Waiting desperately to be saved from a kidnapping, you end up being brainwashed to be used against your own brothers.
Requestedby@flashdash626: “Hi! I’m not sure if your taking requests, so if your not then you can choose to ignore this. Anyways! I was hoping you could do a Batsis were the sister is kidnapped by a random villain, and once the boys find her its to late and she was brainwashed and was now under control of the random villain. Once they like knock her out they bring her to the cave and try to bring her memories back. After a little bit of them talking to her her mind snaps and shes back to normal and she gets all emotional”
A/N: I know how this looks, I was really inspired since I was stuck on another fic and ended up writing three parts to this I’m sorry T-T
Warning: angst, violence, swearing
Eyes fluttered closed as the sound of rails lulled her to sleep. University had been so tiring this week, having to finish a whole project by the end of the week, in which the guidelines had been given on Monday. A lot of preparation and running around in order to polish a well researched and thorough end result.
The lack of sleep, tiring long hours and accumulated stress had finally left her body as soon as she handed in the work two hours before the deadline was scheduled. To say that fatigue had taken it’s toll on her was an understatement.
For a Friday late afternoon, the train was quite empty heading towards Gotham, but then again, no one wants to go there willingly. Her eyes fluttered closed, mind numbing, it was still two stops into the city, each of which are more or less an hour long, she had time, even if it’s only a thirty minute- one hour nap at most. Too much sleep and it was disrupt – or complicate her-return-to-normal-sleep schedule.
~ I should be due at the mansion in just over two hours ~
A quick message wouldn’t hurt if there still need to be preparations.
~ Are you sure you don’t want me to pick you up? ~ DG
That was quick. Smiling, (Y/N) texted her older brother back.
~ It’s okay, you’re still busy, and I’ll be back before you’ve finished your work! ~
~ But we missed you! ~ DG
~ It’s been two weeks! Besides it’s the vacation, I’ll be home for a month or so. ~
~ Fine :( ~ DG
With a chuckle, she slipped her phone back in her inside pocket. A grown ass baby.
Finally, she settled back into her seat, paying no mind to the occasional vibration of the carriage window to her head, inescapably submitting to sleep.
When she finally woke up, it was at the end of the line, the carriages were empty, doors wide open, only the occasional person walking or sitting along the platform.
Shit, the woman mentally cursed, grasping her things, and which, luckly, everything was still with her. Rushing out of the train, she scanned the screens: last train, departing in 2 hours and 30 minutes, Platform 8. The words glided along the end of the screen, in bright red dots. A disappointed sigh escaped her. At least it wasn’t late – and dark. Well, the sun was setting.
The last stop was at the outskirts of Gotham, so she was thankful that she didn’t have to cause too much trouble getting back. Despite her nap, she was still tired – just less so, and she would really enjoy getting into a comfy bed in the company of her brothers, father and butler.
A slightly irresponsible idea occurred to her. She could get home reaaaaally quickly if she wore her vigilante suit. The woman would be able to call her self-driving motorcycle and hurry to the Mansion in a record time. It was in her bag, and it’s not like it would hurt anyone.
As long as she was careful when changing, this wasn’t going to threaten the reveal of her identity.
With a smile, and making sure she held tightly onto the small bag she carried back with her, she briskly walked out of the train station, to an empty, dirty public bathroom.
Gross but will have to do.
After having scanned the toilet for any lewd hidden cameras, she hastily slipped into her costume, placing her civilian clothes back in her bag and creeping out onto the nearest rooftop. Activating her tracking device and then the automated call, she sat down on the ledge, sighing in relief as she got the notification that her motorcycle just headed out.
Now it was only a question of patience. Since nothing was happening, she lay down fully on the ledge, bag on the rooftop and arms under her head for more comfort.
Her eyes closed, this time, not falling asleep, but listening to the nearly inheart environment surrounding her.
That was until her phone vibrated. Sitting up, she reached for it, opening the message.
~ Where are you? I’m about to head home, but word is you’re not there yet. ~ DG
~ Yes, I missed the stop, called the Batcave, my ride should be here soon, sorry! ~
They must have been worried.
Before she could answer, she heard quick footsteps trailing behind her. Her head snapped back but before she could distinguish anyone, the silhouette landed a hard blow to her head, which probably was a metal pole.
“Fuck.” she cursed in pain, her unlocked phone dropping off the ledge, sliding down the roof and landing in the gutter, “who are you!?” (Y/N) yelled standing up clumsily as the side of her head ached.
“Lights out.” the unknown person grunted, lifting the pole high after dodging an attempted punch, slamming it to the back of her head. Her whole body smashed to the ground with violent force – but it’s not something she felt, as she fell into unconsciousness.
****
“Where is she?” Bruce grumbled as Dick entered the Manor, an hour and a half later than planned, and after some exhausting, useless paperwork.
“What’s happening?” he frowned, seeing Robin hurry down the stairs of the Batcave.
“(Y/N) was supposed to be due, the tracker on her motorcycle hasn’t moved and she isn’t answering her phone.” Jason geared up.
“I’m coming with you,” Dick scurried to the room with his suit, slipping into it.
“We’ll be on comms if anything comes up.” Tim nodded.
It felt like a very long ride towards the location that was given to them, even though they got there very quickly.
As Nightwing’s motorcycle stopped close to their destination, he hopped off, watching the tracker from the screen on his arm, zooming in to be able to pinpoint exactly where her last place was.
Jason jumped onto the nearest rooftop, scouting the area in case it was a trap of sorts. He frowned, seeing that the coast was clear and signalling his brother his ‘go’ card.
It must have been a good half an hour before they even found a clue – excluding her untouched motorcycle.
And it happen to make Red Hood jump out of his skin. Good thing Nightwing was still scouting the ground otherwise he would have been seriously embarrassed.
The gutter buzzed, it was utterly unnerving. Cautiously, he approached the roaring object, staring down at it as he spotted a phone. It was unlocked and vibrating widely.
Crouching down, he grasped and inspected it.
(Y/N)’s definitely. And he didn’t like where this was going. It was Damian this time, calling her – in addition to like 78 missed calls and numerous texts.
“Found her phone, she’s definitely gotten kidnapped.” The man announced nonchalantly, but his heart was beating fast. Their sister? Kidnapped at an unusually early time of the night? Hours after she got back into Gotham? Someone must have been keeping an eye out and planning.
And given the fact that nothing has come up, it might not be a usual Gotham criminal.
“We might have a problem.” Dick spoke through his comms.
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Waiting desperately to be saved from a kidnapping, you end up being brainwashed to be used against your own brothers.
Requestedby@flashdash626: “Hi! I’m not sure if your taking requests, so if your not then you can choose to ignore this. Anyways! I was hoping you could do a Batsis were the sister is kidnapped by a random villain, and once the boys find her its to late and she was brainwashed and was now under control of the random villain. Once they like knock her out they bring her to the cave and try to bring her memories back. After a little bit of them talking to her her mind snaps and shes back to normal and she gets all emotional”
A/N: Part 2 of 3
Warning: angst, violence, swearing
“Still no word?” Jason entered the cave, slipping off of his helmet. It had been just over a day, attempting tirelessly to pursue any leads that might have come up.
“No, it’s like she slipped off the grid, out of the world, no CCTV footage, no witnesses, no chipped cars, nothing.” Tim typed away on his computer, eyes red and dry from the lack of sleep and ungodly amounts of coffee that have entered his system since then.
Dead-end after dead-end made them more depressed and desperate. It was impossible to find a tangible lead to go on and the evidence left was near to nothing.
“Everyone, go to bed.” Batman spoke after standing up.
“What?” Jason snapped.
“We’re doing a regular patrol tomorrow, seeing what word on the streets are, so everyone, get some sleep so we can find more information in a better headspace.”
“Tch, better headspace.” Jason followed his brothers up the stairs, rolling his eyes at the irony of it all.
****
Her throat burned from yet another blood-curdling scream. It was such a dark and cold room, the aspect of time had dissipated in the darkness long ago. What time of the day was it? How many days had gone.
Six was the answer, but the damage caused would take years to get over. Helpless and alone, desperately wishing, hoping someone would hear, someone would come to save her. This perpetual isolation with disappearing hope now grounded within her, shook into her very core. The lulled buzzing from the other room, the stressful footsteps, ready for the worst to come if the figure would enter this particular room, but never the full preparation.
She got more than she bargained for, but then again, she didn’t expect this to happen to her.
Her energy was slowly leaving her body, she was weak. Older and newer injuries never quite tended to for more unnecessary pain, frightened of closing her eyes for a second, not knowing whether the demons would also appear in her mind as well.
Growing fearful of the silence, preparing for a storm that always seems to just about come.
Drowning, beating, dreading the next day would come just as bad as the previous one. It frightened her how quickly she became accustomed by it, and how devastatingly long it would take to mend the pieces back together. The silence was also unbearable, waiting for something to happen, like the storm, only brewing now.
“Knock knock,” the voice rang as the door opened with a hiss as it screeched against the floor.
Frightened, she didn’t dare open her eyes, feeling her heartbeat pound in her ears and chest, holding her breath in an attempt to conceal herself.
“I know you’re awake.” the person chuckled, her eyes opened slowly, submissively, the only source of light coming from the corridor, “but now I’m going to make you fall asleep.” a hand in her hair to pull her head back, exposing her neck.
“Mmh,” she struggled, unable to express how painful this stabbing pain was through her muffling cloth-of-a-gag. It was only a needle, how could it feel so excruciating? Needless to say, it made her vision blurry and she soon fell into unconsciousness.
Perched on the rooftop, Red Hood scouted the area, releasing a long sigh. A month, that is how long it has been, and nothing came up about her. He kept wondering where she was, what she was doing right now, was she still in Gotham? If only he knew.
“Anything?” Dick questioned through the intercom.
“Nothing.” Tim answered. Robin was perched on a gargoyle in the center of the city, opposite of the tallest skyscraper in the city.
He was about to move on, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, before static came from the tower, before the image of Scarecrow was displayed on the enormous screen covering the building.
“It’s Scarecrow.” Damian spoke.
“Here as well.” Nightwing chipped in.
“He’s showing himself all over the city.” Batman spoke. The few people that were out at that time scurried around the screens, some people woke up from their slumber to witness the commotion.
“Good evening, Gotham, although, I will only be addressing The Bat and his… underlings,” he started. It appeared he was in some sort of rundown warehouse, and those types of infrastructure were sprinkled all around the city, “I have planted a bomb, on one of the peers leading to the port, if you can find it before 3 a.m, a missing little girl will no longer have a beating heart. Crushing two birds with one stone” he chuckled.
“Motherfucker.” Red Hood cursed.
“Jason-”
“He’s right.” His brothers interrupted.
“Lucius,” Bruce pressed on his earpiece, “is Batwing ready?”
“Ready when you are, sir.” He answered promptly, “I’ve sent it on it’s way to you.”
****
“We only have half an hour left.” Red Hood announced, having scouted out the outsides with his brothers to see if they could spot anything unusual.
“I know.” Bruce spoke, scanning each building with the Batwing for any signs of heat or chemical reaction. His breathing caught in his throat when he found a heat signature.
“The old cement factory, first floor.” Revving their motorcycles, they raced down the street towards their sent location.
And sure enough, there the bomb was, intact, with a good 20 minutes before it blew, nothing they couldn’t handle.
“It might be rigged.” Dick warned as Jason approached it to disarm it. Hauntingly, he was able to without an issue, just like a regular bomb.
“It’s done.” Red Hood peeked at his brothers and Bruce, but his tone of voice suggested what everyone else was thinking, how easy all of this was.
Despite the yellowish light coming from the street lamps outside, the place looked pretty deserted. Dick couldn’t see a single person in sight, civilian or otherwise, this was a trap, for sure, but nothing was happening.
No one moved, nor spoke, and they were getting more and more anxious. The tension was so thick, it could be cut with a knife.
Until a figure rushed past the light coming from outside.
What was that?
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After a one night stand, Jason doesn’t seem to be able to get his mind off you. Desperate to get you out of his head, he hesitantly agrees to go to Wayne Enterprise with his brothers for work, as a response to scrutiny from the general public. What happens when the person he was trying to erase from his memory pops right back into his life?
Requestedbyanonand on Wattpad: “Can I request one where reader and one of the boys are dating but they act like they still trying to get each other so they flirt a lot and stuff even if everyone knows they’re together”/
“And other one where the reader is feeling herself and singing “Meet me in the pale moonlight” by Lana Del Rey in front of one of batboys and they’re like wow she cute and kiss the readeeeeeer (they’re dating and they’re teenagers)THANK YOU AND I LOVE YOU ” /
“haha well I have another which was that the reader is harley and Bruce’s kid and she meets batboys but jason since she knew before she left for the first time since she was away for wayne industries business meetings”
A/N:I hope you guys don’t mind that I tweaked it a little since these requests don’t have alot of depth individually!
