genuinely loves them. (They know about the vigilante stuff and the Waynes understandably backed away from convincing him, seeing how Danny already has shit ton on his plate.)

Until one day something big happens that almost ended the world, and Bruce dies. It was just him and his dad there, with no other bird or bat in sight. No one knew yet— no one needs to know. Kronos' carefully crafted human, no— prince finally shatters after all the pressure, and all he thinks is how unfair the world has been to him.

It's a very, very slow descent to insanity, what he had been through.

He lost so much, he won't lose anything again. And amidst the eerie scenery of a prince cradling the body of his father, was the sight of himself stitching him back together— giving him a new life. He whispered apologies after apologies to the unconscious man; and for a second Kronos would've pitied him.

Except he didn't. He knew he can't.

After all the chaos they finally had each other again, and Danny stood contently as he watched Alfred personally tend to his family's wounds, big or small. He also watched as his family bicker with each other after all they've been through, and realized something; all of this will die.

Alfred, Bruce, his brothers, Cass and Steph— they're all painfully mortal. He'll outlive his family, and in the end he'll be alone. He doesn't want to be left alone.

And what is to do when you realize your family is painfully, awfully mortal?

...you either curse them with immortality, or place a generational curse on them so you'll all meet in every life, of course! (Oh, did I mention about cursing your family so they'll all get reincarnated everytime they die to make them find each other by everytime?)

... except these curses are incredibly forbidden, because they go against the nature of life and death.

Which leads to the sight of Danny being cuffed from his neck, his arms, his wrists, and his legs. His expression is deadly calm, he smiles softly contrast to the Waynes that are watching in horror. He watches as his family's face contorts to something unreadable when his captors reads over his charges, and he couldn't bring himself to feel remorse.

"By the name of the Infinite realms, Prince Phantom is sentence to imprisonment, for the charges of tempering with the cycle of life and breaking the Royal oath."

"He will be serving until the day of his coronation by the terms of the infinite realms, under the watchful gaze of the ghost of time. The guilty may be there farewells before they are sent to their sentence."

Danny smiles at them; soft but undeniably cruel. He bows at them, like how he would bow on days where his father would teach him how to ballroom dance.

"this is not a goodbye, it is merely a see you later." He starts, voice full of merit. "May we meet again, and may the circumstances of our next meeting a better one."

His smile turns sharper then, the contrast between it and his soft eyes sends an unpleasant shiver. "For our destiny are tied, and our Fates will overlap with each other."

"You cannot change our destiny. For the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb, and our bond has tied us together."

"None of you will run from me— none of you can run from me."

"Because I will chase you down and hunt you until our family is complete."

#danny phantom #dp x dc #batfam #danny fenton #dp x dc crossover #dp x dc prompt #dpxdc #dpxdc prompts #dc x dp #dc x dp prompt #not betaed we die like literally everyone #your boy officially lost it wooooo #this one will actually make me cry if it flops hyd

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lacrimosathedark · 1 year

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Who wants trauma headcanons? :D

Bruce taught every Robin and Batgirl how to properly use a gun as well as ways to counter it. The base of all of their costumes are specifically reinforced against bullets. He updates them for every major attempt on their lives. From the start, Dick’s palms were reinforced against corrosive materials. After Babs was shot, he made Jason’s cape and spinal protection stronger. After Jason died, Tim’s costume was reinforced for blunt trauma and fire retardant. After Steph got “killed”, he actively left his plans available for Tim’s scrutiny. After Damian was run through, his next costume was reinforced for piercing damage.

The only time Bruce sets his One Rule aside is in the near aftermath of losing someone important, examples being when he nearly killed the Joker after he killed Jason and when he left KGBeast to die after he shot Dick. He would do that for any of his kids, and he’s as terrified of doing it as he is of not.

Kate gets anxious around mirrors. They remind her of her mother. They remind her of her sister and the games they used to play. They make her feel alone when she knows she’s not.

Dick is incredibly attentive and actively afraid of his own anger. After losing Jason, and not knowing in part because of his own distance with Bruce, he actively clings to his family so he doesn’t lose that chance again. This is part of why his adopted Tim as his brother so fast, and was willing to give Damian so many chances despite being a Huge Prick.

