#do you think wally like... goes to their houses to visit them while they sleep | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mrclairdycat · 1 year

Text

☆ MORE WELCOME HOME HEADCANONS CAUSE I'M HYPERFIXATING >:3c

So... It's canon that the neighbours pick Wally up and that he likes to be held. Sometimes randomly, other times because he asks. However, I headcanon that Wally asks to be picked up just by putting his arms up: everyone in the town just knows what this means. Eddie, though, forgets about this. I imagine a moment where Wally sees Eddie walking and puts his arms up. The mailman looks at him, confused, then goes:"Oh!" and gives him two high fives before walking away to deliver the mail and whistling. Wally is left there with his arms up. he watches his hands like "👁v💧👁" and then watches as Eddie walks away.

Wally's swirly hair is bouncy. Barnaby loves to just pat the hair and say "Boing bo-boing." Wally hates when people touch his hair, but he likes to hear Barnaby laugh so he lets him do it.

Speaking about Wally's hair, he loves having a hair morning routine every single day, it's a routine that brings him joy, to him doing his hair means starting his day. He's never seen without his hair done, if he couldn't do it the day would be totally ruined, he would have a meltdown (when he has a meltdown he just goes non verbal and stays home all day. Home probably tries to cheer him up, too.)

Polly is very mother. She takes care of everyone in the town as if they're her children. The neighbours often visit her since she's so pleasant, it's like visting grandma's house! Whenever someone visits her she can't help but start cooking them something. The neighbours always so "Oh, don't bother," or "You don't have to really," but she feels like she has to, it's in her mother instincts!

I have headcanons for the character's music tastes: Wally likes soft love or romantic songs: he listens to them as he draws and moves his feet up and down, he hums aswell. Barnaby likes to listen to jazz because it's improvised, fun and nice to vibe to. Eddie likes rock music: he probably stims to it and definitely pretends to play a guitar every time. Poppy likes to listen to pop songs, especially ones made and sung by female artists. Julie likes them aswell, especially the more upbeat ones. Whenever she comes over they probably sing and dance together. Frank likes classical music, especially while gardening, reading or studying. Home loves lullabies, who Wally sings, Howdy likes to listen to the same songs that play at his store, kind of like elevator music and, at last, Sally listens to dramatic music: she loves to immerse in it, imagine scenarios and act as if she's in a play.

Barnaby is a heavy sleeper, and a loud one too. He snores a lot.

Wally often has nightmares that he wakes up from in the middle of the night. Whenever this happens he goes to Barnaby's house, crawls in his bed and sleeps with him. It's the only thing that stops him from having nightmares. Surprisingly he doesn't mind his snoring too, since he likes having someone making sounds as he sleeps. It's comforting to him, because it means they're there. He also thinks Barnaby is very comfy considering his fur and size. The dog is used to waking up some days and see Wally there, it happened many times. Since it doesn't wake him up he doesn't mind it: whatever helps his friend is ok with him. Barnaby also believes Wally's nightmares are pretty standard, but they're actually gorey and dark and are, mostly, about his friends dying and stuff, or waking up one day to a desert town, which is why it upsets Wally so much.

Wally has people pleasing tendencies. He just wants to make friends with anyone he meets, which is why he's so friendly and nice. However, don't be fooled, this doesn't mean you can trample all over him. Sure, he doesn't vocally set boundaries, but if you do something to hurt his feelings he's gonna get his revenge... in other indirect ways. He's also often scared that his neighbours wouldn't be friends with him if he wasn't like this, which is why he often feels resentment. He's wrong though: his neighbours would totally still love him.

One time, as Frank and Julie were playing together like always, she said something like:"Oh Frank, why are you always so angry all the time? Be more like Wally! He's never upset at anything, that man is always so happy," she then started to wonder: "why, I don't think I've ever seen Wally be truly angry at something. Do you think he can't just feel anger, Frank?" she asked. "Of course he can, everyone feels emotions, silly. All of them. I do have to say though, I'm curious to see Wally angry." They organized a plan to make Wally angry and watched inside Howdy's store from the window in secret as they executed it: Wally came up to Howdy and gave him the posters he drew for the store. Howdy acted out the plan:"Seriously? These are so ugly," he stated as he started to make up things to criticize, "I will not accept them, you need to do a better job." He then looked at Wally who had an indescribable look on his face: he thought he was about to yell or something but, instead, he started to silently cry. Everyone panicked: Julie and Frank immediately ran up to the little guy, she hugged him tightly while Frank continously apologized. Howdy started giving him all the apples he had in his store to try and cheer him up... They decided they were not going to try to make Wally mad ever again.

I headcanon Wally to be aroace and poly. He feels strong platonic affection to all the people he makes friends with, he wouldn't like the classic idea of relationships. Why would you love two people differently? to him love should be equally shared!

#welcome home #welcomehomepuppetshow #partycoffin #wally darling #welcome home headcanon #welcome home headcanons

61 notes · View notes

sohotthateveryonedied · 4 years

Note

psssst got any headcanons about the batkids being turned into animals for a day thanks to some fucked up magic rogues?? (i saw you reblogged some of that shifter au so i had to get your thoughts on this because uhhhhh i need it)

(i’m expanding it to a week because this au deserves as much content as i can give it holy shit i love it already)

dick gets turned into a golden retriever and he is having the time of his life. his only responsibility now is wagging his tail when he’s happy and barking at the mailman. no stress. no worries. he can do whatever he wants now. dick will run up and down the stairs fifty times for no fucking reason and has an absolute blast. he will plop on bruce’s lap while he’s trying to work and take a nap there and bruce can’t do a single thing about it. just sits there under the weight of his giant fluffy son.

dick tries to call wally and invite him over to the manor so they can play frisbee but all he can communicate is with woof woof bark. so he texts him with his giant paws, “pls coem ovetr im bored :’((”

“sorry but i don’t want this to awaken any furry genes in me,,, you’re on your own pal”

timmy is a CAT. because i LIKE IT. he’s this fluffy lil black kitty who disappears less than five minutes after bruce wrangles them all back in the manor. he’s phantom of the opera now. the only reason anyone even knows he’s still in the house and alive is because alfred keeps finding him napping in the laundry room because it’s warm and he likes to squeeze himself into teeny tiny spaces. bruce nearly kills him when he turns the oven on one day and it’s sheer luck that he opens it to make sure it’s empty and oop! there’s tim! curled up on the bottom rack sleeping his life away in a hot box of death! bruce has a goddamn stroke.

barbara visits and tim spends the whole day sleeping in her lap. at one point he climbs up on her shoulder and snuggles into her neck like a fluffy lil angel, purring his heart out. babs has never felt so blessed in her life.

bruce: “son please. i have work to do”

tim, stomping all over bruce’s keyboard and headbutting him in the chin: “oh??? you have work to do huh??? more important than paying attention to me??? your son??? you hate me??? you want me to die??”

bruce’s very important email to lucius fox: “mkkkkkkkkkkkkghjkkkkkkknj.////////////,”

steph!! is a mouse!! what a fuckin ride!! she is a small squeaky creacher, here one minute and gone the next. you grab a box of cheez-its from the pantry and find it empty but for a little blonde mouse snoozing in there like “fuck ok i guess this is how it is now.” one morning bruce discovers her using his coffee mug as a jacuzzi. he is dead inside.

damian is a wee tiger cub. he is cute but miserable and will run at bruce from across the room and smash into his shins because “father!! this is terrible!! fix it father!! you bitch!!” he snuggles with dick whenever he can though, purring like a car engine. 10/10 adorable, would definitely adopt.

bruce: “damian”

damian: :3

bruce: “damian”

damian: :3

bruce: “you will spit stephanie out right now or you’re grounded”

damian: >:3

jason becomes a hawk. the first thing he does after getting turned is land on bruce’s head and screech in his ear because fuck you that’s why. this is karma supreme. once they’re all safely at the manor he carries off a screeching steph in his talons and drops her in the toilet. familia.

bruce: “jason. sweetheart. please tell me you didn’t just shit on my car.”

jason: “ok :) then i won’t tell you”

ironically, cass is a sloth. slow sleepy girl. only three toes nothing more. she is shockingly okay with it and just,, hitches rides on people,, all day. she hangs around bruce’s neck like a gucci scarf and sleeps there for hours. snzzzz.

duke is a freckled bunny, floppy ears and twitchy nose hell yeah. bunny duke is too good for this world. too pure. sleeby twitchy boy. he dropkicks damian in the face during dinner and lands in a bowl of mashed potatoes. babey.

a few days in, alfred calls up the teen titans that way beast boy can come over and interpret what the batkids are saying since they can’t exactly speak anymore.

bruce: “so?? why does duke keep biting me??”

gar: “well uh. he said something about how um. you confiscated his xbox last week...”

at one point bruce isn’t looking where he’s going and steps on a cherry tomato and just. bursts into tears. because he thinks he stepped on steph’s tiny mouse body and killed her. a minute later steph swan dives off the chandelier with a parachute she made out of one of alfred’s handkerchiefs and lands on bruce’s head, giving him a fucking heart attack.

bruce goes to the pet store to buy food because apparently cats aren’t supposed to eat caviar?? wack. he stocks up on all kinds of pet food and the cashier asks how many animals he has.

