#here is robin being way more obliging than i expected him to be

[shivunin]

Flow Gently

(Title: "Afton Water" by Robert Burns)

(Maria Hawke/ Fenris | 1,036 Words | Fluff | No warnings)

The idea of being touched had, for so long, been anathema to Fenris. 

There were reasons, of course. Decades of them. But none of that seemed to apply to Hawke. 

Maria lay in bed beside him now, his palm held above her face, cradled in both of her hands. She studied it with rapt attention, as if she’d never seen one before, and her fingertips explored each crease and scar, traced the swells and bones beneath the skin. Carver had once told him she’d been the smart one in Lothering; Nose always in a book, he’d said over an ale, as if it was a fatal character flaw, ‘til she discovered other people existed, anyway. 

There was something of the studious girl in the way she looked at him now, though she never examined his tattoos the way she examined the lines of his palm, the curve of his calf, the hollow under his ear. One evening, in the haze of afterglow, Fenris had asked her why. Hawke had laughed, draped herself over his chest, and asked him how she was meant to know where and how he liked to be touched if she didn’t know her options. 

He hadn’t known what to say to that.

What he’d feared of her touch, Fenris knew, was possession; so much of his life had been defined by it. He knew it at a glance; saw it in the way folk touched their beaus in the Hanged Man or their dancers in the Rose. He knew that such things were sometimes welcomed, that some lovers even intentionally elicited such a reaction.

Hawke only ever seemed to look at him like she was surprised and pleased to see him still standing beside her, as if she usually expected to turn and find him gone instead. Fenris had told her he was hers over and over again (there were other words he might say in their place; he could imagine nothing more foreign to his lips than those. I am yours would have to suffice, at least for now). She only ever touched him like she was fascinated by the very existence of his flesh and bones, and she explored his body with an intent that had absolutely nothing to do with the lyrium under his skin.

The idea of possessing him would horrify her. He knew this, or he would not be in bed at her side now.

“Tell me again,” she murmured, half asleep, “About Seheron. The island itself.”

“What about Seheron?” Fenris asked. 

He turned his hand over when she seemed done with the palm. Instead of peering at the back of his hand as she had his palm, Hawke curled his fingers into a loose fist and pressed his knuckles to her lips one at a time.

“I hear the water is warm and blue as a robin’s egg,” she said, and stifled a yawn against his knuckles, “I’ve heard that the trees are at least three stories tall, and they only have branches at the top. Is that true?”

“Ah,” Fenris said, and took back his hand to turn onto his side instead.

The sheets must have been changed recently; they were crisp and soft against his bare skin, soothing in the places where the lyrium tattoos had grown irritated. Hawke lifted a hand so Fenris would rest his right hand in hers, and he obliged wordlessly. She twined their fingers together and rested them, joined, against her cheek. 

“Well?” she said, and he felt the creak in her jaw when she yawned again.

“Yes,” Fenris told her, “The ocean is warm. Away from people, the beaches are not rocky. There were trees as you have here, with vines twining up the trunks. There were also others as you say, narrow and tall. On a clear morning, you could see the high canopies. They did not have lower branches to climb, and so those who wished to reach the top would use shoes with spikes on them and loop a cloth around the trunk for their hands.”

“Hmm,” Maria said, her eyes drooping slightly, “Why?”

“Why?” Fenris repeated. The blankets had slipped down to her hips, and the skin of her arms had pebbled with the cold. He tugged them higher, the cost of not seeing the wealth of her body outweighed by the need to ensure that she was comfortable. 

“Why climb them? What’s…at the top?” 

Fenris considered this for a moment, while she turned her cheek against the back of his hand and nestled into the touch. 

“I…cannot say,” he said after a moment, “Some sort of fruit. Something important, presumably. I did not think to ask.”

Hawke said nothing. She’d bound up her curls for the night, but already several had escaped the coif to wave over her forehead instead. There was a little frown between her eyebrows, as if she was trying to will herself to wakefulness again. Fenris extracted his hand from hers and smoothed the covers higher over her chest. She murmured something he couldn’t make sense of, then shifted beneath the sheets until she rested more firmly against him. 

“Hawke?” Fenris murmured. She sighed, but said nothing. 

Done for the night; he ought to have known. It had been a long day, and they’d made it longer once they’d reached the manor. Fenris tucked a stray curl behind her ear, lest its touch rouse her again, and settled more comfortably on the mattress at her back. 

The fire banked in the hearth shone gold over the bare curve of her shoulder. She didn’t move at all when he pressed a kiss to it, nor when he curled himself around her and rested his hips against hers. 

“Maria?” he said softly. Her breath was even, her shoulders rising and falling in time. Fenris swallowed and looked at the golden line of her shoulder, the generous swell of her hip beneath the blanket. 

“I am yours,” Fenris murmured into the night, for her ears and nobody’s at all. 

The next words came so quietly that it would have been difficult for her to hear him even if she had been properly awake: 

“As long as you’ll have me—I am always yours.”

(For @14daysdalovers day 11: Murmurs. Thought I'd give them a little softness in addition to the yearning for once c: )

#14dalovers #14dalovers2023 #day 11 murmurs #fenris #fenris dragon age #maria hawke #fenris x hawke #fenhawke #da2 #da fanfic #my writing #day 13's (ravish) is also for these two and it took me *eons* to write so i got a bit behind #but that's okay i've got a bit of time to write the last day #anyhow i love them <3 and i hope y'all are having a good weekend #i am going to bury my head in the sand and pretend that nothing is happening in my city this weekend #shivunin scrivening

[omi-papus]

It only ocurred to me on the toilet that Sam and Al-An are just right there, waiting to be parallels. Both rushed, and reckless, disobeying orders and going to the extreme just to ultimatly fail at stoping the bacteria in a similar way. One killed herself, the other killed everyone else but survived. An like, Al-An is made to feel bad, not deamonized (I mean fuck, if you remember how his choices and actions are presented in the first game he just might be. anyone else remember that sea emperor embrio?) And Sam gets at most to be responsible for the death of an inocent. And I mean the magnitude is not the same, I know this. And Sam even at least got the Alterra research to halt.

But like idk the game should have done something with that. Would Al-An wish to share her fate and die himself but allow everyone else to live? Would he judge her as harshly as he does himself? Would he actually justify killing Parvan because in his head, and extra casualty is not that big of a deal for something as destructive as Karaah?

How would Robin feel about that comparison. Would she deny it? Get ofended at her sister getting compared to someone that almost caused extinction? Feel obligated to forgive Al-An because she would be a hipocrit if she only treated Sam this way? Would she even distinguish between them?

Would they disagree on weather the sacrifice should have happened or not? Robin would claim shed rather have the bacterium be used by Alterra than for Sam to die, and Al-An would say that her life was less valuble than the extermination of the bacteria.

Maybe Al-An could be intent on defending himself, claiming that his species was actively dying of Karaah while Sam had plenty more time to think and many more posible options. Therefore not making their recklessnes comparable.

Does Robin understand that objectively speaking, because of the chain of events. If Sam was alive, Al-An would be dead in the powered out sanctuary. Would she choose Sam over him?

That last ones especially interesting. Does Robin think loosing Sam and throwing her own life away to go off to this planet was worth it to save him? Maybe she wouldnt be able to answer that. If really presented with the choice she cant really imagine what her heart would tell her. But shed tell him that she also does not regret coming here. Sams death was not in her control but coming here was. (And this is just shipping shit more than something Id actually expect form the game) But while shes never been with both of them simultaniously. She would definitly rather have one of the people she loves than nither of them. And that maybe, just maybe, their pain isnt in oposition, but somehow in conjunction. Maybe it was fate that saw two broken beings and had them save eachother.

Al-An would claim there is no such thing as fate. But the chances of their meeting was so astronomical that there is no other explanation. Maybe it was some unknown law of nature

#diferent but go together type thing #also whoever made the call to not reuse that line with those two was a fucking coward I tell you #subnautica #subnautica below zero #samantha ayou #robin ayou #al-an #al an

[miniowos]

sᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴅᴀʏs ɪɴ sᴜɴɴʏ ᴊᴜɴᴇ. ᴇ ᴍᴜɴsᴏɴ.

𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 - 𝖾𝖽𝖽𝗂𝖾 𝗆𝗎𝗇𝗌𝗈𝗇 𝗑 𝖿𝖾𝗆!𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋

𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 - 𝖺𝖿𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖺 𝗌𝗎𝗆𝗆𝖾𝗋 𝖿𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝖼𝗁𝗈𝗈𝗅'𝗌 𝖻𝗂𝗀𝗀𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝖿𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗄, 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗋𝗒. 𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗍𝗈𝗈 𝖽𝗂𝖿𝖿𝖾𝗋𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾 𝗍𝗈𝗀𝖾𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋?

𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 - 𝖿𝗅𝗎𝖿𝖿, 𝖺𝗇𝗀𝗌𝗍,

𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 - 𝗁𝖾𝗅𝗅𝗈𝗈𝗈! 𝖻𝖺𝖼𝗄 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝗋𝖾𝖾! 𝗂 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝖽𝗋𝖺𝗂𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝗒𝖾𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗋𝖽𝖺𝗒 𝗌𝗈 𝗂 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗅𝖽𝗇𝗍 𝗎𝗉𝖽𝖺𝗍𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗂𝗆 𝖻𝖺𝖼𝗄 𝗇𝖽 𝗂 𝗁𝗈𝗉𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗉𝗍𝖾𝗋 <3 (𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝖺 𝖿𝗅𝖺𝗌𝗁𝖻𝖺𝖼𝗄! 𝗂𝗍𝗌 𝗂𝗇 𝖻𝗈𝗅𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗂𝗍𝖺𝗅𝗂𝖼𝗌!)

𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝘄𝗼 | 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿

-

-

After yesterday’s meeting, you needed someone’s help. You were out of ideas and maybe convincing Eddie was more difficult than you thought. You slipped on your jeans and a simple brown shirt, slipping boots on your feet and heading out to Robin’s house.

You and Robin had been friends since you were both kids, you both did go your seperate ways once you got to high school but you stayed in touch, the occasional secret hangout was always nice to have. You decided to walk to her house, Robin had a car so she could always take you where you needed to go.

Once you got there, you knocked a little rhythm, the one she would always use at your door. You heard Robin shuffling down the steps, “(Y/n)?!” You heard right before the door opened, “Robin, im so glad you’re here. I need your help.” Robin being Robin, she pulled you in by your arm and listened to the whole story.

“So… let me get this straight-” She nodded, “Edward Munson and YOU had a fling this summer and he’s mad because you ditched him for Steve Harrington and now your trying to get him back?” Her eyes were wide in disbelief, “And you never told me this, huh?” You shrugged, guilty, you felt bad about not telling anyone.

“I never told anyone, honestly, I was scared. I’m a cheerleader, he’s the resident freak.” You sighed, “The thing is, he’s hurt. And i don’t know what to do to win him back. I took him to the mountain i took you last time we hung out.” Her hand fiddled with her necklace, patting her legs as if she was playing a drum, “And?”

“My efforts were pointless, he was unfazed.” You were looking straight at your feet, heels tapping along the wooden floor. You broke from your daze as fast as Robin shot up from her seat in front of you. “Lovers Lake!” You face brightened up.

“Come on, loser, keep your eyes closed. I’ll guide you.” Your hands were holding his. Cold rings against your warm skin, his thumb drawing circles against your palm. “Alright, you can look.” Your smile was bright, your eyes took time to adjust after having them closed for such a long time.

A lake, it was calm, quiet. You could hear the leaves rustling from the wind. “C’mere.” He said while patting the spot next to him on the bench. You obliged, taking the spot he was patting. His arm wrapped around your shoulders, making you lean into him. It was cool, but his touch burned against your skin, leaving you feeling all jittery inside. The silence was broken with sweet hums, a small tune coming from Eddie. You didn’t talk for the rest of that evening, neither did he, but he didn’t need to, you knew he loved you.

“Earth to (Y/n)!” Robin was yelling, waving her hand in front of your face, “Sorry,” You stood up just to hug Robin, “Can you take me to Eddie’s?” She smiled, nodding. The car ride was smooth, she tried to keep you from getting too anxious, Robin was always supportive in your decisions. You got there fast enough, Robin ran about two red lights and she was lucky a cop didn’t stop her.

“Thanks, Buckley.” She gave you a small nod, driving away into the distance. You knocked on his door, tapping your foot while you waited for him to answer. “(L/n), i was expecting you.” You were shocked, he was expecting you. “Come on, I know where im going to take you this time.” He raised an eyebrow at you in curiosity, holding his car keys “Where to, M’lady.” M’lady.

You smiled, snatching the keys from his hand and jogging to his van. “You’ll see.” You hopped in the driver seat and he followed soon after, sitting in the passengers seat. The car ride wasn’t silent this time, it was full of chit chat and bad jokes. “Alright, close your eyes.” You said, glancing at him. “Okay, okay.”

After about 5 minutes, you reached your destination. Eddie would keep asking “Are we there yet?” or the occasional “I could open my eyes at any moment.” But you ignored him. As soon as he felt the car park, he opened his eyes. The lake brought back memories, those that brought a knot to his stomach. “Lovers Lake.” You nodded at his words, your hand reached for his and this time, he didn’t fight it.

His touch brought the same sensation it brought in the summer, burning, real. “Ed’s, look at me.” He broke his gaze to the lake, looking straight into your eyes. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to lose what we had, and it’s my fault and i accept it. I was wrong.” His gaze softened as soon as your voice started breaking. “(Y/n)… don’t.” You shook your head, “You have to know-“ He held your cheek, he hesitated at first, but his thoughts got the best of him. “I know.”

He hugged you, engulfing you in his warmth. Your hands balled up his shirt behind him, his scent was familiar, weed and small hints of his cologne. “I know.” His hand held your head close to his chest, while the other drew mindless shapes into your back. “I’m sorry, I was cold, I know you’re trying.” His tone was soft, almost whispering.

“I love you, Eddie.” His hand held both side of your face, gently pulling you away just so he could look at you.

“You love me?”

#eddie munson #eddie the freak munson #stranger things fanfic #eddie munson angst #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson fic #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x you #stranger things fluff #stranger things angst #stranger things 4 #stranger things #steve harrington #robin buckley #stranger things smut #munson x y/n #munson x you

[eddievanhammettmunson]

My Bookworm

Steve Harrington x Female reader.

Authors note- hey all you cool cats and kittens. I’m back but with a special story this time. It’s my first time writing for Steve Harrington and I really hope you enjoy it. 3.6k words

Warnings- heavy spoilers for pride and prejudice yall I’m sorry but also like it’s been out for awhile so I’m not too sorry. Pretty fluffy.

Summary- when Steve meets the new librarian he finds himself in a reading challenge.

As Steve leaned on the counter of the family video just like every other day he found himself growing sleepy as he leaned his head on his hand. Only to be startled awake by the sound of the door swinging open. Hoping it was a customer only to find Dustin Henderson.

“Hey Steve!”

“Hey Dustin.”

“What time are you off today?”

“3. Why?”

“I need a ride to the library.”

“Oh so you can go see your new librarian friend that you think is so much cooler than me cause she knows about all your books and stuff. Yeah no thanks.”

“Oh come on Steve you need to stop being so jealous when I have older friends.”

“I am not jealous, Henderson.”

“Then give me a ride to the library. You don’t have to come in with me. I just need a ride.”

“Fine.”

“Cool I’ll just hangout next door at the arcade while I wait for you to get off work”

Steve watched as dustin made his way next door to the arcade as Robin came out from the back with a box of tapes.

“Any customers yet?” Robin asked as she set the box down on the counter next to Steve.

“Nah it was just Dustin coming to ask for a ride to the library after I get off work in an hour.”

“Oh you’re going to the library?”

“I just said that.”

“Can you pick me up a copy of Wuthering Heights? I need it for class and I totally spaced it.”

“Why do I have to check it out under my name?”

“Cause I have to stay till closing tonight and the school library didn’t have any copies of it so I need one from the public library.”

“Fine I’ll get you Wuthering Heights but you owe me one.”

“Fine”

Steve and Robin spent the next hour rewinding the tapes and placing them back in their cases before it was time for Steve to get Dustin from the arcade and head for the library.

***

The library was just as quiet as Steve had expected it to be but it made him feel uneasy nonetheless. Dustin took point and walked up to the counter setting his books there and ringing the little bell on the counter.

Upon ringing the bell you emerge from the back room with a copy of pride and prejudice in one hand and a half eaten apple in another despite the sign behind you that said “No Food or Drink allowed”.

“Ah if it isn’t my favorite little library patron. Come to gather more knowledge, have you?”

“Why yes I’ve come to return these and then I’ll go grab some more to check out.”

“Well how about you go look for those books while I get these checked in. And how about you?” You said as you turned to face Steve.

Steve Harrington had been frozen in place as soon as you walked out of the back room with your book in hand.

He had never seen you before and didn’t know you were well… stunning is the only word that came to Steve Harrington's mind and when he realized you were speaking to him he felt as though his brain would short circuit.

“Uh hi I’m Steve Harrington” he reached a hand over the counter to shake your hand and you obliged.

“Well Steve Harrington it’s nice to meet you finally. Dustin here has told me a lot about you. What can I help you with today?”

Steve cleared his throat and retracted his hand away from yours gently.

“I'm uh actually looking for a book called Wuthering Heights or something. My friend needs it for a project.”

“Ah, follow me. That’s gonna be in our gothic fiction section under B for Brontë.”

Steve was amazed to see that you didn’t even need to think about it. You just knew where it was immediately like some sort of magic trick.

As you walked him to where he needed to be he was able to catch a whiff of your perfume. You smelled like vanilla and old books and it’s like Steve Harrington had finally found his favorite smell.

Grabbing the book off the shelf you hand it to him and he holds it gently. Walking back up to the counter you prepare to check him out and Steve realizes that he doesn’t want this to end.

“So uh how come I’ve never seen you around Hawkins before?”

“Oh I’m new to Hawkins. Just moved here.”

“Ah that explains it. Where ya from?”

“Oh I’m just from Indianapolis. So not too far.”

As you stand there checking out the book to Steve you can’t help but feel his eyes boring into you. You can’t really pinpoint why he would be staring and it’s making you nervous. Did you have something on your face?

Nonetheless you check the book out to Steve and hand it back to him and Steve stands at the counter waiting for Dustin.

“So how about you Harrington? I may be new but how come I’ve heard so much about you from Dustin but haven’t met you till today?”

“Oh you know I’m just a busy guy who doesn't really have a lot of time for the library these days.”

“Too busy for reading” you fake a gasp and hold your hand over your chest as if you’re in pain.

“Alright alright yeah yeah I’m not the biggest reader.”

“Only people who aren’t good at reading say that.”

Steve scoffs. “I’ll have you know y/l/n I’m an excellent reader.”

“The book you checked out today isn’t even for you Steve.”

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Maybe you checked the book out for your friend because you can’t read.”

You’re both laughing now but Steve still takes it as a challenge.

“Fine, recommend me a book to read and I’ll read it in 2 days. That’s a Harrington guarantee.”

“A Harrington guarantee…hmm alright deal. If you read Pride and Prejudice within two days and come back here to me and you can describe the plot you win.”

“What do I win?”

“What do you want?”

Steve thought about it for a moment.

“How about I’ll tell you what I want when I win?”

“Sounds like a deal to me” you reached your hand over the counter to shake his hand and he obliged. Sealing the deal.

Dustin walked back up to the counter with a stack of 6 books.

“Henderson, you know the rules. 5 at a time.”

“Yep” Dustin counts out the books and skips one to pretend there’s only 5.

You count the books and count 6 right in front of him. Making Steve laugh.

Dustin leans over the counter. “My mistake. However I am on a curiosity voyage and I need my paddles to travel. These books. These books are my paddles.”

“5 at a time Henderson. You know Claudia will kill me if she catches me checking out extra books.”

Steve turns to Dustin and grabs the book.

“Here just add it to my list. I’ve already got a book for Robin anyways and you have to check me out Pride and Prejudice anyways.”

You get the books checked out to the boys and watch out the window as they walk to Steve’s car. You couldn’t help but hope to see Steve again sooner than planned. That Dustin kid was right. Harrington had amazing hair.

***

Steve Harrington made it his absolute mission that night to read that book. He barely slept as he read it but he found himself becoming so involved in the story that he didn’t care.

