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schrijverr · 3 months

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Growing Pains [Dick's POV] 5

Chapter 5 out of 6

Dick knows who Barbara is under the mask, Barbara doesn't. This causes some strange interactions as their friendship develops.

In this chapter, Dick tries to navigate school with his only friend being Barbara, though she doesn't know it. Something that isn't always so easy.

On AO3.

Ships: none

Warnings: none

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Chapter 5: Natural Ally

Barbara is a little weird, Dick decides after a few days of studying her. His first day had been less successful, but with B’s training he has become subtler in studying her and his mess up was useful for something, because he figured out to drop his ‘friends’.

Dick doesn’t like any of them and it seems Conrad and his little gang are more than happy to drop him when he doesn’t want to fall in line.

Having to adjust to being high society has been really strange, but having Robin helps. He saves his anger and excitement for the night, when he can jump off roofs and whoop as loudly as he can and be as annoying as possible. Keeping that safe makes the performance easier.

However, he knows these people aren’t his people and the more he learns about the socialite life, the harder it is to relate to them. So, he kind of floats along, friendly enough to get along with everyone, but not really befriending anyone.

He’s also not planning on befriending Barbara either. Out of everyone, she’s most likely to get his experiences, also not raised with wealth and, not to mention, a sidekick like him. But she’s still on probation in his book. He’s watching her.

And without her noticing too! Suck on that, he can totally be sneaky (and no, he’s not still sulky about when she managed to sneak up on him!).

After their near miss altercation, he’s determined to mean mug her again, just a little, but of course Alfred has to make him feel a little bad about it. So, he acts as normal as he can while he broods and is glad he did so when the guilty feeling creeps up when he realizes they’ve been excluding her.

He convinced B to give her a grappler too, but he wants it to be perfect. It’s a peace offering and a sorry, so it needs to be good. So when they’re in Mrs. Holland’s class, there is a moment where they can talk, he takes the opportunity. “What’s your favorite color?”

“What?” Barbara says, sounding appalled.

Dick’s guilt grows a little, she parades in a purple version of Bruce’s costume, of course he should have known that already. As apologetically as he can, he says: “Oh, yeah, of course, sorry, I should know.”

He turns back to the front in embarrassment and it’s not until Barbara taps him on the shoulder and asks: “Are you okay?” that he remembers that she doesn’t know he is Robin.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he says, quickly trying to hide his stupidity behind politeness like he does whenever he’s out as Dick Grayson, letting out a relieved breath when Barbara seems to buy it.

Though she does scrutinize Dick the next day. He doesn’t know if she caught on – and a stupid part of him kind of hopes she has, he wants a friend – so he just sends her a smile and says nothing, letting her interpret it as she wants.

Apparently she interprets it as him being Dick and not Robin, which is good. They still don’t trust her, not entirely, not with that. It’s good that his mistake flew under the radar. But still.

He and Barbara have been getting closer- well, he and Batgirl have. They make fun of B together and take out bad guys. She’s his friend and she’s right there! He just can’t talk to her. Which means he’s all alone. Friendless.

It’s a little sad. He’s not used to it. He’s used to a loud circus filled with people, making new friends in every city or town they went to. But here, all stationary in a big mansion with only Bruce and Alfred and no friends at school… it’s lonely.

So after their run in with the Commissioner, Dick wants to make her happy. Cheer her up. So, he asks Alfred to pack him some cookies.

He doesn’t even think about it. In that moment it’s natural that he would want to do something nice, just like he made B get out of there after the comment. Barbara is his teammate (though he still loathes to admit that sometimes), of course he wants her to smile again.

When he comes in the next day, Barbara looks tired. Dick is tired too – comes with the territory of being a hero – but she looks tired-tired. Not just stay up late tired, but emotional tired. It’s an emotion Dick has come to know well this year.

So, he doesn’t even think when he turns around, cookie in hand, only for her to snap: “What?”

Okay, rude, he knows she is still sometimes a little jealous or something, but he’s been working on it. No need to get mad. However, he knows she’s been through a lot, she’s deflecting onto him, just like he did to Bruce when he found out about Batman and Tony Zucco. (See Alfred, he listens when you try to counsel him.) So, he just holds up the cookie and says: “I have an extra cookie.”

“Congratulations?” Barbara shoots back sarcastically.

Now Dick is taken aback. He thought they were becoming friends, but now she’s shutting him out again. Did he do something? She seemed okay with him last night, so what changed?

Then it hits him and he quickly tries to save himself: “No, I mean, would you like one? You look tired.”

“Wow, thanks,” Barbara says and Dick cringes, this is not at all how this was meant to go. He just wanted to do something nice to cheer her up and all he’s done is make her hate him. That’s not the plan.

Dick is grasping at air, not as good as Bruce at sweet talking yet, so he has nothing to say to get him out of the pit he created. Fortunately, Barbara speaks again first. “But I would like a cookie.”

“Here you go,” Dick says, relieved, giving her the cookie, feeling some satisfaction when Barbara takes the first bite and seems to unclench a little. Mission success.

“Thanks,” she says.

“You’re welcome,” he replies, turning back to the lesson to hide her from Mrs. Holland, so she can eat the cookie in class and to give her space. Dick Grayson is not her friend, Robin is, she doesn’t want to hear from him now.

After that incident, he tries to be more mindful of it. It’s no good breaking their secrecy just because he wants a friend. So, life goes on as normal and Dick and Barbara are strangers.

That is until Poison Ivy throws Barbara off a roof and Dick is nearly too late to save her. He can’t do that. He doesn’t want to. When he comes home with Bruce that evening, he says: “Barbara should be in the know.”

Bruce gives him a look – not a mean one, not a dismissive one, just curious – and asks: “What’s the reasoning?”

Dick likes that about Bruce, he’s always willing to hear him out. He’s not his dad, not really. He won’t ever be his dad – well, not soon anyway – he’s too young and inexperienced. He doesn’t treat Dick like a son, he treats him like an equal and, honestly, Dick can use that right about now.

“She totally figured it out already,” Dick exclaims. “She always figures it out before me, there is no way she doesn’t know. Pretending she doesn’t for your ego won’t help. We need to work together better, getting her on the com system will help, but Alfred is on there too. So, she’ll need to know, right?”

“Alright, next patrol we’ll tell her,” Bruce agrees and some nerves that he hadn’t been aware of are soothed by that answer.

“Whoo!” he cheers, because cheering and being happy about that is better than thinking about how she looked when she fell. How they looked when they fell.

“But wait until patrol,” Bruce warns. “We- we had an encounter as Batgirl and Bruce. She might not believe without seeing and you never know who’s listening.”

“Alright,” Dick agrees easily. He can totally wait until patrol. Then he tastes the blood in the mouth, mixing with Alfred’s cookie and he wrinkles his nose as he says: “I think one of those plant monsters punched out one of my teeth.”

So, Dick spends the morning classes at the dentist to get checked out, luckily discovering that it was a baby tooth with an X-ray photo.

He’s happy when he gets to school in time for the break and even happier to see Barbara, alive and well. Sometimes it’s nice to have the reassurances and today he needs it especially. So, he walks over to her table, ready to sit down only for her to-

“No.”

“No?” Dick repeats, unsure where the no came from. Is she still mad about him getting mad? No, right? They were good when they parted, he made sure they were good. So why the no?

“No,” Barbara repeats, sounding more firm. “I don’t know why you’re obsessed with me, but no. Not in the mood. Scram.”

Hurt. That was the emotion Dick felt. They had had a rocky start, sure, but last night was their big finale, right? They finally got each other. What had happened between then and now that made her act like this? Unable to hide all of those thoughts whirling around in his head, he softly says: “I just want to be friends.”

“Why?” Barbara asks.

Dick frowns, isn’t that obvious? So, he shoots back: “What do you mean why?”

“What do you mean with what do you mean?” Barbara says, her brow furrowed as she watches him, before suddenly her eyes widen, as if she realizes something.

It hits Dick that he was wrong. She hadn’t figured it out- well, she has now. He gave it away and now she knows and they’re staring at each other. A stalemate.

If he doesn’t say something soon, she might and then Bruce will get mad because he was supposed to wait for patrol and not spill the beans, because who knows who might be listening. She can’t, under any circumstances, mention their night life.

So, he panics and quickly says: “You’re right, I’m being weird. My bad,” and prepares to make a hasty retreat. He can try again tomorrow.

Before he can successfully get away, however, Barbara stops him: “No, I was being rude. Sit down.”

That’s an order if he’s ever heard one and while Robin has never listened to Batgirl giving an order, he isn’t being Robin right now and despite his screw up, he does want to befriend Barbara. It’s only natural, right? She’s his ally. His backup. His friend.

It’s quiet.

And awkward.

Dick is terrible at awkward silences, so he tries to find something to say that won’t put her on the sidekick topic, but also isn’t too out of place. In the end he settles on: “So, uhm, what is your favorite color anyway?”

Barbara laughs and he mentally facepalms, though he can’t help but be happy that Barbara is happy again, not sad like she was last night. He also likes that he gets to see her eyes as she looks at him and smiles. “Purple. It’s purple,” she answers.

Ha, he thinks, called it!

#rr writing #dick grayson and barbara gordon #dick grayson #dick grayson is robin #robin #robin dc #barbara gordon #barbara gordon is batgirl #batgirl #batgirl and robin #bruce wayne #batman #alfred pennyworth #dc #dc comics #growing pains au #early days batman #the batman 2004

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melbournenewsvine · 2 years

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The court said that the accused in the murder of Molcher had bragged about the killing before

Sharon Graham, 61, is accused of asking Roser and Koenig to kill her ex-partner and making it look like an accident. Graham and Roser, 63, have pleaded not guilty to the murder, with the former successfully advancing for a separate trial. Koenig pleaded guilty to being an accomplice after the murder this year. The King’s attorney general, David Meredith, said at Rosser’s murder trial that it was ridiculous to consider the quiet “one-syllable” Koenig a man with connections to the underworld. Rosser said Graham told him that Koenig had a “mafia connection” and that he knew people who could “get rid of you”. Roser said the two men were involved in Graham’s various schemes to kill Saunders in exchange for his $750,000 life insurance. The court first heard Rosser murdered Saunders in the Nambour home where he lived with Graham. Graham then allegedly gave him Koenig’s pistol in a plan to ambush Saunders near his workplace. The ill-fated fishing expedition was also discussed. Each time, Rosser says he refused. By mid-October 2017, Graham told the two men about her new plot to kill Saunders while clearing trees on a friend’s property, Roser said. The idea was to make death look like an accident. “I said I wouldn’t do that,” Rosser said. But the pressure escalated during their last day on the property, when Koenig repeatedly told him that he had to get rid of Saunders and that “Sharon is counting on you.” The court heard that Graham sent offensive texts asking him to “hurry up and do the job.” Rosser said he refused and continued to work. Next, he heard whip cracks or the sounds of gunshots and saw Saunders falling onto the machine. “I said what the hell is going on here,” Rosser said. “Well, it’s done now,” he said. Hearing his caution about Koenig’s “dangerous criminal associates,” the court complied when asked to help dispose of the body. Rosser said Koenig shot the slicer and pushed Saunders into the machine, then stopped with the legs sticking out. loading “He said ‘Oh that should be enough,'” Roser said, adding that Koenig took charge and made sure they got their story right before the police arrived. Meredith said Koenig spoke very little and wasn’t the kind of “dynamic” person who would come up with a detailed plan of what he was going to tell the police. “[Graham] He recruited you because you were so eager to be with her, and you gave the impression that you could actually… kill Bruce,” he said. But Rosser protested, telling the court: “I wanted to be with her, but I didn’t want to kill anyone.” He said he was initially convinced that Graham’s murderous plans would fizzle out, so he never approached the police. After Saunders’ death, Graham and Koenig allegedly told Roser that if he talked to anyone about what happened, they would “make life uncomfortable.” Convinced that they were having an affair, Rosser also feared that he would point the finger at him. The court heard that Koenig was always around and had a strange intimate relationship with Graham. She would call him “Boo-Boo” and hand-feed him, while at other times, Rosser allegedly saw them kissing and cuddling. However, Rosser remained by Graham’s side after Saunders’ death, even moving into the dead man’s room with her the night after the lumberjack incident. “I was pretty lonely at that point,” Roser said. When asked if he was appalled by Saunders’ death, Rosser told the court that he was. “Oh yeah… I was really cut off [it]. “ The trial resumes before Judge Martin Burns on Monday. Source link Originally published at Melbourne News Vine

#Melbourne News Vine

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iphoenixrising · 3 years

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DickTimWeek2021 Day 2

** Day 2: Time Loop | Jealousy | Stray AU

Welp. Time to break some hearts.

They’re laughing like assholes as they climb through Timmy’s penthouse windows.

“Did you see that thug punch himself in the face?”

“That’s the right way to get out of an ass beating by the Batman.”

Tim, still in Red Robin, doesn’t even bother, just lets his knees buckle so he can slide down to the floor and laugh until tears are rolling down the dominio still plastered on his face.

He’s riding the concussion train with

(J)

Josephine and she’s not as bad as some of them are.

Dick at least tosses the gloves and gauntlets before hauling Timmy’s bruised ass up off the floor, throwing the arm around his shoulders.

“C’mon, you butt. Really Timmy, just laying here in your suit? Alfred would be appalled.”

“S’why I don’t go to the Manor much anymore.”

“Ooh, I’m telling. You’re going to be in so much trouble,” as he gets Tim down the hallway to the bathroom.

“Y-You can’t! You’re the oldest! Dami’s supposed to be the tattle-tale!”

“Nu-uh. As the oldest, I can do whatever the hell I want.”

And does he tell on Timmy? You bet your ass he does.

It’s nice when Alfred can look at someone else in the family with extreme disappointment.

Tim comes by the Manor the day Alfred video chats him, shuffles down to the Cave behind the butler and absolutely sticks his tongue out at Dick’s smarmy grin.

His apartment is a literal mess and Dick can’t be bothered to do much more than flop on the overstuffed couch with a groan.

Still in his uni from the day shift, he’s too bruised and battered and tired to even think of suiting up for the night. He’s been running himself ragged for two months, the day and night shifts blending together along with the usual bullshit of daily human life, and he desperately needs a night of terrible television, junk food, and snuggles.

Like he’d been reading the room, Timmy walks out of his bathroom, towel around his shoulder and hair just this side of damp.

“Hey, you made it home in one piece.” Tim’s long fingers in his hair literally pulls a noise out of Dick he can’t ever remember making.

“Yeah, I drove down because you looked like death warmed over when we talked last weekend. Luckily for you I went grocery shopping, did a few loads of your laundry, and cleaned up a little so you don’t have to worry about housework.”

“I love you. Have I told you that recently? Like, so, so much–” is muffled by the couch cushions, but he thinks Tim can probably still make it all out.

“Mmhm, I know,” and the gentle scratching against his scalp doesn’t stop, and Dick goes a little boneless with it. “I even brought my Roku so we can binge watch terrible television while you eat something more substantial than cereal. Alfred is going to be so proud of you.”

A pat to his head and Timmy is off, slinging his towel on the rack, turning on the shower again to make sure it’s nice and hot for all those bruises and contusions.

He’s no-nonsense about picking up his previous mentor and best friend, literally stripping him down and manhandling him in the shower after a low whistle at the span of blue/black across Dick’s chest and ribs, the scrapes across his back and shoulders.

The first aid kit tackle box makes an appearance because Tim plans for literally everything ever, and Dick finds himself sitting on his sink wearily while his injuries are meticulously treated.

He knows he eats something super tasty with meat and vegetables, his belly full, before Tim pulls him down on the couch and lets Dick lay against his chest, between his legs to sleepily float while watching God-awful B-movies.

It’s the most relaxing weekend he’s had in a while.

Dami sneers at Tim, arms crossed over his chest, the expression on his face begging Tim to try to deny it.

The third Robin however, is looking over at Dick with horror that the big secret is finally out in the open.

“Th-that isn’t– it’s not–” Tim fumbles desperately, “he’s been my big brother forever, that’s it!”

“Tt. Grayson may be painfully oblivious, Drake, but the rest of us are detectives. Even Todd knows of your feelings and he rarely even comes to the Manor!”

Tim’s soul literally leaves his body.

Dick blinks, completely taken back, mouth open without anything coming out.

Damian raises his eyes skyward and prays for patients dealing with these two. “What I am saying,” he tries, he really is trying here, “is that you two must cease and desist this pointless–” vague hand wave– “pining for one another. It is getting to the point of absurdity. I demand you two either discuss your need for one another or take this ridiculous mooning elsewhere. The rooftops of Gotham is no place for this,” another hand wave, “utter nonsense.”

Tim’s mouth goes dry, subtly backing away to be closer to the Ducati’s waiting for tonight’s ride. He’s pretty sure he has enough energy left in his shaky knees to hop on one and be the fuck out of the Cave before his face literally bursts into flames.

But, well. Dick was Batman.

His strategic retreat is stomped into the ground by acrobatic leaps and a very well done joint lock to keep him from immediately taking off.

Dami scoffs at them on his way up the winding staircase. He stops Pennyworth on the way and turns the butler to return back into the Manor proper, citing those two needed time to figure themselves out.

After several weeks under deep cover, Nightwing wearily hacks into Titan’s Tower and makes his way through the maze of hallways until he hits a hidden panel.

Tim is sleeping on his desk, only one empty coffee mug at his workstation. Even dead in his boots, Nightwing can take a second just to look, just to sigh, just to enjoy how much every inch of this boy is his.

He journeys down the hall, flips the bed covers up, carries his sleeping partner in and tucks the blankets around him, a quickly there kiss to the top of messy, too-long hair. A shower in Tim’s perch literally makes everything in life a little less awful and exhausting, not enough for him to do much more than crawl in bed against Tim’s warm body and snuggle up close.

He gets breakfast in bed and blue-violet eyes looking at him with fondness rather than awe, gets coffee flavored kisses and a slow-paced back rub that continues down to his thighs and calves and feet. Later, he gets a date night in a nice restaurant and a sweet San Fran club scene for dessert. He gets to let loose and hold Tim’s body against him, to play them both until the gazes are intense and the low key UST between them makes other people on the dance floor give them space.

Witty banter is a primary weapon against megalomaniacal bad guys of any flavor. For some former Robins, it’s an art form.

Over the years, they’ve cultivated their dip and distraction to bounce off one another like a well-oiled vigilante machine.

It should have been a standard take-down because it’s not one of their more dangerous, deadly villains. It’s not one of the Rogue Gallery baddies. It’s not one of the mobster families, not one of the super powered groups come to call. It’s not someone with hordes of thugs and deadly science waiting to take them down.