“oh no these are actually for my kids.”

cashier: ಠ_ಠ

979 notes · View notes

colehasapen · 3 years

Text

(ONE SHOT) There are things that we can have, but can't keep DC

A03

Hal isn’t on Earth when Barry dies. He’d been in deep space, running a mission for the Guardians that needed him to go completely radio-silent for a month and a half. It had been an absolutely miserable time, but he’d managed, telling himself that with every day that passed he was closer and closer to being able to go back to Earth, that soon he’d be able to sleep in his own bed and hold his boyfriend close. He doesn’t even know until he’s returned to the Watchtower, and goes looking for him.

He’d been confused, at first, when he’d noticed the strange looks the heroes he passed sent him, the way they parted as he’d passed. He’d been confused until John and Diana had pulled him aside and broke the news to him as gently as possible.

Barry was dead.

Barry had died while Hal was in space, not even a week after he had gone radio silent. He’d died saving the world, over a month ago, and Hal hadn’t been there. He’d had a hero’s funeral, there was talk of setting up a statue in memorial in Central City. He died while Hal was in space; Hal had spent the month telling himself that soon he’d be able to see him again, soon he’d be able to touch and hold him again.

Barry was gone.

Hal can’t remember what the last thing he had said to Barry was. He couldn’t remember if he had told Barry that he loved him, if he had said something deep and meaningful or something light and sarcastic. He knows they had had dinner before he’d left, he knows that Barry had smiled at him and kissed him goodbye, Hal knows that he had laughed and told Barry that he’d see him soon, but he can’t remember the conversation they’d had in full. He feels like he should, that he should remember the last moment he’d seen the man he loves in perfect clarity, because it’s what Barry - the amazingly kind and gentle man he’d fallen in love with, who loved Hal despite all the things he’d fucked up in his life - deserves.

Hal’s legs had given out on him, the green energy of his ring sputtering out and dying with his will as it had all sunk in. He’d dropped like a stone, numb with horror and eyes wide and unseeing, and it was only John’s strong arms looping around his shoulders and pulling him into a tight hug that had stopped him from hitting the unforgiving floor. He’d probably been in shock, because he hadn’t cried, hadn’t screamed or shouted or gotten angry, he’d just gone numb and silent, staring at the wall blankly as John had held him. He’d gone quiet, he hadn’t uttered a word, and simply let John herd him towards the zeta beams and take him back to Coast City, back to the apartment Hal rarely stayed in, because he was usually in space, or at Barry’s small house outside of Central City.

He knows now what was in their eyes - pity. Pity because they all had some idea of the relationship between Green Lantern and Flash. It wasn’t like he and Barry hid the fact that they were a couple. They ate together, took missions together, watched each other’s backs and hovered over each other in the medbay; honestly, it was pretty obvious, even if there were a lot of people who wondered just how the mild mannered Flash and hot headed Green Lantern managed to get along long enough to begin a relationship in the first place.

But not a lot of people knew them as Hal and Barry. Didn’t know them beyond the masks they wore.

It doesn’t matter anymore, though, because Barry is dead.

Barry is dead, and Hal is alone.

Hal shuts himself away; he locks himself in his apartment, takes a leave from the League and the Corps, and stays huddled away in a darkened room, mind racing through regrets and memories. He wouldn’t even be able to go out if he wanted to, not as Green Lantern, because he hadn’t been able to light his ring since he’d learned, barely made it flicker despite it being a full charge, so John and Guy pick up his slack. Sometimes, he feels something other than the numbness of loss when he sees them on the news, doing his job for him, but even that isn’t enough to make Hal will himself to move again. Alan comes by, sometimes, but it doesn’t change anything, only makes him remember to eat because the older Lantern is always bringing food and has mastered that look that makes Hal listen to what he’s saying.

He’s worrying them, he knows, worrying his fellow Leaguers too, but Hal’s never handled loss well, even since he was that kid staring at the flaming wreck of his father’s plane. He obsesses, the therapist had told his mother, back when they were still trying to pry into his head to pull out his thoughts so that he’d stop dreaming of flying someday, because his mom didn’t want to lose anyone else to the fires of a crashed plane but Hal was too stubborn to listen. Back then, Hal had been standing outside of the door, listening listening to his mom cry and beg the psychologists to fix him, to make him normal; he’d been quiet and numb then too, because even back then, even at eight, he’d known that while his mom loved him, he was too much like his dad and that was all she could see in his eyes.

Hal had shut down back then, and he shuts down now too.

The what-ifs are loud, an ever-present shouting in his mind that he can’t block out. He wonders what could have happened if he had been there, if he’d been on Earth when Barry had run so fast that his body had burned up. Could he have stopped it? Could his ring have saved Barry?

They haunt him almost as much as Barry does.

When the door to his apartment opens, Hal barely looks up from where he sits on the lumpy old couch, staring out the window and watching the cars zoom past. He’s used to it at this point, the comings and goings of his fellow Lanterns, so he just keeps staring, hoping that whoever came to watch him stew in his depression would leave him to it. That is, until his visitor speaks up.

“Uncle Hal.” Hal jerks, head snapping up and around at the young, wrecked voice. Wally looks horrible, and Hal isn’t surprised - though he does feel guilty that he had forgotten about the speedster that had once run at Barry’s side. Wally had been Iris and Barry’s son in all but blood, and then, after Zoom had killed Iris, he’d only had Barry.

Barry, and Hal, who hadn’t let Barry out of his sight if he could help it.

But Hal had forgotten - so caught up in himself that he forgot about the boy Barry had been raising. God - Wally wasn’t even twenty yet, and he’d lost both of the closest things to actual parents that weren’t pieces of rotting shit he’d ever had, and now he was stuck with Hal of all people.

“Wally.” He croaks, stumbling to his feet with all the grace of a newborn colt. Wally is pale, almost gray, with dark circles under dull eyes; he looks like he hadn’t slept since Barry’s death. “Shit, kid - I -” Hal stutters slightly, guilt burning in his gut, “- I’m sorry.” For not being here. For not helping Barry. For not being on Earth. For not being there for him in the aftermath.

Wally’s smile is shaky, and almost heartbreaking to look at, “It’s okay.” The kid says, shrugging. He steps forward, wrapping his arms around Hal’s torso, and folds himself against the Lantern, pressing his forehead against Hal’s collarbone. “Nightwing told me you were planet-side.” The words aren’t even accusing, but God knows Hal deserved that and more. They just sound tired, a soul-deep exhaustion out of place in such a young man.

Hal lets out a shaky breath, holding the young man close. Shit, he’s horrible - leaving Wally on his own, and not even having the balls to tell him that he’d come back. “I’m sorry.” Hal says again, uselessly. “How’re you holding up?”

Wally lets out a shuddering sigh, “I’m holding.” He says, bitter amusement in his voice. “Jay’s been - he’s been running patrols.”

“Yeah.” Hal sighs. Alan had told him, during one of his earlier visits; at the time, it had angered Hal, knowing that someone other than Barry was protecting Central, but now he’s come to terms with it. Barry may be dead, but crime wouldn’t have stopped, no matter how much the twin cities adored the Flash.

“I -” Wally’s voice cuts off. He goes quiet, hesitates, and pulls back, fiddling with the heavy golden ring on his finger.

His Flash ring.

Green eyes flash, harden, then Wally meets his eyes head-on. “Jay can’t do it all.” Wally says, “He’s retired. But -” he grows hesitant, “- but the world needs a Flash.” He finishes quietly. “And it needs to be me.” Wally ducks his head again, and Hal’s heart thunders in his chest. “I - I just - I’m not him. It feels wrong.”

It was inevitable, Hal knows, that Wally would become the Flash. Barry had always told him that his sidekick had always had potential, had the goodness inside of him needed to be a hero, that he would make an amazing Flash.

But he’d always hoped that Barry would be here to see it happen.

“You’re not Barry.” Hal finds himself saying, then he winces. Way to go, Jordan, just fuck it up all over again. He scrambles to recover, “But you can’t get your confidence from him.” Wally looks at him with sad green eyes, and Hal reaches forward, placing a hand on the kid’s shoulder. “You’ve got to find it in yourself, Wally. You’re the Flash now, and that name means something to people.” Hal lets out a slow breath, forcing himself away from the foggy cloud of numbness he had fallen into. “I know it’s going to be hard, it’s going to be a heavy weight to carry, a heavy legacy.” He thinks of Abin Sur, and the expectations that had come with being his replacement. “Barry - he was - he was the best. Not just as a hero, but as a human being . That’s a lot to live up to.” Wally nods, but Hal isn’t done yet. “But you know what kid? You’re gonna do it. You know why I know?”

“...No.” Wally whispers, voice thick, and Hal moves his hand to gently press against the kid’s cheek, like Barry’s had.

“Because Barry believed in you.” Hal says with a surety that he hasn’t felt since the moment Diana had told him what had happened. “He knew you’d be great. Always said that you’d be better than him, and I believe him.”