Dick was re-traumatized by Tim nearly falling to his demise, and now if any of his siblings exhibit the slightest emotional distress, he gets anxious about letting them out alone in costume. He’s terrified he won’t be there to catch them.

Dick finds the smell of rain, even in putrid areas of Gotham and Bludhaven, soothing. Until it’s mixed with the scent of blood and/or sweat, which actively puts him on edge. Especially at night. He has to actively focus on what’s going on or else he might freeze up.

While Dick actively enjoys how clearly people find him attractive and likes to have fun with it, he is a bit sex-averse, and any unexpected attention has him momentarily panic, or at the very least extremely uncomfortable. He hates when people lay their hands on him in a sexual way infinitely more than them actively assaulting him. He’s been taught how to handle clear violence.

Babs has an instant reaction of fear followed by anger every time she hears someone at the door. Sometimes intense menstrual pain gives her similar feelings and flashbacks. During these time, she specifically keeps an eye on her father, Bruce, and Jason.

She watches so much surveillance footage because she’s not as effective on foot anymore but needs to have everyone’s backs. She trusts Cass and Steph to act in her place, but she still hates having to be on the sidelines.

Jason and Tim don’t like anything close to their neck. Jason scratches at his neck when he’s got too much irritable energy, especially directed at Bruce. Roy and Artemis definitely notice and try to distract him.

Jason has adapted to explosives and loves them the same way he does morbid jokes, but certain sounds, like thick metal on cement, can set him off.

Jason get noticeably anxious around people who are actively intoxicated or severely ill. His anxiety usually manifests as aggression, which tries to direct appropriately, but it’s a struggle.

Tim immediately dissociates/numbs when confronted with a scene with lots of pooling blood. He has enough practice working through practically anything, he can push how he feels aside to work. But once he’s alone, he loses it. Only Bruce and Dick know.

After No Man’s Land, and even more so when Tim lost his fucking spleen, everyone gets anxious whenever Tim seems the slightest bit sick. Tim also gets incredibly nervous, but is able to put up a front for everyone else.

Cassandra often feels the need to check in with Tim--they know things about each other no one else knows and share quite a bit of trouble. And Tim was always there for her even when she was at her worst. He’s always been safe for her.

Cass sometimes talks aloud to Stephanie when she isn’t there, or when she’s sleeping. Stephanie has walked in or woken up to it a few times. She usually plays it off to smooth it over, but makes sure to check in with her later and give her lots of hugs and remind her she’s still there.

Jason, Cass, and Stephanie are all sensitive to child victims, and become very cautious around them.

Stephanie reflexively grimaces any time she sees any kind of black skull; shirt decals, jewelry, tattoos, her face scrunches up without any intent.

Stephanie is both the best and worst at handling victims who are young parents or have young children. She can empathize better than anyone, but it usually leaves her shaken. Tim, and sometimes Cass, are the only ones who can comfort her.

Steph has a love/hate thing for fighting the Riddler. On one hand, he reminds her of her father, and she is actively kicking his ass. On the other, he is much better than her father and usually less malicious (and actively wants to be noticed most of the time). She gets really pent up and ends up beating the shit out of his goons a bit harder than she should.

Damian hates the Bat Cave. He already felt resentment for the dinosaur almost killing him, and he loathes the case holding Jason’s case because he has come to find the epithet cold, and on a bad day all he can see is Tim lying among broken glass. After Bane killed Alfred, he could hardly stand being there for a minute.

Tim and Damian hate Time Shenanigans. Tim always sees the worst of himself and everything he’s ever lost, and Damian feels like it takes people away from him.

Duke sometimes flinches when he hears people laugh. He doesn’t mean to, but if it sounds a bit too unhinged, he can’t seem to help it.

#DC Comics #Batman #Bat Family #Bruce Wayne #Kate Kane #Dick Grayson #Barbara Gordon #Jason Todd #Tim Drake #Cassandra Cain #Stephanie Brown #Damian Wayne #Duke Thomas

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analviel · 11 months

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You know that one post shitting on Joker? Like 'Superman gives pity laugh' because his jokes are so lame? So in the community, every city has that hero mascot right? Like the main man, usually Justice League adjacent, so if there are hero representatives, a city probably got a villain mascot. The Batkids get a lot of shit for having a lameass villain.