“I’m just here for a drink.” the girl smiled politely even though she was extremely uncomfortable.
“I am too, can I have it with you?”
“Oh for crying out loud leave her alone, don’t be such a creep.” The man at the end of the counter groaned.
“Mind your business.” the creep gritted his teeth.
“Your disgusting aura is polluting my drink so it makes it my business.” (Y/N) watched as he stood up and walked towards the pair. Now that he was closer, the woman could see how attractive he was up close, stunning eyes, sharp jaw, tall and a streak of dyed white hair, “Fuck off will you?”
“Who do you think you are?”
“Sorry, I forgot a world, fuck off please.” The stranger shot the man a terrifying glare and without another word, the man studded away, like a dog with its tail between his legs.
“Thank you mister, but if he laid a hand on me I would have sucker punched him.”
“Mister huh?” he smirked, sitting beside her.
“Well what’s your name then?”
“Jason, pleasure to meet you.”
****
“This is your place?” she hummed, fingers running through his soft hair as his lips trailed down her neck, pulling her legs around his hips.
“Mmh hmm,”
“You rich or something?” the woman breathed out as he sucked on her skin.
“Something like that,” he murmured, pulling away to tease her lips with his. Jason stared deeply into her eyes.
“What are you waiting for, lover boy? You brought me here.” (Y/N)’s arms hung loosely on his shoulders, occasionally touching the back of his head.
“Yes ma’am,” he smirked, hooking his hands under her legs and carrying her to his bedroom.
****
Glancing at her side to the soft breathing of the naked man beside her, she shuffled, stretching and yawning. What a night, she tried moving her legs but winced, what a night indeed.
“Good morning princess,” his morning voice was incredibly attractive as his arm slid around her waist, pulling her flush against him.
“Mmh, good morning,” the woman squirmed in his grip as he nipped at her ear teasingly with his teeth, “what time is it?”
“You have someplace to be?” he murmured, hand caressing her naked hip.
“Yeah, I have work.”
“On a Saturday?”
“Self employed.”
“Nice!”
****
A month or so later, Jason was frustratedly sitting in the meeting room, chewing on his lip in boredom as Bruce brought all of them to a meeting at Wayne Enterprise for less scrutiny from the public eye.
“The person we will be working on for the new design is going to arrive soon so I need you all on your best behaviour.” He glared at all the boys.
“Yeah yeah, can we just get on with it so I can leave?” The second oldest rolled his eyes.
“Mr Wayne?” as if on queue, the person knocked on the one-way privacy film that covered every window of the room, the blurred figure waiting patiently on the other side.
With a last scolding glance to everyone, Bruce strutted over, opening the door and smiling.
“Good morning Mr Wayne.” the woman greeted with a polite smile.
Jason’s eyes widened, and stayed that way even when he made eye contact with the girl. She responded with the same reaction, but quickly regained her composure and greeted the other boys.
“Oh hey (Y/N),” Dick waved to his roommate, “you look great.” He flirted.
“…Um hey,” she greeted hesitantly, feeling a little uncomfortable with his usual ways in the professional setting.
“Shall we get down to business.” Bruce glared at his eldest son.
****
“You don’t have to act so grumpy.” Jason rolled his eyes as they finally arrived at their hotel in Europe after an excruciatingly long flight.
“I’m tired, I need sleep.” Not wanting to address the elephant in the room, especially when she was this exhausted, she scurried to the bathroom to slip into comfortable pyjamas and landed right into bed, “I’m having this conversation tomorrow, good night.”
The next day came quickly and (Y/N) opened her eyes reluctantly, wanting to melt in the comfortable double bed she was in. Discreetly, she peeked at the double bed facing her diagonally.
The woman frowned, it was empty.
“I’m right here.” the man voiced from behind her as he exited the bathroom.
“Jason!” she screeched, “what the hell! Don’t creep up on people!”
“Well don’t try to spy on people when they are sleeping!” he threw his damp towel to her.
“Ewwwww!” she grimaced.
“Chill, I was drying my hair with that.” he walked towards his bed, and she only now noticed that he was naked – with a towel around his waist obviously. Steam was emitting from his skin as it glistened still.
With warm ears, she pulled the covers over her face, eyes peeking out discreetly.
“We’ve seen each other completely naked, I don’t see what the problem is, if you’re going to look, be shameless,” he moved his butt from left to right teasingly, “you can see this regularly if you want,” he chuckled.
With a sigh, she buried herself under the covers.
“I haven’t changed my mind Jason, I’m sorry, I’m not interested in commitment at the moment.”
She felt a weight on the bed and hesitantly took a peep out. Jason was laying on her bed, shirtless but with some underwear on.
“At least give me the benefit of the doubt for this trip.” he gave her the puppy eyes. Eying him suspiciously, she sighed.
“Alright, fine, don’t disappoint.”
****
A few months or so later into the relationship with Jason and gotten closer to his younger brothers, (Y/N) slipped on a comfortable T-shirt, watching herself in the mirror as she tidied her hair a bit and examined the hickey on her neck.
Swaying lightly from side to side to the song that was stuck in her head, she hummed softly to herself, setting out her clothes for the day.
“You don’t have to give me anything
Just put your sweet kiss kiss on my lips now baby”
Walking back to the mirror, deciding on whether or not jewelry was necessary, the woman continued.
“Think about you almost all the time, all the time and-”
“I love you so much baby,” he breathed out from the other side of the room.
“Hmm?” she glanced in the mirror.
“Keep singing~”
“No,” she stuck her tongue out playfully, “are you ready?”
“Do we have to go?” Jason whined, marching up to her, slapping her ass and squeezing it before hugging her from behind, nuzzling her hair, his warm skin against her.
“Baby of course we do, we have to hide the fact that we’re together, plus they are fun, we’re all friends here.” she rubbed her butt against his hips and he bit her ear.
“No teasing,” he whispered in her ear, turning her around and pushing her against the dresser, “or else.”
“Or else?” the woman chuckled, “but seriously though,” her hands cupped his cheeks as he stared at her lips, “we can’t act like a couple, it’s unprofessional,”
“Technically I don’t work at the company,”
“And the person I’m working with is your dad.”
“Adoptive, you have nothing to worry about.”
“Just a coffee, maybe a lunch, and then we can come straight home.”
“Mmh, okay,” he pouted, holding her tightly as she kissed his lips and pulled away. “You sing beautifully, please do it more for me.” he pouted. She chuckled, shaking her head slightly in embarrassment.
“Put a shirt on and let’s get ready, I don’t want to be late!” (Y/N) ushered, “and the sooner you’re out of here, the less anxious I’ll be that your brother unexpectedly enters his own home and sees you in it.”
When they were ready, at a somewhat reasonable time, they drove there as quickly and responsibly as possible.
“Why is your hand still on my thigh?!” (Y/N) jumped once she realised he had discreetly snaked his hand back on her thigh when he was parking the car on the side of the road, in a surprising proximity. Slapping his hand away and giving him a look, the woman slipped out of the car and walked up the stairs, ringing on the bell.
Jason scurried up beside her, slapping her butt playfully before pushing the door open.
“Hey guys!” she grinned, not having the time to scold her boyfriend once again as she was greeted with welcoming smiles.
“How have you been?” Dick teased, having seen her just yesterday.
After playful banter, and not-so-playful for the brothers, over a nice hot drink, a new topic came up.
“How was the party yesterday (Y/N)?” Jason inquired, knowing fully well about it but trying to seem inconspicuous, “I hope no one stole your heart, that’s for me!” … or not.
She paused, giving him an unimpressed look, reluctant to answer “It was great, and no.”
“No what?” he smirked. Her cheeks burned, she did not like being put on the spot to lie, especially since this was incredibly unnecessary.
“No one did anything.”
“To who-”
“This is embarrassing, we know you two are a couple,” Damian nearly gagged.
“Huh?” (Y/N) turned to him, feeling her soul leave her body.
“How do you know?” Jason looked at him.
“It’s been a while.” Dick chuckled.
“We been knew ,” Tim rolled his eyes.
“Someone left someone’s underwear in an awkwardly obvious place when I came around… and you slapped her butt before you came in here, everyone saw it.” Dick explained, watching his brother.
“OH MY GOD, JASON!”
“I didn’t- wait, how do you know that it’sherunderwear???”
The eldest’s expression fell and he blushed.
“I might have um-”
“He accidentally came in when I was packing my bag to leave for the business meeting in France okay?” the woman spluttered.
“You did WHAT?”
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They continued to echo even months after they’d been released, they haunted those who overheard like a temperamental ghost and every time successfully provoking feelings of guilt, pain, regret.
“(Y/n) is okay y'know…” Jasons calm yet frustrated voiced snapped Dick out of his overthinking trance, the cold breeze of Gothams evening setting a tense atmosphere between the two brothers. The eldest remaining eerily silent.
“The assassin that shot her is dead by the way.” He continued with a more dangerous topic and little remorse, after noting Dicks lack of response that is.
“You shouldn’t have done that.” Nightwing gave a heartless sigh, tone lacking any of its usual warmth - a new normalcy over the recent months.
“Oh trust me - I wish it had done it, but someone beat me to it.”
“Who?” Dick flicked his head toward his brother, skeptical eyes narrowing in confusion whilst Jason simply gazed over the vast array of stones, his breath leaving it’s trace on the cold winds surrounding them.
“Me.” The cruelly familiar voice brought killer glares to both vigilantes, their eyes translating their harboured hatred toward his damn audacity. He had some nerve or a death wish making his presence known here, to the brothers he was trespassing on sacred ground which they did not take lightly under the current circumstances.
“(Y/n) was important to me too, so I killed the bastard myself.”
“Youdon’t get to say that name! It’s your fault she was even in this mess Slade!” Of course the explanation was not wanted, Dicks immediate vile retaliation proof of that though it didn’t intimidate the former assassin, nor discourage his intent by a fraction.
“No Grayson, it’s yours. (Y/n) was an ex assassin like me, the League kill deserters but since she was around Damian they left it be. Of course, the moment (Y/n) left because of you she became a target. Though she didn’t realise it, I had her under my employment so I could protect her just as she’d do for me. But yet again, you pulled her away and (Y/n) died taking a bullet for you.” Slade casually finished but untamed anger resided in his voice, unfortunately it was dripping in truth - the League of Assassins were cautious when confronting Slade Wilson, especially when you two were together as you’d always worked efficiently as a duo.
The harsh response left the two silent - Jason hadn’t much left say, but he could feel the pure unadulterated rage radiating from Dick like a barrier pushing people away - Slade took the opportunity to fulfil his original purpose, string past them to place a single red rose under the engraving of ‘(Y/n) (L/n)’.
——Months Earlier——
The shooter stumbled in the distance, no doubt armoured enough to prevent a shot being fatal although you couldn’t quite dissect what was occurring around you until you heard Jason’s voice echo from Nightwing’s communicator
“I missed! These fucking rubber bullets I swear I’m switching back to the real deal -”
Relief flooded your veins, yourself slipping around the corner and sliding down the wall as you tried desperately to overhear as much as you could.
“You got him, thank you Ja-”
“No I didn’t! He shot! Dick he shot!” That silenced the love of your life, his blood running cold considering he couldn’t find your figure anywhere in his peripheral vision - only splatters of crimson marking where you once stood. Where you’d stepped in front of him. He felt sickeningly feint, unable to compose himself of the gut wrenching worry radiating from his body.
It’s like your mind went blank as soon as he’d ask anything of you and you’d agree on instinct, you’d die for that man if he so much as needed it…
Your past thoughts almost made you laugh, a weak cough replacing the gesture and it seemed you’d predicted your own future rather accurately even if you didn’t know it at the time. Regretfully you weren’t as silent as you’d hoped, Dick skidding down to your level and meeting your smug gaze with sheer regret once zeroing in on the sound, all you could offer was a kind smile and playful punch to his arm despite your pained wince.
“Hey Dickiebird, did Jay get him?”
“Don’t - Don’t move, you’re gonna be okay.” It was unclear whether he was attempting to convince you or himself of that blatant lie, you were beyond comforting and had already accepted your fatal mistake whereas he remained stupidly optimistic. A facade for your benefit by your judgement.
“Yeah you’re right, I’m going to be just fine and so are you… But could you please do me one last favour?” Either way you played along, irises betraying the sympathetic smile you’d adorned.
“Anything.”