“What if I can’t be?” Wally’s voice shakes miserably, eyes shiny with tears, “I’m not Barry.”

“There’s not going to be another Barry, kid.” Hal’s words tear past his throat, shredding his heart with them, “He’s dead. You’re not Barry, because you’re you.”

Barry’s dead. He’s dead and gone, and Hal wasn’t there for him. He’d promised that he’d be there for him, once, and had planned to keep that promise; but, well, everyone had always told him he had commitment issues, hadn’t they? That he broke promises as easily as breathing.

May as well live up to that.

#cole writes #dcu #dc comics #halbarry #hal jordan #wally west #green lantern #the flash #flash family #justice league #barry allen #barry allen/hal jordan #hal jordan/barry allen

35 notes · View notes

blissfulbroadway · 3 years

Text

Alfred Nathaniel Hallam III Headcanons!!!

YES his name is Alfred Nathaniel Hallam yes he is a third no I do not take criticism

Childhood:

- Alfie got pneumonia as an infant. It messed up his lungs A Lot and affected his immune system and stuff as well so as a child he was constantly sick.

- He was in and out of hospital a lot and had a few surgeries so he was always on bed rest and isolated to everyone until he was about four years old.

- All of his medical issues caused his mum, Elizabeth Hallam, to dote on him a lot and suffocate him a bit. His father, Alfred Hallam II was the opposite and became pretty detached from being a father figure to Alfie.

- At a very young age, Alfred was introduced to stories since he couldn’t go anywhere. He was constantly reading in bed and learning often. Also his father made him study German just for funsies.

- His grandfather Wally, or Alfred Hallam I, introduced Alfred to Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland when he was three. Wally re-enacted the story to him in hospital a lot, and it inspired Alfred to fall in love with the story and take on the characters as his own. Wally got him his own copy after an especially difficult surgery, as well as a stuffed rabbit called Baby because he’s a three year old and it’s his little baby bunny :-) (he still ends up traveling with it as an adult and can’t leave without him).

- Around that time, his parents had his little brother, Elias (named after their mum) to be a backup plan or new start because they didn’t think Alfred would be much worth to them in the future. Yes they are shitty I know :/

- His parents have very very very high expectations for him because he’s now the older brother who has to do everything and he’s not their spoiled sick baby boy. They let Eli be a little shit and do anything he wants (like any little sibling but multiplied by like 10) while Alfie was expected to be the perfect child who dressed, acted, looked, and spoke the way they wanted.

- Alfie and his parents are very posh sounding because they live in Bromley, but he has a slight northern twang because of his grandfather. His parents hate it.

- When he’s four years old, after a long period of bedrest, Alfred is allowed to play alone outside, and he meets Alice. They refer to that day as their Golden Afternoon because it was the day they became the best of friends, and Alfred introduced Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland to her. (At first Alice was probably like Who are you and what are you doing in my backyard and Alfred is just SO EXCITED to introduce his favorite storybook in his entire existence so she budges and let’s him share his world with her)

- Alfie is a huge bookworm and while he adores learning and reading, his infatuation for learning mathematics (mostly so he could impress his father and maybe he would love him more if he knew “Big Kid Things” yes I know 🥺🥺🥺) manifested into an obsession with time, as well as the fear of being late or running out of time. He was surrounded by the idea of death from a young age and it influenced the way he thought about himself and what might happen to him if he didn’t listen to his parents. Their pressure brought out his anxiety disorder and depression at a very young age and it sticks with him throughout the rest of his life. His escape from all that death and sadness was Alice’s Adventures because he could always reset the clock at the end of the book and start again.

- When he’s five, Alfie spends some of his rich kid allowance on a copy of Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland for Alice, and in return she buys him a pocket watch a few years later. He adores it and never ever takes it off even as an adult.

- Alfred avoids his own home a lot and spends time with Alice in their conjoined backyard, playing pretend and acting out their story together. Sometimes, they spent the days inside her house (Mama Hallam is good friends with the Spencer parents, so she doesn’t mind them watching Alfie) and Alfred is well acquainted with Mr. and Mrs. Spencer enough where he considers them paternal figures...sort of. (Mr. Spencer is lowkey highkey Alfred’s bisexual awakening, and he’s one of Alfred’s first crushes; it doesn’t help that his own father constantly criticizes him and his interests or is absent from his life doing slimy rich man things. Daddy issues.)

- Mr. Spencer is a book lover (possibly librarian? Also sometimes professor :-)) and so he’s constantly discussing stories with Alfred and Alice on an intellectual level fit for the both of them. Most adults treat them like small children, so Alfred loves the attention.

- When Mr. Spencer dies in their early teenagehood, Alice and Alfred get incredibly attached to their storybook, and they find more comfort in it than ever. His death launched Alfred’s struggles with eating and sleeping, as well.

- This is one of the harder periods of time for Alfred, as he and Alice didn’t have any friends aside from each other. They’re incredibly codependent on one another.

- Mamie Van Eysen flirts with Alfred a lot during this time, but only as a joke. Either that, or she makes fun of his body and his personality—both in front of Alice, to make Alfred uncomfortable and Alice jealous. Other students bully him and Alice often.

- A lot of Alfie’s self image issues stem from this time, and his anxiety and depression worsen.

- When Alice’s mum dies when they’re fifteen, the pair runs away together. Alice almost gets assaulted, and Alfred wants to protect her. He gets into a giant fistfight with the older man. It’s bad enough to the point where the man is arrested and Alfred is hospitalized; it’s the hardest period he’s ever spent in hospital, even after all of his childhood issues. The police bring Alice and Alfred home and Alfred is banned from visiting Alice for a while. They communicate by speaking through the windows straight across from one another, or holding up signs from the window seats. While Alfred is healing, Mama Hallam is extra overbearing and critical to the point of being toxic and unhealthy for Alfred. His brother gets really mean around this time, too, as he doesn’t get the attention he once had. His and Alfred’s relationship get really rocky, and it’s never really mended in the future.

- The day Alice and Alfred can officially reunite, they never separate and they’re stuck at the hip from this point forward.

- When Alfred isn’t hanging out with Alice, he is at his grandfather’s hat shop, helping him stock or sell products. He puts his money towards a secret emergency fund in case he runs away again—this time without Alice. Alfred can never get past the front door, though.

University:

- When they reach uni, Alfie majors in mathematics and education, and minors in literature and statistics. He finds joy and love in his studies again, even if school itself affects his mental health.

- Alfred doesn’t want to be dependent on his parents, so he gets a job at a coffee shop and writes essays on the side for money. His caffeine addiction is dangerous at this point, and he often finds himself not eating or sleeping until it’s physically impossible not to take care of himself.

- Alfred puts all of his money towards renting an apartment with none other than Miss Tabatha Dedwin!!

- He and Tabbie are flatmates. Since Tabbie is best friends with Dodgy Dawkins, he meets him, as well. They’re friends for good after that, and that’s when Alfred starts to wind down, smoking with them, as well as his Alice.

Adulthood:

- After university, Alfred gets official treatment and is able to change his eating habits and caffeine addiction.

- Alfred learns about emotional support animals and gets a Giant Flemish Rabbit named Ollie to be his support animal. He’s giant and blue-eyed and looks like the spitting image of Alfred’s beloved White Rabbit. He’s a cutie.

- Alfred also did a little bit of gardening when he was getting treatment, and once he’s home he gets all sorts of plants and becomes a Plant Dad (with lots of research, of course!)

- In his mid twenties, Alfred finishes his extra schooling and becomes a primary school teacher. He blossoms into a happy, mostly healthy bisexual man with lots of plants and a sweet pet bunny and he wears funky disastrous outfits and has an amazing support system!!! (Alice, Wally, Tabs, and Dodgy :-) also Wally’s lover Denny the carpenter who comes out to Alfred when he’s an adult. He’s super shook but he gets even closer to Wally because they’re more similar than he believed)

- When he’s prob like 30 he goes to more school and becomes a university professor in the end of his years! Depending on who he ends up with he possibly has a few kids and a bunny and life is good!!! He’s teaching and learning constantly and it’s the life he’s always wanted even if his parents never accept his Christmas cards and his brother doesn’t answer his calls. He’s happier than he’s ever been.

- Also don’t tell Sage but when Alfie’s older his health problems catch up to him and he dies a relatively young death due to complications with his lungs :-( rip to my main man Alf

Little Headcanons:

- Alfie is the Biggest animal person besides maybe Tabbie. The ONLY exception is geese because one time he tried to feed a goose was brutally attacked by a goose and is afraid of them. He prob does birdwatching in his free time too

- Alfred’s fashion is HORRENDOUS @dodgefred and I made it up forever ago that he was a fashion disaster and ofc Colton’s costume...moving on. The reasoning for his fashion is he just picks pieces that make him happy that day and he sticks with it it doesn’t matter if he matches he’s just vibing.