The next day at family video Steve sat at the counter like normal but instead of being on the verge of falling asleep he instead had his nose in a book. That’s when he heard the bell to the shop ring and walked little Dustin Henderson once again.

“Steve! I need another ride to the library today.”

“Why?”

“One of the books I got is totally not what I thought it was. It said it was about radio tower communications but it totally is more about military style when I need civilians.”

“Okay fine I’m off at 3 again today.”

Dustin walked out the door and over to the arcade to wait for 3 o’clock.

When 3 o’clock arrived and it was time to head to the library, Steve found himself rather excited at the prospect of getting to see you again so soon.

As you sit in the library with your head in another book you don’t even notice when Dustin and Steve walk in and set the book on the counter until Steve clears his throat.

You turn your attention to him quickly.

“Oh hi guys. Back so soon?”

Dustin taps on the book.

“Yup just here to return one.”

“Wrong book?”

“Yup.”

“Well I’ll get this checked in for ya. Steve, how's the book coming along.”

“It’s great! No idea why Elizabeth is interested in that Wickham guy though. Seems like a total tool to me. If you ask me she should end up with someone more like Darcy or Mr Bingley.”

“I’ve never even considered Elizabeth and Bingley together. It’s totally clear Bingley and Jane are meant for each other.”

“I don’t know I think a smart girl like Elizabeth could gain a lot from Bingley’s charm”

You scoff as you finish checking in Dustin’s book.

“Well Harrington I think by the time you finish it you’ll have a different opinion.”

“How about you, what book are you reading now since I’m reading this?”

“The Vampire Lestat. It’s the sequel to Interview with a Vampire by Ann Rice. It’s pretty good so far.”

“I think I’ve heard of that one.”

“Maybe you’ll have to give it a read next.”

“Maybe I will.”

Steve was leaning on the counter and had a flirtatious smirk on his face that was quickly replaced by a startled expression when Steve felt a foot step on his own and looked down to see Dustin standing on his foot. Upon looking up at Dustin, Steve could tell there was something Dustin wanted to say.

“Well your book is all checked in Dustin and Steve I took that extra book Dustin got yesterday and moved it to his account instead.”

Before Steve could respond Dustin was taking the lead.

“Well y/n it has been lovely to see you yet again but Steve and I have to get going.”

You attempted to say goodbye but Steve was already being dragged out of the library by Dustin as they made their way to Steve’s car.

***

Dustin didn’t say anything initially when they got in the car. Only when they were stopped in front of Dustin’s house did Dustin decide to speak.

“You totally like y/n.”

Steve had a bewildered look on his face.

“I do not!”

“Really then why are you reading that book?”

“It was a challenge Henderson.”

“Oh and really what’s the prize?”

“Get out of the car Henderson.”

“I’ll find out tomorrow when you go back to the library to finish the challenge.”

“Okay fine so what if I like her what’s the big deal?”

“That’s all I needed to hear.”

And just like that Dustin was out of the car and on his way inside leaving Steve alone once again.

****

Once again Steve stayed up all night trying to finish the book but to no avail. He did however bring it to work with him and spent all day reading it just in time to finish by 3 pm. Dustin hadn’t come into the store today to ask for any rides and Robin didn’t need to return her book yet so this trip was solely for Steve.

Steve got in his car and headed to the library. When he walked in he rang the bell on the counter but received no answer. He started wandering around the library and found you in a corner stacking books. He was about to call out your name until he heard your humming and noticed your swaying. As you turned slightly he could see the Walkman on you and decided to just stand there for a moment.

Steve’s heartbeat started to quicken as he watched you and he didn’t quite understand the feeling. The only time he’d felt close to that was with Nancy. So how could it be he’s feeling this with you when he barely even knows you.

As you turned a bit more you saw someone out of the corner of your eye and you yelped. Jumping back, dropping the books in your hand, and tearing off your Walkman sending it to the floor.

Steve couldn’t help but giggle at how cute your yelp was but immediately rushed over to help clean up the mess that he now felt responsible for.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you. Just didn’t want to interrupt your little music session there.”

“No worries. I’m not actually supposed to be listening to music when I stack books. I just wasn’t expecting anyone right now.”

Steve helps pick up the books off the floor and stack them on your cart. He then picks up the Walkman and examines it to make sure it isn’t broken. He then holds the headset up and tries to hear what’s playing.

“Tears for Fears. Nice.”

“Thanks. Felt a bit inspired.”

“Really? Head over heels kind of inspired?”

The question made you blush and you began to stutter out and answer before Steve chuckled and held up a hand to stop you.

“I’m messing with you.”

What Steve didn’t know was that you were listening to that because of him. Ever since he walked into this library he’d been weaseling his way into your heart and you couldn’t quite get him out of your head. Not like you really wanted to anyways.

You gather the cart of books and push it up to the front counter. You stand behind the counter while Steve leans on the other side and sets his book on the counter.

“So did ya finish it?”

“Every word baby.”

Baby. The words made your cheeks flush.

“So who does Elizabeth end up with?”

“Darcy.”

“Okay and who does Jane end up with?”

Steve huffs. “Bingley. But I still stand by my point that Elizabeth and Bingley could have given it a chance. I mean Bingley is the one who gets Darcy to even look at Elizabeth at the ball in the first place.”

“Ignoring your point. Who does Mr Wickham end up with.”

“Oh don’t even get me started! Wickham running off with Lydia was disgusting. I mean what the hell was that?”

“I know right? Wickham. What a horrid man. Well Harrington I believe you’ve finished the book. I’ll get it checked in for you. What did you want as your reward?”

Steve gave a fake cough to clear his throat.

“Well uh. I was thinking. How about you let me take you out sometime? Maybe if you’re free tonight?”

Your eyes got very wide and the smile on your face grew impossibly wide. You tried to contain your excitement as much as possible.

“I am actually free tonight. I get off at 5 if you wanna come back and pick me up?”

“How about I just stay till 5 and hangout. Maybe help you shelve some books.”

“I’ll agree to you hanging out but I’m afraid I can’t have you work for free. You can just watch me shelve.”

So he did. For the next hour you and Steve got to know each other as you stocked books and Steve was absolutely amazed. You hardly had to look or stop and think to find out where something went. It was like magic because you just knew where it went.

Steve was also amazed with how smart you were. The words you were able to work into everyday conversations astounded him. It almost made him glad that you hadn’t gone to Hawkins high. He knew you guys wouldn’t have hung out back then and he thinks that’s a downright shame.

As 5 pm rolled around you closed up the library and walked out with Steve. As you walked out the evening sun was shining in your eyes and you winced slightly, holding up a hand to shield yourself and it made Steve laugh.

“Bookworm not used to sunlight?”

“Something like that I suppose.” You gave him a light chuckle back.

You didn’t mean to walk ahead of Steve but you did and automatically made your way to his car without him having to tell you which one it was.

“How'd you know which one was mine.”

“Oh I saw Dustin getting into your car the last few days from the window.”

“So you were watching me huh?”

Yet again you try to stutter out an answer and Steve laughs at how flustered you get.

“Calm down calm down i'm just messin with ya.”

Steve opens the passenger side door for you and you get in. Steve then makes his way around to the drivers side and situates himself before leaving the parking lot.

****

As you sit in Steve’s car listening to the radio and making small talk it dawns on you that you have no idea where Steve is taking you. But you choose to just have some faith and trust him. Luckily it works out as Steve pulls up to your favorite cafe in town.

It’s a couple doors down from Melvalds where you see Joyce Byers from time to time. Either Steve Harrington is a stalker or he sure knows how to pick a date spot. As you get out of the car and make your way to the cafe you decide to tell Steve that.

“This is my favorite cafe, you know. I come here at least 3 times a week.”

“I’ve actually never been here before but a friend of mine said you might like it”

The truth is Steve asked around and Nancy actually told him that she’s seen you there a few times and he figured you’d probably like it for reading.

As you walk in and sit at a table the waitress come up to the table.

“Hi y/n! Would you like your usual?”

“Yes please.”

“And for the gentleman?”

“A black coffee.”

“I’ll get those right out for you two.”

Steve turned to face you.

“Well I guess that proves it. You are a regular here.”

“What can I say? It’s great for reading.”

“I thought you might say that.”

The waitress came back with both of your coffees and gave you a slight wink that Steve didn’t catch. You immediately started blushing and attempted to hide your face by taking a sip of your drink.

“So Steve, what's your favorite book?”

Steve thought about it for a moment. Putting his first to his chin he pretended to make it look like he was deep in thought about it before turning to face you once again.

“Pride and Prejudice.”

You laugh hard and set your drink on the table.

“Is it the only book you’ve ever read or something?”

Steve scoffs and takes a sip of his drink before setting it on the table.

“No but this amazing girl recommended it to me and now I think I’ll associate her with that book forever.”

His words left you breathless and speechless. Steve took the opportunity and reached across the table to hold your hand.

The rest of the date goes pretty much perfect. Steve is a gentleman who makes you laugh and looks at you like you’re the only girl in the world. He listens to every word you say as if he’s on the edge of his seat.

When the two of you finish a few cups of coffee and the sun begins to go down Steve pays for the coffee and tips the waitress before the two of you head out of the cafe. Steve opens the passenger door for you and proceeds to drive you home per your instructions on how to get there.

Upon arrival at your home, Steve exits the vehicle and opens the door for you once more. Walking you to your front door hand in hand.

“Well thank you Steve I had an amazing time tonight.”

“So amazing that you might want to go see a movie with me this Friday?”

“I think I’d like that a lot.”

“I’ll pick you up at 8?”

“That sounds good to me.”

You turn towards your door to open it and then back to Steve. He’s standing so close to you and you just know if you don’t do it you’ll regret it.

In one swift motion you lean up on your tippy toes and pull Steve into a kiss. At first he gasps in shock and when you try to pull away he only deepens the kiss. When the both of you pull away to catch your breath you’re smiling like idiots.

Steve watched you turn and walk inside and he turns and walks to his car and all he thinks about on the ride home is what book he’ll read for you next.

#steve harrington x fem #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington my beloved #steve harrington fic #stranger things steve #steve harrington #steve stranger things #steve harrington x you #steve x y/n #stranger things imagine #stranger things fluff #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things x reader #stranger things x y/n #stranger things 4 #stranger things #fluff imagine #fanfiction #fanfic

[haunted-skitty-doll]

robin can we please hear more thoughts from your beautiful mind this fine evening

My school had a game night in its library today. The flyers for the event said it would have free pizza and if I'm being honest I was going for that, but I figured the actual event would be fun. I've always liked games, particularly thinking games. Hell, 90% of what's been on my beautiful mind today is draft league. Contemplating what Pokemon I want to pick and what order would be best.

When I got there I was surprised to see how empty it was. There were only two other students who clearly knew each other and one staff member. It also seemed like I wasn't getting any pizza, but hey what can you expect of you're an hour late?

The staff member invited me to play connect four with him. I obliged, partially to be polite but also because it did seem fun. I remember the game ended in me winning through my opponent failing to notice that he needed to block a winning move for me.

And right around the time this was ending the pizza arrived! Apparently I was not late but rather early. I was asked if I wanted to play again, and I obliged right after getting my food.

We also started talking to each other a bit. We learned each other's names and I talked about my major while he told me that he works as an archivist at the library. It was also this second game of ours that ramped up and ended in my defeat.

I proposed a tie breaker game which I ended up winning, but it was close. It made me think of all the times you and I had played connect four actually. Back and forth, thinking and thinking. After this my new friend here said that's it, unless I wanted to do a best 3 out of 5.

I didn't wanna turn down that challenge, I had kinda wanted another slice of pizza anyway, and what the hell I was having a blast. I agreed and after two more games I had lost.

But I didn't really care. I have a tendency to get real overcompetitive sometimes, but this would have been kind of a ridiculous time for that. Even still it left me thinking that I might want to learn more about the optimal strategies for connect four of all things, just because I like to learn about games.

This was probably the most eventful thing that happened to me today, most of the rest of it has been schoolwork or that draft league I mentioned. There isn't any big conclusion or moral to this story, unless you wanna find one. Maybe it's like life in that way? Maybe that's the takeaway? I just kinda wanted to write a bunch rather than give this ask a one sentence answer

#my beautiful mind

[meritatem]

The first time when he came to live at Wayne Manor, Pennyworth had been more demanding, always trying to force schedules on him and concocting entire lectures that he expected Damian to follow. He assumed it was because in the past he had been more rebellious and as a result, Pennyworth thought he needed some semblance of structure to help him.

But on this occasion Alfred had been more flexible and allowed Damian to do what he considered prudent with his time, so Damian designed his own schedule, mainly because his internal clock was still following his routine in the League and he needed to adjust in advance for his soon-to-be vigilante's life.

However, being trusted with how to use his own time didn't mean Damian was trusted anywhere else, and with Grayson still refusing to take on Batman's mantle, there's little Damian could do at the moment besides training. Not that he had a secure place as Robin when Dick finally decided to step up, he didn't know if he wanted that role again... or if he even deserved it.

Such thoughts were going through his mind as he went down the stairs that led to the Batcave, because even if he had a limited range of things to do at the moment, he could at least continue with gathering data to refresh his memory about the times he was currently living. But his plans with the computer would've to change, because he soon realized that the position behind it was occupied. If it were Grayson, Damian would just turn around and come back later, because he wasn't ready to be alone with a Dick Grayson that only saw in him a nuisance.

For better or for worse - although Damian was inclined to believe it was more the latter - it wasn't Dick who was there right now, but Drake. He was even less eager to confront Tim, but the difference was that he could avoid Grayson indefinitely, Drake he could not.

Among the many things Damian had to take care of, trying to clear the air between him and Tim was high on the list.

This was far from the ideal situation for the conversation Damian needed to have, but like a wound that needed cauterizing, the faster he took care of it, the better. So Damian waited a few moments to compose himself before continuing his way to the Batcomputer, purposely making just enough noise to make his presence known, coming to a stop once he was within what he considered a safe distance. Whatever Tim was doing at the time, it looked like it was more important than acknowledge Damian's presence; despite this Damian tried to be patient and wait, but when it became clear that Tim had no intention of even speaking to him, he had no choice but to be the first one to talk.

“Drake,” he said, trying to sound as neutral as possible while crossing his hands behind his back. “I know you're busy but I need a few minutes of your time, I promise it'll be quick.” Damian again waited a few moments before continuing. “Rest assured, if this wasn't important I wouldn't be here. I just need a moment... please.” He added the last word after a brief battle against himself.

Tim's exaggerated sigh told Damian he'd gotten what he wanted even before the other turned the chair to face him. “What?” He asked with all the contempt he could imbued in just one word.

Tim looked a lot better than Damian anticipated, but that was to be expected considering that Jason didn't roughed him up that bad this time. It was almost fascinating the way he looked at Damian, with a disdain that did little to cover the obvious fatigue Tim felt.

This Damian could deal with.

Because even though Tim had gone to the extremes of the hell that was Apokolips to get him back, their relationship never progressed past tolerating each other out of necessity. They were family by obligation, not by choice, and in that sense his relationship with Drake was, ironically, the closest to what normal was when it came to family.

It was grounding in a way, because in this world that felt full of strangers, Drake was the most familiar one.

With renewed confidence and feeling more relaxed, Damian straightened his posture. “I want to apologize for the actions I took after we met, at the time I didn't know my father operated in a different way than the League. A cultural shock, if you will.” As before he waited a few moments, letting his words hang in the air before continuing. “Is not an excuse, I know I refused to follow his instructions after and I apologize for that as well.”

Damian-son-of-Satan apologizing? Nah, that was too far-fetched and honestly Tim had no time for that kind of nonsense with all the problems he had to deal with. “What's this really about?”

“I know you won't forgive me and that's understandable, I made a very strong first impression. The only thing I ask is for us to be civil with each other from now on.”

To say that Tim was stunned was an understatement, and he didn't know if the throbbing in his temples was from his lack of sleep or from a developing headache. He wanted to laugh for all the wrong reasons. “Are you being serious right now?” He finally said, trying to stay calm. “You tried to kill me!” And of course, he failed.

“I know, that's why I'm apologizing.” And he stopped himself from sighing in exasperation. “I was uninformed when we met. Mother set me up for failure from the beginning, she didn't want me to join father's household, she wanted me to be disruptive... but some wrongdoings were entirely mine.”

Damian had gone over everything he was saying to Tim dozens of times before; something he began to contemplate years ago in an attempt to keep his sanity, maintaining conversations with imaginary versions of his loved ones, allies and even enemies. And more often than not, Drake presented as the three of them.

Tim for his part continued to have trouble believing in the sincerity behind Damian's motives, because not too long ago Damian was happy to demean him at every chance he got, even when his entire existence was in danger.

And at that thought, Tim suddenly felt a little more awake. “Something's off.” He said it, like it was some kind of revelation. “You're different.”

Damian nodded slightly as if he heard a compliment and not an accusation. “The world outside the League is very humbling.”

“Hard to believe you found yourself in Paris. Last time we saw you, we were trying to save you from Ra's.” And he paused a little, making himself more comfortable in the chair, trying to display a sense of control. “I'm starting to believe he found another way.”

Damian's instant reaction was to wrinkle his nose in disgust and twist his mouth. “Don't be stupid, Drake, I am myself. My grandfather is too prideful to live as I'm doing right now. Do you honestly think he will tolerate being scolded by Pennyworth for drinking Ipton tea?”  

The counterargument Tim was thinking of died in an instant. “Seriously? Ipton?”

“I know, a regretful indulgence of mine, Pennyworth is very cross.”

For a moment Tim was speechless as the absurdity of the situation overwhelmed him, so he finally did what he thought of before: he started to laugh. The past weeks had taken a great tool on him and he was exhausted, emotionally and physically. He was also recuperating from his more recent injuries and running on few hours of sleep, on top of that he had a lot to do and too much worries on his shoulders to keep entertaining Damian's chitchatting about commercial teas, apologies and newly discovered humility.

“Yeah, sure, whatever.” He finally said without hiding his annoyance. “I don't forgive you but I accept your apology, just stay away from me and mind your own business.”

“That's acceptable.” And not wanting to push his luck, he started to retreat.

“Damian,” Tim's voice made him stop. “I'll watching you. I don't know your endgame yet but as soon as you take one wrong step, I'll hunt you down.”

“Tt. I wouldn't expect any less.”

When it was clear that Tim wasn't going to add anything else, Damian continued his way back to the mansion, going straight to his bedroom, where the first thing he did was to unceremoniously fall face-first onto the bed. Although things had gone much better than predicted, Damian had to admit he felt more emotionally exhausted than anticipated, which seemed ridiculous, because Drake behaved in a way he was very well used to. It could be that despite his best efforts to be more honest, it was something that still didn't come naturally to him.

That was how Alfred found him, still in the bed, pondering his existence.

“I'm glad to see you're using wisely your time, Master Damian.”

“I'm meditating.” Was the muttered answer.

“I would hate to interrupt such important task but I must inform you, Master Richard will be joining us for dinner.”

Instantly Damian sat up, frowning as he eyed Alfred suspiciously. “And you have nothing to do with that.”

“I can imagine Master Richard is craving good conversation and food, so I suppose I'll cooking today.”

Damian chose not to dignify that with a reply, preferring instead to theorize why Alfred decided to invite Dick, but considering what a good-hearted fool Pennyworth was, surely there were sentimental reasons behind it. Ugh, Damian had enough of confronting feelings for the day... but alas, there was little he would refuse Alfred these days.

“Actually, Pennyworth, I want you to prepare something that complements the dish I'm making later.”

“Oh?” He exclaimed without real curiosity. “And what that dish would be?”

Damian tried not to groan at his own choice. “Macaroni and cheese.”

Damian was an expert when it came to wielding knives, he could synthesize drugs, make antidotes from simple herbs and replicate complicated processes just by reading the theory... so it was utterly ridiculous and even insulting that none of these things helped him to automatically become an excellent chef. Fortunately, now he had a better disposition to accept his shortcomings, because there were worse things than admitting he couldn't do perfectly everything he wanted.

When dinner time finally came around, Damian sat at the head of the table like he always did when he was eating in Alfred's company. These days Damian cared very little for things like status or old-fashioned customs, but he still needed to keep his reputation as an obnoxious kid and whatever Dick was thinking of the food or his seating, he didn't say and instead engaged in a bit of small talking with Alfred.

