#he keeps trying to push him away and joker refuses and it really ruins the self-destruction when those around you wont let themselves | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

itzagothamcitysiren · 4 years

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Welcome to the Family

i wanted to post yesterday but it stormed pretty bad where I’m at and we lost power soooo that ruined that plan lol. But good news, I have five of the seven chapters written out for this :) I’m probably going to post chapter two later on tonight after work and work on the rest as well, hopefully if I’m not too tired.

We’ve also finally gotten to Death in the Family. This has been kinda hard to write and is a lot darker than my usual style so I hope you all still like it!

Love Is a Burning Thing and It Makes a Fiery Ring pt.1

The thing that had been the one constant in Halley Wilson’s life had always been pretty clear. Even when things seemed to be changing for the better that one constant always appeared, coming back in the most unexpected ways. She tried replaying that day over and over again, as if it would change anything and make it better or less real. She didn’t know where it all went crashing and burning down; but oh how did it all crash and burn.

The smoke still felt like it was trapped in her lungs as she could feel her body still aching from the sleepless nights. She found herself letting out a soft grunt, her mind still in the haze it had been in for days now. She could start to feel herself coming to but she every time she blinked her eyes they felt heavier and would pull her back into the dangerous state she found herself currently in. She could feel the blood sticky on her knuckles and the tears still falling and staining her cheeks. Her breath was ragged and her eyes unapologetic. She didn’t feel like a person let alone a hero. She just felt like an empty body that had no control over itself.

“Are you going to hit me again? Let it all out?”

His voice taunted her; he knew that it would work and she didn’t care. She didn’t care that he had won. She didn’t care that she was so close to crossing that line. She didn’t care that she was breaking the oath she swore to herself. Fuck Bruce’s saying; justice didn’t feel as good as vengeance. .

“Well since you’re asking,” she felt the corners of her mouth slide up into a smile; her voice sounded menacing and if she was in the right state of mind she’d be able to tell how close to her father she sounded and looked.

She looked up at the man tied up and dangling before her, her fists tightening again. She pulled her arm back, bringing it straight into the gut of the man that took everything away from her. She swapped, rotating from fist to fist, using him as a punching bag and using the sound of her fist colliding with him as a way to try to drown out his laughs. He was enjoying this and she’d change that.

She backed away but not before releasing him from the chains keeping him hanging from the ceiling. He was still handcuffed and his legs were bound but it wasn’t like he could try to escape with the work she’d already done on him. She couldn’t stop herself, using kick after kick to try and get the hurt out. But no matter how hard she went, no matter how many bones she heard and felt break he would not stop laughing.

“You know,” his voice rasped from what she could only hope was a collapsed lung. “This position seems awfully familiar, doll face.” He kept going even after she backed away to stare down at him enraged; nothing would shut him up. “Except I was you and you’re little boy blunder was me- Hahaha-”

“Shut the fuck up!” She spat down at the clown, giving himself another kick.

She felt a new wave of tears rush their way down her cheeks. She let out a strangled cry as she took out her daggers, already having laced them with one of her poisons earlier. She wanted to make this as painful for the Joker as he had made it for him. She found herself then crouched down before him, slicing the knife slowly up the side of his face, then back down and down his neck. The poison wouldn’t kill him. Oh no, she wanted to drag this out for as long as she could. But no, this would only make it more fun for her in the meantime.

“I’ve seem to have struck a nerve,” the Joker said smirking up at her, already starting to feel the sting in his cheeks. His smirk grew, ready to unwrap her some more, “Tell me, does the Batsy know about the two of you canoodling about right under his nose?”

“I said shut up!” She screamed, stabbing the knife right into his shoulder without remorse.

“So the nerves been severed, I see.” Joker teased, bearing his teeth at her. “I take that as a no then?” Joker tutted at her, not even acknowledging the knife she let stay dug in him. “You know I am truly sorry. Young love is so precious- Ha! If it helps you feel any better, he wanted me to tell you he loved you. You know? As I was beating him with a crowbar-off!”

The Joker was cut off as Halley stomped down on the knife, impeding it even further into his flesh. She could see the cut she left on his face starting to change color. Her poison was working, she could tell not just from that but from the grimace he was now trying to hide. Between that and the wound she just made, along with everything else, he wouldn’t have long left. She tore the knife out, letting the blood pool out and leave her nearly satisfied with her work.

“Does Batman know you’re here?”

“Batman doesn’t have anything to do with this. This is between you and me.” She narrowed her eyes at him before backing away and walking towards the table she had set up.

“Tt, tt, I don’t think Daddy Bat’s will approve.” Joker teased, trying to get her attention again. When he saw that she was ignoring him, he pressed further. “Is this what they call teenage rebellion? You know, I could never do kids. I don’t know how the old man does it-,”

Halley cut him off knowing that she would never feel satisfied unless she just got on with it already. Her father always told her to never drag things out like this, it only led to trouble and failure. She turned around swiftly, aiming her pistol at the murderous clown. She didn’t shoot to kill at first but silenced him with a shot to the thigh. She smiled when she saw him wince and laugh to cover up the pain. She looked over his beat and carved up form once more before approaching him again.

“You’re not funny; and you’ll never get the chance to try to be again,” she sneered, cocking the gun effortlessly and pointing it down in between his eyes.

“I don’t think you’re going to do it.” The Joker smirked, licking his lips up at her. He looked at her up and down, rolling his eyes, almost as if he was bored. “Are you really going to do it?”

“No.” A stern voice broke the tension in the air momentarily, only to fill it even heavier seconds after.

“And there he is! My hero!” the Joker’s voice wailed, as if he was some sort of damsel.

Halley felt her heart stop, seeing the Dark Knight approaching from the shadows. She grasped the gun tighter, now feeling herself begin to back down. She thought of him though, and jerked the gun forward, reassuring herself that she had to do this. Her finger grazed the trigger-

“Nightshade!” His thick and heavy voice stopped her again. “Think of what he would do; what would Robin do?”

He was trying to bait her; just like Joker had been doing. She shook her head refusing to look up at the man. Her eyes were too blurry to see through her mask, so she ripped it off. She didn’t care if the Joker saw her face. In fact she wanted him too. She wanted him to see her face and the look in her eyes as she killed him.

“He took Jason away!” She shouted through a whimper. “He deserves it! How can you just let him walk away when he’s proved time and time again that he can’t be stopped?”

“We can’t sink to his level. I understand how you feel but this isn’t the way. Think about what you’re about to do!” She could hear Bruce’s voice starting to break, clearly still upset over what the Joker had done merely days ago.

“I did think about it! And he needs to die!” She shouted back, not caring about his morale any more.

She pulled the trigger but just as she did she felt a shock shoot through her, causing her aim to be tampered with. She let out a choked yell as she looked down at the taser line Bruce shot out at her. The bullet just barely missed the Joker’s face, causing his laughter to fill the room. Halley let it sink in; rage filled her like never before. Bruce had just gone out of his way to save the Joker.

Shakely, she reached out to the line, grasping it in her hands and pulling it towards her, causing the Batman to stumble for a second. She used it to rip the device off of her, quickly getting her baring’s and aim the gun again. This time a batarang was lodged into the barrel of her gun.

“Why!” She shouted, shooting daggers at him before tossing the useless gun aside and pulling out another knife.

She raced to Joker only to be tackled as Batman jumped towards her. They landed a few feet away from where she started, Batman pinning her down but not without a fight. She had managed to snake her arm out of his grasp and without even thinking, almost acting like a complete animal, she began jabbing the knife up towards him. Now her anger was towards him. How could he stop her?

“Nightshade!” He shouted down at her, trying to break her out of her blind rage.

He grunted as she dug both heals into his stomach and pushed. She hadn’t been strong enough to lift him off of her but used it as a distraction. She sliced the knife up, causing him to jerk back in order to not get cut. She used this to push herself away from him and get back on her feet. As she stood, getting into a fighting position, she saw how he did too, only he took a more defensive stance compared to her.

Asshole, she hissed to herself before lunging. She sent punch after punch, jab after jab but each one was easily blocked by the older man. It had only made her angrier, making her attacks harder but also sloppier. In a matter of minutes Bruce had her restrained, her back to his chest and the knife discarded onto the floor, her arms locked down to her sides as his big arms wrapped around her.

“Please,” She cried, finding herself now sobbing. She felt her lip quiver as she found herself now begging, slumping forward in his hold, feeling drained all of a sudden. “Just let me do it, please.”

“No.” He said, his lips a thin line.

He knew she wouldn’t give up and he knew that she’d hate him for it but he wouldn’t let her go through with this. He’d seen so much growth in her over the last two years and he wasn’t about to let her throw it all away. He knew she was suffering; he knew what Jason and she were to each other. But did he actually think she’d go ahead and pull this? At first he hoped not but the moment he caught her eyes as Jason’s casket lowered into the ground, he saw the look in her eyes.

He should’ve confronted her then but he found himself unable to face the girl, knowing that this was his fault; this was his mistake. He wasn’t quick enough, he couldn’t get them to Jason in time and now he was gone and Halley was close to losing herself as well. Bruce knew what he had to do when he got the alert that someone broke the Joker out of Arkham. Alfred informing him and Dick of her being missing only confirmed it. But he wouldn’t let her go through with this; he’d be the bad guy.

“Bru-,” she gasped out, feeling something prickle itself into her neck.

He felt her gradually going limp in his grasp, slowly pulling out the concealed needle he had on his person. He let them both sink to the floor as he held onto her tightly. She stared up at him, the affects now fully kicking in as she fought to keep her eyes open. Bruce’s solemn face was the last thing she heard as Joker’s laugh was the last thing she heard before everything around her went black.

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itssolonelyhere · 4 years

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Like your fics! Question i came for joker and wonder why sakura? i dont get the buzz for her. shes a obsessed sasuke fangirl so she wouldnt chose joker of him right? and i watched ns and she's not at all that. idt he would go for her either. there's harley that fits better. please dont take this offensively im just curious

This has been sitting in my ask box for a bit (I’m lazy... sorry!) and wasn’t sure how to answer it. So, first... Thank you for liking my stories! Second... @radita328 reminded me of all the reasons I like Sakura so much and chose her as my lead female character in all my stories. I try not to take anything offensively and have been asked this multiple times since I started writing for this ship.

This might be a good way to explain it... And if I get questions like this again (which I undoubtedly will), it’s already been thoroughly answered.

Sakura was quite insecure as a child, and the other brats often bullied her. For a while, she silently endured it and tried to ignore the comments on her appearance. It wasn’t until her friendship with Ino and crush on Sasuke that she really started to bloom and find her confidence. Sometimes we need an outside source to see ourselves in a different light or find what’s inside. I’ve debated whether it’s okay for a person to try improving for themselves or someone else. To me, it doesn’t matter. The results and finding that inner-strength is important. Sometimes it takes an outside influence or another perspective to bring out the best version of a person, and that’s the case with Sakura and myself. Those with a self-deprecating mindset rarely see what others do.

Sakura’s infatuation with Sasuke temporarily ruined her relationship with Ino (we all make mistakes) and she became obsessed with perfecting her appearance based on rumors of what girls think he likes. Extreme dieting (even at the expense of her training), growing her hair out, fussing with everything. This is something many do in hopes of attracting their crush, especially teenage girls. During the Chunin Exams, she realized that spending so much time on her looks instead of training was a waste The boy she wanted to impress couldn’t care less about it and she put her teammates in danger by not focusing on what’s important. This arc shows the beginning of her character development. To save Naruto and Sasuke, she used her body as a shield and cut off her ‘beloved’ hair. After being beaten to a pulp, she still refused to give up, knowing it might end in death.

Later on, Team 7 is split up as her teammates are taken to be trained, leaving her behind. Kakashi took Sasuke and Jiraiya with Naruto. Her own sensei and everyone else walked away, despite being in charge of helping her improve. Sakura took it on herself to go up to one of the Legendary Sannin and most feared woman to ask for training. She spent years studying, being pummeled by Tsunade, and honing her skill-set to the point of eventually surpassing her shishou, which is not an easy feat. The Strength of a Hundred Seal that took her three years of storing up chakra to create is a Jutsu very few are able to complete.

Sakura went from a small girl that was extremely self-conscious, to a top kunoichi within a few years. People doubted, overlooked, and underestimated her from the beginning, using gender and appearance as an excuse. She smashed through all those barriers (literally). People often despise her for the loyalty she’s shown to Sasuke, who doesn’t deserve it—whatsoever—and blame everything going wrong on her. There are so many instances that plenty of characters (especially in the war) would’ve died without her power, it’s not even funny, yet those facts get tossed aside carelessly. She’s had amazing character development, overcame diversity and bullying, improved herself as a person, and became one of the strongest shinobi through sheer determination.

As a woman who’s been teased for her appearance and underestimated, I resonate with her the most. Being half-Asian in a predominately white area as a teenager when my family moved came with its own trials and tribulations. Seeing a minority character grow and develop into a strong woman is very inspiring and why I chose her. I don’t blame Sakura for what the male creator of the series decided to do with her after building up so much potential.

Canonically, Joker and Sakura would probably kill each other, but that’s one of the points that I enjoy. He thinks everyone’s beneath him and has zero empathy, while she has an enormous heart and tries to improve to feel worthy of standing beside her comrades. They’re very different, but their strange appearance, penchant for violence (in various forms), and fanatical drive towards their goals is where they meet halfway. I’m a fan of the whole ‘enemies to lovers’ and ‘bad guy/small woman’ trope. Canon relationships are irrelevant in AU’s and fiction, in general. That’s the entire point of fanfiction, crack pairings and crossovers.

Harley Quinn makes appearances throughout most of my stories, but we’ve all seen how her relationship with Joker plays out. It revolves around abuse, manipulation, and abandonment. Not that my ship doesn’t at all, I’m just saying... They’re unhealthy relationship goals if that’s what you’re looking for. Personally, I like Harley better with Poison Ivy compared to J. Pam has been a big part of the healing process after Harley had enough of his shit. Saying she fits better includes keeping a woman in a toxic environment where she’s never respected or appreciated and constantly hurt without a single care.

I like to think that J has a good-eye for talent and would see that Sakura is brimming with it, even if it’s to use her as a weapon. He’s intelligent, cunning, resourceful, with ingenuity in spades. The freedom from the restraints that society puts on everyone that comes with J is very liberating, and I enjoy putting Sakura in that kind of atmosphere where she has no limits holding her back, like the Narutoverse does. Her appearance, race, gender... None of that matters in Gotham where it’s all about survival and playing the game. Him pushing Sakura beyond her limits and rattling the cage is what I’m totally living for.

Thanks for the ask and hopefully my incessant rambling answers this question now and moving forward. I get it often and not really sure why, considering all the crack pairings I’ve seen over the years, especially with Sakura.

#asks #Sakura Haruno #narutoverse #JokeSaku #joker x harley #Heath Ledger Joker #been sitting on this for a while #no better time than now #crack pairings #crossover #strong women #woc #Asian female characters

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itawonka-creates · 5 years

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Seabourne Burnouts: Part 10 - No Longer Adrift

Maribat! On Deck AU

Thank you @particularlygeeky and @imfreakingmagical for beta reading and @particularlygeeky for chapter name idea!

Start [Here] [Part 9] [Part 11]

Bruce was getting more and more frustrated as the days passed. The surveillance videos from the boat and from the jail didn’t give him anything to work with. He passed through each video, frame by frame, countless times. He watched as the pirates seemed to materialize out of nowhere, there was no other ship passing, they were in the middle of the ocean and were suddenly being invaded.

He rubbed his eyes, watching the oddly similar henchmen rampage through the halls. They didn’t even look to be looking for something like the gunman said, they were just going through the ship causing chaos. He slammed his fist on the table re-watching the pirates in the jail cells suddenly disappear without a trace, leaving behind two young boys. One was injured in his leg, shot. He slowed it down and watched as the camera seemed to glitch and show a purple-black screen before the camera came back into focus and everyone was gone.

Bruce was running through the list of known villains in his head. The gunman said joker was a part of this, didn’t he? He mumbled to himself, “Is Scarecrow a part of this?” He shook his head, “No. No. He messes with minds, not cameras.” He let out an exasperated sigh before sitting back down in his chair. He rubbed his temples and groaned, “None of my theories make any sense, all the villains are in Gotham. They wouldn’t come all the way to Europe to rob me. It would be easier just to raid the manor while it was empty.” He ran his fingers through his hair, “None of them are that stupid.” He thought for a moment before laughing to himself, “Okay, maybe Harley.”

“So are you gonna keep talking to yourself in the dark or are you going to actually join us on this cruise?” He quickly turned to see Tim in the doorway.

Bruce allowed his eyes to adjust to the hallway lights and pinched his nose, “Tim, don’t do that.”

“When was the last time you slept?”

Bruce rolled his eyes and smirked, “Isn’t this conversation usually the other way around?”

“Bruce I’m serious. We haven’t seen you in days.” Tim narrowed his eyes, looking at the footage on the screen, “Oh, that’s what you’ve been up to.”

Bruce closed the footage and turned off the computer, “Barbara and I have been looking at this footage forwards, backwards, frame by frame.”

“And?”

Bruce looked disheartened and bitter, “Nothing. They just disappeared. No one saw anything, no residents ever reported anything, nothing. They vanished.” He shook his head, “Usually they leave a clue or lead or something I can work with. This time? Nothing. I’ve checked back in with Gotham and no one has heard anything about a job to overtake a ship. All the villains are accounted for too.”

Tim hummed, “But the one guy had Joker’s laughing gas.”

“I know.” Bruce stood up and stretched out his back until he heard a crack, “What day is it?”

“Bruce, seriously?” Bruce looked at Tim with a very serious expression and Tim rolled his eyes, “It’s Wednesday.”

Bruce’s eyes widened slightly, “I’ve been down here for over a week?”

“Apparently.” Tim went over to Bruce’s side and looked over his mentor, “I swear, Alfred would’ve never let this happen.” Tim straightened out some of his clothes and Bruce yawned, finally letting the exhaustion hit him. Tim sighed, “Have you been keeping up with everything?”

“I know about the Akuma attacks if that’s what you’re asking.”

“No, I meant with your son.” Bruce raised an eyebrow at Tim and Tim just smirked, “Come on, you’ll want to see this.” Tim opened the door and motioned for Bruce to follow him, “Besides, you need to go back to your room. Seriously, you need to bathe.”

Bruce rolled his eyes and walked out into the hallway, letting Tim lead the way as they walked out of their little maze below deck up to the higher floors. Tim continued up until they were walking towards a balcony overlooking the main deck, Jason and Adrien already there. Jason turned back and grinned, “He’s alive! Who knew?”

Adrien turned around and smiled, “Nice to see you again, sir.”

“Bruce is fine, Adrien.”

Adrien smiled and nodded before turning his attention back over the balcony. Jason led Bruce over to the balcony and pointed at two figures standing closely together by the railings. “What am I looking at here?”

“That, my dear Bruce, is your blood son actually bonding with someone.” Jason grinned and did everything in his power to not burst out laughing at Bruce’s shocked expression. The bags under his eyes only made the look more exaggerated, making it even harder not to laugh.

“That’s not Damian.”

Adrien snickered, “It is and that there next to him is our little Marinette.” He sighed and leaned against the rails, “They’ve gotten very close.”