- He reads his kids bedtime stories and he’s so devoted to being the father his own dad never ever was - When he becomes a professor it’s probably to teach Calculus and while his class makes people cry Very Often Alfie as a teacher himself is very very empathetic and comforting and yeah math is a bitch but he’ll take time out of his lunch breaks and extends his office hours way past the set time to help a student!!! He’s such a comfort to LGBT+ students and he probably has a few he discusses gay discourse in literature with (Tabbie absolutely introduced him to lesbian literature also also this isn’t a Tabs post but she stans Shakespeare :-)). Professor Alfie is the weird quirky prof. who stresses you out sometimes but also he goes on long tangents about his interests and how much he loves his significant other or children or baby bunny child Ollie!! He has so many plants and books in his classroom too it’s a Lot.

- Wayyyyy into theatre but he didn’t pursue acting onstage because his dad is homophobic :/ but he was in charge of lighting in school productions and fell in love with the stage

- He helps his friends study by acting out their textbooks for them and they always always ace their tests

- MUG COLLECTOR!!! He has so many mugs it’s not even funny his entire cupboard is taken over by them honestly

- Virgin who can’t drive

- Such a cursed and baseless hc I’m So Sorry but his first crush was the tomato from Veggie Tales

- Going off the last point he grew up in a Catholic household and he had one of those mums who was like you are Not allowed to watch tv unless it’s like. Veggie Tales or the Little Einsteins

- Alfie plays piano!!!! Also he did ballet when he was younger but he left because it was super bad for his mental and physical wellbeing and is convinced he’s a bad dancer because of his poor experience with the art

- Alice calls Alfred her Bunnie and he calls her My Alice/Allie/Allie Cakes

The end :-)

#alice by heart #alice by heart musical #ABH #abh musical #alice in wonderland #alfred hallam #alfie hallam #alice spencer #tabatha dedwin #tabbie dedwin #dodgy dawkins #this is the hill im dying on #thank you

25 notes · View notes

heleizition · 4 years

Note

hello :) if you feel up to talking about it, i would love to hear more about the relationships between tim and his siblings in the farm au. like how they get along (cause obviously he doesn’t have the best relationship with damian or jason in the comics). i know you’ve posted some art of him and jason so sorry if you’ve already talked about this in detail! just curious if not :) have a nice day!!

IM SO SORRYYYY I NEVER GOT AROUND ANSWERING THIS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok so :

• a thing in canon that is important to dick and tim’s relationship is obviously tim meeting dick when he was a child and kind of admiring him from afar... none of this happens in the dc au, and by the time tim gets adopted by bruce (13 yo) dick is 24 and has moved out of the family home (he has an appartment in town with donna and wally where they might or might not be dating). they’re way less close than whats typically assumed. dick is there for tim n is a trusted figure and they have a siblings gc so he’s always a text away but ye tim at this point comes from a family where he was abused emotionally and its hard to open up to grown ups and even more to an adult adopted brother who’s not always physically present. dick pops up pretty regularly in the family house anyway, but it takes a few years for tim to feel comfortable going to him if smth is wrong :(

• jason when tim gets adopted is 18 and even if at first there is a bit of “oh am i getting replaces” since he’s going to college by the end of summer, in the Big City, they’re the closest. jason was here and saw bruce get involved n mad over what he knew about tim’s home life,,, met tim before he came to live w them too,,, and honestly his insecurites leave pretty quick bc tim jst . bring out his dad instincts . he’s good at guessing what tim is feeling once he gets the hang of it, and patient when they talk, shares his own story with him in some bits. they relate to some things and dont to others and learn from each other n their rooms are also next to each other so jason often hears when tim is crying in his room slightly,, early after his adoption tim couldn’t sleep and he kept tossing and turning and jason n him ended up wrapped up in blankets on the balcony listening to the nature’s sounds and sometimes reading until one of them fell asleep n ,,, yeah ,,, they’re jst, ,, theyre rly close :( ♥. after jason goes to college tim often visits on week ends !!!!! which is where the pic with roy happens. he misses his brother :C

• ok so i had to think for dami and tim because i changed stuff while answering this including since how long dami has been here (because i want him to have trauma bc im a terrible person). So here is what ive decided. dami is 10 when tim gets adopted, has been here since a year or two. he was with talia before, and im not fixed on this but her and dami did live w ra’s and ra’s probably was into some shady stuff to compensate for canon ,,, anyway damian has trauma (ra’s related, talia is good). talia n him escaped n she dropped dami off to his dad and jst vanished ig ? idk . she out there maybe. anyway he has Trauma, emotional abuse n physical abuse, probably to a higher level as tim,,,, anyway when tim arrives he’s wary, bc he knows jason n dick are adopted but tim is the first newcomer since damian arrived and it scares him .. so at first he jst mostly avoids tim and doesn’t really give him a chance ? but after jason leaves for college they get closer. bc they have similar traumas they both can see when the other is Going Through Stuff, bad days, and slowly they allow each other in,,,, sobs, they’re great ok they’re v close,,, when tim is more comfortable in the house he n dami gets up to shenanigans and give bruce’s grey hairs. they’re v good :(

• cassandra gets adopted the year after tim, she’s 16 and mostly non verbal. im not sure what im making her background yet but ye,,, not good,, but she is very kind and gentle and her and tim are rly good,, he brings her out of her shell a bit and likes when he brings his friends over bc they’re patient w her and make sure she understands waht they’re talking about/games they’re playing... tim and her both start learning asl together

• IM AM NOT QUITE SURE WHAT TO DO W DUKE YET SO I CANT INCLUDE HIM HERE BUT HES HERE ! SOMEWHERe !

#ask me #farm au #aaAA i love . tim & dami & jason relationships #these three are really good in here :(#Anonymous

67 notes · View notes

diamcndgirl · 3 years

Photo

under the ‘read more’ you will find a full interview about the one and only penelope hainline.

BASIC QUESTIONS

first name? penelope.

surname? hainline.

middle names? bernadette (after the broadway legend bernadette peters).

nicknames? penny (most common) and miss piggy.

date of birth? may twenty-eight, 1998.

age? twenty-three.

PHYSICAL / APPEARANCE

height? 5′2.

weight? 120lbs.

build? athletic/small.

hair colour? blonde, but known to wear different wigs.

eye colour? bright blue.

glasses or contact lenses? glasses for fashion and fashion only.

distinguishing facial features? her big eyes and tooted up nose.

which bodily feature is most prominent? chest. while she lost most of her weight her chest is still relatively large for her size.

make up? penny loves make up, spends almost as much time doing her make up as she does picking out her outfit.

type of clothes? all types of clothes! she loves clothes but is known mostly for her high fashion looks. she creates her own outfits from time to time. but she loves high fashion and designer clothes.

how do they wear their clothes? penelope has an outfit for literally every occasion. basketball game? she’s got a jersey with her name bedazzled across the back in pink. painting? she’s got a total get up and special painting beret. her clothes are an extension of herself. she loves having fun with her clothes.

race / ethnicity? white.

are they in good health? over all, yes. she’s slimmed down and is in a lot better shape. she does karate/kick boxing to keep in shape but honestly she still eats like a pig.

PERSONALITY

what words or phrases do they overuse? “excusze moi”, “moi”, “thank yoooou.”, “oh dear..”, “totally”, “shut up!!”.

are they more optimistic or pessimistic? hmm, is there a middle ground? honestly, overly optimistic about her own talents and overly pessimistic of other’s. she is absolutely positive she’s perfect at everything she does.. but as for other people? it’s all their fault anything goes wrong.

are they introverted or extroverted? extroverted, extroverted, extroverted!

do they ever put on airs? literally all the time. like i said penelope thinks she’s perfect at everything straight out the gate... doesn’t matter if she’s done it before or not. which means she always puts on a front like she is great at everything.

what bad habits do they have? not many, her mother was good for breaking bad habits young. but, the ones that stuck are: emotional shopping, emotional eatting, sleeping in, and interrupting people.

what makes them laugh out loud? a lot. penny laughs at everything and anything.

how do they display affection? physical touch and gift giving... she’s always been one for big displays of affection. so she’s one for holding hands, kissing in public, and showing out with big gifts.

how do they want to be seen by others? perfect. she wants to be seen as perfect. anything less is just a no.

how do they see themselves? not so perfect. while she acts like it on the inside she is constantly nit picking herself, the way she dresses, and every little thing about herself.

strongest character trait? tenacious. she’s got a strong grip on herself and her life.

weakest character trait? overly confident. while she’s got a go and get it personality she also has a tendency to over over board and think bigger than her ability.

how competitive are they? extremely.

do they make snap judgments or take time to consider? snap judgments all the time with everything. then it takes a good while to convince her she’s not correct about it.

how do they react to praise? highly. she loves praise. anything to hear that she’s as wonderful as she thinks. “oh please. you’re so silly.. tell me more.”

how do they react to criticism? not good.. she hates being told she could be better at something.

what is their greatest fear? failing. be it in her career choice or relationships. to fail means her mother was right and so were all the kids when she was younger.

what is their philosophy of life? go big or go home.

what will they stand up for? their friends. what they believe in. people with smaller voices than her own.

are they indoorsy or outdoorsy? indoors.

what is their sinful little habit? kissing strangers when she’s tipsy.

what sense do they most rely on? her sixth sense-- or at least that’s what she says. penelope picks up ‘vibes’.

what quality do they most value in a friend? loyalty.. and a good fashion sense.

what do they consider an overrated virtue? forgiveness. you don’t always have to forgive someone.

if they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be?

what is their obsession? fashion, rupaul’s drag race, kylie minogue, and fancy chocolate.