It’s a simple B&E, just Nightwing talking it up to draw gunfire while Red Robin is creeping up from behind to get the last laugh.

It’s one of a thousand times they’ve done this.

It’s a guaranteed win.

It’s the last hour of patrol before they get to go back to Red’s penthouse and snuggle together, eat and show, probably have some fantastic sex before passing out.

The .45 shell, however, cuts through the suit, between armored plates.

Going after the running baddies is automatic, taking them down, zip ties, and viola. They’re ready for GCPD to pick-up, all kinds of gift-wrapped.

When N finally realizes Red isn’t with him, isn’t answering comms, isn’t waiting for him on the roof, he goes back inside. He hits up B for a ride in the big car in case he missed –

– anything.

The pool of blood around Red Robin is more than he can afford to lose, and Nightwing has been in the vigilante life for over twenty years, has been official with Red Robin for a little over two, has personal experience on how his Baby Bird can take a mostly-fatal beating and still keep moving. He’s seen Tim come close with the Clench, with horrifying injuries, with any of the many bad guys they fight holding him hostage.

Nightwing has seen him perform literal miracles.

And tells him so the entire time he’s got Red Robin up in his arms, carrying him through Gotham’s skyline to the waiting car, falling in with Red on his lap when the familiar hatch slides back, the tourniquet already applied before he even shot a grapple. The struggling pulse is enough of a concern to get it together.

And even if they all gather to strip off the suit, and now it’s on to get vitals back to an acceptable range. Even if the Bats cry overhead, even if the equipment is top notch in the Cave, even if Dick is still talking the whole time, and Alfred is keeping a cool head and Bruce is gripping a hand and Damian is standing at the ready to hand implements and Cass is biting her thumbnail while she hovers and Steph is moving from empty space to empty space around the gurney –

The consistent beep of the flatline cuts through it all.

The Titans make it for the service.

Each of them make a point to hug Dick for as long as possible, holding on tightly.

Bruce is silent and stoic, a little boy again when he has to watch someone else he loves being lowered into the cold, unforgiving ground. Another Robin taking a piece of his heart to the afterlife.

Steph is red-eyed, a ghost moving around to individual circles, listening to stories she might not have known.

Cass grips the coffin with bruised knuckles, her whole body wound tight as a string ready to snap. She doesn’t move the entire service, is already convinced leaving him to his own devices caused this whole thing. She doesn’t blame the thugs or Dick or Bruce. She blames the boy that never understood how much it all means.

Duke Thomas is back in Gotham, taking leave from the Outsiders to be here for the family that took him in after the Joker drove his parents insane. He hovers in the doorway to welcome mourners, direct them toward the book to sign-in, talks about Tim Drake with regular humans and other metas in disguise, accepts condolences with his throat tight and his eyes watery. He makes sure Dick has a bottle of water after the first hour, pats Damian’s shoulder, grips Bruce’s arm, weaves an arm around Cassandra’s back to give her a squeeze, obediently looks at the old pictures of Tim on Steph’s photo roll when she’s overcome and has to see that smile again.

In the back, Jason Todd wears dark shades and a clean black suit. Roy Harper is beside him, a hand on the broad back to keep him grounded, to keep the Pit rage at bay. If anyone knows how far Tim and Jason had come over the years, it’s the former Red Arrow. If anyone knows how much agony Jason is in at this moment, at another fallen brother, another Robin gone, if anyone had held the Red Hood while he screamed and cried and broke the utter fuck down, it’s Roy Harper.

Damian Wayne hovers right by Grayson’s side, silently supporting his first Batman, his first brother. Whenever Dick’s eyes start going hazy, glazing over, Damian gently grips a wrist to bring him back, allows fingers to lace through his own and tolerates the tight squeeze that obviously assists in grounding the oldest Robin.

(Later when the night is crowding grief-stricken Wayne Manor, Damian will be the one to open Grayson’s bedroom door, lift the covers to crawl in behind him, to wind both arms tightly. He will be the one to take the onslaught of grief, to be soaked in tears and snot, to listen to the broken, hoarse voice, to make soothing hums that ultimately mean nothing.)

Alfred Pennyworth quietly talks with the funeral director about the arrangements. Of course Master Timothy would want to be laid to rest with his parents, and the family appreciates all the support and ease of process as the deceased was an important part of the Wayne family.

When he gets a phone call, he firmly verifies the name on the tombstone is Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne Grayson.

Exactly four days after the service, the Flash is staring at him helplessly, gripping Nightwing’s arm tight, “please, please, Dick, don’t do this. You can’t think this is the answer!”

He can barely hear Wally with the absolute destruction going on around them, the machine they’d inadvertently stumbled upon (which is a lie, Nightwing had been looking for it and the Flash basically caught him red handed).

“You know you aren’t going to be able to stop me.” Standing between the glowing portal and Wally, debris from overhead crashing down on them at intervals, Nightwing is at his peak stubborn, “no matter how fast you are.”

“You don’t understand what’s going to happen,” Wally yells desperately as the vacuum starts pulling at Nightwing’s other arm, pulling him into–

–the Speed Force.

“You don’t have the lightning, Dick, you won’t be able to get yourself out, and I won’t have any way of tracking you!”

The small smirk as the machine’s panel starts going haywire, lights blinking and readings off the charts, makes Wally’s heart clench hard in his chest, makes him try to dig in his heels, makes his stomach tremble.

“You have no idea how many times I’ve already done this, Wally. And I’ll do it as many times as it takes until I change everything.”

The pellet Nightwing palmed before the Flash grabbed his hand goes off the same time the machine hits the highest ratings and a low boom is followed up with an intense swirling suction, pulling the heroes closer to the portal’s surface.

The light grenade goes off without a hitch and the Flash has no choice but to let Nightwing go.

They’re laughing like assholes as they climb through Timmy’s penthouse windows.

#dicktimweek2021 #dicktim #dick grayson #tim drake #sad times #time loop #winter writes #my ficlet

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afni-fics · 3 years

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In Hindsight: Chapter 5: In the Present... At Face Value

In Hindsight: Chapter 5: In the Present... At Face Value by C_R_Scott

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Tim Drake/Tam Fox, Jack Drake/Janet Drake, Janet Drake & Tim Drake, Jack Drake & Tim Drake, Lucius Fox/Tanya Fox, Tim Drake & Tam Fox

Characters: Tim Drake, Tam Fox, Janet Drake, Jack Drake, Lucius Fox, Bruce Wayne

Additional Tags: Tim Drake-centric, Family Drama, Family Secrets, Family Feels, Childhood Friends, Childhood Trauma, Childhood Memories, Childhood Sweethearts, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Good Parent Janet Drake, Bad Parent Jack Drake, no beta we die like robins, Bruce Wayne Tries to Be a Good Parent

Previous Chapter | Masterlist | Next Chapter

Story Summary: What if Tim Drake was originally raised by his maternal grandmother for the first eight years of his life due to "circumstances" involving his biological parents? What if Tim's grandmother was also the next door neighbor and occasional sitter for Lucius Fox's family?

Chapter Summary: When Tim was a child, his father Jack had told him and his mother that his beloved grandmother had passed away while she was in the hospital due to pneumonia. But eight years later, a trusted family friend is telling him something very different.

"Is that what Jack told you and your mother? He told you both your Nana was dead?"

Out of all of Bruce's Robins, past and present, Tim was proud of having the distinction of being known as the best detective out of all of them. His mind was as nimble as Nightwing was agile. He had figured out Batman's true identity at age nine. He discovered his father was lost in time when everyone else thought he was dead. He successfully routed Ra's al Ghul and prevented him from stealing Wayne Enterprises out from under the family.

Unfortunately, having such a nimble mind meant that the moment Lucius Fox's words left his mouth, Tim was already more than halfway to formulating a theory based on the statement he heard and the context of the conversation that immediately preceded it. However, it was the horrified tone of Lucius's voice, the appalled expression he saw on the elder man's face, and something deeper in his subconscious that slammed the brakes on his thought processes and caused his brain to short circuit before it could reach the conclusion they had been barreling towards.

Tim froze. He felt his heart stutter in his chest. Outwardly, he clamped down on his composure before daring to add his voice to the air. He took a deep breath and released it slowly.

"I'm fine," he thought to himself. "This is all just a misunderstanding."

Everything Jack told him that awful day was burned into his memory. It was the very first death of a loved one in his life and his first experience with grief. However, it endured it. He accepted it. He moved on.

"Everything is fine."

"Of course he did," Tim said matter-of-factly with a slight tilt of his head. "Nana was sick. She passed away in the hospital. Dad told us the day he got the call."

However, Tim felt a churning start low in his stomach as he observed Lucius's reaction to his words. The sensation was faint at first, but grew slowly in intensity as he watched the man on the other side of the desk. Lucius's expression was stricken as he shook his head. "No. Timber..." he started tentatively, as if trying to speak to a spooked animal. "That's not... Your grandmother isn't--"

"She had pneumonia," Tim interrupted with a shake of his head as he turned away from his old family friend, from the man who had been like an uncle to him once upon a time. "And she never got better." He closed his eyes as he clung to his faded memories from that horrible time so many years ago. "Mom was so depressed because we couldn't go to the funeral. She and Dad had a job in Cairo the same--"

"Timothy--"

He felt Lucius's hand settle on his shoulder. It should have been a comforting gesture, along with the elder man's gentle but firm expression of his full name. Instead, it caused of army of goosebumps to race across his skin and seemed to disconnect his brain from his voice box. Lucius waited until Tim hesitantly turned to meet and hold his gaze before continuing.

"--There was no funeral."

The muscles beneath Lucius's hand tensed immediately.

"It took a few months, but she recovered. She went home. She's alive."

Tim shook his head again before finally finding his voice. When he spoke, his tone was strained and brittle.

"No. That can't be right," he said. "Dad said... He told us she died. Why would he tell us that if it wasn't true?"

"I'm sorry Tim, but Jack lied to you and your mother."

The faded memories in Tim's mind began to crack. The aborted theory his brain had been processing earlier suddenly re-asserted itself and reached its logical conclusion. However, it was not a conclusion that Tim was in any frame of mind to accept.

Not in that moment.

"I'm sorry Lucius. I... I need to go."

Before Lucius could say anything more, Tim shrugged himself out from under the older man's hand and slipped out of the office, shutting the door quickly behind him.

As soon as he was in the relative privacy and safety of the elevator, he used his security clearance to make sure it would go straight to the garage where his car was parked without stopping on any other floor. As the elevator descended, Tim backed himself into the corner and buried his face in his hand while his mind ran a mile a minute.

"Nana can't be alive. Dad said she died...

"But Lucius would never say something like this if it wasn't true...

"But it can't be true...

"If Nana's alive, then that mean...

"No! That makes no sense...

"Dad wouldn't have lied to me about Nana...

"He wouldn't have lied to Mom...

"He couldn't have...

"He didn't...

Tim lifted his head from his hand and stared at hand, which was trembling slightly.

"Did he?"

It was a little nearly ten in the morning when Bruce's cell phone started ringing, the light from the screen illuminating the nightstand that rested next to his bed in the otherwise pitch black room. A weary arm snaked its way out from beneath the thick comforter on the bed. It took several tries, but finally the hand landed on the phone and pulled it toward the head still lying on the pillow.

Bleary eyes squinted as they peered at name on the too-bright screen before reluctantly pressing the "Accept" button.

"Yes Lucius?" Bruce mumbled, his deep voice weighed down by the bone-deep fatigue trying to drag him back into slumber.

"Is Tim at the manor?"

Bruce's brow furrowed. There was an edge of distress in his old friend's voice that managed to shove some of the lethargy out of his mind with a small spike of adrenaline. He pushed himself up into a seated position. "He shouldn't be? Last I saw him was around five am in the Cave before I went to bed. Did he not make it to the office?"

"He did," Lucius confirmed as Bruce put on his bluetooth headset so he could pull on his housecoat. "But something happened in the office that upset him, and now he won't answer my calls and the tracker in his work cell has been shut off."

It didn't take long for Bruce to leave his bedroom and go a few doors down the hall to Tim's bedroom. As he expected, the room was empty. The bed itself was still perfectly made with Alfred's usual attention to detail, but his closet door was open and there was a notable gap where one of his spare business suits was missing. His bathroom door was also ajar. Tim may not have slept at the manor, but he did shower and change there before heading to work.

"What happened at the office?" Bruce asked as he left Tim's room and made his way downstairs to the kitchen.

It took longer than it should have for Lucius to answer. "It's complicated."

Bruce frowned. Something was wrong. He could feel it in his bones. "One moment Lucius." He'd just entered the kitchen and zeroed in on Alfred, who was sitting at the breakfast nook sipping a cup of tea.

The old butler was startled at the sight of the Wayne patriarch awake and out of bed before noon. "Master Bruce? What on earth--"

"Has Tim come back from the office this morning?"

Alfred shook his head. "No. I haven't seen him since he left the manor around eight am." He set down his teacup and immediately got to his feet.

"Can you check the Cave and make sure he didn't return when no one was looking? Also, if he's not there, can you activate the tracker in his personal cell and find out where he is right now?"

"Of course sir." With a crisp nod, Alfred went to the library where the entrance to the Cave was hidden.

Finally, Bruce turned his attention back to Lucius. "I'm back, so explain. What happened at the office?"

"It actually started last night when Tim got hit with Crane's new fear toxin..." Lucius told Bruce about the encounter Tim had with Tam after crashing into her apartment, and quickly explained how Bruce's adopted son was actually the same boy who used to live next door to him for several years as he was raised by his grandmother.

Bruce absorbed the new information with confusion. "Ok... That's definitely surprising, but doesn't sound bad at all. Why would that upset Tim?"

On the other end of the phone, Bruce could hear Lucius groan in frustration. "When Tim was eight, his grandmother got sick and ended up hospitalized so he had to go back to living with his parents. Then Jack told him and his mom that his Nana had died."

"I remember. Before I adopted Tim, he told me all his grandparents had passed away, and he had no other living relatives."

"Jack lied."

Bruce's blood ran ice cold in his veins. "What?"

"Tim's grandmother never died. Her name is Susan Klein and she still lives next door to my family. I tried to tell Tim his Nana was alive, and that's when he ran off. I think he's in denial."

Bruce had to sit down as he processed this information. For years, he'd cared for Tim while his parents were out of the country, and then after his mother died and his father was in a coma. And then when Jack died, he adopted the boy he'd grown to love as his own son... But it was all under the assumption that Tim had no one else in his life. Tim had believed he had no one else.

And it was all a lie?

"Why?" Bruce asked, confused. "Why would Jack lie about that?"

Before Lucius could offer any explanation, Bruce saw Alfred emerge from the library. "Timothy is not in the Cave, but I did track his phone. Right now he's stationary in his new house in Gotham. He's logged into his workstation in the Nest." The old man's brow furrowed. "I've tried reaching out to him both by phone and computer, but he's not responding to anything."

Bruce got to his feet. "We can talk more about this later, Lucius. Tim's at his new place in the city, so I'm going to check on him now."

"I'll have Tam meet you there."

"That's not necess--"

"Do either you or Alfred have a key to the front door, and have your biometrics been programed into the house security system yet?"

Bruce and Alfred shared a glance, but said nothing, much to both of their mutual surprises.

Lucius apparently took their joint silence as a negative. "Tam was present while the theater renovations were in their early planning stages, and her biometrics were preinstalled into the security matrix while Tim was programming it. She can get you in without the Nest locking itself down." Bruce could hear the sound of Lucius's computer shutting down as well as the rustling of an overcoat being pulled on. "I'll call Tam on my way home."

"You're leaving the office?" Bruce asked as he went to his bedroom so he could change out of his nightclothes.

"This is a family emergency, and Susan has been like a grandmother to my own kids for nearly twenty-five years now. She needs to know her grandson is alive and well."

Bruce had just gotten back to his room, though he paused at the door. That feeling of ice in his veins had reasserted itself. "Did she think Tim was dead?"

In the background, Bruce could hear the sound of Lucius taking the elevator. "Honestly... we didn't know what had happened to him," Lucius admitted in a low tone. "We weren't sure exactly what Jack was capable of back then."

Once inside his bedroom, Bruce immediately began to quickly gather his clothes to change. "Please Lucius. I want to help my son, but I need more information. Tell me what you know about Tim's parents and grandmother."

Author's Notes:

At first, I was going to make this a much longer chapter. However, midway through writing it, I decided to split this chapter into two parts, with another chapter taking place in the past splitting the differences. I really hope everyone is enjoying this tale so far. If anyone has any questions or comments, please feel free to post them. I'll do my best to answer them.

#tim drake#tam fox#tim/tam#red robin#fanfiction#wip#rr: in hindsight#batfam#batfamily#lucius fox#bruce wayne

#tim drake #tam fox #tim/tam #red robin #fanfiction #wip #rr: in hindsight #batfam #batfamily #lucius fox #bruce wayne

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atasteforsuicidal · 4 years

Note

Ra'sJay omegaverse? 👀👀👀

trigger warning for threats of rape, domestic violence, and implied past-rape

Damian hisses under his breath, and Tim ignores him, returning his attention to Bruce. He expects - no, hopes - to see some indication of guilt or horror, but all Tim can read off of him is anger. And it would be one thing, if that anger was directed at Ra’s and Ra’s alone, but Tim knows Bruce, and that grim turn of his lips is the same as it always is when Jason comes up in conversation.

It's a ploy, Bruce is probably thinking; Jason chose to return to the League. But Tim has already seen the rest, and he has more than enough reason to believe that that isn't the case.

On the screen, Ra’s turns back to Jason and fits his hand around his throat, squeezing in a way that has Jason reaching for his hand to try prying it off.

“Do not disrespect me, pet,” he warns, squeezing harder for a moment before he drags Jason closer. His other hand cups Jason’s cheek, his thumb brushing over his bottom lip briefly before his hand slips back, fisting into the omega’s hair. He lets go of Jason’s throat, but jerks his head to the side with the other hand, and the mating scar is visible for the briefest of moments before Ra’s leans in and sinks his teeth into the back of Jason’s neck. The scruffing makes him go lax, and the sharp keening noise he lets out sends shivers down Tim’s spine even though he’s already watched the video a dozen times. Bruce, however, appears to remain unaffected, though Tim does notice a muscle in his jaw tensing when Ra’s tosses Jason’s lax form to the ground. He wonders if it’s the behaviour that Bruce finds so appalling, or if it’s the way that Jason’s robe falls open to reveal his naked body, his swollen breasts. No matter how much Bruce has taught himself to hate his exiled son, the sight of a vulnerable omega splayed at an alpha’s feet should turn anyone’s stomach - especially anyone in their profession. The sound of the pup wailing louder at his dam’s distress only makes it harder to stomach.