Dick regularly cries to Bruce about this: "Do something about this B! Don't you see your children are suffering?! Jason is being bullied by the Flashes just because they have cool villains!"

(That was very much intended pun.)

Jason, holding Barry in a head lock while shaking down Wally -with a Bat stamped glove that's glowing and producing weird staticky sounds while Barbara and Tim watch from the sidelines taking notes- as Bart cackles at them: Do you not care for us at all!

Duke, screeching at the top of his lungs: He is not the Gotham villain!

Steph: We've got the Riddler, people!

Cass: Poison Ivy.

Steph: What? No, she's got her moments but Riddler actually represents the aspects of the standard Gotham insanity. We gotta think representation Cass!

Cass: Lesbian.

Damian: If we are talking about Gotham insanity, I believe Dr. Quinzel is a much better candidate.

Tim: You only say that because she recently called herself your nemesis.

Damian: Clearly, not even insanity can blind one so much they lose all sense, as despite appearing in your time, she has seen me as the superior Robin, I have recognition in the streets, whereas what did you have other than their pity.

Tim, who has an entire Rouge's gallery who's thoughts almost immediately went to Anarky 'want to do good despite struggling in his methods', General 'generally unpleasant boy who is inclined to animals and had usurped Anarky's position by rendering him paralyzed', and Ra's Al Ghul 'Ra's Al Ghul enough said if he trips on the goddamn stairs and his Pits spontaneously combusted Tim would happily hand Jason a get Tim to do whatever you want coupon', muttering: ..... I know who my Rouge's gallery mascot is.

Barbara: What about Harvey? Literally the duality of Gotham crazies, and he was district attorney so how's that for representative.

Jason: What? Ew, no, he's white.

Dick: Was he?

Duke: Uh, you're all sleeping on Catwoman? I mean, someone says Catwoman and they think Gotham.

Cass: Someone says Riddler they have to think if it was Gotham or Keystone.

Dick: Someone says Catwoman and everyone thinks of rooftops, Batman, and a Robin shooed away to the other end of the city.

Steph: What about Zsaz?

Everyone:......

Duke: Who?

Steph: Yeah, fair.

Everyone talking over each other on which hero is really the best representative:

Damian: Should bring honor-

Tim: -monologues are at least-

Steph: The design you know, we don't want a fashion disaster-

Cass: -should compliment our mission-

Babs: -makes at least a bit of sense-

Jason: -someone I don't want to put a bullet in-

(My vote is actually on Scarecrow.)

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dragonpyre · 27 days

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So basically, Bruce gets therapy after he loses his parents and thus is a mostly well-adjusted member of society. After a brief but passionate relationship with Talia al-Ghul, Damian is born, and is raised by Talia for a while before he goes off to meet his father. He and Bruce bond for a few years and one day, he meets Stephanie, who's in an unstable home environment, father is in-and-out of prison, that sort of thing, and takes her in with some joint custody with Crystal Brown. Then one day, Steph brings her boyfriend Tim along, and he's Tim, so you can imagine how that goes down. Damian and Tim have some friction initially but they eventually learn to get along with each other. Then we meet Jason in a similar manner to how Bruce found him in canon, but instead of the Batmobile, it was just his car. Then we find Dick, who similar to Jason, has pretty much the exact same backstory except he's 9 instead of 23 like he normally would be at this point in Bruce's life. Along the way, we get Babs, Cass, Harper and Duke, that happens however it happens.

Omg wait, Damian being big protective brother to Stephanie tho. He tries to give the shovel talk to Tim who is so amused. Little bitty Jason being thrown into this weird mishmash family and having to be basically tamed by Steph and Damian (Tim totally enables the kid). Jason stepping up as big brother for little Dickie. Except Dick totally still wants to murder Zucco, so now all the kids have to band together to help the kid out.