Pennyworth of course, didn't have the same reservations and after the first bite, he made known his verdict. “I say this is an improvement. This time I can taste the salt,” and he made a purposeful pause. “If nothing else.”  

Better disposition or not, Damian still glared because it wasn't that bad. “This is a new trade for me, I need time to perfect it,” he tried to say it in the most dignified way possible. “I learn fast, you won't have to suffer these average attempts for long.”

“Average may be generous,” Damian's glare became more pronounced at that. “But we all start somewhere, if you're interested I'd gladly schedule cooking lessons.”

“Don't be ridiculous, Pennyworth,” Damian's first impulse was to reiterate his own competence and how little help he needed to master something so trivial, but one of his resolutions for this time around was to be less confrontational. “You have important tasks to oversee instead of playing chef with me.”

“That's an easy fix, we can hire a private cooking instructor.” He said without missing a beat, always ready to deal with stubborn children.

“Gotham is on fire and Wayne Enterprises will follow if we don't do something about my father's absence,” Damian almost took a pause, not because he was talking about his father's assumed demise, but because he noticed the change in Dick's posture at his words. “We have better things to do than start spreading word about Bruce Wayne's lovechild.”

“With Master Bruce's record, a new Wayne kid is hardly surprising but I'm sure the tabloids could use the distraction.”

“Are you implying father has more children I don't know about? If so, I'm going to need a chart to remember all of them.”

It was that moment that Dick chose to finally try to join the conversation, since he wasn't a fan of the direction it was taking. “No offense but I really hope you're the last kid that drops here out of nowhere.” He said as cheerily as he could.

“If only it were a matter of hope.”

Maybe it was the tone in which he said those words, but Damian's short answer effectively killed the conversation.

The next few minutes felt eternal, at least for Dick, that definitely didn't want to spend dinner in awkward silence, especially when he had been able to witness the way in which Damian and Alfred interacted. At first the idea of them sitting at the table eating together seemed like a half-baked joke, even the very notion of Damian cooking sounded highly uncharacteristic, but Dick now had proof that Alfred was saying the truth. It was even a bit surreal to hear them speak with such familiarity - as if they had known each other for years -, with an underlying camaraderie Dick wasn't expecting to see after just some days, but if someone was capable of coax Damian into a sense of comfortability, Dick guessed it was without a doubt Alfred.

Seeing that Damian seemed more willing to talk than what Dick initially expected, he decided to give it another try, because if there was one thing he was good at without even trying, it was talking just for the sake of it.

“Having a public persona has benefits.” Dick expressed as casually as he could.

Damian gave him an unimpressed look. “Such as?”

“Like going outside with your friends.” He said jokingly and he was about to add something else when Damian beat him to it.

“My friends are long gone.”

Dick wasn't expecting that kind of answer but to his credit he kept his easygoing appearance. “Right, so, you still can do fun things as a civilian.”

“Fun,” he said like he was testing the word. “It's been years since I last thought of that.”

Damian didn't mean to sound so grim, even if it was true, but by now he understood what Dick was trying to do. In the past he had tried countless times to make Damian participate in simple conversations, always failing but never discouraged; the Grayson of the past learned that what was important wasn't Damian's answers, but the things he didn't say.

Of course he couldn't expect the same from this Grayson. It wouldn't be fair.

“Maybe you can start now?” Dick gave Alfred a quick look, clearly asking for help since the approach he took seemed to be failing. “What do you like?”

Resisting the desire to call him a fool, Damian decided to be generous and throw him a bone to make up for his less than happy previous answers. “Weapons.” He said, putting on a bored tone. “Classical arts,” that was more for Alfred's benefit. “Training,” because he didn't know what else to do caged as he was in the mansion. “Animals.” The truth, at last.

And just like he intended, Dick perked up. “What's your favorite animal?”

“I don't have a preference, most of them are acceptable. Except snakes.”

“Everybody has a favorite! C'mon, if you have to choose one at random, what would it be?”

Only because he was entertaining the other, Damian decided to take it seriously. “A rabbit, I suppose. I never had one.”

For someone who was silently asking Alfred for help just moments ago, Dick seemed suddenly pretty comfortable. “You know I grew up in a circus?”

“It shows.”

“I had an elephant there, she was my favorite.”

“Don't be preposterous, Grayson, if anything, you were the elephant's.”

“Kind of makes sense, but no, you're missing the point.”

“That you tormented a poor creature that couldn't escape you?”

“Of course not, we were friends. She loves me.”

“That is what a criminal would say about his coerced victim.”

“What? Victim? No, you're twisting the innocent story I'm trying to tell.”

“Or maybe I'm bringing to light some dark secrets from your past.” Damian had to stop himself from smiling at Dick's response, which was a mixture of incredulity and indignation.

He wondered if Grayson knew he was just making fun of him. If that changed anything, if it was even important. But what Damian was sure of, is that he saw a faint but satisfied smile in Alfred's mouth, the same discreet smile he used to have every time Damian did anything that remotely resembled the normalcy of the kid he never got to be. 

In this life or another, how Alfred always understood everything he was and could be, with just a first glance, Damian would never know.

⪻Chapter 1

Chapter 3⪼

#f.r.w. #chap2

[frankenfossil]

Fluffy Prince

#deltarune #ralsei #cat costume #cat cosplay #ralsei deltarune #robin #fanart #(sorta...) #i can NOT stop thinking about deltarune i am HONESTLY a traffic hazard (while driving) #doing my best to get my work done while my brain WILL NOT SHUT UP ABOUT GOT DANG DELTARUNE #just you wait til i finish off some of these drawings and doodles and post them #ive never been so compelled to make fanart in my life #but in the meantime #here is robin being way more obliging than i expected him to be #lauren: did you put... glasses... on my cat #i want to dress up as SOMETHING for halloween (staying home but hoping some no-contact trick or treaters will come by) #cant think of anything for me but i guess the cat has a costume #(the cat will not be interacting with any strangers as he is shy) #(nor will this costume stand up to anything beyond napping honestly) #(scarves all the way down)

[bigskydreaming]

I am once more begging people, BEGGING, to at least READ Batman #416 if you’re going to cite every moment of Dick meeting Jason and then blowing up at Bruce, except in a totally ‘that’s not at all how it happened’ kinda way.

If I have to read ONE MORE sizzling hot take about how Dick blew up at Bruce and stormed off at the end of that encounter, when THIS is how it ACTUALLY ended....

Ah yes, the famous Dick Grayson temper, better described as ‘someone else loses their shit at Dick and fandom twists it into the exact opposite so he’s actually the bad guy all along.’

Was Dick heated before that point? Yup. Did he have reason to be? Also yup. Did Bruce, however, have reason to be heated that Dick had the gall to be coming back to his childhood home to confront him about the fact that after eighteen months of not speaking, when Bruce is the one who CHOSE to not even say goodbye to Dick or make any effort to still make a place for Dick in his life after firing him, with the only possible indication in all that time through which Dick was expected to come up with even an INKLING that Bruce missed him was discovering from reading the paper that Bruce had given his old mantle to a new, even younger partner? Its gonna be a big fat NOPE from me, guys.

There’s an exchange between them a few pages before this that always resonated with me....

Bruce: The truth is, I taught you everything I could. It was time for you to step out on your own.

Dick: So you figured the best thing for you to do was drive me out of your life, right? That’s exactly what you do to anyone who gets too close. Always hurt them before they have a chance to hurt you. It didn’t matter to you that I didn’t have any life other than the one we shared.

Like, I can not express any more clearly why it drives me so B-A-N-A-N-A-S to see people spin this so that it was Bruce that was somehow the victim of his son’s tempestuous, nomadic ways. Like he was somehow left behind, that Dick outgrew him or moved on, and everything Dick felt about Robin after the fact was him throwing spoiled temper tantrums that someone dared pick up something he no longer wanted. Umm. No times infinity and beyond.

Bruce was the one with all the power. Bruce was the one making all the choices. All Dick had, at most, was the choice to either stay somewhere Bruce seemed intent on driving him away from, or go somewhere else. This issue clearly expressed that like. Bruce wasn’t open to talking. Not when he fired Dick as Robin, there was no negotiating that, and even throughout this whole encounter here, where Dick comes here and says “I think you owe me some explanations” because based on everything Bruce was doing and how radically opposed those actions are to the last interactions he and Bruce had, which had a HUGE impact on Dick’s life, yes, he WAS owed explanations here, make no mistake....even here, Bruce spends the whole encounter acting like he’s being unfairly interrogated, like its trying his patience to even have to deal with Dick being there at all....

Phones work two ways, Bruce. There’s two people in this dynamic. If you haven’t heard from Dick in eighteen months, its equally true that he hasn’t heard from you in eighteen months. And if you missed him so damn much, you know what was always a perfectly valid way to express that, which DIDN’T involve anyone else? Picking up the damn phone and calling Dick and telling him that.

Bruce acts like that was never even an option, like HE was the one stuck with limited choices based on Dick’s behavior throughout all this time, and that’s just flat out, unconditionally, one hundred percent, NOT TRUE. Bruce was the one in charge. The one calling the shots. The one with the resources, the power, the authority. Dick was ALWAYS the one who had more to lose, of the two of them.

And Bruce knew all this when he took Dick in. He knew all this when he took Robin away from Dick while the latter was still a teenager, still living at home. And he was the one who failed to even so much as OFFER Dick an alternative take on how he could still be there, still be in Bruce’s life, part of his family, still share in being part of his life, the life the two of them had shared, now that Bruce had made the choice that Dick no longer had the option of living out his part of that life in the manner they’d BOTH built up for him originally.

And yet for so many years, fandom has added insult to injury by acting like the cherry on top here, Bruce giving away the very mantle he took from Dick, like this was somehow completely reasonable because in comparison, Dick is the one being unreasonable. People completely gloss over that little act of Bruce’s to focus instead on how Dick reacted, instead of giving that betrayal of trust its own fair due and focus, and the problem is....they don’t even actually focus on how Dick actually acted! Again, notice it was Dick who approached Bruce, and Bruce who told Dick to leave. It was Dick who had actual cause to be angry, but Bruce who blew up and broke shit because Dick dared demand answers. 

And this is the way Dick leaves things with Jason, btw. I know people know this part by now, mostly at least, about the phone number and such, but how many people have actually SEEN how that played out rather than just heard it summarized in a dry recitation of events that underplays just how that interaction went?

Like, that wasn’t just Dick acting like this was being FORCED upon him and bleeding reluctance at every turn. He went above and fucking beyond to make Jason feel welcomed and secure in his position as Robin. But that’s not how the narrative goes in fandom, is it? Even when acknowledging this part, people act like Dick was at most doing the bare minimum, instead of acknowledging that Dick didn’t owe anyone this at all. No, it wasn’t Jason’s fault he became Robin, but NONE of this was Dick’s fault, Dick’s choice, or Dick’s RESPONSIBILITY. He wasn’t living at home, in Bruce’s life, and he wasn’t adopted yet let alone even still Bruce’s ward at this point. He’d aged out at eighteen. Dick had NO actual ties to Bruce and by extension Jason at this particular moment in time, and thus no ACTUAL obligations to either of them, no matter how much fandom harps on him having failed Jason as a brother back during this time when more accurately, Bruce was actively failing Dick as a father - as in not even being one, but Dick’s responsibilities towards a family he didn’t have at the moment are supposed to be still intact? NOPE. Don’t think so.

But Dick, INSTEAD, puts Jason FIRST, puts him OVER his obviously hurt and bitter feelings to focus on what’s best for Jason here, and gives him literally everything he CAN to do right by Jason here. He gives Jason his own old costume and clear approval, cementing Jason’s place as Robin in a way not even Bruce could when giving it to Jason, because it was never Bruce’s to actually pass on. Jason even wonders earlier in the issue if Dick might want his old role back, and Dick puts that fear to rest, without any hesitation or doubt.

In addition, Dick offers up support and solidarity he doesn’t owe Jason, doesn’t owe anyone, because its HIS time, HIS support, its not something someone can take for granted and yet too many people do....especially considering that in the hyper-fixation on how much support and time Dick supposedly DIDN’T offer or grant Jason, most people pay next to no attention to the fact that it wasn’t like Dick was being given time or support by Bruce, ie Dick is going out of his way to offer stuff he’s not even getting himself, because he RECOGNIZES from that what its like not to have it. Basically what I mean is all that talk about Dick being a hypocrite for doing to others what he complains about Bruce not doing for him? Patently untrue, as we see here, because this is Dick actively acting upon what he’s missing out on by making sure that others don’t miss out on it because of Bruce’s failings or emotional repression.

And look at the end result.....Jason’s enjoying his teamup with Dick, these aren’t two people who look pained at being forced into proximity or acting like the other is a burden to be around or thinking the other doesn’t really want to be here. They were comfortable from practically the word go, because Dick knows how to make people uncomfortable but he also knows how to make people comfortable, and he made the CHOICE, the INTENT to make sure he was someone Jason felt WANTED to be there with him, the complete opposite of someone who is taking out their bitterness or resentment on their replacement or at least not trying to hide it very well.

So my question is.....what the hell else is it people wanted Dick to do? When they cite this issue specifically, at least, when they talk about the time Dick went to Gotham to confront Bruce about Robin, when they talk about the phone number or the costume or the teamup or the things that so often get mentioned in passing like they’re insignificant or the bare minimum or mere formalities that do nothing to take away from all the supposed OTHER asshole behavior that Dick allegedly heaped on Jason despite never actually happening anywhere, even a little bit, and thus that some people claim is just an extrapolation of how Dick PROBABLY acted off the page, given his clear resentment and jealousy....umm. Huh? Based off THIS? Seriously, I mean it. What ELSE was Dick supposed to have done, to counter that take, what else could he POSSIBLY have done to do right by Jason here, that he didn’t actually already do? What exactly did people want from this character, in order to not hold this eternal grudge they have against him for what a big old jerk he was to Jason, who did nothing to deserve it - with that part being true at least, and literally WHY Dick made the point to recognize that and not take out his feelings on Jason?

Like, this will never not be an axe for me to grind because like. The SPIN fandom always gives all this, when look at the last page of this issue......Bruce is watching from a distance, and even he’s like thanks Dick, and that honestly bugs me so much. Because in the end, the only one of these three characters who DIDN’T get what he wanted here, was Dick. Jason got the validation and security as Robin he was looking for, the approval of his predecessor, and words of advice and an offer to listen and be there should he ever want to talk. Bruce got Dick’s validation of the actions Bruce took that he had no right to take when giving his old mantle to Jason, but that Dick ratified all the same, even if it was for Jason’s sake and not Bruce’s. Bruce still got the closure on that particular mistake of his, with the evidence that Dick was willing to see past it for Jason’s sake rather than drag it out....like. Dick is the only one who didn’t get what he was looking for there, he didn’t even get an apology from Bruce for overstepping when he passed on Dick’s mantle, an acknowledgment that this was WRONG, the most Dick got was Bruce admitting for a single panel that he missed him.....before telling Dick to leave and get out and effectively taking back anything Dick could have possibly taken away from that admittance. Because what the fuck does it matter if someone misses you if even though they finally have you right there in front of them, they still tell you to leave again anyway?

In conclusion, I hate this issue, lol, because everybody seems to know what’s in it and yet practically nobody ever seems interested in referencing what’s ACTUALLY in it. Instead just forever playing telephone with the most bad faith interpretation of Dick’s actions possible.

[imaginationjunkie]

Dancing with our hands tied

Jason Todd x Reader

It’s kinda soft

Thought of these songs while writing, so give them a listen while reading!

Note: Jason’s 25 and the reader is 21

I was always a fan of the over the top charity galas Bruce Wayne threw. The elitists in their flashy riches, extravagant decorations and endless varieties of food, and a certain Wayne brother in a suit. It was all very amusing to witness.

I felt like a princess walking down the stairs with Tim every time, who refused to ever get an actual date. So I’d been stuck being his unofficial date for the 5 years that I’d known him. Not that I minded much; he was my best friend after all.

I chose a simple flowy dress tonight, blood red in color, silky like water. The subtle eyes that followed me through the evening didn’t go unnoticed.

But my eyes followed just one sight. A sight that erupted the unwanted greenness of jealousy as I sulked in a corner, celebrating turning 21 recently with a champagne flute in hand.

I felt him before I saw him. Warmth soothed my skin at his presence, despite the fact that I was unfairly mad at him. It wasn’t like he was my boyfriend.

Easier to say than do, and thus all the salt in the world seemed to be in my tone as I spoke first.

“Where’s your date?”

Jason Todd’s eyes might’ve been cool blue, but the feel of them didn’t match the description. The side of my head felt like it would burst into golden flames under the intensity of his stare.

But they were the good kind of flames, the best kind of flames. It was almost miraculous, the way I managed to keep my calm.

“She bailed, something about her sick grandma,” was his soft response.

“Hmm.”

“What’s with the tone?” He leaned closer, hot breath teasing my cheek. Jason had gotten awfully bold since the first time we met, when he couldn’t even look into my eyes straight.

“Is it jealousy I sense?”

I tried to be subtle about my sharp inhale. Judging by the stutter of his lips as he suppressed a smirk, I failed.

But why hide anymore? I was never one to hold back anyway.                                                                                                                          “Yes, it is.”

It was my turn to take his breath away. I turned my head, challenging him with my stare. But I was too tangled in his game to play in charge. He had me, and he knew it. Right?

A smile filled with swirls of mischief and satisfaction designed his lips. Yes, he definitely knew it.

It caught me off guard, the unfiltered beauty of it. Of him. Watching Jason Todd smile, really smile, was not for the weak hearted.

“Then I think you’ll be happy to know that she wasn’t a date. Just a friend.”

Eyes the color of a swirling blue sea, a face handsome enough to cause heartache. Why’d it take me so long to realize that I could never resist him? Not even in a million years. Not even if Ryan Gosling came offering himself to me.

A little too far?

Maybe, but it’s true. What to do?

I was just about to walk away from him, refill the empty flute of champagne to bring back sparkle to my uneventful evening. A large hand wrapping around my wrist stopped me.

“Let’s dance,” he said with the softness of tulle, pulling my frame closer to his larger one. Close enough to smell his cologne. Like a creep in the street, I subtly took a slow sniff of it.

It’d never stop amusing me, how a man who seemed as rough and rugged around the edges as he did had so much softness in him.

And smelled so. damn. good.

“M’kay,” I agreed, following as he led the way to the ballroom. Or so I thought.

“I thought you wanted to dance?” I inquired, looking back at the flashing dance floor full of people we left behind.

“I do.” His eyes twinkled as he looked back at me, still walking to God knows where with my hand in his.

“We literally just crossed the dance floor, where else on earth do you plan on taking me dancing?”

“Who said anything about a dance floor?”  Jason smirked, coming to a stop in the garden behind the manor.

Even though it was off limits to Bruce’s guests tonight, the garden looked particularly beautiful. Strings of fairy lights decorated the flawlessly kept greens and flowers, courtesy of Alfred. The pool lights were on, and a surreal soft blue glow lit up the water.

It matched Jason’s eyes.

But that wasn’t all. Long fingers tilted my chin up, and a gasp reverberated the air as my eyes met the mystical view. Stars glittered the midnight canvas endlessly, and in the center of it all sat the full moon like a queen.

She was regal tonight.

My mouth was slightly open in awe, and Jason’s fingers on my chin softly closed it as he chuckled.

“I’m guessing you like the view?”

“Like it? I might as well marry it!” I exclaimed, eyes wide with glee as I gripped his shoulders.

“Dick used to bring his, ahem, lady companions to charm them back when I was Robin. I’d always barge in and interrupt to interrogate about the last woman I saw with him,” he laughed while recalling the memory.

“Did it work?” I smiled back and stood closer to him, the fronts of our bodies slightly touching. My hands had come down to rest on his chest now, and while my eyes were up roaming the sky, my soul’s attention was solely on him.

He shuffled with something in his suit pocket. “Did what work?”

“Dick’s method of charming the ladies?”

“Judging by the walks of shame Alfred and I had to witness every morning after each Wayne gala, yes. It very much did.”

I felt Jason put something in my ear, and finally looked down from the stars to his eyes in confusion. It was an airpod, and I watched silently as he put the other one in his ear.

