#they should be grateful damian likes tea and not coffee | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

alecmagnuslwb · 3 years

Text

Say Your Name Softly

Read on AO3

“Jaybird what happened to ‘don’t call any attention to ourselves’?” Roy asks as he looks around the bar where Jason has absolutely just caused a scene.

“I’m improvising,” Jason says throwing a wad of bills onto the bar for the owner as an apology for the trouble he’s just caused. “And choose between Jaybird or your trachea, you can’t have both,” Jason adds on because he doesn’t need Roy giving him some stupid nickname.

Roy, naturally, doesn’t listen. Jaybird sticks and despite his reputation and vague threats Jason never actually does anything to put a stop to it. Jaybird becomes common vernacular for Roy.

First Jason’s pretty sure Roy does it just to annoy him, especially when he realizes Jason wasn’t really serious about the whole trachea thing, delighting in every sharp glare that has less and less heat behind it every time Jason shoots one back.

From there it just sort of evolves, Jason stops glaring every time Roy says it and it becomes an everyday friendly nickname that as much as Jason is loath to admit it out loud he likes.

He’s Jaybird and well that’s fine.

***

Roy takes a running jump from the ledge of the building reaching out for the grappling hook and landing with a grace that sometimes still surprises Jason.

He doesn’t stop moving as he rolls to a stand and takes off, arrows knocked and aiming at the goons cornering them.

“Cover me Jaybird!” he shouts as he goes, expertly dodging gunfire while hitting three of the goon’s square in the chest with stun arrows. Jason curses under his breath already in motion guns at the ready. Beside him Dick chuckles.

“Jaybird?” he laughs and questions simultaneously as he stands and does a complicated flip jumping into the fray. Jason ignores him taking out the kneecaps of several of the guys while Dick kicks and punches his way through a pack of them, the blue of his Nightwing costume moving like a blur. Off to the side he hears the familiar thwip of a bow and thud of knocked out bodies.

Between the three of them they deal with the lackies easily, to the surprise of no one Black Mask doesn’t even bother showing his ugly, bony face. Jason’s tying up the last of the goons when he hears the sirens in the distance, Montoya most likely leading the charge. Jason stands to his full height about to shout over to Roy that at least he needs to get going, he’s not exactly on the best of terms with the GCPD just yet even if he’s been cleaning up his act.

Roy however beats him to it, “Jaybird!” he shouts from the other side of the roof where he and Dick have been chatting. “We better motor!”

Jason turns and shoots a thumb out to the direction of the next roof over so they can make their escape quickly before the cops show up not needing to say a word for Roy to know what he’s meaning. Roy nods in return before turning back to Dick, the two do some complicated bro handshake that ends with a loud high five before Roy immediately takes off in a run shooting another grappling hook for he and Jason to slide across.

“See you soon,” Dick shouts at Jason as Roy already makes his slide over to the next building. “Jaybird,” he emphasizes with a big doofy looking smile that Jason hates. He does not have time for his big brother teasing him about going soft or something by letting Roy call him a nickname.

“Hopefully not too soon, Dickie,” he shouts flipping his brother a playful middle finger as he takes off in a run following close behind Roy.

***

Dick isn’t the first, or the last to comment on the little nickname as more and more people hear it. Kory always gives Jason this look, this soft understanding look that he doesn’t understand every time he lets the nickname slide. Alfred drops on comms one evening to invite him over for tea and calls him Master Jaybird and Jason can hear his teasing smile in the words. One by one his family and Roy’s friends all start to just make little notices of it, like it’s some big deal.

Which it isn’t. It’s not like the words become more and more a term of endearment than a nickname, like lately Roy hasn’t taken to saying it a lot softer than he ever had before and started accompanying it with these lingering soft little touches. It’s not like Jason hasn’t found himself feeling something a little deeper than friendship of late when Roy says it, like he doesn’t absolutely melt when those little touches brush his skin. It’s just a silly name, that’s it.

“You good, Jaybird?” Roy asks his hand reaching out to turn Jason’s unmasked face to look at the cut along his cheek, all things considered it’s a minor injury.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Jason says not making any move to stop Roy’s hand from lingering. That is until he catches sight of a small pack of Titans out of the corner of his eye. He clears his throat and steps back a bit a small grateful smile that he knows only Roy will notice on his lips. Roy just nods his head resting a hand a little too lightly to be considered some sort of bro slap on his shoulder before he steps away over to the little group.

Donna starts walking their way brushing Roy’s arm in a friendly manner as she goes, Jason’s stomach does a weird fluttering thing at the action. He’s not jealous, there’s no reason to be jealous. He and Roy are friends. Donna and Roy are friends. It’s as unmeaning as the nickname is.

“Jaybird, huh?” Donna says with a tittering laugh as she passes. They’ve just thwarted an apocalypse; Superman is somewhere on the metropolitan battlefield and that’s what she chooses to focus on. Roy just shrugs winking at her as he goes a look of some understanding passing between them that Jason can’t quite read.

Jason turns around bending down to pick up his helmet where it had been rudely knocked off of his head during a fight. Donna’s boots come into his eyeline, the amazon standing firmly beside him. He stands to his full height mirroring her stance with her arms crossed and hip cocked. She watches over where Roy, Dick, Gar and a few others have gathered checking in with each other.

“You better treat him right, Todd,” she says turning the full force of her warrior stance on him. Jason squints at her, the sky has turned back from its bright red to the sparkling night it should be, it makes the little constellations and stars on her outfit shine even brighter and makes her somehow more intimidating.

“That’s all,” she says before he can scramble to say it’s not like that with a wide fake smile, she reaches out her hand and places it on Jason’s shoulder like Roy just had, but with a much firmer grip, a grip that means business. It takes every bit of his Batman training not to wince.

She smiles more genuinely after a moment and steps away her eyes trained upwards when she spots Diana fly above.

Jason just watches her go expression unmoving realizing that maybe everyone keeps pointing out the nickname for a reason.

***

Jason’s not totally certain how he ended up at an arrow family dinner, except for the fact that he’s weak in the face of a bright-eyed pouting Roy Harper. So when he’d asked Jason to come as a buffer in case things between him and Ollie got intense his big green eyes bright in the morning sun with a pout on his face as he gave Jason a giant mug of coffee just the way he likes it, well he didn’t have it in him to say no.

Roy had been dodging the invitations for nearly a year, but when Dinah showed up in person and asked him to come there was no way he could say no.

Plus they’ve been spending more and more time in the warehouse in Star City than the loft in Gotham these days anyway, so really it was more a matter of convenience than anything.

So here they all are surrounding a big green table, which Jason thinks is a little on the nose, and everything has been shockingly pleasant so far. Dinah had practically burst into happy tears when she saw Roy on their doorstep and she’d even welcomed Jason in with open arms.

It’s clear the other arrow kids love Roy he’s oldest of them and they all look up to him and it pains Jason to see how surprised Roy is by that fact all the time. He’s not a screw up in their eyes, he’s their hero who overcame a lot to still be sitting at this table today.

Connor and Cissie are fairly indifferent to Jason which is just fine by him, except for Emiko who keeps asking exceedingly inappropriate questions about Batman that Damian always refused to answer. Jason doesn’t have any qualms about answering them however and he’s certain he’ll be getting a stern call from Bruce in no time about it. Mia is even shockingly polite, which considering their history is the most shocking thing about the whole evening.