#ask #i love reverse robin au's #dc #especially big brother damian who's aggressively protective of his siblings #also the thought of single dad bruce having damian who keeps collecting all these animals #peak #it's practically a zoo by the time steph comes along

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redbirdandbluebird23 · 5 days

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Concept: Established relationship jaydick faking a "fake relationship" because they are not yet ready to disclose their real relationship to the rest of the batfam. So when Tim, Damain, Bruce, Steph, Cass,Duke, catch them out on a date, playing tonsil hockey on the rooftop, grinding on each other at the club, etc, they're all "obviously, we're only doing this for the mission, dummy. He's so not my type." And the other batfam members being various degrees of convinced about the "fakeness."

Honestly, I think it would be a hell of a lot funnier if they were caught in a compromising position by Bruce, who being the emotionally dense human being he is, just goes, huh, they must be working an undercover case.

Jason and Dick, being the gremlins they are, just decide to run with it and see how long they can fuck with Bruce before he has to admit its not for a case.

Cass and Alfred obviously already know about their relationship, but they're also down for messing with Bruce whenever the opportunity arises. But the rest of the family are completely oblivious. So, the announcement that Dick and Jason are fake dating for a case meets mixed reactions.

Babs and Steph are definitely suspicious, they can both see the little things Dick and Jason do for each other that are just a little too real to just be them faking. Eventually they can't take it anymore, and one, or both, of them outright ask if they're really faking. Jason would be shy admitting it, but Dick would be all beaming smiles and showing Jason off, but they were never planning to hide it indefinitely, so they have no issues coming clean when asked.

Tim and Damian are a bit like Bruce in the way that they don't even want to consider the alternative. But eventually Tim, much like Babs and Steph, sees something he can't ignore. It's probably not explicit either, just Dick and Jason trying to have a movie night in one of their apartments, wrapped up in each other on the sofa. They look so soft and domestic that a switch flips in Tim's brain and he's like, oh shit, this is serious. He definitely doesn't leave them to it though, he essentially crashes through the window and starts up a whole interrogation while Dick tries to stop Jason from just picking him up and throwing him back out of the window.

Damian though, Damian will willingly ignore all the signs that are right in front of him, just like his father, because it just doesn't compute in either of their brains that Dick and Jason could be together like that.

But then something drastic happens, maybe Jason gets badly injured on patrol and Dick comes into the cave begging and screaming because he can't lose him.

He ends up standing vigil at Jason's bedside, whispering into Jason's hair about how much he loves him, and please wake up, little wing.

Bruce is watching, because of course he won't leave the medbay, not when it's Jason injured, and he's suddenly forced to accept that it was never fake, that this is real and it terrifies him. Because if they lose Jason again, he knows Dick won't come back from it if he's emotionally involved, and if something happens to Dick, they'll lose Jason for good because Dick is the main thread keeping Jason in the family.

Bruce obviously doesn't say any of this, he just gives his support in the most monotone voice once Jason wakes up, and then goes to update his contingency files because he knows has a whole other angle to consider.

(Damian, however, initially can't decide which one of them he wants to stab because they both played a hand in raising him and he doesn't trust either of them with each other. It takes lots of bribes of homemade food and antique weapons to win him over onto their side)

#jaydick #jason todd #dick grayson #dickjay #dick grayson/jason todd #headcanon #answered ask

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phantom-z0ne · 1 month

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Kingdom Come - Part 2

Part 1

WC: 3545

CW: Minor Character Deaths, Corpses, Disfigured bodies, Cults, Blood

Damian was missing and Dick was going crazy.

Damian hasn't responded to any inquiries of his location since he missed his scheduled check in time. It had already been two hours past that and they still didn't have any clue where he was. Last they knew, he was heading towards Chinatown. Damian knew a couple of the locals and regularly visited some animals, mostly cats and dogs but occasionally a bird or two.

They would have been able to track him with his comm, but Damian had modified it so that it was untrackable unless it was being used. Unfortunately, they hadn't learned of it before today. If they were to track him through his comm, they would only have a short time to triangulate his position. Damian stated that he wanted his privacy, likely so he could disobey orders without them realizing. They had allowed it because they trusted his judgment, not to mention they all had their rebellious phase, but now it was coming back to bite them in the ass.

It was unfortunate they didn’t have Barbara helping, she was off on her own mission with the Birds of Prey and not in Gotham. Finding Damian would have been way easier with her help, she was an expert in navigating the surveillance systems around Gotham.