“Listen well, Omega,” Ra’s says, his voice even as he steps closer and kicks Jason's legs apart seemingly just because he can, “I will allow you your little experiment, but should you ruin my heir, know this: I will breed you again, and again, and again, until your womb runs dry, and then I will take each and every pup that you deliver away before you so much as hold them. You will never lay eyes on them again.” The growl that Dick lets out is low and rumbling, and it makes the hair on the back of Tim’s neck stand on end. It’s gratifying to know that Tim isn’t the only one completely outraged by what Jason has to deal with. He risks a glance at Damian, and finds that even his youngest brother is pale-faced and wide-eyed, his grip on the desk white-knuckled.

#ra'sjay #rasjay #jason todd #ra's al ghul #tw rape #post rhato 25 ra'sjay abo fic #writing*#omega jason todd

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dato-potato · 4 years

Text

The Lost Son pt. 5

How about that, another part. AU where Talia leaves Damian in an orphanage when he’s five. Bruce and Damian don’t know about the other.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

——————————

Bruce continued to stare at the paper, “Master Bruce, do you perhaps recall your partners from thirteen years ago?” Alfred asked carefully.

Bruce thought for a moment before shaking his head. “I can’t think of anyone who I had relations with that wouldn’t have said something, anything,” as the past day’s events returned to him, his blood began to boil, “Or anyone who would do something like that to a child.”

Alfred turned curiously to Bruce, “I beg your pardon, sir, but what exactly is that?”

Bruce sighed heavily, rubbing his face roughly with his hands. “He had scars, Alfred.” the butler stared incredulously, “He had so many scars… When I asked him about it, he told me his mother had given them to him.”

When Bruce finally looked up at Alfred, the poor man was in complete shock. “Why?” Alfred asked simply.

Bruce shook his head. “The boy said it was from training.”

“Training?” the butler repeated, appalled.

Bruce looked down at the paper again, as if the answers to their question would suddenly appear. His thoughts were a whirlpool, rushing around him as he tried to grasp at them, trying to figure out who this boy was and where he came from.

“What do you suggest we do now, sir?” Alfred asked softly, pulling Bruce’s attention back.

Bruce tossed the paper in front of him, considering Alfred’s question. What would be the best course of action? Should he wait and investigate further into the boy’s history before he says anything? Did Damian even know that he was his father? Bruce took a deep breath. “I’ve no clue. Do you think the boy knows? That I’m his father?”

Alfred thought for a moment before shaking his head, “No, sir. I don’t believe he does. He’s said before he doesn’t know who his father is and I don’t believe he was lying.”

They were both silent for a long moment, both considering the situation, but neither one able to make any sense of it. “I just don’t get it. He’s using a fake name, whether he’s using it knowing it’s fake isn’t clear, but he obviously knows who his mother is,” Bruce paused, contemplating for a moment. “Is he afraid of getting her in trouble?” Bruce continued to speak his thoughts aloud, hoping something might stick out that could point them in the right direction.

“Master Bruce,” Alfred spoke hesitantly, catching Bruce’s attention, “I don’t think he’s worried about getting his mother in trouble, he told me she has already died.”

Bruce waved his hands out in front of himself, the exhaustion from the day finally catching up with him. “Then what? Why not tell someone?”

Alfred set his lips in a thin line, “What if the boy’s not afraid of his mother getting in trouble, but instead he’s afraid of getting himself into trouble?”

Bruce let that ruminate, looking back at the abandoned document in front of him before closing his eyes in an attempt to concentrate. He tried to think of what Damian, a child, could have done that would get him in any type of trouble. Nothing was coming up, draining Bruce even more as he did his best to keep his mind focused.

Alfred huffed, Bruce raised a tired brow up at the man, keeping his eyes closed. “But honestly, sir,” Bruce opened his eyes and looked up at the older man, “did you really have no idea that he was your son? None at all?”

Bruce furrowed his brows, “Of course not, if I had I would’ve said or done something. Besides, how was I supposed to know?”

Alfred raised a judgemental eyebrow. “Honestly, Master Bruce, and you call yourself the world’s greatest detective.”

——————————

It had been a week since Damian had gotten into trouble with the two meatheads from Mrs. Williams’ store, giving Damian some time to recover from the concussion they gave him. Or rather, Damian was forced to stay on bed rest for a week, minimum, or else Janet was going to restrain him and put an ankle monitor on him. He had no choice but to concede, allowing mostly Janet and Aurora to care for him, which they both thoroughly enjoyed. Damian, however, found it utterly excruciating. Or at least, that’s what he told them every chance he got.

After the one week, Damian was finally allowed out of bed, with the exception that he remain in the house at all times. The kids had just been put to bed, Damian started the kettle to boil some water.

“Making some tea, kiddo?” Janet asked as she slumped into one of the wooden chairs.

“Yeah, you want any?” Damian offered, glancing behind him to Janet.

She thought for a moment and then nodded, “But make sure it’s—”

“Sweet?” Damian finished, flashing a cheeky smile at the older woman.

Janet chuckled, “You know me so well.”

Damian nodded, adding an ungodly amount of sugar to her tea. He set it down in front of Janet and she took a long sip, humming her satisfaction. Damian sat down across from her, fidgeting in his seat. Janet raised an eyebrow at him, “So?”

Damian pursed his lips and looked away from Janet, idly fiddling with the mug in front of him. His heart was racing and he did his best to calm it with a deep breath. “So, I was thinking we should talk.”

Janet took another sip, waiting for Damian to continue. When he didn’t, she rolled her eyes, “Well, go on then.”

Damian cleared his throat, “Right.” His throat seemed to immediately seize up and dry out, a lump forming that he tried to desperately swallow down. Janet was beginning to look more concerned than the mild annoyance she wore before.

Janet reached out her hand to grasp Damian’s, attempting to comfort him. “Damian, what’s wrong? You’re shaking like a leaf, child.”

Damian didn’t like how tight his chest felt, it felt as if it was trying to collapse in on itself. He couldn’t breathe properly but forced himself on, this is exactly the type of thing that had been drilled into him since birth. He grasped Janet’s hand back. “I just, I wanted you to know, I didn’t want you to find out from someone else. If anyone should know, it’s you,” he said, but it was more for himself, a poor attempt at convincing himself that this was what he should do. Janet had more than earned it through their years together.

Janet’s lips twitched in a nervous smile when Damian didn’t elaborate further. “You’re making me anxious here, dear.”

Damian nodded, he was making himself feel anxious as well, that’s what that feeling was: anxiety. Ridiculous, he was trained since birth to become the perfect assassin, the perfect fighter, the perfect leader, and here he was, getting anxious over this? Damian couldn’t stop the dry, humourless laugh that escaped.

“Damian, my boy,” Janet smoothed her other hand over Damian’s that still held hers, “Whatever it is, it’s ok. You don’t need to tell me if it’s making you so worked up. You’re still recovering, can’t have you back on bed rest, Rory won’t leave you alone,” she tried to joke in order to lighten the tension.

He considered her offer for a moment but then shook his head, taking his hand out of her grasp and placing it in his lap. He felt jittery from the adrenaline now coursing through him and he hoped it would give him the courage he needed. “No,” he said firmly, voice no longer shaking, “I want you to know.”

Janet took her hands back as well, her face was still riddled with concern, but she kept it to herself as she sent Damian a small, reassuring smile and nodded.

Damian took a deep breath, steeling himself, “I wanted to tell you about my mother,” Damian said, his entire being letting out a massive breath. Like even just the act of saying he was going to tell her was enough, though, he knew that wasn’t the case.

Janet nodded solemnly, preparing for whatever he would tell her. “My real name is Damian al Ghul,” Damian watched Janet’s face carefully, searching for something. What he was trying to find, he didn’t know. He watched as the more time that passed, the more confused Janet looked and Damian berated himself. Why did he assume Janet would know who the al Ghul’s were, what they did?

Damian sighed softly, hands fiddling restlessly in his lap. “My mother was Talia al Ghul, daughter of Ra’s al Ghul, who was the leader of a very,” Damian paused, worrying his bottom lip in his teeth, trying to figure out the best way to say it. His heart picked up its pace, hammering inside his chest and Damian briefly considered that Janet could probably hear it too. “It’s a very dangerous organization.”

When Janet didn’t respond, Damian tried again, rubbing a hand down his face. “Janet,” the lump was back in his throat, attempting to stop him from saying anything more. Damian distantly wondered if that was some type of defence mechanism the League implemented on all members so no one could talk about it. He shook his head, ridding himself of such useless thoughts and focusing in front of him on the table before raising his gaze to Janet. “You do know I’m not exactly a normal child, right?”

Janet scoffed, her concern faltering for a moment, comforting Damian in an odd way. “Child, how many others have you seen come through this house? Out of the oddest of odd kids that have come here, you are by far the most abnormal.”

Damian chuckled softly at that, his breathing and heart rate slowing slightly with the feeling of normalcy, the feeling of home that Janet exuded. “Right. Well, there’s a reason for that. I was trained since I was young to succeed my grandfather as the head of this group,” Janet nodded and he continued, “I was taught a wide range of things, from general studies, to advanced studies, to more… unpleasant things.”

Janet raised her brows, seeming to understand the meaning of Damian’s words. “What do you mean by unpleasant, Damian?”

Damian closed his eyes for a moment before focusing back on Janet. He let himself worry, if only for one moment, that Janet may not accept him after this. That she might even go so far as calling the police and tell them what he’d said and he’d either be arrested or sent to Arkham Asylum. If she didn’t want him around anymore, he’d deal with that, he could get by on his own. Probably.

“I was taught how to hurt people, in the worst and most permanent ways.”

Janet took that in, sipping thoughtfully at her tea. Damian couldn’t hold her gaze any longer, his anxieties getting to him, she didn’t want him around her or the children anymore, she knew and she was going to kick him out for good. He thought about how much time he had, what he could fit into his backpack before the cops or whoever else Janet would call got there. Rory’s smiling face crossed his mind, making him wince. He probably wouldn’t have time to say goodbye to her. Would she be upset? Surely she would, she’d probably kick up a fuss and go out on her own to find him. A small smile fought its way to Damian’s lips at the thought of her.

“All right,” Janet spoke clearly, no hesitation in her voice, dragging Damian back from his thoughts of running.

Damian felt like he had whiplash from how quickly his head snapped up to search her face. “All right?”

Janet nodded, “Yeah. That was before, right?” she asked and Damian nodded his head slowly, still trying to wrap his head around her words. Janet nodded back, a smile growing on her face. “Good. And you don’t plan on going back there, do you?” Damian shook his head. There was no way he’d ever go back. “Then we’re fine.”

Damian just breathed for a long minute as Janet took a sip at her quickly cooling tea.

“You’re just, fine? With me?” Damian spoke quietly, surprising Janet and himself with how small and young he sounded. “You’re just accepting the things I’ve done, things you don’t even truly understand?”

Janet set her mug down and sighed gently, “Damian,” she started, as if he were a small child who couldn’t understand why the sky was blue or why one plus one equals two. “You have no intention of harming the children, do you?”

“Of course not,” Damian said, a little more harshly than he meant, but he was a bit offended she would even ask if he’d ever hurt them.

Janet only smiled triumphantly and picked up her tea. “Exactly.” Damian stared wide-eyed at the old woman. “Damian, you are not who you were when you were with your mother. You are not who you were when you first began living here, hell, you aren’t even who you were a few months ago.”

Damian felt his entire body relax, releasing a tension he wasn’t even aware he had as his eyes searched for a hint of doubt in Janet. When he couldn’t find it, he looked around the room, for what, he wasn’t sure, but he had no idea what else to do.

Janet chuckled and then smiled tenderly at him, her eyes softening and taking Damian’s hand back in her own. “My child, you are an astonishing young man who has been through so much more than most people three, four times your own age. It’s all right. I’m very happy you’ve decided to share this with me, but it doesn’t change who you are in the now, who you were before is not an issue.”

Damian was stunned into silence, words completely abandoning him as Janet rose from her seat to make her way around the table. She pulled Damian’s arms up and he obeyed, standing facing her and Janet pulled him to her in a tight hug. He had been hugged by Janet before, but that was different. That was the type of hug a mother gives, the type of hug Damian had never received. His heart seemed to drop as he released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding as he wrapped his arms around Janet.

“You silly, stupid boy,” Janet sniffled, “You’ve never been whatever you thought you are, whatever you’ve managed to convince yourself you are, never,” Janet brought her hands up to his head to move him back so she could look at him, “You have something great within you, something no one could ever teach or take away from you, and it drives you to be great, to be good.”

Damian felt like his entire body began to shut down, everything malfunctioning as this woman in front of him, who he had come to think of as a sort of mother figure, told him every single thing he had yearned to hear for so long but had long abandoned any hope of actually hearing.

Janet laughed wetly, tears flowing like steady streams down her face, “For how much you boast that you’re some sorta boy genius, you sure look dumbfounded now.”

Damian couldn’t do anything more than stare at Janet and ask why, why hadn’t he been given a mother like her? Someone who would love him unconditionally, no matter what. No matter how he was raised and what he was told was right and wrong, no matter what kind of monster he had convinced himself he was.

“Thank you,” he whispered as Janet tugged him into another hug which he gladly accepted.

Damian took his now abandoned tea to the sink, Janet close behind with her own mug. She stopped in the doorway of the kitchen, wiping a stray tear away as she spoke, “So you lived with your mother until you came here?”

Damian nodded, hesitantly, still unsure if he wanted Janet knowing everything. “Yes. Well, for the most part. I was training all the time so I didn’t see too much of her outside of that.”

Janet hummed. “And your father?”

Damian’s gaze found the floor. “I wasn’t lying when I said I don’t know. Mother said she’d tell me when the time was right, when I was ready, but she died before the time came.”

Janet stood still for another moment and then shooed Damian out of the kitchen before he could wash their dishes, chiding him for stressing himself while he’s supposed to be recovering.

Damian felt impossibly light like he was about to float away, into the night if he opened his window too much. It felt strange, but it felt like something he could get used to. Damian smiled softly to himself as he climbed into bed, closing his eyes and for once, feeling only peace as he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

——————————

Aurora yawned as she stepped carefully down the stairs, seeing the light still on in the dining room, and heading towards it. She scrunched her nose as she stepped off the last stair, her throat feeling impossibly dry. Before she could round the corner and ask Janet for a glass of water, the voices stopped her in her tracks.

The voices were hushed as if speaking about secrets that could only be told during the night like she did with her stuffed giraffe, Giraffery. Aurora could tell that it was Dami and Janet talking, though about what exactly, she didn’t quite catch. She caught one or two words, here and there. One thing stuck out to her.

“My mother was Talia al Ghul,” she heard Dami say and Aurora felt like she had been punched in the gut. Dami had never told anyone about his mother or father, or anything from before. Aurora had asked on multiple occasions, trying to catch him off guard so he might let something slip, but she had never succeeded. Why was he talking about his mother now? Was he going back? Would he leave her?

Aurora’s feet shuffled backwards, the only sound she could hear was her own heartbeat and the rush of blood in her ears. Dami couldn’t leave, he wouldn’t, right? They weren’t related but he was still her big brother, he wasn’t allowed to leave her, just like she would never leave him. She had to stay with Dami. If Aurora ever left, he would always come to find her, just like he had that one time with the bad guys.

If Dami left, Aurora would find him too, even if he was taken by bad guys, she’d... she’d fight them off and protect him, just like he had done. She could do it, Dami made sure she knew how to protect herself if anything happened. Aurora just needed Dami to stay. That’s where they both belonged, together with Janet and Giraffery. They were a family, and families stick together.

Aurora had made it back to her room and slipped back into bed, hugging Giraffery as she squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to sleep, forgetting all about her thirst.

——————————

Janet walked about in the kitchen gathering the various ingredients she needed for pancakes. She figured after the emotional night she and Damian had last night, it’d be nice to have some of her special cinnamon pancakes Damian had grown to like. She smiled to herself at the thought of the boy. He had been so closed off when he had arrived on her doorstep, like he was unaffected by anything, showing little to no emotion.

The first night he was there, she had given him clothes to sleep in and that was the first time she had seen such scars, on anyone. He was so young, yet it was glaringly obvious that the poor child had suffered greatly. Janet hadn’t known what to do for the first while, he didn’t play with the kids, and when they had managed to convince him to join, he didn’t know any games. He tended to drift off to the sidelines, watching them play as he pretended to read, but kept watch as if to keep them safe from something. After their talk, she supposed that may not have been too far off.

Hearing what Damian told her the previous night had been a shocker but it wasn’t as if she hadn’t made guesses as to his past, she just never thought he’d ever be open to talking about it. She was fine with that too, if he didn’t want to talk about it, she would support him for as long as he stayed with her. Through the time he had spent at the orphanage in Janet’s care, he’d grown into a fine young man. One that Janet was more than proud to call her own, even if it was only as his temporary guardian. She only wished for Damian to continue to grow and find his happiness, perhaps even finally accept someone’s proposal for adoption.

The phone rang, forcing Janet back to the present as she checked the analog clock. It was still early, none of the kids had woken up yet. She cautiously made her way over to the phone, picking it up off the hook and placing it on her shoulder to continue stirring the pancake batter, “Hello? This is Happy Home Orphanage, Janet speaking.”

“Good morning, Mrs. Norwell,” the voice sounded familiar but she couldn’t immediately place who it was, “my apologies for calling so early in the morning, it’s Alfred Pennyworth of the Wayne household.”

Janet paused stirring the batter as she switched the phone to her other ear, her brows furrowing. “Yes, of course, Mr. Pennyworth, what can I do for you this morning?”

“Master Bruce wanted to request an appointment,” the old man stated, leaving no room for debate.

Janet thought for a moment and then returned to stirring, “Right, well I will let Damian know when he gets up and I’ll have him call you right back,” she spoke in the same tone as he had, letting the butler know she wouldn’t set the boy up without his consent. Damian was weird enough around the billionaire, she wouldn’t force him to meet with the man if Damian hated it that much, whether he happened to sponsor their orphanage or not didn’t matter, her kids were her top priority.

The butler cleared his throat on the other end of the line before Janet had prepared herself to hang up on him. “He requested to meet with you, Mrs. Norwell, without the young sir.”

Janet stopped stirring again. “Mr. Wayne requested to meet with me. Just me,” she stated more than asked him.

“That is correct.”

Janet considered asking the butler why but ultimately decided against it. “All right, Damian will be out of the house this afternoon, please tell Mr. Wayne he’s welcome to stop by then.” Without waiting for a response from the butler, Janet hung the phone back up and stared into the batter before taking a deep breath and calming her racing heart.

She wasn’t sure exactly how she was going to handle the meeting, it all depended on what Mr. Wayne wanted.