Even more shocking though is Oliver Queen himself who is nothing but cordial and corny the whole night through. He’s clearly trying to maintain an easy-going environment and watching his words carefully so that he doesn’t test any boundary or limit that will lead to even one tense moment between he and Roy.

He doesn’t like Jason, but he’s never liked Jason so the simple fact he’s made not one negative remark about Jason’s presence is just enough for him. Everything about this night is clearly a win in Roy’s book judging from the smile that’s rarely left his face all night.

Dinner is perfectly pleasant and even makes Jason a little nostalgic for his Robin days when he was still innocent and family dinners weren’t just the occasional tea with Alfred. They’re lingering after dinner clearly each just waiting to see who will be the first one to break and say they need to leave and go on patrol.

It’s a waiting game Jason’s seen and always been the first to break at every gathering of his own brood, the only reason he’s not tonight is for Roy’s sake. He’s not even really paying attention anymore just lingering over the Tupperware of insanely good chili that Oliver had pushed his way moments ago letting the family just be together.

“Hey, Jaybird,” Roy says startling Jason out of his staring contest with the chili. He looks up and meets Roy’s eyes followed by the amused little smiles of everyone else and Ollie’s wide eyed, confusion maybe? Definitely surprise. “You ready to go bust up that fight club?”

Jason raises an eyebrow. The fight club in question has been on their radar for some time now, they’re 99% certain they’re using meta’s against their will and have been planning a little coup of their own over the weeks. Roy has about one and half feet in the door as a high roller, playing the role of spoiled rich boy looking to blow money even better than Jason does.

The next time he shows up he’s certain it’ll be the clubs last night in operation, he didn’t think tonight would be that night.

“You sure?” Jason questions searching Roy’s eyes for confirmation that this isn’t because he missed something going sour. Roy’s eyes look clear and certain and Jason knows he hasn’t missed a thing, Roy just wants to get the job they started done. He nods grabbing the Tupperware and the rest of the arrow kids take that as their cue each signaling their own farewells. Ollie never stops watching the two of them however, he looks like his mind has been running a mile a minute as he leans against the counter.

He finally moves when they all makes their way out the door, Dinah hugging each of the kids and even Jason as they file out. Roy and Dinah chat for a few more minutes while Jason safely secures the chili to his bike.

Roy looks so light and carefree and it makes Jason smile against his will. They walk over to the bike together Dinah hugging Roy one more time before he turns to Ollie and they do a weird bro hug style farewell that’s only a little bit awkward.

Ollie grips his bicep when they pull back. “You sure you two won’t need any backup with whatever you’re messing around with tonight?” he asks eyes briefly flitting over to where Jason leans against his bike.

“Nah, we’ll be good, Jaybird’s got my back,” Roy says. Ollie gets this amused look on his face as Roy steps away and takes the spare helmet Jason offers him. Jason gets on the bike first ignoring whatever is going on with Oliver.

“Jaybird,” Oliver mumbles under his breath before shaking his head. “Well if you change your mind, Pretty Bird,” he says looking Jason directly in the eyes as he pulls her close and places a lingering kiss on her head. Jason can’t ignore the implication of that comparison the way he’s managed to ignore everyone else’s glances and little comments. “And I are just a call away,” Ollie finishes with a chuckle.

Roy gives him a smile and a salute as he puts on his helmet and slips onto the bike behind Jason sitting a little closer and holding Jason’s waist a little tighter than necessary. Jason throws down his helmet visor to avoid the way Oliver’s still looking at him all meaningful and vaguely threatening before speeding away.

***

Tearing down the fight club is a hell of a lot easier than Jason expected it to be. They gear up at home then they’re in and out and sending vans full of free meta’s to safe havens set up around the city by the Black Canary herself in under two hours.

They’re both a little banged up when they make it back to the warehouse, but it’s nothing a few band-aids and a little Neosporin can’t handle.

Roy starts discarding pieces of the fancy burgundy suit he was sporting as soon as they’re in the door, Jason follows suit pulling weapon after weapon from his person in what they lovingly refer to as the discard box by the door. It’s their go to spot for all the weapons that need a good cleaning or maybe a good recycling down in Roy’s workshop.

By the time Jason’s down to just his pants and an under-armor shirt Roy’s settled down at the kitchen island rifling through the first aid kit with one hand and holding his other to a spot on the back of his head.

Jason walks up behind him picking his hand up from the spot he’s covering carefully.

“Did someone slice you on the back of the head?” he asks grabbing the rubbing alcohol from Roy’s hand.

“Yup, not sure how, but yup,” Roy grimaces when Jason takes a cotton ball to the slice.

“Told you not to cut your hair,” Jason says as he keeps cleaning the wound out. Last month Roy had finally parted with his scraggly red locks for a new cut short on the sides and back and just a little longer on the top. It looks good on him, but sometimes Jason misses the tresses of hair that would always slip their way out of his hats and blow around in the wind when they stood on rooftops. The hair not even fazing Roy from making a perfect shot when they’d fly in front of his eyes.

Roy snorts. “You just miss braiding my hair.”

“Yeah during all our pillow fights and sleepovers,” Jason huffs as he finishes cleaning up the slice and moves to open the Neosporin. He can’t exactly bandage this up so he’ll just have to badger Roy to remember to keep it clean.

Roy sighs. “If only you’d accept all my invitations to those, Jaybird,” he says seriously and there’s implications not even an emotionally constipated Jason Todd can’t catch onto under those words.

“You’re always calling me that,” Jason says as he slowly finishes up on the wound.

“Jaybird?” Roy asks slowly turning around to face Jason when he gives him a tap on the shoulder signifying he’s done.

Jason nods swallowing the lump in his throat realizing this conversation is happening there’s no jumping around it anymore.

“Well aside from your attempts early on, it was pretty clear you didn’t mind it all that much,” Roy says leaning back against the island. He reaches out brushing the bit of hair that’s fallen into Jason’s eyes, it’s the part that’s shock white a stark contrast to the rest of his dark hair. “So, yeah I call you that all the time.”

“You know Oliver calls Dinah Pretty Bird all the time,” he says tracking the movement of Roy’s hand as it falls slowly down the length of Jason’s arm.

“That he does,” Roy hums as he reaches Jason’s hand and tangles their fingers together.

“And you call me Jaybird,” Jason says looking up from their joined hands to Roy’s eyes.

“That has been established.”

“You know some people might make implications based on those similarities,” Jason says holding Roy’s eyes.

“Yeah they sure might,” Roy says pushing himself off the island. They’re practically nose to nose, eyes locked. “Damn do I wish the right person would realize those implications already.”

Jason swallows again a small smile forming on his lips. He never thought this would happen, that he’d work up the courage and finally acknowledge this ever-growing thing between them. That it would lead to a moment like this.

“Well I think he’s catching on,” he says. Roy smiles bright and lifts his other hand to gently cup Jason neck.

“About fucking time,” he says before leaning in finally breaching the space between them and connecting their lips. It’s a slow, sweet glide with so much passion and over a years’ worth of tension all seeping through when their lips move and their tongues meet. Jason’s not sure how much time passes, but eventually breathing becomes a necessity.