Dick could tell he wasn't the only one concerned about their youngest, the others were worried in their own ways. Jason fidgeted with his gun, which Bruce was just barely tolerating, as he paced the rooftop while Tim ran the diagnostics multiple times, his fingers flying on his wrist hologram.

Cass and Bruce’s unease was less noticeable, the only reason he caught it was that he knew them for such a long time. Bruce double checked his trackers and flew across the roofs in search of Damian. Cass was tense and alternated standing near each of them, subtly clenching her hands into fists as she did.

“Robin, come in.” Bruce demanded, Dick felt the desperation in his voice although it was hidden well. He didn't want to lose another son while Dick didn't want to lose another brother.

There wasn’t a reply, only the sound of static filled their ears.

Dick sighed, running his hands through his hair. They needed to find Damian quickly. The longer they didn't locate him, the longer his captures had to smuggle him out of the city. If Damian was taken out of the city, it would be infinitely harder to find him.

He couldn’t let that happen, especially to Damian. He’s already had a tough life, what with how he grew up. His integration into the family was difficult on everyone, B was gone and Tim had chosen to pursue a theory he had thought of at the time insane. Jason wasn’t on talking terms with them at that time and Cass had her own responsibilities across the world. Steph was also busy with juggling her hero and civilian lives, though her attitude towards Damian did turn around in the end.

The comm crackled, faint sounds coming through. Dick jolted, jarred out of his thoughts from the abrupt opening of the comm. Both Cass and Tim’s hands went to their comms as Jason stilled. The shuffling of cloth was most prominent, though he could hear a quiet voice.

“Robin, report. What is your location?” Bruce asked, hope underlying his words.

There was the sound of shuffling before a young, unfamiliar voice sounded, “Is this comm trackable?”

That was not Damian. Did he kidnap Damian and was going to ask for a ransom or gloat? Another also kidnapped alongside Damian? Or perhaps a concerned civilian who had nothing to do with Damian’s disappearance?

“Who are you?” Bruce demanded, treating the unknown as a hostile. It was understandable, this was a stranger who possibly abducted his son.

“You can call me Polka. I'm not sure of the location but Robin is unconscious. We are in a warehouse.” The voice responded. ‘You can call me Polka?’ Was he implying that Polka wasn’t his name or the only one he goes by? Dick’s siblings crowded closer to Bruce as if they couldn’t hear out of their own comms.

The good news was that they now knew where to search. Most warehouses were either near the docks or the Warehouse District. That meant they had two areas to search if Tim didn't triangulate where Damian’s comm was during the short conversation. He could see Tim hunched over, one hand typing swiftly in his wrist hologram.

“Stay where you are, I’ll be there shortly.” Bruce said curtly, his cape snapping as he turned to Tim and asked if he captured the location of the comm. Tim gave him a thumbs up and sent the coordinates.

They piled into their own vehicles and sped their way across the city, heading towards the warehouse Damian was held in.

They surrounded the warehouse once they arrived, Bruce entering first before they snuck in from different entrance points. Dick shivered slightly as he situated himself behind the boy who Damian was laid out on. His siblings spread out and surrounded the boy from all sides.

The warehouse was a mess, blood pooling from the disfigured bodies laying every which way. Dick could faintly spot a chalk circle underneath a pool of blood. Another cult, he surmised grimly. There have been too many cults running around lately for his liking, though it looked like this one had fallen victim to their own summoning.

There wasn't much he could tell about the boy from behind, his baggy clothes hiding his frame. His hair was what stood out the most, cropped silver hair. It seemed to almost glow in the dark warehouse. Dick’s attention went back to Bruce who stepped out from the shadows and addressed the boy after taking Damian back into his custody, though he kept an eye out on the boy.

“None, I just happened to find him. Who are you?” The boy asked, standing. That was interesting. Everyone from Gotham knew who Batman was, and even if you weren't, Batman was still a famous figure.

Bruce answered in his signature low voice, obviously gearing up to interrogate the boy. That was his cue to step in. They’ve done this routine before, good cop and bad cop. It was surprisingly successful.