——————————

After breakfast, the kids took off to the playroom, arguing who got the first turn with which toy. Aurora had been acting weird since the morning, sticking even closer to Damian than she usually did, and after eating, she excused herself from the table to go up to her room.

Damian stepped into the kitchen, carrying the dishes from the table to the sink. He tried to be as unassuming as possible, knowing if Janet noticed him doing things, she’d tell him to go rest even though he was pretty much completely healed. Janet sighed as she looked out of the window by the sink.

“What’s wrong?” Damian asked and Janet smiled kindly at him before raising an eyebrow at the dishes he was carrying.

Janet sighed and shook her head, still smiling. “Was it just me or was Aurora acting a bit weird?”

Damian pursed his lips and nodded, placing the dishes in the sink. “It’s not just you.”

Janet nodded and sighed again, clearly that wasn’t all she had been thinking about.

“Did you want to take the kids to the park in the afternoon?” She asked finally.

Damian grinned back at her, “You want me to take them to the park? I can go outside?”

She rolled her eyes and shoved him out of the way of the sink, “Yes, so don’t make me regret it.”

Damian nodded and headed up the stairs. He made his way to Aurora’s room, knocking softly on the door and waiting. When there was no answer, he carefully pushed the door open.

“Hey, Rory,” Damian spoke softly to the small girl who looked up at him with her round, brown eyes. “Did you want to come with me and the others to the park?”

She looked away for a moment and then shook her head, focusing back on the book she had in front of her. It was easy to forget that she was growing up, already reading and writing.

Damian sat carefully on the edge of her bed, placing his hand on her forehead, “Are you ok, little one?” He asked her gently. “You seem a bit out of it.”

Aurora shook her head again, “’m fine. Just a stomach ache.”

Damian nodded, not totally convinced, but understanding she clearly wanted to spend some time alone. He stood from her bed, “All right, well, the offer still stands. We’ll be leaving after lunch.”

——————————

Damian told Janet that Aurora wasn’t feeling well and would likely be staying home that afternoon. Janet nodded and said she’d get Grace to bring up some stomach medicine to her.

After lunch, Damian slipped his shoes on and guided the kids to the park with Grace who did indeed still work at the orphanage, but only on some weekends since the decrease in kids. Between that, and Damian helping out, the need to employ others to help out dwindled and Janet only ended up keeping Grace for a few weekends.

The kids waved goodbye to Janet as she waved back, waiting until they were out of sight before returning inside and putting the kettle on as she waited.

Not ten minutes later, a sleek black car pulled up to the orphanage, Janet taking a deep breath as she opened the door and prepared for Bruce Wayne.

——————————

sorry if this one wasn’t as exciting or anything.

Also if anyone is wondering, Grace isn’t as old as Janet (who’s in her mid to late 50′s by the way, I don’t think I’ve mentioned that yet...) but she’s in her late 40′s and was a good friend to Janet when she lost her husband. I actually have quite a bit of background for Janet and Aurora and some small points for some other smaller characters but they haven’t fit into the story as of yet and I didn’t want to force it in. Anyway, if anyone’s curious about any of the characters, feel free to comment or something and I will 100% be there to answer.

Thanks again for reading <3

#damian wayne #bruce wayne #alfred pennyworth #fanfic #batman #batfam #batfamily #its getting serious now #sorry if its bad #my fic

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angstsfordays · 4 years

Text

Stay With Me

Summary: You liked Steve. No, you still like Steve. When you finally confessed, he could not give you a definite answer. Your heart broke. But what happens when you came face to face with Steve the very next day, only this time he wasn’t really your Steve….

Pairing: Steve rogers x Enhanced!reader (Y/N)

Warnings: FLUFF. ANGST. MORE FLUFF. AND PERHAPS TEARS. A couple of swear words. Death.

Word count: 8987

Notes: HI EVERYBODY! This is my first Marvel fanfiction! I wrote fanfics before, but I have always been much more of a reader. After a 1.5 year hiatus, I felt compelled to write again. Hope everyone enjoys this piece. I still am trying to establish myself as a rookie writer.

This is AU and doesn’t fall in any of the MCU timeline. Let’s just assume that the world is currently at peace from Thanos and this is just set in an everyday Avengers timeline. A like, reblog or comment will be deeply appreciated :)

———————————————————————

You woke up with an unnerving feeling in your chest. You wondered why and then you were reminded of the day before. You had confessed to Steve. Yes that Steve, the Steve Rogers. Captain America. Your boss. Your hopeless crush. You joined the Avengers not too long ago. It had been over two years. You were an agent of SHIELD, but more importantly an enhanced individual.

You always had your powers since you were young but hid it to blend in. When you’re 20, you used your powers for the first time to save someone in danger. You ended up on SHIELD’s radar and then recruited into the academy.

You undergone training to become a SHIELD operative under Phil Coulson’s tutelage and was recognised to be an outstanding agent. However, more so often, you were not a stickler for rules and had gone off book several times in operations.

This placed you on a thin line to getting kicked out of the academy, but you always had the backing of Phil who grown a soft spot. You reminded him of his younger days and also his fellow colleague, Melinda May whom put the interests of saving lives at the forefront in their work.

When the Battle of New York happened, you were broken. Mainly because you lost your mentor and your dearest friend. You were teetering on quitting when Phil died in the line of duty. Director Fury pulled you back, reminding you of Phil’s sacrifice and how Phil thought the world of you, feeling that you had much potential to unfold. You continued working under Director Fury’s orders, working on special missions.

When SHIELD was taken down by HYDRA from the inside, you didn’t know who to trust. All you knew was that Director Fury had seemingly been assassinated. You wanted to find out what happened, but plans deviated when you realised you were on HYDRA’s radar. Your powers were of great interest to them and you were wanted. You had to abandon the place you felt like home and went into hiding.

A couple of years later, you resurfaced. You found yourself facing the Avengers while they were on a mission. No you were fighting not against them, instead you stumbled upon them while you were on the run. That’s when you saw Steve Rogers for the first time. It didn’t feel like the first time though.

Perhaps it was because you heard so much about him from Phil that you felt you already knew him. A smile formed on your face when you recalled Phil’s rambling of his love for the war hero. It was one of those moments when you saw him as the real Phil, and not just Agent Coulson- your supervising officer.

A HYDRA agent was going to aim for Steve from a hidden spot and you almost flew in to intervene. You knocked out the agent with your gloved fists engulfed in high density energy. You remembered staring into the sparkling blue eyes of Steve Rogers for the first time. His eyes widened at the sight of you- wondering who you were and what were you doing.

You heard backup coming and the two of you fought off a couple more HYDRA agents together. It was as if you had been working together your whole life, the two of you fought in sync. You covered for him and he did so for you. There was an unspoken synergy that happened between you two. When the last HDYRA agent went down, you two finally looked at each other once more. Panting and out of breath, you hunched over trying to catch your breath.

You heard his footsteps coming closer, as if to check on you. You looked up at him, and he took his helmet off. His crop but luscious blonde locks fell over.

“Hey, are you alright-” You heard his voice for the first time. It was not really; you had seen him before and heard him before. You remembered the video clips that were played in classes at the academy. SHIELD was founded on the legacy of Captain America afterall. But this was different. You heart started to beat wildly, knowing that he was speaking to you.

“Steve, are you alright?” Another voice appeared. It was familiar. You two both spun your heads in the same direction to see a scarlet head emerging in your sight. Natasha Romanoff. You had seen her before back at SHIELD. Phil had worked together with her and Agent Barton several times. You were introduced once to them before as his mentee.

“Who’s that with you?” She spoke once more. You started to panic, what was this situation with you, Captain America and Black Widow? You were supposed to be in hiding from the HYDRA operatives that came to capture you. Should you seek refuge with the Avengers? Would they keep you safe? You were not a hundred percent sure. You felt that you were still safest alone.

That’s why you decided to take flight. Literally. Because with your powers, you managed to push yourself off the ground and into the air, landing far away from where the two avenger members were.

The next time you saw Steve was in your apartment. You came home to see him standing in your kitchen. You dropped your bag of groceries and let out a scream that would have your neighbours appalled. Your powers came out almost immediately in defense and Steve had to duck when a shot of energy aimed at the kitchen cabinet behind him.

He raised both his hands in defense and assured he meant no harm. He explained that Natasha had helped him to track you down. He understood your situation and offered you a place in the Avengers compound. No more hiding and no more fear of surviving.

All previous resistance thrown out of the window, the sincerity in his eyes and voice won you over almost immediately. You knew not to trust people easily, that much Phil has taught you but how could you not when it was Steve Rogers.

So you then found yourself becoming a part of the Avengers. You blended into the group seamlessly, like you were an old-time friend. You had gotten closer to Natasha who was once an intimidating senior agent in your eyes. You became fast friends with Wanda whom you bonded over the love of food. More so of her cooking and you being the taste tester.

Sam and Bucky welcomed you into their group especially when you find yourself the buffer between their bickering. You always went along with Tony Stark’s antics and he saw you as a little sister. Bruce and you have a polite relationship, not having much in common but you still got along with him in the group.

Vision and you have a pretty interesting relationship, you found yourself as a life sensei to him whenever he was curious about the human way of life. You only met Thor a few times but you two had a friendly relationship whenever he visited Earth. He felt like another older brother to you.

Now. Where does that leave Steve Rogers? The man who brought you into this new life. You regarded him as your leader, captain and comrade. You wanted to impress him especially since he offered you a new chance in life. You always made sure you did your best during missions so as not to disappoint him. You wanted to be in his good books. You wanted him to like you as a teammate and maybe more?

You didn’t know when you started to have feelings for the American hero, but you believed it was gradual.

When you saw him in the morning eating disgusting plain oats, you offered to whip up some fluffy blueberry pancakes (which you learnt how to from Wanda). When you see his brows knitted to get his Netflix account created, you chuckled and decided to help the poor guy out. When he found in himself from unwanted attention at Tony’s gatherings, you slid in smoothly between him and the other party, coming up with smooth lies to help him out of an awkward bind.

You didn’t know why you wanted to do all of those things. Were you being nice? Or perhaps you wanted to be nice to him? He was on your mind most of the time. How can I make a good impression? How can I get closer to him? Your mind was always boggling with such thoughts.

Whenever he was in the room, your eyes always wandered off to him. You tried to subtly get closer to him- sitting beside him during movie nights, sitting across him during meetings. It was those little things that made you feel like you could signal your presence to him. You wanted him to notice you just as much you did for him. Of course, these things did not go unnoticed. Unfortunately, not by said man himself but everyone else in your inner circle.

Natasha caught your longing look at Steve one movie night, and she smirked to herself. She nudged your hips the next morning in the kitchen when Steve walked into the room. She gave you an all-knowing smile and your eyes widened in horror. How? You mouthed the word to her, and she just shrugged while looking all smug.

Wanda was the next one to know you both baked together for Valentine’s Day. You two were baking for everyone in the team. You decided to make a special cookie, she noted. One in the shape of a heart and with familiar colours of red, white and blue icing. Steve, Bucky and Sam were walking in from their workout in the gym when they smelt the scent of freshly baked goods.

Sam’s hands were reaching out for your special cookie when you turned your back to wash your hands in the sink. You let out a shrill scream of horror when you saw Sam picking it up and bringing it closer to his lips.

“STOP RIGHT THERE!” The three soldiers almost jumped back at your voice and Sam raised his other hand in surrender. You took your cookie out of his hands and dusted it off as if his touch sullied the baked biscuit.

“This is not yours, Sam. You can have those.” You pointed over to the other batch of cookies. They were all smaller in sizes, in the regular circular shape with generic red and pink icing drawn in heart shapes on the surface.

“What? Then the heck it that cookie for?” Sam retorted, almost offended.

You grinned sheepishly when you directed your eyes at a certain blonde soldier. Your previous bravado shaken as you tried to find your voice to speak. You swore your hands were trembling and you tried hard to not break the palm sized heart shaped cookie in your hands.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Steve. I uh made this for you.” Yes. You got the words out. The expressions on the faces of the other three people in the room would have been hilarious but they were not in your sight. You only had eyes for one person.

“What? How come he gets a special cookie from the rest of us? Now that’s just discrimination.” Sam quipped. Bucky shook his head like he could not believe how dumb Sam could even be. Wanda had to bite her lips back, when she realised what was going on all along. Oh my dear Y/N…she thought.

“Would you accept my it?” You added nervously when you noticed Steve did not give a response.

“Uh, thank you Y/N. That’s really nice of you.” Steve answered as politely as he usually did and took the cookie from your hands. When Steve just stopped at that response, Bucky looked like he was going to die from the stupidity of the men in the room except for him. Bucky also knew there and then what was happening. He could not believe his best friend was so oblivious.

“Hey, that’s unfair. I want one.” Sam whined almost like a child. Bucky face palmed himself and grunted.

You were a little disappointed at Steve’s response, nice of you? Urgh, you secretly wished he had more to say. Did you put him on a spot in front of his friends? How stupid could you have gotten?

“Fine fine, geez I will make a falcon-themed one for you, You big baby.” You huffed in annoyance, but also to mainly mask your disappointment. You quickly grabbed a piping bag. “Would you like one too, Bucky?” You mustered a smile on your face to make it seem like you were not affected by Steve’s response at all. Bucky gave you a look like he knew- he knew what’s up and he gave you a sorry look.

“Sure doll, I would love one.” Bucky said in hopes of making you feel better. You felt a hand on your shoulder and turned to see Wanda to give you a comforting smile. You fought to hold back the tears welling up in your eyes.

But that was not your actual confession to Steve.———————————————————————

That time came during an Avenger’s game night. The team was playing truth and dare Jenga. It was your turn and you hoped you gotten something that would not be too difficult to do.

“Tell the person across you something that you always wanted to say to them.”

You looked up immediately and were met with cerulean blue eyes. Your breath hitched when you realised who it was.

You cursed in your head and perhaps even muttered it under your breath. You felt the eyes of the rest of your teammates intently on you. After a minute, Tony started to get impatient.

“Come on kid, what do you want to say to Capsicle? There should be plenty right? If not drink up.” Oh boy, if only Tony knew. You looked nervously elsewhere and locked eyes with Natasha beside you. Your eyes then fleet towards Wanda who looked concerned and then to Bucky who almost looked nervous for you. Your legs were getting jumpy and then your hands lunged forward to grab the bottle of whiskey in front of you.

A series of ‘Nos’ came up, but you couldn’t hear them clearly as you drowned down the liquid. It tasted like fire down your throat and it almost burned. You stumbled backwards as you tried to recover your footing.

“Really, Y/N? You rather drink up than say something to Cap?” Tony jested. “By the way, you just drank Thor’s special Asgardian liquor by mistake.”

“What?” You let out a loud exclamation and you turned the bottle to see a flask bottle that you recognised to have been Thor’s.

“Oh boy.” A sudden wave of adrenaline surged through you and you had to close your eyes to gain your bearings once more. You opened your eyes to meet Steve’s eyes once more. You did not know what was happening next. The words left your mouth before you could even formulate it in your head.

“I LIKE YOU SO MUCH!” What was going on? You didn’t mean to say this out loud?! Why were you even saying it? You already drank to pass saying the truth. Why couldn’t you control yourself?

“I REALLY REALLY REALLY LIKE YOU, STEVE ROGERS.” You declared your love once more and you were shocked by your boldness. Everyone else was reeling in their seats as they looked at the situation unfolding in front of them. Tony Stark could be seen muffling his laughter at Y/N’s antic while a blonde soldier, who was at the end of the confession remained stiff in expression.

“CAN’T YOU HEAR MY HEART?” Your speech was slurred as you brought your hand to clutch the side of your shirt where your heart was.

“You have super hearing, right? Can’t you hear my heart beating like crazy? Whenever I’m around you, I feel like my heart is going to jump out of my chest because I like you much!” Your mouth continued to blabber, but your mind was reeling. Control yourself Y/N! You willed yourself but you couldn’t. Stupid Asgardian alcohol.

“I can’t hide it anymore. I need to let you know! I need to let the whole word know!” You flailed your hands out in motion. “Do you know how much it hurts to like you and not letting you know? I need to get this off my chest. Right here and right now!” You put a foot up on the table and stretched your hand out to point at Steve Rogers.

“Steve Rogers! Do you want to go out with me?” You asked boldly, not caring a hoot about everyone in the room. Your mind was chastising you for being foolish, but your heart felt fulfilled from doing what it always wanted to do.

There were gasps from people in the room. A series of ‘oh my god’ and suppressed laughter from others. Sam’s jaw looked like it was going to drop to the floor. Tony at this moment couldn’t hold back himself and howled. He needed to take a swig of booze to continue watching this. Bucky looked over to his best pal who looked like he didn’t want to be anywhere else but here.

Both Natasha and Wanda had worried expressions. They were glad you were able to confess but they also knew this was not the way you would want it to go. Vision and Bruce looked like they couldn’t believe what was happening in front of their eyes.

Steve Rogers was at a loss. The last thing he expected was a confession from you. Steve was not sure how to respond. He liked you alright, but he wasn’t sure if he liked you as much as you to him. He always seen you as a friend and teammate.

He remembered how shy you were when first joined. You were wary of everything, and it was normal. He read up on your profile. He was surprised to learn you were under Agent Phil Coulson’s personal tutelage. He knew the man and thought highly of him. Natasha gave in her input, remembering you were a spunky and enthusiastic rookie agent who always seemed to put in her best efforts.

When he realised you had been on the run from HYDRA because of your powers, he knew he had to step in. It was only the right thing to do. When he first saw you, he was taken aback at the girl who covered for him. You didn’t have to. If you did, you exposed yourself to the risk of your location to HYDRA. And when the two of you fought hand in hand, he felt a weird sense of camaraderie he did not expect to find in someone he met for the first time.

He remembered when you accepted his offer, he offered his hand but instead you pulled in for a hug. He was taken aback but gave in when he felt you shaking in his arms. You let out muffled cries and Steve could feel your sense of relief that you didn’t need to hide anymore. You were safe and he would keep you safe.

You opened up to the rest of the team almost instantly, your easy-going nature made everyone comfortable about you. You had an effortless way of getting along with people and you soon became an indispensable part of the team.

However, Steve started to notice while you were getting closer with everyone, he could feel like you were keeping a distance from him. While you were still friendly with him, he could not help but to feel that you showed hesitance around him.

Sure enough, you always did nice things for him, but Steve could not help but feel you were always guarded around him. You were unafraid to be silly and goofy around the rest of the team, but he could sense you always wanted to present a good image whenever he’s around.

When you were not looking, he could see you making faces to Sam across the room when meetings get boring and draggy. It was one late night, both you and Bucky could not sleep, and you offered to help Bucky with his nightmares when Steve happened to pass by the common kitchen.