Roy doesn’t let him go far, keeping his hand on Jason’s neck and their fingers intertwined. He tilts their heads together while they both catch their breath.

“Well that works, huh, Jaybird,” he says stroking his thumb up and down the side of Jason’s neck.

“It sure does, Roy Toy,” Jason says with a chuckle hating the nickname even as it leaves his lips. Roy’s head throws back in a deep laugh he can’t seem to restrain.

“No way, nuh uh,” he says still chuckling. “You’re gonna have to do better than that, I’ll have to take up your trachea idea if you try to make that a thing.”

Jason snorts. “I’ll keep workshopping then,” he says before leaning back in and kissing the bright smile off of Roy’s lips.

#my fic #jayroy #jason todd #roy harper #the implications of ollie calling dinah pretty bird and roy calling jason jaybird are A LOT okay

50 notes · View notes

alex-ruins-everything · 4 years

Text

Turning Pages - Chapter 4

Intrulogical bookshop au! Read the whole thing on ao3 here.

Remus was pretty sucky at obeying speed limits on an average day, but he was currently pretending they didn’t even exist. He could almost hear Roman screaming at him to slow down or they were gonna die. Spoiler alert: they never died! And Roman had been the one to have car issues, not Remus! Today though he was eager to get to Janus’ house. He always enjoyed seeing his friend, but enjoyed it more when he had a guaranteed person to listen to his ramblings, even if Janus was flipping through a book while he listened. He reached the other’s neighborhood, parking his car and grabbing the two take away mugs, not bothering to knock before he entered.

“Oh Janny! I’m here! And I brought you tea!” he called out, figuring Janus was likely in his room studying or some boring activity like that.

Remus moved up the stairs two at a time, nudging open the door to Janus’ room with his hip. He wasn’t studying but rather sitting cross legged on his bed with his two yellow ball pythons curled up in his lap. He had headphones on so he must not have heard Remus enter, as shown clearly by the mild look of shock that graced his face.

“You have the babies out!” Remus cooed, forgetting the coffee cups on top of the dresser to sit on the bed across from Janus. “Aw...hey, Ethan. Hey Damian. Look at your cute little snake faces.”

“I thought you were going to text me when you arrived,” Janus sighed, pulling his headphones out of his ears and pausing his music.

“Did I say that? I don’t think I said that,” Remus laughed, picking up one of the snakes. He could never tell which one was Ethan and which one was Damien. They looked identical.

“Right, silly me. I should know better than to expect politeness from you by now.”

Janus stood up from the bed, picking up the second snake and placing him into his habitat before taking the one Remus was holding and doing the same. He grabbed his cup of tea before sitting back on the bed, giving a small sigh.

“So, what did you do? You usually buy me tea when you’ve done something or you’re about to do something,” he said, sipping the drink tentatively to test if it was too hot or not.

Remus couldn’t deny that Janus knew him well. They had been best friends since the third grade and fairly inseparable since. When Janus was really young he got in an accident that left him with some nasty scars. They weren’t as bad now as they were when they were younger, but kids had been mean and Remus liked to play hero. A few punches thrown to bullies and Remus had gained a best friend. Just in time too because that was around the time his brother was starting to make his own friends and suddenly the Kingsley twins were no longer joined at the hip. Remus kept assholes away from Janus and Janus kept Remus in line as much as he could. It was a good balance.

“Well...there’s this boy~,” Remus started, mouth curling up into a grin. He wished he hadn’t left his coffee so far away, but he didn’t care enough to get up and grab it. “He works at a bookshop- you know the one on Main? The craziest thing? He’s like totally immune to my charms! I asked him for coffee today and he said no!” “Remarkable. You’ve finally met someone you can’t woo over,” Janus gave a slow clap of his hands, tea resting on his nightstand for now. “The bookshop on Main...you don’t mean Mr. Sanders’ place, do you?”

“Jan, Imma be real. I’ve no fucking clue who owns the place,” Remus shrugged. “All I know is that it’s a prison of books and this stunning nerd is locked away in there. It’s the one Virge works at.”

“Yes, I know the shop,” Janus nodded, gaze flickering down. “That’s, ah...that’s where Patton works. I believe I’ve mentioned him.”

“Patton...Patton...oh! Patton! I saw him today. I went to his little book reading. Wait, that’s Patton? Dude, he reminds me of the Pillsbury Doughboy.”

“He does not! Don’t be rude,” Janus sighed, grabbing his tea and sipping at it again. “Don’t tell me that the boy you’ve fallen for is Logan. Is it?”

Remus’ grin widened as he nodded enthusiastically. “That’s the one! He’s dreamy~”

“He’s robotic.”

“Well- maybe a little bit. That doesn’t mean he isn’t cute,” Re countered. “Hey! We should hit up the bookshop together. You can gawk at Patton, I’ll flirt up Logan. Hell, I’m sure I’ll be driving my brother there sooner rather than later.”

Janus paused for a moment, thinking it over. He wasn’t necessarily the type to go bother someone at work, but he didn’t know where else to run into Patton so he nodded, figuring this plan of Remus’ wasn’t the worst one he had come up with. Besides, he hadn’t been to the shop in a while. He was so caught up with summer classes that he hadn’t had time to pick up a book for casual reading in quite some time.

“Yes, okay. I’m free Tuesday afternoon if you want to go,” he said. “I have a quiz that day so I believe I’ll be out of my morning class a touch earlier than usual.”

“Or~ skip class?” Remus tried, knowing there was a very slim chance of that happening. Janus was a law student trying to graduate early, he didn’t skip class unless he had a good lie to get out of it, and certainly not on a test day.

“No shot, Romeo. We can go after.”

Remus let out a small complaint that he wasn’t the Romeo of his family, but it fell on deaf ears as Janus just sipped at his tea with a small smirk. The boy talk ceased lightly as the two friends went about their evening. They watched some god awful horror movie that Remus wanted to watch, ordered pizza, and eventually Remus fell asleep on the floor. Janus didn’t have the heart to wake him up so he sent a text to Roman, just so the Kingsley’s knew Remus was safe at least. He got a thumbs up emoji in response and figured that was average for the conversations he had with Remus’ twin brother. Roman had never liked Janus too much, though no one could tell you what started their small rivalry. Janus moved about to get ready for bed himself, but when he returned back from the bathroom Remus had somehow moved up to the bed, laying on top of the covers, fully clothed thankfully. Ignoring the fact that Remus wasn’t particularly the cleanest person, Janus climbed in next to him like he always did, grateful for the added warmth anyway as he settled under the blankets. It might have been the middle of summer but that didn’t negate the fact that he was always cold. Pretty soon he was slipping into sleep as well despite the loud snores coming from his friend in his ear.

TAGLIST:

@theiwatobiicepic

#alex-writes-everything #turning pages #intrulogical #prinxiety #moceit #sanders sides #remus sanders #logan sanders #roman sanders #virgil sanders #janus sanders #patton sanders

38 notes · View notes

xaphrin · 5 years

Text

Kissing

Part Seven

“I needed a little air.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry. I should have warned you about the ah… family.” Dick came up behind her quietly, rubbing the back of his neck as he gave her a sheepish smile. He shifted, as if uneasy, and looked away from her. “I wish I could say that I thought they might be a little better behaved, but… I knew better than to hold my breath. And, honestly, I didn’t think Damian would pull the swords out at the table. Alfred is usually pretty good about making sure he doesn’t bring them into the dining room unless absolutely necessary.”