Tim let out a small ‘Ha!’ before turning back to Bruce, “We found out they do this practically every night after they’ve visited the captain and think everybody else has gone to sleep. They don’t do anything but talk, sometimes they lean on each other, but it’s still cute to see.”

“I’m more so surprised you three haven’t interrupted them.” Bruce turned to see Jason and Tim look slightly offended before the two shrugged and nodded, knowing damn well Bruce was right. “So why aren’t you guys crashing the party?”

“Because I won’t let them.” Bruce turned to see Alya, Nino, and Dick walking up the hallway. All of them were in pajamas and looked amused. “I refuse to let your sons ruin this for my best friend.” She nudged Dick forward, “Just caught this one trying to interrupt.”

“I just wanted to know what they were talking about!” Dick smiled nervously under Bruce’s tired glare before the old bat turned his attention back over the balcony. Dick relaxed and looked at the couple, “You know Damian is doing a lot better.”

“Is he now?”

“Alya, can you show him the photos?” Alya chuckled before handing Bruce her phone. Bruce scrolled through the feed before landing on a few photos. It was mainly of the group of classmates, but Damian was one of them. To a stranger, you’d think it was just a photo of friends. They all looked like they were having fun, even in the photos where some were squabbling with each other or where Damian looked like he was in the middle of scolding someone, and it looked natural. To Bruce, it was like looking at a different child altogether. He found a photo of the three boys holding bags from the day they first docked and smiled. “He looks so normal. It’s crazy, right?”

Bruce nodded and handed the phone back to Alya, “Make sure I get a copy of all those photos.”

Alya smirked, “Only if I get my interview, Bats?”

Bruce tense and Tim jumped in, “She thinks you’re Batman. Don’t humor her.”

Alya glared at Tim, “You’re just mad because I have way more leads than you do.”

Bruce blinked and turned to Tim, “Leads on what?”

Nino snickered, “He thinks Marinette is Ladybug.”

Bruce looked back at the girl next to Damian, “Is she?”

“She has to be. No one is that badass without some kind of history of crime-fighting.” Jason turned to Bruce and shrugged, “Plus, she took that night of the raid. She came up with a plan on the spot and, most importantly, bossed you around.” Jason watched as the gears in Bruce’s head begin to turn and smiled, “I’m telling you, she’s Ladybug.”

Adrien rolled his eyes, “Uh-huh. And I’m Carapace.”

“Who?”

“The turtle one.” Tim frowned and turned back to Alya, “Hey, where’s Chloe?”

“She said she needed to catch up on her beauty rest tonight.” Alya walked up to the railing of the balcony and pointed the phone at the couple below, “It’s fine. She’s not missing much.”

Bruce took a step back and looked over the group. He didn’t realize how close the Françoise Dupont kids have gotten with his own. If he were to take a picture, nothing would seem out of place. The group looked so comfortable with each other. It was jarring, but not bad by any means.

Dick turned back to the group, “Alright. Enough spying. Let’s leave them be.”

“You’re just bored.”

“Yes, I am.” Dick began herding the group away from their vantage point and laughed, “It’s late. Let’s go.”

Bruce watched as the rest of the group groaned, but complied with the eldest. He hung back and walked next to Dick, “What have I missed?”

Dick chuckled, “You want to adopt five more kids?”

Jason shouted over his shoulder, “At least can we adopt Marinette?” The kids shook their heads and laughed and Bruce realized it was part of an inside joke.

Bruce looked surprised, “You’re all very close aren’t you?”

Nino turned back to Bruce and smiled, “Your kids are great company, my dude. Seriously.”

Adrien snorted, “You sound like a parent or something. ‘Oh, your kids are great!’” Adrien turned to Bruce and grinned, “He’s right though. This is the most fun any of us have had in who knows how long.”

Bruce frowned, “Really?”

Alya stretched and nodded, “Hardly any Akuma attacks, new friends, new theory, and I see my girl find romance? Best. Vacation. Ever.”

Tim rolled his eyes, “You’re theory doesn’t stand.”

“You’ve seen the evidence I gathered.”

“All substantial.”

“So is yours.”

Bruce watched in amusement at the two glared at each other, both determined to out investigate each other. It was rare Tim found someone to compete with, but he seemed to have fun. Alya reminded him of Tim when he first came into their lives; spunky, smart, stubborn, and fired up. “I’m Batman, huh?”

Alya nodded, “I’ll prove it. I know I can. Every bone in my body is telling me I’m right.”

Jason laughed, “You sure you aren’t constipated?”

Alya blushed and pushed Jason playfully, “No!”

The group laughed at the antics and Bruce turned to his oldest, “So what’s happening with those two? Any progress?”

“You mean Damian and Marinette? They’re inseparable.” Dick chuckled, “It’s actually kind of cute. They hang onto each other, but I don’t think they realize it. The way they bicker with each other is hilarious to watch, too. It’s like an old married couple.”

Alya laughed, “Plus, she’s the only one who can calm him down if he starts to get too annoyed.”

“It is getting harder for him to say no to her.” Adrien hummed in approval, “He gives Marinette a run for her money. He’ll randomly say things that just make her light up and embarrass her, it’s kind of great.”

Jason nodded, “Oh my god, what did he say yesterday?”

Nino thought for a moment, “Wasn’t it something like ‘I’m not leaving her’ or something?”

Tim laughed, “Oh yeah, the guide for the last city we visited wanted to separate them! He got so mad and wouldn’t leave her alone.”

Bruce couldn’t believe most of the stuff he was hearing, “This is Damian? My son Damian? Damian used to be al Ghul now Wayne, that Damian?” The group all nodded and Bruce scoffed, “She’s magic isn’t she?”

“If we’re right, she’s magic.” The group came to a split in the hallway and the group went their separate ways. The family waved goodnight to the classmates before walking through the halls towards their own rooms. Tim broke the silence, “So Bruce still can’t find anything on the videos.”

“Really? Did Barbara-“

“She looked through them, yes.” Bruce pinched his nose, “We can’t figure it out. How does a whole crew of raiders just disappear?”

Jason frowned, “All I know is if I find the bastard that threw Marinette overboard, I’m killing him.” Bruce sent a warning look to Jason and Jason didn’t even flinch, “What? I’m serious. He could’ve killed her.”

“So you think killing him is the answer?”

“It’s an answer, one I’m going to enjoy a lot.”

Bruce sighed and stopped walking, making the other three pause as well, “None of this is making sense. They disappeared, Akumas have popped up in a few of the cities we’ve visited, what is going on?”

“Have you tried letting Alya watch the video?” The group turned to Dick who only shrugged, “Out of everyone in Paris, we got the one person who knows all things Miraculous and Ladybug. If you think it might be an Akuma, she’ll be the one to confirm or deny your theory.”

Tim groaned, “Then she’ll actually know he’s Batman. The girl might’ve been naïve when it came to Lila, but she’s not dumb.”

“That reminds me, what happened with her? That Rossi girl?”

“Still a liar, but at least now Marinette has her friends on her side.”

Bruce did not miss the small scowl Dick sent Tim, “What happened?”

Tim flinched and Dick nudged him to talk, “I may have snapped at Alya and completely outted Lila to her.”

“That’s a bad thing?”

“It is when you yell at her and her friends to prove a point instead of just protecting your friends.” Dick sighed, “You still can’t figure out why you were so mad?”

Tim groaned, “No, I can’t. All of a sudden I got so pissed and then next thing I knew I was shoving my phone in her face. Everyone was yelling. And then the migraines-“

“Migraines?”

Jason nodded and frowned, “Migraines. I’m pretty sure everyone on the ship had them.”

“Everyone except Marinette, Adrien, Damian, and Lila.” Dick hummed, “I don’t get it.”

Jason snickered, “It’s the power of love. Damian is so head over heels for Marinette he wouldn’t notice if he was having a migraine anyways.” Jason sighed, “Adrien probably gets them all the time from the flashing cameras at his photoshoots. I wouldn’t be surprised if he just wasn’t bothered or didn’t even notice it.”

“And Lila?”

“She’s just a bitch.”

Bruce turned to scold him, “Jason!”

Tim and Dick shrugged, “True.”

Bruce was about to say something to his sons before noticing Dick’s shirt, “Where did you get that?”

Dick looked down and smiled, “Marinette made it for me.” He did a quick spin, “Red and black and Nightwing themed. It’s perfect.”

Bruce’s expression deadpanned, “You’re really walking around like that while a junior reporter is actively investigating our family?”

Dick shrugged, “She’s investigating you, not me.” The four stopped in front of Bruce’s room and Dick looked over Bruce one last time, “Get some sleep. Me and Tim can look over the video again tomorrow. You need to rest.”

Bruce’s shoulders fell, but nodded. He knew they were right. He went into his room, locking the door behind him, and headed for the shower first. All the while, the two teens at the center of attention continued to talk against their spot on the railings.

“So let me get this straight, Dick was part of a circus?”

“It makes sense why he acts like a clown now, doesn’t it?” Marinette snorted and lightly hit Damian’s arm. Damian chuckled, “Don’t act like I’m the only one with weird people in my life. You know two famous singers.”

“Jagged and Clara don’t count, they’re family now.”

“Mine are family too and I still make fun of them.”

Marinette smirked, “I noticed.” She sighed and looked over the water, “Where are we landing next?”

“Well, it seems we’ll be in Portugal soon. I suspect we’re visiting Lisbon next.”

She nodded, “You think there’s going to be another Akuma attack?”

“I hope not.” Damian sighed leaned against the rails, “Who do you want to investigate next?”

“I don’t know.” Marinette looked over at Damian and looked back at the past week. After the second Akuma in Pontevedra, they decided that Hawkmoth had to be on the ship. The only problem was he wasn’t talking to any of the Akumas. They couldn’t figure out what he was trying to pull, but Damian figured he couldn’t be losing all of these corrupted butterflies. It had to be coming from somewhere and considering it was only happening in the cities they visited, Hawkmoth had to be on the boat. “Have you noticed the mood recently?”

“What do you mean?”

“Everyone’s been on edge.”

“Makes sense, there are Akumas on the loose.”

“No, no, no. Like everyone is upset. I get being paranoid because of an Akuma, Paris is like that all the time, but this is different. It’s like everyone’s worst emotions are being amplified.” She sighed, “Alix and Kim went into a full-blown argument over something, Alya wants to kill Lila-”

“Still don’t know why you won’t let her have a go at Lila.”

Marinette frowned and nudged him before continuing, “Tim snapped at us, the staff gets frustrated easily. It wasn’t like this in the beginning.”

Damian sighed and thought it over, “Tension is rising and everyone is stuck on this boat. You can’t run from your problems here, you have to deal with them.”

A sudden breeze made Marinette shiver and she glared at the water, “Too cold!”

“You’re yelling at the sea.”

“I know.” She stuck her tongue out at the ocean and, as if to respond, another gust of wind nearly froze the poor girl.

Damian laughed, “You’re having an argument with water and loosing.” She glared at him, shaking from the cold, and he just rolled his eyes. “Come on. You want to go to the den?”

Marinette’s eyes lit up and she nodded before scurrying off inside the hall, away from the wind. Damian shook his head and followed her, close behind. Marinette looked over her shoulder and laughed, “Wanna race, baby bird?”

“Let’s do this Bug.” The two smirked and suddenly started running full speed up the stairs and through the halls. Damian looked over at the girl, he was impressed she could keep up with him, unbeknownst to him she was thinking the same thing. The two locked eyes and started laughing as they continued to sprint through the ship. He admitted to himself he felt odd. Doing things with this girl and her friends, talking together, doing things as mundane as racing for no reason, it made him feel some kind of way. Nothing bad, just unusual. He wondered if this was how a normal kid was supposed to feel like playing with their friends. He refused to say it out loud, but he considered them friends despite knowing them for such a short amount of time.

Then there was Marinette. The nicknames started as a joke due to the theories being thrown around. Marinette decided if he kept calling her Ladybug then she should call him something. Without much thought, he told her to refer to him as Robin - Batman’s sidekick. He hoped she didn’t think too much of it and, unlike him, she didn’t pry the way he did if she was suspicious about something. Now, they had themed nicknames they’d say to each other in private, away from everyone in their own little world when they spent time together.

Marinette and Damian skid around a corner, but Marinette lost her footing and slammed into the wall. Damian came to a stop and ran back over to her. He helped her up and looked her over, “I’m fine.”

“Let me just check.” The two stood there, panting from the run, while Damian quickly examined her. “No bruises.”

“I’m telling you I’m fine. I’ve had worse falls than that.”

“Chloe’s right, you’re a walking accident waiting to happen.” Marinette pouted and Damian just smirked at her, leaning in, “What?”

She sighed, putting a finger on his nose and pushing him back, “You suck.” She felt an odd sense of deja vu after doing the gesture but didn’t pay any attention to it when she saw how his nose scrunched up. She giggled, “At least you’re cute.”

“I’m cute?” Now he was the one pouting, “I am not cute.”

She poked his nose, causing his nose to scrunch up again, “Cute.”

He shook his head, “You’re becoming worse than my brothers.”

“Yet you still want to hang out with me.”

“Yeah, because out of everyone you’re the least annoying.” She snorted and pushed him playfully, causing him to chuckle. “Come on, we’re close to the den.” She nodded and absent-mindedly grabbed his arm. He’s gotten used to her gestures, noticing very quickly she’s someone who likes to touch and be touched. He noticed that with everyone, with Alya they would link arms, same with Adrien and Nino. With Chloe they would at most hold hands as one dragged the other around stores and Marinette would hug Chloe when Chloe did something particularly good-natured. With his brothers, she’d give lots of hugs but never grab onto them. If she didn’t feel comfortable holding someone’s arm or hand, she’d unconsciously stand very close to them.

He wondered if it was a way for her to keep them close, which to him made sense after the isolation she felt before the ship. Still, she didn’t do things like this with his brothers. She didn’t grab their arms or hold their hands or lean on them the way she did with him. He’d never admit it, but he liked being the only one she’d do this with.

She leaned on him and he smiled softly as they made their way to the den. Marinette loved the den. It was the one place on the ship where she could work out her feelings without issue. No one went up there except the captain and Damian. The captain turned into somewhat of a familial role, like a grandfather or an old uncle, and she trusted him. She worried for the man, she could tell his mood has also gotten worse, however, he wasn’t mad or frustrated. Captain Staller was just extremely sad and gloomy without the influence of the two teens. She wondered if he was depressed and if Anne’s anniversary was coming up, then this behavior would make sense.

Then there was Damian. Damian became someone very close within the first few days of knowing each other. She knew there was something odd about him, even Adrien told her about his thoughts on the four brothers and their abilities, but he was honest. He allowed her to vent to him and helped her sort through her feelings and she would do the same for him. She sympathized with him, saddened by his past and lack of childhood at the hands of his mother. Bruce’s influence was clear to see, but she wanted to see him. Not the child molded to be the future head of the family, not the boy trying to live up to the legacy of his brothers or father, she wanted to know more about Damian. She could tell he wasn’t used to sharing or letting his walls down, making her feel special when he would around her.

They had a routine; change for bed, meet at the den, and then talk by the railings. They both knew they were being spied on half the time but were thankful for none of them interrupting their time together. Still, there was a small sense of uncertainty surrounding the two. While both wondered what their relationship was, neither wanted to ask and break the new bottle they found themselves in. It was safe, they were content, and they were together.

Damian pulled away from her side and opened the door for her. She walked in and noted how dark the room was, it made the moonlight seem that much brighter. She stopped Damian from turning on the lights and led him over to the big chairs that the two sank into. She laid down and placed her head on his lap, something they both just allowed to happen a few nights after the raid when her anxiety spiked. She was comforted by the company and he felt soothed by the warmth and the act of petting down her hair. The intimacy was something both lacked and this time together felt like they were making up for it. She sighed, “I think we should investigate Charles next.”

“Why him? I thought he was your friend.”

“He looked really out of sorts the next day and this week he’s just seemed out of it and paranoid. He would get jumpy if I accidentally snuck up on him.”

Damian hummed, “You think he’s Hawkmoth?”

“No, I just think he might know something. No one acts like that unless they’re hiding something.”

“Or hiding from someone.”

Marinette turned her head to look up at him, “You think he’s hiding from someone?”

“He could be, or maybe he’s worried about being akumatized.”

Marinette turned onto her back, looking up at him, “I don’t know. I don’t know how any of these people act. I’m grasping at straws at this point.”

Damian sighed, “Well, all of your classmates and Ms. Bustier have all been akumatized, so it can’t really be any of them. Unless we have another French passenger, we’ll have to look into everyone else.”

After a moment Marinette’s eyes widened and she suddenly sat up, almost knocking her head into Damian’s. “Another French passenger, of course!” She turned to Damian with a newfound spark, “Is there any way to get a list of the passengers? We’ll need a list of every French passenger outside the class.”

Damian smirked and sent out a text, “I’ll tell Drake to get that to me by tomorrow.”

“Tim?”

Damian sent out the text and locked his phone, “Drake is the best investigator out of the four of us. It could take us a bit to look through all the passengers, but he’ll take seconds and do a background check as well.” Damian let out a tired sigh, “Grayson’s the beloved oldest, Todd’s the strongest, Drake’s the smartest, and I’m-”

“You’re wonderful.” Marinette grabbed his head and turned it so she could look him in the eye, “Don’t compare yourself to your brothers.”

He rolled his eyes, “I was going to say I’m still the best out of the four.”

She relaxed and sighed, still not letting go of his face, “You really do have a superiority complex.” She squeezed his cheeks, earning a playful glare.

“You going to let go?”

“No.” She squeezed his cheeks one last time before letting go, “Okay now I’m good.”

Damian snorted, “You remind me of my best friend Jon.”

Marinette sat up straight with peaked curiosity, “You just called someone friend. Best friend. Tell me more!” Marinette shook his shoulders, “Come on, tell me!”

Damian moved her hands away, “I won’t until you calm down.”

She stopped bouncing in her seat and frowned, “Can you really blame me?”

“No.” He scrolled through his phone before finding an old photo of them when he was 13 and Jon was 11. He handed it over to Marinette and she smiled.

She sat back down next to him, leaning on him, before saying, “You guys are so cute. So he’s a childhood friend?”

“Yeah, we’ve known each other for some time now.”

“Is he older than you?”

He let out an exasperated sigh, “Just because he’s taller doesn’t mean he’s older. Everyone thinks that.” He looked back at the photo and pointed, “I’m 13 there and he’s 11.”

She giggled, “You look like a baby.”

“I did not.”

“Babyface.”

“Marinette-”

“Cute baby face.”

He huffed and poked her side, making her squeak and jump away. He took the opportunity to grab his phone, “No.” She narrowed her eyes at him and he smirked.

“You’re too cocky.” She looked between him and the phone before lunging for it. “I want to see more photos!”

Damian leaned back and held his phone away, “Never.”

Marinette huffed and struggled against him, “Come on! Let me see more babyface photos!”

“No!” He sounded angry, but his face held a big smile as he watched the girl try to figure out a way to get the phone. “This is actually very entertaining.”

“Shut up.” She blew the bangs out of her face and sat back down. “Come on! You’ve never mentioned your friends before.”

“I’ve mentioned my team.”

“Yeah, but you’ve never once said ‘friend’. This is exciting!”

“Me and you have very different definitions of exciting.” She frowned before lunging at the phone again and managed to knock Damian over, “Marinette!”