“See me your best friend, just one last time and remember that I love you alright.” It was merely a platonic request, his memory shot back to the photographs you’d taken and the message inscribed on them.
“I - I can’t do that…” Dick sorrowfully responded, once again meeting your eyes with regret as you lolled your head back against the wall trying to withhold your tears concocted from both the splitting puncture and his decline but you couldn’t let that show through your haphazard reply.
“I suppose I deserve that.”
It was true, you’d disappeared from his life for 6 months without warning or trace. A friend wouldn’t do that, shouldn’t do that, but you had to think of your self preservation for once.
“I wish I could… but I can’t see you as just a friend anymore, not now, I - because I -” His tone was so painstakingly genuine, so filled with an array of warring emotions that you had to do a double take to ensure you were hearinh him correctly.
“Don’t.” You knew where it was headed and honestly you didn’t want to hear it anymore, once upon a time you’d have given everything to hear those 3 beautiful words, words that’d bring euphoria - now you were a third of the way there and all it brought was nausea.
“It’s too late.”
He silenced himself, your voice derived of it’s signature charm only sharpening the cut of your words. What hurt most was the the painful truth of them, he was too late and he knew that - you deserved this side of him months if not years ago but he was both blind and too apprehensive to fan those glowing flames. Instead choosing to suffocate them with the placement of another that could never burn as brightly.
Although despite your tongue, your eyes held those flames he’d once bathed in and he understood that you’d felt it too, a conversation worth a thousand words was conveyed as well as the hopeless feelings in your hearts that created a comfortable silence. It didn’t ease the plague of memories, nor answer the countless what if’s swirling your mind but it helped.
“I need you to call Damian for me, I won’t leave him again without saying goodbye this time.” Your voice was merely a whisper, one that was obeyed disheartenedly but quickly and soon Damian’s bored tone left you smiling.
“WhatGrayson?”
Dick however not so much, it took a moment to organise his emotions enough to disclose the situation in the most delicate way - he’d managed that but his unsteady tone let him down.
“You - Ah, (Y/n) needs to talk you alright?”
“That’snot how you start a conversation, what’s -” The wait was already killing you and you couldn’t hold back any longer, you didn’t want to explain - only enjoy one last conversation without underlying sympathy or guilt that’d surely surface once he discovered your condition.
“Hi Dami, I’m sorry I didn’t get to properly see you when I came back.”
“There’s still plenty of time (L/n), how about a walk tomorrow?” He seemed calm, you could practically hear him shake his head over the phone with that classic TT.
“I - I can’t, I’m leaving but I wanted to tell you this time, and I know that I’m going to miss you so much Damian. S-so you better look after your dumbass brothers whilst I’m gone.” It made you happy, undeniably so with your tone laced with playfulness that you felt you needed, felt like things would return to how they used to be.
“Where are—” Damian cut himself off, he was perceptive in every sense of the word and observant enough to hear the way you bit back tears even if not in sight. He remained silent for a few seconds, long enough for you to close your eyes in order to keep the tears at bay knowing he’d now read between the lines and was finding the most comprehensible way to deal with it. With the fact that you’re leaving. And won’t be coming back this time.
“I’m proud to call you my companion (Y/n), I hope you find happiness in the next life and know that I will carry you with me, always.” Initially it was strong, a false charade to both comfort you and hide his betraying emotions but neither of you mentioned anything. It was better this way, silent understanding and respect.
“Me too Damian, thank you for everything.”
“Goodbye sister. And (Y/n), please forgive Grayson’s idiocy…” He was hesitant on the last sentence, and you could each detect the shared heartache regarding your final conversation yet remained composed purely for the emotional well-being of the other.
“Always, see you Dami.”
When you hung up, you couldn’t hold back the sobs any longer, practically choking on the pent up emotion in them. Dick remained quiet, pulling you into his shoulder and soothingly running his fingers through your hair, he feared that if he spoke he would fall apart too, especially when the only person he could truly blame was himself. He held you for what he wished could be an eternity, yourself pulling back with a watery gaze that apologised for your breakdown despite knowing there was no need to.
“Dick what’s happening?! Is (Y/n) okay?!”
Jasons’ voice - it was erratic, demanding and his dire question lead to Dick and yourself exchanging a sentimental but knowing glance, weak smiles had been ruthlessly defeated and you could only gently rest your forehead against Nightwing’s seeking useless reassurance.
“Fuckinganswer me!” It grew more desperate now with the growing animosity on Jason’s side but Dick couldn’t even vocalise the situation, he didn’t want to - that would make it real.
“She’s…”
Jason’s deductions were quick, the broken tone of his brother being the obvious indicator but his initial outbreak was frustration.
“No, fuck no! Everyone I - damn it… You tell her that I love her! She needs to know, tell her for me in case I don’t get there in time.”
He gave no chance to respond, the communicator muting once he’d finished and you managed to make light of it now that Dick could barely look at you.
“I’m gonna miss him, never knew he cared that much with the amount of shit he gives me.” You released a pained laugh, ending short with a wince as your fingers tightened around your wound and you could see Dick empathise, instinctively aiding in your efforts to cease the bleeding whilst maintainining a close proximity.
“When Jason cares, he really cares…” Was all the eldest could correspond, he didn’t quite understand his brothers feelings toward you as it was a subject Jason actively dodged but it frustrated Dick to no end.
His brother could say those 3 words to you so effortlessly, with so much meaning, and yet he could barely even acknowledge that feeling in his heart for the past 4 years. For Jason it wasn’t being in love, he no idea what it felt like to be hopelessly in love with you but Dick had years of suppressed experience - for him, it was like watching the sun fade from the sky and he desperately wanted to wake up from this nightmare, to race to your apartment to find you boredly scrolling through your phone and he’d tell you how he felt then and there. Even now, at a time when you deserved them, more than anything, it was the one thing he could give you that’d hopefully make you smile - feel something other than the lightheaded tiredness of blood loss.
So then, why didn’t you want them?
“This isn’t how it was supposed to go (Y/n), I finally found you after missing you for so long and I still couldn’t give you anything worthwhile… I’m so sorry for being such an idiot!” At his crumbling tone, you lifted from his shoulder, already finding difficulty in keeping your eyes open due to the sheer lethargy of your body but pushed on regardless.
“That’s more than enough Dick.” You shook your head silencing him with your content expression, and your free hand brushing through his hair. Instantly he captured your hand relaxing slightly with your gesture but soon was overcome with contrasting frustration.
“How is it enough? You took a bullet for me! Why didn’t you let me take the hit for you?! Our roles would be reversed and you’d be safe, which is all I care about -” You refused to let him finish, refused to watch him crumble under the weight of blame he’d placed on his shoulders and the only way you could clear his mind was a simple one.
You met your lips with his, Dick instantly melting into you with furrowed brows but he remained gentle, aiming to display everything he had in these few intimate moments he had with you. Carefully you pulled back, meeting his apologetic gaze with your soft one before leaning against his side, head resting against the crook of his neck as you closed your eyes.
“It’s enough because you’re here now, when it mattered most you were always there for me even if it negatively impacted your life. I loved you for that, for choosing me when I wouldn’t even choose myself. So thank you, for being you. I love you, don’t forget that.” You voice was incredibly gentle, a sincerity to it that allowed him to feel the high regard you still held him in much like you felt his and with your breath slowing to dangerously distant rhythms you both basked in the warm contentment.
Dicks fingers ran up and down your side in a soothingly slow manner, and when accompanied by the balanced beating of his heart seemed like enough to lull you into a state of heavy slumber. The pain had numbed now which only encouraged the magnetic sensation of blissful peace and though the majority of your senses had failed you - the damp smell of Gothams air faded minutes ago, as did your awareness to the clutches of the nipping wind - your hearing remained semi active, weak enough to capture the sentimental murmur of your best friend.
“I love you.”
The ones you’d longed to hear ever since he’d won you over to his side all those years ago, after all of the adventures and after all of the connections you’d forged so with them, you slipped into the arms of eternal sleep.
For once, he loved you.
Not her.
——Present——
“We cannot change what happened, and (Y/n) wouldn’t want you to blame yourself so I apologise for my recent words - instead, let the blame die with the assassin who killed her.” Slades’ unexpected and most likely sole apology earned Dicks genuinely confused gaze, the hero still adamant that his decisions were ultimately responsible but hearing the reluctant kindness eased his current internal war.
Yet he knew, Slade only offered such a lifeline out of his loving respect for you. Yet again you’d inadvertently provided your warmth to save him and he couldn’t even thank you for it anymore.
Dick glanced back to your sculpted gravestone once more, Slade walking to his side with his usual deadpan expression but less edge to his tone as he too had felt the familiar pain of lost love before.
“She’d want you to have this.” Handing the small object to Nightwing he kneeled at your stone giving his silent last blessings before disappearing into the surrounding fog of the graveyard. Next time they’d encounter each other it’d be filled with violence no doubt, but whilst standing before your spirit neither opponent had the intention.
Dick flipped the thin item in his hand, recognising the Polaroid as the one he’d given you before you disappeared as a good luck charm, the one from his Robin days when you’d first ran into each other and the one he’d so innocently written on as a futile attempt to at least hint at the love he carried for you.
‘To my one and only. ~ Love your Best Friend.’
However, upon closer inspection he’d noticed the addition of your gracefully inked handwriting, though, your intention behind it will be forever unknown to him.
'Dick Grayson, the best person anyone could ask for - don’t ever change, even if our paths no longer cross. ~ All my Love, (Y/n).’
• Dick is unprepared for a family meal but your offer your fine expertise and have the whole family asking questions about you.
Warnings: Mature language
A/N:Hello lovlies! I’ve missed you all so much, I hope this helps a bit and there’s so much more I could add onto this so please enjoy and lemme know how you all are~
>>>>—————————>
It started with a family dinner.
As many curious situations do in retrospect, but with a family of vigilantes whose relationship ties have frayed, intermingled and been resewn makes for more interesting get-togethers compared to most.
One thing they could all agree on though? Dick Grayson cannotcook.
“I can’t believe that, they just assume it’s going to end in a takeout?” Came your amused voice as you placed a coffee on your kitchen island that Dick was currently seated - or rather slumped at.
“It’s because the last two times I’ve hosted something like this, takeout has saved my ass.” The ravenette embarrassingly clarifies, voice trailing off toward the end and did his best to avoid looking at you.
Dick Grayson was technically a neighbour, albeit living a few floors below your more lavish (and expensive) apartment suite. After moving into the complex on the same day, you quickly excavated the common ground to build a solid foundation for friendship - as such, meet-ups like these became a regular thing, switching apartments each time.
“Then, I’ll help you out.” You proudly confirmed, gesturing to your grand kitchen which was the sole reason you’d brought the place - one of the many things Dick envied about your luxurious living area compared to the standardised version of his own, though on an Officers salary he couldn’t afford something like this.
“Ah (Y/n) no, I can’t let you do that!” Came his instant reply, hands waving defensively as he adamantaly brainstormed another excuse. “Plus you’ll be working that night.”
“True, but that doesn’t mean I can’t set you up beforehand. We’ll start tomorrow, I’ll teach you a recipe.”
———
As previously planned, Dick turned up at your door rather nervously even though he’d been around you many times - not once had he demonstrated a serious negative flaw to his character in order to impress you, but cooking was one of them and you were about to witness chaos that’d likely dispel any romantic inclination he hoped you held for him.
“Ready?”
“No.”
With a playful laugh, you rolled your eyes and pulled the male into your kitchen noting how he was likely tired from his shift at Blüdhavens Police Department earlier that afternoon so a good meal should do wonders. Maybe it’d give him a better nights sleep too? The acrobat never seemed to obtain many of those for some unknown reason, apparently it’s ‘too noisy’ in the city.
“Oh and you can host in my apartment, it’s bigger and I’ll have all the equipment you need. You already have a spare key anyway.”
“You’re really amazing, I don’t deserve you - y’know that?” There were deeper feelings involved in that seemily offhanded thank you, ones relating to his role as Nightwing and his past mistakes which all remained a hated secret from you.
It started well, Dick following along with ease and you concluded that he picked things up fast with how observant he was which sped up the process. The main course he’d nailed with your guidance and so, you decided to move onto dessert.
“Now we add cocoa powder to th-“ You’d froze, mouth open out of surprise with the substances dusting your lips, cheek and part of your left collar bone - the offender in question mirroring your expression, albeit holding back his laughter due to his colossal misjudgement.
“I - I didn’t think it’d go everywhere when I ripped the packet open…”
“You don’t ever rip the packet, you tearitgently!” Came your dangerously mischievous correction, licking the sweet substance from your lips before flicking the currently non-chocolate brownie covered spoon at him with flecks landing on the side of his face.