Raven’s eyebrows knitted together, and she stared at him confused. “Is it ever absolutely necessary?”

“You’d be surprised.” He ran a hand down his face and looked up at the sky, letting go of a deep sigh that almost rattled his bones. “Sometimes I’m surprised. There’s a lot that goes on here that we don’t always talk about.” He let go of a short bark of laughter and stood next to her. “For very good reason, as I’m sure you could see tonight.”

Raven pressed her lips together and bit back a laugh, the sound a soft kind of joyful. “It’s… fine? I like your family - as weird and raucous as they might be.”

Dick looked over at her and smiled, his expression softening. He leaned against the railing of the patio and looked out at the garden, his lips tugging to the side. “I’m glad you’re here though, it's nice to have the support.”

“Isn’t that what Tim and Babs and Steph are for?” Raven imagined Cass could get into her fair share of silly fights over mashed potatoes and gravy.

Dick snorted and shook his head. “They’re usually just as bad. Jason is notorious for getting on people’s nerves, including my own. It’s like his own, personal super power.” He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “You should have seen him when I brought Star over once. I thought I was going to murder him by the end of the night.”

Raven laughed and leaned against the railing, her eyes tracing the neatly trimmed grass as it sloped down the to tree line. Her heart seemed to still and her breath didn’t seem to come in such short, staccato bursts anymore. Every muscle in her body seemed to relax, and she felt strangely content - more than she had in a long time. It was the first time in the last eight months were the weight of losing her powers didn’t make her feel so utterly helpless. Being here, being able to be a part of something, talking to Babs, meeting Dick’s family… it made her feel like she was a part of something more. It made her feel like she had her life back to a place where she might be able to finally heal.

“You’re quiet.” Dick’s voice broke her thoughts, and she felt him look over at her. “Anything you want to share with the class?”

“Mm.” Raven rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t keep the smile off her lips. “I’m just glad you’re here, helping me through this. I know I haven’t exactly been the best patient. But you’ve handled all of this with such grace and dignity.”

Dick laughed, the sound a bright light in the middle of the darkness. “Are you actually thanking me for being your friend? Wow. I’d be hurt if I didn’t know your personality.”

Raven huffed out an annoyed breath and stared at him. “I’m being honest, you know. You didn’t have to upend your life to take care of me while I struggle through… whatever this is. It’s not like I expected you to.” She fidgeted for a moment. “You’re my friend, but I don’t ever want you to see me like a burden.”

Dick turned towards her, resting his hip against the railing. His eyes were dark, and he stared at her intently, as if trying to filter out what he should say to her. There was a long pause before he finally spoke. “You’re making it sound like I shouldn’t care about you?”

“No.” Raven sighed and met his eyes. “I’m saying you have duties elsewhere. I’m not stupid. I know that there were two new recruits coming in today.”

“Yeah? So? It’s not like Star and Vic and Gar can’t take care of them. As much as you give them flack, they’re pretty capable people.” Dick shrugged, surprisingly cavalier about the whole situation. For a moment Raven seemed to sense that it almost didn’t matter, because he had something more important to focus on, and that confused her even more. What was more important than the team?

“I don’t give them flack.” Okay, maybe she did a little, but it was always in good spirit. “I’m just pointing out that for being a fearless leader, you should at least be there to meet your fearless recruits. It’s the right thing to do.”

“Yeah. I know. And I’ll do it when we get back.” Dick cocked his head to the side and looked at her, the playfulness in his face bleeding out. The shadows returned to his stare, and his eyes searched her face, as if he was trying to read her without realizing it. “It’s not like the new recruits are going anywhere, and they’ll be there when we get back. But right now… I don’t want to think about the team. I want to think about you.”

Raven swallowed, her tongue coming out to wet her lips. “What about me?”

“You’re doing better?” It was a question, as if he wanted to confirm what he had seen over the last few weeks. He wanted to hear it from her own mouth, and Raven wanted to tell him.

She was healing, yes. But also Babs was teaching her how to be more useful, how to run ops when her team went out scouting and out on missions. Babs had practically loaded Raven down with tech and knowledge to the point that Raven didn’t feel so helpless, that she felt like she had a purpose with the team. Finding a purpose and a spot for herself with the team made everything feel better, it made her feel less of a burden and more like a support member. And even if Constantine found something to help Raven, the skills Babs had been teaching her made Raven feel like she had a whole new skillset. She felt even more useful than she had before.

“I am. Bab’s is teaching me a lot, and I feel like I’m able to help support you even if I can’t be there.” Raven felt a genuine smile pull at her lips, her heart felt aching and full, like she was going to burst with emotion at any moment. “I… I appreciate everything you’ve gone for me, Dick. Really. I know that this wasn’t exactly what you wanted to do with your leave from the team, but… I’m happy you did, and I’m grateful. I don’t know where I’d be without you.”

Dick’s eyebrows knitted together, confused. “Who said this wasn’t what I wanted to do with my time away from the team? I suggested it.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t have to do it.” Raven shrugged and looked back out at the lawn, taking a deep breath. The scent of fresh-cut grass and late-summer dew filled her senses, and Raven felt her muscles release the tension she had been holding for months. It felt satisfying to be in a place where she wasn’t swallowed by her emotions, by the fear of being removed from the team, or by not being able to find her place in the world. It felt… good to be here, where she felt whole again.

“I wanted to. I care about you, Raven.”

Maybe it was the fact that he had repeated it so many times to her, or maybe it was that her nerves her settled enough that she finally heard the tone underneath his words, or maybe it was a hundred other things, but Raven heard it. She heard something that she hadn’t heard before, a gentleness to his voice, a caution that made them both pause, and she realized that when Dick told her he cared about her - it was more than that. It had always been more than that. Raven turned towards him and met his stare, her eyebrows knitting together.

Dick flushed, and he looked away with a soft laugh. “So… you figured it out, huh?” He shifted, eyes flicking to hers before looking away. “Only took you like a year.”

“Dick.”

Her mind was a montage of all the moments they shared together, their times alone in comfortable silence, their silly arguments and gentle pushing, their soft conversations when neither of them could sleep, coffee, tea, gentle touching that she just thought was friendly. Every thought and feeling and emotion was coursing through her right now, and it felt as though her body was aching and heavy. Raven felt like she was drowning in the realization that Dick liked her, and that she… she returned those feelings. Of course she did, how couldn’t she? How long had she felt this way without realizing it? How long had she caught herself staring at his profile, or laughing at his stupid puns, or helping him back up when he’d fallen so low? She’d been doing this for years, and not once had she realized the depth of her own emotions, or realize that Dick had felt the same way.

Raven swallowed, feeling like she wasn’t getting enough breath to her head. Or maybe too much. She wasn’t sure, human bodies were weird and her new emotions were practically wild inside her. “So… last night in the library…?”