“I promise I’m not a creep or anything, but I stalked your Spotify playlists and found one titled ‘dancing under the stars’.” He confessed. In a very un-Jason like manner, he looked almost sheepish.

He didn’t look at me as he pressed play and pocketed his phone. Almost immediately ‘Dancing with our hands tied’ by Taylor Swift came on, and he took my hand in his.

Tingles shot up the pit of my stomach as his free arm wrapped around my waist, fingers resting on my hip. We swayed in beat to the music in our ears, eyes on eyes.

I, I loved you in secret First sight, yeah, we love without reason Oh, twenty-five years old Oh, how were you to know,

The lords, and anyone who knew me actually, knew how big of a swiftie I was. The fact that he had put in the effort to pick the absolute perfect song to dance to had to be the most romantic thing that ever happened to me.

I was completely mesmerized. Guys like this only existed in the encasement of my stash of romance novels; but time and time Jason Todd had proved that idea wrong. Every one of his gestures, one after the other, seemed to catch me off guard more than the previous one.

“Wanted to do this since I was 17,” I breathed the fresh air in, craning my neck to rest my chin on his shoulder. This right here was all I needed to relax. This was my very own customized form of peace.

“Yeah, Tim let it slip when he got drunk on your birthday and started blabbing about how you’re growing up in front of his eyes,” he laughed and pulled back to twirl me.

I crashed back into his chest softly, grinning at his revelation.

“It’s so hard to believe you guys are best friends, that Timmy’s actually capable of having normal human conversations other than his usual nerdy blabber,” Jason continued, pulling me even closer to him while dancing.

No objections were made from my side as I obliged (obviously), staring up at his eyes.

They were like an oceanic maze, too easy to get lost in. Too dangerous to get lost in.

“He’s a good friend. Awfully robot-like at times though, and he always smells of coffee.” I breathed with a chuckle as the air around us got intense.

The gold of the fairy lights hit his eyes, making them shine brighter than the stars above I let my hands grip the hairs on his neck, watching carefully as he took a sharp breath in response.  

If there was something Jason and my relationship, whatever that it was, didn’t lack, it was moments like these. Moments where we had a conversation with our eyes, expressing how much we wanted to kiss each other, how much we wanted to stay frozen in the present and relish in the feel of our undeniable chemistry.

It had been going on for way too long, and even Tim was getting tired of us not taking the leap of faith.

Initially he was pretty against it, but when he saw exactly how much I felt for his brother, his blessings for us suddenly started pouring in.

“Uhuh,” Jason hummed. An electric sensation buzzed the air around us as the chorus hit, and all the space between our bodies vanished. Butterflies went haywire in the places of my body he touched. He was everywhere.

But we were dancing Dancing with our hands tied, hands tied Yeah, we were dancing Like it was the first time, first time

“Stop me if you don’t want it,” he harshly whispered, brows furrowed and eyes clouded with desire as he tucked a few loose strands of my hair behind my ear.

“I do,” I whispered in response, knowing exactly what he meant.

His breath hit my lips, forehead fell against mine in a moment of desire and the next thing I knew, he was kissing me.

It was needy and rushed and a thousand other adjectives, but it was my most perfect kiss. It would always be my most perfect kiss.

Jason’s muscular arms encircled my waist as he pressed me up against him, gripping my sides and lifting me to stand on his feet. My own arms wrapped around his neck, and a sneaky stutter of a moan escaped my lips, earning me a groan from him.

Passion burned us under the cool night air as we kissed and kissed and kissed, all thoughts of oxygen forgotten in our haze of need.

But even our passion couldn’t defy nature. We pulled back to breathe in as much air as we could, but instead of diving back in towards each other’s lips like I expected us to, Jason simply stared at me with eyes that now looked navy from being hooded.

It was a stare of a few seconds that seemed like hours as his thumbs brushed the side of my face. The fire of need from a while back was gone, but the desire wasn’t.

We both tried to calm ourselves, but an unstoppable part of me leaned up to press a kiss on his cheek. He blushed.

“Wanted to do that since you were 17,” he said cheekily, hands tracing my back as we now let ‘Wonderland’ by Taylor amuse our ears.

“Liar,” I grinned. “You couldn’t even look at me back then.”

“Yeah, because I’d do this if I looked at you for more than 5 seconds. I had no plans of going to jail for getting handsy with a minor,” he replied, leading us to the wooden benches Bruce had installed in the garden a few weeks earlier.

I lifted a teasing brow, masking my shock at the fact that he wanted to kiss me even back then.

“And how’re you so sure I would’ve let you get handsy with me? For all you know I could have kicked you in the balls myself.”

“Don’t act coy, you could never stop staring at me when you were over,” he smirked, sitting down on the bench and pulling me to his lap.

I hesitated for a second, my brain getting lost in the fact that after months of banters and unbelievable tension, interruptions and two sided pining, I was finally in this position. Where we were able to be open about our want for each other.

Sensing my hesitation, his smirk dropped. “This is okay right?”

I snapped back to reality, taking his nervous expression in. Yes, this was real. And I wouldn’t waste a second of the time God gave me with Jason. I smirked and ran my fingers through his dark locks, making him close his eyes.

“Of course it is, just thinking about how long it took for you to man up and kiss me,”

“Excuse me, you could’ve-”

I cut him off by pressing my lips to his. He responded almost immediately, putting his hand on my hip as I sat sideways on his lap. Unlike the first one, this kiss was sweet and slow. We were cherishing the night with it.

“About damn time, I thought all my teeth were gonna fall out due to old age before Todd here grew some balls,” the sudden voice of a certain sass filled Wayne interrupted us.

My magical night with Jason ended with him running after his kid brother Damian, teasing him about kicking his ass.

But that was okay, because I was happy. Jason was happy. The long wait for him, for us, was worth it.

Even though he gave off the impression that he couldn’t care less, I knew that the reason he hadn’t made a move was because he wanted Tim to be completely fine with us being a thing.

Alongside being friends with Tim, I became friends with his brothers and Alfred over the years. I knew of their nightlife, and everything that went on behind the polished doors of the Wayne Manor. I knew Jason well enough to know that his tough posterior and damn care attitude was just a facade.

Being with Jason wouldn’t be a walk in the park, and I knew that too. He was reckless and intense, impulsive and careless.

But he was also sweet and passionate, and his love would brand you like a tattoo with it’s depth. I was willing to give my 110% to make it work with him.

Because even fairy tales take sacrifice and effort to get a happy ending. And I’d do about anything to make sure I earned mine.

#Jason Todd #jason todd x reader #jason todd fluff #jason todd oneshot #jason todd imagine #jason todd x you #jason todd x y/n #red hood #red hood x reader #red hood x you #Red Hood X y/n #DC Multiverse #dc verse #dc characters #Tim Drake #Damian Wayne #dick grayson #bruce wayne #batfamily #wonderland #taylor swift 1989 #taylor swift rep #taylor swift #1989 #dancing with our hands tied #red dress #dancing under the stars #moon #vigilante #tswift lyrics

[bluegarners]

okay so maybe this is more a personal thought than any real direction dc could have taken but

i think it’s such a wonderful thing that dc let Dick and Damian have such a good relationship during their spell as Batman and Robin, as well as continuing forwards when Dick returned from Spyral. granted, it was a really rough start and Dick didn’t like Damian and thought he was a brat and Damian thought Dick was incompetent and a horrible Batman. there were problems, 100%, but i think that makes their relationship more impactful, you know?

here’s what i’m getting at

Dick and Damian have about the same age gap Bruce and Dick had when they first started as Batman and Robin (i think Damian was maybe a year older than Dick, but it doesn’t really matter). point being, that is a massive age gap. between a parent and child, that’s not a big deal and it is most definitely expected. But. But. 

Dick and Damian were not parent and child and in no way, shape, or form did they want that sort of relationship at the beginning. by the nature of their relationship with Bruce, it made them siblings with one another. Brothers. And with Damian coming into Gotham expecting to be Robin to his father’s Batman, but then having to be Dick’s Robin to his Batman, it threw off that natural authoritative inference between parent and child. Damian came into the role expecting to be at the command of his father. not this distant, not-really-older-brother figure he had only ever studied and then written off as an “un-threat”. 

from what i have seen, and by my own experiences, massive age gaps between siblings don’t often go well. either the older sibling already has their own life and thus has little to no interaction with the younger sibling, or the older sibling is still living under the parental household but cannot stand the younger sibling because of a) privileges not granted to them when the older sibling was younger, b) the younger sibling’s attitude, and/or c) there is literally nothing to relate one to the other, so distance is natural. my point is is that, based on the circumstances Dick and Damian were thrusted into, their relationship should not have worked. their age gap, how they were raised, and the natural insistence that they are brothers and not parent-child (meaning, “Well, I am older anyway, so you have to listen to me” and “You’re not my dad, I don’t have to listen to you”)   it all made for the perfect formula for them to hate each other and resent the other. there was nothing in the equation for them to have a good, working relationship

and again. at the start, it did not. Dick was annoyed at Damian for not following his orders and Damian did not like being ordered around by someone he felt to be inferior to his father. 

DC doesn’t exactly have the best track record for being consistent with its characters’ relationships and characterizations. Damian and Dick have been written by so many different writers that you could find two different comics and think they were different people. and it would have been so easy for DC to let Dick and Damian fight constantly and let Damian go back to his mother and come back as a villain for Dick and everyone else to fight. it would have been so easy to write off Damian and let Dick give up on the kid because, hey, who wants to put that much effort into rearing a “rabid” child that’s not even their own? 

well, Dick and Damian’s relationship and characterizations are the one thing DC managed to keep somewhat consistent. Dick is a stubborn, heartfelt individual. family means so much to him, so even if this child he’s never heard of and fights him at every decision is Bruce’s child, then of course he’s going to stick with this kid and help him out. that’s what older brothers do. and Damian, who’s never been in an environment where someone was willing to be patient and kind and forgiving, reacts to that and, slowly, begins to respect Dick. a bond forms because there is understanding in both of these characters. it wasn’t just a case of “i have to take care of him because Bruce would want me to”, it was also “this is a kid who has been hurt and scarred and he needs my help”

to have that sort of willingness written into these characters as brothers and not just an obligation they are bound to by the connection of Bruce/Batman, is impactful and so meaningful and literally makes me emotional when ever i think of how much they both worked to be better to themselves and each other

#dick grayson #damian wayne #robin #batman #just me rambling- i am sure half of this doesn't make sense but it was in my head and now it is out

[halfway-happyyy]

The one where Alexander takes his girl home to Sweden

First longer piece in a hot minute! inspired by this lovely ask. Thanks for looking, and as always feedback is always appreciated. 

“They'd like to meet you, kid.”

Silence followed his statement and her bleary gaze travelled upwards to a patch of dust particles dancing in a strip of light from the parted bedroom curtain. She knew immediately who he was referring to, but that didn't mean she had to make it easy for him.

“You're going to have to be a bit more specific than that, Alex. The list of people who'd like to meet me is long and painfully distinguished.”

Alexander nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck, the subtle scruff of his beard ticklish against her delicate skin. His exasperated groan was almost inaudible. “My family, smart-ass.”

There it was.

Grace had known that this conversation was coming soon; it loomed above her head like a raincloud. She could sense it in the way he spoke of Sweden recently, could sense it in the way his ocean-blue eyes lit up at the mere mention of his brothers and sister. God, even just the idea of it was almost too intimidating to bear. Where she had come from a small, slightly broken family, he had been born into an inexplicably close and loving one. Though each of them led vastly different lives in vastly different areas of the world, they gathered amongst themselves in the beautiful country of Sweden multiple times throughout the year, and it would always be home base for him. She found the notion of it wonderful and jealousy-inducing in equal measure. She traced a feather-light fingertip down the bridge of his nose and marveled at the subtle flecks of gold amongst a sea of blue. Of all the things that she adored about his face, the deep creases next to his eyes were her favourite. They spoke novels of how much time the man spent smiling and the thought of it caused her heart to swell. “Your family doesn’t want to meet me, Alex. You want your family to meet me.” She murmured, finally.

Alexander clicked his tongue in mild protest. “That’s not true.” He took her hand in his and brought it to his mouth, brushing each of her knuckles with his lips. The warmth and sheer intimacy of the touch caused her to shiver violently and he grinned against her hand. Brushing a stray piece of hair from her face, he gazed at her for a while and finally whispered, “Come to Sweden with me, Grace.”

And partly because his soft voice bore the weight of recent sleep- but mostly because she always did have a particularly difficult time saying no to him, she squeezed his hand thrice and nodded her head. “Okay Alex.”

~

“We’re here, kid.” Alexander’s lips at her temple helped to rouse her from her gravol-induced coma and she hugged her sweater tighter to her frame as the temperature of the plane became apparent to her. He stood from his seat and stretched his arms high above his head to limber up after the lengthy flight. Opening the overhead compartment with ease, he brought down her carry-on and a single, worn duffle bag- the only piece of luggage he ever traveled with, and smiled expectantly at her. “You all set?”

Grace stifled a yawn and nodded her head, a slow, sleepy smile in place on her features. “Lead the way, my love.” She had expected a certain amount of fanfare upon exit of the terminal- she could not recount a time in recent memory where there had not been a fury of cameras and photographers upon arrival. Strangely, and most welcomely, Arlanda airport was completely void of both.

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Alexander grinned.

She struggled to keep up with his hasty stride though the terminals- something she lovingly referred to as his airport walk. “It’s lovely.” She mused.

It was late into the evening when they finished grabbing her bag from the carousel and stepped out into the balmy Stockholm evening. Alexander’s brother Sam was already waiting for them a few cars ahead in the cue, leant against the side of a dark sedan, one long, denim-clad leg crossed over the other. “Hej hej!” He called out to them and stood from the car to wrap his arms around Alexander. They parted a few moments later, laughing at something indistinguishable. “Good to see you again, brother.” Sam beamed. “And you must be Grace…” He turned to her; a long pair of arms beckoned her forward for an embrace which she happily obliged. She was amused to discover that like Alexander, she needed to reach on tiptoes to hug the younger Skarsgård properly. She had known them to be a tall breed of men, but this? Sam broke away to gesture to the vehicle with a toothy grin. “Let’s get you two home, hm? Mum can’t wait another hour longer.”

Though the inky evening sky cloaked all of Stockholm in darkness, Grace was in utter awe of the city in which she was currently being given a rapid grand-tour of. Alexander pointed out important buildings on his left, and Sam managed to cover everything on the right side of the vehicle. She remained dazzled by the bright, twinkling lights, and was amazed at how breathtaking the city was at night. “Just wait until tomorrow, Grace.” Sam glanced at her reflection in the rearview mirror and grinned.

“We’re here, my love.” Alexander uttered for the second time that evening, as the vehicle rolled to a halt in front of their mother’s house in the south of the city. A quick glance at the clock above the car radio told her that it was just past twelve thirty in the morning, and she was surprised to see My wide awake and waiting on the porch for them. Grace swallowed hard and found that her mouth was suddenly void of all moisture, nerves churning in her belly like clothing in a washing machine. Sensing the sudden shift in her mood, Alexander exited the car and came around to her side, opening the door and crouching down to her level. “Look at me kid.” He took her hand in his and raised it to his lips, kissing her slightly clammy palm. “No need to be nervous, hm? They’re going to love you.”

Taking a deep breath, Grace smiled down at him and ventured around to the boot of the car where Sam was in the process of hauling out their luggage. “Can I help you with those?” She offered.

Sam shook his head, that same boyish grin from an hour ago still split his face in two. “Nah, there’s not much here,” He gestured over to his mother with a jut of his chin. “Besides, she’s been waiting weeks to see you both. Go on.”

Alexander waited for her at the bottom of the stone path, his hand outstretched and poised to take hers. They traversed the path together, the warmth from his hand radiated into hers and helped to calm her frayed nerves immensely. “Hi mum.” Alexander grinned when they reached her.

My’s beautiful face broke into a wide grin and Grace knew right then that Sam had come by that wonderful smile honestly. Their mother, confusingly short in comparison to her two sons, reached up on tiptoes to cradle Alexander’s face in her hands and kiss both of his cheeks passionately. He reveled in her touch, but when his time was up, he stood back to make room for Grace. My embraced her exactly as she had her son, and though she could most certainly attribute it to impending jet lag, a lump of raw emotion rose in the hollow of her throat as My kissed her cheeks. She pulled back and gave Grace's arms a warm squeeze. “So happy to finally have you both here. Please, come in.”

Once situated inside the cozy, utterly lived-in home, Grace immediately felt the tension dissipate from her limbs. On her way back to the living room after putting away her belongings in the spare room, she found herself stopped in awe in the hallway. Pictures of the family adorned almost every square inch of wall space, and inexplicably, Grace's throat constricted and she felt the familiar prickle of tears behind her eyes again.

“There you are,” Alexander smiled when he spotted her. Wordlessly, he settled beside her and reached for her hand, bringing the back of it to his lips. “You okay, kid?”

She turned to him, saltwater glittering threateningly in the depths of her eyes, and smiled. “There's so much love here, Alex.” She trailed a finger over the edge of a wooden picture frame. The photograph inside depicted six beautiful, smiling children, each of varying ages. “It's so palpable. It's in the very air we breathe right now… like magic.” Alexander hummed contentedly and bent forward to kiss the top of her head. “I want a home like this someday…” She mused.

Alexander squeezed her hand thrice and placed another kiss to the top of her head. “Someday you will.”

After a midnight snack of lingonberry jam and toast and a glass of wine to wind down from the day’s events, Grace drifted off to sleep on Alexander’s shoulder at the kitchen table. She had fought it for as long as her body would let her, but the calming lilt of muted conversation in their native tongue caused her eyelids to grow increasingly heavy until they eventually gave in to slumber altogether. Alexander must have carried her to their room, because when her eyes opened six and a half hours later, she was tucked up in the guestroom bed. Her desire to move had been nonexistent until the scent of coffee and fresh pastries found her, and her mouth watered hungrily for them. Stretching her arms above her head, she stifled a yawn and shivered as her bare feet touched the cool, hardwood flooring. She took a few moments to study the room in which she would be spending the next two weeks. The walls were washed in a pale, robins-egg blue and with an unexpected pang, it reminded her of her grandparent’s guest room in their old house back home. She gazed at the folk artwork adorning the walls, and at the wicker furniture dispersed around the room and she decided then that this could be her home for rest of her life, and she wouldn't complain one bit about it. Changing into a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt, she threw a knit cardigan over her exposed arms and padded out into the hallway outside her door. She hadn't meant for it to happen, but she stopped again in front of the dozens of picture frames and gazed at them for a long while.

Grace peered at a black and white photograph of Alexander as a child, grinning wide and standing tall above a younger looking My. “And just imagine that he ended being arguably the most attractive one out of all of us.” A beautiful voice, utterly melodic as it flowed from her mouth- bore a teasing lilt and caused Grace to startle on the spot.

She glanced over at the woman next to her, a spitting image of her mother, she had seen photos of her face several times in the past, but nothing could prepare her for the natural beauty that Alexander’s sister possessed. It was ethereal- like sunshine through a glass window and Grace smiled at her. “No, I doubt anyone would argue with me if I said that you won that one hands down.”

Eija tilted her head back as laughter bubbled up from the base of her throat like a pretty song. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Grace.” They chatted contentedly for the next few minutes before the allure of coffee and food became too strong, and Eija escorted Grace to the kitchen. Alexander was seated at the end of the wooden table, arms crossed over his t shirt clad chest, and in deep conversation with Sam. “How do you take your coffee, Grace?” Eija asked and reached on tiptoes for a mug at the back of the open cupboard.

“Uh, black please,” Grace could not make out what was being said, but the tone of her boyfriend’s voice had changed drastically over the course of only a few seconds and she frowned. “Are they arguing?” She whispered.

Eija dropped back onto the balls of her feet and shook her head no, her ruby-red lips quirked up into a half-smirk. “No. But they are talking politics.” She set to work brewing what to Grace, smelled like the world’s best cup of coffee and winked at her, her glassy blue eyes glittering mischievously in the bright, sunlit kitchen. “Just wait until dinner tonight… we are a large, highly opinionated family and there is plenty more where that came from.”