The look of excitement when you brought out an entire tea set and assortment of tea selection laid on the table. “You should give up on coffee from now on. Tea is the way to go!” You said in a matter of fact tone. You went on to talk about the benefits of tea and how they helped you especially in the line of work you were all involved in.

You went on to brew actual tea leaves for Bucky, claiming it was even better than putting a sachet in a cup of hot water. Steve couldn’t help but smile at the lengths you went for Bucky. It was nice to see Bucky having another friend aside from himself and occasionally Sam.

Steve didn’t know how long he was staring but he was snapped out of it when Bucky called him out from where he was hiding behind the wall. When your head snapped to see Steve, your carefree smile dropped and became one that was more reserved.

“Uh, hey Steve.” You greeted him. “Tea?” You asked him as you held up the pot. Sure why not, Steve thought.

The three of you began to have a heart to heart late night talk. Your enthusiasm from earlier mellowed but you still talked easily with Bucky and him. Steve noticed your eyes were always looking towards Bucky. Did you like him? Steve saw you throwing glances every now and then, but you kept your eyes on Bucky, as if wanting to avoid having to look at him. You laughed easily at Bucky’s sardonic humour and even rested your head on his arm a couple of times in affection.

You had to like Bucky right? Steve never seen you so close to another guy in the team, except for Tony and Sam whom he knew you had sibling like relationships with. Steve knew it, Bucky always got the girl.

Even back in the 30s’. Bucky had an effortless charm about him, and even after all he had gone through, he never lost his appeal. Steve knew about the glances that some of the female staff in the compound had whenever Bucky stepped into the room.

Steve suddenly felt like the scrawny kid back in Brooklyn. The one who always gotten put aside. The one who was always forgotten. Even after the serum, Steve felt like this from time to time. Steve did know he had gotten more attractive with his increased height and bigger build, but he couldn’t help to wonder if that was all he had.

He was aware of the looks he received by female staff too in the Avengers compound, but he was also aware that they were attracted to Captain America and not Steve Rogers.

Steve felt like you weren’t like the rest. Sure, you did nice things for him and smiled at him everytime you two met, but Steve felt like you were genuine. Yes, they were more muted than what you did for the rest of the team, but he did felt you were not just fawning over him. You were just nice like that.

He did secretly hoped you could be less guarded around him though. Was he intimidating? Was he not approachable? Steve thought long and hard about this once in a while.

Back to the confession, Steve could not believe what he was hearing. You liked him all this while? It wasn’t Bucky? But how? But why? He thought you liked Bucky for sure! And here you are, declaring your crush for him in front of everyone like it was nothing. Yes, you did drink Thor’s special mead but it was a complete flip of how you usually were around him.

What was he supposed to say? You were drunk. Steve didn’t even know if you were even thinking straight. But your eyes. Your eyes were boring straight to his and he realised this was the longest that you have looked him in the eyes without shying away.

“Come on, Rogers. Don’t leave a girl hanging. Give her an answer.” Tony egged on, the only one amused in this entire situation.

“I-uh…” Steve looked to his best pal and Bucky could only returned a look that said ‘It’s all up to you, punk’.

“Y/N, you are drunk. You should return to your room.” Steve instantly regretted his words when he saw the sullen look on your face. You looked like you were crushed, and he felt horrible.

“I’m not drunk!” You retorted almost defiantly. “I’m wide awake. I’m woke.” You claimed.

“Do you not like me? Am I that unlikable?” You added on in a whimpering tone. You turned to your side and grabbed Bucky by the collar.

“Why? Why does he not like me?” You cried almost like a child who didn’t get she wanted. Bucky decided to intervene and hoist you over his shoulders. “Okay time for you to be in bed.”

“Put me down Bucky! I am perfectly capable of walking. I don’t want my face to meet your ass!” You fought back as you started throwing fists at Bucky’s backside to get him to let you down. You didn’t remember the events of that night after Bucky dropped you on your bed. You did have an inkling memory of Wanda and Natasha helping you get ready for bed.

———————————————————————

Shit, you thought. Every memory came back rushing back to you and you squished your face to the pillow. You didn’t want to face the music. You didn’t even want to step out of your room to face the consequences of your drunkenness. What have you done? Every last possibility of your relationship with Steve had been tossed out the window.

Should you quit? Pack up and run away? You didn’t think you could ever stand to be around him anymore. Your mind then wandered to the pounding headache from the hangover you acquired. You turned your face to the side to see a glass of water and two aspirin pills. You wandered who left them there. Must be either Wanda or Nat.

You took the pills and down them with the glass of water. You sat up to get your bearings and let out a sigh. Woah, you stunk of alcohol. A bath sounded nice at this moment. You dragged yourself with every ounce of energy left in your body and struggled to fill the tub with warm water. You didn’t know how you managed but you went over to your cabinet to grab some relaxing essential oils to be added into your bath.

Yes that bath was helpful indeed. After you rinsed off, you changed into a long-sleeved cropped Henley and loose sweats. You were drying your hair as you mulled over what happened last night.

What were you supposed to do? You could feel the hunger growling in your stomach. You asked Friday for the time and it was well over 2pm. You then asked for the locations of everyone in the team. If you wanted to avoid social interactions, you needed to come up with a plan. Bucky and Sam were training new recruits. Nat, Wanda and Vision were out while Tony ad Bruce were in the lab. Steve was in his office.

That sounded good, you could sneak into the kitchen, make a sandwich or something and get the hell out in 10 minutes tops. As quickly as you could, you made sure to make a sound even while sprinting to the kitchen. When you assessed that the coast was clear, you quickly opened the fridge and cabinets to take out what you want.

You messily put a sandwich together and even grabbed an instant ramen bowl. You placed everything on a tray and quickly returned to your room. You wolfed down on the sustenance as if you didn’t eat for days. The soup from the ramen cured was a warm welcome for your stomach. You placed your tray aside and lay on your bed. What next?

You walked over to the toilet to relieve yourself once more when you suddenly felt the ground shaking. You shot up in surprise and quickly cleaned up.

“Friday, what happened?” You asked worriedly.

“There has been an explosion down in lab beside the garage.” Friday answered immediately.

“Are Tony and Bruce okay?” You asked after the Science bros.

“Yes, their vitals show no danger. However, Captain Rogers was also present when the explosion occurred.” Steve was there too?

“I cannot detect his-” Friday spoke once more, but you didn’t hear the end of it as your door flew open and you raced down to the lab.

Tony and Bruce came into view as they stood around the weird panels in the lab. There was a faint smoke in the air.

“Woah what happened?” You could hear Sam’s voice behind you, and you turned to see Bucky present too. The three of you walked over to the scene hurriedly to examine what happened.

“Where’s Steve? I heard he was also-” Your sentence was interrupted by a coughing. The voice sounded familiar, but something was different. The smoke cleared to reveal….

“Yo Steve, what happened?!” Sam exclaimed at the sight standing in front of him. All eyes turned to see Steve Rogers only much much older in physical appearance. It would match with his actual age but you couldn’t believe your eyes.

The Steve in front of you looked shocked at the sight of everyone. He also had a look of longing like he had not seen everyone in a long time.

“Shit, we made Cap old!” Tony gasped aloud.

“Steve, you there?” Bucky stepped forward to place his hands on the shoulder of his old friend. Your attention was brought to the height difference. Steve was no longer the same height range as Bucky. He in fact, looked smaller. His grey hair was combed neatly and you could see the wrinkles adorned on his face. His blue eyes were still sparkling, you thought. Steve was dressed warmly in several layers on top and he turned his head slowly to take in his surroundings.

His eyes landed on you and started to panic. Last night’s events came rushing back to you and you then realised you didn’t want to face him. You turned your heels to leave immediately but you were stopped in your tracks.

“Wait, Y/N. Please don’t go.” The voice that came out of him sounded so frail that to didn’t had the heart to continue walking.

Your body turned back to face future Steve and he was slowly making his way to you. As you got closer, you realised the two of you were almost of the same height. Future Steve went in for a hug without any other words. Though he was much smaller, his hug was still firm. Your eyes widened at his actions and you awkwardly returned it with your arms wrapped under his arms.

“It’s so good to see you again. I missed you so much.” Future Steve muttered as he leaned his face into the crook of your neck. His voice shook almost like he was holding back tears.

“Again? What do you mean again?” Bruce took the words right out of your mouth. Steve reluctantly let go of you and turned to face the rest of the people in the room.

“What year is this?” Future Steve asked. Bruce gave the answer to which future Steve let out a short laugh.

“That long, huh. 50 years I see.” He spoke once more.

“50 years? Wait a minute, are you from the future?” Sam asked incredulously. Future Steve didn’t gave an answer but the silence that followed confirmed our suspicions.

“So if Cap here is from 50 years into the future, where does leave the Cap in our timeline?” Tony inquired. Old Steve gave a shrug.

“You always make the impossible seem possible, Tony.”

“Perhaps, they switched places.” Bruce deduced. He then went on rambling how Tony and himself were experimenting with the idea of time travel and different universe. The original Steve was walking in to talk to Tony when the blast had happened and he got caught in it, which all led to the current situation.

“Can we get him back?” Bucky spoke up, looking over to long-time friend.

“We can try but we will need time to work out the mechanics and see when we have gone wrong. We cannot guarantee how long it would take.” Bruce answered.

“Friday, you got all of this on tape right? I cannot wait to show out Cap this footage when he gets back.” Tony jested and you turned to him with an annoyed expression.

“This is serious Tony. You better fix this!”

“Geez kid, cut me some slack.” He rolled his eyes. “So what are we going to do with this Cap?” He pointed over to the future Steve standing beside me.

“We can take him back to the common room, let him get comfortable while you fix your machine. Best to not let anyone else know about this outside of our circle.” Bucky remarked before gesturing for Steve to follow him. Sam was still reeling in surprise as he assessed future Steve.

You stood rooted to the ground, unsure what to do. Should you follow Sam and Bucky with future Steve? You were still haunted by what happened last night. Well this Steve didn’t know what happened, but you couldn’t help but to feel embarrassed still.

“Y/N, are you coming?” Bucky offered you to join. You were about to reject his offer, make up an excuse to go back to your room when someone grabbed hold of your hand.

You looked to see future Steve holding your hand gently with his wrinkled hands. You could feel the blood rushing to your cheeks and ears. He was gazing into your eyes with a shy smile.

“Walk with me?” He asked and you swore you wanted to melt into a puddle.

“Me?” You were sure you looked confused at the transition of what was happening. Future Steve chuckled and continued walking on, pulling you with him. Bucky who witnessed this smiled to himself and Sam continued to look baffled at everything.

His hand felt warm and soft, you thought. Unconsciously, your other hand went to hold his arm. You were shy to meet future Steve’s gaze especially since you were now the same height as him. It was much more intense than looking at him now.

All of you walked silently to the common room. Everyone sat around the dining table, you offered to make coffee but future Steve held onto your hand as you stood up to walk over to the pantry.

“I would like some tea, if you don’t mind. The one with actual leaves and not just the tea bag.” His face crinkled as he smiled at you.

“Uh sure- you two want some coffee?” You turned to the other two soldiers. The two went along with Steve’s request for tea and you went to find the tea set stored in the cabinet.

You placed the tea set in the centre of the table. It was a clay tea set that was gifted to you by your Bucky as your Secret Santa last Christmas. Nat and Wanda gave their input on the design.

You got the boiled water ready to rinse the teapot and cups. Following this you started to brew the tea as you added the tea leaves into the pot and added the hot water. You rinsed the first batch of brewed tea once before making the second batch that was prepared for drinking.

You were honestly nervous even though you done this hundreds of times. Somehow having future Steve watching over you made you wary of your movements. There was a good few minutes of silence before you poured the tea into the small teacups and offering it to everyone. Future Steve appreciated the teacup in his hands before blowing on it and taking a sip.

“Y/N, it always tastes the best when you made it.” Future Steve turned to me again with a sweet smile. Shit, Steve was still adorable even beyond his years. Calm down your heart, Y/N!

“So Cap, what’s life like 50 years down the road?” Sam decided to break the ice. Future Steve laughed at his bluntness before answering. It felt like nothing changed. Even while this Steve has aged, the three soldiers fell back into easy conversation.

Sam was curious about himself and tried to pry information out of future Steve. Future Steve warned that knowing the future may not be a good idea. He did throw in several teasing remarks that Sam and Bucky will continue to argue in their old age in front of their grandchildren.

Bucky was surprised that he would even have his own family in the future. He was about to ask Steve about his own when Bucky’s eyes wandered to Steve’s left hand, a silver band resting on one of his fingers.

“Guess we’re not the only ones who had our own families.” Bucky remarked smugly as he nodded his head to future Steve’s wedding band. Future Steve thumbed over his wedding band before sneaking a glance over to you.

“Well, uh-yes I did. But-” The idea of Steve married was not impossible, I mean after all he was such a great catch. You were pretty sure Steve finally gotten a nice girl to settle down with. The gnawing feeling in your chest returned. Damn, this hurts more than you thought. You just wished Steve had a happy and fulfilling life.

You stood up abruptly from your seat, almost seething with jealousy. You couldn’t help it. The feelings from yesterday were still raw and you couldn’t handle the truth if future Steve were to talk about his happy married life.

Your abrupt action caused the chair to screech as it was pushed back. You felt the eyes of all three soldiers on you and you hasten to collect the tea set to mask your reaction. You hurriedly walked over to the sink to wash your tea set, leaving it to air dry.

“I’m going off for a walk. See you boys later.” You quickly waved off before you transitioned to a brisk walk to the elevator. When you exit one of the doors of the compound, you headed straight for the clearing near the lake. It was your secret spot that you had claimed as your own. You always came here when your mind and heart were heavy.

You had a bench secretly installed so that you could sit there and gaze into the sunset on occasions. You remembered ordering it on Tony’s card and had to bring it out to the clearing when everyone was still asleep in the early morning, You laughed silently at your own antics.

You laid on your side on the bench, propping your head up with your arms and you dazed off into the lake in front of you. You didn’t know how long you were lying down but you wished you had brought your phone and earpiece to pass the time.

“I guess even the serum cannot help me at this age. Way to make an old man come after you, Y/N.” Your ears perked up at his voice and in a moment of surprise, rolled forward and off the bench.

“What the fu-” You exclaimed when your body hit the ground.

“Language. Although, many reminders wouldn’t have stopped you anyway.” You couldn’t believe who had followed you to your secret spot. Moreover, how did he know? Even Friday didn’t know! Or did she?

“Steve? What are you doing here?” You asked in a panic as you gathered yourself, brushing the dirt off your knees and elbows.

“Are you alright? That was not a pretty fall.” Future Steve now stood in front of you, his eyes were worried and concerned. His hands reached out to examine the extent of your injuries and was relieved to know that they were nothing major.

“How did you know I will be here? Nobody knows about this spot except for me.” You said.

“Well doll, you were not that subtle moving the bench across the hallway at 5am. Besides, I was already awake at that time” He spoke in a fond tone as he recalled the memory. “Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to follow the girl who was carrying a bench larger than herself.”

You cringed at the exposure of your secret and grimaced at how foolish you must have been in Steve’s eyes.

“I won’t blame you for keeping this place a secret. It is beautiful.” Future Steve spoke with a lingering gaze towards the lake and the surrounding flora. He then gestured for you to sit beside him and you reluctantly did, unsure of what to do either. You made sure that there was a gap between the two of you. You looked anywhere else except for him and didn’t what to say in the following silence.

“What would it take for you to look at me? Am I that unlikeable in your eyes?” Future Steve first broke the silence.

“No, I would never!” You immediately countered. You were shocked at how loud you were and reminded yourself to calm the f down. “I mean who would not like you?!” You gestured dramatically as your hands moved up and down at him. Steve inched closer to you and placed his hands over yours where were resting on your lap.

“I am glad to hear that, Y/N.” You looked into his eyes and had to avert them immediately before you feel like your heart would explode. You looked down to see his wedding band in your lap and you were reminded once more of what made you came out to the lake in the first place.

“Hopefully, Tony and Bruce can come up with a way to get you back to your time. I’m sure you’re missing your family.” You said to future Steve to which he shook his head.

“Not really actually. It’s nice to see all of you young again, reminds me of the good times where we were all together. I lost some people in my time and am glad to see them once again.”

“Oh, did we not all live to an old age like you?” Future Steve’s jaw clenched at your remark and you immediately realised you hit a nerve. “I’m so sorry-” You started apologising before future Steve waved you off, reassuring that it was fine. You could feel the grip of his hands tightened around yours.

“You must have been shocked to see me like this.” Future Steve looked over at himself.

“Shock would not have been the word, surprised was more accurate.” I corrected him.

“Still, you couldn’t have believed that the big and strong Captain America actually looked like this in his old age, right? The serum’s effects waned as I got older in age. I still am strong for someone my age, but my physique reverted back to my pre-serum days.” Future Steve said despondently.

“Hey, don’t say! Who cares about Captain America?” You retorted at his words. “All I see is adorable grandpa Steve Rogers. You’re way cuter like this!” You even emphasized your point when you grabbed his arm and laid your head on his shoulders. If it was the current Steve, you wouldn’t have dared to do any of this. But this Steve right here surprisingly made you feel comfortable around him.

You were still nervous knowing that he was still Steve, but somehow future Steve looked less intimidating.

“You’re still the same as ever. I missed you so much.” Future Steve brought your hands up to lips for a kiss. Now this shocked you as you couldn’t help but feel that this gesture meant more. You quickly withdrew your hands and saw the crestfallen look on his face.

“Look, Steve. I really appreciate you, but I don’t think this is appropriate.” The expression on his face told you he was hurt by your words. “You’re married, Steve.” You pointed to his wedding band.

Future Steve looked down to his wedding band and then his eyes went back to you. A ghost of a smile formed on his face and he shook his head. “I’m sorry if I came off weird. It’s just been such a long time since I saw you- I mean the younger version of you. My emotions took over, I apologise.”

“No-no don’t be sorry. I understand, sort of.” You rubbed the back of your ned in awkwardness. After a while, the two of you decided to head back to the compound. Future Steve offered you his arm and you took it as the both of you enjoyed the walk back in comfortable silence.

“Hey old man, Bruce and I might have figured it out. I think we can send you back.” You and future Steve looked at each other, both sending unwilling looks as if your time together was too short.

“I guess this is goodbye.” You said in a disappointed tone.

“It’s alright, love. I promise we will see each other again.” Future Steve cradled your face with one of his hands. You wondered what he meant, and did he just called you love?!

Future Steve went over to say goodbye to Bucky and Sam, giving each other hugs and claps on the back. Future Steve gave a small salute to Tony and Bruce to which they returned with a nod. He walked over to a raised platform and shifted in his feet to get comfortable. He looked over you once more.