He flushed, his fingers scratching at the line of his jaw. “Yeah… I… I was going to tell you and… ah… kiss you. If it’s okay, I mean. I wouldn’t want to make you feel like you had to do something you didn’t want to do.” He fidgeted, his fingers flexing before tightening into fists as he shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. “Sorry, I’m being a little weird.”

“I think the situation calls for it.” Raven leaned closer, smelling the musky scent of his soap. It was heady, and somehow comforting. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was working up the courage months ago, and… and then you lost your powers.” His shoulders fell and he glanced back into her face, looking sheepish again. “I didn’t want that burden on you when you were already punishing yourself so much, Rae. I wanted you to get to a point where you could heal, and I wanted to help you with that journey. Bleating out that I have deep feelings for you while you’re struggling with your own problems wasn’t exactly the best idea.” He paused and offered her a small smile. “I just wanted you to feel better, and feel safe… especially around me. I didn’t want you to think that what happened affected our relationship in any way.”

“I…” Raven found herself at a loss for words, and she just stared into his electric-blue stare, watching emotions flutter across his face. Her heart turned over, and she took another step closer, lifting a hand to his chest. She could feel his heart thunder under her touch, slamming against his ribs as she moved closer.

Dick looked down at her, his pupils blown wide, waiting.

They were both waiting, uncertain in this tender moment.

Raven took a shaky breath and lifted herself up on her toes, wondering when Dick had gotten so damn tall. “I… I think you should kiss me.”

His eyes widened for a moment, but he seemed to catch himself, and his lips tugged to the side in a half-smile. “Is that so?”

She nodded, her mouth suddenly dry. “I mean… we’ve clearly been waiting for it, and it seems stupid to keep waiting any longer. We like each other right?”

Dick laughed and leaned down, letting his forehead rest against her own. His nose bumped against hers, and his breath feathered against her lips. Raven had never felt such intense anticipation before, like her heart was going to burst free if he didn’t kiss her now. Every nerve-ending inside her was lit up, waiting for him to do… something. Anything. Her fingers tightened in his cotton shirt and she leaned up, feeling his lips brush against her own.

“Can I tell you something?”

Raven really didn’t want to drag this out any longer, but she knew that she wouldn’t be able to stop him from saying what he wanted to. If Dick wanted to say something, he would definitely say it. She made a soft noise in the back of her throat, urging him to get it over with.

“Those dance classes are making your ass look amazing.”

Her face fell, and Raven moved to pull back, but Dick caught her lips in a soft kiss and suddenly nothing else really mattered.

#robrae #robrae week 2019 #raven #robin #robraeweek2019 #this is the last part of this story #so the rest of the week is going to be figuring out how they got from chapter one to here #thank you for putting up with me

70 notes · View notes

sassycassie-s-series · 6 years

Text

All My Fault 16

By: SassyShoulderAngel319

Fandom/Character(s): DC, BatFam - Damian Wayne/Batman

Rating: PG

Notes: (Masterlist) The Tag list is still open so if you want to be tagged in future chapters of this story, let me knooow! Also let me know if any of the chapter links break please. This is another longer than usual one to make up for the last one being a little short.

Tag List (Open): @batboys-and-other-messes @nanna-the-batmum @probsjosh @welovegroot

Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 8, Ch 9, Ch 10, Ch 11, Ch 12, Ch 13, Ch 14, Ch 15

^^^^^

Three days after the gala and the media had yet to calm down about the photos that the event photographers took. The one of me laughing my head off and Damian slightly smiling while we were sitting on the sofa went viral with the tabloids and social media. They were speculating whether or not we were dating. We weren’t. The one of me forcing Frederick Augustine down onto his knees by my twisting his wrist and the other one of Bruce red in the face defending me after I left were causing quite the uproar. One of me and Damian dancing reinforced the rumors that we were dating. One of Dick and I dancing was just kind of there to show I was adjusting.

“You were right,” I remarked to Dick, Bruce, and Damian when I entered the kitchen for breakfast. “Everyone’s freaking out about everything.” I showed them my phone, which was still open to ridiculous rumors.

“Tt,” Damian tutted into his tea.

“Good thing your interview with Vicki is today,” Dick said. “I bet you’ll get to clear some of it up.”

“Yup,” I said, taking the toast Damian offered me and sitting at the counter. Bruce was reading the newspaper and drinking coffee as close to the wall as possible so he could lean against it.

The press liked to say that Tim was the coffee addict of the family since he always had a travel mug with him in almost every photo that the paparazzi got of him, but really Bruce was the coffee addict. He didn’t sleep enough back when he was Batman and I doubted much had changed now that he retired.

“Is Alfred taking you to the Gazette building or am I?” Dick asked as I ate my toast.

“I am,” Damian said so I didn’t have to talk with my mouth full.

“What?” Dick complained dramatically. “I wanted to play the chauffeur!”

“Alternately, I can,” Jason said, ducking into the room and heading for the fridge. “Fancy hat and sunglasses? No one will recognize me. The little gremlin can play escort again.”

“He’s not a gremlin, Jay,” I protested tiredly.

“No. None of you are going,” Damian said. “I am taking McCloud to the interview at the Gotham Gazette building and that’s that.”

Dick grumbled under his breath about no one in this family being any fun.

^^^^^

“So, we got the official statement that the Wayne family put out about you being lost in the time stream and your story to the police about the lights and colors, but what was it really like?” Vicki Vale asked.

“Honestly, Ms. Vale, I don’t remember much. Just lights and colors. I don’t think human minds are meant to process the stream of time itself.”

“Now, your blood trail led back to an alley in downtown Gotham, but you said you were taken from the grounds of Wayne Manor. Does that seem odd to you?”

I shrugged. “Not really. I mean, I don’t think getting lost in the time stream meant I had to get chucked out of it in the same location I was pulled into it. I don’t know anything about time travel, but it’s called the space-time continuum for a reason, right? Like they’re tied together?” I suggested.

“I suppose. Changing the subject a little, it was brave of you to go to a charity ball three days after arriving home. I understand you went to bed early, but how was that?”

“Mostly alright,” I replied. “Tiring, but Bruce and his family was there to support me.”

“Speaking of Mr. Wayne’s family, his youngest boy was your date, right?”

I bit my lower lip and glanced at Damian where he was standing behind all the cameras. “Mm… Damian accompanied me, yes. I don’t know if I’d go so far as to call it a date. Like you said, I’d barely been home for three days and I found out I went from the second-eldest to the youngest… basically overnight. Adjusting to Damian and I being about the same age when before it was Cass and I—” And Jason but I wasn’t supposed to ever have met him since he died before I was taken in. “—was definitely strange. It’s still strange.”

“I imagine. What about the photo released by the event photographer of you twisting Frederick Augustine’s hand behind his back? What happened there?”

“He was being far too forward with me. He put his hand on my backside. I didn’t give him permission to touch me like that so I defended myself. My dad always put me in self-defense and martial arts classes so I could defend myself if a man touched me inappropriately. Mom always taught me that I deserve to be respected and treated as an equal human being so I wasn’t going to just let him touch me inappropriately. A lot of people will try to destroy my reputation for it but I'm not going to sit here and apologize for defending myself against someone blatantly disrespecting me.”

Vicki gave me a supportive grin. “You go girl. You’re strong!” she said. “Now, what about the other photo that sparked a rumor that you and Mr. Wayne’s youngest, Damian, have entered into a romantic relationship?”