“Let me see more Jon photos, then I’ll get off.”

Damian narrowed his eyes at her before flipping them over. Marinette let out a small “oof” before looking up at a very smug Damian. “You were saying?”

She huffed, “Killjoy.”

Damian raised an eyebrow at her, “Really? Maybe I should get Lila in here. I was just assaulted.”

She glared at him before pushing him off, “Don’t even joke about that.”

Her serious tone made him frown, “Too soon?”

“It’s always too soon with her.” She frowned and rubbed her temples, “Should I just let Tim do it? Should he just out her to everyone in my class?”

“I would love that because I want to see her face when he does it, but considering there’s a chance Hawkmoth may be on the ship I wouldn’t want to have her become an Akuma.” Damian shoulders fell, “I really don’t want you being the target of that.”

She sent him a small smile, “I can handle her.”

“As Ladybug, maybe. As Marinette, no. I’m not risking that.”

“Be careful, you sound worried.”

“I am worried.” Marinette turned to him and found that he was staring at her, “I don’t want you getting hurt. Especially not while we’re on this trip.”

“And after it’s over?” He didn’t answer and she sighed, “Damian-”

“I know.” He turned to her and he looked her over, trying to figure out their next steps. “First let’s figure out what’s happening on the ship.”

Her shoulders fell and nodded, “Yeah.” She scooted closer to him and leaned on him, “Damian?”

“Yeah?”

She bit her lip before finally asking, “Are you actually Robin?”

He thought for a moment before finally closing his eyes and breathing out a soft, “Yeah.”

She hummed, “Makes sense.” She turned to face him, “You’re right. I know you know, but I thought I should say it.”

Damian snorted, “Thanks. Good to know.” He took a deep breath before shaking his head, “No. Actually, that’s not good. Nothing about your situation is ‘good’.” Marinette nodded and nuzzled into his neck, “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. Find Hawkmoth, keep the city safe, fix everything.”

“It shouldn’t be your job to clean up the mess he makes.”

“What about you?” She frowned, “You don’t even have powers. You’re just human.”

“You’re human.”

“With magical powers, not the same.” She linked her arm with his and gave his bicep a comforting squeeze, “You shouldn’t be out there.”

“It’s not the same. I choose to go and fight, you were randomly given magic earrings and had to fight.”

She paused for a moment before admitting, “I almost wasn’t Ladybug.” Damian turned his head slightly in her direction and she took it as a sign to continue. “Stone Heart was the first Akuma we ever faced. He caused a lot of mayhem and I thought it was my fault for not stopping him the first time.” She let out a small bittersweet laugh, “I put the earrings in Alya’s bag.”

“What changed your mind?”

“Alya got hurt and Cat Noir was in trouble. I couldn’t stand there and do nothing. I had to help.” She sighed, “In a way, I chose it too.”

“That’s not fair. You have a good heart, of course you were going to save them, but to just put that responsibility on a kid?”

“What about you?”

Damian smiled bitterly as he thought back to when his mother dropped him off with a father who didn’t know he existed, “When my mother left me I was full of rage over those who killed my grandfather. I wanted revenge and nothing was going to stop me. Batman took me in after Nightwing stopped me from almost killing a man who had a connection to the murderer. I told him I wanted to help like Nightwing used to, as the new Robin, and he agreed.”

Marinette listened before pulling away, “You almost killed someone?”

Damian realized his slip and tensed before turning away from her, “Like I said, there’s a lot of stuff about me you won’t want to know.” He looked down at his lap and scowled, “I’m not a good person. I did a lot of bad things, even as Robin I’ve done really bad things.”

He didn’t want to look up, he figured she would run away like a sane person. He figured she wouldn’t want to talk to him anymore. “I didn’t know you before, but I can tell you’re a good person. Even if you did some bad things in the past, what matters is that you learn from them and be a better person now.” He wasn’t expecting that. She put her hand on his cheek and turned his head to her, “I think you’re a good person, Damian.” Damian didn’t respond outwardly until Marinette wrapped her arms around him. Her hug snapped him out of the initial shock and he wrapped his arms around her. This was only the second time they’ve hugged, the first time being when she first had a panic attack below deck, and he was grateful for it. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, “What’s going to happen now?”

Damian gave her a small squeeze, “I don’t know.”

He felt her hot breath against his skin as she let out a soft laugh, “I don’t know either.” She moved herself to be sitting in his lap, not releasing the hug. “I’m scared. What if the reason Hawkmoth is on this ship is that he knows Ladybug is on it? What if figured me out?”

“We don’t know that. We don’t know he’s on this ship.”

She rubbed her cheek against the fabric of his shirt, “Damian, these Akumas are coming from somewhere. They don’t wander this far out.”

“Are you sure? Has it ever happened before?”

“It has. The first time we brought Pegasus into the mix was because an Akuma made its way onto the train we were on. We were definitely outside of Hawkmoth’s range by that point.”

“Okay, so the option that he’s letting them wander isn’t impossible.” He knew it was farfetched, but he didn’t want her to think her identity was compromised. He didn’t want to think about a terrorist following her around and attacking her for some earrings, magic or otherwise. He could tell she was getting stuck inside her own head, upsetting thoughts taking over, and pulled out his phone. “You want to see more pictures of me and Jon.”

She quickly turned and looked at the phone, “Seriously?”

He chuckled, “Yeah.” She turned, back resting against his chest as he leaned back and they looked through the photos together. He pointed out different places they’d been, different pranks they’ve pulled on each other, their different pets, all the while making fun of his best friend. “He has this southern drawl sometimes and it’s so annoying.”

“He sounds fun.”

“He can be, but I’ll never tell him that. It’ll go to his head.”

She held his phone and made a confused face, “I’ll never get these fancy new phones.”

“You sound like a grandma.”

“Makes sense if everyone keeps calling us an old married couple.” She laughed, “You sound like an old angry grandpa.”

“I do not.”

“You are totally the type to yell at kids to get off your lawn.”

“I’ll take away the phone.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” She tapped on the screen and grumbled, “What the heck?”

Damian reached for the phone, “Hey, I can just-” All of a sudden the phone screen lit up, indicating a call had been placed and before either could do anything, a boy with messy hair and a tired look answered.

The boy yawned and rubbed his eyes, “Damian it’s like 6:30 am and its summer. There better be a goo-” The boy stopped talking and his eyes locked onto Marinette, who was still sitting on top of Damian, and he narrowed his eyes. “Damian, who’s this?”

Marinette awkwardly waved and Damian snatched the phone away, “Kent, if you tell anyone I’ll-”

“Oh my god.” Jon’s smile grew, “It’s late, it’s dark, and you’re with a girl! DAMIAN YOU ACTUALLY FOUND A GIRLFRIEND?”

Damian groaned and glared at the boy in the phone, “Say it louder why don’t you! You’ll wake up the entire city!” Damian was silently praying to whatever god he didn’t wake anyone. Jon decided to stay with the Titans while Damian was on the ship and Damian was grateful, but now he just wanted to wring the boy’s neck. “Now please don’t-”

Jon was already up and running through the tower, “Hold on! I’m hooking you up to the big screen!”

Damian sat up, nearly throwing Marinette off by accident, “You wouldn’t dare.” Suddenly the point of view changed from him looking at a phone to him looking up while a large living room came into view. Jon ran away, undoubtedly waking the others, “I’m hanging up.”

“Wait no! I wanna meet your friends!” Damian gave Marinette a pained look before giving in.

“Fine, but get up for a second so I can turn on the lights.” She quickly moved off and noticed a few people coming into view, “Oh! Hi!” The lights turned on, making her flinch as her eyes adjusted, and she smiled sheepishly at the other kids. “Damian’s told me about you guys. I wanted to meet his friends.”

She realized these kids weren’t normal, but then again neither was her. She figured they were probably other heroes and realized she was meeting his ‘team’. Damian sat back down on the couch and without thinking she took her place back on his lap to make sure they were both in the shot. Everyone looked stunned before the green one finally spoke up, “No way. Deep fake.”

Marinette tilted her head, confused, before turning to Damian, “Deep fake?”

“He doesn’t think you’re real.” He gently took the phone out of her hands, “Hey, Beast Boy, please tell me you haven’t made too much of a mess.”

“He said please, completely fake.”

Soon a woman with fire red hair entered the room, “What’s going on?” She looked up at the screen, “Oh! Damian?”

“That’s Kory, by the way.”

Marinette’s eyes lit up and she turned her attention to Kory, “Dick’s told me so much about you! You’re even prettier than I imagined!”

Kory looked confused but flattered. “I’m sorry, who are you?”

Jon smirked, “This is Damian’s girlfriend.”

The room stood still for a few seconds before everyone went up in arms. Damian groaned and pinched his nose before shouting, “Enough!” The team stopped and Damian gestured to the girl, “This is Marinette.”

Jaime narrowed his eyes at her, “I don’t trust this. Why the hell is she with you?”

Marinette made a face, “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Raven shook her head, “She’s real, but I have to admit I was not expecting this.”

“No way! What the hell? You leave for like two weeks and when you finally decide to call you have a cute girl with you!” Garfield narrowed his eyes, “Why are you both in your pajamas?”

“Because it’s 12:30 am around here.”

Jon wiggled his eyebrows, “Why are you alone with a girl late at night? In a dark room no less.”

Marinette lit up bright red while Damian groaned, “I didn’t mean to call, idiot. I was showing her some old photos-”

“You keep photos of me? Aw, Damian, I knew you cared!”

Damian growled and felt his blood pressure spike, “Jon I swear-”

Marinette grabbed the phone back, “Hey what are your names? I know you’re Kory and you’re Jon, but what about the rest of you?”

“Jaime.”

“Raven.”

“Garfield.”

“Victor.” The team turned and Marinette watched a half robot half-human came into view, “I was wondering what the commotion was about.” Marinette didn’t react, but her eyes were trained on Victor. He rubbed the back of his neck, “If it’s too jarring-”

“You’re incredible! How does that even work? How do you function? Can you still eat? What do you do in the rain? Can you even be in the rain?” Marinette’s eyes lit up as she quickly rambled on more and more questions. Victor felt a wave of relief and chuckled when Damian grabbed the phone away from her. “Hey!”

“Sorry, she gets excited easily.”

Marinette pouted, “Come on, he’s half robot! How am I not supposed to be excited for that?!”

Jamie laughed, “She’s not what I expected you’d go for, but it works.”

“I know right!” Jon turned his attention back to Damian, “I’m assuming she knows-”

“She knows.”

“You actually told someone!” Garfield pinched himself, “Nope not a dream. Just really, really weird morning.”

Damian sighed and Marinette snorted, “Your friends are funny.”

Damian looked over at her and smiled, tired but happy to see her so excited. “Oh my god, he feels.”

“Why does everyone say that!?” Damian glared at Jon, “When I get back I’m going to-”

“So you are coming back! Marvelous!” Kory flew up to the camera and smiled, “We were worried there for a bit. You never contacted any of us after you left. We were starting to wonder if you left us.”

Damian’s lips pressed into a fine line, but before he could answer Marinette asked, “Is he a good hero?” Everyone looked surprised by the question and she shrugged, “I don’t know a lot about America’s heroes and if I asked him, he’d just inflate his own ego.”

“I would not!”

Her face deadpanned, “Yes you would.”

“I am the best Robin there is.”

“You literally just said your brothers-”

“I refuse to let that comment leave this room.”

She rolled her eyes, “You’re impossible.”

“You’re too excitable.”

“Rather be excitable than grumpy all the time.”

“I am not grumpy!”

“A-hem!” The two turned their attention back to the phone and noticed everyone watching them with an expression that was a mix of amusement and disbelief. Jon chuckled, “I’ve never seen anyone else argue with him. I’m the only one who can usually get away with doing that.”

Damian frowned, “Only because I can’t wring your neck when you get too annoying.”

“What’s stopping you from wringing her’s?” When Damian didn’t answer him, Jon’s smug smile only grew. “I’m telling my mom.”

“You are not telling Lois! It’s bad enough all of you met her!”

“Lois? Didn’t Tim mention her once?”

Damian nodded, “Yeah, but I’m surprised you remember that. You were knocked out in the arcade machine.”

“Not my fault none of you know how to whisper.”

Jon chuckled and turned to the team, “I can’t believe this. He actually found a girlfriend.”

Kory clapped her hands together, “We should celebrate when he gets back!”

“No! No celebration! She’s never going to the tower!”

“Why not?”

Damian turned to Marinette, “Because you’ll be back in Paris and I’ll be in Jump City.”

Marinette blinked and sighed, “Oh yeah, right.”

“Great now you upset her!” Jamie stepped up, “Hey, sweetheart, if you ever need a shoulder to cry on-”

“Don’t even think about it, Reyes.”

Raven sighed, “You’re all idiots.” Everyone turned to the girl who rolled her eyes, “Yes, this is exciting. Still, what if someone notices a normal girl coming into the tower and hanging out with us? With Robin? You all realize she’d be a target in a heartbeat.” The room fell silent and Marinette turned to Damian, only to notice his expression hardened. “Either we go to her as discreetly as possible or it’s not going to happen at all.” Raven turned her attention to the couple on screen, “If I were you Marinette I wouldn’t get too attached. You guys make a good match, but you just knowing our real names is going to get you into serious trouble if we aren’t careful. You don’t want to be sucked into this.”

Garfield frowned, “Raven, harsh.” He turned his attention to the screen and noticed the two thinking about what she said.

Jon tried to sound reassuring, “Hey! We can figure it out! I mean, I can tell you’ve been good for Damian.” That brought Marinette’s attention back to the boy and he smiled, “Yeah. When he left he was like a walking shell. Just talking to him now, I can tell he’s back to his old self and looks like he’s thriving over there. I can only guess it’s because of you.” Damian turned his attention back to his best friend and Jon sighed, “Look, Raven’s right. It could be dangerous, but it’s not unheard of! I mean, look at my parents! One’s a civilian!” He smiled encouragingly at the couple, “Damian, she’s good for you. I can tell. Marinette?”

She blinked and forced herself to respond, “Yes?”

“Do you want to stay with our little hot head over there? I know he’s a handful, but he’s worth it!”

Before Damian could say anything Marinette let out a firm, “Yes.”

Jon smiled, “Then I think you’ll be okay. If anything comes up, we’ll figure it out. We’re friends now too.” The group nodded and he waved, “You guys will be fine. Anyway, it’s getting late for you guys over there. Sleep. Think about it. Damian, check-in more often. We worry.” Damian gave a small nod, still reeling over the girl’s answer, and Jon nodded back. “Goodnight you guys.” The screen went black after Jon hung up and the two sat there in silence for a bit.

Damian spoke up first, “You meant that?”

Marinette gulped and nodded, “Yes.”

Damian thought for a moment and forced himself to ask, “Marinette, what are we?”

Marinette turned to face him, opening and closing her mouth, and answer struggling to come out before the door burst open. The two jumped and Marinette quickly left Damian’s lap as the two turned to the door. The captain stumbled in, seemingly unaware of the two teens inside the room. He stumbled to the bar and nearly fell over. The two teens shared a look of concern before walking up to him, “Captain Staller?” The captain didn’t respond and she turned him slowly to face her. She noted his glassy eyes and calm expression, “He sleepwalks?”

“I guess so.” Damian started to lead Captain Staller away from the bar and gently laid him down on the couch. The captain seemed to relax and fell right back to sleep on the cushions. Damian relaxed knowing that the captain was safe and asleep, “I think he’ll be okay now.” He turned back to Marinette who was staring at one of the bottles on the shelves, hugging herself and biting her lip. “Marinette?”

She jumped at the sound of his voice and turned to him, “What are we going to do?”

Damian’s brows furrowed, “What do you mean?”

“I’m a liability. You’re a liability. We’re liabilities to each other.” She shook her head, “I can’t go to Jump City because I could be used as leverage. You can’t come to Paris because you know who I am and if Hawkmoth akumatizes you we’ll have to fight.” Her nose turned pink and her eyes watered, “I didn’t even think about that, Damian. I have to think about these things. What was I thinking?” She ran her finger through her hair and started pacing, “I can’t believe I told you. I can’t believe I said that. I can’t believe I thought-”

“Thought what?”

She stopped and turned to him, “Damian, how would this work?”

Damian knew she knew he was worried about the same thing. He also knew she knew he didn’t want whatever this was to stop. “We don’t see each other as heroes. Just civilians.”

“That won’t matter if you get akumatized!” She sniffed and let out a shaky breath, “And you’re Damian Wayne! That alone is going to bring attention to me! Damian, I can’t let that happen! My advantage is that I’m a nobody! I can sneak away and no one suspects a thing! I can’t do that if there are cameramen waiting outside the bakery every day, waiting to get a picture of Damian Wayne’s girlfriend!”

Damian gulped, he agreed with her. He really wished he didn’t. So instead of arguing with some solid logic, he decided to do the next best thing. “My girlfriend, huh?”

She tensed up and shook her head, “I’m sorry, it slipped out and-”

“I thought we were already married.” She froze for a second, watching as he awkwardly stood there waiting for a reaction. She laughed, it started out small and full of disbelief and grew into a heartfelt laugh. Damian relaxed as she wiped her eyes, still laughing at his joke. “Marinette-”

“How is this going to work?” She sniffed and let out a small laugh, tears streaming down her face despite the smile on her face, “How will any of this work?”

Damian shrugged and ran his fingers through his hair, chuckling. “I don’t know.” He leaned against a table and felt himself be bombarded by the same emotions overwhelming Marinette. He sniffed and laughed, “I have no idea!” He wiped his nose on his sleeve and laughed more, “What is happening?”

“I don’t know!” She wiped her cheeks in vain and her body shook with another fit of laughter, “I don’t know!” She turned to Damian and ran to hug him, he immediately reciprocated this time and squeezed her. He picked her up and spun her around, making her laugh even more, before putting her down in the middle of the room. She sniffed, looking up at Damian, “Are we going crazy?”

“I have no idea.” Damian snorted, “I have no clue. This is out of my range of knowledge. None of this makes sense to me. You don’t make any sense to me!” He let out a shaky breath, “Every time I’m with you I feel out of character. I don’t know what I’m saying or doing half the time. It’s all impulse with you.” He sniffed and chuckled, “What the hell is wrong with us?”

Marinette thought for a moment, letting out a shaky breath of her own, “We’re teenagers, I don’t think we’re supposed to have all the answers.” She giggled, “Which is ironic because Ladybug is supposed to have all the answers.”

“And I’m supposed to know what to do in any situation. My training equipped me with the knowledge on how to deal with enemies of all kinds, superhuman or otherwise.” He laughed. “My training didn’t prepare me for you. I am an expert in martial arts, I can wield almost any kind of weapon, I’m a capable businessman, I have advanced engineering skills, I’m trained in forensics, acrobatics, criminology, disguise and escapology,” he paused and scoffed, “none of it prepared me for you.”

Marinette and Damian stood together, in the middle of the den, panting as they struggled to catch their breath from laughing, and just stared at each other. Marinette bit her lip, “I don’t know a lot about you.”

“That’s a good thing.”

“Will I ever know more about you?”

“Yes.”

Marinette sniffed and smiled at him before pulling him down. The kiss was awkward, neither really had any experience in any of this, but neither pulled away either. Despite the lack of skill, the two felt alive again. Every little cell felt electrified, any negative feels clouding their minds didn’t matter, and the world around them faded away the longer they stayed together.