Grace's day had been so packed with activity that she had hardly been allotted moment to agonize over the looming family dinner. She knew deep down that there was nothing to be nervous about- that she intended on spending the rest of her life with Alexander, and that if she was lucky enough, his family would become her family too. But there was a lot of them, and the pressure to make a good impression weighed heavily on her. “You okay over there?” Alexander sidled up behind her in front of the full-length guest room mirror, resting his chin atop her head. “You’ve got your 'over-thinking-everything' face on.” She frowned back at him. “It’s still the most beautiful face in the world, kid. But I’ve known you far too long now to know when something’s on your mind.”  

She cocked her head to the side and gazed at him. She couldn't pin-point exactly when the change had occured, but she could read his face like her favourite book now. Knew where scars had started, knew the precise location of dustings of freckles. She knew what to say to make him smile, what to say to make him frown. Somehow, the stars had aligned, and she had met him and now here she was, in his home country, moments away from meeting the entirety of his family. She took a deep, steadying breath and tilted her face up to kiss the underside of his stubbled jaw. “I love you Alex.”

“I love you endlessly, Grace.”

She had been slightly taken aback at the lack of distance that existed between Alexander’s parents’ houses. She had known that they had been able to remain better friends than ever after the divorce but living within walking distance of each other seemed unheard of to Grace. Perhaps that was because her parents could hardly manage a simple hello to each other after the dust had settled.

Stellan Skarsgård’s silhouette- stark against the bright light emanating from the house behind him, stood leant against the front pillar of his porch, a full glass of red wine wedged within his grasp, which he lifted in greeting when he caught site of the emerging clan. He embraced Alexander, Eija, and My as if it was the last time he would ever have the chance to do it again, and when his gaze fell on Grace’s, he handed his wine to Alexander and pulled her in for a near-crushing embrace. When he drew back, he was absolutely beaming at her. “Grace, it is an absolute pleasure to finally put a face to the name that our Alex here, has spoken novels of. Please, come in and make yourself at home.” It was an undeniably busy house, chock-full of intentional laughter, bits and pieces of Swedish conversation, and the enticing scent of a mouth-watering feast. Grace was sat wedged between Alexander and Valter at the dinner table and was awed at how much the youngest of the boys resembled Eija, and she was surprised to note that his sass rivalled hers as well. Once the chatter had dwindled to a level white noise, Stellan rose from his seat at the head of the table and cleared his throat. “Ehm, I don’t normally make these kinds of announcements before a dinner, but tonight is a special one.” He gestured with his near-empty glass to Grace, and she felt her cheeks burn hot under the sudden onslaught of attention. “Tonight, we drink to good health, we drink to family, and we drink to our lovely, newfound Grace. Cheers, everyone.”

“Cheers to you, my love.” Alexander whispered and pressed a kiss to her temple.

Grace ate until she could not fathom scooping one more morsel of delicious food onto her plate, and she leaned back and took a deep breath, all too content to watch everyone converse and unwind from the wonderful meal they had all just experienced. After dessert, Alexander excused himself to join a heated debate at the end of the table with Eija and Valter. To her surprise, Stellan took the empty seat next to her, wordlessly topping up her empty glass. “My and I worked hard to teach them everything they know,” He murmured, blue gaze scanning the happy faces around him. “We tried to instill in them as children to question everything- and each one of them has become perspicacious, opinionated, conversationalists because of it.”

The way he spoke of his children- the obvious love and adoration he had for them caused Grace’s heart to swell in her chest and she smiled softly at him. “You both must be so proud of them.”

Stellan’s eyes twinkled in the low light of the lamps scattered around the dining room and he nodded his head slowly. “Very proud. Always.” He took another sip of his wine and turned to Grace. “I know I mentioned it already this evening but having you here in Sweden really is such a treat for all of us,” Grace’s cheeks grew pink again and she took another hearty sip of wine, savoring the slighty bitter tannin on her tongue before she swallowed, and offered him up a small smile. “Alex is an extraordinary creature, Grace. Loud and boisterous- and deeply sensitive. Almost to a fault. But humor and compassion for other people beyond all measure. Just the absolute best parts of his mother and I,” He finished off the rest of his glass and set it against the wooden tabletop with a dull thud. “He’s never brought a partner home to Sweden before, and I can’t help but be elated that it’s you he’s chosen to bring to us.”

Grace verged the edge of speechless at the sudden revelation and she swallowed hard, the kind words almost too much to comprehend. “The pleasure has been all mine, truly.” Before getting up to leave, Stellan bent down to her level and pressed a quick kiss to the apple of her cheek.

Alexander appeared next to Grace an hour later, the apples of his cheeks rosy from happiness, and the wine consumed. "Come dance with me."

Grace had just finished an in-depth conversation with Eija and cocked an eyebrow in surprise. “Right now?”

He nodded his head, his sandy blonde hair disheveled now and hanging over an eye. “Yes, right now.” He extended a hand out for her to take, which she obliged, hesitantly. He led her to a second room off the one they had just been in, and a record player sat playing on a glass table in the corner.

“Your lips are stained purple with syrah,” She giggled.

Alexander brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. “Are you having a good night, kid?”

Grace smiled and rested her cheek against his chest as they swayed along to a Bob Dylan song in the background. She reveled in the heat emanating from him, and in the familiar feeling of his heartbeat against her cheek. “I’m having a wonderful night, Alex. Sweden- your family, are a dream.” The opening chords to Girl from the North Country could be heard above the crackle of the record player, and Grace gazed up at Alexander from under enviously long lashes. “God, I love this song,” She murmured wistfully. “Hope to dance to it my wedding someday.”

Alexander held her tighter to him, oblivious to Stellan and My who were now stood side by side and watching them from the other room. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed each knuckle earnestly, knowing that one day soon he would be making that dream a reality. “Someday you will, Grace.”

@awaterfalls

#alexander skarsgard #alexander skarsgard x reader #alexander skarsgard imagines #alexander skarsgard fluff #fluff #writing #alex sstuff #disclaimer: i havent been to sweden yet so please dont drag me #who is grace?? #idk but i felt like reader needed a name for this one so bear with me folks #alexander skarsgård

[scorpionyx9621]

I Hope Hopeless Changes Over Time: A Red Hood and Batman Fic

*Source of the image I found off of Pintrest. I tried to find the original artist but the link on Pintrest led to a dead Tumblr account. If anyone wants to find/point out the account to me so I can give proper credit to the artist please please do.*

I wanted to make a fic based on an ask I did from the lovely @dilfbatman about Jason and Bruce. I hope people enjoy this mini-fic that I've expanded upon.

TW: Blood, Physical Assault, Suicide Ideation, Swearing. Bruce being a shitty father but trying. Jason having demons 

3.75K words. 

Bruce was uneasy about Jason staying over at the Wayne Mansion. Even with other members of the family around. Jason has done so much wrong and has hurt so many people. However, at the end of the day, Jason still is his son. So when he gets a call from Jason in a hushed voice asking Bruce to stay the night. He hesitated for a second, but acquiesced, Jason was nothing if not independent, so to be asking Bruce outright to stay at the Wayne Manor meant something was wrong.

"Master Jason wouldn't reach out to any of us unless something was gravely wrong, Master Wayne." Alfred had reassured Bruce, who was staring absentmindedly at the glass case which housed Jason's old Robin costume. The costume that Jason had died in. Bruce always tried to repress the memory of holding his son's cold, lifeless body. The pain he felt from losing his parents burned in his heart as an everlasting stab wound. But the pain from losing Jason, his son, it was too much to bare.

"I'd be welcoming to Master Jason, but keep your distance. Master Damian is spending the night at Jon Kent's house, Master Richard is in Blüdhaven, and Master Timothy is with the Teen Titans tonight. I'll rest assured Jason doesn't try anything to harm you. But don't try to encourage a confrontation." Alfred explained. He always seemed to understand Jason to a tee after he came back to life.

"I don't know how you do it Alfred, you can read the boy like a book." Bruce had retorted. Cocking a half-smile to the man who raised him since his parents died.

"Master Wayne, Master Jason wears his heart on his sleeve. He always has. And one of the reasons why you two fight constantly is because, for as terrific as a detective you are, you are horrifically inept in reading the emotions of your children." Alfred had stated, those words bit Bruce. He wasn't expecting such sharp words from Alfred. "We failed Master Jason. And he's hurt, he's been hurt for years because of it. However he keeps choosing to come back and try and trust again. We needn't come at him with accusations of ulterior motives, but we should be supportive." Alfred stated.

"But cognizant of what Jason is capable of." Bruce added back. Jason may need help, but he's still dangerous. He has tried to kill Bruce and the rest of the Robins multiple times. He wants to trust Jason and warm up to him again. But the man who wears the Red Hood and stalks the streets of Gotham killing those he deems criminals is not his son anymore.

Alfred and Bruce greeted Jason as he walked in the large double doors of the Wayne Manor. The first thing Bruce noticed was the dark circles under Jason's eyes. It seemed as if the man hadn't slept in days. Jason was wearing sweatpants and a fitted black wife beater, accentuating his muscles. Jason would have looked more intimidating had his body language not suggested he was as disheveled as he was, physically and mentally.

"Thanks Alfred." Jason had said meekly towards the butler. He took one step into the mansion and looked at Bruce. Bruce noticed as soon as Jason's eyes met his, his tired irises contorted into anger. His lips pursed downwards but Jason chose not to say anything. Instead just walking past Bruce pretending not to acknowledge him.

"Master Jason, you will be staying in the guest suite on the main floor. I've already prepped everything for your arrival. Please make yourself at home." Alfred had said. Jason just shook is head as he headed towards the hallway leading the guest suite. Bruce didn't notice it immediately but the stench Jason had emitted stung in the air. It smelled like stale liqour and body oder. It seems Jason hadn't bathed in days. Bruce had wanted to say something but chose not to.

The evening went by quietly enough. Jason had taken a shower and changed into another fitted wife beater but still sported a tired energy about him. Alfred had put together a beef pot roast for dinner with red potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery over garlic mashed potatoes. A favorite dish of Jason's. The three of them ate quietly as Bruce continued to size up his son. He was conflicted. At one point he saw the man who blew up the head of a Gotham security force member with a torture decide he had created. On the other hand, he saw the boy who would beg for Bruce to buy him more books after he finished the maximum amount a library card would allow for a week in the span of 3 days. The son who told him being Robin gave him magic.

The dinner ended as it began. With awkward silence and the father-son duo eyeing each other. One with cautious trepidation and the other with abject hate. Bruce had decided not to go on patrol tonight as he felt he needed to be at the manor should anything happen while Jason was here. An uneasy sense of dread built over Bruce as he had said good night to Jason as the two passed by each other in the halls. Jason simply spat 'Bitch' at Bruce and walked into the bedroom. Bruce had been bad with other people's emotions, but something didn't sit right with the way Jason was carrying himself. He had decided to stay up tonight regardless. A sense came over him after being sworn at by Jason. A sense he hadn't felt in a long time. He felt as though his son needed help.

————————————————————

"You're a monster"

"Jason is a murderer"

"Stay away from Jason, he'll kill you."

"No one wants you around, Todd"

"You're just a good guy trying to be bad"

"This is the kid you had to replace me with as Robin? Bruce he's pathetic."

"I can't believe my daughter wasted the Lazarus Pit on a miserable failure like you."

"Maybe I'd be better off dead"

Jason tossed and turned. It's been days. He couldn't get the voices out of his head. Those whispery, moany voices that taunted and tormented him. He knew it was a result of the Lazarus Pit. Ever since Roy died and everyone left him the voices started taunting him again. He tried everything he could to get the voices to stop. He drank, he read, he worked out, he did everything he could. The only way the voices became quiet were when he was beating the ever-loving shit out of some criminals. This was not the mindset Jason had wanted. He wanted to go back to being supported by Bruce, the man who betrayed him. He knew that Bruce was weak. He couldn’t kill the Joker because of his weakness. 

Jason got up and walked over to the connecting bathroom to the suite that he was staying in. He went to the sink and splashed some cold water on his face. Against his better judgement, Jason looked up to the figure he saw in the mirror. He took note of his jawline, his face, his green eyes, his muscles.. but one thing that caught his eye was the fucking skunk streak of hair at the top of his head. The physical reminder of his dip in the Lazarus Pit. He had just re-dyed the spot not two days ago and it already came back. He did everything he could to try to hide the streak. It’s what he hated most about his new body. The pit wiped away all of the scars he had on his body. And any new fresh scar or wound would just fade in a matter of moments due to the effects of the pit. The only thing that ever stayed was that damned streak. 

Jason had nothing but disgust and contempt for the man he saw in the mirror, which, ironically, was himself. 

“You’re just using the sarcasm to hide your hatred.” 

“It’s your fault that everyone hates you.” 

“Killing the sick of the masses to save those who are weak is your calling” 

“Those reptiles deserve to die” 

“I don’t want to kill unless I don’t have to.. I don’t want people to hate me..” Jason tried reassuring himself. The voices in his head kept getting louder and louder. “I want Bruce and everyone to love me again....” He continued to try to re-assure himself. It was a false sense of hope as always. His mind soon wandered to a moment where he was on top of Dick in a fight. Confronting his older sibling and reciting a quote he had heard from a Japanese philosopher and optimist as he had the barrel of a gun placed against his older brother’s temple. 

“Do you know what the most convenient phrase in the world is, Dickie? It’s ‘I’m sorry.’ Anyone who hears that is obligated to forgive, no matter how hurt or angry they might be... There's no more disgusting phrase in all the world. It's used to displace your suffering unto others so you can escape your sins... The moment you employ it, your suffering becomes the other person's. A thing can be unforgivable, but oh, if they apologize... I say there's no reason to accept that suffering. You don't have to forgive them. Cast aside the mask of your conscience.“ 

“Stop this. Please stop this.” Jason had begged aimlessly into the air. He didn’t want to live like this anymore. He didn’t want to live, period. He just wanted all of this to end. He had caused so much pain and so much suffering to the people of Gotham all so he could attempt to hurt Bruce. But those words kept repeating in his head. He knew he had to stop this. He needed help, he wanted to go to Bruce and explain what was going on but Bruce would just have him institutionalized. His murderer of a son starts hearing voices in his head? A one way ticket to a padded room. 

Jason suddenly stared back into the mirror and saw something he detested. The green eyes that stared into his soul. The one he hated more than anything else. Was himself. This thing was staring him in the face mocking him, and he wanted it gone. 

“Do it Jason.” the voice had beckoned from the mirror. “Kill them all. Slit Damian’s throat and watch the fucker bleed. Bash Tim’s stupid face into the concrete until there’s nothing but mush. Rip Dick limb from fucking limb. Watch Bruce as you choke the last bit of life from his eyes. I promise all the pain will go away once all of this is done.” the voice sounded almost sweet as it promised to do all of this. Jason just retched as he saw the green eyed monster promising poison to him. He felt his vision fade to black. 

------------------------------------------------------------------

STOP IT. SHUT. UP. 

*CRASH* 

Bruce had jumped up from the chair he was sitting on in the library, the voice came from the suite that Jason was staying in. Bruce didn’t have time to think. He just ran towards the noise. He threw the door to the suite open and ran to the bathroom. There he saw Jason in front of a heavily cracked mirror. Jason was hyperventilating and he saw blood oozing from Jason’s fist which was pressed against the mirror. Bruce saw from the reflection that Jason had split open the left side of his lip seemingly from a shard of glass. It wasn’t long before Jason glanced up at the imposing shadow in the mirror and noticed Bruce’s presence. 

“YOU STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME BRUCE.” Jason had shouted at his reflection. Jason was shaking. Bruce had wanted to assess the injury that Jason gave himself. But he knew he was cornering a scared animal if he pressed any farther forward. Bruce stood their frozen. Pondering between trying to press forward upon a killer, or to check up on his son. 

“Jason, I just...” Bruce was cut off by another scream as Jason turned around. 

“IF YOU COME ANY CLOSER I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL KILL YOU WHERE YOU FUCKING STAND YOU PIECE OF SHIT.” Bruce finally got the cue. The hitch in Jason’s voice. This is the same hitch his voice made when he was a kid and was angry at Bruce. Alfred was right. This is his son. And right now Bruce needed not to be the Batman approaching the Red Hood. He needed to be Bruce, to help his son. 

Bruce walked forward to Jason, still shaking as blood oozed from the gashes of glass on his fist. Bruce decided against everything in his gut telling him to stop this criminal. This monster who killed for sport and to prove a point. He needed to help Jason, his son. 

Bruce was knocked back by a fist to his chest. Glass imbedded itself into Bruce as he felt the sting of their shards. Jason was right, he was going to hurt Bruce if he approached. Oracle was right, Jason had been abusing venom. The quick gain in muscle mass was proof enough but the stinging pain in Bruce’s chest also proved that hypothesis. Jason barred his teeth as his eyes displayed a seething hatred. Bruce would have been frightened on any other day. Today, Bruce felt a feeling he hadn’t felt in a long time. Bruce collected himself and got up to approach Jason again. 

“I TOLD YOU I’M GOING TO KILL YOU BRUCE. I FUCKING HATE YOUR GUTS. I WANT YOU TO DIE. I WANT ALL OF US TO JUST FUCKING DIE.” Jason screamed even louder this time. A hot stream of tears worked their way down Jason’s cheeks. Bruce no longer saw a rage-induced monster but the boy who took a tire iron to his gut on the streets of Gotham. The boy who would was thrilled at every opportunity he got to show Bruce the A’s on every test he got in school. This was his baby boy who needed his help. 

“Jason Peter Todd that’s enough.” Bruce said firmly, but not harshly. Jason stared directly into his eyes. “Jason. I want you to listen to me.” 

“Go to hell you motherfucker.” those words which escaped Jason were laced with poison. Bruce didn’t waver. 

“You can punch me as much as you want Jason and I’ll deserve all of it.” Bruce came closer to Jason. Jason proceeded to physically make himself smaller. Like a scared animal. Bruce remember what he did to Jason after he had seemingly killed The Penguin. How he beat Jason to within an inch of his life. His heart plummeted to his stomach as he saw Jason cower like a scared dog over his approach. 

“What are you going to do Bruce, beat me to a fucking pulp again? You hate me more than you hate the fucking Joker, don’t you?” Jason asked. Bruce truly saw the fear in those green eyes. He had to take a moment and realized just what he was doing. He unclenched his jaw and relaxed his shoulders as he approached Jason. This time he was back within striking range of his son. 

“Jason. I failed you. I have been failing you for the past 10 years since your death. I have failed this city and this family in providing the protection it needs. I couldn’t kill The Joker because I’m weak.” Bruce sucked at emotions and emoting. But Bruce hadn’t felt this shaky and wavering since the day he lost Jason. His son needed to know the truth. He deserved to know the truth. “Jason I never hated you. I hated the actions you have taken against the people of this city. But I’ve come to realize that the hatred and contempt I’ve held is because you do what I can’t do.” 

“Oh so now you’re coming over to apologize? I don’t owe you shit after what you’ve done to me.” Jason had stated. He may have been acting like a pinned animal. But his mouth will never not cut like knives. 

“Jason, when we had fought in the abandoned apartment. And you had the Joker with you. You had tried to shoot me after I had turned away from you.” Bruce said. Inching ever closer to Jason while trying not to be imposing. “In that moment, I threw the batarang because I knew you were going to retaliate against me. But I need you to know in that moment I turned away. I turned away because I decided I wasn’t to be the one to decide the Joker’s fate. He had taken your life and it wasn’t up to me to decide. I want nothing more than for the Joker to pay for the countless lives hes taken and ruined.” Bruce swallowed hard as he felt tears beginning to well in his eyes. “I failed you because I couldn’t kill the Joker. But in that moment, I wanted nothing more than to have my baby boy back. I wanted you back in my life. I still want you back in my life.” 

“Bullshit. Fucking BULLSHIT.” Jason spat at Bruce. The emotions were flooding out of his face. Anger, hatred, fear, but most of all sadness. Jason’s voice began wavering as he began to cry. “If you loved me why in the fuck have you never realized I’ve been trying to help the people of Gotham. Instead every time I take matters into my own hands all I meet are your fucking fists. I hate your guts Bruce. We’d all just be better off fucking dead. It’s all Hopeless. I’m hopeless.” 