“Happened to find him?” Dick questioned, rolling down from the support beam he was perched on and revealed himself. The boy turned to him, his hair fanning across his face. A black stripe cut into his silvery hair. It was the inverse of Jason’s hair, Dick thought absently.

The boy’s face was blank, unsurprised to see another vigilante popping up behind him. Dick’s eyes were drawn to the scar on his neck. It spanned most of the neck and would be most definitely fatal if it was deep enough. The boy was 15, 16 years max. Where would he have gotten a scar like that? Not to mention, he was too calm in this situation. Blood and viscera surrounded him and all he seemed was bored.

Slight motion to the right made Dick’s eyes snap to the plush on the boy’s shoulder, almost certain that it moved on its own. “How exactly did you find him? We can't be sure you weren’t the one who abducted him, after all.”

The boy took his time to answer, his face slightly scrunched in thought. Faint sound of movement emerged from his comm but he showed no signs of hearing it.

He pointed to the body of the cultest then to the mound that Dick hadn’t paid much attention to as he answered, “They kidnapped Robin, me, and a couple other kids. They killed the others. Who are you?

Dick heard a sharp inhale, likely in reaction to the dead children. It looked like they were thrown there uncaringly, Dick thought angrily. They were piled on top of each other, some of their limbs bent unnaturally. Most of the injuries were from a slit neck, but there were signs of other injuries. These poor kids were likely tortured first then slaughtered.

He could see Bruce soften after the boy answered, likely thinking the same things as Dick.

Dick sighed silently, sheathing his escrima sticks as he walked to stand closer to Bruce and Damian. “I’m called Nightwing. Can you tell us why you and Robin are unharmed?”

“They already summoned the God of the Dead, or Corpse God, by then. It wasn't needed.” Jason cursed. They were too late, for both the kids and the summoning. Not to mention the ominous name of the being that was summoned. Just what were these cultists planning for summoning such a being? Probably to ‘rid the world of impurities’ like every other cult he came across.

Bruce asked for confirmation of the being, pulling out his ‘victim voice’. It was significantly softer than what he usually spoke as Batman. The boy nodded, affirming their suspicions on the being. Though, where was it? Usually, summoned being raged and caused destruction in their wake, especially ones with such ominous names. There was no sign of this one.

Dick pasted on a smile and bent closer to the boy, “Did you see where the God of the Dead went?”

The boy nodded as he bit his lips, visibly nervous. It was a bit strange to see such an expression on the child when he was blase for most of the conversation. He leaned forward as the boy cupped his hand over his mouth and whispered, “He’s still here.”

Dick felt a shiver race down his spine, one of his siblings sucked in a breath. That was… not good. Was this a trap? Had the God of the Dead been lying in wait and observing them since they had arrived?

The atmosphere was thick enough to cut with a knife. Everyone was tense and ready for battle. Of course, that was when Damian began to stir, calling out to Bruce once he opened his eyes. Bruce adjusted his hold on Damian, beginning to answer Damian before he was cut off by the boy.

“Can I go now? I was with my friends before this. They’re probably worried.” Dick most certainly couldn't let a key witness, and a most definitely traumatized child, wander off without supervision.

“Sorry, you’re coming with us.” Dick said apologetically.

The boy did not like that. He crossed his arms and gave them an annoyed look. “Why?”

Jason, Tim, and Cass took this as the perfect time to reveal themselves. They hopped down from their respective posts and gathered near Bruce. Tim, however, aimed for the cultists as he responded, “We need more information and to verify your story. And for your protection.”

The boy's eyes lingered over Cass and Jason before focusing on the latter, his expression curious. Jason obviously noticed but didn't pay it any mind, more interested in fussing over Damian who wasn’t having it, swatting Jason’s hovering hands away.

“Won't that be kidnapping? Since I don't want to go to a secondary location with strangers? Kidnapping is illegal, you know.”

Jason answered as he finally relented from teasing Damian, “Well, it's a good thing the law is more like suggestions to us.” This did nothing to stop the boy from looking apprehensive. Good job, Jason, Dick thought tiredly.

Tim interrupted the boy when he stated that the cultists were, in fact, not dead. It blindsided Dick. Many of the cultists were in pieces as others had bled enough to be six feet under.