“Oh, it’s on!”
This ensued an all out war, the two of you ducking and dodging oncoming attacks as you danced around the kitchen island with varying results of accuracy until Dick decided to slide over the marble surface and capture you in his arms.
His embrace faltered slightly as your back hit the island during your feeble attempt to get away, finding yourself trapped between him and the cool surface too enthralled in the carefree antics to notice the proximity. A beat of silence passed once the atmosphere had settled, Dick releasing a breathy chuckle with his grip around your waist loosening slightly as you looked up with a victorious smirk - he took the opportunity to lean forward slightly as if testing the waters and careful to note any kind of reaction you replied with.
However, there was a lack of trust as all is fair in love and war, hence your devious reasoning to close the gap some more and with the softness of his warm breath dancing on your lips you swiftly leaned past his whilst dragging your tongue across his cheek. Dick pulled back instantly, a mix of disgust and offence in his eyes as you spoke.
“Needs more sugar.”
“I’m sweet enough as it is thank you, you’d know that if you’d have just kissed me instead of betraying me like that!” Dick wittily snapped back, admiring the melodious laughter that escaped you at his response.
“I’m sure you do, speaking of - these brownies should last until the dinner so you won’t have to make them again on the day alright? I’ll get everything ready so you don’t have to worry about a thing.”
“I guess you’d taste pretty sweet too.” Though referencing your kind nature, you couldn’t help but lightly punch him in the shoulder.
———
Regardless of Dicks wistful prayers, the deadline had finally arrived and his family would be sporadically arriving in a matter of hours - sohelp him.
“All the ingredients are on the counter - do not use anything else - and I’ve detailed the instructions on the whiteboard in case you forget anything.” You pointed to each item as you spoke, donning a jacket before barely making it past the kitchen doorframe due to your neighbours dramatically desperate pleas.
“Can’t you just stay? And do it with me?”
“I have to go to work.” You laughed at his antics, the man looking like a lost puppy amidst your vast collection of kitchen utensils.
“Work will survive without you, c'mon you wouldn’t lose out on much - I’ll even pay for the trouble.”
That,truly caused you to hesitate with a look of sheer bemusement, a mischievous glint dancing in your irises that mocked his claim almost as much as your sardonic tone.
“If you truly knew my job and paycheck then you’d take that back.” With that, you were quick to flip to a more cheerful voice as you waved goodbye to a pouting Grayson. “Anyway, you’ll be fine and tell me how it went once I get back~”
“Wait (Y/n) h-”
The slam of the front door echoed your departure leaving a Dick feeling more lost than ever, the kitchen seemingly quadrupling in size now.
Bruce arrived first along with Damian, Cass, Duke and Alfred. Then there was Tim who’d apparently travelled from Titans tower and finally Jason who’d sauntered in fashionably late as predicted but only by 5 minutes. Each baffled by the sudden change of location which only intensified when the host brought out plates of home cooked dinner.
“…”
“This… this isn’t take out…”
“No, it’s actual food.” Dick confirmed almost offended and words laced with a hint of underlying sarcasm. “That I made myself.”
“Okay, so uh - is it edible then?” Jason quipped back, smirking at his elder brother in a smug manner that only he could achieve.
“Would you just eat it? I went through a lot of stress and effort for this.”
Dick encouraging everyone as he sat down, the action only bemusing the members of his family more as they complied to his wishes with varying degrees of hesitance from each of them. Damian trusted Dick the most, but he patiently waited for his father to finish his mouthful before even touching his own dish.
“Wow, this is incredible, the flavour and everything - Dick what happened to you?!” Duke enthusiastically mocked and continued to devour the meal with a sense of radiance which contrasted to Cassandras pure silence as she savoured every tasteful mouthful.
“Grayson, there is no way you are solely responsible for this cuisine.” Damian suspiciously raised a brow at the older hero, tentatively laying his cutlery elegantly on the now clear plate.
“Thank you, and maybe I had some assistance from my neighbour.”
“Thank you for dinner Dick, it was surprisingly delicious and please give our thanks to your mysterious friend too.” Bruce knowingly added, proud of his protégés accomplishments - though minor in comparison to Alfreds glowing exterior.
“I told you there was hope Master Bruce.”
“Bro, they left a whole list of instructions so you wouldn’t mess up and hey, call if you need anything. Sounds like a plan -” Jason, who had waited until everyone was finished explored your kitchen in hopes of finding some evidence as to who their saviour was.
“Jasonno! They’re working!”
“It‘s an emergency, you’ve been replaced by a clone with adequate cooking skills!” Tim wittily added once leaning against the kitchen doorframe to observe the scene with Damian inspecting the whiteboard before questioning it’s purpose.
“Why leave this if they couldn’t answer then?”
“That’s the point, she will answer and I don’t want to disturb her right now. They’ve done enough for me already.” Dick painfully sighed, strategically slapping Jason’s phone into the air and catching it with his other hand in one swift motion much to the irritation of the latter.
“Hold up - she?” Duke cut in now, holding his hands out for emphasis and subtlety fishing for elaboration.
“Are you dating…?” Jason hummed, taking a moment to analyse Dicks reaction prior to cementing his assumption. “No, but you want to, right?”
“We are not -“
“You want to date someone?” Cass innocently inquired now walking in with a pile of plates, Bruce and Alfred following in afterwards with clean up of their own.
“I mean I -“
“I’ve seen enough of your crushes to know you have one, you’re already flustered by thinking about them romantically.” Bruce effortlessly deducted, Alfred nodding in agreement whilst commencing the washing up.
“You can’t just call me out like that Bats, after everything with been through too.” Dick feigned betrayal, a hand on his heart whilst Bruce shook his head.
“Oh yeah, how long did he wait for Starfire and Barbara though?” Tim jokingly nudged Jason who chuckled at the small dig, though charismatic and charming - when real feelings were involved, Dick Grayson wasn’t one to straightforwardly act on them.
“Real mature guys.”
“I think you should tell her.” Was the sincere voice of reason, Cassandras kind smile enough to silence the devilish remarks of his brothers who now shrugged in defeat.
“We could help…”
———
Miraculously, you’d attained reservations at the most eloquent restaurant in Gotham, located in the more luxurious district of the wealthy. As a result, it served only the finest gourmet cuisine and had waiting lists longer than any other, so much so that even Bruce Wayne had yet to successfully book a place at the establishment.
You had given him the news when he’d recounted the events of his family dinner (skipping over certain discussions) and how they were grateful for your generosity.
Now, you’d asked Dick for how many he’d like seated at the table so you could finalise the arrangements - he knew you worked there, meaning staff privileges were likely applied in this situation but he was still left speechless.
Gawking at the skyrocketing prices, Dick now understood how much missing one day of work would seriously cost you - he definitely couldn’t have afforded your time that night after all.
“So, you say you’re paying for this?”
With a painstaking hum of agreement, the eldest nodded with a hint of concern detected on his features, fortunately Bruce had come prepared with his own credit card (just in case). Although his family could be provoking and frivolous toward one another, they were also respectful in situations like these and wouldn’t run the bill up too high like certain members would if Bruce had been footing the bill. Dick had a charismatic bond with all of them in that sense.
Meanwhile, you handled everything in your kitchen of organised chaos as the orders came pouring in, including that of Dicks table who you had yet to formerly greet.
“This is cereal…” The head waiter meant it more of a question than a statement, looking to you with upmost uncertainty due to the simplicity of the dish compared to those on your signature menu.
Did they even stock Lucky Charms with the ingredients? The answer was no, you’d intentionally bought them purely for this very day and scenario.
“I know, I know - please serve it to my neighbour on Table 12, he’ll get it.” You humourously assured the man who seemed to have more to say but didn’t wish to argue with higher authority.
“Ah, Chef…” Your sous chef called moments later, overlooking the scene with mild skeptism before realising the nature of your scheme.
“Hm?”
“Youdo realise he is currently seated with Mr Bruce Wayne, don’t you?” Upon processing that unprecedented information you immediately bolted - hot on the trail of the waiter with a weak promise in your wake.
“What?! I thought he’d bring his friends along not his- oh god, I just sent them cereal- shit, I’ll be right back!”
With strategy and precision, you carefully intercepted the tray only seconds before it’d be placed in front of the empty seat of Dick Grayson - the man in question probably taking a bathroom break.
“Aha, pardon me, this was an incorrect order on my part, please forgive the interruption.” You bowed with an apology, disappearing in hopes the remainder of the party hadn’t the time to fully decipher the mistake.
Of course, unbeknownst to you, this was a table full of detectives who constantly observed even the most trivial of details.
“Was that… cereal?”
The night followed on as planned, yourself wrapped up in cooking and supervising throughout the night with the only interruption coming from the waiting staff informing you that Table 12 would like to meet the Chef. Such a gesture was commonplace for you, customers regarded as strangers being much less intimidating than your neighbours family - you couldn’t comprehend why, it’s not like you were dating him or anything but their auras just radiated strength.
“Good evening, I’m glad to hear you -” Arriving at the table, you weren’t given the chance to finish before Dick had stood to greet you with a warm smile gently brushing your upper arm once deciding against hugging you out of habit.
“Hey, (Y/n). You didn’t come over this morning, everything alright?”
“Yeah, it’s fine Dick I just had to readjust a menu.” You waved his worries off with a grateful nod, hands on your hips in accomplishment as you expected to resume natural conversation with him.
“Okayokay, compliments to you, the food was immaculate - but how do you know our brother?” A youthful male bearing a white streak through his hair cut in, genuine sincerity in his tone when offering his praise before incredulously gesturing to Dick.
“He’s my neighbour.”
“I - he’s a what now?” Duke shook his head in disbelief, looking between you both rather unconvinced.
“Are you kidding me Grayson?!” Tim was next, the most exasperated out of the whole table as he pinched the bridge of his nose whilst Dick quizzically scanned each of his company for insight.
“What…?”
“You got cooking lessons from one of the top Chefs in the whole damn country, you’re friends with her, and you didn’t even know who she was?!” The slimly built youth exclaimed, apparently knowledgeable in regards to the culinary world and had read of your famous reputation.
“(Y/n) (L/n) owns this restaurant Dick. Also, thank for the other week, the recipe was lovely.” Bruce politely added, nodding to you with a smile.
“You didn’t say that, you only said you worked here.” Dick turned to you now, in a feeble attempt to justify his lack of acknowledgment to your renowned status.
“Well,I do. In my defence you never asked, I mean my apartment and kitchen are rather fancy - that didn’t come on minimum wage.” You replied a matter-of-factly with an air of confidence to your voice.
“Are we forgetting that this is also the chef who was going to serve Richard cereal?” At the remark from Duke, a heated flush adorned your skin due to the embarrassment of being caught - the whole table breaking into collective chuckles.
“You were? - Wow that’s such a dick move!” Dick was openly laughing at your failed attempt at humour, lightly nudging your side as you pushed him away in playful defence.
“Shut up! I didn’t realise you were with your family, or else I wouldn’t have done it.”
Jason immediately waved that claim off, cheekily smirking at you as he spoke. “Oh no, I’m so glad you did, honestly it’s the main reason I like you right now.“
“Thatand you spared us the horror of Graysons cooking.” Damian conviently inputted, conniving grin sent to his favourite brother.
“You’re welcome, ah I apologise but I should get back to work so please excuse me. It was a pleasure meeting you all.” Taking a calculating glance over the expanse of exquisite tables and order exchanges you thought it best to return to your duties with a gracious smile and started toward the kitchen.
“Can I drop by tonight, I won’t be able to afford any thank you gifts after this but I’ll bring you a coffee?” Dick cheerily inquired, causing you to spin on your heel with a shy laugh and confirmation of his proposal.
“Don’t worry, this is my treat. You guys don’t have to pay for anything so enjoy the rest of your evening.” With that you were once again swept up into the busy atmosphere beyond the kitchen doors.
The table remained quiet for a few moments, Dick sitting down and looking to them almost as if searching for their impressions of you only to be met with bemused, impressed and mischievous gazes.
Not for you, oh no - these were shamelessly directed at a now enamoured Dick Grayson.
A/N: This was actually an idea from a fictional book I was thinking of writing, cut down and shortened of course. I figured it shouldn’t go to waste so let’s apply it to an Imagine.
Warning:Mature Language
>>>>——————————>
Destiny?
Fate?
What complete and utter magical bullshit.
Another downpour filled Gotham’s skies and all you could offer in acknowledgement was a vile curse to the sky - now anyone else would’ve assumed you were furious at the world, or simply crazy but you knew better.
It was a recurring phenomenon, a hex if you will, although your ‘orphanage’ had claimed that Fate followed you - as a child that meant nothing, but adulthood certainly made oddities more noticeable andannoying.