I scoffed. “Ms. Vale. I’ve been home for six days.” Lies. I’d been home for about thirteen. “I’ve barely gotten used to Damian being taller than me, let alone a month older than me. I'm not ready to date anyone yet. It’s just a false rumor. The photographer asked if he could get a picture of us smiling so I told Damian a joke.”

“I see. So are you recovering alright?”

“I think so. Bruce is still Batman’s financial backer so he asked Batman to have couple superhero friends look me over. No lasting damage. But, apparently, time travel is really hard on the body. Which is probably why I slept almost my entire first day back. I was so tired. And being here now… It’s… it’s so weird.” I shrugged. “I feel like I'm in a movie. Like I'm going to wake up and Damian’s going to be thirteen again throwing my door open and telling me that I need to stop Dick from burning down the kitchen again. Like I'm just… I don’t know. Out of place, maybe? Definitely displaced from time.”

I considered tearing up for dramatic effect, but decided against it.

“I’d imagine,” Vicki commented. She crossed her legs and sighed in thought. “So now that you’re back, do you have any plans?”

“I haven’t come up with anything so far. I’ve barely thought about what I want to do. Maybe I’ll finish up my degree. I was so close to having it. I had a year left. Though, I don’t know if I’ll start this coming semester. Maybe I’ll wait for January.”

“Definitely something to think about.”

“Yeah. I might try and reconnect with old friends too. I know now they’re around twenty-nine while I'm still twenty-one and a lot has probably changed but… I’m eager to see how their lives have turned out. One friend in particular and I both had problems dating. I’ve been wondering if she ever found someone.”

“Well, I wish you the best of luck with that,” Vicki offered.

“Thank you.”

She turned. “Damian, would you care to join us? We can pull up another chair,” she said. “If you have any thoughts to voice about Miss McCloud coming back.”

Damian’s eyes flicked from Vicki to me, twitching an eyebrow in a silent question: asking what I thought he should do. I shrugged and glanced at the space next to me, indicating I wouldn’t mind if he sat next to me. He looked back at Vicki. “Alright,” he relented.

A crewmember working one of the lights for the interview grabbed another chair and pulled it next to me. Damian ducked under a light that was facing backwards into a silver-foil-lined umbrella—pretty standard for interview lighting—and sat in the chair next to me. Someone handed him a mic that he clipped to his shirt. He patted my knee and then folded his arms.

I was dressed for an interview—blouse and trousers with makeup on and my hair styled nicely—but Damian wasn’t. He had on dark jeans and a Van Gogh’s Starry Night T-shirt with Converse and a leather jacket. He had no interview makeup on so his skin wouldn’t be shiny in the intense light and his hair wasn’t quite as perfectly gelled out of the way as it usually was. And even with all that, he still looked a picture of confidence. He was the king of the room and he knew it.

I bit my lip a little and smiled at him before we both turned our attention back to Vicki. She gave Damian a million-watt smile that could have blinded me but was so falsely positive it almost made me nauseous.

“So, Damian, what’s it like having her back?” she asked.

Damian glanced at me. I met his gaze, eyebrows raised expectantly. “And be honest,” I added.

The left corner of Damian’s mouth quirked into a half-smile. He looked back to Vicki. “It’s been… someone else might call it a ‘blessing.’ When I was thirteen and she disappeared, the whole family was rather distraught. McCl—Nora really has always been a light in our home. Full of warmth and compassion. If anyone was having a bad day she’d always be there with a hug and healing words. She was even there for me. I was a little snot of a teenager but she always tried to make sure I knew someone cared about what happened to me and how I was feeling.” He glanced back at me. “You were kind of our family’s guardian angel, weren’t you?”

I snorted. “I wouldn’t go that far. When Bruce took me in, I was grieving the loss of my parents and in a lot of emotional pain. Sometimes the best way to heal yourself is to help other people,” I said. I patted his knee and looked back to Vicki. “I found another family with the Waynes and I'm grateful for it. Even if now the dynamic has been thrown for a loop.”

“True. I don’t know how to deal with her suddenly being the youngest. She was always the older and wiser,” Damian added, nudging me in the arm with his shoulder. The only time he talked like a normal person and didn’t tut every couple sentences was during press interviews.

Vicki chuckled. “So I'm guessing you’re still glad she’s back?”

“The whole family is ecstatic,” Damian said, almost dodging. “But of course I'm glad. Gotham is a dark place and it’s nice to have a little light back in it.”

“Aw. Thanks Damian,” I said, bumping his knee with mine.

“Now, Miss McCloud, you mentioned the loss of your parents. Do you intend to take your parents’ company back?”

I took a deep breath and huffed a sigh. “I think so,” I said. “I want to finish my degree, but I also want to do right by what my parents built and I want to make them proud. And I don’t see why I can’t run a company and finish my degree at the same time. It might take me longer but I could do it.”

“Of course you could,” Vicki agreed. “Did anyone tell you about the hack that leaked user information and a lot of… sensitive emails?” Translation: Do you know that a lot of people think your parents’ best friend and business advisor had an affair with your dad?

“No one told me, but I found it when I looked up how the company had been doing. Such a shame, really. My parents really wanted to make information leaks a thing of the past,” I said. Yeah I know but I'm better at this game than you and I'm not going to bring it up in this setting unless you do. “Hopefully I can accomplish that goal.”

“Wouldn’t that be nice?” Vicki looked back down at her notes. “Well, that’s all I have for you guys. If there’s anything more you’d like to say, now would be the time.”

“I’d like to say thank you for this,” I said. “There’s been a lot of rumors going around since I came back and all, and I think this is a really nice way to clear the air a little. Honestly it doesn’t feel like it’s been very long since I did one of these and yet everything has changed.”

“Except you,” Damian added. “You haven’t changed.”

I laughed. “Fair point,” I conceded.

Damian looked at Vicki. “I’ve said all I can say,” he said.

“Well then, thank you both for this, and I hope you have a lovely day.”

“Thank you, Ms. Vale,” I said, shaking her hand.

“No, thank you, Miss McCloud.”

#All My Fault #Chapter 16 #All My Fault Chapter 16 #Damian Wayne #Damian Wayne Imagine #Damian Wayne FanFiction #Robin #Robin Imagine #Robin FanFiction #Batman #Batman Imagine #Batman FanFiction #DC #DC Imagine #DC FanFiction #BatFam #BatFam Imagine #BatFam FanFiction

15 notes · View notes

flutterby-affect · 7 years

Text

To Love Someone Like Me -- Jason Todd x Reader

I LIVE!!!

I am really sorry that I’ve not been around that much these past few months. Adjusting to big girl life has been challenging to say the least. I’m getting better, but it’ll still be some time before I get back to a regular posting schedule. Also, inspiration has been almost nonexistent since the summer ended. Now that my creative juices are flowing again, be expecting some more stories to come!

Anyway, here is the long awaited part three of my Jason Todd soulmate story! Enjoy my lovelies!!

Tagging @lovingmytelevision, @posiey, @miraisnotavailable, @soepicsokim, @epickimmie, @themortallife

WARNING! Feels ahead, siblings meddling, and Bruce being emotionally helpful. You’ve been warned.