Damian looked mildly curious as Bruce and Tim questioned the survival of the cultists, likely thinking over the logistics of how they still lived. Eventually, Bruce asked Tim to alert the hospital and GCPD. They wouldn't be arriving in a long while, it was still Gotham after all.

Dick walked over to them as they discussed the boy and the cultist, hearing the tail end of Tim’s suspicions.

“—clearly up with him. Despite the situation he’s in, he is unusually calm.”

That was true, not many kids were so nonchalant about almost being ritually sacrificed. Or seeing mangled bodies and pools of blood laying around.

Dick glanced at the boy—he really should be calling him Polka by now, since it was the only name he was given—seeing him grow red-faced as he spoke with Jason.

The almost silent crackle of a radio signaled their time was up, they needed to leave before the police arrived.

Herding Polka out of the building and out of sight was easy, all they needed to do was avoid cameras and stick to the shadowed side of the alley. Those who saw the group were quick to run away.

Losing Polka, however, was not something Dick expected to happen. They all were hyper aware of their surroundings, and in turn, the kid. How he managed to disappear under the scrutiny of six highly trained vigilantes, Dick didn't know.

They had to admit defeat after searching the area and beyond for an hour and a half, Damian being sent back for an examination despite his objections early into their search, and trudge back to the cave unsuccessful.

Dick watched Jason walk into the infirmary—jokingly nicknamed the “batfirmary” by Steph— and remove his helmet from his seat next to Damian’s cot. Steph walked in after him, plopping down on the end of the mattress next to Jason and ignored Damian’s hissed demands for them to get off.

Cass slunk in a moment later, Tim behind her. He was still typing on his wrist computer as he sat on the opposite side of Damian. Cass leaned on the arm of his chair, gazing curiously at the screen.

Off to the right, through a sliver of the thick cloth that blocked the med bay, sat Bruce. The light from the Batcomputer illuminated his bent figure.

Dick pursed his lips, not liking the expression that crossed his father’s face. Whenever there were children involved, Bruce always got into a mood. It wasn’t that the rest of them didn’t, but Bruce’s mood was always the worst. He wouldn't accept any food or comfort until he solved the case and got justice for the innocent children.

As his child and fellow vigilante, Dick couldn't let Bruce neglect himself like that, least of all when it wasn’t his fault the children died. He stood, walking over to Bruce and laid a hand on his shoulder. He gently squeezed, offering all the comfort that was allowed. Bruce gave him a weary smile.

“You should join us.” Dick said, retracting his hand to cross his arms. “It does you no good just sitting here. Damian needs you right now.”

“I know.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I just… I need to give those children justice.”

“Bruce, they aren’t going anywhere. You need to focus on the child in front of you.” Dick winced at how that came out. “I mean, Damian should be your priority right now. He’s recovering from being kidnapped!”

“You're right.” Bruce sighed, straightening his back slightly. “They aren’t going anywhere.”

Dick walked back to his seat, pleased with the sound of Bruce’s footsteps behind him. He watched as Damian’s face brightened when he spotted his father, and the subsequent haughty look he made to cover it up.

“How are you doing, Damian?” Bruce asked, sitting on the cot.

“I am fine, Father. It was just a scratch.” Damian answered, lifting his chin then frowning. “I didn't need to be hauled to the infirmary. I could have helped track down the boy.”

“We had to check if the cultist had done anything else to you. Would you rather not know if they had? And how did they manage to even snatch you anyways?” Tim intervened, crossing his legs as he looked up from his wrist computer.

“They used defenseless animals against me.” Dick almost cooed at Damian’s pout. He was always glad to see Damian act his age.

“What kinds of animals?” Steph leaned forward, her eyes gleaming.

“… Kittens.” Damian admitted quietly.

“They lured you in with kittens?!” Jason said hysterically. Muffled snorts came from all around, Dick himself wasn't exempt from laughing either. Everyone but Jason quickly pasted on an innocent face when Damian furiously glared at them, he didn't bother covering up his laughter. Even Bruce seemed amused, his eyes darting between them with a fond look on his face.

“Do you remember what happened?” Cass signed. Dick could tell she was still worried about Damian, the sides of her eyes were creased and her lips held together tightly.

