just imagining a teeny tiny tim being absolutely devastated about jason’s death, that he manages to get on to dark forums to contact a mercenary for a hit on the joker’s life.
and who happens to be that mercenary? deathstroke.
tim wires money from his (admittedly very high) allowance to slade, who finishes the job within the week — news outlets are going crazy as nobody knows who pulled off such a stunt — bruce is confused, and dick is both grateful, that someone took the bastard who killed his baby brothers life, and angry, because bruce wasn’t the one to do it.
slade however? wants to investigate, someone finally had the gall to order a hit on the joker and he’s a little curious to see who it is.
only come to find a little boy all alone in a big house who spends his nights following around a vigilante in a furry suit.
and, well, slade hasn’t been the best parent, and probably doesn’t know how to deal with an average kid, but who can blame him when he begins to train tim into becoming a mercenary just like him — after all, how else is he gonna defend himself on the streets of gotham when he gallivants around with an expensive camera, a sign basically saying ‘kidnap me!’ strapped to his chest?
so what if the kid becomes robin and uses those skills in the cape? that’s batman’s problem to figure out.
9K notes
·
View notes
A Stray
As the siblings made their way up to the shared apartment (having to take the stairs cause what shitty apartment complex had a working elevator) Danny questioned Jazz on her late night.
Danny had just got off work late and he was surprised to run into Jazz at the entrance of their building. Now, Danny wasn’t naive, he knew Jazz could take care of herself and he pitied the poor Rogue who crossed her on a bad day. (It didn’t stop him from worrying just like his having powers didn’t stop Jazz.) Yet, it was well after eleven and she wasn’t one to be out after ten pm, partially because this was Gotham but mostly because she liked sticking to a routine.
Jazz shrugged, “I got caught up working on an assignment, didn’t realize the time.”
Danny looked at her closely, ‘didn’t realize the time’, yeah right. Like he said Jazz stuck to her routines when possible. As he continued to stare, they got closer to the door and the blush on Jazz’s face (previously attributed to the cold night) deepened. She shoved her key into the lock and -
“You were with somebody,” Danny declared.
With a sigh that came only from the soul of an eldest siblings Jazz let them both in. “Yes, Danny. I was with someone and you will mind your business until I decide if it’s going anywhere.”
“At least give me a name.” There came another sigh, “his name is Jason.” “….. that’s such a boring name.” “Danny.”
A door slammed and they both turned. Ellie was standing in front of her bedroom, her eyes flickering from them to the bathroom door across the hall. The three all stood in silence as she seemed to make a decision. Taking the two steps required to enter the bathroom, she called, “you two are back late.”
“Yeah, long shift and Jazz had a date.” Jazz shot him a quick glare before turning a worried look to Ellie, who was making her way back to her room with the first aid kit. She looked fine, still, “are you okay?”
Ellie paused and looked at her older siblings, confused, “yeah? Why?” Danny gestured to the first aid kit. Ellie looked at it then back to them. She shrugged, “yeah, it’s not for me.” She then went into the room and re-shut her door.
Jazz was going to loose lung capacity if she kept sighing like that. With one hand in her hip and the other pinching the bridge of her nose, Danny thought she definitely looked the part of his and Ellie’s parental figure. Not that Danny needed one, he was eighteen- thank you very much. Still Jazz had always been more of a mom in several areas where Maddie had lacked.
“Her and those strays she keeps being home.” It was Danny’s turn to shrug, slightly amused, “five bucks says it’s a squirrel again.” He followed Jazz to Ellie’s room where she opened the door. “Ellie, I’ve told you before. I love that you want to help-“
They both paused because there on Ellie’s tinny twin sized bed, bleeding from a gash on his side, was a Robin. And not the avian kind.
Ellie had also paused in her attempt to clean the wound and was staring back at her siblings. The Robin didn’t seem conscious and just let out a broken groan.
Danny, from where he was looking over Jazz’s shoulder, was the first to speak.
“Well that’s not a squirrel.”
450 notes
·
View notes
Father had personally asked Feanor to stand for this portrait, so he was. Father had quietly suggested that perhaps this could be a painless exercise, which did not actually mean ‘painless’ but rather ‘silent’ for Feanor, but he agreed. Father told him this painting did not symbolize anything but his own desire to have a record of all his available loved ones around him, and Feanor was trying to see it that way- for the sake of his own sanity.
Because his stomach was roiling, and there was a heaviness in his chest, a great emptiness which his heart was pounding against, echoing, echoing, echoing.
Father had one hand on Feanor’s shoulder and the other was upon Indis’s. She was sat in front of them, smiling beautifully, little golden-haired Arafinwe in her lap. Around them, her three dark-haired children were gathered. Findis on Father’s other side, Nolofinwe with her, and Lalwen in front of Feanor.