Part One Part Two

Word Count: 1138

“I still can’t believe you found your soulmate!”

“I still can’t believe Todd has a soulmate.”

“I can’t believe it’s (Y/N) and she thinks sweet tea is God’s given gift to man! It’s so obviously coffee.”

The other three dark-haired males glared at Tim. He held his hands up in surrender and returned his gaze to the computer screen he had previously been looking over. Jason rolled his eyes at his brothers’ various remarks.

It’s not like he had planned on you being his soulmate. Sure, he was attracted to you. Your spitfire personality and quick wit had drawn the former Boy Wonder to you from day one. The way your (E/C) eyes sparkled when you smiled, the way your (H/C) hair framed your face, the way you scowled at him when he pissed you off. Jason would be crazy not to like you, but he couldn’t say the feelings were reciprocated. You had made it clear on numerous occasions of your disdain for the vigilante. Why you had such strong feelings of dislike for Jason was still baffling. The two of you had rarely interacted before Roy introduced you a few years ago. Jason had heard nothing but good things about you from the redhead and, he hoped, you had heard some good things about him too.

“I mean,” Dick continued, drawing Jason’s mind back to the conversation at hand, “you’ve known now for two months and the two of you haven’t even attempted to talk things through?”

Jason groaned in annoyance. “It’s not like (Y/N)’s made it easy on me. She couldn’t stand me before and she definitely hates me now.”

“C’mon Jay, you don’t know that!”

“Really Dick, really? Because I’ve seen how other soulmates reacted when they found each other and I’m pretty damn sure they didn’t ignore one another for two fucking months.”

“I sense a note of frustration.”

“No shit, really Tim?” Jason snarled at the caffeine addict, “How would you feel if your soulmate refused to accept you?”

Damian scoffed at the older male. “I can’t blame her. You’re not exactly first place for anyone Todd.”

Jason gritted his teeth in fury.

All his life, he had felt like no one wanted him. Like his very existence didn’t matter to anyone. Now that he had found the one person who was supposed to accept him for who he was, no questions asked, refused to do so.

That hurt Jason more than dying had .

“I think you hit a nerve Damian.” Dick mumbled to the current Boy Wonder. He gave Jason a worried look. “(Y/N) just needs time to come to terms with it. It’s a pretty big deal finding your soulmate and all.”

Tim nodded in agreement. “Dick’s right. It might just take some time for her to come around to the idea.”

“If she ever does.”

“Damian!” The oldest male scolded.

“No,” Jason’s voice came out as a soft whisper. “The demon spawn is right. What if (Y/N) never accepts me? I’m not exactly the ideal soulmate. I’m so fucked up; how could I expect anyone to love someone like me?”

The room fell to uncomfortable silence. Tim had stopped typing away at his keyboard to look at his older brother in concern. Dick also wore an expression of concern while Damian seemed to be pondering over Jason’s words.

“You shouldn’t let that stop you from pursuing this further.” Bruce’s voice suddenly spoke up from where he stood. He and Alfred had turned their attention to the four younger men at some point in their conversation. The Dark Knight had an uncharacteristically soft look on his face. “It’s human nature for people to think the worst of one another. You and (Y/N) didn’t have the best start, but that shouldn’t stop you from seeing where things go. The only thing standing in your way is you.”

Jason stood stunned at his father figure’s words. It was rare for the feared Batman to offer up advice on anything that didn’t involve their nightly activities. Bruce seemed to genuinely care about the whole situation with his second oldest son and his soulmate.

Before Jason could respond, his phone began to ring. He debated ignoring it, but something was nagging at him to answer the call. He pulled the device out and glanced at the umber. Not recognizing it, he slid his finger across the screen and placed the phone to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Jason?” The voice on the other end was shaking slightly, but he immediately recognized it. “It’s (Y/N). Do you have some time to talk?”

Jason felt his heart rate increase at those words. He glanced at his family for a moment. “Normally I’d say no since I’m about to head on patrol, but I’m sure the scum of Gotham would appreciate one less hero out tonight. Something on your mind?”

“O-oh! Well, if you’d rather go on patrol then-!”

“No!” Jason almost shouted. The dark-haired man took a calming breath and regained his composure. “No, it’s fine (Y/N). Just…say whatever it is you need to say.”

A beat of silence passed before your voice was heard again. “I…um…well, I was hoping we could talk. About the other night.”

“The other night? You mean, the night two months ago?”

“Son of a…” You huffed in frustration. “You know what I meant Jason Todd. Do you want to discuss us or not?”

A slow smirk crossed his lips. “Oh, so there’s an ‘us’ now?”

“Damn it, I knew this was a bad idea.”

“Don’t hang up!” Dick suddenly shouted at the phone. He had slowly inched his way over to Jason’s side and was listening in on the conversation. When he had gotten there, Jason wasn’t sure. He’d been so happy that you’d called to notice that everyone in the cave was staring at him intensely. “Jay is just being difficult! He’s super happy that you called!”

“Don’t tell her that!” Jason hissed at the man.

Dick ignored him and continued to talk to you. “You two should meet up and talk things through in person. We can spare him for the night, right guys?”

A chorus of affirmatives filled the air. Jason glared at all of them, silently grateful for their help but not about to show it.

“I-I’d like that.” You replied. “When…uh, when and where?”

“How about the place where you guys figured everything out?” Tim offered. He was also now by Jason’s side. A mischievous grin planted on his face. “Seems like a good place to start things off, doesn’t it?”

“Alright. Can you be there tonight say around eight?”

“He’ll be there~!” Dick sang.

After saying good bye, Jason hung up and sighed heavily. He glared at those assembled in the cave.

“I hate all of you.”

Translation? Thank you so much.

447 notes · View notes

vampykitty-kun · 7 years

Text

Bloodlust - Ch 3

Previous Chapters: - 1 - 2 -

Rating: M

Characters/Pairing: Jason/Tim. Vicki Vale, Tam Fox, Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Damian Wayne.

Notes: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Pre-reboot canon compliant, Vampires, Mildly Dubious Consent, Blood and Injury, Blood Drinking, Stalking, References to Illness, Fear of Discovery. Original prompt requested by ss-penguin in Ch 1.

Word Count: 1849

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The so called fits of pit rage? A theory. One Bruce had been so very, very wrong about… the man hadn’t even been close.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

He awoke in a heap upon the rooftop with the cowl back upon his head covering his face. His head throbbed dully and the previously dislocated shoulder ached something fierce. But all things considered, he was fine. A quick glance down into the alley confirmed that the GCPD had already come through the area and had hauled away the thugs, none the wiser that he had been unconscious up above.

Small miracles he supposed...

It was with great effort that he hauled himself home and slow going without use of his grapple line. But he managed it and stumbled through his window practically on auto pilot before stripping on the way to his bathroom.

No one ever visited that was in the know let alone normal civilians. He figured his gear could wait until morning, and if by some chance it was this lax in security that got him outed, well, then it was clearly meant to be.

As he lay plastered against the shower wall with the hot water streaming over his throbbing shoulder he began to genuinely rethink about hanging up the cowl for good. At least then chances of assault happening within his home were raised. Not the healthiest of thoughts he supposed, but maybe then he at least wouldn't end up laying motionless and defenseless on any more random rooftops.