“Well, I was wondering when you two would figure it out.” The two pulled away and looked at the couch to find Captain Staller stretching on the couch. He chuckled and scratched his beard, “Now, will either of you tell me why I’m here?”

Marinette hid her blushing face in her hands and Damian sighed before pulling away to help the man up, “You were sleep walking. You came in here and almost knocked over the alcohol at the bar.”

Staller looked confused, “I don’t sleepwalk.”

Damian shrugged, “Are you stressed?”

The captain thought for a moment before sighing, “My mood has taken a turn for the worse.”

Marinette turned to face the captain, worried expression on her face, “Anything we can do to help? We’re good listeners.”

Captain Staller smiled and shook his head, “No, you just continue to be yourself. I enjoy our visits. Although, I do think you would’ve fared better had I not interrupted tonight.”

Marinette’s eyes widened and her face flushed. Damian just rubbed the back of his neck before leading the captain outside. “Hey, you sure there isn’t anything my family could do?”

“Damian, you’re family has been nothing but good to me. If I ask for anything else, I’d be getting selfish.” The captain placed a hand on Damian’s shoulder, “You two were meant to cross paths, I can tell.” His voice got low as he held steady eye contact with the boy, “Don’t mess this up.”

Damian gulped and nodded, “I wouldn’t dare.”

“Good answer.” He patted Damian on the back and nodded at the couple in approval. “I’ll see you two soon. Goodnight.” The captain walked away and Damian closed the door, leaving the only two people in the room embarrassed.

Damian watched as Marinette grabbed a pillow and screamed into it before letting herself fall onto the couch. He walked over, confused, and she took the pillow off her face. She looked like she drank three cups of Tim’s expresso, vibrating with energy. “This is happening.”

“Yes.”

“We just kissed.”

“Uh-huh.”

“We know each other’s identities.”

“Marinette-”

“I’m dating Damian Wayne.” She sat up and threw the pillow at him, “Oh my god, I’m dating you. We’re dating. This is happening!” Damian caught the pillow easily and laughed at her, earning a short raspberry and a glare.

He sat down next to her, “Yes. Yes, it is.” He sighed and shook his head, “What the hell am I thinking?”

“You? What am I thinking? Tikki is going to be so mad-”

“Tikki?”

She bit her lip before sighing, “Tikki come out.” All of a sudden, a red blob flew around the room before stopping in front of his face. He blinked, wondering if he was hallucinating for a second as the being examined him. “Tikki, meet Damian. Damian, meet Tikki.”

“Hello?”

Tikki smiled softly at the boy before turning to Marinette, “This is against a lot of rules Marinette.”

She groaned, “I know.” She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed, “I trust him though.”

Tikki nodded before falling to rest on top of Marinette’s head. Damian just chuckled, “Honestly, not the weirdest thing I’ve ever come across.”

Marinette snorted, “That’s a new reaction.”

“I’m serious.” Damian smiled at Tikki, “When you live in Gotham and work under Batman you see a lot of stuff.”

Tikki flew around Damian’s head a few times before landing on his hair and nodding, “I approve of this one.”

Damian smiled, “That’s good right?”

Marinette closed her eyes and giggled, “Yes, yes it is.” She rubbed her eyes, “I’ve only known you for a little over a week and look at us.” She shook her head, “We’re crazy.”

“I mean we’re talking while a small red fairy thing watches over us. I’m pretty sure if we went to any hospital they’d say the same.”

Tikki giggled, “I like him.”

“I’m assuming you’re the reason Marinette orders so many sweets?”

“Smart too.” Tikki grinned at her chosen, “He’s a keeper.”

Marinette nodded, “I mean I’ll have to figure out a way erase your memory if I don’t.”

Damian raised an eyebrow at her, “Funny, I was thinking the same thing.” She nudged him and the two sighed, “Marinette?”

“Yeah?”

“How are we going to tell my brothers?”

Marinette’s eyes widened, “How are we going to tell Alya?” The two looked at each other, realizing the chaos they were about to unleash on this ship when they go public. Marinette groaned, “We’re going not going to live any of this down will we?”

“No, I don’t think so. Dick is a crazy romantic, Jason will tell everyone else in the family if Jon already hadn’t, and Tim will work with Alya to spread the news all over the internet.” He groaned and leaned back in the couch, let his head lull back, “Can we not tell them?”

“And risk death by reporter? No thank you. If Alya doesn’t kill me for hiding it, Chloe definitely will.” She giggled before leaning on him, head on his shoulder and arm draped around his torso. “But we don’t have to tell them right now.”

He wrapped his arm around her and relaxed, “No, I guess not.” He looked down at the girl who finally relaxed enough that she actually looked tired, “Hey you want to go to bed?”

“No.”

“Still a bad liar.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t want to sleep, I said I don’t want to go to bed.” She looked up at him, “I don’t want to leave.”

Damian groaned, “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Puppy dog eyes. You’re the only person to successfully use that against me.” He groaned and hung his head before he looked around the room. “Hold on.” He got up, turned off the lights, grabbed a blanket from one of the cupboards from a counter and draped it over her. He sat back down, arms open for her to lay next to him if she chose, and he glared. “Damn you.” She snorted and snuggled up next to him, his arms wrapped around her torso and her head on his chest. He could feel himself relax with her weight and body heat against him. She threw the covers over him before yawning.

Tikki watched as the two teens fell asleep together on the couch. She giggled softly before nestling on a pillow nearby, out of view from anyone walking in the door. She looked at the couple one last time before closing her eyes and smiling. Marinette was healing, as far as she could tell so was Damian, and she couldn’t be happier.

*******************************************************************************************

I’m waiting for the screams of the maribat community because it happened. It’s happening. And from here on out? Brace yourselves.

To those who want more Seabourne Burnouts content, @itawonka-creates is specifically dedicated to my writing (which is just this story rn) so you can just follow the blog and set it up to be notified just in case the tags do not work!

Tag List (Bitch I have a tag list whAT!?!?!):

@maribat-archive @ozmav @thornangelic727@imfreakingmagical@constancetruggle @chloe-bourgeois-is-big-gay@someone-ev @zazzlejazzle @tinybrie @mewwitch @rhub4rb@saphiraazure2708 @never-neverland @unholykrow @slytherinhquinn @literallytryingmybestbutok @redscarlet95 @grimmhallow31 @fandomkitten9653 @myriad-of-passionate-pettiness @fanboy7794 @mystifiedgal @shizukiryuu @ vixen-uchiha @resignedcatservant @mystery-5-5 @miraculousl4dybug @blackcanary13 @origamieater @moonlitarchangels @mochinek0 @imfreakingmagical @you-will-never-know-how-i-think @derpingrainbow @unabashedbookworm @skyel0ve @northernbluetongue @cadencehood @sizzling-fairy-oil @crazylittlemunchkin @saphiraazure2708 @mysteriouslyswimmingfan-blo-blog @ginamarie1512 @kae690 @ivette0712 @zalladane @ellerahs @auradonfairy @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @scribblinggraveyard @nyctamaximoff @snow-swordswoman @maude-zarella @thebookwormfairy @melicmusicmagic @zalladane @ivette0712 @ginamarie1512 @bookreader20003 @silvergold-swirl @celestiacq @themcclan @amethyst-starr5 @tamoni112 @lunar-wolf-warrior @alexzandria-747 @nataladriana9 @moonlitarchangels @iglowinggemma28 @hunter-shyreen @mermaidofthelost @jessigurl-design @vgirl-10123 @lunar-wolf-warrior @casual-darkness @xxmadamjinxx @normal-piece-of-shit @tinyterror333 @romanoff-queen @schrodingers25 @alessialeone6997 @mindfulmagics

Let me know if I missed anyone!

#maribat #Seabourne Burnouts #maridami #daminette #marinette x damian #damian x marinette #fanifiction #au #idea: maribat! on deck

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goddesstiera · 3 years

Text

The Spider and the Fly

I wrote some self indulgent Riddler smut based on a lovely edit of James McAvoy as the Riddler. He is my own original interpretation of the Riddler.. :D on Ao3 here.

She'd just wanted to take photos of the old building. She had been to three other rundown buildings before this one without trouble but it was just her luck to stumble across a trap set by one of Gotham's notorious villains. She found herself currently pinned against a wall, arms and legs trapped and spread wide by the restraints magnetically holding her in place. This situation should have had astronomical odds but this WAS Gotham which put those odds in the slightly more likely category. She assumed, not that it was that large of a leap logically, that it was a trap set for Batman but he usually worked nights and so she had accidentally sprung it early.

She couldn't immediately tell which villain had created it and that made her nervous. Not all Gotham villains were created equal and she really hoped it was one of the more reasonable ones if she had any chance of escaping this. Maybe she'd get lucky and Batman would find her first.

She didn't get lucky.

"Well, well, well," came an accented voice from the dark. Scottish she thinks. "’Will you walk into my parlour?’ said a spider to a fly. And what a lovely fly I’ve caught. Most assuredly not the one for whom it was weaved.”

The voice was male but not the Joker thankfully. She was sure she recognized it but couldn’t place it yet. The faster she knew who she was dealing with, the sooner she would know how to behave. Dealing with villians was delicate work.

"Well little fly, as this web wasn't made for you, you've only managed to trigger half of my game. Shall I finish the job? It will be good to have a test run I think?" He pulled a device from his pocket and pushed one of the buttons.

As soon as the giant green game show board dropped, twinkling question marks across the top, it was obvious who she was dealing with.

Of course. That's why she knew that voice. How did she not realize? Of course it's him. She was both horrified and relieved.

It was well known in Gotham that each of the villains had fans of varying degrees but what was unknown by anyone was that she herself was a fan of one of said villains, the one she had managed to stumble across. Edward Nigma. The Riddler.

She wasn't sure exactly when it had happened, but she was pretty sure she knew why it had happened and it was the very voice she hadn't been able to immediately identify. She was so ashamed of herself.

She'd first heard it when he had taken over control of all TV broadcasts in Gotham in order to deliver his riddle to Batman. It had stirred something in her and she had spent many nights thinking about it being whispered in her ear. It didn't hurt that he was also incredibly good looking.

He stepped out of the shadows then and she couldn't stop herself from gasping. He was even better looking in person.

His favored look at the moment left her weak and she let her eyes wander over him slowly, taking in the rolled up sleeves of his button up shirt, the rich greens of his vest, the slacks that fit him like a dream, and the deep purple of his tie. He had style. She couldn't decide if she wanted him to notice how his presence was affecting her or not.

"The restraints that hold you will only release if you speak a code word. For Bats, it's the clue to the next location of my game but if you guess it, I'll let you go. That's fair yes?"

"And if I lose?"

He only smiled in response. She tried to ignore the very wrong but oh so right response of her body in return.

"You stumbled upon the easiest of my games. Meant as merely a means to slow but not stop. Shouldn't be too hard for anyone with any level of intelligence but no guessing the word before you've solved all the riddles. That's cheating and won't end well for you.” He wagged his finger at her for emphasis. “Shall we begin?" he asked, as he stepped closer.

He acted like she had a choice.

"The beginning of eternity The end of time and space The beginning of every end, And the end of every place."

Oh! She knew this one. She had spent hours pouring over riddles after her obsession with him began and it was actually going to pay off.

"The letter e."

"Very good." He pressed another button on the small device in his hand and the letter e revealed itself on the board.

???????????? ? _ _ _ e _ _ ? ????????????

“You can't write a sentence without me, nor can you sing a song. I'm never in nothing, but I'm always in something.”

“The letter S!” she screamed out in excitement at knowing another answer. She was beginning to believe she would make it out of this alive.

“I must say I’m impressed. Let’s see if you can keep it up shall we?”

He pressed a button and the second letter appeared beside the first.

???????????? ? _ _ s e _ _ ? ????????????

“I'm in you, but not in him. I go up, but not down. I'm in the colosseum, but not a tower. I'm in a puzzle, but not a riddle.”

It was clear all the answers were letters spelling out the clue and so it was with confidence that she answered, “The letter U.”

“Correct again my little fly.” Another push of a button and another letter revealed.

???????????? ? _ useu _ ? ????????????

“One riddle left, Can you answer it little fly?” He stepped closer to her, so close this time she could smell his cologne. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she inhaled, and couldn’t stop the little moan at how delicious he smelled from escaping. She froze then and slowly opened her eyes again, hoping he hadn’t noticed. She found him staring at her, an indecipherable look upon his face. He stared for another moment before turning away.

“What...comes, once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?”

Did, did he pause before he said comes or was that her imagination? Intentional or not, it had sent a wave of lust through her at the thought that word had summoned into her imagination.

She took a few seconds to try to compose herself before answering, her voice shaky as she answered, “The l.l.letter M.”

“Correct,” his voice taking on a different timbre than it had been. Oh no. Was that a bad sign? Was he angry she had guessed them all?

Another push of a button and the last letter revealed itself.

???????????? ? Museum ? ????????????

He moved closer until he was standing directly in front of her. Despite being taller than her, her position on the wall put them nose to nose.

She could feel her heart racing as she forced herself to stare into his piercing blue eyes. She didn’t want to look weak even as the only thing keeping her upright were the manacles around her wrists and ankles.

“Say the word,” he started, his voice now low and raspy. “Say it and be released, never to see me again.”

She should have said it. She knows she should have said it but at that moment, she couldn’t. She wasn’t ready for the game to end.

When she said nothing, he smiled at her, a wicked, devious, grin that melted her insides. He had expected her to stay silent. He knew. Shit.

"I'm sure you must be weary, with soaring up so high, Will you rest upon my little bed?" said the spider to the fly. "There are pretty curtains drawn around, the sheets are fine and thin; And if you like to rest awhile, I'll snugly tuck you in."

She knows this story ends badly for the fly, but she still can’t bring herself to say the word.

“I have you figured out now little fly. Am I correct in guessing that you are one of those Gothamites in my fanclub?”

She remained silent, his close proximity driving her to distraction.

“Tell me little fly, what drew you into this spider’s web?”

She thought for a moment at how to answer him and settled on something she thought he would appreciate.

“What instrument can you hear but never see?” It was one of the first riddles she memorized years ago, strictly for it’s answer.

He raised his eyebrow at getting an riddle in response but his eyes lit up in delight.

“A girl after my own heart. The answer is your voice.” He leaned in and pressed his lips against her ear. “Is it my voice that drives you mad lass?”

Was this really happening? She felt like she was going to combust at any moment. Her whole body was on fire with desire. She was burning and ready to be consumed.

“Would you like another riddle?” he asked, his body still pressed against hers, his lips to her ear. “Some people prefer it on top, while others prefer it on the bottom.”

Could you die from lust? She really felt as if she might do just that at any moment. “A bunk bed,” she whispered, as she strained to press herself even closer to him.

“Such a clever girl you are.”

She felt his hand on her waist, his fingers playing with the hem of her shirt.

“What’s the difference between you and a stamp?”

His voice should be illegal. Her brain was so foggy with lust she could no longer think and the answer refused to come to her.

“Oh, have I finally stumped you, or is something else affecting your ability to think?” His tongue began to trace around her ear, earning him a moan in response.

Oh, that was the difference. Stamps don’t moan. She should have gotten that.

His hand had slid under her shirt at some point and now she could feel his thumb sliding across the bottom of her breast and she cursed her bra for its existence. She wanted to feel more of his hand on her bare flesh.

“P..please,” she begged. She wasn’t sure exactly what she was begging for, only that she needed more.

“I sometimes cause pain when I go in. I’ll fill your holes if you ask me to. I ask you to spit not swallow.”

He began to pepper kisses down her neck and she moved her head to give him better access. The hand not under her shirt began to slide down her leg, pulling the edge of her skirt up allowing him to stroke her thigh with his fingertips.

“D...d...de...dentist,” she answered as his hand climbed higher, a finger sliding across the panties she had definitely ruined.

“So wet for me already. I might keep my clever girl after this.”

She was already his to keep but she couldn’t bring herself to say that. He pushed the panties to the side and slid a finger into her wet, wanting cunt.

“Yes. Please,” she begged him again.

He added a second finger, curling to hit that special spot and driving her mad. His thumb pressed against her clit as he contiued to fuck her with his fingers, stopping and starting, never letting her fall over the edge. It was blissful torture.

She whimpered when he removed his hand but it was quickly silenced by his lips crashing into hers while his hands pulled her shirt up and unfastened her bra to gain access to her breasts. He pinched both of her nipples, swallowing her cries as they kissed.

She could feel how hard he was and she desperately wanted to feel him inside her, to fuck her until she couldn’t stand.

“Museum.”

She was surprised to hear him say the release word but the moment her limbs were free, her legs were around his waist and he was the one keeping her up against the wall. A bit of fumbling to free himself and then he was thrusting up, impaling her on his cock.

“Yes!,” she screamed. “Fuck me please!”

He eagerly complied, taking her with the roughness you would expect from a villain. She loved it.

Her orgasm hit her hard and fast and she was positive anyone walking outside the building could hear her as she cried out in pleasure. He drove into a few more times before slowly lowering her to the ground and urging her down onto her knees. She didn’t hesitate to take him into her mouth, her tongue swirling around the head of his cock, smiling when he moaned and tangled a hand into her hair.

It didn’t take much and he was spilling himself in her mouth with a jerk and she greedily swallowed it all. She expected them to be done but instead of releasing her hair, he used it to encourage her back up to her feet, where he quickly turned her around and bent her over a large crate, ripping her panties down and sliding into her again.

His pace was more frantic as he drove himself into her over and over. Her second orgasm hit her hard and this time he followed closely behind, pulling out and spilling himself across her bare ass.

Neither moved immediately as they tried to catch their breath but finally she felt him step away. She started to move but a hand on her back stopped her. She felt him wipe his mess off of her before pulling her underwear up again.

"Thank you," she whispered, feeling unsure of what happened next as she turned to face him.

She wasn't expecting him to gently tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and lean down to kiss her so tenderly. It was nice.

He turned and offered her his arm. “The sun has long since set and it’s not safe in Gotham after dark. Not particularly safe in the day either but nonetheless, allow me to escort you home.”

She didn’t protest. He was right about it not being safe and she laughed at the realization of The Riddler being the safer option. She took his arm and let him walk her the three blocks to her apartment building. She wanted to ask him to come inside but she wasn’t sure if he would want to. She wasn’t sure about anything right now, so she stood awkwardly at the door, waiting for him to say something.

“I need to reset my little game before the Bat arrives but if I knew which window to sneak into tomorrow…”

The relief she felt at knowing she would see him again was overwhelming. “Apartment 421. Last window on the backside of the building.” Feeling bold, she leaned over and kissed him before opening the door. Just before it closed, he grabbed it and kissed her again, pressing his lips hard against hers and stealing her breath.

“And bidding you good evening now, I'll call another day,” he whispered and then he was gone.

He had changed morning to evening but she still recognized the line. She tried not to overthink the fact that he had used a line from the fly and not the spider but she still couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

#The Riddler #batman #my writing

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incoherentbabblings · 5 years

Text

Bang Bang Go Away Come Again Another Day

Inspired by a few asks I received last month regarding a potential Steph and Joker clash. Stephanie not being higher on the Joker’s shit list despite having been both Robin and Batgirl pre!New52 is such a wasted opportunity. I do wonder what he would have made of her. Ao3 link here!