Firstly, dating had become a problem, it most certainly wasn’t your appearance as you had been approached on occasion by more confident individuals who’d attempt to win your affections but that’s where it ended.
It began with a charming brunette, the man complimenting your smile and asking if you needed any help navigating Gotham city - a subtle way of asking for a date but before you could answer the sky boomed in your place. Rain hammered down in the next second and you quickly covered yourself barely catching the fading voice of your companion.
“Crap! Forgot my umbrella I’m really sorry, gotta run!”
You never saw him again, nor did you think much of the unpredicted weather conditions.
It took a while for you to become familiar with the pattern, how the universe was desperate to keep you single for the entirety of your life. Often you wondered why, at the beginning you were ridiculously naive to believe it was in aid of finding your soulmate, that one person who Fate had chosen to connect you with to live happily ever after…
Then there was a charismatic blonde, this guy a degree more flirty than the last as you flushed with a mere line. Then he asked if he could walk you through the park and grab lunch afterwards due to the rare clear skies of the usually drab city. You gave him a deadpan look, his panty dropping smirk faltering briefly.
“Give it a second mate.” You breathed, lazily gesturing to the sky which remained oddly clear.
You were growing suspicious…
“Ohhhh, you’re a bit fucking late with this one huh?” Your voice evidently confused as you glared daggers into the unknown force, the blonde obviously weirded out by this slowly edged away and that’s when you realised.
“Ah, well played! You got me to drive this one away myself, that was low even for you!” You responded to the silence, tone more frustrated this time.
However, lightning cracked in reply and once more, you were drenched by the rain and could only offer a middle finger to the sky in defeat. Fate wins again, and this time it was literally laughing at you.
“Bitch…”
Another clap of thunder mocked your rather pitiful insult in comparison.
.
Although with maturity, experiences like above and the fact you definitely were not a normal human being, after some time you settled on the possibility that gifts like yours were not meant to be shared. Either that or Fate had decided you were it’s life long soulmate - at this point you didn’t give a shit. You’d learnt to carry an umbrella everywhere you went, with the amount of people who regularly tested Fates patience you had to be prepared for unpredictable weather changes.
Today was a unique one though. It felt off, you could sense the unease in the air despite following a semi regular routine which you’d learnt was another gift of yours. You peacefully enjoyed your beverage in the tea shop as you normally did - only after escaping the natural light rainy showers, you curled up by the window overlooking the sky in an attempt to detect any abnormalities in the atmosphere to no avail. It was as if something was waiting to happen, you hadn’t really felt anything this strong by your recollection and it only worsened as you left the cozy cafe. The weather was clear, hopefully it’d stay -
“Excuse me, sorry I just - you um - I was gonna say you have really beautiful eyes but I wasn’t very smooth about it all…” The young man scratched the back of his neck out of embarrassment, flush adorning his features.
“Don’t worry, I’ve heard more interesting ones.” You offered a comforting laugh and he took it as a positive sign to continue.
“If you’re willing to grab a coffee, I can try to do better but - wah, it wasn’t supposed to rain?” He quickly pulled up his hoodie as you haphazardly directed him to the nearest shelter with an exasperated sigh - serves you right for actually getting hopeful, nonetheless the guy seemed nice enough.
This time, you shot a defeated glance to the sky as it reflected your darkening emotions, you were basically depression incarnate bringing bad weather wherever you went. Was it so much to ask for someone?
“Hey, you need an umbrella?” An unfamiliar voice asked, and upon turning to the handsome stranger the crack of lightning reflected the sensational spark in your veins.
“Trust me, I always carry an - no way.” You instinctively reached into your bag expecting to find it in its normal place, but when you felt emptiness your stomach sickened - it was then you recalled it’s perch in the cafe where you hadn’t retrieved it from before leaving.
Oh my god, of all the times why now?!
The man must’ve observed the internal panic you were feeling, words failing you at this particular point and so he took the opportunity to provide reassurance.
“Hey, I’m catching the bus which is in 3 minutes so you can have mine once it arrives?” The male grinned, holding his umbrella over your dampening strands. No one, not one of your doomed encounters had even offered you their jacket or umbrella before…
Was it possible that Fate had subtly been keeping the local dickheads out of your life this entire time? Noooo, you’d missed out on some good ones. But why was this man so special?
“I’m catching the bus too, if it’s okay can I stand under it with you until then please?”
“Yeah of course, I’m Dick Grayson by the way.” He charmingly stated, shifting the umbrella before offering you his hand. With a soft smile, you shook it albeit with hesitance.
“(Y/n) (L/n), and I’m sorry about the storm.”
“You say that like it’s your fault.” Dick didn’t hide his bemused chuckle, turning to find you looking rather guilty and decided to continue. With everything he’d seen, he wasn’t one to dismiss such things so easily.
“But if it is, just ask the sun to shine or something.”
“Ohreally? You think that’ll work - alright. Oi, I’m tired of your crap so can I have the damn sun already?!” Voice dripping with sarcasm, you ‘politely’ spoke to the sky.
“You’ve gotta ask nicely (Y/n), jeez.” Dick playfully chided, wearing an amused smile as he did so.
“Please can I have the damn sun? How was that hm?” You flicked your smug gaze back to Grayson, his smirk only widening at your sassy attitude.
To both your surprise, the rain slowly ceased with the sun splitting through the dull clouds as to testify to your lack of faith.
“Well look at that, it seems like you’ve got it all sunshine.”
”Don’tever call me that again.“ Your once enamoured gaze shot to him, now mildly irritated with the petname.
"Aha you don’t like it, I suppose you think it’s too bright for you.” He responded, clearly considering your more reserved demeanour in his assumption.
"We’ve just met, you’re forbidden to give me nicknames until at least 20 minutes in.”
“Hmm, then - hey, our bus is delayed…” Dick trailed off, looking at the monitor overhead with less disappointment than expected. 30 minute delay? Fuck!
“Okay I’m heading to the deli on the corner as I haven’t eaten lunch yet, would you like anything whilst I’m there? Y'know, as a thank you?” You took two steps toward the road, turning back to question the kind man before you.
But instead he surprisingly joined your side, falling into step with you and cheerily keeping up conversation considering you’ll apparently be spending the next half hour together.
“Guess I’ll be able to give you that nickname after all huh sunshine?”
You patiently waited for your food, the male beside you seemingly lost in quiet thought with hands in his pockets and gazed calmly up at the now crystal clear sky.
“I don’t mean to sound cliché or corny but this whole situation has got me thinking about something - do you um, do you believe in fate?”
A/N: Sooo I got this idea after I watched the vow, (great movie btw) It’s not requested, I’ve just had in it drafts for a really long time. I’m not sure anyone’s really going to like it? But I figured I would post it to see what happened. I’ve already gotten a few more parts written, so if you like the story please let me know so I can post those! Anyways, I’ll stop rambling Love you all!
Pairing: Green Lantern Reader x Dick Grayson (Nightwing)
If you could describe it in one word, blank.
It had been blank before. Why had it gone?
The first thing that came back to you was sound. A constant, steady beeping. A machine rising and falling. The worried and hushed whisper of voices, voices, people… you felt a hand brush over yours. Touch. The lingering placement spoke of worry and care. Your mother maybe? Your father?
You felt an itchy sheet underneath you, and you laid on a rather stiff bed, the mattress odd and unforgiving.
Almost as odd as the stench of disinfectant. Smell… like sickness and bleach… like a hospital.
Hospital, you frantically blinked open your eyes. White light, much too bright assaulted you as you rapidly tried to adjust.
As if through a tunnel you could hear the heart monitor beeping rapidly, the shuffling of feet, the even louder murmur of voices.
Hospital.
You hated hospitals.
You were covered by a thin sheet, tubes were attached to your arms, you were trapped. How did you get here? Why were you here? Who are you people? The heart monitor’s beeps increased in frequency, urging your heart to beat faster to keep up.
A few People rushed To restrain you, and unfamiliar faces crowded your vision. Too many people, too many hands, curling yourself up, you cradled your throbbing head and cried out.
Oh god, make it stop, make it all stop, take you back to when it was blank.
“Hey! Back off her alright?” An outlying voice said, a tone of anger wavering in their voice.
The hands withdrew, steps faded away- you must remember to thank that angry voice.
You felt someone brush the hair off your forehead, and flinched at the contact. It hurt, oh lord, your head hurt.
“(Y/N)?” A gentle voice whispered, and the soul inside of you leapt with recognition, as if crying: (Y/N)! Yes! That’s me! I’m (Y/N)!
You slowly tipped your head up, blinking once again at the bright surroundings, and your eyes immediately focused on blue.
The blue you dream of, the color blue the sky is when you are a child, the blue the ocean is when you can see all the way to the bottom, the blue of the ever constant tides and of the calming midspring rains, the blue that was so full of emotion…
“Thank god.”
You blinked multiple times, focusing on the whole picture rather than the one detail.
A man, you were staring at a man. You could see the slight differences of skin tone where if he had been paler there would have been a splash of freckles, his messy black hair, the way he had a slight scar above his left brow, the forgotten laugh lines and deep dark circles around his eyes- his bright blue eyes- it looked like he hadn’t slept in days… you were much too close, and he was far too attractive.
Scrambling backwards, you took a ragged breath as the room around you became much clearer.
“Shh, (Y/N), it’s alright, you’re safe, we’re in the hospital,” the man said soothingly and you begrudgingly nodded.
Confusion swirled in your brain, like a fog that was too dense to navigate through. It seemed to settle over things you knew you should know- like a blanket covering memories you felt tugging at you, but no matter how hard you tried the fog wouldn’t dissipate.
“I-” you coughed, your voice coming out much more pathetic than you had realized.
A small foggy pink glass of water was held in front of you, and with a jerky movement you glanced up.
A tall, imposing man stood next to your bedside. He so seemed impossibly wide and formal you couldn’t help but feel intimidated. His eyes were kind but his jaw was harsh.
Carefully taking the glass, you swallowed a few gulps.
“My… my head hurts,” you said slowly, wincing ever so slightly.
A nurse glanced at you and checked the chart in her hand, with a warm smile she patted your foot.
“That’s completely normal after what you’ve been through sweetheart. I’ll go get you something for that." With that, she headed out the door, leaving you with the three men- your doctors?
You wrinkled your nose is confusion. "I don’t understand- what I’ve been through?"
The imposing man looked you over worriedly.
"You were gravely injured in the fight against The legion of doom, you took on Sinestro even though your ring had been dangerously low on power-” he stopped as the brown haired man behind him scoffed.
“We told you not to! You could have died (Y/N)! Do you have any idea how much-”
“Hal!” The blue eyed man snapped, and the imposing man sighed.
“We’ll lecture you another day, we are all just glad you’re alright."
Your eyes widened in confusion.
"Excuse me, but what the heck?” You glanced between the men-doctors in utter confusion. “Who’s… Sin-Jesto? What ring? Why would you Lecture me? And Why did you start yelling at me? Where are my parents?"
”(Y/N),“ the blue eyed doctor began and you shifted uncomfortably under the intensity of his gaze.
"Don’t you remember us?”
“I’m sorry, remember you? Aren’t you just my doctors? Wha-”
“What’s going on here?” The nurse returned, glaring between the three men.
“You said she would recover! You said she would be fine!” The blue eyed man launched to his feet, jabbing a finger angrily in your direction, glaring at the nurse, as (Hal? Maybe was his name?) whirled on her as well.
“Brain injuries aren’t that simple, Mr. Grayson. I said she would recover, the odds were good but there’s always unforeseen side affects. She’s alive, and awake. And that’s what counts,” the nurse placed a hand on his shoulder. “Give it time, You have to give her time.”
The man- Mr. Grayson, turned to you.
“Do you really not remember?” He asked quietly as he sat on the chair next to you.
“I’m sorry, should I?” You frowned. He looked so heartbroken as He carefully placed his hand over yours.
“(Y/N), it’s me, Dick, your husband, and Bruce.”
It felt like you stared at him for hours.
This… this man, Dick, he was your husband? And his name was… Dick? You couldn’t help the bubble of incredulous laughter that rose in your throat. “I’m- I’m sorry! It’s just- how are you my husband? Why’s your name Dick?”
“Sweetheart, I still ask those questions,” Hal responded and Dick shot him a glare. The nurse turned her head to you in worry.
“Honey, what’s the last thing you remember?"
You frowned, biting your lip in concentration. It was hard to pinpoint an exact memory.
"I- It had just snowed. We were at my House, my mom told me to grab my gloves before school, and that’s it? Why?" You shrunk under the woman’s worried gaze. “Yeah, about that where are my parents?"