He ended up face down on his bed, sprawled out on top of his blankets, not caring if his hair got the pillows damp. It was a miracle in itself that he had managed to slip a pair of boxers on before crashing all together.

He might have slept deeply... but the nightmares had him waking just as exhausted the following day.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

He could not be certain whether he was just being paranoid or if there really was something just very off from then on out. Having been a member of the Bat-team for so long he was hyper aware of his surroundings, and he just could not shake the feeling of being watched. Whether Jason was following through with his threat of “we'll see” or it was a figment of his imagination expecting Jason to be watching him, he didn't know. Regardless it had him twitchy, and by the third day he was so exhausted and on edge that he really couldn't be blamed for over reacting- at least by those in the know.

The general Gotham population? Well there he wasn't so lucky...

He had forgotten all about Vicki Vale and her pursuit of making his life public knowledge, and miserable.

Tim had felt someone come up behind him just barely twenty feet from Wayne Tower's entrance, had seen the faintest bit of brisk movement out of the corner of his vision, and while absolutely shocked that this was happening to him on a public street in broad daylight with a massive crowd, he had jumped and swung without first seeing.

His fist had hit the cameraman right in the jaw with a sickening crunch- dislocated no doubt, and he had gaped in horror at the sight of the man screaming as knelt on the ground clutching his face, camera busted on the cement at his side. Vale was in an equal state of shock behind the man, eyes wide and unable to fully process what had just happened, until of course she had managed to shake it off faster than him. She dialed 9-1-1 while he stood there sputtering, and by the time she had hung up he was babbling his utmost apology, vibrating as he dropped his remaining crutch and sat on his knees beside the man.

“I am so unbelievably sorry, I didn't know, honest, I just heard someone run up behind me and I panicked, trust me, I did not intend to punch you as a camera man, I meant to punch a stalker-” at this Vicki suddenly smirked, tilted her head back slightly, and he blanched further “n-not that I have a stalker, I'm just a bit jumpy, and I'm....I'm just really, really sorry. I'll pay your entire medical bill- and for your camera... I'm so sorry...” He groaned, running a hand down his face in mortification.

Of all the things to happen the last thing he needed was this.

He supposed he should be grateful that he had not punched Vale in the face instead. Riots could have broken out, and the Wayne lawyers would be even more heavily burdened than they were probably about to be.

Bruce was going to kill him.

Or, well... stare at him judgmentally, probably secretly wondering if he had done it on purpose. Because he was different now in his eyes, questionable, untrustworthy...

Tim felt sick.

Vale on the other hand looked far too happy for the current situation which didn't bode well for him.

“Oh it's no problem Mr. Wayne, I know you didn't mean to go after my camera man, you are not at all like the every day celebrity. You don't get drunk, or aggressive, or vengeful and get violent with us...” she nodded, and despite himself all he could do was blink. “No, otherwise you would have started swinging during or after prior stories. The worst you give, dear Timothy, is a glare. Just like Bruce.”

Tim swallowed roughly and gave a curt nod. To his relief the sirens were approaching. Any second now they would come to load the poor man up and he would be able to make his escape.

He could deal with the lawyers later...

“I- It really was a mistake, Ms. Vale. I've just had a really stressful month, and not much sleep... deadlines you know...”

He could tell she didn't believe him in the slightest as she grinned at him.

“Oh, I'm sure...”

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

When Tim had finally managed to make it into Wayne Tower, he was ashamed to admit that he spaced out almost the entirety of the business meeting, and Tam- bless her heart, managed to give him enough of a lead for him to comment towards the end and wrap things up awkwardly, even despite her cold shoulder.

The trip home was strenuous, having wrenched his injured shoulder in the reporter scuffle, and by the time he finally managed to get through his front door he whipped the crutches across the room in a fit of frustration, and didn't even bother heading for the shower. He threw on a pot of tea, spent the entirety of the time it took to boil banging his head on the side of the fridge, muttering to himself about how stupid he had been, and when he finally made his way to the couch he collapsed in the corner of it a sprawl of loose limbs.

What had become of his life?

Who had he pissed off to get to this point?

Tim was tired of the pressure, of the stress, of the fatigue... he was tired of being criticized and judged by those he called family and friends. He regretted ever committing to the crutches. Some days it was quite honestly too hard to act- pretend.

These days all he seemed to do was pretend.

Despite the tea he still managed to pass out on the couch.

He skipped patrol that night.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tim awoke with a start, having manged at some point during the night to make it into his bedroom, saving him even more cramped muscles, and flailed his good arm around desperately searching for the source of the incessant ringing that had startled him awake.

His heart felt like it was trying to beat right out of his chest as his slid his thumb across the screen, and slurring he plastered the phone against his ear. He was never so grateful for blackout curtains than he was on this morning.

“ e'llo?” He grumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“You punched a reporter?!” To Tim's surprise it was Dick's voice on the other end of the line.

But even more so-

“I- What?” he stumbled over his words, sitting up abruptly- which turned out to be a bad idea as dizziness washed over him from moving too quickly so soon after waking.

“It's all over the TV Tim. You punched a reporter. Or at least the guy holding the camera. It's all over the news. They have you on camera- at least until it hit the pavement, and then the video cuts out.”

He whined and let his head fall back against the headboard.

“Oh my god, I can't believe I held out hope that the footage died with the camera...” he groaned. “In my defense I didn't know I was hitting a reporter, I just knew someone was following me, heard them coming up behind me, and thought I was about to get jumped.”

“In broad daylight? In a crowd?”

“I was tired and hadn't had enough coffee yet...” he muttered.

“Your only saving grace is that Vale went on to say that, not that it stopped her from making the story obviously, but on the plus side they are not pressing charges. Alfred's already gone through the motions of paying the medical costs and replacing the poor guy's equipment. You really clocked him good. Someone's going to be eating through a straw the next few weeks...”

“Oh my god, Dick, why...”

“Exactly what I want to know, why?” The man probed, and suddenly Tim wanted to just smother himself in his pillows, because he knew what was coming. “Are you being stalked? Because Vicki went into detail about how you had been afraid recently, weren't sleeping, and had been jumpy- causing you to over-react when they approached you.”

And yes, hadn't that been a stupid case of rambling for the record books...

“No, Dick, I was flustered and freaking out because I punched a civilian and trying to come up with some excuse that didn't lead to several months of sitting in court with lawyers.”

“Well, it did work.” The man laughed.

“Except now I'm yet again I'm poor Tim Drake-Wayne worried for his life, while I'm still in crutches from the last time, and the last thing I need is pity or for Wayne Enterprises to get all flustered and start trying to demand I have a body guard because they don't know.”

Dick sighed.

“Bruce can handle that. If he doesn't get a body guard after all the stuff that's happened to him rather than 'Batman', they sure can't try and force one on you. It'll work out, you'll see. But only if you're sure you're not being stalked- it's okay to be embarrassed Tim, but Bruce has had his fair share of crazies try and follow him around, it's nothing to be ashamed of if something is up.” He chirped lightly.

Tim only glared at the dark ceiling.

“I'm hanging up now.”

There was only laughter as he tapped his screen. Then only silence once more.

He wasn't getting out of bed...

#JayTim #Jason/Tim #Vampy's Fics

6 notes · View notes