Stephanie didn’t really know what to do when she looked through the peep hole of her front door only to find the Joker waiting patiently outside, a humorously large gun in one hand.

In hindsight she should have kept quiet and fled out the back door of her mom’s house, dragging Crystal (who was currently upstairs sleeping after her fifth night shift on the trot) with her.

She should have grabbed her bat-com and rang the emergency bell as soon as she recognized the green and purple man in his stupid shoes on her doorstep.

She should have done a lot of things, but what she should most definitely not have done was acknowledge him.

“Hullo?” She called through the door, like an idiot, her tone baffled and not reflecting the correct level of fear as the one that churned in her gut.

As soon as the words left her mouth, she recoiled back in horror at herself. She felt her legs wobble and she curled down. Her head continually banged against her knees whilst she silently swore, because honestly what the actual hell Steph don’t say hello as if he’s the mailman or something –

“Ms Brown?” The Joker’s annoyingly chirpy voice drifted through the wood. “Ms Brown, I want to have a word with you.”

“Uuuhhhh, she can’t answer the door right now.”

“…Why?”

“She’s dead?”

Her mouth had apparently reached a stage where it was running independently from her brain. Her hands fortunately, had caught up with her head, and pulled out her emergency alarm. The others would be here soon, maybe she could keep him talking in the meantime.

“Ah! No, see, that’s the issue.”

And then his grubby hand was poking through the letter box, nails grimy and stained dark red.

“You are very clearly not dead. And I – the Joker –”

“I know who you are.” She interrupted rudely.

There was a slight pause as he processed being cut off so sharply. Stephanie heard her breath shudder out of her like a death rattle while she waited to see what he what say or do next. Swallowing uncomfortably, she slowly moved back towards the door as quietly as she could manage. She was unable to look away from his fingers poking through the slit. Suppressing the urge to kick them, she tried not to physically escalate the situation.

He coughed, and his hand became reanimated once more. She flinched back.

“Ahem. That was rude,” the Joker confirmed. “Anyway, my point is, it is my job, as the Joker, to remedy that.”

“…No thank you.”

He seemed amused by her flippant tone. It was a defence mechanism more than anything. She would always bite back at her father and his gang of losers when they were trying to frighten her, just as she bit back at Black Mask, at Scarecrow, at the whole lot. She tried not to treat the Joker any different.

His fingers continued to flutter through the letter box.

“I know you were Robin.”

“I was a black-haired boy?”

“No, no, no. There was a blond girl for a moment. Remember?”

“Not really.”

She was on the floor now, knees pressed up against her chest and pressed against the left-hand side of the door in case he tried to push his way in. For the moment he seemed a bit defeated, like he actually believed her. The fingers went droopy. Suddenly he perked up again, flapping them frantically, Stephanie tried not to flinch.

“Ah! You’re lying! I know Stephanie Brown was Robin and I know Black Mask thought he killed her and I was so soso so so sososo mad about it but HEY! Here you are alive and well and Batgirl, therefore my title as the defeater of Robins remains unchallenged. Harvey couldn’t do, Roman couldn’t do it, only me! And hey, you’ve been Robin and Batgirl, so I get double dibs!”

His laughter vibrated through the wood of the door and made Stephanie squeezer her eyes shut. Horrid gurgling laughter that seemed to pierce her right to the bone. He withdrew his hand from the letter box, but there was no relief, as soon he began frantically banging on the door. Stephanie silently begged for her mother to remain asleep through the racket.

“Open up Ms Brown! Chop chop!”

“Why would I open the door?” She bit out, pressing a palm against the lock and latch.

“Because the sooner you open the door the quicker it’ll be over… durrr!”

“Just go away!” She cried out, feeling like a small child telling off a bully on the playground.

The banging stopped abruptly, and the Joker sighed. Disappointed with her uncooperative nature, he stomped off.

Waiting for nothing, Stephanie threw herself upstairs. She dashed to her closet, grabbing her utility belt and nothing else, before crashing into her mother’s bedroom.

Her mom was sound asleep under the covers, facedown on the pillows. Like her daughter, she drooled while she slept.

“Mom mom mom mommommommommoooommmmm,” Stephanie slurred, shaking Crystal aggressively. Crystal grunted and flailed her arms, trying to throw her daughter off the bed.

“Stephanie what the actual –”

“The Joker is here… mom, we need to get out.”

Immediately her mother was alert, shoving past her daughter with a near slap to the face, grabbing shoes. She looked a sight without her glasses, drying spit on her chin and in blue plaid bottoms and white t-shirt that read Beauty Sleep in obnoxious glittery fonts.

“Why is he here?”

Stephanie gulped.

“Stephanie!”

“Why do you think? For a cup of coffee?”

“Don’t get snippy with me!”

“I’m stressed!”

“And I’m not?”

“Mom please we need to –”

The sound of glass crashing, the kitchen window downstairs, interrupted Stephanie and she froze, looming over her mother putting on her nurse shoes.

“Shit.” They both muttered.

Stephanie burst over to the bedroom door, shutting it and began dragging her mother’s chest of drawers across. She huffed at its weight, but Crystal got the idea quickly, running to the other side and helping her slide it in front of the door.

“Help’s on its way.” Stephanie promised her mother.

Any residual comfort from that statement broke with the sound of the gun firing around the house. Crystal had gone paler than Stephanie had ever seen her.

Stephanie dared to tip toe to the window, the curtains still closed, and peaked from underneath. They could go through and roll down the eave to a safe distance to drop down. It was what her mom had banged into her about the off chance of a large housefire, but for all Stephanie knew the Joker had his minions milling around outside, waiting for her and her much slower mother to come clattering out.

Her little communicator, the one she had been gripping since she first blurted a greeting to the man downstairs, started to flash amber. A few more minutes.

“Oh, thank god.”

Gun shots burst through the door frame then, some getting wedged in the chest of drawers, some flying through above and burying themselves into the wall. One whizzed past Stephanie’s head, through the curtains and breaking the windowpane. Stephanie wheezed and threw herself back over to her mom, who had remained off to the side, out of range. She gasped and pulled Stephanie close. The two grappled at each other, both trying to position themselves in a potential line of fire in place of the other. The bullets continued to be fired for a solid minute, the room becoming utterly wrecked in the process.

“Ms Brown are you dead yet?”

With her mother in the room Stephanie couldn’t find the nerve to antagonise him anymore. She instead gripped at her mother’s shirt tighter.

“Mom I need to –”

“No.” Her mother hissed, refusing to hear whatever she had planned to allow Crystal to escape.

“Blondies, I can hear you both. This house is not very soundproof.”

“Oh, fuck off!” Stephanie yelled.

“Rude!” Another minute of fire. “How about you come out and your mother won’t die? Just you huh? I mean admittedly with Jason I –”

Thankfully he didn’t get to finish that statement, as with a cartoonish glurk he was abruptly thrown back from the door. Distantly the two women heard him fall down the stairs.

Stephanie gulped but didn’t move. Her mother had her hand buried deep in Stephanie’s blonde hair, stroking it to an almost painful degree.

“Mom that hurts.”

The hand stopped, and reluctantly, slowly, let her go.

“Sorry.”

“It’s good.”

Looking around the wrecked room with the sounds of sirens arriving, both women jumped when somebody attempted to open the hole ridden door.

“Stephanie.” Called Batman from the other side. Immediately both women jumped up and went to remove the collapsing drawers from the door.

The slightly bizarre image of Batman standing in her suburban home (which was utterly and wholly ruined thank you Joker) facing a middle-aged woman in her jammies and a late teen whose hair was half falling out of a ponytail made Stephanie want to laugh.

She didn’t.

“Thank you. We’re fine.” She assured Bruce. He nodded.

“Physically” Crystal interjected. She pushed pass the two to survey the damage. Bringing her hands up to her mouth, she cried out.

“Oh, my poor house!”

Stephanie frowned at the broken furniture and ruined walls. A framed picture that had fallen off the wall of her and Tim and Cass had a bullet in each of their heads. An orchid plant, one she had bought her mother two Christmases ago, lay shattered in the hallway, soil ruining the carpet. Returning her gaze to Batman, she nudged him conspiratorially. He stared back for a moment and rocked on his heels from her shoulder nudge.

Heaving a sigh, he muttered for Stephanie’s ears alone, “I can help with that.”

“Thank you.” Shoving her hands in her pocket, she tried not to look as worried as she felt. “…He knew. About me. What I am and been.”

Would they have to leave Gotham for their safety? Joker knew about the others, was she just the passing fancy that had popped into his head at that moment upon learning the news? Would he grow bored after this? Or was she now forever to be cautious of someone wanting her head on a spike? Someone who knew her name, knew her mother, knew her address…knew everything that mattered? Black Mask was gone. The Joker… he always remained. A laughing phantom.

“Hnn.”

Bruce’s unhelpful response made her hackles rise.

“Did you know he knew?” Tersely, she waited for a quick and solid denial.

No such response came, only silence, and Stephanie felt a familiar lump of disappointment return to her stomach. Her mouth dropped open in a grimace, and she choked on a breath.

“…Well, glad to see my time as Robin continues to be a legacy of a never-ending nightmare.” And then she shoved past, the reality of what had just occurred catching up with her. Her eyes grew wet, and her breathing became shaky.

She managed to whisper, “I’ll see you on patrol later,” and then she walked over to her mother and held her tight. When she looked over her mother’s shoulder, she saw Bruce had left, having no words of comfort to give.

She began sobbing in earnest, and Crystal gripped her close.

#dc #stephanie brown #bruce wayne #can you taste my bitterness at the end huh?#my fic tag

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misfitgirlwrites · 6 years

Text

Chapter Twelve

"You're not going to kill her, are you?" Aniyah glanced at The Joker.

"Why would I kill her?" He asked.

"I don't know, why would you?" She mumbled.

"I like Harleen too much to kill her. She's very, entertaining. Her groom, on the other hand, we can do without."

"Why do want to kill him? What's the purpose?" Right now, Aniyah was desperately trying to figure out what was about happen.

"What happened to not predicting what happens next, Ani-yah? Besides, you're about to find out."

"You know, Harleen only wanted to help." Aniyah looked at The Joker, "So why ruin her wedding?"

"You're just itching to know the surprise! Here's a hint," The Joker opened the doors to the church and smiled at Aniyah, "I'm glad you're wearing white." He pushed her inside before going in himself and walking forward.

Aniyah looked around before looking inside the chapel. She smiled slightly, looking at Harleen before looking at The Joker.

"Don't do this." She said to him.

He glanced at her before grabbing her arm, "Where's the fun in that?" He walked into the chapel and let go of Aniyah's arm.

"And if there's anyone here, who has any objection as to why these two should not be in union, please, speak now, or forever hold your--" The pastor got cut off by The Joker shooting him in the stomach. Everyone gasped, looking in their direction.

"Aniyah!" Harleen gasped.

"Stay put, doll." The Joker said to Aniyah before signaling the man recording the wedding to follow him as he walked down the aisle.

"Just tell us what you want and nobody has to get hurt." A man said, standing in front of Harleen and her groom.

"What if what I want, is for someone else to get hurt?" The Joker asked.

"Look, I just don't want anything to happen to my daughter." The man said.

Aniyah scoffed lightly and looked away. The Joker looked at Harleen then chuckled, looking back at her father.

"I'm not telling you how to raise your child or anything. But, you should've thought about that before you gave her away." The Joker hit Harleen's father with the butt of his gun, knocking him to the ground.

"Hey! Stop it! Stop it!" Harleen hissed, gaining his attention.

"Oh, we can't stop here! As much as I would just love to skip to the wedding cake, that's just not how it's done." The Joker said, stepping closer.

"Besides, the best man just got here." He said, fixing his suit.

"What did you do to my brother?" The groom glared at The Joker, stepping closer to him.

"I didn't do anything to your brother, he killed himself! Oh, it was terrible. I was shocked, but uh, he was more shocked. He wanted me to take his place so here I am." The Joker smirked before looking at Harleen, "Honestly, ya look like ya don't wanna go through with this, Doc. Are you ready for this?"

"Leave us alone!" Harleen seethed.

The Joker chuckled, "Come on, Doc! Answer the question-ah. Because frankly, the last time we had our little chat, you didn't sound up to leaving Gotham or getting married. Do you really want to go through with this?"

Harleen opened her mouth but closed it again.

"See, that's why you need a best man! You can't have a wedding without one. It just isn't done! 'Cause ya see, the best man is the most reliable in case the entire wedding goes downhill. Like, the groom dying." The Joker glared at the groom before shooting him in the chest.

Everyone ran out of the church as Aniyah ran to Harleen to try and help stop the blood from gushing out of her groom's wound.

"Guy. Guy! Oh my God." Harleen mumbled as he choked on his blood.

"Stay with us." The Joker bent down as well, watching Aniyah and Harleen try to stop the bleeding.

Guy slowly stopped moving as his eyes closed. Honestly, it was the most peaceful death Aniyah has seen tonight.

"Hm. Shame." The Joker looked over at Harleen. She quickly stood up, but he shot her in the arm, sending her back to the ground.

"HARLEEN!" Aniyah tried to help her, but The Joker grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet.

"She's fine." He said, glancing at Harleen, "Now. If something, horrific like this were to happen, it's the best man's job to do what's right. And, we can't just let this wedding go to waste, now can we?" The Joker smirked.

"W-What?" Aniyah asked as he grabbed her hand.

"Here's your surprise." The Joker pulled a diamond ring from his pocket and slid it onto Aniyah's finger as she stood, frozen, "I stole it from Mrs. Arkham." He giggled as she stared at the ring.

The Joker pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around her waist. Aniyah tried to break free, but he grabbed her face, keeping her still.

"You may kiss the bride-ah." He said before smashing his lips onto hers.

Aniyah's eyes widened as she froze up again. She felt her heartbeat beginning to pick up and whimpered as he deepened the kiss, feeling his scars run across her cheeks.

"We'll be together, til' death do us part." He chuckled as Aniyah closed her eyes and turned away. "Look at me." The Joker made her face him again, "Come on, doll. Open your eyes." He ran his thumb across her cheek as she slowly opened her eyes. "You're mine, Ani-yah."

"I-I'm not." Aniyah tried to pull herself away.

"Stop struggling." He growled, glaring into her eyes.

She slowly stopped moving and shrunk back some. His voice wasn't like it was when he yelled at Kopski, but it was a close second. Before The Joker could kiss her again, the sound of glass breaking made him quickly pull away and hold his shotgun tightly. Aniyah stumbled back, looking around as she breathed heavily. Suddenly, the lights went out, making her freeze.

'What the Hell?' She looked around in the darkness and managed to get next to Harleen was and jumped back some hearing The Joker fire his gun. 'It's Batman. It has to be.'

Once her eyes adjusted to the dark, she saw The Joker laugh and run off.

"Harleen." Aniyah glanced at her. "You need to go get help."

"You're coming with me."

"No. I need to stay. Just go and hurry!" Aniyah helped Harleen up, "I'm so sorry." She shook her head.

"It's not your fault." Harleen rested a hand on Aniyah's shoulder and for a split second, she thought of Michaela.

Aniyah bit her lip to keep from breaking down as Harleen ran off. She took a deep breath and went in the same direction The Joker and Batman went in, leading her to the basement of the church. She quietly went down the steps and saw that Batman had The Joker up against the wall, with blades to his neck. She saw the shotgun on the ground and quickly picked it up.

"I'm starting to wonder if it was a mistake letting you live." Batman seethed.

"Go ahead if you think it'll help. You wanna know what the only difference is between you and me? One. Bad. Day-ah." The Joker said.

'Batman's supposed to be a hero. Where was he when I needed him? When Kopski needed him.' Aniyah glared at Batman, aiming the gun at him. 'When Michaela needed him.' She shot him without hesitation, sending him to the ground.

She blinked and her glare softened. "O-Oh my God. I just--" Aniyah stared at Batman and relief went through her when she saw that he was breathing.

"You do not get to do that." The Joker tried to take the gun from Aniyah but she held onto it tighter, refusing to let it go.

"Let it go!" She cocked the gun back, aiming it at his face.

The Joker grabbed the barrel of the gun and put it in his mouth, looking her dead in the eyes, waiting for her to shoot. Aniyah put her finger on the trigger, but a strong pain in her chest made her hesitate. He took the gun out of his mouth and pulled her forward.

"Go ahead and do it-ah. Or am I the only thing left you have to hold on to?" He grabbed Aniyah's face, keeping her still, "Michaela's dead and it seems like Mr. Billionaire didn't even try--"

"Oh, I can guarantee that all of GCPD is looking for you and it has everything to do with Bruce!"

"Well they aren't looking hard enough," The Joker pulled her closer, "You wanted this to happen anyway. You had, so many opportunities to leave and you stayed put. An obsessed patient like me breaks out and you still stay? If that's not an invitation then I don't know what is!" Their noses were touching again, "You practically did all of this, yourself-ah." The Joker leaned in more, about to kiss her.

'Shoot the bastard.' Aniyah shot The Joker in his arm, making him fall to the ground and groan out in pain. She stumbled back to the opposite wall and ran her fingers through her now tangled hair before covering her face. 'He's right.' She thought, dropping the gun.

"I understand. You had to make it look convincing." The Joker said as she started to cry. "Well, at least we get to, cut the wedding cake." He pulled out his switchblade and turned to where Batman was, only to see that he was gone.

The Joker sighed before looking at the man recording. "Guess it's just you and me."

"Please don't kill me."

"I'm gonna need that tape." The Joker said.

The man didn't respond, staring at him. The Joker rolled his eyes and lunged at him, stabbing him in the neck and twisting the blade.

"There." He took the tape and put it in his pocket before looking at Aniyah. He pulled his switchblade out of the man's neck and walked to Aniyah, getting on his knees in front her, "You're crying like you have no one, doll." The Joker lifted Aniyah's head up. "You'll always have me, Ani-yah." He grabbed her arm and pressed his switchblade to her forearm before slowly dragging it down.

Aniyah let out a pained cry, trying to pull her arm away. It felt like he was carving something into her arm.

"Shhh. Look at me and focus."

"F-Focus?"

"Don't you feel the weight being lifted off of your chest?" The Joker said, glancing down at her arm. Once he was done, he put his switchblade away, staring into Aniyah's teary eyes. "Ya know, sometimes pain can help you more than love can, doll."

Aniyah stared him before leaning forward and kissing him. The Joker immediately kissed back, grabbing the back of her neck to pull her closer. After a few moments, he pulled away, letting Aniyah catch her breath.

"As much as I'd love to live out every second of my dream, we'll have to put that on hold." He pulled Aniyah to her feet then put his hand back on his wound.

'Fuck. I--I just kissed The Joker.' She thought as her head began to hurt.

"Let's go. We have to get back to Mrs. Arkham before midnight, remember?" The Joker smirked.

It was 11.

#joker fanfiction #dc fanfic #the dark knight #the joker blogs #fanfic #joker fandom #heath ledger joker #mgwrites

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salarta · 6 years

Text

Analysis: Harley Quinn, Polaris, men in their lives

I don’t talk about Harley Quinn as much on here as other topics. My main view is that she was my favorite character of DC comics, the “rebirth” ruined her by throwing away her entire harlequin character theme to make her more or less “clown girl,” and any popularity we see for her today is much less than she could’ve had if DC hadn’t thrown away her identity.