FRIENDS AND FAMILY

is their family big or small? who does it consist of? small. there are only three members: her mother bonnie a retired model, her father jim a business lawyer, and herself.

what is their perception of family? she loves her parents. they gave her everything she could ever want.. but they did let her down in a lot of ways. so it’s a tad screwed.

do they have siblings? none that she knows of. her father wasn’t a very faithful man and neither was her mother.

describe their best friend. penelope had a best friend growing up. kaiden russel. sadly, after going into high school the pair didn’t stay connected and she moved onto a more popular crowd and hasn’t truly had a ‘best friend’ since then.

ideal best friend? hm, someone who can keep up with her all the while keeping her in line. someone who listens and doesn’t mind her rambling. also they’ve got to have a great fashion sense and killer personality.

describe their other friends. penelope has loads of friends. while she may be a bit of a mean girl she doesn’t have trouble making friends. especially since moving to elias. she’s been able to calm down on the venom and let friendships grow.. she still worries about people not

do they have any pets? back home she has a biscon friese named pinky. she’s trying to convince her land lord to allow the dog to stay.

who are their natural allies? wally, georgette, daphne, and buzz.

who are their surprising allies? rita. they’re very much opposites attract and have a surprisingly great friendship. while they’re an odd pair penny has her back just like rita has pen’s.

PAST AND FUTURE

what was your character like as a baby? as a child? loud, chubby, and a little too in your face.

did they grow up rich or poor? rich. her parents wouldn’t have it any other way.

did they grow up nurtured or neglected? right in the middle. one parent nurtured with gifts and the other neglected with words.

what is their greatest achievement? prom queen, except it was a fluke. next would be getting into walt academy.

what was their first kiss like? hm, not great. it was with the smelly boy on the back of the bus because the cool kids dared her.. she was promised to sit at their lunch table then got tricked.

what is the worst thing they did to someone they loved? she told her mom she hated her.. like multiple times.

what are their ambitions? become a fashion mogul and build a huge empire.

what advice would they give their younger self? don’t listen to axel.. ever.

what smells remind them of their childhood? chocolate and tears.

what was their childhood ambition? be the next britney spears.

did they have an imaginary childhood friend? she didn’t have many friends besides kaidan. so she created friends from her stuffed animals.

when was the last time they were crushed with disappointment? besides being stood up.. probably being told her latest design wasn’t good by her teacher.

LOVE

do they believe in love at first sight? yes, she’s a hopeless romantic.

are they in a relationship? clearly not.

how do they behave in a relationship? she’s a fun partner. but she’s very about herself. while she’ll cover them with attention and love.. she’ll always be her first priority.

when did you character last have sex? it’s been a hot minute. penny isn’t big on hook ups. she wants to be in love.. or in ‘really like’ before she puts that out there.

what sort of sex do they have? again she wants to make love not have sex. she’s more about pleasing and being pleased. and she just really loves kissing and cuddling.

has your character ever been in love? nope, she doesn’t even know what it feels like.

have they ever had their heart broken? her feelings hurt but her heart wasn’t broken by axel. just hurt really bad.

CONFLICT

how do they respond to a threat? with a bigger threat back. penelope is very confrontational.

are they most likely to fight with their fists or their tongue? tongue, girl has a mouth and can say very hateful and mean things.

if your character could only save one thing from their burning house, what would it be? her diary. she’s kept one since she was a child. it’s important to her.

what are their phobias? spiders and bugs in general.

what is their choice of weapon? her purse and the taser she keeps in it.

what living person do they most despise? axel and his band.

have they ever been bullied or teased? yeah, her whole childhood.

where do they go when they’re angry? to cry in a pillow then to the gym to punch away her aggression.

WORK, EDUCATION AND HOBBIES

what is their current job? jobless socialite student.

what are their hobbies? fashion design/sewing, karaoke, and karate.

educational background? she’s currently in college for fashion design.

intelligence level? she’s about a 8/10 on the intelligence scale. she has always done well in school but def isn’t a valedictorian.

do they have a natural talent for something? sewing. she can make an outfit in under an outfit and it will be perfect.

do they play a sport? are they any good? kick boxing, doll. she’s great. and karate. she’s a black belt you know!

FAVORITES

what is their favorite animal? her pup. but she likes flamingos strangely enough.

which animal do they dislike the most? spiders.. and bats.

what place would they most like to visit? paris. again and again and again. she hopes to live their one day. but as far as new place to visit would be london.

what is the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen? can she say her own reflection?

what is their favorite song? love at first sight by kylie minogue or the call by the backstreet boys.

music, art, reading preferred? ooo, this is hard for her because fashion is art to her but she loves singing. we’ll say art to be safe.

what is their favorite color? pink, all day everyday.

POSSESSIONS

what is in their fridge? lots of leftovers and food prep. penny doesn’t cook very well.

what is on their bedside table? a picture of her puppy, her phone, a ring dish with her everyday jewelry, and a cute lamp.

what is in their purse or wallet? junk on top of junk and things she needs to clean out.

what is their most treasured possession? her diary and her grandmother wedding band.

SPIRITUALITY

who or what is your character’s guardian angel? she’d believe it’s her father’s mother but then again with her fate she doesn’t think she has one.

do they believe in the afterlife? yes. but she’s not sure it’s like the ‘good book’ says.

what are their religious views? believes in a god but is not practicing any strict religion.

what do they think heaven is? heaven would be a happy life where she’s treated like a princess on a throne.

what do they think hell is? reliving prom night over and over again.

are they superstitious? a bit. she wont place her purse on the ground, doesn’t step on cracks, and little things like that.

what would they like to be reincarnated as? hm, a butterfly.

how would they like to die? in their sleep.

what is your character’s spirit animal? a peacock.

what is their zodiac sign? gemini sun, gemini moon, cancer ascending.

VALUES

what do they think is the worst thing that can be done to a person? murder.. or having their heart broken.

what is their view of ‘freedom’? she’s not sure... it seems like there isn’t such a thing these days.

when did they last lie? she told her teacher her outfit was cute.. it wasn’t. it was tacky and she hated it.

what’s their view of lying? penny doesn’t lie often.. maybe fib and tell little white lies.. but never about anything major.

when did they last make a promise? hm, she doesn’t really make promises because it’s hard for her to keep them.

did they keep or break their last promise? again.. she probably broke it.

DAILY LIFE

what are their eating habits? awful. she works out to keep off the pounds.. but penny has never ate healthy and probably never will.

describe their home. chic chaos? clothes and accessories everywhere, pictures of herself and pup everywhere, her sewing station a hot mess.. lots of color and fun.

are they minimalist or a clutter hoarder? clutter hoarder.

what do they do first thing on a weekday morning? drink water and write in her dream journal.

what do they do on a sunday afternoon? her weekly skin care routine.

what do they do on a friday night? a night on the town. she’s probably dragging a friend to karaoke or on a ‘friend date’.

what is the soft drink of choice? she’s a mountain dew girl.

what is their alcoholic drink of choice? sangria or margaritas. she’s simple.

MISCELLANEOUS

what or who would your character dress up as for halloween? probably wanda from wanda vision.. she has no idea. or she’ll try to get a date and force them to be her vision. or maybe princess peach.

are they comfortable with technology? very much so. social media queen.

if they could call one person for help, who would it be? probably howl.. she just learned about magic.. that has to fix everything.

what is their greatest extravagance? her princess tiara, her father bought when she turned sixteen. it’s diamond encrusted and also has pink diamonds.

what is their perception of redemption? obviously she think shes got the greatest redemption story of all time.

what would they do if they won the lottery? give it to charity for publicity... whoops.

what is their favourite fairytale? the twelve dancing princesses.

what fairytale do they hate? princess and the pea.

do they believe in happy endings? yes, and she hopes she gets one.

what is their idea of perfect happiness? honestly, a good marriage and sucessful career.

what would they ask a fortune teller? who she’s going to marry and if he’s loaded.

if your character could travel through time, where would they go? to meet anne boleyn and tell her what’s going to happen.

what sport do they excel at? karate.

what sport do they suck at? anything with a ball.

if they could have a superpower, what would they choose? super strength or flying.

#watask #「 ❀ 」 » TASKS. ⋮ ━━ ˗ˏˋ 𝖤𝖷𝖢𝖴𝖲𝖤𝖹-𝖬𝖮𝖨! ˎˊ˗

3 notes · View notes

cakeandpi · 5 years

Text

(some other unfinished, unpolished stuff, featuring artemis and kaldur and candles, but not the romantic kind)

---

The day after she joins the team, a storm surges across Happy Harbor and takes out the power the Cave. Kaldur mutters something about circuit breakers and leaves the group, while Robin hunts down flashlights. M’gann immediately claps her hands and gets far too excited about telling ghost stories. Wally tries to say something about not needing to be scared while he’s around - Artemis elbows him and he doubles over dramatically. “Oh no, M’gann, I think I need medical help.” He gasps, and Artemis rolls her eyes.