Bruce took a deep breath. He tried to find his resolve. He wanted nothing more than to be able to reach out to his son again. “You’re absolutely right Jason. I’ll bet Gotham would be a whole lot better without me. Without the pain I have caused. And no amount of apologies will fix the pain that I have caused you. No words will ever take back the transgressions I have taken against you.” Bruce was crying this time. “But know this. You always have been my son. And I love you so much. The day I lost my parents was agony. The day I lost you, I felt like I had lost myself I felt I had died a bit inside.” Bruce choked out. “We both have done so much we regret. If I could take back all the times I hit you I would do it in a heartbeat. But no amount of sorry will take back that pain. I shouldn’t be in the position to be asking this. But I just want my son back.” Bruce swallowed. “You have every right to hate me, but I will never stop loving you. You aren’t hopeless and you never have been. You never have been a burden. You are valued by so many people. I. I love you my son. I love you Jason."

Jason’s face relaxed from a position of contempt and hatred and soon was overcome with years of pent up tears. Jason let out a hearty scream as he proceeded to weep and sob. As if a dam had broke and was threatening to engulf a town in an apocalypse. Bruce went against everything he had known and was screaming from the inside of his body and wrapped Jason in a hug. He was almost as large as Bruce himself and barely fit around his arms. But Bruce held his son and hugged him tight. Jason was crying uncontrollably. 

“I’m hearing these voices. They’re telling me I’m a monster and a killer and that I should kill all of you.” Jason shouted between sobs. “But I don’t want to. I’m so afraid Bruce. I don’t want to hurt anyone unless I have to.” 

“Just breath Jason. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. Let it all out.” Bruce had solidified his resolve and worked on being there for Jason. He couldn’t run away this time. His son needed him more than ever. And Gotham be damned. He’s not making this mistake twice. He’s staying here. For Jason. 

It felt like hours before Jason had run out of tears and sobs. Jason was fading and seemed like he was about to fall asleep. The shards of glass that were imbedded in his hand seemingly prevented Jason from bleeding out. Bruce had saw Jason’s eyes glaze over as his breathing calmed. 

“Jason, I’m going to pick you up and take you to bed.” Bruce had said, asking for permission from his second son. Jason simply nodded as he starred off. He was numb now. The pain seemingly gone for the moment. Bruce lifted Jason up and was taken aback by just how heavy his son was. He truly was 225lbs just like his records showed. This wasn’t the son who hid under the cabinets when Bruce first brought Jason home. But Bruce still saw the boy as his son nonetheless. As Bruce laid Jason on the bed Alfred had approached with a first aid kit. Proceeding to begin to clean up Jason’s hand. Jason was so exhausted he barely felt any of the picking and pulling or the iodine going into his wounds. He kept his eyes fast forward on Bruce. 

“Bruce. I. I’m sorry.” Jason had said meekly. 

“Don’t apologize Jason.” Bruce had stated. He ran his hand through Jason’s hair, giving a soft massage to his scalp. “You get some sleep now. I don’t think you’ve rested in days.” 

Bruce had remembered the time he had read Jason to sleep. This time he had thought back to a poem that struck him from his phone. It was from a famous lyricist and singer. As Bruce pulled up his phone he had found the poem and recited it as Jason fell asleep. Things are far from perfect or even better. But tomorrow was going to be the first day of the rest of his and Jason’s lives. 

“They told me once, ‘there's a place where love conquers all’

A city with the streets full of milk and honey

I haven't found it yet, but I'm still searching

All I know is a hopeless place that flows with the blood of my kin

Perhaps hopeless isn't a place

Nothing but a state of mind” 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

pHEW GOD THAT WAS LONG. I hope you all enjoyed the fic! This was my first published attempt at angst and whump and while I feel some parts are cringe. I am proud of what I made. 

Big thanks again to @dilfbatman for inspiring this fic. The inspiration of the title is the song Hopeless: by Halsey. The quote about I’m Sorry is from the character Shadow Maya Amano from Persona 2: Innocent Sin. And the poem at the end is the first part of the lyrics to the song Good Mourning by Halsey. 

#Jason Todd #Red Hood #Bruce Wayne #Batman #Whump #Angst #Hurt/comfort #Non-ship #Bruce being a good father #Jason trying his best #Jason getting the rest he deserves #The two have gone through so much but they can get help #TW Blood #TW Physical abuse #TW Swearing

[angelz-dust]

masters of none (jason todd x reader)

summary: welcome to my jason x celebrity fic, based on this headcanon. pls enjoy. 

word count: 5.2k

warnings: gun mention. food mention. 

part 2

626 bedford avenue

baby let's have a conversation and god forbid we have a connection

...

"are you sure? i don't wanna leave your here alone," dex had said to you as he put his jacket on. the two of you were in the studio when he got a sudden invite to a party.

"i'll be fine. i just wanna finish this track tonight. or attempt to, i guess," you explained, spinning in your chair to face him. you watched as he used his wooden military brush to fix his waves. "everyone else is going so you should go."

"you should also go," he chuckled, shaking his head before sighing and pocketing the brush. "at least let me take you home now."

"i have to finish this, dex. seriously. just go," you told him, turning back around to face the monitor.

"fine, but i'm coming back when it's over and i'm taking you home. i don't care if you're not done or passed out on the couch," he told you firmly, grabbing his keys off the coffee table. "are you hungry? i can get you something to eat."

"i already ate."

you did not, but you weren't hungry. you were too invested in working to be hungry. you'd eat later when he picked you up.

"alright. make sure the doors are locked when i leave. you know where the gun is, right?" he asked and you lifted your arm up, giving him a thumbs up. you had your headphones back on and were about to focus on that again. he rolled his eyes before leaving, making sure the doors were locked himself.

your work in progress played loudly in your ears as you stared at the meticulously placed loops on the monitor. you didn't like hearing your own voice but you loved the rush of putting together the puzzle that was a song, so you let it go. you worked for hours, unmoving from your spot until you felt a familiar tingle make place in your temples. a hunger headache was coming on and staring at the monitor, probably without blinking, wasn't helping.

it was midnight and dex probably wouldn't get back until 2 or 3. you weren't sure if you'd last that long. there were snacks in the mini fridge that could tide you over but it wouldn't be satisfying. you stood up, your legs feeling like jelly from not being used for so long. your ass had gone numb, too.

you wobbled your way to the fridge of wonders, resting on it to balance yourself as you opened it. you were looking for the yogurt you had stashed in there but...

"fucking jordy," you breathed out, recalling how he had eaten it that morning before you both left for your video with gotham insider.

...

"hey, i'm jordy rivas."

"and i'm y/n l/n."

"we're here with gotham insider and we'll be answering your burning questions."

you had a bucket filled with slips of paper in your lap as you waited for the cue to start picking. you took in your surroundings, not being able to see much with the bright lights illuminating you from above and keep everyone else in the dark. sometimes you couldn't tell if you were on set or on an operating table. jordy, your group mate, noticed that you two had plenty of questions to answer as he peered into the bucket.

how you got here was still a blur. your rise to stardom alongside your friends felt so sudden, it was hard to believe. you didn't expect to have such a large following at this point, or ever. and you never thought you'd have a band of brothers and sisters who loved music as much as you did. it was like a dream come true. not only did you have them but you were able to expand your horizons musically. you were just a below average producer before but now you produced music of all genres at such a high caliber. hell, you even sang a little now.

being a celebrity was overwhelming at times, but you loved interacting with fans or the family, as you affectionately called them. you'd take a simple q&a or fan meet over an award show or social event any day.

"alright, go ahead and start," a staff member said from behind the camera and you stuck your hand in at the same time as jordy, both pulling out a slip.

"how did you guys come up with the name cloud 9?" jordy read from his slip.

"stockholm syndrome," you said simply, getting a little laugh from jordy and some staff before he spoke up to explain.

"we were unofficially going by seven heavens before y/n and dex came along. we had just dropped music under our own names before but we couldn't really do that if we were going to do a group album so we needed a name."

"we were just producing a song each for the album," you spoke up to clarify. "i decided to call our studio session 'on cloud nine' since it fit with the theme of the group and there were nine of us working together."

"then we realized y/n and dex were geniuses and we asked them to produce the whole album," jordy chimed in with a smile. "they had already put so much work into it, so we asked them to join the label and we dropped the album as cloud 9."

best decision i ever made, you thought to yourself, a smile playing on your lips. on cloud nine took ages to produce but the results were worth it. for you, it was more than the money and the charts. creating music was a labor of love and an extension of yourself. you helped create a piece of art that you loved and allowed others to love too. it was the greatest feeling in the world.

"next question is... how do you guys decide who collaborates on what and when you do it?" you read, shrugging your shoulders softly. "we just do it on a whim. covers, singles, eps, full albums, it doesn't matter. we still operate as a group but sometimes we wanna do our own separate projects. we're in charge of ourselves so we do what we want."

the rest of the questions were pretty tame, mostly asking about your music and your label mates. occasionally they got more personal, asking about your interests and families. you both answered with enthusiasm, joking around a little and keeping certain things private when you felt necessary or when you were contractually obligated to. can't go around spilling secrets about upcoming music and other projects.

you and jordy were actually working on an album but it hadn't been announced yet. that was why you two came together, as a way of hinting at it and getting ready for promotions to come. the album was nothing like what you both normally did in a lot of different ways. the sound, the aesthetic, all of it. it was an ambitious project and you were looking forward to seeing how it would be perceived.

you were just about done with the q&a, pulling out the last question from the bucket that jordy had then ceremoniously punted out of frame.

"who is your favorite vigilante? i don't know actually. i've never thought about it," you softly clicked your tongue with a pensive look.

"i like signal," jordy answered as you thought it over. "i saw him kick ass up close one time and he has a cool costume."

"i like nightwing's costume! uniform? whatever," you said with a confused shake of the head, not really sure what to call it. "the blue bird is cool. i personally enjoy the color blue, so he gets points for that. it's a sexy shade of blue."

that last part elicited some laughter from jordy. "is that some roundabout way of you saying nightwing turns you on?"

"it's a direct way of me saying i like the color blue," you corrected him. "but yeah, he looks like he'd be hot. it has no bearing on how i feel about the blue, though. two separate feelings."

"who else is there? you got batman and robin. red robin. uh..." jordy trailed off, trying to think.

"batgirl," you supplied, getting a nod from him. "orphan? right? and uh..."

"red hood!" jordy said with a smile. "that dude is cool as hell. i like his jacket."

"doesn't he shoot people?" the staff laughed again at your delivery of the question. clearly you were on a roll today.

"he doesn't have a hood, though," you realized, looking perplexed. "why is he red hood if he doesn't have a hood? why doesn't he just call himself... red helmet?"

"because that's fucking stupid," jordy said through his laugher, shoulder bouncing. that would have to be censored in post.

"he's fucking stupid."

that too.

the staff watched as the two of you managed to go off on this tangent that had nothing to do with the original question. one of the interns looked to the camera man, who looked equally intrigued and confused at where the conversation had gone. "do we... stop them? we're going over on time."

the camera man shrugged and the manager shook her head. "god, no. do not stop them. this is gold."

"he doesn't need a hood, y/n. it's just a name. nightwing doesn't have wings," he reminded you and you rolled your eyes, a subtle pout on your lips.

"yeah but the bird does. it's still on brand. just like batman. and robin. and red robin. and signal. and batgirl," you listed matter of factly.

"what about orphan? is she an orphan?" jordy asked you with attitude.

"probably, bitch. why else would she call herself that?" you said, the both of you riled up now, hence all the sudden cursing. you two kept it (mostly) clean up until this point. "red hood is the only one off brand."

"why are you being a hater right now?" jordy asked with lopsided grimace and you rolled your eyes. "you completely derailed the conversation."

"oh, i'm sorry. i didn't realize you were on his payroll."

"red hood doesn't need payola. he's cool by himself."

"why are you dick sucking red hood?"

"don't ever say that shit again," jordy said immediately, almost cutting you off at the end of your question.

he crossed his arms, looking annoyed as you looked into the camera with a blank expression. you were trying to fight it, but a tight lipped smile appeared on your face, making you look down and scratch the tip your nose lightly with your nail. then your ear. then back down to the side of your neck. your body shook with silent laughter when you glanced at him.

"i'm sorry," you said convincingly after having collected yourself in record time, just barely getting cut off by jordy again.

"no you're not."

"no i'm not," you shook your head, your facade dropping as quickly as it was put on. "you still haven't answered the-"

"i hope red hood shoots you," he told you seriously, giving you a blank look. your jaw dropped, a surprised noise that almost sounded like laughter came out of your mouth as you looked back at the camera. you knew that he was just playing around but it didn't change the fact that it outrageously juvenile.

it was silent. you and jordy knew this was just friendly bickering but the staff weren't too sure. you rubbed the inside of your cheek with your tongue, slowly dragging it over your teeth as you contemplated his words.

red hood wouldn't actually shoot you. right? he's a bit more morally gray from what you've heard about him but he wouldn't just shoot somebody for making a joke, would he? that seemed kind of ridiculous. overkill, if you will.

your eyes darted between jordy and the camera. back at him. then the camera. jordy again. your head jerked a little in his direction before fully turning to look at him.

"do you think he'd actually shoot me?" you asked quietly, looking at him with a smile on your face as your expressions quickly mirrored each other.

"i would," he told you and you laughed, looking at the camera again.

"mr. red hood, if you're watching his, m-my bad bro," you stuttered through yours and jordy's laughter. "i was just talking shit. please don't shoot me. i-if you don't i'll uh... i'll be your bard!"

"what the fuck?" jordy cried out, hiding his face in his hands as he laughed harder.

"i will write and sing about your adventures and conquests," you pleaded with the man who definitely wasn't going to see. you made a heart by lifting your arms up and having your fingers meet at the top of your head. it was really a waste of time in hindsight but you had to cover your bases just in case he did see it. getting shot was not on your bucket list. "please don't shoot me. seriously. i didn't meant it."

"that's all the questions we had," jordy's voice was pitchy from all the laughing. "i'm jordy."

"and i'm y/n," you smiled, doing a little dance as you stayed in your heart position before waving with jordy. "byeeee!"

...

you weren't entirely sure how long you had been standing there with the door open, letting all the cold air out of the fridge. you assumed it was too long since your nipples felt hard as rocks now, which only added a layer to how uncomfortable you felt. your stomach was touching your back at this point and that headache wasn't going anywhere. and now your nipples felt like they were going to fall off. you were pretty sure exhaustion was going to start claiming on you, too.

killing yourself seemed to be the only option and what you were thinking of doing was practically suicide. you wanted to go walk to the corner store that had the yogurt. your craving was too strong. you needed it and waiting for dex was not an option. there was nothing of substance in the fridge anyway. just drinks and snacks that weren't yours to eat.

a normal person could probably do it and not die. but you were in gotham and you were convinced that the moment you opened the door killer croc or one of the penguin's goons would be waiting for you.

taking the gun would be the smart thing to do but you didn't feel comfortable walking around with it. the feeling of cold steel against your skin was unsettling and the chance of it going off on you was even scarier. yes, you would have the safety on, but that wasn't enough to ease your mind. it felt like walking around with a bomb strapped to your chest. you didn't even wanna think about it dropping it or something while you were in the store. you were sure the ock wouldn't like that.

you grabbed your keys, slipping the wristband on. you had a little card holder and pepper spray hanging off the key ring. you also had a small switchblade for all your stabbing needs. you hadn't used it for murderous intent yet and you wanted to keep it that way.

i'll have red hood put me out of my misery, you thought morbidly to yourself. maybe jordy wishing death on you this morning was a blessing in disguise because you were progressively feeling more like shit with each passing moment.

you braced yourself for the crisp nighttime air and the dangers lurking around every corner before opening the door. it was dark, as expected. you had your hands stuffed in the pockets of your sweatpants. your right hand rested right on top of your phone carefully stashed away in the black polyester pocket.

your sense of direction was, to put it lightly, dog shit, and the pitch blackness of night wasn't helping. you had your airpods in with the gps telling you where to go. if it had a mind of its own, it would probably be judging you for needing to locate a building that was 5 minutes away. nevertheless, hearing the robo voice in your ears was oddly comforting.

the walk there wasn't that bad once you got to the area with all the traffic, illuminated with fluorescent lighting from the surrounding stores. it was the first time you felt comfortable under blinding white light.

you walked into the store quietly, beelining for the cold food section. you grabbed hot fries and sour skittles on your way over for dex, wanting to soften the blow for when you told him you left the studio by yourself. you spotted the salted caramel flavor through the condensation on the glass and you could already taste the creamy treat on your tongue. you smiled to yourself, grabbing the handle to the door when you heard the automatic door to the store open, accompanied by a chime.

"hey, man, what's going on?" you heard the voice of the cashier from behind you. you grabbed your yogurt and turned around, freezing in place when you saw who had entered.

red hood!

you could hear jordy's enthusiastic voice from this morning bounce around in your head like a pinball. the man you had been talking shit about earlier was right in front of you. jesus christ, was he there for you? how did he even find you? the video hadn't even dropped yet!

he must have felt your intense gaze burning a hole in the side of his head because he turned to face you. thankfully, you slid to the side, hiding behind the chips. he knew you were there and that you had been staring at him, even though he didn't catch you in the act. you attempting to hide yourself behind the buy two, get one free mini chip bags was slightly suspicious, but to be fair, he did just walk into a public place as red hood, so he let it go. turning back to salim, the cashier, he grabbed the bag of m&m's he had slid him.

he always paid for the things he picked out when he came to the store, but salim always gave him m&m's for free. red hood kept his store and community safe, so in salim's eyes, giving him candy that only cost a dollar anyway was nothing.

you started grabbing some other snacks, slowly weaving through the aisles as to not cause alarm to the huge man standing not to far from you. you knew he was big but fuck. he was built like a freight train. probably hit like one, too.

"anyone give you trouble tonight?" you heard a voice, his voice. it was distorted behind that mask... helmet... thing. it sounded robotic. was he actually a robot? like cyborg or something?

"nah, it's been quiet tonight," salim shook his head as the vigilante grabbed a little bag of cookies from the shelf behind him, setting it on the counter before asking for a carton of cigarettes. "i heard that jewelry store on bedford ave got hit though."

bedford avenue? your studio was on bedford avenue, tucked away from the main street. the store wasn't too far from it, either. you must have been so wrapped up in working that you didn't hear the commotion because it was definitely close enough for you to hear it.

"just came from there," the vigilante informed him, his robotic voice being both intriguing and off putting to you. he walked back over with the warm cup of liquid in his gloved hand, setting it on the counter next to the cookies.

must have just missed it then, you thought to yourself, if he just came from over there. lucky me.

"you alright, honey?" salim called out to you with familiar affection. he always treated everyone who came to his store with respect and like family. he was always very sweet to you and he felt a sense of pride knowing that he had both celebrities and vigilantes frequenting his store.

"don't tell me you're trying to rob me," he added on at the end, getting the attention of red hood. he wasn't sure if salim was being serious or not. it would confirm his suspicions about your weird behavior from earlier. it would be kind of ballsy to try something while he was standing there, though.

"uh... yeah. this is a stick up. give me everything you got," you said lamely, standing on your toes to peek at him over the shelf.

salim's rich laughter filled the store and he shook his head. "just checking," he said before redirecting his attention to red hood, who loosened up when he realized it was just banter between friends.

you realized the longer you spent in the store, the later it would get. you waddled your way over to the counter with your snacks in your arms a comfortable distance away from red hood, who set cash on the counter. he looked over at you again, making you shrink under his gaze. he was essentially faceless, which was a little unsettling, to say the least. he turned away, grabbing his things and moving out of your way.

you put all of your snacks on the counter, trying to ignore the man's presence. he wasn't doing anything but being intimidating.

"you here by yourself, honey?" concern laced salim's words as he rung up your snacks. "it's a little late, isn't it?"

"oh, uh, yeah," you nodded, pulling your card out to pay. "everyone else is at a party in maywood."

as red hood was walking out, his brow furrowed when he heard what you were talking about. maywood was where all the big social events took place. he had been out there a few times with bruce. not anyone could go to a party out there so...

"ah, one of those celebrity parties you all go to, huh?" salim grinned, giving you your bag of goodies. he still felt unsure about you being by yourself, though. "hey, red! you should walk her back home."

he was almost out the door when he heard salim call out to him. he turned, looking at the both of you. you felt awkward looking at him and you quickly shook your head.