Dick, (Seriously, how was that his name?), took a sharp breath.
”(N/N), it’s 2022,“ Dick said softly. You spluttered.
2022? How was that even possible? You needed a mirror, you needed to see… As soon as you tried to get up, Dick tried to hold you down. You shrunk back for a moment under his touch before trying to push him off you.
"I need to see! Just let me up alright?” You snapped, and he immediately pulled his hand back.
“It’s alright,” the nurse informed you stood warily. The older man, Bruce, Dick mentioned, carefully moved the iv drip so you wouldn’t tangle the cords.
Dick got up too, and when you looked in the mirror you took rapid steps back. This girl- she barely looked like you! Her eyes were harsher, her face more thin, her hair was a ratted mess (most likely from being wrapped in bandages)…. she couldn’t be you. She seemed so… hardened. Reaching a wary hand up, your own face and paused as you looked at your arm.
“Woah,” you murmured, flexing slightly and you stared agape. Turning back to the others you saw them looking at you in confusion. “I’m freaking ripped!” Dick and Hal burst out laughing and you couldn’t help but smile, soon Bruce and the nurse joined in.
“I came as soon as I heard! Shayera is on her way from the watchtower… (Y/N)?" A familiar voice echoed from the room and you froze in shock. That was your Uncle John, John Stewart.
"John, she doesn’t, just be careful, she can’t remember-”
“Uncle John!” You screeched and ran over to him, tripping up on your iv drip but nonetheless flinging yourself in his arms. He stiffened in shock for a moment before returning the hug with similar vigor.
Tears fell down your face as you breathed in. You could remember him, there was one thing here that connected to your memories.
“(Y/N), I’m so glad you’re alright,” he pulled back a little to get a better look at you. “What’s wrong?"
John turned to look at everyone in the room, and you took a step back. He wasn’t the same Uncle John you remembered. His hair was grayer and his voice seemed rougher. But then again, if it was 2022, he would have aged quite a bit. The men looked at you, and Dick- you had to turn your eyes away from his. He looked so distraught, and you knew it was all your fault.
Hal seemed distant, and the other man, hell you still didn’t truly know his name. "She doesn’t remember any of us,” Hal rasped.
“She doesn’t-” your uncle turned his head down to look at you.
“Her last memory is it snowing and her mom telling her to grab her gloves before school,” Bruce filled in. “But it makes sense she would still remember you, she’s known you her whole life.”
“Bruce-” Uncle John paused with a heavy breath, “that means…"
"Speaking of,” you murmured, “no one answered my other question: where are my parents?"
The room went eerily quiet and your Uncle John placed a comforting hand on your shoulder.
"Sweetheart, your parents passed away 10 years ago.”
You stumbled backwards, confusion marring your face. “That’s not possible.“
Everyone was quiet and watched your reaction, and Dick looked ready to catch you if you passed out.
Your breaths came in sharp gasps and your shook your head wildly. "No, no. That’s not right. This is all just some bad dream. It’s not 2022, I’m not married to some random guy with the name Dick, I’m not in the hospital, I’m just…."
Uncle John placed his hand on you, and your nose wrinkled in pain. "How are they dead?” When no one answered you turned to the nurse in a flurry, “How come I can’t remember my freaking life?” Tears filled your eyes and your knees crumpled. How could you forget so much?
Author’s Note - This is just a little story to help me get over my writer’s block. It’s been a challenge for me. There might be more little stories like this too.
Warning - Pregnancy
***
The sky darkened, temperature dropping to hint at the coming storm. You glanced up at it and sighed. Gotham was quiet for once. The only people on the dirty street were two homeless people, making their bed in an alcove to hide from the coming rain.
You tightened your jacket around yourself. One step after the other. You weren’t sure where you were going, but you wanted to get away. Away from the paper in your pocket and the news it would bring with it. You swallowed hard and pushed the thought away.
It was pitch black before you realized you were in front of your apartment building. You frowned, glancing at the name plate with confusion. Maybe your subconscious mind knew you should go home and brought you here? You shook your head as the first few cold rain drops fell.
Looking up at the building, you notice your apartment lights were on. He was home. You suddenly felt like you were glued to the pavement. The rain started to pour, but you didn’t care.
You frowned when suddenly the rain stopped. Glancing up, you saw an umbrella over your head. “What are you standing in the rain for?” Tim asked, appearing beside you. Umbrella in his hand. You blinked at him in surprise.
“No reason.” You croaked, looking back up at the apartment. “Why are you here, Tim?”
“You and Dick invited us over for dinner,” Tim said, concern deepening his voice. “Remember?”
A blush came to your cheeks. How could you have forgotten that? Now this conversation was going to be even worse. “Right.” You looked behind him to see Steph, Cass, and Damian watching you somewhat nervously. Cass looked confused. She probably read your body language. “Come on in then.” You dug your key out of your soaking wet jeans’ pocket and led them inside.
“Are you okay, (Y/N)?” Steph asked as you led them over to the elevator. You forced a smile on your face and turned to face her. She and the others flinched. You let the smile drop.
“I’m fine.” You went inside the elevator first, shrinking into the far corner. The others joined, huddling among themselves.
“Wait for me,” Jason shouted, jogging inside last minute. You wondered how he got past the building door, but the thought faded away as quickly as it came. Cass held the elevator for him to enter. Jason panted, glancing at you before frowning. “What’s wrong with you? Did someone die?” He chuckled softly.
“No, I’m fine.” You tried to laugh with him, but it came out a choking sound. Jason’s eyes widened and he retreated to join the others in their huddle. They were whispering, but you did your best to not listen. The worries sank deep into your stomach. You started to feel sick. The piece of paper in your pocket heavier than before.
When the elevator opened, you rushed out first, speed walking down the hall. The others followed, keeping their distance. You struggled to get your key into your hand and to get it into the lock. A stray tear slipped down your cheek. Suddenly, a warm rough hand wrapped around yours and took the keys from you. You glanced up to see Jason giving you a sad smile.
“I got it.” He unlocked the door for you and pushed it open. You nodded at him, pursing your lips to hold it in.
“(Y/N), there you are,” Dick said, coming into the living room with an apron on. “I was wondering why you were taking so long.” He froze when he saw your face. “What’s wrong?” He move toward you, arms open. You shook your head, unable to handle his comfort. He didn’t stop coming. You dodged his arms and ran into the bedroom, slamming the door behind you. “(Y/N)?”
Your heart shattered into a thousand pieces as you slid down the door, sitting against it as you felt the door handle twist. The door rattled against your back. You hid your face in your hands.
“What happened?” Dick asked the others, his voice soft through the door. You couldn’t hear their response.
Moving your cold fingers to your pocket, you took out the piece of paper and unfolded it. It was damp, some of the words were smeared, but the message was still there.
You ruined it all. A gentle knock came from the door. “(Y/N), sweetheart. What’s wrong? You took hours to get home.” Dick’s voice was so calm, comforting. You didn’t deserve that. The words on the page blurred. “You’re scaring me, love. Please tell me what’s wrong.”
It had to be done. You swallowed past the rock in your throat as you turned to kneel in front of the door and slowly slipped the piece of paper under the door.
***
Dick gestured for his siblings to go into the kitchen. “Help yourselves to dinner,” he whispered before the rustle of paper brought his attention down to the floor. He saw the damp piece of paper under the door. “Sweetheart, I don’t understand any of this.”
He knelt down and picked up the piece of paper. His siblings were still behind him, watching with wide eyes. You had scared them, just like you were scaring him. Dick glanced back at them, nodding his head to reassure them before looking over the paper. It was doctor’s summary note. You were at the doctor’s? Why didn’t you tell him?
Once his eyes reached the diagnosis section, his mouth went dry. He choked. The blood drained out of his face.
“What is it?” Tim asked, coming to Dick’s side. He took the paper from Dick’s hand.
“Sweetheart,” Dick whispered, voice hoarse. He cleared his throat, dropping to his knees in front of the door. “This is wonderful news. Honey, we’re going to be parents.” Dick’s eyes filled with tears. “I know it’s not how we planned and I know we fought the last time we talked about it, but sweetheart, I’m not mad.” Dick’s heart threatened to burst from joy at the thought of his child resting inside of you. He had wanted to wait, but now that it happened, he only felt joy.
“Let’s give them a moment, huh?” Jason whispered, ushering the rest of the siblings into the kitchen. Dick saw they were smiling, although Damian looked quite confused. He’ll probably have to explain to him later.
The door cracked open and Dick saw your eyes peering out at him. “You aren’t upset?” A hiccup escaped your lips. The tears in your eyes made Dick’s stomach drop. He shook his head, opening his arms for you. You sighed in relief, opening the door the rest of the way to crawl out into his arms. “I was so scared when the doctor told me. You said you wanted to wait and I thought you would think I did this on purpose.”
“Never.” Dick held you tight and kissed your forehead. “You aren’t that kind of person.” He kissed his way down to your lips. “I love you so much. We’ll figure this out, I swear.”
You nodded, melting into him. The two of you would have been on the floor forever if you didn’t start shivering from your wet clothes. “I need to change,” you whispered, pulling away to look down at yourself.
Dick nodded, kissing your nose one more time. “Go change. I’ll prepare the herd in the kitchen, so they don’t jump you all at once.”
You smiled and got to your feet. Dick followed you, patting your back to send you on your way. You waited as Dick moved into the kitchen and was attacked by the bubbling of cheers and mild teasing. Closing your eyes, you realized the sound was music to your ears.
With a shake of your head, you went to go change, wondering why you got such a funny idea that Dick would have rejected you. You knew the kind of man he was. He had something that you valued above all else. A heart of gold.
This was requested by anon and it is long overdue but I really had so much fun writing this request. I chose to write about Disneysea because I just came back from Disneysea with a bunch of my friends and despite the cold, I enjoyed it immensely! So I figured, since the memory is still fresh in mind, I should write about it. Thank you so much for sending this in!
The first time you had noticed him had been by Triton’s Kingdom’s inner facilities. While your friends had gone to wait in line at the Blowfish Balloon Race, you had opted to wait in line at Sebastian’s Calypso Kitchen because you were hungry, and you did not feel like going round and round on the balloon ride. You had been minding your own business when you suddenly see something from the corner of your eyes so naturally, you turned to look, and it was probably one of the best decisions you have ever made because standing not far from you – by The Sleepy Whale Shoppe – were a group of friends? Family? – you weren’t quite sure – and they looked like they were having a good time.
(Although, out of everyone present in that group, there was only one person that caught your attention).
He was wearing a fitted black shirt with jeans that hugged his derriere very well and the jean jacket he threw on top of his shirt made him look all the more appealing and sexier. Not only that, he was also using a Mickey Mouse headband as well, making him look quite adorable – though when you did a quick scan, you notice that almost everyone in his group had either a headband or a hat.
The first time you had noticed him had been by Triton’s Kingdom’s inner facilities. You had been waiting in line by Sebastian’s Calypso Kitchen when you suddenly see something from the corner of your eyes. So, naturally, you turned to look and it was one of the best decisions you have ever made because standing by The Sleepy Whale Shoppe were a group of friends? Brothers? – you weren’t quite sure – and they were all good looking. Although, out of everyone present in that group, there is this one person who caught your attention.
While you were busy checking him out, you had missed one of his friends nudging him and pointing at you. So, when he turned to look at you, you blush profusely when he caught your eyes and gave you a smile – one that you reckon will probably be in your dreams when you return to your hostel that night. You immediately look away, placing both of your hands on your cheeks. “I am so dumb.” You murmured to yourself, relieved that you would be going up to the counter very soon.
The second time you had noticed him… Well, you had not really notice him at that time for you were too busy trying to build up the courage to take photos with Pluto when one of your friends nudge you. “Y/N, don’t look now but some hottie is definitely checking you out right now.” She whispered, giggling to your side and you probably should have listened to her but when someone tells you to not do something, you have this tendency to do quite the opposite.
So, you looked over your shoulders and almost choked on air when you saw the man from Triton’s Kingdom and this time around, he gave you another dazzling smile and a wave, causing you to flush from his attention. Not wanting to repeat the mistake you had done earlier (when you told your friends about what had happened while you waited for your hotdogs, your friends had given you an earful for not smiling back at him), you shyly lifted a hand to wave back and the smile on his face grew bigger, if possible.
“You should totally go over there and say hi to him, Y/N!” Your friend told you, but you shook your head. Today is really all about having fun with your friends and truth be told, you were just far too shy to go over to where he was casually standing at to ask for his name and number.
Giving him one last look, you turned to look at your friend. “It’s fine – come on, help me take a photo with Pluto, please?” You asked her, handing your phone to your friend and she furrowed her eyebrows at you before she relented, giving you a smile.