Kaldur returns - the circuit breakers have been tripped, but flipping them hasn’t fixed anything. “Weird that the generators didn’t kick in.” Robin muses, flicking on a flashlight and setting it on the floor, pointing it at the ceiling so they could all see.

Artemis folds her arms. “I am not going into some dark basement, I know how these sorts of stories end.”

“What stories?” M’gann asks, eyes wide. Artemis turns to Conner for help, who just shrugs. She doesn’t know what she really expected, in retrospect.

“Just bad horror stories, mostly.” Artemis says at last. She blinks as Kaldur sets something down beside the flashlight.

“A candle? Can’t you see in the dark what with being part fish?” Wally asks. Then yelps as Artemis elbows him again, less gently than before.

She scowls at Wally. “Don’t be rude.”

“Yes, I thought it would be nice.” Kaldur answers Wally’s question with more patience than Artemis feels it deserves. “Though I suppose the flashlights are more practical.”

“Well, I like the idea! Can we light it?” M’gann asks. “I’ve only ever seen this on TV.”

Robin returns - Artemis squints at him; how had she not noticed him leaving? - with matches and lights it. Taking the flashlight, he points it at his face and says, “Sure thing Miss M. And now, why don’t we tell stories? It is a dark and stormy night, after all.”

---

Years later, Artemis “dies” and Tigress takes her place. She kisses Wally goodbye, lingering because while she’s made the decision to back Kaldur up, she also doesn’t want to go. “I’ll be fine.” She whispers between kisses. “Try not to worry too much.” She doesn’t tell him to not worry at all because she knows that’s a useless request.

“I love you,” He tells her. Then, “You should go,” and she knows how hard it must have been for him to say that, because she knows how hard it is for her to actually go.

She shoulders her bag and follows Kaldur out of the building, pulling her new mask down over her face. The Manta flyer waits out in the bay, and it doesn’t smell like blood but the metallic scent of it fills her nose anyway.

---

The training session ends early, when her sparring partner gets violently sick. Tigress escorts them to the infirmary, listening to their assurances of being all right, they just ate something bad. She hums in non-commital agreement and doesn’t say a thing about how she’s all but carrying them down the hall.

After dropping them off, she returns to the quarters she and Kaldur share. It’s not until after she closes the door that the scene before her actually registers and she freezes. Kaldur, too, freezes, eyes wide and something like apprehension in his face. It takes her longer than she likes to think about to find something to say. “Doesn’t that hurt?” She asks, finally, gesturing weakly at him.

“Only a little.” He admits. The candle in his hand isn’t lit, but it obviously had been, given the wax dripping from it onto his arm. Artemis makes herself stop staring and goes to stow her gear, as if she had simply caught Kaldur reading or something equally innocuous. A door closes hastily; when she looks, Kaldur’s absent and she can hear water running in the tiny bathroom adjoining their quarters.

Leaning her forehead against the wall, she closes her eyes and inhales deeply. Whatever that was, it isn’t any of her business. Not as long as their mission isn’t jeopardized.

---

She’s not really sure how long it is after Wally’s ceasing. She knows it’s some amount of time, because it’s someone different spending time with her each day. M’gann brings her a ridiculous amount of food, and at any other time Artemis might have joked about stress baking. But for now all she can do is smile wearily at her.

Dinah makes her go to her house to eat dinner with her and Ollie and that is the weirdest, most awkward dinner Artemis has had in a long, long time, and she doesn’t want to repeat that experience.

Dick visits, and that one ends in a shouting match because things weren’t supposed to turn out like this. Maybe one day she’ll apologize for some of the things she said. Maybe not. Roy brings her beer and they get drunk and belligerent and shout at the world inside her tiny new apartment (because she can’t stay in the one she and Wally had shared, she just can’t). She vaguely remembers her neighbors banging on her door and something about noise complaints.

Even Kaldur takes a turn in babysitting her. Given that he’s somehow talked her into going outside, on a walk, like some sort of normal person who didn’t have their boyfriend just zap out of existence, she’s glad that’s after she’s mostly recovered from her hangover.

And that if she has to have company she’s glad that it’s Kaldur, because she’s tired of being angry and tired of being sad and tired of having to put up a front. Kaldur might have opinions if she acts weird, but he’d at least keep it to himself unless she hurt herself or him.

Speaking of -

“Can I ask you something that really isn't any of my business?” She blurts out.

She can almost feel his hesitation. “I cannot promise an answer,” he warns.

“It's about your candle. Thing.” She says before she can think better of what she’s asking. “Why do that?”

He's quiet for so long that she thinks he's not going to answer. The ground crunches under their feet, dry brittle grass and gravel and dirt. “Stress relief.” He says at last.

“Huh.” She rolls that over in her mind. She doesn't get it. “Think most people's go to for stress relief is sex.”

Kaldur snorts. “Have to like that for that to be an option.”

She starts and stares at him, flabbergasted. “And you don't?” She asks, as if there was any other way to interpret his statement.

He glances at her, then away, as if he's uncomfortable, and it belatedly dawns on her that she’s asking about Kaldur’s sex life, heaven help her. “It's not… quite that. But it's …” He shrugs, as if that should explain it. And it should, she’s just got a bad case of foot-in-mouth, one that she can’t excuse with grief or her hangover. “It's just not my first choice of activity.”

“So you do candle stuff instead?” She can't see getting the same rush or release of endorphins from that. “Er. Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry that much.”

Kaldur snorts, and he bumps his shoulder against hers. “It is fine, don’t worry. Just not used to talking about that stuff with anyone.”

She smiles wanly and bumps his shoulder back. “You could always tell me to fuck off, or whatever, you know. Don’t have to put up with my rude ass.”

He laughs, full bodied and head thrown back. She doesn’t stare, eyes wide with surprise, because she made Kaldur laugh like that? Wow. “Artemis, you’ve met our teammates. You’re a saint in comparison.” Her lips twitch, and she snorts and soon joins Kaldur in his laughter. It doesn’t turn to tears until later, when she’s back in her new place and alone and she has time to think about how Wally won’t ever get to hear Kaldur laugh like that.

---

It’s months later and she rejoins the team, this time in orange rather than green. She’d have come back sooner - immediately, even - but Raquel and Zatanna had sat her down and looked at her. “We aren’t going to make you talk about it, if you don’t want,” Zatanna had said.

“But you’ve been on that mission for months now, and you intend to just throw yourself right back into the fray? Do you even know how you want Tigress to operate as a hero yet?” Raquel asked, arms folded and face stern.

Artemis had wanted to argue. Had argued, even. Told them that she’d figure it out along the way, because how else did people do these things? And she might have won that argument, if it had been just one of them. But the pair of them, working in tandem against her? She found herself somehow agreeing to ease her way back to being a full-time member of the team.

From the anxious, worried looks the newer, younger members had given her the first time she ran a mission post-Wally? She still wasn’t sure if it had been a good idea.

Slowly, she found her footing again. More quickly with the older team members who knew her, not just knew of her. It helped that her old teammates treated her as they always had, letting the newer heroes pick up on their cues.

---

The mission didn't go well. The team is back all in one piece and uninjured but definitely a bit rattled. As they debrief Black Canary on the mission, Artemis keeps a watch on Kaldur from the corner of her eye. He's tense, even here at the Watchtower where it's safe, his muscles taut and his movements jerkier than normal.

When the team is dismissed, most of them disperse, going home or going out as the case may be. Home sounds good, as does a hot shower and sleeping for hours, but Kaldur worries her.

So she stays and follows him down through the hallways to his quarters. “Did you have need of something?” He asks, pausing outside his door.

“No. You're going to do that thing, right? From the undercover mission?” She jams her hands into her pockets. She shouldn’t be asking this, but she also doesn’t want to just leave knowing he’s about to go hurt himself, in private, without anyone knowing. “May I watch?”

He turns to look at her then, and she tries not to squirm under his scrutiny. His frown is intense, and it’s all she can do to not take a step back. “And if I say no?”

There’s an almost apprehensive note to his question, and Artemis realizes with a start that he’s worried about what she might do in response. “Then you say no and I go home. I'll worry, but that's my problem.” She shrugs, trying to fake an uncaring calm she doesn’t really feel. “I do complicated trick shots to de-stress, sometimes. Don't always want to be watched, cause then someone might think it’s how I usually do things. But sometimes it's fun to show off too, you know?”

His mouth quirks as if she's said something funny. “What, not sex?”

Oh. Their previous conversation about this. Her face flushes hot. “Well. That too, but it's more complicated now.”

He examines her for another moment, though what he’s looking for she can’t say. “Okay, but you're just watching. All right?” He holds open the door for her.

“All right.”

It's a lot more mundane than her imagination had built it up to be. “Actual burns are not the point,” he tells her. “It's about the sensation, not to cause harm.”

“Oh.” She knows she's a bit of an unwanted outsider here, so she does her best to make her presence unobtrusive, leaning against the far wall from where Kaldur is setting up. “But you said it does hurt some?”