You didn’t know why but you started to have tears forming in your eyes. You hesitantly raise your hands to give a weak wave. Future Steve smiled fondly and returned the gesture. He started to mouth words in your direction but before you could figure out what you wanted to say, a blinding light took over.

You shield your eyes from the light and turned sideways as you felt a rush of smoke and wind. You blinked your eyes repeatedly as you take in the sight before you. Gone was future Steve and…..

“Welcome back Cap!” Sam exclaimed excitedly at seeing his friend again.

“Quick question, Rogers. Where were you?” Tony chimed in as he walked over to Steve. “We met an older version of you 50 years down the road.” Tony replied and he waved up a screen to show a photo of future Steve in the garage with everyone.

“Oh I was somewhere, but it didn’t look like it was far off from this era. Everything looked the same. I wasn’t sure where I was until I saw a date somewhere.” Steve seemed like he was trying to phrase his response carefully and he looked back at Tony.

His eyes then swerved over to where Bucky, Sam and you were standing. He started striding forward and you were sure he was going over to Bucky and Sam. Your feet decided to shuffle backwards once you recalled what happened between you and this version of Steve just yesterday. You made to turn back when you felt yourself being pulled back into an embrace.

You were pushed against a solid mass of muscle; you didn’t need to look up because you knew who it was. Steve wrapped his arms tightly around you, seeming to not let you go anytime soon.

“Stefve-” Your voice was muffled against his shirt. You weren’t sure where to place your hands and you were sure it could have felt your heart being wildly against his own chest. Steve placed his head in the crook of your neck and took in a deep breath before sighing. Talk about déjà vu.

You looked over to see the rest of the guys in the garage staring on with bambi eyes. You gestured a wave towards Bucky, signalling for help. You weren’t ready for this Steve at all!

“What’s with the Capsicles hugging Y/N today?” Tony quipped from the side.

You didn’t know how long it was but knew it was long enough for a hug to turn awkward. You tried to place your hands between Steve and yourself to create distance.

“Steve, what’s wrong?” Your voice came out squeaky as you willed yourself to look into his eyes. You were surprised to see Steve’s eyes looking red and puffy as if he had been previously crying.

“Stay with me, Y/N. Just a little while longer.” He answered and how could you say no. You obliged and eventually wrapped your arms around him, returning his hug. The rest of the guys were befuddled at what was going on but decided to let the two of you have your moment.

You could hear Sam making a comment as he walked off. “Geez what a weird day and I haven’t even had a drink yet.” Bucky scoffed and proceeded to smack his head before walking forward.

Your eyes followed him and when he caught your stare, he winked before walking off. Your brows knitted at his previous actions but then you realised you had something more important to attend to. You still had a blonde super soldier clinging on to you like a koala.

“Alright, Steve. That’s enough of a hug. This is getting weird.” Upon your words, Steve finally released you but still held onto your arms.

“About yesterday, Y/N, I-” Steve started speaking and our eyes widened in anticipation of his following words. You don’t think you could bear to hear it. You cupped your ears and immediately ran off, making gibberish noise to tune him out.

“Wait, Y/N! Please listen to what I have to say!” Steve started chasing after you. He chased after you for a good several minutes out to the compound grounds. He knew where you were heading, you didn’t know why your feet decided to bring you there but you guessed that if any form of rejection is happening, you want it away from the eyes from anyone in the compound.

“Y/N Y/L/N! Stop it right there!” You halted in your tracks.

You turned back to see Steve Rogers with both hands on his hips. You felt like child being reprimanded by a parent. “Way to make an old man chase after you, Y/N Y/L/N.”

“You’re not that old.” You quipped back at his words.

“I’m well over 100, doll.” Steve reminded you as he laughed.

“You don’t need to run away from me, Y/N. What I’m about to say, well I-” Steve started stuttering and you could see him slightly nervous.

“What is it?” You tried to encourage him. Steve’s eyes started to turn red and he was looking at the ground.

“I like you too. I really like you Y/N.” Steve finally mustered the courage to let the words out of his mouth.

“Be my girl, please? I promise to love you and protect you always.” He added on. You felt your jaw dropped at what you were hearing. No way! Did Steve return your feelings? But how? But why?

“But yesterday, the party, you didn’t, I was drunk-” Your sentences weren’t making sense, but Steve knew what you meant.

“I know and I was honestly taken aback by your confession, doll. But I did some thinking and I realised that I feel the same too. I never realised how much I did until I lost you doll.” Steve’s long legs brought him closer to and he cradled your face with both his hands.

“You didn’t lose me, what are you talking about?” His words were puzzling, what did he meant by lose? How could it even be possible? You were right here all this time.

“I just- I don’t want to let you go ever. Please stay by my side.” Steve’s words only served to confuse you further, but you couldn’t bother to think about it in greater depth. You wanted Steve and he wanted you too. You nodded. “Always.”

Steve grinned a toothy wide smile before leaning in for a kiss. You two poured all your emotions into the kiss and it made your hearts soar. When you both finally pulled apart for a breather, Steve spoke. “I can’t wait for our future together.”

———————————————————————

50 years into the future

Steve landed on a grassy patch from the combustion of Tony and Bruce’s machine. He looked over to assess his surroundings and realised that he was not in the compounds anymore.

Steve then realised he was at a cemetery and there was a bouquet of flowers that laid on the ground beside his feet. He picked up the bouquet with lavender wrapping paper and turned to examine it further.

He then looked down again, this time to a gravestone standing just a few feet away from him.

Y/N ROGERS

A DEAR WIFE.

A LOYAL FRIEND.

A FIERCE FIGHTER

1988- 2030

The words Steve read before him hit him harder than a train wreck. How could this be possible? 2030? This means that Y/N only lived till a young age of 42. That was earlier than expected. Why was his heart aching in pain?

The tears started streaming down his face before he could even comprehend them. Steve dropped to his knees in front of the gravestone and hunched over with the bouquet gripped tightly in his hands.

“Y/N…” He whispered. “I swear I will change this future.”

———————————————————————

#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers #captain america #marvel fanfiction #marvel fanfic #au #stever rogers x y/n #angstsfordays

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starkeredits · 4 years

Text

A Lot of Catching Up to Do

By Tileb Hanser

Chapter One: Answers

Find it here on AO3

It’s been about a month and a half now, since the restoration of the Blip, the return of all those lost to Thanos’ fingers, and the sacrifice Tony Stark made for the universe. He should be dead, according to Dr. Strange. The power of all six Infinity Stones and the Snap were almost the death of the Hulk, who seemed to be made for the Gauntlet. Tony is just a regular human being when it comes right down to it, while the Hulk was obviously more equipped for the destructive effects, there is just no logic to explain the miracle. Yet of course, Tony was still left severely damaged clinging onto life by a thin thread. Surrounded by his closest friends and family, the sight of their faces, all alive and finally safe, was what gave him just the slightest bit of energy he needed to stay holding on. The trip from the battlefield to the closest moderately staffed hospital was blurred with confusion and dissipating adrenaline. It was a miracle, the few doctors still staffed throughout the Blip did all they could to save the hero of the Universe, along with Dr. Strange, Bruce, and Shuri. Their combined efforts kept his life supported with high tech machinery and a few wizardly tricks from Dr. Strange.

The past month and a half after the defeat of Thanos left the hero in a coma, during which he had plenty of visitors, whom most were immediate friends and family. Peter Parker being one of the most frequent visitors. He has the most gratitude and compassion since that fateful day. He may have had a slight obsession with the billionaire genius before Tony first recruited him, but it has only grown since then, especially after the undying sacrifice Tony made for all of mankind. It started off innocent of course, just a geeky obsession from a nerd for a genius. But within the last month or so, Peter has started to notice changes in his feelings towards Tony.

Since the Blip, Peter has basically missed five years of aging and at a somewhat inconvenient time in his life. When he first started noticing the increasing changes in his body, he dismissed them, knowing it was all normal signs of puberty. He started puberty a decent time before the Blip, therefore, he assumed, it should just pick up where it left off at sixteen years old. However, that was not the case. To make matters worse, all his thoughts are filled with countless fantasies he’d never even known he knew, and they were all centered around one person; Tony Stark.

Everyday, he finds himself trapped in his thoughts as he sees Tony, Mr. Stark, sweaty from a workout, peeling off his shirt as he smirks at Peter watching with awe. He imagines being under the hard muscle of Mr. Stark's torso as he pins his wrists to the silk sheets below. Peter can’t take the onslaught of pleasure anymore, he needs answers, he needs help. His best bet is to seek out Dr. Strange after his fifth random hard-on in the past two days, for an explanation.

While he stutters through his question to the wizard, realization dawns on the later. He then explains to Peter, with a much too calm demeanor, that his body is confused about missing five years of time and that it’s trying to make up for it in the quickest way it can.

“Basically, your body is attempting to cram five years of puberty into… well, right now.” Peter is appalled, how long would that take? Will it be nonstop, seemingly forever? He can’t even spend the next week with the constant heat pooling in his stomach or the dirty thoughts plaguing his mind.

“I can probably come up with an antidote that will unfortunately only slow the process so it’s not as overwhelming, but it’s better than nothing.” Peter accepts the offer greatly before he finally decides he needs an answer about his new obsession with Tony.

“Oh and there’s uh, one more thing I was confused about.” He speaks sheepishly, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice. The wizard only responds with an uninterested grunt. Peter takes that as an invitation to continue.

“With everything that’s happening with my body, well, it’s also sort of focused on one person. Like, all the fantasies, they are about this person...” Peter trails off, not exactly sure how to phrase the question, but Dr. Strange gives it some thought before answering.

“Usually after one goes through a traumatic or confusing experience, much like the Blip, the first person they see or interact with becomes some sort of... source of comfort to the other. Almost like an imprint.” He pauses his movements before continuing. “Was this person someone you interacted with after you returned from the Blip?”

Suddenly it all starts to click, after the constant adrenaline from the battle against Thanos and his army, Peter remembered his worrying thoughts cleared from his head the moment he laid eyes on Tony. He was hysterical over him, clutching onto his lifeless body with complete desperation.

“Yes.” Peter simply replies weekly.

“Hmm, it’s possible you may have... imprinted on this person, and with your other symptoms of puberty, I suppose your body is just using the comfort you feel from this person to base your thoughts and feelings on, if that makes any sense.” All Peter can do is nod at his reply and the wizard accepts it nonchalantly.

“The antidote can’t fix that unfortunately, since these are two different mental reactions combining to one and this antidote is only specific towards one.” Peter mentally slaps himself before he sulks over to the living room couch. After about an hour of torture sitting on the couch of the wizards home, suppressing another urge to reach his hand down his pants at any moment, the antidote is finally finished. He snatches the vial out of Dr. Strange's hands before speeding out of the building with a rushed “thank you.”

Peter drinks the sour tasting liquid of the antidote the minute he knows he’s alone and he feels immediate relief on his aching hard-on as his mind can finally focus on anything other than Tony. While the sensations are pleasurable, they are just too overwhelming and it's just now that Peter realizes how exhausted he is. He lands with a huff on his small twin sized bed and finally manages to sleep without any dreams filled with his mentor's body against his own. Luckily, he doesn’t experience any nightmares either, which have also become somewhat of a recurrence since the Blip.

The loud familiar ring from Peter's phone jars him awake somewhere around three a.m. from an unknown number. Frustrated that his undisturbed sleep was interrupted, Peter plans to just let the phone ring out, but when the ringtone starts up again a second time, he finally gives up with a groan of protest.

“Hello?” He answers with clear annoyance.

“Mr. Parker,” the well known deep voice of Nick Fury purrs through the speaker. Peter sits up immediately, concern and panic etching its way into his mind.

“Mr. Fury, sir, what is it?” Peter continues to drag himself out of bed, rushing straight towards his spider suit stored in his closet.

“We have someone here at NY Presbyterian Hospital who is awake and would like to see you.” Peter immediately stops in his tracks hearing those words. His heart starts to race and an entirely too inappropriate image appears in his head for a split second before he pushes it to the back of his mind. He is ecstatic, already putting on his suit and jumping out his window before he could answer Fury.

He arrives in less than ten minutes, bursting into the hospital room where he sees a few familiar faces already there. But he doesn't care about those people, the only one he’s concerned with is Tony. All eyes are on Peter with his big entrance, sporting his spider suit, including Tony. His face is still red and terribly sore looking, on the majority of the right side, from the resulting blast of the final Snap. His right arm still wrapped in reddening bandages. But his eyes, oh those brilliant brown eyes are open, awake, and staring into Peter's soul.

Peter rips off the mask from his suit revealing his slack jaw and teary wide eyes. He watches Tony's lip barely manage to curve with a hint of a smirk and he loses it.

“Mr. Stark!” He cries out, suddenly jolting towards the feeble looking man before him. He collapses against the edge of the hospital bed in a sobbing heap, clutching onto Tony's shoulders desperately.

“Oh, Peter,” Tony murmurs into Peter's hair along with a small peck. Peter tries not to think too much of that, it's just a common gesture of affection, yet he can’t stop how his mind wonders and there's an undeniable stir in his pants. The added strong scent of Tony filling his senses as he tucks his head into his neck doesn’t help either. Although, it's nowhere near as overpowering as it was before the antidote, so he manages after a few minutes of concentration to will those thoughts away. When he unburries his face from the now damp spot of Tony's neck, he notices they are now just the only two in the room; Tony must have dismissed them while he was concentrating on… other things.

Peter looks into Tony's deep brown eyes, he can see them glossy with his own tears, yet crinkling ever so slightly with the tired smile he could muster.

“I missed you so much Mr. Stark! You have no idea! I came here and visited you as much as I could, even talked to you when I knew you couldn’t hear me.” Peter rambled, while still clutching onto his mentor.

“I missed you too, it doesn't feel real, but god I’m so happy it is.” To hear his voice again, although clearly tired from his injuries, it was the best sound in the world. Tony tugged on Peter's suit arm sleeve the best he could while making room for him on the bed. Peter happily obliged.

“Tell me everything, kid. What have I missed?” Tony asked, sounding content just laying there listening to Peter's voice. Peter doesn’t miss a beat and begins babbling about everything that has happened since the Blip was fixed which causes Tony to chuckle lightly. Of course Peter does leave out a few things involving his new highly inappropriate obsession with the genius hero and everything that applies to it. He doesn’t want to scare off Tony just yet, not so soon after almost losing him for good.

They spend the next few hours talking about the past months' events until Tony finally lets himself fall asleep listening to the boy's constant rambling, a small smile on his face. When Peter finally notices he's asleep, he doesn't feel too opposed to the idea of sleeping himself, remembering the fact that he woke up at three am just two hours ago. He lets his head rest gingerly on Tony's shoulder, inhaling his scent as he feels himself succumb to sleep.

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metalgearkong · 5 years

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Joker - Review

10/11/19

Directed by Todd Phillips (Warner Bros.)

Comic book movies have truly evolved. Growing up with only Tim Burton’s Batman and Richard Donner’s Superman, I was amazed once Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man came out in 2002, and witnessing the booming of superhero movies that followed. With so many comic book movies in existence these days, they’re beginning to have more freedom and diversity in terms of tone and genre. Comic book movies have been adult for a long time, but are especially becoming for mature audiences lately. Joker may be one of the most distinct comic book movies of all time, if you can even call it that. This is a gritty and disturbing character study of a man with severe mental illness falling deeper into the abyss of madness. Masterfully executed in nearly every single aspect, this is one of the best movies of the year, and easily one of the best performances I can ever remember seeing.

Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a disturbed, but kind middle-aged man who lives in poverty, and aspires to be a stand up comedian (playing a clown as his current gig). He takes care of his mother (Frances Conroy) in their dingy apartment in the equally dingy and gritty Gotham City. After being fired from his job, lied to by his friends, assaulted and mugged on more than one occasion, and a series of other unfortunate events, we see him slowly start to break, and its tragic to see. Phoenix absolutely disappears in this role, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to see him as anyone else again. The variety of personality quirks and the way he speaks and laugh are all disturbing, but at the same time, very sad because much of his behavior is not only based on real tendencies, but we see how a society with no compassion affects someone like this.

Joker is really about the consequence of a lack of empathy for people with physical and mental problems, and a society that doesn’t properly care for those people as a whole. We see funding cut from social services, and Arthur is no longer able to attend therapy or receive the medications he desperately needs. It appalls me that most of the headlines about this movie, other than it being spectacular, is how this movie could incite violence. Truth be told, this actually isn’t a very violent movie, it’s just that the violence that we do see is brutal, realistic, and intimate. But all of it serves the story and Arthur’s descent to pure psychosis. Every step of his journey is empathetic and you couldn’t blame anyone like Arthur for doing what he does with the world and circumstances he finds himself in. The fact that the real world media wants to blame the film for inspiring violence, and not shining a light on mental illness, proves Arthur’s point in a very real way.

In particular, Arthur’s tendency to laugh uncontrollably not only fits the Joker character, but gets him into all sorts of awkward and dangerous situations. You really feel bad for him, and much of that has to do with Phoenix’s amazing performance. Every single line of dialog and expression feels genuine. What we find out eventually, is that Arthur is not necessarily a reliable narrator. Some scenes that I thought were a weaker element of the film, turn out to be in Arthur’s head, making me want to see the movie again with fresh eyes. Most of the film could be interpreted as literal, but some scenes are up for debate if they even occurred outside of Arthur’s head. This is doubly true for the very end of the film.

Part of my suspension of disbelief was affected when I thought in one or two scenarios, Arthur should have been caught by police. The movie takes place in the late 70′s / early 80′s, so I get that not having cell phones and internet might slow investigators down a bit (compared to contemporary times), but occasionally I thought Arthur wasn’t stopped or caught soon enough, allowing the plot to continue. I also thought there was just a tiny bit too much reference to Batman and potential sequels. I don’t want this movie to be the start of another cinematic universe. You simply can’t get a series of movies that are this deep, this intimate, this disturbing, and turn it into a serial film series with costumed heroes and villains. Or at least, I don’t think you can. Bruce Wayne is in a couple of scenes, but just one scene too many, especially at the end. I do, however, like the added element of Thomas Wayne into Arthur’s story, and thought he was integrated well, having a lot to do with Arthur’s downfall.

There are two scenes near the end that had me on the edge of my seat as much, or even more so, than the best scenes by Quentin Tarantino. The writing, acting, and unpredictability of the scenes had me so on edge, I knew I was witnessing a modern classic. This movie ends on a very satisfying note, and completely works as its own stand-alone film that happens to take place in the DC Universe. Phoenix turns in one of the most jaw dropping performances I have ever seen in my entire life. This is certainly a comic book movie not for kids, and honestly, not for a lot of adults either. Joker is a tragic, and very modern take on what drives a person to madness, especially when people around them, and society as a whole, lack empathy and care for those who need it the most. I’m sure many movies will try to recapture the magic of this film, but I doubt anyone will be able to do it nearly as well and not anytime soon.