"no, no, it's fine. the studio isn't far," you told him and salim firmly shook his head in protest.

"it's late. you shouldn't have even walked here to begin with," he scolded you a little. it was just out of concern, of course. "she's a big time celebrity, you know."

you frowned at salim's description of you. not being able to read red hood's expressions to gauge how he felt about this whole thing was frustrating, too. he was probably glaring daggers at you.

"i can take you," the robotic voice said. normally he wouldn't be escorting civilians around but he was done for the night and if you really weren't that far, it wouldn't kill him to walk you back to wherever you were headed. he was in a good mood, even if it didn't appear that way.

"see? let the man take you back," salim pushed and you complied, giving him a little nod. "you two stay safe out there! i don't need my favorite customers getting hurt."

you waved goodbye to salim, turning to see that red hood had already started walking off. you quickly shuffled your way out to follow behind him.

"where are we going?" he asked, not even giving you a glance as you both stood on the sidewalk.

"bedford," you said quietly and he turned to face you, his look of disbelief hidden under the mask. why the hell would you leave? you had to have left while the heist was still going on. no wonder salim asked him to take you home. clearly you had a death wish.

"lead the way," he said to you, trailing behind you as you listened to the gps tell you where to go. you hoped he didn't have supersonic hearing or something, because needing to use the gps was still kind of embarrassing.

you two walked in silence, the sound of your plastic bags and the ambient city noises being the only sounds ringing in your ears. you felt a little safer having red hood as your temporary bodyguard but you'd rather risk dying to avoid the awkward silence.

"so big time celebrity," red hood spoke up, startling you a little. you almost thought it was the gps talking to you. "what do you do?"

he knew you were feeling awkward and probably afraid walking with him. he wasn't trying to scare you, though. he figured talking to you would ease the tension a little.

"oh, uh... music," you said simply.

what a dry response. were you expecting him to carry the whole conversation? because he wasn't.

"why are you out here and not in maywood?" he asked, carrying the conversation anyway.

"the studio is here so i'm here."

"so you're working?"

"yeah."

you were not fun to talk to. he wasn't going to hold it against you though. he himself probably didn't come off as a guy who wanted to talk.

"do you shoot just anyone?" you asked suddenly.

well that was one hell of an icebreaker. did he just shoot anyone? where the hell did that come from? were you that afraid of him?

"no," he said, hoping you couldn't hear his smile in his words. it was such an odd question to ask. "why? you think i'm gonna shoot you or something?"

"are you?" you asked panicked, whipping around to face him.

he put his hands up in mock surrender, letting out a laugh this time. "relax. you haven't given me a reason to want to shoot you. or have you?"

"i hope not," you said honestly, turning back around to continue walking.

"i'm not going to shoot some innocent girl, let alone a famous one. it's a bad look," he explained to you, hoping the humor behind his voice would make you relax a little.

"why don't you wear a hood?" your line of questioning continued. "you're red hood but you don't wear a hood."

"why do you keep asking ridiculous questions?" he asked rhetorically before answering your question anyway. "a hood doesn't protect the face."

well, that made sense, actually. it looked like that helmet thing he wore was made of metal or something. much better protection than cotton. it was still off brand but you could respect it.

"what the hell are you wearing?" the man had exclaimed suddenly, making you furrow your brows and look back at him. his gaze was down at your feet. "how did i not notice those before?"

"clearly that stupid helmet obstructs your vision," you pouted, looking down at the cute bunnies that sat on the strip of your pink slides. "they're my slides."

"they're hideous," he told you seriously and you scoffed.

what an asshole. how dare he insult your babies like that? they were minding their fucking business, chilling on your feet. they didn't asked to be attacked like this.

"you're hideous," you retorted childishly. "my bunnies are cute, thank you very much."

"how am i hideous? you can't even see me," he reminded you, tapping on his helmet.

"your outfit is hideous. you look like... i don't know. ugly. your face is probably ugly, too," you huffed, crossing your arms.

you wished you could go back in time and not apologize for insulting him earlier. he deserved it.

"you wound me," he said sarcastically, placing a hand over his heart. "how will i recover?"

"give me your gun and let's find out," you said, holding out your hand jokingly before getting it swatted away by his.

okay, fine. he wasn't that bad. you were actually kind of enjoying the conversation and so was he.

"arrived," you heard in your ears, looking up and seeing the studio right before your eyes.

you had been so wrapped up in bantering with him that you forgot what you were doing in the first place: going back to the studio. you almost felt disappointed that you were about to go your separate ways. you had just gotten comfortable.

"this is the place," you said, gesturing up to the building. "thank you for walking me here."

"try to keep your late night excursions to a minimum."

and with that, he used his grappling hook and disappeared into the shadows of the night. creepy. kinda cool but mostly creepy.

you walked around back to the side door, letting yourself back into the studio and locking up immediately afterwards. another successful snack run. now all you had to do was wait for dex to get back.

...

it had been about two weeks since your encounter with the vigilante. jason had long forgotten about it. he had been at the manor, lingering around after a meeting in the cave with bruce and his brothers. he didn't like sticking around once business was taken care of but alfred offered to make him chili dogs. it was a calculated move to get him to stick around and it worked.

tim was lounging on the arm chair while dick and damian were both seated on the couch. jason stood off to the side, directing his attention to the television that sat above the fireplace. tim had been watching youtube videos all day and stumbled across a gotham insider q&a that had a clickbait-y title about vigilantes. naturally, he was intrigued and wanted to watch it with the rest of them.

"what am i looking at?" he asked, taking a bite of his chili dog.

"something hilarious. i've been waiting to show you guys all day," tim explained, grabbing the remote.

"i hope this isn't something juvenile, drake," damian chimed, resting his body against the arm of the couch.

"or gross," dick co-signed with a grimace. "we just ate."

"just shut up and watch," he sighed, unpausing the video.

jason felt a little tingle in the back of his mind at your face was on the screen. you looked familiar. he silently watched as you and jordy discussed your feelings about vigilantes. dick snorted when he heard your comment about nightwing. tim began to snicker in anticipating for the main event: the red hood argument.

as jason watched, everything made sense. you were that weird girl he walked home. that was why you asked him those stupid questions. he was a little annoyed at you calling him stupid and off brand but he had to admit the segment was funny. especially the part at the end where you were begging him not to shoot you. you seemed so much more relaxed and naturally funny than you did when he was with you that night. it almost gave him whiplash.

"you should shoot her. for good measure," damian told jason once the clip ended, making the older boy roll his eyes.

"nah. i can't shoot my bard," he smiled, making dick smile too. he had expected jason to be all grumpy about getting talked about but he seemed to be taking it fairly well. tim was kinda disappointed that jason didn't seem more bothered by it. he wanted to tease him a little.

"i think red hood payola is probably the funniest thing i've heard in awhile," dick said, laughing along with tim. even damian cracked a little smile.

jason walked back to the kitchen, recalling that night he ran into you now that he had seen the video, finally understanding why you were acting so strange.

his bard, huh? cute...

#jason todd x reader #red hood x reader #dc x reader #jason todd #dick grayson #tim drake #damian wayne #batfam

[toflyandfall]

I just saw a photo of "What persona. Dick Grayson isn't a mask. Not like Bruce Wayne is" from Detective Comics #725 and I find it interesting that Dick and the rest of the bats, with the exception of Bruce, don't wear "masks" per se. They are who they are with or without the domino mask/helmet. The only time I can really think of Dick faking things is when he pretended to be an incompetent BPD cop. How was he able to avoid creating and living, half the time, through a "persona" like "Brucie"?

Oooh, this is a lovely, meaty question.  There’s a lot more analysis of Bruce than I planned because let’s be real, it’s kinda weirder for a guy to run around with half a dozen personas than for someone else to run around as himself.  I hope you still find it interesting, but if you want to skip straight to the more Dick-centric stuff, head under the readmore.

A simple but significant factor is that Dick thrives on the company of people in a way that Bruce does not.  I suspect if you talk honestly to many introverts, you will find they too have an extroverted ‘mask’ they put on to the larger world, though probably not quite so extreme.

Another factor is that the civilian social circles Dick and Bruce travel in are vastly different.  Though they each have a reason for being in those circles, that difference itself enables Dick to escape much of the scrutiny that Bruce’s public identity undergoes, because he doesn’t frequently associate with the much more media-hounded elite.

An interesting thing here is that the large difference in social circles between their civilian lives is actually caused by their own personal similarities: they are 100% committed work-a-holics.  It’s just that they have differing civilian approaches to their goals.

I want to start with Bruce because as you point out, his use of persona is distinct among the bats and his reasons for using them in part explain why Dick and the other bats do not.

Bruce is a child of privilege, he has always lived a lifestyle of privilege, regardless of the tragedies that have occurred during it, and his default view of the world, through no fault of his own, is natively that of the extreme upper class.  This drastically influences his perspective and approach to change, and changing the world is his perpetual goal, the reason he put on the suit in the first place.

Bruce works a top-down society approach toward systemic change, and he works it all the time.  This is actually my favorite but woefully under-emphasized part of him: he is not just someone who punches people on the street ‘for justice’, he uses his company, his money, and his social position toward substantial systemic change. This post does a wonderful job covering the ways he does this through his corporations and personal wealth, as does this one.  I cannot recommend either enough because I constantly want to push even the most casual Batman fans to understand: Bruce Wayne is not just a violent punchy puncher man.  He is a traumatized person genuinely trying to use all his resources including himself to make the world safer.

Detective Comics #725

Bruce has many personas he maintains, and he uses all of them according to what suits his need--Batman for places the law can’t go, Bruce Wayne the CEO pushing for systemic changes, Matches Malone for street information, and Brucie the society high roller for society information and social influencing.  He is rarely ever not in a persona and simply ‘Bruce’.

His top-down perspective of enacting change are what dictated the usage and necessity of these personas. He has the means and capacity to basically disappear from society if he so chose--he in fact does so to train during his younger years so successfully they don’t even know how long he was actually gone. 

The Batman Files

So he doesn’t need the personas.  Not Bruce Wayne, CEO, or Brucie, or any of them really, to protect his identity.  That tells us that Brucie is a deliberate choice he made at some point.  He could have been a recluse billionaire Batman indefinitely.  Even though he fully has the status and means to not maintain a job or a persona or, let’s be frank, a life outside the mask at all, it’s his own work-a-holicness that led to the creation of his public personas.  He’s an obsessive strategist, so if Brucie is a choice, that leads us to why?

Bruce does many philanthropic things with his money, but he isn’t the only rich person around, especially not in a city as old and corrupt as Gotham.   But he’s one of the very few ones doing good with it.

The comic you mentioned has a very beautiful moment where Bruce touches on that, and in full context you can feel how consumed he is by this goal of creating the Gotham his parents would have wanted.  Batman mentions he never sees himself in that place, and the morbid interpretation is that the city kills him before he reaches it, but the hopeful interpretation is that in that shining city, Bruce Wayne and Batman and Brucie and all his masks will no longer be needed.

Detective Comics #725

Back in the old days they’d call it noblesse oblige: the inferred responsibility of privileged people to act with generosity and nobility toward those less privileged. Thomas and Martha Wayne ingrained this feeling of responsibility into Bruce by example, and as all things related to them, he obsesses over it.  It urges him to fulfill expectations within segments of society he finds onorous for the betterment of society as a whole in order to carry out their unfinished works.

Enter Brucie.

Brucie serves a two-fold purpose.  Since Bruce has chosen to maintain personas among society, it becomes a false face to justify any oddities Batman might bring into the life of Bruce Wayne by setting himself up as a eccentric, popular social scion.  But that persona itself also allows him to manipulate the upper crust of society.

I have some insider perspective on the kind of society events Brucie attends.  They’re all about the who’s who of making connections, name-dropping and networking, and unspoken class-based elitism.  Charity events among the upper class have these things at the forefront and the cause is the background.  You don’t get your hands dirty, you don’t go out and make change yourself, you pay money to be socially seen and sometimes it happens to go towards a philanthropic cause.  If you want to raise money from the rich and keep people with deep pockets coming in the door, you have to have social currency yourself. This is where, and why, Brucie comes in.  I believe Brucie ws crafted to maintain Batman’s cover but still attempt to carry on his parents’ legacy to grease the wheels of the rich in the directions he chooses: one of generosity towards those less privileged. 

Superman/Batman #51

The inevitable flaw of Bruce’s approach to his personas and their philanthropy is that in a city rife with corruption, money distributed from the top has many opportunities to disappear well before it reaches the bottom.  As in many of ways they are complements to each other, Dick’s approach balances that out, because his approach to helping his fellow man starts out at the street level...literally.

Nightwing #153 (Nightwing: The Great Leap)

Dick, we know, does not come from privilege.  His mother was from a middle class family before she joined the circus, and despite being world famous athletes, most circus workers are lower to middle class.  The people he grew up with, was comfortable with, were all working folk who expected everyone to pull their weight right alongside each other.  He enacts this everyone-together approach in almost all aspects and phases of his life. 

Batman #615

Even once he had settled into being Robin and adapted to living at the manor, he didn’t feel belonging to a culture of privilege, materialism, or high society. He preferred shotgun in the limo to chat with the driver to riding fancy in the back.  Once he was able to start making his own decisions about where and how he lived, despite having both Bruce’s money and then later inheriting a substantial amount of his own, he chose mostly lower-class communal places.

Batman Black and White #6

Dick also doesn’t see the value of throwing money at a problem when there is an option to fix it with his own hands.  We see this frequently, from building his own car instead of buying a finished one or outsourcing the work, to deciding the best way to clean out the BPD was to start at the bottom and work his way up (literally), to quitting college because his classes never got prioritized over crimesolving.  Most of his day jobs ended for similar reasons. 

Nightwing #153 (Nightwing: The Great Leap)

Despite the showmanship training, he gravitates away from spotlight on the rich and wealthy, who are notoriously the kind of people who do not get their hands dirty or go out and take care of things themselves, and prefers to find or build communities around the kind of people who do.

Finally, Dick is an extrovert.  He doesn’t need to act extroverted as Brucie does because he is extroverted.  He likes people and likes being around people.  Whether by conscious choice or not, he tends to put himself in situations where he is surrounded by people in nearly all aspects of his life.  He chooses apartment buildings whose occupants frequently pass each other on the stairs; jobs that involve interacting with many co-workers, patrons, or students; and collects superhero teammates like Boy Scout badges.  And all of these behaviors come very naturally to him.  

He doesn’t need a mask or a role or a persona for those kind of interactions; his mask is pre-supplied as “neighbor” or “co-worker” or “teacher” by the situations he puts himself in.  It helps make him an exemplary leader, because just by acting authentically to himself, he automatically builds up little communities around him any time he arrives somewhere.

Bruce, on the other hand, is an introvert.  For him, interacting with people isn’t easy, automatic, or comfortable unless it has a purpose, but as a strategist, he knows the necessity of human interaction as a catalyst to achieving dynamic change. So he adapts personas to suit people’s expectations.  Extroverts have more social currency; the life of the party can generate more resources than a brooding wallflower.  

So, it boils down to just a few elements: Dick believes in living and interacting at the street level to accomplish the things that he wants to, and he is extroverted enough that the level of social interaction that entails is not a burden to him.  He surrounds himself with the types of people he is more familiar or perhaps more comfortable with, which happens to keep him further out from the media’s eye than associating with the upper crust does. The lower profile is more incidental than intentional, but it lessens his need to have a cover story for every single bruise and lets him get away with even less of a ‘persona’.

Bruce, on the other hand, is introverted and follows a more classist view that systemic change needs to be effected from the top down.   His personas are more of a self-assumed duty than a necessity, as a way of trying to carry out his parents’ legacy.  Any of his children could have chosen to follow his path in business or the high society limelight, but the sense of obligation toward it is something personal to him that most of them don’t share.

#bruce wayne #batman #dick grayson #nightwing #character analysis #dc #comics #meta #o.c. #bruce wayne analysis #bruce + dick #asks #anonymous #cover stories

[lov3nerdstuff]

Voluptas Noctis Aeternae {Part 7.34}

*Severus Snape x OC*

Summary: It is the year 1983 when the ordinary life of Robin Mitchell takes a drastic turn: she is accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Despite the struggles of being a muggle-born in Slytherin, she soon discovers her passion for Potions, and even manages the impossible: gaining the favor of Severus Snape. Throughout the years, Robin finds that the not quite so ordinary Potions Professor goes from being a brooding stranger to being more than she had ever deemed possible. An ally, a mentor, a friend... and eventually, the person she loves the most. Through adventure, prophecies and the little struggles of daily life in a castle full of mysteries, Robin chooses a path for herself, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more, and two people abandoned by the world can finally find a home.

General warnings: professor x student, blood, violence, trauma, neglectful families, bullying, cursing

Words: 3.3k

Read Part 1.1 here! All Parts can be found on the Masterlist!

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As was to be expected, they didn't come across anyone on their way back down to the ground level, where they parted ways to see matters through more quickly now. Snape went ahead to get Robin's belongings from the office and then proceeded to his rooms already, perhaps starting on the parchments if there was time. Robin meanwhile went into the opposite direction for now, to collect the girls from the astronomy tower and return them to their dorm. They'd been up in the cold long enough at this point, and she also needed them to confirm her alibi that wasn't quite what they thought tomorrow morning. Everything else would look suspicious.

"You've got twenty seconds before I'm up there, so better hide what you don't want me to see." She called up the stairs in advance to ascending them, after she'd locked the door to the tower behind herself, just to give the girls a fair warning and evade the possibility of having to scold them. Then she made her quick way up the tower and soon was met by four innocently smiling faces. Four, because obviously Jorien had somehow managed to find her way to this little gathering as well once she'd been done with her work.

Surprised, Robin quirked an eyebrow at the girl in question. "How did you get up here?"

"I told McGonagall that you'd sent us all up here to do something important for you, and she let me know that the door would be locked and how to open it." Jorien shrugged easily, but with a bright smile up at Robin. "Now you're not the only one anymore who knows how to open classrooms."

"Congratulations." Robin huffed in irony, and obvious amusement over the girl's excitement. Then again… when she'd first learned the spell herself, she had been quite excited as well. It didn't matter now, she had an alibi to construct. "Either way, I'm back now, so you won't have to hold watch anymore. Thank you though, all of you, for helping me."

"You're most welcome. It was our pleasure, and I'm sure the boys will freak out when they hear about all this tomorrow!" Cas grinned in an instant, but still none of the girls made any move to get up.

"C'mon then, we should all be heading back down into the dungeons. It's nearing one o'clock if I'm not mistaken, and I don't want to be responsible for any casualties tonight." Robin added on after a moment of having all four girls grinning at her with too much mischief on their faces.

"Actually…" Cas started innocently, and Robin already knew this wasn't going to end well for her. "We were hoping that you'd play a round of truth or dare with us. We were just in the middle of that when you came back, and it's a Saturday after all. Please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

"Guys…" Robin sighed in nigh defeat when all four girls looked up at her with desperately hopeful expressions. "Another time, okay? I really don't have the energy nor the mindset for that right now."

"Oh, but we've been waiting for you to come back and sit with us all night!" Cas whined, making the best puppy dog eyes she was capable of. "You'll be gone soon and then we can't have any girl nights at all anymore, not with you at least, and you've never even had a real one! Pleaseeee…"

"Cas…"

"Please Robin, it's not even that late… And you're done with your challenge now, aren't you? Surely you have ten minutes to play a game with us before you go on to do whatever important thing you have going on this time." Melissa picked right up where Cas had stopped, much to Robin's dismay.

"We don't want to hold you up long, really…" Lisa added more carefully. "But we've all really been hoping that you would play a round with us at least."

"We have so little time left with you still here at school." Cas took over the argument again, still looking at Robin almost reproachfully. "You deserve some fun memories! We all do, together…"

When nobody else made an attempt to add any more words of protest, Robin closed her eyes for a second to fight the urge to cry out in frustration. Gods, didn't they understand that she had more important things to do than to play a stupid little game?! Of course they didn't… how could they after all? All they knew was that she was their friend, and that she spent ridiculously little time with them nonetheless. They really did deserve better than yet another adult in their lives who kept on choosing other, more important things over them. Robin had seen enough of that behaviour in her own parents to know how much it could hurt. Perhaps that's why she couldn't make herself say no now.