“Only briefly, and only a little.” He reappears from the bathroom, dressed in sweatpants and a plain t-shirt, candle and a box of matches in hand. “And far less than blocking one of Superboy’s punches during a sparring match.” He sets it down and lights it, flicking the match out then dropping it in a nearby glass of water.

“Took so long to get him to understand what pulling a punch meant.”

“And now he’s taken charge of training our newer members.”

Artemis smiles fondly. “Remember when he was so angry about everything? But now, you actually have to genuinely work at it to get him genuinely riled up.”

“He really has come a long way. All of us have.”

“Yeah.” She ducks her head so he doesn’t see her smile waver. She doesn’t need to bring the mood down by tacking on ‘all of us that survived’. The light flickers - or rather, stops flickering - and she looks back up. He’s holding it over his outstretched arm and the wax drips out and down and onto him. Artemis swallows, watching as he slowly, bit by bit, builds up more and more wax on his arm. After a few minutes, he sets the candle down and relights it.

“The first time I did this,” he says, making her jump at the sudden break in silence, “the first time, I was thinking to test my heat tolerance.”

“Turning up the thermostat would’ve been easier.”

He graces her with a small smile. “Ah, but this was before the team formed - I lived solely in Atlantis back then. And, well. I suppose I could found a hydrothermal vent and tested my limits there. Shayeris uses some for power, but those are guarded. And beyond that, heat feels different here on the surface. More sharp.”

“Yeah?” A twinge of guilt pricks at her. “Bialya must’ve been rough.” Sure, she had only just been part of the team for a month back then, and they had all lost a full half year of their memories; she literally didn't know that she knew he existed until M'gann put the team’s memories back together. And she hadn’t realized at the time just how vulnerable Kaldur was to heat. Had believed far more in that confident, invincible aura he projected, for all that she would poke at it to, ostensibly, remind him that he was human.

“At the time, it was. Dry heats like that are … unpleasant. Though I’d call that undercover mission rougher.”

“Not the same, and you know it.” He simply hums a non-response. “So are you, like, still testing your heat tolerance or something?”

“No.” She supposes the candle’s built up enough wax to his liking because he snuffs it out once again. “No, I discovered that I… like this. I’m not sure if I can articulate why.”

This time, instead of just drops it’s one long, thin stream. He trails it down his arm and over his hand, letting it pool in his palm and drip over the webbing between his fingers. With a start, she realizes she’s moved across the room to within arm’s reach of him and she has to stop herself from touching the wax decorating his skin.

“Artemis?”

She swallows. “Um. Can I see? What it feels like?”

He pauses, then gestures for her to hold out her arm. “It cooler, the higher up it is.” He murmurs. “Your arm okay?” She nods, trying not to tense up, watching as he tilts the candle slowly to let a tiny bit drop on her skin. It flares, hot but not burning, and by the time she’s breathed in and out again it’s barely an afterthought of warmth, the wax already hardening on her arm.

“That… was not what I was expecting.” And to be honest, she hadn’t really thought about what she was expecting. Something with more bite to the heat? More pain? She steps back, picking at her arm - it peels and flakes off under her nails. “You only ever do your arms like that?”

He’s looking at her oddly. “That’s right.” He says finally.

---

“So.” Artemis scrubs her hands against her jeans nervously. They’re sitting at her dining table, and it feels smaller than it usually does with a visitor. Her entire apartment feels smaller. Not that it shouldn’t feel smaller, because this one is just meant for one person, as opposed to the one she had shared with Wally. But with Kaldur sitting across from her, hands cupped around a glass of ice water, she can feel the difference in space more acutely than usual.

She’s stalling, and that won’t help the weird nervousness prowling under her skin. “How would this work? Do we make a standing appointment or just kind of wing it or…?”

Kaldur makes a face. “I don’t know.” He admits, clearly not wanting to admit that. “I do not think, given our lives, that a regularly scheduled session would work out. For that matter, it is not something I actually do terribly often, so it may be best to play it by ear.”

She nods. “Okay, that sounds like a plan.” She exhales heavily.

---

They sit cross legged across from each other on her kitchen floor, a cheap folded up tarp beneath them, and a towel across his legs to keep his clothes safe. “Tell me if I’m not doing this right, okay?” She says, twisting a candle between her fingers. The flame on the wick flickers.

“You have to actually do something to have a chance of being wrong.” Kaldur smiles at her, amused.

She snorts. “I just don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t. I trust you.” He sounds so certain and confident of that. She swallows, something warm settling in her chest. “Artemis, you can hit a spot on the wall from fifty feet away regularly with barely a glance. This is simply a much easier variation on that kind of precision and control.”

“A big variation.” She mutters, but picks up the candle and blows it out. “Okay, which arm?”

“Left.” He holds it out for her obligingly.

She breathes like she does for her archery, letting the wax drop between heartbeats. Her eyes flick to his face every few moments, watching for the smallest signs of discomfort. There’s none - he’s not relaxed, per se, but neither is he tense. His gaze is fixed on his arm and what she’s doing to it. “Don’t keep it all in one spot.” He tells her after a moment.

“Oh, oh sorry.” She looks back down and aims higher up his arm.

#cake and writing tag #young justice #yj #artemis crock #artemis #aqualad #kaldur #kaldur'ahm #searrow but brotp #if i ever finish this i'll make it a proper fic on ao3 #but in the meantime let me let you guys suffer with me

15 notes · View notes

navpike · 5 years

Text

cry out what you need to: chapter 4

“Okay, so, you know my partner, Amy Rohrbach? She died, on Sunday. And she had a daughter. She’s five years old and she had no other family and they were going to put her in the system and I just felt so--” “Dick, did you adopt the kid?” “I adopted the kid.”

Or, the one where Dick adopts a child, learns to balance parenting and superheroing, and falls in love, not necessarily in that order.

Chapter Four: so i’ll beat the drums and scream at the sun [on ao3]

Steph stays for dinner Monday night, and drives off on Dick’s motorcycle when they’re done. He gets Rona showered and put to bed, quickly as he can, and retreats to his own room, sitting on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. It’s the first moment he’s had, his mind not addled by exhaustion and concern for Rona, to sit and truly process the past week.

Amy’s dead. She’s gone, and when Dick goes back to work next week, he’ll be assigned a new partner, and life will move forward, even though Dick doesn’t want to. Rona has no mother now, no real parent, and as much as he can be there for her, and as much as he knows Steph, Cass and Babs will provide strong role models for her, Dick doesn’t know how to pick up the rest of the slack. He just started packing away his partner’s life, his closest friend outside of the superhero life, and in another day or two, it’ll be like she never existed at all, nothing left but a memory and a house for sale.

Dick does the only thing he can think to do.

He calls Wally, and he cries.

He cries out what he needs to and tells Wally every concern he has about his sudden parenthood and how worried he is about Rona and his lack of ability to take care of her properly and how he doesn’t know what he’s doing and how he feels like he’s unprepared to go back to work without Amy by his side because she was his friend goddammit. She was more than just a coworker, more than just his partner.

He takes a deep breath when he’s done unloading everything, and lets it out very shakily.

“Sorry. That was a lot.”

“Holy shit, Dick.”

“Sorry.”

“No, shut up, don’t say sorry to me! You’ve been packing that all away ever since Amy died? God, I’m surprised you’ve-- you Bats and your fucking-- Dick. Dude, you’ve got to talk about these things. If you have a kid to worry about, you can’t be worrying about falling apart yourself. God, you worry me sometimes. Just. You gave me the okay to tell the group chat what’s going on with you, and I did. Roy’s obviously no stranger to unusual parenting situations, and the rest of us are more than happy to listen to whatever you’ve got to say. Just talk to us, Dick. You’re not alone. You’ve got us, you’ve got your family, and Babs and Steph. Don’t think you have to be Mr. Strong and Silent. You’re not Bruce.”

It’s kind of like a smack in the face, but it’s just what Dick needs, really. He can always count on Wally for that. Something warm blooms in his chest and he has to actively fight to stamp that far down and way back. Now is not the time for this quasi-crush to be rearing its ugly head.

“I just hate bothering everyone,” Dick tries, but he knows it’s a thin excuse and he knows Wally will call him on it.

“Shut up. Talk to your friend like a normal person. I’m gonna hang up now, and you’re going to text the group chat. If there’s nothing from you in the next ten minutes, I’m going to drop everything and run to Gotham, got it?”

It’s just the right amount of guilt to get Dick to agree. He can imagine the smug look on Wally’s face as he mutters out his assent. Wally hangs up with a laugh after Dick calls him something very unkind, and Dick takes a deep breath. He doesn’t know if he can really handle the full force of all of his friends right now, but he trusts Wally, so he’ll go along with it.

He double checks that Rona is soundly sleeping in her room, steps in and smooths the wrinkle in her forehead with his thumb, and just as his ten minutes is up, he sends a text to the group chat he’s had on mute for the past week.