“I passed out after I was hit over the head.” Damian began, the bedding clenched in his fists. “I remember waking up a couple of times but it wasn't for long. The last time I awoke, the boy was there.”

Bruce put his hand over Damian, his lips pursed. He clearly didn't like how his son was treated, and looking around, none of them were. “Did he do anything?”

“He told me to rest.” Damian said simply, brows furrowed.

“And you did?” Tim asked, dumbfounded. Dick was just as confused, Damian barely took orders from them that he deemed unnecessary, so him listening to a random civilian? It was unheard of.

“That was the strange thing. The moment he told me to, I was overwhelmed with drowsiness. I couldn't help falling asleep.”

A magic user? Dick thought speculatively. Or perhaps a meta? There were many abilities that could cause someone to fall unconscious with just a word, and just as many with aftereffects. Dick prayed that there weren’t any lasting effects on Damian, he wasn't sure what he would do if there were.

“I knew there was something up with him!” Tim announced, jumping up from his seat. “The fact that he was so calm in such a bloody environment was the first clue. Why would he be calm, let alone stay in that warehouse, when he was abducted and watched others be sacrificed? Plus, despite telling us the Corpse God—or God of the Dead, whatever— there was no sign of the being other than the cultist’s dismangled bodies. Why did he lie?” He paced back and forth, letting his theories flow like water.

Cass knocked on the wall, gathering their attention. She signed, “He didn’t lie.”

“He didn’t?” Dick questioned, understandably confused.

She shook her head, “He was truthful the whole time, but was he hiding something.”

“He could have been misleading you.” Steph crossed her arms. “He was being pretty vague in the recordings I watched. Plus, some of his words could have been taken in a different way.”

“That's true. The way he slipped away from us wasn’t something a civilian could do. Even a meta would be hard pressed to disappear from right under our noses.” Jason spoke up, a thoughtful look on his face.

“I’ll call Zatanna.” Bruce sighed, getting up from his seat. “Get some rest, we’ll have a long day tomorrow.”

“He’s right. We need to conserve our energy for interrogating Polka tomorrow.” Dick ushered his disgruntled sibling towards the staircase leading to the manor.

Once he was sure they were in their rooms, Jason deciding it was too late to go to his own safehouse, he returned to the cave. Damian was unsurprisingly still awake, his stubbornness fighting against his weariness.

Dick dimmed the lights of the cave and headed towards the infirmary. Giving his brother a quick peck on the forehead and tucking him in, much to Damian’s displeasure, he grabbed a tablet and wrote up a report next to the cot. He made sure to include his sibling’s theories in the notes margin.

Soft muttering sounded off to the side, behind the infirmary’s curtain. After making sure Damian was asleep, Dick crept towards the sound. Around the corner, Bruce’s frustrated voice spoke. He ended the call a minute after he spotted Dick leaning on the wall with his arms crossed.

“Constantine?”

“Zatanna was busy.” Bruce ran his hands through his hair. He was clearly tired after the eventful day, but Bruce would continue working despite his complaints, Dick bitterly thought. He shook his head, now was not the time for those kinds of thoughts.

Dick hummed and walked towards the Batcomputer. He sat down, Bruce a couple feet away typing away on another monitor. He transferred his half finished report to the computer in front of him, finding a keyboard easier to write with than a tablet.

He let out a yawn. He had been up for more than twenty four hours, most of that time spent patrolling and studying cases in the Batcave. He laid his head on his arms, a quick nap wouldn't hurt, would it?

Distantly, he felt a heavy weight cover him. He let out a murmur of thanks for the blanket and fell asleep, not hearing the whispered response.

The insistent buzzing of the tablet woke him. He stretched, his back popping, before unlocking the tablet. A gasp escaped him once he laid eyes on the screen.

“Uh, B? You’ll need to see this.” Bruce looked at him in question before rolling closer, eyes widening slightly once he read the article.

In strikingly bold letters, the headline was “JOKER MAULED BY THE UNDEAD”.

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Wrote a large chunk of this months ago and just sat on it since I didn't know how to write batfam interactions. I'm pretty satisfied with how it came out :)

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Masterpost | Part 3

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