Right now, I’m bringing this up not for Harley Quinn, but for Polaris and the way @marvelentertainment seems to see and treat her.

Harley Quinn

Despite my complaints, my reasons for those complaints, and what I’m certain would be happening if DC did things right by Harley Quinn, there’s still an important truth that must be acknowledged: Harley Quinn is currently incredibly popular. She could be more popular if done right, and much of her popularity right now is due to DC shoving their “reimagining” of Harley down everyone’s throats, but it doesn’t change the end result.

So why is current “Harley Quinn” popular? People can cite a lot of different things. People can disagree, or bring up a huge mishmash of elements. However, there’s one specific aspect of her newfound popularity that applies here: the popularity of “Harley Quinn” is not because of Harley’s connection to Joker but in spite of it.

Harley Quinn was created to be Joker’s henchgirl in the animated TV series. She became popular with her initial appearance and got recurring roles. This led to Harley getting fleshed out as a former psychiatrist that was seduced by Joker’s nature and ultimately became a domestic abuse survivor. Essentially, that was her origins - to be “beneath” Joker, to be his victim that was once a smart professional woman.

Fast forward. As Harley grew as a character, her horizons expanded. She developed a lesbian relationship with Poison Ivy. She had zany adventures in her own solo series (which I read, and was great up until somewhere around issue 25 or so). That was, I believe, the height of her popularity pre-”rebirth”. History with Joker came up, but amazingly, it was stories not involving Joker that got pursued the most when she was at her best.

Likewise, the popularity of the current “Harley Quinn” is never tied to stories involving Joker. One of the most popular relationships “Harley” has had in recent years is with Power Girl, to the point where a whole set of comics was made focused on it. When the Suicide Squad film came out, most of the tweets I saw concerning that version of “Harley Quinn” were about how great she was in the film when Joker wasn’t part of the story. And, as WB plans to make a Joker solo film, I see TONS of complaints from people about how shitty such a film would be vs wanting a Gotham Sirens sort of film featuring Harley.

Long story short? Harley Quinn was created to be “beneath” Joker, but when she finally got real, deliberate focus on herself as her own character, people came to love her more than Joker. The guy she’s supposedly “beneath.”

Polaris

Here’s the connection for Polaris: Havok.

I’m going to be fair to Havok, for Havok fans. He’s not a villain like Joker. When he’s actually written respectfully, he’s not an abusive shitheel.

However, how he is when written well does not change how their relationship was written for decades and how it always gets written when writers at Marvel try to bring it back.

Polaris was created as the daughter of Magneto who wants to be her own woman. The late 60s did still have sexism which trickled into some of her treatment, but Lorna was quite independent and more feminist than your average female character at the time.

Over time, and especially in the 70s and 80s, the idea of Lorna as “beneath” Havok (and several other characters) got pushed more and more at Marvel. Unlike DC with Harley Quinn, she wasn’t created with that toxic relationship. The toxic relationship was forced on her.

Their relationship is always Lorna acting as a supporting character for Havok’s stories.

Sometimes she’s written crying on his shoulder and blaming herself for crimes she didn’t commit, for no reason other than for the “big strong man” Havok to look good “comforting” her.

Sometimes she’s being tortured by the villain so we can see Havok’s “suffering” at hearing her in pain.

Sometimes, for no damn reason whatsoever, any concept of agency for herself is thrown out so she can spout about “what Alex would do.”

Sometimes, her entire purpose on a book is exclusively to be a reminder of “how wonderful the great and glorious Havok” is supposed to be, through things like having her spout “this isn’t you” or having her memories used to “restore” him after a multiple-issue story with him at the center.

And sometimes, big moments for her - like when she gets her origin story, or when she leads her own team for the first time - just have to have Havok shoved into them just so he can benefit.

Long story short: Marvel’s attitude toward Lorna is that she’s “beneath” Havok, and they keep going back to that over and over and over again.

They keep giving Havok opportunities they refuse to give Polaris. They keep forcing him into her stories and giving him a big voice, often even letting him hijack her whole damn story.

Marvel keeps refusing to let Lorna be her own character with her own amazing stories told, new relationships developed, her own spotlight that has nothing to do with this toxic relationship she’s had with this specific man that executives and editors and writers working at Marvel can’t stop nutting over.

And you know what?

Harley’s Success Could Be Polaris’

Harley Quinn is popular and succeeding right now in spite of setbacks like throwing out her harlequin theme. As said, “Harley Quinn’s” popularity comes because Joker isn’t forced into her stories and dragging her down. In fact, during the whole “rebirth,” the initial Suicide Squad stories where the Joker connection was played up most are actually the least liked.

The same applies with Lorna. Aside from some Austen moments, the great majority of full-bore Polaris fans do not fan over her because of Havok. They’re fans because of her mental health difficulties. Or her support of mutant rights issues when treated well. Or her history and subsequent development as a survivor of the Genoshan genocide. Or her place within the broad Magnus family, or so many other things.

Polaris is an awesome badass with many layers of complexity and massive amounts of untapped potential. What’s happening with Harley Quinn demonstrates that even if Lorna was a pale imitation of her full self, she would still be immensely popular as long as Marvel stopped dicking her over by forcing Havok on her and treating her like she’s “beneath” him.

Hell, we see that right now with Gifted. That version of Polaris isn’t really the full, true Lorna, it’s just one aspect and interpretation of her. It’s more faithful than what Marvel tends to do with her, but it’s still not fully her. And in spite of that, she’s the most popular character on the show. She’s more popular than Havok was in the films.

Lorna couldn’t just be as successful as Harley, she could be more successful. She has decades of history to draw from. Decades of fandom. Immense untapped potential. And a real, proper focus on her would be something more than what DC does for Harley, giving Lorna an edge.

The only thing standing in Lorna’s way is old, awful, entrenched fanboy biases against her at Marvel. Any argument made by anyone at Marvel along the lines of “she’s not popular enough” or “she’s not enough of a character” or anything like that is just people at Marvel trying to justify their bias.

Harley Quinn started out as a minor supporting character for Joker’s stories and look where she is now. Lorna didn’t even start out as that. She started as her own character and got turned into a minor supporting character for Havok’s stories.

If DC can do great things for Harley, then Marvel sure as hell can do them for Lorna too. They just have to care and stop making excuses.

#polaris #lorna dane #x-men #marvel #harley quinn #dc comics #havok #joker

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harlsquinns-blog · 6 years

Text

SAVING DICK || CHATZY

SUMMARY: Harley, Selina, and Jonathan fight The Court of Owls. They also go to Batburger. TRIGGERS: Violence. WRITTEN BY: @harlsquinns, @fromselinakyles & @thegooddoctorcrane

Selina: Selina hated cars but it was the only mode of transportation that would get them to Gotham efficiently. Motorcycles were her preferred method and as she sat in traffic, she confirmed the reason why. "Imagine if they were expecting us? God..." She ran a hand through her hair, the other on the wheel, eyes on the road. They had all been relatively quiet which was nice but also strange. She was used to a chatty Harley and well, when she was alone with Jon, they had plenty to talk about. She looked over her shoulder and beside her with a small smile. "The GPS said it should be another twenty minutes. Are we doing okay?"

Jonathan: Johnathan sighed from his place in the backseat. He, unfortunately, got shoved in the back by Harley, who called shotgun before they even saw the car. Which goes against the rules, but who cares. He slumped over, not happy to be confined in the back as if he were in the BatMobile. It was awkwardly silent in the car, despite Selina's attempts to start conversation. "I'm doing just dandy." Jon said from behind his mask, happy neither of the other people in the car could see him roll his eyes.

Harley: Harley was content to be in the front seat, sitting next to Selina. It was probably unfair to call shotgun and make Jon go in the back, but she was still feeling a little bitter towards him for not immediately telling her he had kissed her best friend. She smirked when he spoke up, knowing that he was probably suffering some severe leg cramps, and was not feeling dandy at all. Turning her head, she smiled at Selina. "I'm doin' just fine. There's so much leg room here in the front. In fact, I think I'm gonna put my feet up on the dash," she said, then did exactly that. "Let's play a game. How 'bout two truths an' a lie?"

Selina: Selina bit her lips, eyes on the traffic, wishing it would clear out soon. She had a feeling this wasn't going to go well and Jonathan's retort coupled with Harley's truly cemented that. "Did you guys maybe want to get something to eat? I can get off at the next exit?" And then Harley spoke of a game. It would be a terrible idea especially with everything Harley now knew. "I--don't know..." She changed lines when she got an in and flipped the bird at someone who tried to cut her off. "I know, asshole! I was here first. yeah yeah!" She kept her middle finger up as the guy next to her continued cursing at Selina. "Yeah, sure. Two truths in a lie."

Jonathan: "I could go for some food. And I don't want to play a game." Jonathan scoffed and set his leg on the back of Harley's chair and put his weight on it, trying to make her ride as uncomfortable as possible while expending the least amount of energy. He didn't even bat an eye at Selina at Selina's road rage, having been used to it since he moved here many years ago.

Harley: Harley nodded when Selina mentioned food, suddenly feeling very hungry. She'd skipped breakfast in order to get ready for this little adventure, so she needed to eat before she ended up getting snappy. "I'd love food. How about Batburger?" she asked, then scrunched up her nose when she felt Jon pushing against her seat. It was making her very uncomfortable. While Selina was distracted with road rage, she unbuckled her seatbelt, turning herself around and half hanging over the front seat. "Ya wanna go, Jonny?" she asked a little too aggressively, then smacked down his leg with her hand. "Keep ya big ol' tarantula legs ta yerself!" She didn't even care about her game anymore.

Selina: Selina was glad they had both agreed on food but she was already frazzled by the man that kept egging her on. "I'm going to kill him." She murmured, gripping the wheel. Once traffic began to move a bit more, she pressed on the gas to try to avoid this guy but he kept following and Selina watched him from her mirror. Harley and Jon were already at is and she knew exactly why. When Harley smacked Jon's leg, she looked over her shoulder and glanced at him, pleading with her expression to try. "Guys. Please. Let's try to make it through the last 15 minutes before we get to Batburger." She sighed when the car sped up beside her and told her to roll her window down calling her every name in the book. Selina just smiled and tilted her head. "Are you done?"

Jonathan: Jon used his other leg to push Harley back into her seat, with some difficulty. He muttered a few select curse words under his breath as he slid to be behind Selina so Harley couldn't reach him. Jon glared at the man cursing her out from the safety of his car. "I could do something about him." He said as Selina tried to pass him, but failed. "I refuse to respond to you Harley. I'm not going to fight you." You said as he returned his legs to their uncomfortable place, where they belonged in his limited amount of leg room. "We're villains, Selina. We can do something about this jackass tryin' to run us off the road. That's reckless drivin'. We're helping the community."

Harley: Harley kept swatting at Jon as he pushed her away with his leg, feeling very stressed that his shoe was touching her expensive jacket. It did amuse her to see him swap sides, though. She glanced out of the window at the guy that was causing Selina trouble, then back at Jon. "Oh, you refuse ta respond ta me?" she asked, turning herself to sit properly again, and fastening her seatbelt. "Sounds like yer backin' down ta me!" Even if she wanted to sucker punch Jon right then, she did agree that the guy being rude to their friend needed to be dealt with. "If he ain't payin' fer our gas, or ridin' in our car, he needs ta get wrecked," she said with a shrug. "Next time we pull up next ta him, I can get out and slam his face into his steerin' wheel?"

Selina: Selina, at this point had drowned everyone out, nodding without thinking and not realizing she had just agreed with Jon and Harley. She didn't want to cause a pile up and she certainly didn't want to get them killed. After everything, all the planning to get Dick back and the good night she had with Jon, she really didn't want to ruin any of that by landing everyone in an ER but this guy deserved at least a hit to his bumper to scare him off. "he thinks he can scare me because I'm a woman. Yeah, jackass, pull over! PULL OVER" really she just wanted his license plate number but her friends had something else in mind

Jonathan: Jon scrunched his face and looked back at Harley. "No. I'm just refused to go along with your childlike games.". His face then flew out in surprise as Selina yelled at him to pull over. They probably had the perfect timeline to drive to the restaurant, and then to the meeting point. Brawling with some idiot in the street was not part of the plan, but Jon didn't care. Selina knew best. He readjusted the fear canisters lined on his chest, ready to throw one through the idiot's window. Not for insulting his... whatever him and Selina was. But for being an asshole. And wasting his time.

Harley: Harley was seething when Jon said the word 'childlike'. She was not a child, and she was perfectly serious about fighting him. There was more to her anger than just him pressing his leg against her seat, but Selina would be mad at her if she told him that she knew about the kiss. But she would find the right time to mention it — maybe when they were at Batburger. She grinned when her friend told the guy to pull over, and took the lid off the wooden box at her feet. It had been forever since she'd used a cupcake bomb, and she'd changed the way they worked. Instead of causing a huge explosion, they now had just enough power to blow up something small. If the guy was lucky, he'd survive with a couple of major injuries. "Alright, Sel... I'm gonna need ya ta floor it when I do this," Harley said, grabbing one of the bombs. "1... 2... 3!" she yelled, then leaned over Selina to throw the weapon through the wound down window, and into the guy’s car. "Go, go, go!"

Selina: Selina was ready to write down the number, satisfied with being right in knowing the guy would stop. Of course. He was a dick. She rolled her eyes but before she could even begin jotting it down, Harley and Jon were already doing their own thing and without hesitation, she floored it, stepping on the gas and getting off at the exit for Batburger. "Holy shit." She smiled widely , winding through the roads, finding an alternative way that didn't put them on a main street. "I really hated that guy! Whoo!" She gripped her steering wheel, tires screeching as she pulled into the drive thru. She ordered what she wanted and waited for Harley and Jon to do the same before parking the car in the lot. A bit into her fry and she felt a lot better. She messed Harley's locks with a grin and then looked over her shoulder towards Jon. "How's your shake, Jonny?"

Jonathan: "Fine. Despite them bastardizing my name." Jonathan as he offered the cup to Selina for her to take a sip. He tried not to make his newfound relationship with Selina hidden. Not that he was ashamed, but rather didn't want Harley sticking her nose in his personal business. This was all so scary and new to him. He realized he was just a stand in for Ivy on their little team, but he didn't mind. It was quite nice to be in a team. He was about to be in a even larger team full of people that have probably tried to kill him at some point. Well, no different than hanging out with the rogues.

Harley: Harley was happy to see that Selina was pleased. She had tried so hard to remain on the good side of the law, but sometimes you had to be bad. It was just the way things were. When they pulled into the Batburger drive-thru, Harley ordered a Bat-Mite meal, along with a Harlequinade. When asked if she wanted to Jokerize her fries, she shrunk back into her seat and declined. Once the food was given to them, she immediately felt calmer. "Heeeey!" she said with a grin as Selina messed up her hair. Nothing could've prepared her for the sheer shock she felt when Jonny offered Selina his shake. "Swappin' spit again, I see," she said with a mischievous smile, then dug around in her box for her toy. "Aw, look! I got a mini Riddler!" she said, kissing the little figure and putting it on the dashboard. "Anyone want a nugget?" Considering they were about to go and take on the Court of Owls to save Dick Grayson, Harley was feeling pretty good about life.

Selina: Selina watched her best friend with a smile, glad to see her calmer. Of course all they needed was some food. She felt herself feeling better too, wanting to move forward to help save her son. When Jon offered his shake, she took it from him with a smile,her fingers brushing against his. "Thanks." She sipped from the second straw she had placed in it and closed her eyes. "Okay, that's so good." She grinned. "And next time I'm getting a Bat-Mite meal. I want a mini Riddler." She laughed softly and leaned back.

Jonathan: "Again?" Jonathan repeated and looked at Selina. Did she go around and tell the whole world about what they were doing? "Also no one wants a mini Riddler. I can barely stop myself from strangling the one we have now." he said, leaning back and taking up the entire back seat. He cracked his knuckles loudly as he stared up at the ceiling, peeling off the top of his mask as he did so. He never knew it could get so hot in New York City. Gotham was in a eternal state of drowsy weather. This, was bullshit. "Can we go over what we're doing exactly?"

Harley: Harley couldn't help but laugh when Selina put another straw in the milkshake, as if she were making a point. "Yeah, Jonny. Again. It's okay, yer secret is safe with me." She had no intention of telling anyone else what had gone on between Scaredycat, because it wasn't like anyone she knew would care all that much. Plus, it wouldn't have been fair to them, and she was trying this new thing where she tried to respect people's privacy. She gasped dramatically when Jon talked badly about Eddie, and grabbed her Riddler toy again, sliding it into her jacket pocket to keep him close — she was a little worried her friend in the back would try and melt it with a lighter, or throw it out the window. "Eddie is the best, Jonny. Please don't ever strangle him." When he asked if they could go over their plan, Harley nodded in agreement, and took a sip of her drink. "Yeah, let's talk about it one more time. We can't afford ta make any mistakes. This is the Court of Owls we're dealin' with... They'll come for us in our sleep if we screw this up. An' we won't stand a chance against 'em all alone."

Selina: Selina smirked at the banter between Harley and Jon. She knew that Jon liked Harley and he was just being moody, really. "Thank you, Harley. I appreciate that discretion." Though she didn't know what they were covering up. They hadn't discussed details and that was fine considering she never knew what she was with Bruce. This thing with Jonathan was nice though and it was fine they were going at their own pace. "Please don't strangle our Eddie, Jon." Selina finished off her fries and turned in her seat so she could address the two of them. "Right. Well, I told Oracle we'd go in and cause a distraction. Do what we do best Mayhem. The Titans will be waiting not too far behind us and swoop in for the rest. According to her, there is someone who will be going after Dick. I think the main mission is to get these guys distracted. We'll go in there, ruffle some feathers and leave and we have to take some guys down, well we crush them." She had no problem with taking down the Court to save someone she loved but she also did not want to put Harley and Jon in any danger. "We stick together. I can't have either of you hurt. Understood?"

Jonathan: "Understood." Jon said. Causing mayhem was something he did well. But the Court of Owls was... strange. An unknown variable in their little experiment. He herd about them a few years after he started living in Gotham, from a kid in his class who later disappeared. As a whole, Rogues messed with each other a lot. But never the Court. In his long pause to consider his course of action (throw in fear canisters and kill anyone that tried to break from the norm), they had started driving to the meeting point. Jon could tell Selina was on edge, but she had every right to be. A lot was on line.

Harley: Harley nodded when she was thanked for keeping the kiss a secret, and leaned back, putting her feet back up on the dashboard while Selina talked about the plan. She was a little worried about taking on the Court of Owls, now that they were talking about it. They were a powerful group, and extremely feared throughout Gotham. It seemed a little suicidal to take them on, but they had to do it. Dick's life depended on it, and he'd saved Harley's life enough times for her to care about his. There were times when he could have easily killed her, along with Batman, but he never did. She owed it to him to go against these people, and set him free. "Okay. We stick together, an' cause mayhem. Got it. I'm perfectly okay with a lil' murder if it gets Dick home."

Selina: Selina tried to put up a front for Jon and Harley but it was getting more and more difficult as they approached the warehouse. She felt the lump form in her throat, zipping up her catsuit and gripping her bullwhip. "So do we just...go in?" She mumbled. So much for being a fearless leader. She pressed the earpiece into her ear. "Oracle? Do we just barge in." And then the redhead told her to go through a side entrance. The security cameras had already been taken out by a virus. "Side entrance. Let's go. Stick together. Promise?" She turned around to face her friends one last time. She had been in the grasps of a Talon before, saved by a fellow Rogue. What if she didn't have that luck this time around?