“Third time’s the charm, right?”
You had almost dropped your Strawberry flavored popcorn in surprise upon hearing a voice right beside your ear, but you did, however, startle, almost tripping over your own feet in surprise until a warm hand caught you and steadied you. You mumble an apology and turned around. “Oh my God.”
The man from before is standing right beside you and he is better looking upfront and definitely taller than you. You blink a couple of times and flush slightly at the smile on his face. “Sorry about that.” He apologizes and you shake your head, tongue too tied-up now. “My name is Dick and I know this is too forward of me, but we have seen each other quite a lot of times today, haven’t we?”
At this, you had to let out a soft laugh. You did happen to see him a lot today and although you should probably consider the fact that he might have been stalking you as well, you feel flattered that he even bothered talking to you. “Yes, we have. My name is Y/N.”
“So,” Dick looks around and looks back at you, raising one of his eyebrows up. “Why are you alone and not with your… friends? Sisters?” He asks as he moves forward with you.
“My friends are afraid of heights and I really wanted to ride the rollercoaster.” You explain, awkwardly holding on to your popcorn, contemplating if you should offer some to him or not. “What about you?”
Dick rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. “My family all went ahead – priority passes – but while we were walking by, I saw you alone so here I am.” He tells you and your jaw drops slightly. Being able to afford priority passes speaks a lot – they are far different than fast lane passes – and the blush on your cheeks darken at what he had just implied. Dick smiles warmly at you. “You don’t mind, do you?” The smile falters slightly when it suddenly occurred to him that you might actually mind.
The first time Dick had seen you, the entire family had been trying to convince Damian and Jason to either get a headband or a character hat because everyone but the two of them got hats and headband and it had actually been Jason that pointed you out to him.
The second time he saw you, he was slightly disappointed that you didn’t even look at him but when he saw how excited you were, waiting for your turn to take a photo with Pluto, Dick could not help but smile so he stayed around the area just for a little bit – which happened to be a good thing because after that, Alfred managed to make everybody come together nicely for a family photo.
So, obviously, when he saw you standing alone and enjoying your popcorn, Dick knew he had to talk to you.
“No, I don’t.” You shake your head, giving him a shy smile and Dick visibly relaxes, a smile returning back on his face. “Would you… Do you want some popcorn? It’s strawberry flavor.” You offer the popcorn to him.
Y/n laughed as her and Dick laid in bed and he told her a cheesy joke. Dick smiled at the love of his life and pulled her close, gently cupping her face as he did so.
“You know Detective Grayson, you still never told me how you felt about me.”
Dick smiled softly as he gently stroked her cheek, admiring her face
“I’m so in love with you, Y/n. Every where i go, I’m reminded of you.”
Y/n blushed and giggled as Dick kissed her.
Dick left to go to work later that day, he was working a case on some gang activity in Gotham. Dick drew his gun as the team of police officers followed him to the door.
“GCPD, Open up!” He yelled and banged on the door, they had a lead on where the leader was and had evidence to bring him in
“GCPD!” He yelled and banged on the door before giving a nod to the officers, Dick kicked the door in and went in, being cautious. They found the gang leader holding a woman hostage, a gun to her head.
“Put the gun down.” Dick warned, the guy chuckled and pushed the gun to her temple
“Put. The. Gun. Down.” Dick warned again, the man still didn’t listen
A loud bang happened and Dick staggered back as another police officer shot the bad guy. Dick held his abdomen as he fell back, sputtering up blood.
At the hospital, Bruce and the rest of the family sat in the waiting room nervously to hear how Dick was.
Alfred had called Y/n, who instantly rushed over.
“I want to see him.” She demanded and Jason held her back
“You can’t, He’s in surgery.” Y/n cried, wishing she could just go back to that morning when they were laying in bed together
Y/n paced around before a doctor came out
“Family of Dick Grayson?” Y/n and Bruce instantly shot up
“I’m his father.” Bruce said, Y/n chewed her lip as she played with the necklace Dick had given her
“We did all we could… it’s best if you all say your goodbyes. He’s awake but just enough to hear you. Room 305.”
Y/n took off running to his room, so many bad thoughts were gong through her head.
She sobbed as she saw dick laying in the hospital bed, hooked up to a machine to help him breathe.
“Dickie..” She sobbed and gently grabbed his hand, the rest of the family came in. She decided to let them all say their goodbyes first.
“You can go say bye now..” Jason said softly and gently put his hand on her back
“Just.. give me a second..” She said softly and stared at the door, working up the courage. She stood from the chair, her legs shaking under her. Her legs seemed to have a mind of their own as she walked into the room, she sat in a chair next to Dick and took a deep breath
“I never knew that I’d have to say goodbye this soon.. I love you so much Dick, I never wanted to say goodbye.” She took a break and sobbed
“Please, make this all go away Dick, wake me up from this bad dream, hug me and tell me that its okay. That it was just a dream. I hate that I know that I’m losing you and I hate that there is nothing I can do to make things better.” She sniffled and grabbed his hand
“I still need you Dickie.. everyone still needs you.. I don’t know what to do without you.. It’s breaking my heart that I’ll never get to see you when I wake up, just know that you’ll always own my heart Dick, and you’re taking a part of it with you. Things will never be the same, and it hurts so bad.. Everyone is so proud of you.”
She kissed his hand gently
“I’m so happy that we met. I love you more than anything Dick. You will forever be my hero. It’s gonna be okay baby.. you don’t have to hang on anymore.”
And just like that, Dick flat lined.
A month later, Y/n sat with the family in the kitchen
“Jason?” She said softly as she sniffled
“Yeah?” He mumbled
“I can still see him and hear his voice.”
“Me too.”
“Do you think that I’ll ever forget what he looks and sounds like? Cause I’m so scared that one day I’m going to forget and I won’t know what to do.”
“I’m scared too” Jason sighed
Y/n sat with a few of her friends, they were trying to cheer her up but it wasn’t working
“What.. what was it like? Losing him?” One asked
Y/n took a deep breath as she started to explain
“Losing him was the worst thing that ever happened, having to say goodbye to him, learning to live without him, trying to fill the void in my heart from the hole that he left. Him dying was like hearing every single goodbye that I’ve ever heard all at once.” She sniffled and wiped her eyes
“The worst part was knowing that he was never coming home.”
Synopsis :Damian is terrified of growing up, because he finally found a family and doesn’t want them to be around him less because he grows older…He’s especially scared that his mom, you, will slowly stop taking care of him. Because that’s what growing up is right ? Your parents just slowly stop taking care of you because you’re an adult. His siblings reassure him that…this is definitely not gonna happen.
Sudden burst of inspiration, had to jump on the occasion to write ! Like y’all, I hadn’t been able to sit down and write for that long in over six months, the fact I wrote this in an hour without stopping once is a good sign for me hehe. I hope you’ll like this, and of course as always feedbacks and reblogs are super welcomed !! :
“Hey buddy, I have some important meetings today and won’t be there for lunch. Your dad too. I left some food for you, see you tonight, love ya.”
Are the simple sentences that set Damian off.
Alfred had his day off (and Damian couldn’t feel bad about that, the butler rarely took days off and when he did they were planned well in advance and he’d usually prepare everything for everyone). You and Bruce were busy. And his siblings were out and about. Damian could definitely reheat food for himself. It wasn’t really a challenge. It’s just that…
That him alone in the manor, it reminded him of bad days from the past, when he always had to fend off for himself.
He felt absolutely ridiculous feeling that way, because that was the first time since he came into your life that he actually was home alone. But he couldn’t help it. He’d gotten used to always having someone around. And he hated being alone.
At first, he always sought to be on his own. It was all he ever knew. And he thought that’s how life was. He spend hours on end all alone in his room, when he wasn’t in the Batcave. Up until…
Up until you sought him out. Whether it was to watch a movie, bake some cookies or just be silly. And if it wasn’t you, it was one of his siblings. He thought you were all so annoying, in the beginning. He always sighted, growled and got snappy with you all when you came look for him at first. But then…
Then he realized that, when you finally started to leave him alone thinking he just liked to be on his own…He felt lonely.
Actually lonely.
And it always brought an onslaught of bad memories, when he felt that way. So today ? Yeah. To him it was silly to have those emotions, but he couldn’t help it. He just couldn’t. He wasn’t used to be alone anymore.
The truth was, this couldn’t be a worst timing.
It was almost his birthday, reminiscent that he was getting older and older, closer and closer to the age he’d have to leave the Manor and fly on his own.
And he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to and this wasn’t fair ! He was already ten when he came into yours and Bruce’s life, so much less time than most children to enjoy their parents’ care ! And to be the “baby of the family”. He only had eight years of this bliss.
Eight years of finally having care and love, and someone who would always be there for him.
For some reasons, in his very pragmatic and cartesian mind, once you turned eighteen, you were on your own.
Was it because this was the age his grandfather had originally planned for him to start taking over the world for real ? The age his grandfather always mentioned as the final trial before he had to handle himself (even more than before) ? Before he had to put his years of training into action ? A perpetual “Year of the blood” ?
Maybe.
And maybe if he wasn’t so afraid, he would’ve seen how, even though Dick and Jason had their own place in town, they were still very obviously your babies (just the week before, you went to Dick’s apartment to bring him some chicken soup, and stayed there the night because he had the flu !).
Or maybe he would’ve noticed Cass had turned 18 not long ago and was still here with no intention yet of leaving. Cass actually had the same sort of thoughts than Damian, except in her head, because she only started to have love and care at age 12 when she was officially adopted by you, she had lots to catch up, and her plan was to stay as long as she could at the manor.
Not that it would bother you nor Bruce. The place would feel too lonely without them (Bruce’s secret wish would be that none of his kids would ever leave the nest, and he did everything to convince them to stay…Alfred had to have a stern talk with him when he tried to dissuade Dick to take his own apartment and scare him into staying home).
Yes. Maybe if he hadn’t been so afraid, Damian would’ve realized that of course you’d never just stop caring for him once he turned a certain age.
But fear. Fear always numb the mind, and you can never think straight when something that primal rises inside you. And it was oddly set in his mind that once you turn eighteen, you had to leave your family.
He had only about four or five years max left now. It wasn’t much.
It wasn’t enough.
And he was so afraid.
To be honest, he had been thinking about it for a while now. And the mere thought of having to leave the manor filled him with anxiety and distress.
He needed some fresh air. Whenever he felt like he was going to explode because he felt too many things at once, he’d go out in the garden (most of the time with Titus). To think. And to refresh himself. And he would-
“Uuuum, I’m sorry young man but where’s your jacket ? It’s October, and COLD.”
Damian jumped a little in the air, he was most definitely not expecting anyone. As he turned around and saw Jason there, a frown on his face, the gloominess he felt about being alone for lunch instantly faded away.
“What are you doing here ?”
He asked a bit harshly, to keep composure. He was not about to tell his brother, especially not that one, that he was feeling the way he was feeling. Jason had a tendency to remember things way too well.
“Mom told me to come check on you, she wasn’t sure she left enough food for your lunch. Dad called too, cause of course he would. As if I forget to do things, you know ? Anyway, I brought veggie burgers and fries. Oh. And Dick also texted me like forty times to come because I wasn’t doing anything “important” -how would he know anyway- and he was busy…being a cop or something.”
Jason said, ignoring the bite in his little brother’s voice. Just like everyone else in the family, he came to recognize when Damian didn’t really mean the things he said, or the tone he took.
As if it was the most normal thing in the world, he took his jacket off and put it on Damian’s shoulder.
“Honestly, wearing a t-shirt in this weather. You’re lucky mom’s not here. You’d never hear the end of it. If she can make a speech about wearing proper warm clothing to dad, out of everyone, to the Batman himself, she can definitely talk your ears off about it too.”
“I’m not cold.”
“Sure you’re not.”
Truth was, yeah, Damian was starting to feel a little cold. He didn’t really think about taking a jacket when he got out. Mmm. Someone reminding him to wear a jacket.
It’s the little things, you know ?
That he’ll miss. When he’ll be too grown up for it. When his parents, and even his siblings will just assume he can think of a jacket himself. And like, yeah, sure, he probably could. Once you’re an adult you have to think about this kind of thing.
But what if he forgot ? Nobody anymore to remind him, or to bring a warm way-too-big-for-him coat to wear…
He’d miss that.
Jason was staring at him, immediately noticing something was wrong, and said:
“Alright, out with it.”
“What ?”
“Something is obviously bothering you. Come on, tell me. You know you can trust me.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Sure it’s not.”