"Fine." She said instead, more tersely than intended, but it would have to do. "Ten minutes will be alright." With that she dropped down on the blanket they had spread on the ground, and elegantly crossed her legs underneath her while keeping her eyes on the girls around her.

"Alright, if we just have ten minutes then we will have to change the rules a little." Cas was quick to clap her hands with a gleeful smile. "The four of us take turns asking Robin questions, and if you don't want to or can't answer one, then we all have to answer a question of yours in return. Would that be amenable?"

"I honestly don't care." Robin sighed, but her indifference passed by the girls unnoticed. "You have ten minutes, and in those I will comply with anything you make me do. After that however you will return to the dorms with me without protest."

"Agreed." Cas grinned, and Melissa and Lisa nodded eagerly in return. Only Jorien currently seemed to prefer spectating over participating, but Robin let her be, in the knowledge that she would oblige without protest either way.

"Go on then, ask me all you please." Robin said, keeping her back straight and her hands calmly clasped in her lap. "Not that you couldn't do that at any other point as well, but since you obviously prefer this game format, get started then."

For the first few minutes, the girls asked only questions Robin had no problems answering. She didn't deem her answers particularly interesting, but the girls seemed quite content with their game, so she kept on patiently obliging to their every inquiry. It wasn't terrible, but certainly holding her up longer than she had time for currently. Snape wouldn't be all too concerned by her delay, seeing as she'd already told him when they'd parted that the girls most likely wouldn't be brought back down into the dungeons without a discussion. The problem was rather that she currently couldn't focus on much but the sheets of parchment down in the dungeons that likely held the answers to her future.

"Next question!" Cas announced with mischievous grandeur, then turned to her right. "Melissa's turn, isn't it?"

The girl nodded, then thought for a second, and finally smiled broadly. Obviously the topics were about to change from easy to hard now. "Do you have a crush on someone?"

"No."

"Are you currently in a romantic relationship?" Cas asked, obviously based on her prior knowledge and the previous question, and Robin would have glared at her if she hadn't been too tired to.

"Yes." She simply said instead, keeping her facades neutral as ever. Cas, Melissa and Lisa seemed to be rather taken aback by the honest reply in an instant, while Jorien however merely gave Robin a very subtle smile. The girl definitely knew way more than she had told anyone, and Robin was honestly glad for that.

"What is one thing you love, and one thing you don't like about your boyfriend?" Lisa was next to ask, and her question took Robin a few seconds to think about, and even longer not to cringe over. Somehow, the term 'boyfriend' seemed terribly inappropriate to her ears.

"I love who he is. And I don't like that nobody actually knows who he is. In every sense of the statement." She finally replied, which made the three girls frown, but they didn't get to dwell on it.

"Have you ever committed a crime, and if yes, was it by muggle or wizarding standards of legality?" Jorien asked before anyone else could comment on Robin's previous answer.

"Yes." Robin didn't even need to think about the answer to that one. "And both." Again, jaws dropped and eyes went wide.

"What crimes did you commit?" It was Melissa's turn again, and she went straight on with Jorien's clever diversion. "If it's too many, name a muggle one and a magical one."

"A muggle one would be breaking into a gym on multiple occasions. A magical one would be messing with time."

"Have you ever stripped for anyone?" Of course it was Cas again who had to ask a question that was so vague and intimate it would've made Robin blush if it wasn't for her facades.

"Specify." She returned instead, in an attempt to thereby make things better somehow.

"Have you ever willingly undressed for another person who's not you?"

"Specify."

"Gods, Robin, what's so hard to understand about that?! Have you ever taken off your clothes so that another person could look at your body?"

"Yes. And you probably have as well, in the infirmary, at some point." Robin replied neutrally, and Cas only rolled her eyes but went with the vague answer nonetheless.

"What was your first kiss like?" Lisa was next, and that question wasn't even too bad, in Robin's opinion.

"Nerve-wracking. Intimidating. Unexpected." She couldn't help smiling at the memory at last, facades or not. "But also breathtaking, magical, perfect… everything I'd never dared dream about."

"Awww…" Both Cas and Melissa sighed, while Lisa smiled and Jorien smirked. Somehow it surprised Robin that neither Cas nor Jorien, who both certainly knew at this point who her first kiss had been, seemed to care about that fact in the slightest. Obviously there was still hope for bringing them into the same place at some distant point in the future.

"What's the most awkward situation you've ever had at home? With your family, I mean." Jorien's question was next, and while Robin knew that it was only an innocent attempt at changing the theme of conversation to safer territories again, the topic brought a lump to her throat nonetheless. She hadn't thought about her parents in a while now… but perhaps it was time to prove to herself that she was over it indeed.

"My parents invited strangers to live in my room while kicking me out of the house, and when I didn't leave immediately, their guests called me a useless greedy whore, to which my parents said absolutely nothing. During the last dinner before I left, they said that traveling alone with S...someone would result in people assuming I was dishonored, to which I merely replied that it was bold of them to assume that I had any honour left in the first place. That was rather awkward." She explained with a shrug, and unsurprisingly it was all four girls who stared at her incredulously now. Wasn't that something other families did too? No? Well damn.

"They… they just kicked you out of your home?" Lisa ironically was the first to ask in a quiet voice, and Robin immediately felt terrible for spoiling everyone's fun with her story. She'd just meant to answer honestly… Not such a good idea, as it seemed.

"Yeah, well, no, I mean yes they did, but then we all agreed that it would be best if I left and earned my own money." She explained, as if that would make anything better and not worse. Good job, idiot.

"How awful! How old were you?" Melissa went on, as both Cas and Jorien obviously knew better than to ask at this point.

"Seventeen. It all happened just at the beginning of last summer, actually." Again Robin answered truthfully, but more thought through this time. "It really wasn't as bad as it sounds now, that wasn't the point of the story. I just wanted to say the dinner was rather awkward from that point on."

"Right…" Jorien said slowly, then once more was the first to catch on to the desperately needed change of topic. "Next question! We've got one more minute of Robin's ten, so let's do one more round, yes?"

The other girls nodded, then Melissa once more made the start. "It's odd that nobody's asked you this before, but who is your boyfriend anyway?"

"I'm not going to answer that." Robin replied in a surprising ease, as just another fact that she didn't even have to think about. "If I'm not mistaken, that means I get to ask you guys a question now?"

"Yep."

"Alright…" Robin sighed, and the first idea she had was already a decent one, even if it ran at the risk of confusing the girls. "If you had to describe Professor Morgan with one word, which would it be?"

"Handsome." Melissa was the first to blurt out, cheeks tinting red to a degree that was visible even in the very limited light.

"Charming." Cas added next, without even a hint of such embarrassment.

"Nice." Lisa shrugged. "Not quite as much as some other people, but still… He's one of the nicest professors around the castle, to me at least."

"Enigmatic." Jorien finally concluded the round. "I have absolutely no idea who that man really is. I like him, but his ambiguity is odd sometimes."

All girls nodded in accordance with Jorien's statement, but also the previous three descriptors seemed to fall upon common agreement. Robin was both content and unsettled by this development. They really did like him, but except for the strange ambiguity, Robin's perception of Morgan was nothing like theirs. Interesting, from a somewhat objective kind of viewpoint.

"Great, so now I'm next!" Cas announced, and broke Robin out of her pondering. "What's the most intimate thing you've ever done with someone?"

Robin inwardly rolled her eyes, but kept up her neutrality on the outside no less. She might just give them her newfound truth, even if they wouldn't understand it. "Looking into someone's mind and having them look into mine at the same time. I think it's the most intimate you can get with someone, by allowing them to see absolutely everything of you, see exactly who you are without any facades or defenses. To be one for a while, exactly the way you are. And being loved just the same, if not all the more."

"That sounds amazing." Jorien commented quietly, with a serene smile that was nothing of what Robin had expected.

"That sounds boring as hell!" Cas rolled her eyes, which in return was exactly what Robin had expected. "Don't you have any spicy stories?"

"That's not what you asked for, and it's not your turn to ask anyway." Robin gave Cas a pointed look and a humoured smile. Sometimes the imprecision of Cas' language use was a saving grace. Thank the gods the girl hadn't asked for Robin's most erotic experience, because then Robin would've seriously considered jumping off the astronomy tower before she'd turn into a flustered mess. Not that there would've been much to share in that regard anyway, at least not in a way the girls would understand. As of the current moment, Robin's relationship hadn't been on that kind of… physical level just yet. Not because they didn't want to, gods no, but the time had never been quite right for it. Too many late nights working, too many early mornings and other problems, other people, other concerns. Besides, they weren't the kind of people to rush things, especially not when any form of intimacy was new to either of them in the first place.

"Exactly, it's my turn to ask now." Lisa's words came as the next saving grace to Robin's thoughts. Or… something of the sort, at least. "What's one thing that Cas and Jorien know about you but Melissa and I don't?"

"That I was stabbed last summer and almost died from severe blood loss."

"Wait, really?!"

"Yes." Robin replied with a sigh under her breath, and her two roommates nodded in accordance. This at least was a somewhat easy topic to talk about by now… it simply was a fact that wouldn't harm anyone anymore.

"My turn!" Jorien announced before anyone could make a big deal out of it, and once more Robin was more than glad for the girl's brilliant intuition. "What's one thing you wish will happen in your more distant future?"

That was a nice one, actually, and a small smile graced Robin's lips in return. Perhaps she could end this silly game on good terms with the girls after all. "I wish that some day in the future, when certain things are different, everyone I care about will be able to sit at the same table happily. That also includes you guys, just so you know."

"Aww, that's sweet." Cas smiled happily, and the others seemed equally content with the answer. Thank goodness.

"Now, I answered all of your questions and played along nicely." Robin said, then rose up to her feet even as her muscles protested in stiffness from the cold. Bloody hell, she should've cast a heating charm before coming here… At least, other than her, the girls were all wrapped up in their warmest clothes. "Let's get you back down to the dungeons."

"So, you aren't coming to the dorms with us?" Melissa asked, while the five of them made their way down the staircase at last.

"No. I still have something very important to see to, and that really can't wait any longer." Robin sighed as she locked the door to the tower back up behind them, then ushered the girls on into the direction of the dungeons. From now on it wasn't unlikely that Morgan might return, and she wanted to be safe in Snape's quarters before that happened.

They made their way down the stairs and through the corridors the same way they always did, with Cas entertaining the entire group and Robin following silently behind them. To her luck, Robin remembered to say goodnight earlier than she had to, to conceal just where she was heading, but she still let the girls walk a good bit ahead before she herself went on to take a detour to her own destination. Better safe than sorry, after all. Mere minutes later nonetheless, she finally arrived in front of the door to her safest haven, and let herself in like she did so often. What first greeted her on the inside after locking back up behind herself was a welcoming wave of the fire's warmth and golden glow, followed immediately by the sight of papers strewn everywhere across the floor. Most surprising however was the fact that Snape was sitting right among them, knees bent and arms propped up on them while he stared off into the flames with an empty expression. Robin froze in her spot immediately, and her eyes remained fixed on him while everything within her squeezed together with a start.

"I'm going to die, am I not?"

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[loudestcloud]

Time for Luffy's fashion exam! Now, I'll be honest, I did skip an outfit because I decided I will be ending this whole thing with the Strawhat fashion show in Episode of Luffy. Also, sorry for the posting gap, I remembered I have other unfinished post sets. That being said, this is a very long one so let's do this!

Kid Luffy, Post-Enies Lobby & Fish-Man Island: I think it's super cute when Luffy has white t shirts with red based logos because it reminds me of the first picture. Makes him look baby plus, they can always be found in cute domestic EPs or fun, cute flashbacks. The shorts change over time and that's also kinda cute, a range of cuffs is a nice change up. It's nice to see the red contrast the blue shorts and the white is a nice color on him cos it contrast his hair!

Romance Dawn, Enies Lobby, Thriller Bark, Sabaody Archipelago, Amazon Lily, Marineford & last Dressrosa outfit: This look is the pre Luffy look. It's the pre Timeskip look everyone thinks of is cuffed shorts, Kimono sandels and sleeveless vest (and Strawhat, obviously) but have you ever seen them all in a line? It's mad. Each outfit is the same basic look bit more are more spicy each time! I like the Thriller Bark and Sabaody Archipelago looks a little bit more cos it's nice to see that jacket open and it feels like he was trying something new. I also feel that the buttons on the jacket look like the ones on Shanks' pegged ankle sailor pants when we first see him so that's cool. (it took me hours to find the name for his trousers, oh my fucking god) The last Dressrosa outfit feels like a nice callback to the rest of the line up here without being too much cos it's just a red vest top instead and I do find it funny it's like the Enies Lobby and it's used in Dressrosa because of the jokes people make about Robin and Law being so similar.

Timeskip: This is it lads, it's the one true icon itself, the post look! ☺️ When I sit back and look at it I see all the people this look is influenced by and want to cry at how masterful it really is. (Now, I do wanna say that I didn't come up with this nor am I the first to say it and I am definitely probably looking too much into this but) The yellow belt is taken from Shanks' red belt the first time we see him and the Shanks look Luffy is more familiar with. Now onto the jacket. I know it won't stand out as to why for most but it's Ace inspired! When Ace leave to become a pirate, the start of his adventure, he has his jacket open and Luffy having his jacket open also shows his scar from the ending of Ace's adventure. I also really appreciate how no one hides scars in this anime. Also, someone said that the style of the jacket and it's fancy frills could be in reference to Sabo's little jabot collar and honestly I do see it. it's quite subtle unlike Shanks' but not as hard to catch as Ace's so I enjoy thinking that it's there too. Lastly, he still has his cuffed shorts and kimono sandels because it's still Luffy's outfit at the end of the day and he is still who is is, just with a stronger appreciation of what people have done for him now. It's also his colour pallette for the pure fact he is the main character n needs his pallet. also sometimes he just has normal wooden sandels but the same outfit sometimes, it's a small detil a lot of people overlook but I prefer the sound of his Kimono sandels 😊

Dressrosa: I love this outfit cos it's stilly but also has very nice vibes. Looks ready for the beach but is really throwing hands and that's the best kind of outfit, it's a nice expectation subversion tbh. I also like how he tried to hide the Straw hat but not... All of it? And I love how the crew didn't actually question it either. It would have been super easy for one of them to just tell him to leave it behind or something but I do really love how respectful they always are of the hat. I myself have a hat that's super important to me and when I loose it I go mad.

Whole Cake Island: I love this arc for outfits! I swear if the actual content of it doesn't kill me, the act looks will 😭 it's all so magical and it knows it is! Like I said before, white is a good color on him as he has black hair but for the same reason, so is black! In this arcs outfit range, the Staw hat seems almost invisible and his outfit gets less and less 'Luffy' as the arc gose on showing this is not about him. He's not the focus of this arc and you can see that in a lot of the outfits thb. I also like the lack of blue and yellow, 2/3 of his colors as Sanji is often associated with those too as we've talked about before. Also, I like the little red strips on the white jacket with the gold buttons, idk why and I think it's nice that the last 2 outfits are so simple in general, it's a nice look for him. oh, what's that? A Pink jabot? Your killing me Lu, straight up killing me here lil' bro! Side note, is this the first time in canon Luffy has worn a suit jacket or is it the only time I've noticed? Cos DAMM!! Shits sick as fuck and I actually love that when wearing a suit jacket as such he always keep short on 😆

Spa Island, Z's Ambition & Strong World: WHOS READY FOR A RELAXING SUNNY DAAAYY!? (pun not intended but very much enjoyed) I actually adore the fact Luffy still tries to go swimming cos it was his favourite thing to do as a kid so like fuck Luffy is gonna give up on that. He's got his safety measures ready, what more do you want from him? I mean I personally want him not to swim with his hat on cos it's litrally Staw and that's not good for water but anyway Z's Ambition, am I right!? The top is so fucking cute and I just noticed those shorts are also ✨designer✨ fancy man!! Now, the pic of Zoro is the one I missed out before and it's also from Z's Ambition. I love that Luffy has the shark top but Zoro has the ocean shorts. I really love Zoro in this purple cos and thick white stripes really work with the ocean waves. It's really well put together and hes got dark brown sandels on to off set all the white but keep the purple from being a stand out color, it's cool! Than the last Luffy looks like he's at a fashion show. It looks like the shorts come from a kids set the shark top belongs to. Imagine those together, it'd be so cute. However, it isn't an ocean patten, those are clouds cos Nami has a bikini top with the same pattern in Skypiea and it's actually one of my favourites for her.

Boss Luffy Historical Special! This filler AU is so much fun, I think any it a lot. He has his hair up in that super cute and useless way that doesn't actually do much but I do have my hair like that a lot n it's just... nice? Idk, it's strange buy I like he did that. I really enjoy his Kimono more that the actual Wano one cos it's a lot more simple look. The Sai being tucked in in that way is also cool but kinda makes it look like it's stabbing him a bit 👁️👄👁️. I like the pin strips being like a faded purpleish cos if you just glance at it, it makes it look it fuzzy. The belt also looks very nice with the middle ligter bit. It really feels like the Wano one was inspired by this is a way cos of the color matches. Like, it's probably not but still.

3D2Y, Adventure of Nebulandia 😍 & Heart of Gold: Hat-less Luffy is both a sin and a blessing. Regardless, I LOVE OP BOYS IN HOODIES!! I had to show you this specific the 3D2Y because we don't see the hood and it's soooo cute cos it a paw 😍 but also 😬 cos it's like... Kuma's paw the thing that cause 3D2Y in the first place. But that's also why it's so cool at the same time and AHHHHHH 😄 Now! On to Nebulandia! I really like this movie but also in canon, how does he have that jumper? Who made it for him and can I have one? It's Usopp flag design so I guess it could be him but he doesn't seem the type. Point is I want one. Last of this set is some really cosy outfits!! "How much fur?" "Yes" am I right? Like the first one is sooooo cosy with all the fur! Plus, a funky new bamboo hat, always a good thing to have a new hat. I appreciate that you can see the zips on these too. Then the orange turtle neck one with little fluffy bits is just here cos it's so out of his usual looks, I had to at least mention it.

Strong world & Film Z: The shorts on the first one are really cute cos it's a light rosey pink with red fur and just a plain solid dark blue colour jacket works really well. Not to mention the fact he has a super cute orange and yellow flight helmet hat with goggles on under the Staw hat. The 2 bag straps also make an X which is a nice detail. The 2nd outfits in this movie are super fuckin cool ngl. It's so strange to see them all dress in black and have guns but I like the red shirt for him with the yellow highlighted parts. Makes the Straw hat actually work with the outfit instead of ignoring it. Film Z brings us the same flight helmet hat just brighter and without the goggles but also opens with this T-Shirt and Luffy being silly with it. I think that's the only reason to mention it, it's funny. Then the obligation pirate outfit, always stunning plus the meat belt.

Film: Gold & Stampede (also used in Cidre Guild): these are my top 3 Luffy outfits no matter what else I see. I love the straw cowboy hat sooooo much cos it's very Luffy. I like the balls they has as a team to choose white for all of them, considering they are all quite messy people, living for that dad shirt and I like the Golden chain around his neck but am always confused as to why it was never used against him. Like dude could and should have tried to choke him at least once, right? Anyway, the dress! Now, the dress isn't actually that good but it's my favourite because it shows how Luffy has no fucks about gendered things. On to of that, a big pink flower is wonderful and look at his confidences in it, he's so proud of it the boom, Nami told him he can't wear it! Lastly, the Stampede outfit!!! Just like the Nebulandia jumper, I have no idea who made it but it's irrelevant cos it's beautiful and I want it so badly. I like that it's white and red stripes, gives thenprefect vibes for Stampedes opening. The shirt is actually too big for him, you can see on his arms but it's actually super cute. I love the simple look of these shorts then the fact his yellow belt is replaced with white bandages and the black on the kimono sandels are now red? It's such a simple pallet and it's truly the best!

I also just wanna add, I think it's really cute when Luffy has the Straw hat on his back just cos his hair is really cute. Idk why, it's looks kinda cursed but cute at the same time

This post took 2 weeks or so to make and we made listening to the complete BNHA soundtrack, film gold OST and Sonic generations vol.1

Sanji

Zoro

Nami

#one piece #monkey d luffy #monky d luffy #straw hat luffy #monkey d. luffy #luffy #one piece luffy #op art ref #art ref #art reference