9/10

#joker #joaquin phoenix #Warner bros #DC #batman #mental illness #robert di niro #oscar #academy award

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mischiefandspirits · 5 years

Text

Iron Legion (4/?)

Never let it be said that Tony Stark ever does things by half. He might have grown up with little family, but he wasn’t about to keep it that way.

Tony Stark was seventeen when his first child was born, and that was just the beginning.

For Masterpost, AO3, and Fanfiction

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Boy Wonders, Part 3

Jennifer Walters was a mousy girl, a bit nervous but with strong morals according to his research. The Los Angeles law firm she worked for was small, though it was not from lack of talent but lack of resources and connections. She also had all the right schooling for criminal law as well as civil, but had landed on the civil side; if from preference or her nervous tendencies acting up, Tony’s research couldn’t tell. The girl was smart too, maybe not on the level of Tony or her cousin, but definitely smarter than average.

Her cousin was the thing that sealed the deal, though. Dr. Bruce Banner was one of the few people on Earth Tony could consider an equal in intellect, even if he hadn’t had the chance to meet the other man. And she had spent every summer with him growing up.

If any lawyer would be able to keep up with Tony, it’d be her.

“Ah, Ms. Walters, have a seat!”

Grey eyes took in the room as the small girl shuffled over to the seat in front of his desk. They finally landed on him as she sat down, meeting his own for just a second before dropping down to around shoulder level.

“It’s a, uh, pleasure to meet you, Mr. Stark. Or do you prefer Dr. Stark? Sorry, I know they usually call you Mr. Stark on, well, everything, but I also know you have quite a few doctorates to your name. I couldn’t find anything in my research that suggested which you would prefer so I figured… I’d…” she trailed off when he raised a hand. “Sorry.”

Tony just gave her a smile and leaned forward. “Call me Tony. You researched me?”

“Yes? Sorry, it’s just that I always do a bit of research on my clients. Not that I think someone like you would want to be a client of someone like me! I know Stark Industries has a whole battalion of lawyers on call. I just, you know, like to be prepared. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. I did a bit of research on you, too. You’re right, Stark Industries has plenty of lawyers. However, I need a lawyer without a connection to the company. If I use one of them, then my business goes on the books and I’d rather avoid that.”

She twitched. “Mr. Stark, perhaps you weren’t aware, but I’m a civil lawyer. I know I have the training, but I like civil law so if you need some… off books help then -”

Tony laughter and shook his head. “Woah, okay, maybe that came out wrong. I’m not dealing under the table, Ms. Walters. A civil lawyer was what I was looking for. I just want someone I can trust won’t accidentally leave the wrong document on their desk so the office gossip pool can pick up. My people are good people, but they’re also corporate guys. Family stuff’s out of their experience.”

She relaxed. “Family stuff?”

“Yup. Won’t say more until I know we’ve got the whole attorney-client privilege thing going on. You in? I think it goes without saying I can pay your fees, and I can throw in some recommendations too. Help you move up to the big time where you belong.”

“I like small cases.”

He shrugged. “Then I can make sure you’ve got everything you need to do all the small cases your heart desires without having to worry about funds for a while.”

She looked away, contemplating. “Nothing under the table?”

“Promise. We can even add it to the contract if you want. Anything starts sounding iffy and you can back out without jeopardizing anything.”

She bit her lip, then nodded. “Deal.” She held out her hand then immediately tried to pull it away.

Tony took it before she could. “Deal!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jen looked over the mansion as she got out of her car. “What have you got yourself into? God, this place looks like it costs more than my entire apartment complex. Doubled.”

Briefcase in hand, she approached the door.

“Hello, Ms. Walters,” a voice said before she could ring the doorbell. “Sir is expecting you. Please have a seat in the living room. He will be with you in a moment.”

She stared around her incredulously, but she heard the door click a second later and it was unlocked when she tried it.

Figures someone with Stark’s wealth would have someone to remotely answer his door for him.

If she had to describe Stark’s living room with one word, she’d have to use bland. Modern might work too, but that was probably too generous.

The long couch was pale brown, the walls were a slightly different pale brown, the chairs were dark brown, the shiny floors were yet more shades of brown, the lounger was tan, and the tables were glass on dark wood. It might have looked nice if there was any character to it all. The walls, couches, and tables were all bare while there wasn’t so much as a throw rug on the floor.

Honestly, it was kind of disappointing. Jen was expecting paintings worth thousands of dollars, statues that probably should have been in a museum, and maybe some gold-plated or bejeweled something or others. Instead, she got… nothing. The only accent to the room was a pink blanket with tigers on it, which only seemed out of place as a result.

There was also a pair of folders on the table in front of the nearest couch, but she assumed those were for her given the note on top that read, For your lawyer. Don’t lose them, Tony. - Happy

“Sir, as I have been trying to tell you -”

“Don’t make me mute you, Jay,” came a harsh whisper and Jen turned to see Stark marching into the room. “I need to get Resa down before -”

Stark cut off as he saw her and she gave him a nervous wave.

“Mrs. Walters has arrived.” The voice from the door (Jay?) somehow managed to sound both devoid of emotion and completely exasperated.

The man shot the ceiling a glare. “Jay, for future reference, the next time you let someone in the house without asking me first, you are completely at liberty to cut me off, preferably before I walk into the same room as them with Resa,” he said, voice still low.

“Understood.”

“Mr. Stark, I’m sorry. I was told to come in. I didn’t mean to intrude,” she said quietly, eyeing the child nuzzling up against his chest.

He waved her off. “Tony. And it’s fine. Jay’s still learning, and I did technically give you permission. Just, you know, some warning would have been nice.”

“I did try to warn you, Sir.”

“When did you get so snippy. You’re still a baby, you’re not allowed to be snippy,” the billionaire muttered, marching over to the couch to grab the blanket. “I’ll be right back, Jen. Just need to put the princess down for her nap.”

She watched him disappear back the way he came before saying, “Huh, so Stark has a kid.”

“Indeed.”

Frowning, she turned her gaze to the ceiling. “So, um, Jay, right? What do you do for Mr. Stark?”

“I take care of many functions within Sir’s residence, including such things as running the security system, assisting Sir with making or ignoring calls, and, as of Miss Teresa’s arrival, acting as a baby monitor.”

Her eyes widened. “Just that much alone sounds like a lot of work for one man.”

“It would be, yes, but I am not a man. At least, not a human one. I am a natural-language user interface computer system designed by Mr. Stark.”

Jen… didn’t know how to respond to that. He — no, it — was a computer, and yet it had sounded so animated. Especially while bickering with Stark. Heck, just the fact that the computer had bickered was shocking. Stark had clearly done a lot of work on its programming for it to have responses like that.

“You may sit if you would like. Sir should be back shortly. Miss Teresa usually takes to her naps easily.”

“I’m surprised he doesn’t have a nanny or something,” she said, continuing to converse with the computer without thinking.

“Given how public Sir’s life is, it would be too suspicious to have someone showing up to care for Miss Teresa, and even more so if they were to live in the mansion. Sir wishes to keep Miss Teresa out of the limelight for as long as possible. It has been difficult making sure she is cared for as a result, but we have managed between the six of us.”

“That was a really elaborate response for a computer.”

“Okay, let's get one thing straight,” Jen turned to see Stark glaring at her from the doorway, “we do not use such offensive words in this house. J.A.R.V.I.S. is a good boy, tied for best boy with his baby brother. He’s a highly sophisticated artificial intelligence program and should be treated with respect.”

Jen gaped at the man, even as the now named J.A.R.V.I.S. said, “Should Dum-E not also be considered best boy?”

“Not after what he did to my crowbar he shouldn’t,” Stark huffed, all evidence of anger gone in a flash.

“Dummy?” she asked as Stark came to sit next to her on the couch.

“Dum-E. A helper bot. One of two. You probably won’t see him. He’s shy and prefers the lab. You’ll see his twin, U, around, though. They’ve decided to switch their designation from lab assistant to babysitter, apparently. They follow Teresa everywhere.”

“They adore their baby sister,” J.A.R.V.I.S. agreed.

“How many AIs do you have?” she questioned, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Stark not only had multiple AIs around his house, but he treated them like children, which in turn meant they treated his actual daughter like a sister.

“Just the twins and Jay,” he said, as if having three separate AIs was nothing. “But you’re not here for my older kids.” He grabbed the folders and handed them to her.

She opened the first to find a copy of Teresa’s birth certificate, but was surprised to see her parents were listed as Mary and Richard Parker. That was alleviated somewhat by the paternity test results and partially signed custody forms that followed.

“Teresa’s mother is giving you full custody?”

Stark snorted. “If that’s how you want to phrase her showing up at my house to drop a two-week-old on my couch and leave without a second glance, sure.”

Jen was appalled.

She knew Stark wasn’t a bad man — she wouldn’t have been there if he was — but he also wasn’t exactly the most stable person. Sure, he was rich, but he was also famously known as a disaster; taking woman after woman to his bed, drinking and partying night after night, and otherwise being a social hermit who locked himself away in a lab for an unhealthy amount of time before emerging with some new device for the military to blow things up with. As much as Stark was the brains behind the company, most knew it was actually Obidiah Stane who was running Stark Industries by this point.

Although, he’s been pretty absent the past few months, which would certainly be explained by the child sleeping somewhere in the house. Which means Stark could step up when forced, but still…

“Why would anyone just leave a child with someone like you?”

Stark raised an eyebrow.

Jen blushed as she realized she’d said that aloud. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean it like that!”

Stark stared her down for a moment before he burst out laughing. “It’s fine,” he said once he’d calmed some. “Heck, it’s true. I thought the exact same thing when Mary dropped her off. Still do, honestly, but I’m not about to just toss her out into the system and hope for the best.”

Relieved that she hadn’t just angered her client, she took a closer look at the custody papers. “So you want my help filing the custody papers?”

“Yep, preferably as quietly as you can. I can handle making sure they stay nice and classified once they’re in, but the fewer people that know, the better.”

She tries not to think about the legality of what he just said. There are a lot worse reasons Stark could be using his hacking skills for than protecting his daughter from the paparazzi and would-be kidnappers. She thinks back on J.A.R.V.I.S.’s earlier comment and asked, “Who all knows about her?”

“Besides her siblings and myself, there’s also my bodyguard Happy, my best friend Rhodey, and my tormentor Tori.”

Based on her research, she assumed Happy must be Harold Hogan, the boxer turned bodyguard who’s the only one on the Stark Industries security detail Stark has allowed into his personal space since he took over the company. In the same vein, Rhodey was likely Major Rhodes: a former classmate, notable confidant, and the liaison between Stark Industries and the United States Air Force whenever Stark was personally involved, well on his way to being their official liaison. The name Tori didn’t ring any bells for Jen, though given the fondness in his voice, she assumed the title of tormentor was meant to signify some sort of playful antagonism that wouldn’t jeopardize Teresa’s safety.

“And there’s you, now,” Stark continued on. “As well as a pair of doctors professional and well-paid enough to know to keep their mouths shut. Oh, and the two listed on her birth certificate and their CIA commanding officer.”

“CIA?” she choked out.

“Do you require some water, Ms. Walters?” J.A.R.V.I.S. asked as she coughed and she shook her head.

“Yeah, Mary was spying on me the night it happened. Don’t know why. I tried calling her up shortly after Teresa was dropped off, but her and her hubby were on a mission so I talked to her CO, Everett Ross, instead. He let me know they kept everything off books given both Mary’s status and mine.”

Jen supposed she shouldn’t be as surprised as she was about the kinds of people Stark just happened to know.

“Are you sure you do not want something to drink?”

“N-no, I’m fine. Thank you, J.A.R.V.I.S.” Deciding to focus on more familiar territory, she turned back to the custody forms. “Right, well, Mrs. Parker left most of the forms blank, only marking that you’ll have full custody before signing and witnessing the form. That honestly gives you free rein in deciding how you want it all to work.”

“What do you mean?”

She pulled a pen and a clipboard out of her briefcase. “Well, you’ll need to decide on custody rights and visitation.”

Stark’s face went blank. “I think Mary made it clear she didn’t want to be apart of Resa’s life.”

“Then sole physical and legal custody for you, with no visitation for the mother.” At Stark’s nod, she made a note of it and continued, “There is also child support, though…”

“I don’t exactly need it?” Stark offered with a smirk.

“And it wouldn’t be worth the hassle of trying to get it, since it could attract public attention,” she agreed, noting it down. “We can also put in for a change of name?”

Stark slumped slightly and shook his head. “Considered it, but it’s not worth the risk. Once she gets into school, having the name Stark would be flirting with disaster.”

“What about your mother’s maiden name?”

“Carbonell might not be as well known as Stark, but it would still be too much of a bullseye to the right crowd. Parker’s generic and doesn’t have any ties to me. I think it’s the safest bet.”

Jen gave him an understanding look. “I’m guessing you want to keep the rest of her name too then.”

Stark looked surprised before turning away. “We’ve all gotten used to her being Teresa, but… her middle name, can we change it to Ana?”

“Of course,” she said, curious about the choice but staying quiet. “I can get the paperwork in then drop off the updated birth certificate and social security card personally so no questions are asked. I’m guessing you’ll want to leave the listed parents as is.”

“Read my mind, Genevieve!”

She blinked at the nickname, but shook it off quickly. She double-checked that everything was now filled in on the forms before turning them so Stark could sign. As she filled in the witness portion, she asked, “Was there anything else I can assist you with?”

“I did give you two folders, didn’t I?” he teased.

Jen blushed and put away Teresa’s folder before opening the one she’d forgotten about.

She really should be getting used to being surprised by this point, but she was still shocked to find another birth certificate copy in the folder. This one was for a boy named Harley that was a month or so old with the only parent listed being a Victoria Susan Richards.

Tori.

She flipped through the folder to find more paternity tests, a letter from Ms. Richards dated months earlier, and another set of custody forms, these ones completely filled in and simply waiting for Stark’s signature.

Seems Stark really has been busy the past few months, which explained why he’d fallen out of the limelight.

She frowned as something occurred to her and looked up at her client. “Can I speak frankly, Mr. Stark?”

“Tony, and please do,” he said sitting back with curiosity dancing in his eyes.

“Is this,” she gestured at the folder, “why you’ve suddenly gone dark on the party scene lately?”

He frowned, still curious, but a bit of confusion peeking through. “Yeah. Need to step up and be a bit more responsible. Resa and Harls need a bit more upkeep than their older siblings, after all. Can’t exactly go out partying while being a dad.”

“Yes, you can. And you should.”

Shock colored his face and he leaned forward. “Well, you're the first to share such an opinion. Care to explain?”

There was a hint of threat in his voice that had her shrinking in on herself, but she pushed on. “M-Tony, I may not be in with celebrities and the like, but I’ve read enough gossip mags to know how this kind of thing works. You’re a public figure, and when public figures suddenly change behavior with no warning, people get curious. They dig around until they either find out the truth behind the change or find enough breadcrumbs to come up with their own ideas, which can often be worse. If you don’t want someone to turn up the wrong stone and figure out what you’re hiding, you need to stop acting like you’re hiding something.”

Stark hummed and sat back. “Good point. Knew I picked the right person for the job! So, what do you suggest?”

“I, um, well, uh,” she stumbled before clearing her throat. “If-If you’ve got a project ready to be announced — something big preferably — you should announce it soon, then immediately get back on the party scene. I’m not saying you should get drunk all the time like before, but you need to fake it. Let everyone think it’s all just been an extended version of your working binges. Once everything’s calmed down, then you can cut back, gradually. Maybe you could…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Final part for the boys' arc. Next Arc: Star Child

#tony stark #jennifer walters #she-hulk #peter parker #iron family

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wolf-in-a-suit · 6 years

Text

PHD in Matchmaking

A/N: This is my entry to @cleolemonfanfiction‘s writing challenge. Featuring a really pissed off Loki and you dear reader, victim to the fact that you’re Tony Stark’s stubborn friend:

Due to working on a project with Tony you are forced to share a room with none other than sunshine personified: Loki. Both of you find Stark’s hospitality to be thoroughly lacking, will you survive?

My prompt was: A Marvel character and the reader become roommates; they aren’t exactly easy to live with until they reveal their feelings to one another.

Pairing: Reader x Loki

Warnings: Language (nothing major), Loki being an a**

Word Count: 2.399

There was something fishy about Tony Stark’s proposal.

When he told you, one of his best friends way back from university, that he would love to work with you again, you should have been skeptical. His story started reeking when he proclaimed you should just live in the Avenger Tower, for the duration of your stay. Every living being with an intact survival instinct would have been more than careful - thus you accepted it.

After all it was Tony, and you were talking about THE Avenger Tower! As in: high gear equipment for research and a bunch of superhuman trotting around- so no big deal at all!

"Tony you can't be serious..." The billionaire just huffed and said: "Look I'm really sorry but due to construction work we simply don't have enough room, so this will have to do."

"Not enough room? We're talking about a fifty-six floored skyscraper!"

He just clapped your back and ignored all complains - as usual. "Just pretend we're back at the university and you've got a new roomie."

You simply hoped this wasn't one of his disastrous tries to play matchmaker. In your last year at MIT the genius suddenly came to the conclusion that he was the 'Date Doctor' – you should have never encouraged these delusions by watching the film with him- and his first victim (patient) had been your mutual friend. At the end of the month his crush had invoked a restraining order against all three of you.

Becoming infamous on campus had always been a dream, but something about being 'that-girl-with-the-restraining-order' just wasn't all it was cracked up to be-and it certainly didn’t help on the dating market.

"So... who is my roommate?" At this moment a fair skinned, black haired man, stepped into the room a bored expression residing on his face.

You just shook your head. "NO, way! Do you think I lived under a rock these past years? You're expecting me to share a room with the nut job who tried to destroy New York?"

Said nut jobs face changed at lightning speed to a murderous glare.

"How dare you, a mere mortal, an insect in the face of a god, disgrace the-" "Hush,-" you interrupted him right then and there "-the Grownups are having a conversation here."

Loki just stood... still, his brain still trying to process the sheer audacity of this mortal. Tony on the other hand was impressed: "This isn't a sight you see all days: Took us a Hulk to get him to shut up."

At the intensity of your glare the Tony Stark, billionaire, inventor and Superhero started fidgeting nervously. 'Time for a strategic retreat!'

"Yeah, the two of you will be just fine. See you at work." With that he was gone, leaving you to face down the self-proclaimed and pissed off 'god' on your own- high time to reevaluate your choice of friends.