To the unaware eye, Feanor knew, they must all look like they matched. Like they went together correctly. Like a family.
When the portrait was complete and those dark haired children were gathered around the mother and father, who would guess that one child was out of place? Who might glance at all that paint representing their faces and think anything but-
You could almost be her son, Feanor thought, and then his mind replied, But you’re not.
He was so still and he dared not move, because if he did, he’d never get back in place. If Feanor flinched once, the sharp, jagged pieces of him that never fit right in this puzzle would scratch one of them. They’d be annoyed and that would be it: he’d combust in anger, he’d shatter across the floor, snapping and snarling at everyone unnecessarily until he ruined their perfect little scene. Father said this might be a painless exercise. No, no; this was to be a silent, still exercise.
You could almost be her son. But you’re not.
How good a painter was this person Father hired? How varied his faces? Would he capture that Feanor’s nose resembled that of none of the people here? Could he represent that his frame was already different from his father and little half-brother’s?
Would he lie and throw a pleased smile on Feanor’s face? Not even Father had asked him to smile.
You could almost be her son. But you’re not.
Feanor’s presence made them fit together so symmetrically, maybe that was pleasing enough to hide the wrongness of this scene. Maybe that’s why Father made him come here today, the pretty scene. Why he asked him to suffer, even as the longer he stood here, the more and more Feanor felt like he was about to be sick all over the floor.
A ghost, a ghost, there was a ghost looming over their shoulders ruining this perfectly symmetrical scene. Couldn’t they feel her breathing down their necks, icy chill against sweat? Didn’t their perfectly posed heads feel her long, clever fingers wrapped lovingly around their necks?
You could almost be her son. But you’re not.
Feanor’s gaze slipped down to the back of Indis’s head. Her beautiful golden hair. She didn’t wear a crown, this was a family portrait, and that felt worse. So much worse.
If he let his eyes unfocus and his mind wander, he could try to lie to himself that her hair was much lighter and the faces of the children around them more closely resembled his own. The woman in front of him loved him, and she fussed over his hair before they sat for this portrait, and he’d let her do it.
The worst part was Feanor did know that Indis would help him with the ties of his robes, if only he let her.
You could almost be her son. But you’re not.
She’s not, she’s not, she’s not. It was a simple statement of fact. It was scandal enough that the father replaced the wife, when one at least chose a wife, but what freak replaced his own mother?
What would the people who saw this portrait think? Would they see Finwe’s happy family or would they see Feanor’s blaring, uncomfortable intrusion upon what gods and men declared to be a better order of things? Father wanted him to belong here, but he didn’t.
He just didn’t.
You could almost be her son. But you’re not.
A painless exercise. Painless, painless, painless, for them. Silent, still Feanor, a happy accessory to the triumphant union of Finwe and Indis, a grateful stray dog permitted to drink from the bowls provided by Indis’s family.
This exercise was just meant to capture the image of all Finwe loved, nothing more. Don’t think too hard about it, Feanor. You might make the children unhappy.
You could almost be her son. But you’re not.
You should pretend you are, though. That’ll make them like you.
Because they did so disdain him, most of the time. They disliked how he glared at their mother and started fights at family dinners and ignored them in the hallways. Why shouldn’t they? Feanor would hate a person who did those things to his family, too.
He just couldn’t stop, though. He wanted to, sometimes, when the exhaustion and loneliness caught up, and then he remembered that he wasn’t Indis’s son and never would be, and remembering that made him angry. Wouldn’t it just be so damn convenient for them all if he was almost her son?
But he wasn’t.
He was Miriel’s son. That was her name. He had no portrait with her. He loved her.
He loved Miriel, but it was Indis he posed with and-
When the session was done, Feanor jerked away from his father and shoved his way past Lalwen. As he went, Indis looked up at him, caught his eye, and he couldn’t help the sneer that crossed his face.
He hoped that was painless enough for her.
When he returned to his chamber, he went to the wash room and heaved in the pot there. The gagging and retching made wetness prick his eyes, and the sudden tightness of throat made him choke all the harder. The sickness and heaving stayed long past when there was anything in his stomach to lose.
No one came. Feanor hoped maybe Father would, but really, why would he? Feanor had been mostly good, just a little rudeness wasn’t worth either reprimand or comfort.
No, they were together. Maybe admiring their portrait, happy and pleased, or complaining about his behavior again. Really, why couldnt that Curufinwe just accept nice things?
I need to get out of here, Feanor thought, face and body wet with both sweat and tears. I need to leave this place.
He was a good son, and he could do anything else his father wanted but betray his mother any more.
Feanor couldn’t pose as Indis’s son even a second longer. He would destroy himself, if he had to think one more time-
You could almost be her son. But you’re not.
259 notes
·
View notes