[from bird boi, 9:32 PM]

hey guys

[from wallington, 9:32 PM]

nice to see you listened to me

[from dad bod, 9:33 PM]

nice of you to let us know youre alive dick

[from mom, 9:33 PM]

I can’t tell if you’re saying his name or insulting him but either way.

Doesn’t matter.

Nice to see you’re not dead.

How’s the little one?

[from bird boi, 9:35 PM]

thanks donna.

she’s asleep right now. sorry i’ve been absent lately, it’s just been kind of a crazy week

[from mom, 9:36 PM]

You’re welcome.

And don’t worry about it. We understand. Just let us know what’s going on with you. Kind of sucks to have to learn you’ve become a father from Wally instead of from you.

Dick winces to himself, where he’s tucked himself into the corner of the couch, wrapped in a blanket. He let Steph tell Tim about Rona, and he let Alfred and Bruce tell Damian, and while it was necessary because he’s been so busy, he feels bad that he couldn’t sit down and have a conversation with either of them, especially Damian. He really kind of wishes that he had waited, let the ten minutes pass so that Wally would have come to Gotham, so that he could just have someone there with him, because feeling bad on his own makes it even worse.

[from bird boi, 9:40 PM]

i’m really sorry.

i’ve been kinda freaking out about all of this and the kid and i had to make funeral plans for amy.

sorry, not an excuse

being a parent is hard

[from dad bod, 9:42 PM]

be less hard on yourself dick, surprise parenthood is rough

just dont be stupid you asshole, tell us whats going on with you every once in a while

also, lians pissed off that she hasnt gotten to meet her favorite uncles kid so you have to deal with that now

[from bird boi, 9:43 PM]

that’s the scariest thing that’s come out of this week

side note: wheres garth in all of this?

[from mom, 9:44 PM]

Garth’s got Atlantis business most of this week, he’s going to be in and out.

But unlike you, Boy Blunder, Garth told us what he was doing so we’d know he was okay.

[from wallington, 9:45 PM]

okay, okay, ease up on dick, hes had a bad week.

[from bird boi, 9:45 PM]

thanks walls.

[from mom, 9:46 PM]

I’m done now.

I’m sorry about your friend Dick. And I’m sorry we haven’t been able to be there for you. Soon as that little girl settles in, you’ve got to let us come visit her. I didn’t think we’d be getting a new niece so soon. I can’t wait to meet her.

[from dad bod, 9:47 PM]

seconded. lian thinks she’s got a new built in best friend

and i’m sorry about your partner too

Dick smiles to himself, clutching the blanket wrapped around his shoulders closer to his chest. There is a deep, aching sadness still weighing heavy in his chest, making his ribs throb with it. Now that he’s thinking about it, that’s likely the month old rib injury he’s just beginning to really get over. But, he’s wallowing for a moment. So he’s going to be dramatic about it.

Sue him.

[from bird boi, 9:49 PM]

thanks guys

i’m going to try to finish clearing out as much of amy’s house tomorrow as i can before rona gets out of school. i did a lot with steph today but it’s harder than i thought it would be

[from dad bod, 9:50 PM]

jesus dick, that’s brutal. i wish i could lend a hand but i promised i’d help ollie with something tomorrow

[from mom, 9:51 PM]

I’m sorry I can’t help either. I’ve got meetings all day tomorrow.

[from bird boi, 9:51 PM]

no guys, don’t worry about it!

[from wallington, 9:52 PM]

shut up and let us worry about you.

youre our friend and we care about you and youre having a really shitty week.

[from dad bod, 9:53 PM]

yeah shut up jackass

[from mom, 9:53 PM]

Hey now.

[from dad bod, 9:54 PM]

sorry mom

point tho: youre not b, dont act like it

[from bird boi, 9:55 PM]

you know, wally told me the same thing.

[from wallington, 9:56 PM]

its the red hair, we all share a brain cell

[from dad bod, 9:59 PM]

i was gnona get mad but jesusnfuck walls i just lost it at that

[from mom, 10:00 PM]

Good lord you lot are like children.

[from wallington, 10:01 PM]

you know it and you love it wonder chick

[from mom, 10:03 PM]

You’re all insufferable and Garth’s my favorite now by default.

[from bird boi, 10:04 PM]

HEY! i haven’t even done anything!

[from mom, 10:05 PM]

Nope, you’re guilty by association because you’re here for all of this, you’re a part of this. Now I’m going to get a good night’s rest for once in my life, no one disturb me unless the world is ending, I have early meetings tomorrow morning, good night, heathens.

Dick turns his phone off with a grin and wraps it in his hands, close against his chest. The profound sadness that Dick had felt crushing through his chest feels a little less crushing now that he’s talked to his friends. They never fail to lift his spirits.

His phone buzzes again and he glances down at it to see a single message from Wally.

[from Walls, 10:10 PM]

good luck tomorrow, dick. we love you buddy. let us know when you think the kiddo can handle some new people and we’ll all come over with lian for dinner. you’ve got this daddy-o.

Dick almost cringes at the terrible nickname, half a wince and half a hysterical grin, and texts back a smiley face. He turns off his phone, and, checking in on Rona one last time, he heads to bed. He’s out like a light as soon as his head hits the pillow.

Unfortunately, he only gets a couple hours of sleep before he’s woken up by a tiny body kneeling on the edge of his bed. There’s a moment where he instinctively grabs for a weapon, for something to defend himself, before he pauses, thinking about what might actually be happening. The thought takes a moment to make its way through his sleep addled mind, but it does, and in the span of a few seconds, he goes from searching for some defense to his hand coming to rest on a tiny, trembling wrist.

He looks up, and Rona is kneeling on the edge of the mattress, her eyes shining in the low light filtering in from the small night light in the hallway outside the half open door.

She doesn’t say anything, just sits there, clutching Zitka the stuffed elephant in her other hand, and Dick sits up, gathering her up in his arms immediately.

“Hey, sweetheart, what happened?” he says, the concern evident in his voice. “Did you have a bad dream again, honey?”

She nods miserably, hugging Zitka close to her chest, and burrowing into his arms.

When she doesn’t say anything further, Dick settles down into bed a little further, holding her close. “Come on, you can stay in here with me tonight.” She nods again, her hair tickling the underside of his chin, little flyaways catching in the few days’ old stubble there. “Do you want me to tell you a story?” Another nod. Dick situates himself, half sitting, half lying against the headboard, getting Rona nestled into his side, partially draped across his chest. Her tiny hand curls into the thin material of Dick’s shirt, her face pressing into his side as she tries to stifle a sniffle.

“I miss my mommy,” she says, almost inaudibly.

Dick’s heart cracks.

“Well, let me tell you a story. Once upon a time there was a little boy, and he could fly. He and his family could soar through the air just like birds, and people came from far and wide to watch them put on shows. But then one day, while they were performing at a fair for a prince, the little boy’s parents had an accident. While they were flying around for the show, their wings stopped working, and they fell to the ground.”

“This story is too sad,” Rona sniffs miserably, and Dick holds up a finger, poking her on the nose.

“But it’s going to get happier, just you wait. The little boy didn’t have his parents anymore, and that was terribly, terribly sad, and he thought he would never be happy again, because he missed his mommy and daddy very much. He was all by himself for a little while, until one day, the prince who they had been performing for found the little boy. The prince went up to the little boy, and offered to give him a home. Now, the little boy was worried about going to live with the prince, because the prince couldn’t fly, you see, and the little boy thought that the prince would try to make him live on the ground all the time. He thought the prince would take away his magic, and take away everything that reminded the boy of his parents. So the boy was very afraid. But he didn’t like being alone, even more than he was afraid, so he went to live with the prince. And when he got to the prince’s castle, the prince was very formal, and had a butler and it was nothing at all like what the boy was used to. But after he was there for a while, the prince did not take the boy’s magic away, so the boy took a chance, and he started flying around the castle, because he missed it so much. He was flying around the castle one day, and the prince caught him, and the boy was afraid the prince would be mad, but he wasn’t mad at all. In fact, the very next day, the prince had set up an arena in the castle, so that the boy could practice his flying and get better at it, and get to be stronger, so that the boy would never have his wings stop working like his parents’ had. And the boy said to the prince, ‘I thought you were going to take away my magic, so that I’d be more like you. I thought you’d take it, so that you’d be my new dad.’ And the prince told the boy, ‘I’d never take your magic from you. You’re special to me because you’re different from me. I am going to take care of you as best as I can, and I will love you like my own, and you will be my family, but I will never try to replace your parents. We’ll be family in a different way. And it will be just as good, but it won’t replace what you had with them.’ And the boy kept his magic, and later on, when the boy got brothers, and a sister, he taught them his magic too, and the prince even tried to learn the boy’s magic too. And they all became a family, and they were much different from the boy’s parents, but he loved them very much nonetheless.”

When Dick looks down, Rona is drifting off, no longer looking so upset. He presses a kiss to the top of her head, and settles a little deeper into the bed.

“I’ll never take your magic from you, little one,” Dick mutters, and before he knows it, he’s drifting off too, cradling Rona close to his side.

#dickwally #dick grayson #wally west #donna troy #roy harper #titans #dc #dc comics #original character #fic #mine #cowynt au

23 notes · View notes