Outside, the turn tail almost smacked into a mountain of muscle. "Wow, Goldy-Locks we've got to put a bell on you." Thor starred at the door concern swimming in his blue irises: "And you deem this to be a good idea? You do realize that my brother is mighty compared with your mortal standards, even with his powers bound by your machine?"

"Relax, big guy! ___ managed to hold me in check for years. How much worse can he be?"

This was followed by a loud crash. Both heroes exchanged glances and after a silent agreement was struck, simply dispersed as if no screaming echoed out of the room in question.

"How dare you low life lay a hand on my belongings?"

"What am I supposed to do just sleep on the floor? This is a bed not a bookshelf!"

"At last you seem to grasp your place!"

The bright blue sky had already given way to the red streaks of dusk.

"Do you think we should interfere?" Bruce Benner startled when a new wave of hollering pierced the air.

"At this rate someone is either going to die, or they are going to hook up." Black Widow retorted offering the assembled Team a bag of chips.

"Natasha I have the feeling you're enjoying this a bit too much. Can we really guarantee ___ safety?" Steve declined the snack appalled.

"As usual Cap you're boring! Just think about it: If she manages to get the wannabe emo to at least shut his mouth for a moment: I’d say it’s a full success." Salty crumbs escaped the heir of the Stark legacy’s mouth.

"100 bugs she won't last two days!" "I take you up on that arrow head!"

Half a dozen heads snapped to the door at the second loud crash disrupted the air.

Days passed and the annoyance started settling in his chambers. She had an absolute disregard for any form of human decency: Grabbing his books and stacking them up somewhere else, obscuring the marked pages in the process, reading late at night and keeping him awake in the process. Even sitting with her filthy human body on his cape and wrinkling it! His plan to dominate earth had never seemed so justified before: These creatures really needed someone to teach them manners! Or better yet-he found another wrinkle in the fine green wool- obliterate them from existence!

The mortal stumbled into his rooms late that night throwing, or trying to throw her lab coat over a chair where it fell to the floor in a heap.

“Do we also add filthiness to our many virtues now, hmm?” The scientist simply huffed, concerning well-adjusted to the jabs by now. “Good evening to you too!” Her bed moaned at the mass crashing onto it. For a few moments only the rustling of him turning delicate pages filled the room. When he felt the weight of stare settle on his shoulders, his eyes wandered to the second bed where he found her prone form watching him with some interest.

The mortal took his raised eyebrow as a cue: “So you’re reading Stephen King now? When did that happen?” The god of mischief’s lungs were filled with a suffering breath. “Obviously nothing of your planets dimwitted literature is capable of entertaining me for too long: So as you took the liberty of grabbing my books and shoving them around I took some of yours.”

He waited for the inescapable fallout… but only got a huff and a: “Well than by all means: Enjoy our ‘dimwitted’ literature.” Soon the room was filled by the rhythmic fall and rise of her lungs, testament to the false security she thought herself in. Not concerned with the personified wrath, shackled as he might be –he regarded the collar, rendering his ability’s useless- inhabiting the same space as her.

The rays of the morning sun danced through the room, illuminating it in a golden glow. You stirred and opened a lazy eye. ‘You got to be kidding me!’ “Are you already reading again or have you never stopped?” Green eyes broke away from words and met yours. “Degraded as it may be, I must admit there is some merit to be found in your forms of fiction- however underdeveloped it may be.”

‘Aaaand good morning to you too, headache!’ Even when the man complimented something, he dragged it through the mud first. “For ‘underdeveloped’ literature you took quite a shine to it I’d say.” You eyed the tower of books piling beside his cot. A collection of Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and many others were stacked in a hazard manner forming a tribute to the leaning tower of Pisa. One could say much of the insufferable man, but he sure was a fast reader, but god forbid he would hear you complimenting anything about him. That would just feed his ego, inflating it to the eighth world wonder.

Thus the days passed, you worked with Tony and at night crashed in your room. At times, even having civil conversations with the black haired Asgardian. Well, scratch the argument the two of you had regarding his reading candles. How could such an advanced society still use freaking candles for light? Though, you suspected that was just Loki being in his no-one-could-ever-understand-me-cause-I’m-so-deep rebellious phase.

Your project regarding advanced bionic arms for amputees was taking bigger strides each day and would soon be finished.Than you would be out of here and free of the mood swings of his majesty. Tinkering with the sensor of the prototype a sudden sadness welled up inside you. These feelings were quickly brushed away however. Who had the chance to work in the Avenger Tower? It was only natural to be sad to leave it behind!

“Someone is in a disgusting good mood today. And stop that hideous noise, are you trying to sing?” You came to a sudden halt next to him sitting on the windowsill.

“What, are you a leading expert on music now too? It’s called humming!” Unimpressed he resumed turning to the next page. “There is no need to immerse myself in, what you humans might call music, to know that it will lack any originality, or that your ‘humming’ is an insult to every hearing thing that has the ill fortune to meet you.” Your chuckle drove green eyes to flash from the page to your face. “Your insults are becoming a little bit clunky, you should work on that. Although I must admit I walked right into that one.” When your expression started clouding he couldn’t help but inquire:

“Now that you have managed to annoy me yet again, one should think it would lift your spirits even more?” “Ahh, it’s just...” at the impatient ruck of his head you continued: “Tomorrow there will be a press conference about our new project and I can already tell that Tony is going to hog all the glory.” Your hands were raised in surrender, justifying yourself to air. “Not that he ever did it on purpose, but he’s just so charming and outspoken… people always tend to forget me when he’s around. It’s been like this ever since university.”

Loki pondered on this for a long moment. At last he seemed to come to a decision. You looked at him hopefully.

Perhaps this was the turning point, the two of you had a real conversation:

He wasn’t that bad honestly.

“Do you plan on murdering me with boredom? Because that insignificant tale, almost finished what my brother and his idiotic friends started.”

Clash! A Jane Eyre book hit him square in the royal visage. “HOW DARE YOU LITTLE MORTAL-“ His screams died in his throat when salty water leaked onto your cheeks.

“You’re honestly the WORST person imaginable! I thought we had finally found some common ground!” You hated this, you hated that you cried in front of him! You hated this bastard! Why did all that sass leave you when you needed it the most?

The god of mischief scoffed. “Common ground!? You relate more to an insect than to me…” an almost immeasurable pause “Why do you even care about that?”

A primal roar tore through the air. “Because, I care about you!”

Silence.

‘Shit! Shit, shit, shitshitshit!’ If you hadn’t just revealed your greatest weakness to the one person bend on destroying your whole planet, his expression would have been hilarious.

Still, like a statue he stood, with a finger still raised in the air. His eyes wide and expression matching the vacancy, that settled in his mind at your admission. You waited, bracing yourself for the mental pain –probably accompanied by being bitch slapped into next century- that was about to come.

Half a minute ,an eternity stretched by and you couldn’t bare it any more. So you hurried out of the room, leaving shame and misery behind you.

“Where the hell is it?” Tony already rummaged through the whole lab leaving discarded files, books and old takeaway containers in his wake. Searching through the living room for the last control sensor of your prototype he became more and more nervous. “Damn!” his hands dragged through his hair and left it disheveled. “The press is arriving in an hour!” You on the other hand couldn’t really pretend to be to bothered. Between Tony probably being the only one to interact with the press… and the incident yesterday you were already at rock bottom: so pretty comfy with the thought of your work just being dragged through the mud by the press.

Not even the mighty Avengers, vanquishers of foes beyond human comprehension, crawling around on the floor like a band of children playing hide and seek could lighten your mood. Thor started bench pressing the whole couch, because Natasha couldn’t get a good look under it.

Than he entered: Loki strode into the room annoyingly regal and composed as always. Your eyes tried to focus on anything that wasn’t the immaculate form of the Asgardian, but then you realized he strode directly to you. Oh, you had spent the rest of last night- sleeping -on the now airborne couch- about what insults you would cast at him. Anything to fight the rising shame in your gut about your display of weakness yesterday. You squared your shoulders, got into a fighting stance and raised your eyes to meet his with a glare.

But all words failed you when Loki fell in one fluent motion onto his knee and took your hand, raising it to his lips. You felt the peck and something else meet your hand. When he raised his head your stares intertwined, his contained an uncharacteristic warmth.

CRASH! The spell was broken by the thundering clash of the couch almost crushing Black Widow. Thor didn’t even register that the weight had left his hands, he just stared at the scene mouth agape. His brother, not able to contain the fast flash of a grin on his face, took this at his cue to leave. In another elegant motion he stood and left the room as if nothing had transpired between the two of you.

While everyone’s attention was still trained on Loki your turned your hand.

Inside it you found the sensor, a small slip of paper was attached to it: ‘Leave him to fidget some more!’ When the search party started shuffling awkwardly around you again, sending you deeply disturbed glances you slipped your hand into your pocket and felt a blush flame onto your cheeks.

#avengers imagine #loki laufeyson #loki x reader #loki imagine #tony stark #natasha romanoff #thor #writing challenge #mcu

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thesffcorner · 5 years

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Glass

Glass is written and directed by M Night Shyamalan. It’s the third film in a series that started 19 years ago with Unbreakable and takes place 3 weeks after the events of Split. It follows David Dunn (Bruce Willis), who after the death of his wife, has become a vigilante, dubbed the Overseer by the public. He has been trying to find the Beast (James McAvoy), who has in the intervening time kidnapped 2 more sets of girls. However, during their confrontation they get ambushed by the police and admitted into a sanatorium, under the eye of Dr Staple (Sarah Paulson), a psychiatrist who has three days to ‘cure’ both of them from their delusion that they are superheroes.

I really enjoyed this film. It still suffers from some pacing and dialogues issues, as do most of Shyamalan’s films, but a lot of the problems I had with Split, are fixed here. It’s a clever examination of our culture’s perception of superheroes and extraordinary humans, and I think it’s a fitting conclusion to David, Kevin and Elijah’s story-lines.

I think the best way to talk about this film, would be to go over the characters, because much like Fantastic Beasts, the positives and negatives are tied to the various character story-lines. So, in descending order let’s start with the positives.

Kevin Wendell Crumb:

Kevin’s character, I feel has both the strongest arc, and gets most of the screen times, so it’s only fitting we start with him. In the intervening time between Split and Glass, the Horde, we find out has kidnapped two more sets of girls, a group of cheerleaders being the last one. All of the personalities we saw in Split make a comeback, and while I still maintain that Hedwig is the MVP, and best character, I was surprised at how much I both liked and looked forward to seeing Dennis, Patricia and Kevin himself.

I really do have to comment MacAvoy; he is genuinely the reason this character works at all. He has such a good grasp on all these different characters, that me and my friends just had fun guessing which personality had the light in different scenes, and we all guessed first try, often without even McAvoy having any dialogue. He is so good at creating different mannerisms and body language for each character, and they are all (especially the main 5) are recognizable and distinguished from each other.

I was also happy to see a ton of the other personalities. I didn’t count, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we did see all 24 of them; there are two scenes where the asylum uses hypnotic lights to cycle between the different characters in Kevin’s body, and we get a taste of most if not all of them. None of the other personalities get any real weight to the story, but I did like the subtle hints that the Horde was disintegrating, with some people joining Patricia and Dennis, and some maintaining to fight against them.

Speaking of Dennis, I was SHOCKED that I actually liked him in this film. I think the smaller role actually helped establish what was meant to be his conflict in Split, which was his desire to protect Kevin, and Patricia’s indoctrination that only the Beast can truly do that, with his hesitance to kill any of the girls. He is faced with Casey, and her being amicable and caring about Kevin are what really push him over the edge into realizing the Beast is wrong, and I really liked that.

Patricia was the weakest of the mains in Split, but here she gets some interesting scenes with Elijah. She is the Beast's priestess and first disciple, but even her faith and commitment waver in the face of someone like David Dunn who is capable of all the things the Beast is, and maybe even stronger. She was the one that was the most susceptible to Dr. Staple’s ‘therapy’ because she’s the most committed to the idea that the Beast is superhuman; if he isn’t and he is just a mad monster, than Patricia has to come to terms with the fact that all the people she killed for him were innocent and for nothing.

Hedwig doesn’t really get an arc, but he is still the most entertaining and funniest character. He gets several scenes to shine with Elijah and David, but the stand out was definitely his ‘relationship’ with Casey, which brought some much needed levity to this otherwise bleak film.

Kevin, who didn’t get much time to shine in Split, gets a bigger role here. I thought the idea of him more or less imprinting on Casey because she was the one to show him kindness and their shared trauma was fine as a character turn. What I didn’t really like or understand were the weird romantic undertones between them, and also Casey's speech to him about what happened to her uncle after the Beast let her go, should have made no sense to Kevin, since he didn’t know about her scars; it felt like it was directed at the audience, as Shyamalan realized Casey didn’t get any conclusion in the last film.

As for the Beast, I really liked the way Elijah essentially manipulates him to fall perfectly in his plan, and I think the film does a decent job at presenting the duality of him being at once, there to protect Kevin from the world, and at the same time a destructive and evil force in the world.

Elijah Pierce:

Speaking of Elijah, he was by far my favorite character in the film. Samuel L Jackson is great in any role, but here he brings a real joy to this character that’s at the same time appalling, and sympathetic and pitiable. He makes terrible decisions, hurts people and has no concern for anyone other than as to how they fit in his grand scheme, and yet you can’t help but root for him. He’s incredibly clever, and his medical condition makes it near impossible for me to hate him, mostly because there are plenty of characters who treat him poorly in the film.

This entire plot hinges on his plan, and while I won’t spoil it, I will say that I DID NOT see either of the twists coming, and I was pleasantly surprised with the direction the film took. Jackson got some great interactions with both Willis and McAvoy, and I really liked that he not once is tempted to believe that what Dr Staple tells him is true; that’s why she decides to perform the ‘procedure’ on him immediately. I also really liked the scenes he gets with his mother, especially at the end; I thought that was a very touching moment, and humanized a rather monstrous character.

David Dunn:

David was the only character I feel like was rather wasted in this film. He has a lot of screen time especially at the start of the film, while he’s still trying to find the Beast, and I really liked the Batman/Oracle dynamic he has with his son Joseph throughout the film. Unfortunately, once the characters are in the asylum, he sort of gets lost in the shuffle, and doesn’t really have a proper arc like Kevin or Elijah. He basically goes through the same arc he had in Unbreakable, except less well executed, and faster.

and he’s the one that really puts a wrench in the ‘therapy’ Dr Staple has, which is hard to explain without talking about Dr. Staple.

Dr. Ellie Staple:

Dr Staple specialized in people who have delusions that they are superhumans, so she spends most of the film trying to convince the three, especially Kevin and David, that they don’t. Except this isn’t really convincing as a potential twist, because we KNOW that David and the Beast are capable of doing superhuman things. With David, he’s never been sick, he’s never broken a bone, he survived a train crash that killed everyone else, he can lift more than weightlifters in their prime, he can sustain heavy blows and injuries in his body, and he looks amazing for someone who at that point is probably around 60. Even the explanation of his visions felt too contrived; the movie doesn’t make an effort to disguise the way he figures out Hedwig is the Beast by showing us the ‘clues’ that he supposedly picked up on to make that judgement; it’s very clearly some form of superpower, and I don’t see how anyone in the audience would believe even for a second that David isn’t superhuman.

The same goes for the Beast; I don’t care how good at parkour and rock climbing you are, you can NOT walk on ceilings, stick to flat surfaces or throw metal tables like they weigh nothing as a human, you just simple can not. Getting shot at point blank even via a malfunctioning shotgun would KILL YOU. This whole section felt like wasted time, because I as an audience member at no point believed any of it was true, and really disliked that out of all people the one that it worked best on was David.

There is much more I can say about Staple, but I won’t because of spoilers. The one thing I will say, is that it makes sense that she would try to dissuade the trio from believing they are gifted first, and I understand why that part was in the film, I just feel like maybe it would have worked better, if we didn’t already have two previous films where we establish their powers already.

The other thing was that she was just a horrible psychiatrist. Letting Casey talk to Kevin, but not letting Joseph see his dad, claiming that David attacked one of the cheerleaders when there are witnesses that he didn’t, using water to subdue David in what is essentially torture, while at the same time telling him his fear of drowning and isn’t actually his kryptonite because he’s a regular man… look it makes sense at the end, but without that twist, you begin wondering WHO RUNS THIS SHOW? How is this legal?

Casey, Mrs. Pierce and Joseph:

Joseph was the one who had the least amount of screen-time and least to do. I liked his role as a tech wizard, Oracle-style figure to David, and I enjoyed the scene where he writes a speech to convince Dr Staple that his dad is just a senile old man who was at the wrong place at the wrong time, but other than that he doesn’t have much to do.

I liked Mrs. Pierce the most, because I really like her relationship with Elijah. I appreciate that she acknowledges that he is not a good man, and has done horrible things, while also loving and caring about him deeply, and being proud of his intelligence and strength. She was a really good character.

Casey I liked better here, because she was a little more proactive, but I still don’t really understand why she cared about Kevin to the extent that she does. First, he did hold her hostage and try to eat her, ate two of her classmates, and then ‘let her go’ in the sense that he left her locked in a cage at the zoo. Why was she so touched by that so much that she was willing to get involved with him again? I don’t think the film really does a good job at distinguishing between her relationship to the Beast vs Kevin (I’d even throw in Dennis in there, since their interactions are also creepy), and even if we say that her attachment is purely to Kevin, the film doesn’t really explain why she would want to do anything to do with him!

Some Miscellaneous Thoughts:

I did like the breakdown of the superhero genre, and the play with tropes and conventions like the Villain Team Up, the Former Villain Joins Forces With the Hero To Defeat a Bigger Threat, the Twist in the Third Act, Secret Plan All Along, etc. I liked how the secondary characters filled out a roles in each of the heroes’ lives like the Sidekick, the Emotional core, the Mentor. I even liked the self sacrifice to bring light to truth aspect of the story.

However, I think that there were definitely things that needed improvement. Like I said, the middle part does drag, and the ‘therapy’ angle didn’t really work and felt like a waste of time until we get to the climax. I also thought that the idea of superhero books being a fictionalized history lesson on real things was interesting, but the way the movie presents it, it’s both not a convincing case and not very interesting, because it does sound crazy. The other thing that tied into this was the idea that Staple’s therapy and similar measures have worked so well for centuries, until specifically Elijah came along; that seemed a little unreasonable as well.

Conclusion:

I liked this film. If you like Shyamalan, slow, character driven explorations of the superhero genre and or any of the actors, go see it. If you don’t, then skip this film; don’t go into it thinking you’ll get Watchmen, because you won’t; the closest would be season 1 of Heroes.

#glass #glass review #film review #moni talks

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