Jonathan: "We'll be fine. Dying for a good cause is for the good guys." Jon said as he made sure his mask was situated over his face before stepping outside, electing to stay close to Selina to hopefully give her some semblance of comfort. And, after looking around at the people nearby, hopefully she could protect him. He already knew Babs from throwing her off a building, so suffice to say they had trouble seeing eye to eye. She did trust Selina, so he was somehow invited. He stuck near Selina's side, not wanting to wonder off now.

Harley: Harley waited until Selina got the go-ahead from Babs, then got out of the car. She made sure that she had enough bullets to take down an army, and attached two cupcake bombs to the belt hanging off her hips. "If we get separated, then we do our best ta get back ta each other, okay?" She twirled her baseball bat in her hand, then followed after her friends. Out of all of them, she was probably the least scared about fighting alone, if she had to. There weren't many things she feared when it came to mass chaos — she did of course have a higher sense of danger now that she was saner, but nothing would ever take away her thirst for a good fight. In fact, she was getting quite excited now. If the three of them hadn’t been practically holding hands, she'd have probably already wandered off to clonk someone on the head.

Selina: Selina led the way, following the directions in her earpiece. "You're cutting out." she whispered, looking around and realizing they were probably so deep into Jersey that it was hard to stay in contact. She knew this would be a possibility and right when she was about to say anything else a sound coming from behind them made her turn around. They were surrounded by at least 15 others and he took a few steps back. "Ok. change of plans. Spread out." She grabbed the handle of her bullwhip, raising it up and letting it fall to the floor with a hard crack. She took one good look at her friends before snapping the weapon out of a Talons hand.

Jonathan: Jonathan opened a canister of tear toxin to flow through his glove, and unsheathed his scythe. Finally, there were seeing some sort of action. The blood pumped through his ears as he carefully made his way towards the group, glad he chose a longer-ranged weapon. He did not want any of these creeps to get closer than they had to. It was time to end this conspiracy once and for all. He wondered what a court of owl member's greatest fear was. Swinging his weapon and sinking his claws into whichever member dared to get too close seemed like a viable option for now.

Harley: Harley was surprised when Selina told them to spread out, but when she turned around, she saw why. Her heart pounded in her chest, and a grin spread across her face as she unholstered her gun. "It's playtime, freaks!" she yelled, then fired her gun, her bullets piercing through the chests of a few Talons. It was stupid to use so many bullets so quickly, but she couldn't take any chances. As a member moved closer to her, she backflipped through the air and landed in front of them. This was such a rush! She used her bat to hit them in their freaky owl face. "Are you guys okay?" she shouted as loudly as she could, looking around for her friends.

Selina: Selina gripped the end of her whip and she tried to come up with a strategy. She's dealt with these things before and her first encounter wasn't a pleasant one. She snapped her whip against a Talon's face if they wanted to call it that and kicked another straight in the chest. "Come on." She whispered, egging them on despite the fear she felt. Out of her three friends, she was probably the least prepared. No guns, no bombs, no toxin. She relied heavily on her combat skills and these guys were even more trained than she was. "Two? That's it?" She cracked her whip again, about to answer Harley's call when one picked her up by the neck. Selina felt the air cut quickly from her lungs and Babs screamed in her com, pleading for her to get out. "I would if I c-ccould, Oraclee. Tied upp." Her legs dangled in the air as she tried to break away from his hold and once she kicked him in the abdomen, he dropped her to the floor. Selina tried to crawl away but there were already four more on her tail. "Oracle give me something. There's too much. It's like they multiply..."

Jonathan: Jonathan looked back in time to see Selina surrounded. He went over and beheaded 2 of them in a row to hopefully give Selina some time to stand up and get her act together. He looked at both of his weaponed hands and made an executive decision. He yelled "Catwoman, catch!" before tossing his scythe at her. he would be fine with just her glove, plus they needed to hurt these guys, and he could tell Selina was losing faith in her whip. He stabbed another member in the next with his glove, and watched as they fell screaming to the floor. He has glad he remembered to pack the quickest version of his toxin, not any of the slow release stuff he's been studying so intensely for the past few months. And he packed enough toxin to scare a whole nation.

Harley: Harley spotted Selina getting picked up, and immediately tried to get to her. The last thing she wanted was to lose her best friend. Grabbing a cupcake bomb from her belt, she threw it at the group coming towards her friend. It wouldn't stop all of them, but it'd keep away at least three or four — but it still didn't stop the others rushing towards her. It was hard to keep fighting while she knew Selina was in danger, but she continued to put her gymnast skills to good use, dodging and jumping, and using the walls to her advantage. It was easy to parkour off them, due to her lithe frame and skillset. Eventually, she was close enough to Selina to help her. With Jon's scythe she'd be a little safer, but Harley didn't trust that these people wouldn't group up on her friend again. She knew that Jonathan would be fine, because she could hear the bloodcurdling screams of his victims. "Sel, are ya okay?" she asked, pressing her back against the other woman's as she continued to shoot any owl that came towards them. She only had one bomb left, and she knew she had to save it for if they got into really bad trouble.

Selina: Selina caught the scythe, giving Jon a quick nod and did the same when Harley came to her, giving her best friend's arm a quick squeeze. "The comms went out. I can't get Oracle." She took a few steps back and swung at a Talon. "Hey, Scarecrow, I like this. I'll be borrowing it in the near future." She grinned, gaining some confidence and going after a few more. "We're surrounded. Where are those Titans?"

Jonathan: "I have no idea. I'm not the one with the communicator." Jonathan said as he kept on stabbing the members. He definitely had some sort of bounty on his head with how many of them he was taking out. They were surrounding them, which never seemed like a good idea. Soon, he found himself back to back with Selina and Harley. He never really liked the Titans before, but now he was almost praying for them to swoop in.

Harley: Harley felt Jon bump into them, and it was clear now that they were going to lose — but she never did like losing. Adrenaline paired with excitement was coursing through her, and she kept shooting as she spoke, using her bat with her other hand to keep Talons away from her. "Okay, we gotta stay safe until the Titans arrive. Once they're here, we're good to book it!" She took the last cupcake bomb off her belt, trying to figure out where to aim it. "I'm gonna take out the ones directly in front of me. Jonny, you take the left. Sel, you take the right. Then we just... We fight like we're playin' Mortal Kombat until we can leave." She pushed her friends back a little, then threw the bomb. "Alright, let's do this!"

Selina: Selina nodded at the instructions and when Harley called out the okay, she went running, stabbing a couple of Talons on her way towards an area where her friends could follow. "There." She pointed and pressed the earpiece to her ear and right when she was about to call for help, she heard the Titans swoop in. "That's our cue! Let's get out of here!" And she got rid of a few more assailants, choking one with her whip and letting them fall to the ground. Once they reached the outside, she looked over her shoulder to make sure they were both there. "Oh God. We just did that! We did that!"

#[chatzy.]#[para: selina.]#[para: jonathan.]#savinggraysonsass

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vantagx-archive-blog · 6 years

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{ A post on Kamui and his relationships with others }

Since I’ve mentioned a bunch of these in the past, here’s an actual post about how terrible my son is with people. This is in general, and isn’t written about any muses he’s really interacted with and formed relationships - just a ‘this is why he acts this way around certain people’ thing and I just mention his memories from the fortress often enough in posts to flesh these things out a little bit.

Some random info that’s relevant for basically why he’s nasty to most everyone, even though he sided with Nohr:

Just a reminder here that my Kamui’s canon divergent, he knows he has dragon blood in him, knows he can transform, and knows he isn’t related to the Nohr royals by blood. He’s always been good at fighting (and generally willing to kill), but didn’t want to yield to King Garon’s command as he got older, out of a lack of respect for him and an unwillingness to address his more animalistic nature and refused to become a weapon. As a result, he was sent to the fortress with Joker (only), Felicia was later sent to the fortress so the other maids could be rid of her for her clumsiness. Because he was stubborn, he spent quite a bit of his time in a cell when soldiers sent to check on his progress would find out he still wasn’t being agreeable. Eventually, they used force instead of letting him - more or less trying to provoke and taunt him into fighting. When it had been three years and he had still refused to comply, the soldiers sent to train him that he had refused all of this time eventually got fed up, and threatened Joker to make Kamui obey them. But instead of obeying, he become violent, and murdered them, injuring Joker in the process. Following their murder, it was Marx and his own men that would take their place. For the most part, he did as he was told because he admired Marx and because he was still upset about hurting Joker and killing the others. Marx and his other siblings had visited him from time to time before this, and he had liked them well enough. But he felt betrayed by Marx for following King Garon’s orders, and eventually snapped at him, killing several of his men who tried to protect him and nearly killing Marx in the process. This is a big reason as to why he doesn’t actively interact with any of his siblings despite clearly wanting to protect them, and a big factor into why he’s afraid of touching people and will generally avoid doing so if he can.

- That’s a very short summary, but you get the point.

Felicia: The only person Kamui really has a generally positive relationship/view of/with is Felicia. She had no interaction with him during “training”. She was never allowed in the basement, when he would be locked up, Joker would lie to her to keep her in the dark about Kamui’s nature as a dragon and the nation’s desire to use him as a weapon. As a result, he tends to be a bit less harsh around her, and rather forgiving. That being said, he does tend to avoid her now. He did unintentionally reveal himself following Mikoto’s death. He doesn’t regret lying to her, though, but he would rather not drag her into anything else. That being said, she’s really one of the very few people that won’t generally get a hostile or harsh reaction from him.

Joker: He has a complicated relationship with Joker. For years, Joker was the only constant in his life and he became extremely protective of him. However, the incident with the soldiers trying to use him as a means to control Kamui made their relationship unstable. Kamui hadn’t intended to hurt him, but he had so little control at the time that he had wounded him in the process of trying to protect him. Kamui’s really the one who ruined the relationship they had by pushing him away afterwords. While Kamui doesn’t act hostile towards Joker, he’s clearly uncomfortable around him. That being said, Joker is one of the only people, if not the only, that Kamui trusts entirely, and he’s the only person Kamui will seek out to heal his wounds (he’ll let Felicia heal him, but only if she offers, as for any other healer, he won’t allow them to tend to his wounds).

Suzukaze: Is another person he has very strained relationship with. Kamui will almost always be hostile and even aggressive or cruel towards him. Suzukaze’s loyalty towards him bothers him, and he detests it, and he will do everything in his power to push him away. Kamui dislikes people who display concern for his well-being, and the thought of someone who is willing to die for him disgusts him (this isn’t as much of an issue that he has with Joker or Felicia because, well, they’re not as apparent about it as Suzukaze and Kamui doesn’t believe they would give their lives for him). He hates it. He hates it so much, which is what drives him to anger and hostility towards him. He wants Suzukaze to leave him alone, and he’s generally willing to be an awful person to make that happen. He doesn’t hate Suzukaze, if given the option to let him die or save him - he would save him every time, it’s his loyalty that is directed solely towards Kamui that bothers him.

Marx: A part of Kamui despises him. He’s incredibly aggressive and standoffish towards Marx, more so than with any other character. Any conversation the other tries to have with him, Kamui will always try to cut short or offer cruel remarks towards. He still feels as if Marx betrayed him, and he’ll sometimes blame his upbringing on Marx despite it clearly being out of the other’s control. He can’t stand being around him, and will actively avoid him. That being said, he’s still just as hellbent on protecting him as he is his other siblings. While it seems like Kamui sided with Nohr out of obligation and being weighed down by his past, he still does care for his siblings.

Leon: Like with all of his siblings, Kamui avoid him every chance he gets. He’s not as hostile towards Leon as he is towards Marx, but he’s very defensive around him if Leon can actually get his attention or corner him into a conversation. He likes Leon well enough, but the incident with Marx where he lost control of himself and nearly killed the other, has left him rather bitter and on edge around his siblings (in other words, he’s afraid he’ll hurt them). He can relax if given time or the chance around Leon unlike with Marx, but it takes time and effort.

Camilla: Makes him incredibly uncomfortable. They got along well as children, but the years haven’t been kind to his relationship with her. Kamui naturally dislikes people who wish to protect him or make their concern for him apparent, and, like all of his siblings, he does his best to avoid her. That being said, he still cares about her, but, well, she’s a lot to handle and he just can’t.

Elise: He’s less hostile towards her than his other siblings, and most likely more protective of her than the others as well. But he still won’t willingly hold a conversation with her or seek her out - he may humor her every so often, but it’s rare. He doesn’t have much desire to be in contact with any of his siblings after what he did to Marx, and she’s the last person he would want to lash out at by mistake.

#{▐░▒ ☽ be brave child; do not succumb to fear when you are still capable of love ☾▐░▒ (Kamui) }#{ . together we queue . }#{ . headcanon post . }

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thegreatlarryfisherman · 7 years

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Can I Be Him? | Chapter Six

Jared and Shannon find out that while on tour, their girl may have found someone new. Overcome with jealousy, it is Shannon who takes the ultimate effort to win her back. Jared’s idea, while not the most efficient, was just... handcuff her.

Warnings: Shan-smut, mentions of polyamory, fluff, a bit of plotline

Tags: @auntiemama1 @anxiouslyyoursdidi @babiiface16 @thefirethatfreezesme @jletolove4eva @gottalovetheletos @nikkitasevoli @meghan12151977 @miss-shannanigans @pezziecoyote @maliciousalishious @snewsome756 @fuck-yeah-30secondstomars

“Have you seen this?” Jared held his phone out to Shannon on the plane. He frowned as he looked at the Instagram post. A picture of their girl with some guy’s arms around them. Shannon was never a jealous guy and he refused to be now.

“Fuck it.” He glared out the window.

“No. If it was any other girl, I’d say the same but this is our girl.” Jared shook his head in disbelief at his brother. “Shannon. She’s seeing someone else.”

“She wouldn’t. She’d tell us. We’re her best friends.”

“Yeah. Well. I don’t know. Maybe we came on too strong.”

“You came on too strong.” Shannon glared at his brother. “You and the concert, the voyeurism, the thing you always do when you like a girl.”

“She’s different. She gets me. She’s always gotten me.” Jared said, his eyes traveling somewhere in his mind where he had told their girl about his weirdest fantasies and watched the blush creep to her ears. “We’ve just gotta get her back.”

“I can’t compete with a third guy, J.”

“So. We just be better. I can bring out the Joker. You can… make her a special blend.”

“Hey, I have a dominant side she hasn’t even seen yet.” Shannon replied defensively. “It’s not just coffee. I’m evil.”

“So that’s it. We’ll just…. Turn the heat up.”

“Then she’ll run.” Shannon shook his head at Jared’s phone, which he was still clutching tightly in his hands. Her smile. The one she only makes when she’s laughing so hard her eyes crinkle. He thrust his eyes from the screen and handed Jared’s phone back to him.

“She won’t.” Jared promised himself and his brother. “We know she won’t.” He promised. They would get their girl back. He was sure of it.

Shannon walked into his favorite coffee shop but felt his heart stop when he saw the guy from her stupid fucking Instagram pictures. The guy that probably took his date night with her away. He took a deep breath. She had always told him that she liked the fact that he wasn’t jealous. His brother flew off the handle all the time, but he was fairly different. He wanted to preserve that.

She was apparently returning from the bathroom and honestly, it overwhelmed him a bit to see her. She was dressed casual but goddamn she looked good. “SHANNON!” She squealed, setting her coffee down before she took a running start and jumped into his arms. He growled out a sigh as he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly in his arms.

“Holy shit babe. When did you get back?” I buried my face in his neck and kissed him gently. Honestly, I’d been missing the hell out of Shannon and Jared so much it hurt.

“Just a few hours ago. Had to stop by and see mom. You look good.” He smiled as he leaned forward, nervous but I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer until we were nose to nose. “Who’s he?” he couldn’t help himself.

“This is my brother. You don’t remember him?” I laughed as I pulled him, forcing him to penguin walk backwards with me to the table. “I mean I know you guys only met him once we when we were little but my family isn’t that easy to forget. I missed you two so much that I had to call my only other best friend to keep me company.” I called out my brother’s name and he turned around.

“You flew him out from Chicago?” Shannon frowned at the thought of me flying anyone from my hometown in his absence.

“Haven’t seen her since we were kids so it was really nice. All she did was talk about this guy she’s into. I assume you’re him.” Shannon’s eyes flickered to mine and I smiled as I nuzzled my face into his chest and he relented as he shook my brother’s hand. He didn’t know what to say, but he didn’t want to ruin the moment. Three hour flight and all he did was obsess over her brother. God he and Jared were both idiots.

“I’ve got some stuff to handle. Come over tonight?”

“Yeah. I actually wanted to talk to you and J.” I looked at him, my expression becoming serious. His expression faltered, the most emotional I’d seen Shannon in ages but he quickly masked it with a smile and nodded.

“Okay. See you tonight.”

///

Jared turned the handcuffs over again and again in his hands. “Do you think we’re crazy?” He asked looking at his brother who was sitting, leather jacket clad staring at the fireplace in their living room. “I mean, I’ve done a thousand kinky things but fucking a girl until she loved me is…” Jared shook his head. “Goddamnit.” He gripped the handcuffs tightly. “What do you think she’s gonna say?”

“I don’t know.” Shannon ran his index finger against his lips. He contemplated how good of a mood she seemed in when he saw her earlier that day. Whatever it was, it couldn’t have been as bad as believing she was dating her brother. There was a knock at the door and both boys jumped up to get it. Shannon got to it first, and pulled the door open.

“Hey!” I smiled briskly. “I brought—“ I was cut off by the way he wrapped me in his arms and held me tightly, kissing my cheeks. “Oh, oh-okay!” I exclaimed as I pulled out of his arms quickly. Jared dropped the handcuffs in his hand and rushed over, overwhelmed by the thought that he was seeing her again after a long tour.

He scooped me up in his arms and kissed the side of my face again and again.

“We missed you.” He clutched me tightly in his arms and I looked at Shannon, curious as to what brought on this sudden onslaught of affection.

“Before you say anything…” Shannon started and chewed his lip. “I-“ He reached for my hand and I took it, still skeptical of the two. Jared followed where Shannon guided me toward the bathroom. He pushed the door open and I saw the candlelit bubble bath laid out for me.

“Which one of us just got home from tour?” I laughed as I stood on my toes and kissed him gently.

“Well. Shannon wanted to say… We wanted to say that we were sorry for…. The last time we saw you.” Jared shifted from one foot to another. “I should’ve asked you before I put you on that stage in front of a thousand people and…. Did that.” He shrugged.

“No, no. It wasn’t that.” I insisted. “It was… That was… so hot. I don’t even understand the person I’m becoming that I’m so turned on by all this crazy shit but I feel like I’m stepping into a new world with both of you.” My eyes traveled from one to another. “Seriously. Don’t be sorry. How many girls get to say that they came on stage with their favorite band? Not any I know!” I laughed. “I told Di. She was jealous. Twenty One Pilots doesn’t have that sort of VIP.” I smirked and Shannon laughed as he leaned back against the door. “But I’ll still take the bath, if the offer is on the table.”

“Definitely.” Jared outstretched his arms as if to say, “Go.”

I turned toward the water, peeled my clothes off and headed toward the tub. Slowly, I dipped a foot in. The temperature was perfect.

“I’ve gotta go.” Jared sighed. “I’m glad we talked.” He said to his brother who nodded. “I know it’s your night so…” He shrugged. “I’ll see you both around. Maybe tomorrow if you’re not with that other guy.”

“My brother?” I quipped my lip upward and cringed at the thought. “I flew him home today. My boys are back now.” I smiled and blew a bubble from the bath at him. He chuckled as he started toward the bathroom door and Shannon hastily removed his shirt.

“Oh and Princess?” Jared turned slightly. “What was it that you wanted to talk to us about?”

“Yeah. I almost forgot.” Shannon shrugged.

In that moment, I realized that I’d spent their entire tour trying to figure out how to tell them that I couldn’t choose but I imagined their reactions and how quickly this perfect life would be snatched away. The entire drive over, I couldn’t imagine confessing that the whole reason that we started this in the first place was something I hadn’t even considered. I had to pick one. They deserved that after everything they’d done. Maybe I just needed more time. I couldn’t be this selfish forever.

I bit my lip when I noticed both boys were looking at me intently.

“I.. don’t remember.” I shook my head. Jared frowned for a bit but slowly nodded his head as the gears turned in his head.

“Okay. Shoot me a text if you remember, okay?”

“Of course.” I said and he nodded as he left Shannon and I alone. Once the front door closed, Shannon looked at me. I tilted my head sideways before I noticed the bulge forming in his pants. “Is that a drumstick, or are you happy to see me?” He laughed softly and I giggled. “Okay, that was lame but I literally haven’t seen you in forever so I haven’t been working on my sex puns just yet.”

“You’re okay.” He pardoned me with a slow blink and a hand raise. “Just, don’t go running off like that again. Jared was gonna handcuff you to the fucking bed until you agreed to stay.”

“Yeah because that would’ve worked.” I scoffed and he brushed his hand through his hair as he shrugged. “Are the handcuffs still here?” I lifted an eyebrow and he sighed slowly as he ran his legs against his thighs.

“Maybe we shouldn’t—“ He stood up nervously.

I waded in the water a bit as I came over to him, reached over and placed my hand on top of his bulge moaning at the sight of it. “Shannon, I want you.”

He bit his lip, and it slowly peeled out of his teeth’s grip as I pulled his pants down slowly and arched my body up, gripping the shaft of his hard cock and wrapping my lips around the head of it.

“Fuck.” He grabbed my shoulder to steady me.

“I just wanna make up for missing our night. And I also wanted you to use those handcuffs. We could do it right now if you really want to.” I cooed before I sucked his cock back into my mouth. He groaned as his other hand wrapped around my hair and he began to thrust into my mouth. I moaned around him, sending vibrations through him that caused him to throb.

“God you’re…” He bit his lip. “Driving me fucking nuts. It’s taking all of my patience not to fuck your pretty ass mouth.” I slowly raised my eyes to him and because I know Shannon so well, I know he saw the challenging glint in my eyes. He gently pushed backwards until I was pinned against the wall. He grabbed both my hands in one of his and held them over my head as he quickly kicked off his shoes and yanked off his pants. He was now standing stark naked, his glorious body completely available for my viewing.

He came closer to me and I opened my mouth slowly exposing my tongue to him. He wrapped his hand around the back of my head and guided me forward until the tip of his dick rested on my tongue. He quickly began fisting his cock, the tip hitting my tongue and groaning as he reached down and ran of his large hands against my breasts. He massaged it as he thrust in and out of my mouth, resting his head against the tile wall behind me as he reveled in every movement of my tongue around his shaft. We made eye contact and he licked his lips before he bit his bottom one.

Everything about Shannon was attractive to me. The way his dick throbbed in mouth. The sight of his eyes getting impossibly darker as he got more and more turned on. The way I’d honestly missed the intimate moments we shared. God, he was something.

“Babe.” He wrapped his hands around his shaft before pulling it out of my mouth. “Keep it up and we won’t get to the handcuffs.”

“It’s okay.” I rushed to my feet, the water sloshing around my ankles. “Just take me.” I turned around, pressing my hands to the wall as he aimed the head of his cock at my entrance and I arched my back.

“Wait, wait.” He backed up a bit and took my arm. I frowned at him as he turned me back around. He wrapped my arms around his neck and hooked his arms to the back of my legs, hoisting me up in the air. I wrapped my legs tightly around his waist and frowned as he stared into my eyes.

“I wanna look at you.” He slowly pushed my back against the wall and began thrusting into me, never once taking his eyes off of mine. His pupils darkened underneath his eyelashes and he pumped into me slow but hard, lust dancing between us.

“Oh fuck. Shannon.” I moaned, biting my lip when I realized that him fucking me like this was the most intimate thing we’d ever shared. “Shannon.” I gasped when I realized I was breaking his rule. “I mean—“

“It’s okay.” He pressed his forehead against mine as his rhythm picked up. “I just wanna make love to you. Fuck the rules.” He lifted one of his hands up and pressed his palm to the wall, balancing me with one of his strong arms as he bounced me up and down on his cock. “You’re so fucking gorgeous. I don’t tell you that enough. How pretty your hair is, or how great your laugh is. How much I think about you when you’re not around. Fuck I—“ He buried his face into my neck, nibbling on my neck as my hips thrust forward and his thrust up.

I quickly raked my nails against his back and he groaned just outside my ear.

“Fuck.”

“Shannon.” I pulled him closer, desperately lifting my hips in time with his thrusts. He lowered his arm and pressed it to my neck, before letting it travel down and take a breast in his hand massaging it and rolling the nipple between his fingertips. He used his thumb to rub gentle circles around the tip, knowing exactly what part of me was the most sensitive as my legs went weak and his cock brushed my G-spot, sending me tumbling into an orgasm. “Shit. Shit.” He groaned and stilled all movements as he came inside of me, the feeling of his cock deflating as it emptied itself flowing through me. I bit my lip as I laid my head on his shoulder.

Then the realization hit both of us at the same time. My head raced up and our eyes met.

“Shit.” He gulped. “Please tell me you’re—“

“I’m on the pill.” I promised and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Good. Because can you imagine us having a baby?” He pulled out of me and picked up the sponge and began to rub soap into my shoulders. “I mean, yeah one day. But I’m always on tour and I can’t just see myself leaving my girl and our fucking baby by themselves for six months at a time. Especially if their Uncle is just hanging off shit. They’re gonna think that’s something they can do when they get older. Plus, you’d have to stop calling me Daddy. I mean, I guess you could both call me Daddy—“ He paused when our eyes met. “What?”

“Nothing. You’re rambling.” I laughed. Shannon was normally the quiet brother. He only ever rambled like this when he was nervous, drunk, or the rare occasion when he was really feeling a girl.

“Am I?” He chuckled as he turned me around and began washing my back.

“Yeah. But don’t stop.” I closed my eyes. “I love hearing you talk.”

“Really? I feel like I sound like an asshole.” It was true that when Shannon was nervous, he would stumble and stutter over his words and Jared would make fun of him for it constantly. But I loved hearing him talk. Especially when he was talking about drumming, coffee, anything he was passionate about.

“You sound perfect.” I promised as he pulled me closer and squeezed the water over my shoulder to rinse me.

#SF #Can I be Him series

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diyunho · 4 years

Text

The Joker x Reader - “John Wick” Part 3

Y/N left The Organization 3 years ago for the one reason strong enough to make her settle down: love. But after tragedy crushed her to pieces, she decided to leave The Joker and seek refuge with an old friend and mentor - John Wick. Needless to say The King of Gotham can’t accept his wife running away without a word, especially since he didn’t have a chance to tell her things she might want to hear.

Part 1 Part 2

The Joker listens at the bedroom’s door, impatient to have a conversation with you. It seems you are engaged into a fervent phone call with Winston and figured he shouldn’t interrupt.

“Please, anything you can discover would be a great help! U-hum… U-hum… Thank you,” and you hang up, which queues your husband to walk into the room.

You completely ignore him, scrolling through the numerous text messages you sent to your connections; several are already answering back and hopefully you can get some news soon. The more people are involved into the project, the more chances to find Kase and untangle the mystery of what happened to him after he was removed from the car.

“You left me there,” The Joker sneaks in and closes the door behind him. “Luckily we had Wick with us so he gave me a ride.”

No reaction. He takes a deep breath, trying to get your awareness.

“I didn’t sleep with Evelyn; sex wasn’t the reason why I kept visiting her. I know how that asshole made it sound and he was totally out of line!”

You quickly glance at him, busy replying to Ares since you feel you’re going to explode soon.

“The only skill I was interested in is the fact that she is an excellent painter and a popular art smuggler, OK?” J raises his voice, sort of annoyed you neglect to participate into his monologue. “I did not cheat, alright?” he approaches his wife. “First of all: I’m VERY picky! Second of all: why would I want a woman everyone else had?! I don’t like used toys. Third: nobody’s been polishing my gun as you tastefully addressed the issue! I have one Queen and I married her!!”

A little bit of doubt in your eyes and he utilizes the opportunity.

“You said you saw me going to her house? I did! The Bowery King asked if it was for the last 6 months? Yeah, I did! You know why?!”

At least now The Joker got your attention: you play it cool but he guesses you’re torn apart by his confession.

Many unfortunate events crammed in lately and hating the man you love made life infinitely more unbearable.

“Why…?” you barely muster the strength to inquire and he sees it as a possibility to mend a few broken pieces; although you can hide your emotions well, J can still read between the lines.

Maybe that’s why he answers with another question:

“Do you realize there are just three Monet paintings in circulation on the black market in the entire world? You admire his work and it took a lot of effort and a substantial fortune to acquire The Water Lily Pond painting. Evelyn Black helped with the transaction, then I had her make some modifications to the original masterpiece.”

You keep staring at The King of Gotham, uncertain about the stuff being tossed your way: is he lying or telling the truth?... In your line of work translating feelings is a huge part of the job; ultimately you had the best mentor to teach you the ropes when you started with the organization: none other than the legendary Baba Yaga. Despite his reputation and to your own amazement, John was one of the few hitmen with integrity and perfectly mastered the aptitude of not being a jerk. Such a rare gem… And blissfully unaware of it himself.

On the opposite end, The Joker is a jerk and flawlessly acquainted with his own “captivating” personality that made you fall in love with him anyway.

Also, doesn’t appear to be deceitful for the moment.

And you despise yourself even more for wanting to believe him.

“What… modifications?...” you throw him a bone and J is definitely not going to pass on the alternative of explaining his actions.

“I wanted to surprise you so I took advantage of Miss Black’s capabilities in the art field; I had her add small images to the authentic canvas: an evolution of you being pregnant, the nine frames culminating with a tenth: the new mother holding our son. Similar to a timeline,” he emphasize and you look intrigued, which might be a positive sign. “Needless to say it was tedious, difficult work, especially because she had to apply special pigments you can’t find at every corner of the street. Apparently you can’t mix old paint with contemporary shades, thus I had to order aged, special colors from Italy, Spain and France. That’s why I went to her place so often: I had to supervise the long process and make sure it turns out astonishing. Then…” and The Joker pauses,”…Kase was gone and I didn’t know what to do with my gift: bring it home or not? Would you have loved it? Would it make you sadder? I continued to drive to Evelyn’s and glare at the stupid painting for hours, undecided on what to do…”

J watches you bite on your cheek, then straightens his shoulders as you utter the words:

“… … … You ruined a genuine Monet?”

Your spouse might be a smooth talker when needed, yet he’s not wasting his versatility on this statement:

“I didn’t ruin it; I made it better!”

Silence from both parties. A good or bad omen? Hard to decipher the riddle with two individuals tangled into a relationship that somehow worked despite countless peculiarities meant to keep them apart.

“I have to talk to Jonathan,” you finally mutter and The Joker steps in front of you.

“Talk to me!”

“Unless you know the exact location of the suitcase full of gold coins he’s been safekeeping for me, I really have to speak to him. Or do you want to hammer the whole basement searching for it?”

Y/N walks out of the bedroom and J lingers inside, evesdropping on the conversation happening downstairs. He can’t understand the chat, but you are probably notifying John about the details your husband left out.

Might as well join the party, therefore The Clown pops up in the living room with a plea impossible to refuse:

“Hey Wick, can I stay here? I don’t care if you say no, I’m not going to leave.”

Your friend crosses his arms on his chest, focusing on the random topic:

“How could I deny such a polite request? Of course you can stay Mister Joker; my house is your house.”

You’re watching the free show unamused; usually it would make you smile…now you lack the depth for such connotations.

“Don’t get smart with me, Wick!” J growls and Jonathan pushes for a tiny, unnecessary quarrel.

“I’m not; although generally speaking, I fancy considering myself a smart guy.”

The Joker opens his mouth and you’re not in the mood for whatever the heck they’re initiating:

“I’m going to pump, then after you dig out the suitcase I’ll take half to the Bowery King,” you announce your plans to them.

“You can do that and rest; I’ll deliver the coins,” John immediately offers. “I can stop by Aurelio’s car shop and ask for his collaboration: he has a lot of associates, doesn’t hurt to get him involved. You have plenty of gold.”

“I have two more suitcases in the Continental’s safe and two more at The Penthouse. It doesn’t matter if it’s all gone as long as I can find my son.”

“I know gold coins are preferred; don’t forget we have a lot of money too,” J reckons with spite.

Is he reminding you or Jonathan?...

*************

Your husband spent the last hour in the garden, talking and texting with a lot of people; needless to mention he’s capitalizing on his network also. Winston disclosed Stonneberg’s contract is still opened, meaning the son of a bitch is out there; you have to scoop him before anybody else does.

“Y/N…” The Joker tiptoes in your quarters. “I thought you were taking a nap,” he huffs when he sees you at the edge of the bed.

You glare at the vial on the nightstand, sharing your idea for a future you wish will come true:

“I didn’t have my medicine in two days; I won’t take it anymore because if we get Kase back… I will nurse him. It all goes in the milk and I want to be able to feed my baby… Do you think his little heart is still beating?...” you sniffle and J is currently debating on a clever response since his mind is blank; one could deduce messing up is encoded in his DNA, but on such a huge scale… well, it gives new interpretations to the term even for him.

The grieving woman seeking reassurance for their loss is trying to make sense of the pointless occurrences that lead to Kase being an innocent victim and The Joker can’t render clarification: he has no clue why he asked her to marry him and why she said yes, it’s not that he’s husband material or a family man. Perhaps Y/N thought he could be… just enough to get by, that’s why she accepted his proposal.

Most women would have cringed at the concept. Most women. Not Y/N.

Most women would have flinched at the notion of having his baby. Most women. Not his wife.

Above all, she trusted J with their son and he treated the three weeks old like a trinket: didn’t drive him home because he had an important meeting, didn’t bother to assign escorting cars nor extra security. The King of Gotham took his child’s safety lightly and it definitely had severe consequences. Too late now to fix past mistakes... but he can attempt.

“You’ll be able to nurse him, OK?” he sits by you and hands over his cell. “Can you enter your phone number in here? Or am I not allowed to have the present digits?”

You’re hesitant and he slides the screen while you hold the gadget.

“Lemme help you,” The Joker sarcastically mumbles. “It should be the first on my list, right where the old number you canceled was.”

You exhale and fulfill his demand out of pure frustration when he squeezes in a second innocent petition.

“Chose my avatar.”

You grunt at his rubbish, scrolling through his folders for a picture anyway; J hopes the largest file will get your attention and that’s the point. How could Y/N miss it?!

Entitled “Baby”, the humongous cluster of pics contains 5,723 items. You open it quite absorbed by its size; what’s more puzzling is the collection depicting Kase’s ultrasounds, hundreds of frames with you being pregnant taken without you knowing: there’s a few when your ankles were so swollen you had to sleep with your feet up on 4 pillows, others with you munching on strange food you craved, more with you in the shower focused on your bump, a decent amount of couple selfies when you were sleeping and J had to immortalize the moment without waking you up and approximately 1,500 images of the newborn.

“You didn’t gross me out when you were pregnant,” The Joker reminds a teary Y/N. “Not sure why you would believe such aberration...” he pulls you on his knees and yanks the phone away, tossing it on the nightstand. “I would also like to underline I didn’t have an affair with Miss Black, alright?”

J lifts your chin up, forcing to look at him.

“Let’s put it this way: why would I fuck around with another woman when I have a wife at home that wants to kill me on a regular basis, hm? Where would the fun be? I mean, she didn’t pull the trigger yet but it’s exciting to hope she might. You know me: I’m a sucker for thrills!”

“Do I?”

“Huh?” J steals a kiss and you frown at his sleekness.

“Know you?”

“Yeah,” the green haired Clown acts composed while in fact his feathers are ruffled. Before you catch onto it he has to ultimately admit: “I’m sorry I didn’t drive the car… I should have…”

The Joker holds in his breath when your arms go around his neck very tight.

“I’m suffocating…” he grumbles. “I can’t tell if you’re trying to hug me or choke me to death,” J keeps on caressing your hair, prepared to block your attack in case you’re actually in killing mode.

This is the excitement he was speaking about: with you, one could never know until it’s a done deal.

“I bumped into Magnus at the Continental,” you give him a bit of space to inhale much needed air and The Joker is surprised at your revelation. “I had no idea about his scheme, otherwise I would have skinned him alive right on the hotel grounds! I wouldn’t have cared about the consequences!”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” J cuts you off and he can tell you’re getting mad; maybe you think he doesn’t give a damn but the reason is simple. “You would’ve been declared excommunicado for murder on neutral ground and I don’t want my wife to be the target of such punishment from the company she so proudly retired from. I need my partner!”

The King of Gotham touches your forehead with his as you whisper:

“I hate you!”

“Mmm, regarding this true love affirmation, I’m gonna need you to take a break from detesting me until we have Kase, then you can despise me full throttle again. Deal?” he extends the palm of his hand and you reluctantly shake it, not realizing you’re reacting to his nonsense. “Is that a smile?” J returns the favor with one of his creepy silver grins.

“No.”

“Liar,” he pecks your lips and can’t explain the weird feeling in his heart when you kiss him back.

*************

Jonathan enters the house and becomes suspicious after a few minutes: too much silence.

Omg! Did you and The Joker engaged into a brawling that ended up badly? Did you end each other?!

John frantically runs to the garage, nervous to see your car and J’s are still parked inside. Shit!

“Y/N?” he shouts, concerned about your fate; The Joker’s… irrelevant. Nobody in the garden, patio is empty also. Downstairs is deserted thus he rushes upstairs to your room. The door is not completely shut and he slowly pushes it, knocking.

“Y/N? Can I come in?”

The first thing he notices are clothes scattered on the floor, then he halts his movement at the sight of Y/N and her husband dozing off on the bed sideways: the naked bodies are covered with a blanket, but he can tell you’re snuggled in J’s arms.

Jonathan steps backwards, guilty of invading his guests’ privacy; he certainly didn’t expect to intrude in such a manner and softly closes the door, grateful it’s not what he feared.

You and The Joker are so worn out the sound of your phones vibrating on the nightstand doesn’t wake you from the deep sleep. Your numerous contacts keep replying back to the text messages, the most important one showing up on his cell: one of the people J reached to is Evelyn Black and the two sentence conversation lights up the screen.

“Let me know if you see Stonnenberg.”

“He’s here.”