Damian clicked his tongue in annoyance. Jason had this particular sarcasm and irony about him, that instantly made you understand that he did not believe you. He shook the bag containing the veggie burgers, a warm and appetizing smell coming out of it, and said :
“Come on, let’s go inside. Eat. And we’ll see if you wanna talk then.”
************
Damian did talk. And it was easier than he thought it would be. Jason made a comment about him not eating any of the food you made, and how it would worry you and…It just poured out of the little boy’s mouth.
All his worries. His fears and his stress.
“I know it’s stupid, but please don’t mock me.”
He said, dejected. There was a short silence before Jason said :
“I’m not about to mock you for that, little brother. I feel ya, really.”
Ah yes. Yes. There was probably no one better than Jason who understood exactly Damian’s feelings right now.
As a child, Jason was constantly afraid he’d do something wrong and you would stop loving him, so he always worked extra hard to be good, even when it was hard to. And after he died and came back in the way he did…It’s like his worst fear happened. Because he thought the reason Bruce never killed the Joker was that he didn’t really love him. And the reason you and him adopted Tim was to replace him.
Of course, now, he understood how wrong he was. And of course, at the same time, his anger and hurt was justified. But this was another story.
The point was, Jason understood Damian’s fear right now. And so the perfect words to reassure his brother came naturally to him, too. It were the words he wished he heard, all those years ago (and that you eventually did tell him) :
“Ok but Squirt, if you think that just because you’re gonna be a “grown up” or whatever I’ll stop caring about you, you’re very wrong. I will call you to remind you of very basic things till the end of days. You’re sixty, have a wife and children ? I’m in my seventies screaming at you to were a jacket. It’ll never end. Never. You’re always going to be my little brother. And mom’s kid. Always.”
He’d never admit it, but Jason was kind of the “mom brother”. People always thought he was the rebel who only fought with his family…that wasn’t true. He fought with Bruce, sure. And he constantly bickered with Dick but that’s because they had this little “big brother competition” going on (and when they were children, Jason admired Dick and felt embarrassed about that so he would snap at him for no reasons because he still had a hard time processing his emotions…after all, he grew up all alone, nobody ever explained to him it was ok to want to be loved, to be angry, to be hurt etc).
He resembled you greatly in that way, really. It was because of his life in the streets, and his broken family. When he finally found the love of a Family, he never let it go. Even when he was so angry, in the first few years of being Red Hood. The reason he was, was because he loved all of you so much.
And he resembled you. The same comments about eating enough, drinking water, sleeping enough, wearing warm clothes or not watching TV in the dark. He’d “mom” his siblings when you weren’t there, and they pretend they were annoyed by it while really, it was the opposite.
And Damian thought, well, if his brother, who was so much like you, said that. If he sounded so sure about never ever stopping caring and loving him…Then surely, you would too, right ?
Because you were really a like, he thought. Really alike.
And he was happy to not be alone for lunch.
************
“Jason ! You’re still here, oh you’re staying for dinner right ? Alfred always make too much food just in case one of you will pop in anyway. He’s coming back tonight”
The sheer and simple happiness written on your face as you see your son is obvious. Damian sees it. And it’s reassuring. So, so reassuring. The same smile Is still on your face when you turn to him and say :
“How was it today ? Did you have enough food ? See when Alfred has his day off I always feel like I don’t feed you enough.”
“It was fine mom. Also Jason brought veggie burgers and all so we had more than enough.”
“Oh good. What did you two little buddies did today ?”
“You two little buddies”. Jason, who was in his early twenties, and Damian, who was quite younger…were called the same way.
It meant something, right ? It meant you both saw them the same, right ?
And so…it meant than when Damian would be older, you’d still see him as your little kid ? And care for him ?
You hadn’t seen Jason for barely three days, and yet you attacked him with dozens of questions about how he was doing, and what he was doing and…it reassured Damian. Greatly.
Yes. You left space for your children as they grew up. But when they didn’t want that space ? When they needed you ? Like right now, as Jason was telling you about his recent adventures ? …You were there.
You were there. And by all means, it felt like you would always be there.
Jason noticed the relief in his little brother, and gave him a partner-in-crime kind of wink. Which made the little boy smile, despite himself.
************
“Mooooom !! Can you make that “PB and J samwitch” you’re famous for please ?”
“With the crust cut off ?”
“Yes please.”
“No worries little buddy.”
Dick hadn’t been home for more than an hour, before he launched his infamous “Moooom” and asked you for something. And honestly ? Didn’t bother you one bit. He had always been polite about asking you things, and it was never too difficult. Just small rituals between you two.
Like the PB and J “samwitch”. Almost an inside joke between you and him. One of the thing, as silly as it sounds, that made you so close all those years ago, when he was a little heartbroken eight year old. And when you promised yourself you’d always be there for him.
So what if sometimes you made him his favorite sandwiches ? He definitely was grateful and this little reminiscence of past years always warmed your heart. Making those sandwiches, cutting the crust off, eating them with him…It all brought only good memories. And it made new good memories. So why would you stop doing it ?
Dick smiled and went to sit in the comfy armchair of the main living room. Damian was sitting in another one, reading a book. However, very fast, Dick felt his brother’s eyes on him and turned around, a question in his eyes.
“…You’re twenty-four.” Damian said, an eyebrow raised.
“Yeah, I am. And so ?”
“”Samwitch” ? Crust cut off ? Can’t you do that yourself ?? Are you a child or what ?”
There’s a small silence, during which Dick seems to ponder Damian’s question. And ah, of course he takes it very seriously. A little too seriously maybe, as he puts a hand on his chin, as he always does when he tries to think of a plan of attack during his “vigilante work”.
“Well. Yeah. I can do it myself. And I do when I’m back in my apartment. But mom is here so, yeah.”
It sounded like an evidence in Dick’s mouth. Of course. Of course if his mom was here, if you were here, he’d take advantage of it and seek to be pampered by you. And where was the bad in this ?
I mean, he’d been living on his own for a while now, couldn’t he sometimes be indulged and treated like if he was still a kid ? You always told him he’ll forever be “your kid” anyway. And your sandwiches, although made the same way he made it, somehow still tasted better.
Dick could see Damian had some trouble fathoming his behavior, and as the big brother he was, of course he’d properly explain.
“We’re lucky to have an awesome mom who loves us. Who wants to be there for us, even if it’s to make our favorite food. Why wouldn’t we be happy about it, and let her do it ? I’m always happy to do things to help her out, like when I pick you or Tim at school. Stuffs like that. It’s um…Our love language ?”
“Love language ?”
“Yeah, you know. The way we show we love each others. Amongst other thing. Like we both have multiple love language I feel but it’s not really the question here. Listen, yeah, I’m twenty-four. And maybe it’s a flaw, to still love to be treated like a kid by my mom. Maybe it’s not normal, even. But out there, whether at work at the police station, or when I’m Nightwing…Things are rarely great. We always see broken families, people in pain, horrible things happening. So what if, when I’m home, with my mom, I like to be taken care of ?”
Damian was stunned. Yeah. Yeah he understood what Dick meant. But he just didn’t know you could be THAT old and still have your mom do all of that ! Which is a little silly, because he did see his mom act that way towards Dick or Jason before, without batting an eye.
Why is it that when it came to himself, he always thought there were different set of rules, he always was so hard on himself about everything ? You and his siblings made him understand.
He deserved love too. And-
“Here little buddy, yoursamwitch. And you, littlest buddy, do you want anything ?”
You were speaking to him. He hadn’t even noticed you came back, pondering about what Dick just said. But he answered :
“Could I have some cookies, please ?”
“Of course. White chocolate chip ?”
“Yes ! Um, could I help you ?”
“Of course, come one, the more the merrier. Let’s try to not eat all the cookie dough before though, like last time. Wanna join, Dickiebird ?”
“Gladly ! Always love to cook with you.”
Dick didn’t care, when his team mates from Teen Titans mocked him because he called his mom every day. He didn’t care, when the Young Justice, and now the Justice League mocked him when his mom called him “Dickiebird”, “Little buddy” or “my baby”. For Dick, you still sometimes almost babying him was a great treat.
Because he was right. His life was hard. Harder than most. And so, what if he wanted to get a hug from his mom, or to just be generally pampered by her ? If you were around, he for sure still would ask you to tuck him in…and where was the shame in this ? Those moments were so rare nowadays. And he was an independent adult. So what if sometimes, just sometimes, he wanted to escape the harshness of real life just to feel cared for by his mom, or his dad ?
There was no shame in this. None. Which is why Dick never cared when other mocked him about it. This was hardly something he was ashamed of.
And today, Damian understood this, too.
No matter how old he would be, he would always still still be allowed to have his mom take care of him.
************
“I turned 18. I am now an adult, by law. But mom doesn’t care much about law. Look.”
Cass says, and on that note, she smiles at her brother tenderly before going to where you were sitting, and just…Ah yes. Damian saw her do that before.
Damian and Cass understood each other really well. They both had a difficult and loveless early childhood, and were craving affection now. And it wasn’t rare that he would see his sister…demand a hug from their mom (and even from their dad, the boys were sometimes a little too proud and awkward for that, but Cass ? She didn’t care. If she needed comfort, she wouldn’t hesitate to seek it. Not anymore.)
And Damian instantly knew what she was trying to show him.
Cass was grown up now. By all technicalities. Yet if she wanted a hug, she’d get it. And both Damian and her knew that whether she was twelve, eighteen or forty, as long as you were there, you would give one to her.
As usual, without any words, Cass was able to convey all her meanings to her little brother.
Damian felt warmth in his heart the rest of the evening. Feeling happy to see her sister happy. But also that yes, age definitely didn’t matter when it came to motherly love. And that made him more than happy, a feeling he had no words yet to express.
But as Cass constantly showed, sometimes, you didn’t even need any words to show your true feelings.
******
Damian’s concerns came to Duke’s ears, one day. And although Damian was less and less afraid of the eventuality you would one day stop caring for him, the topic of conversation still came up as they were patrolling, and Duke was more than willing to let Damian open up to him.
Especially since this was the first time they had this kind of heart to heart conversation. Damian was a tough nut to crack. He always kept his distance at first, suspicious of any newcomer. And he also was a little jealous of the attention given to Duke, for sure.
But this conversation ? It came naturally as they were just casually talking while on their patrol, and nothing much was happening.
“I’ve been here for less time than you, but I have no doubt in my mind that Bruce and (Y/N) will never cease to see us as their kids.”
It’s true. Duke hadn’t been here for as long as all your other kids. And his situation was a little special, as his parents were still alive and there was hope for them, even after all this time. He hadn’t yet called you or Bruce “mom” and “dad, but he didn’t think any less. You took that place in his heart, right along sides his own parents. You taught him that he could still treat all of you like his family without betraying the family he already had.
And that was precious.
And oh so needed, after all he’s been through.
And for Duke, there really wasn’t any doubt. He knew he’ll forever be able to count on you.
“See it that way, if I needed you, twenty years from now, would you not come to help me ?”
Damian looked at Duke, outraged in his eyes, and exclaimed :
“Of course I would come !”
“Well it’s the same for all of us. We fight sometimes, and we say things we don’t mean. I know I haven’t been around long, but I also know I would jump in any situation if it was for any of you. In the short time I’ve been here, I was able to feel the family love. And the strong bond we now all share. So believe me Damian, when I say none of us will ever stop caring about and for you just because you grow older, I truly mean it.”
It’s true that Duke hadn’t been a member of the “Batfamily” for long. And this new perspective he brought, Damian didn’t even think about it ! Sometimes, it felt so obvious to all of you that you loved each other, that you forgot to remind that to one another. But for Duke, it was all new. And he had no qualms reminding his new little brother that yes.
Yes, he’ll always be there.
It’s a shame, really, that no one else was around when Damian gave that first hug ever to Duke, who gladly accepted it.
But in a way, this first brotherly move, first trace of the bond that had been built between them, well, maybe it was meant to only be between the two of them.
************
It just happened.
One evening, he was feeling particularly anxious and scared, and he just spilled the bean to..his dad.
And Bruce’s reaction was immediate, and it was obvious by how quickly he spoke that he didn’t quite think things through (if he had, maybe he would’ve known what was about to happen, given a certain son’s presence) :
“Son, your mother even baby me sometimes, so I really do not think she’ll ever stop seeing you as her precious little boy.”
“She…babies you ?”
“Yes, and he LOVES it !” Jason chimes in, snickering and obviously reveling in the fact his father wasalmostblushing.
With his dad, it was always about the micro-changes in his facial expressions. It was hard, to decipher it. Only the trained eyes could see it, and oh, you trained Jason since he first came in to show him the small changes in your husband face. To recognize his “smiles”, his worry, his anger…
Bruce spend years learning how to school his facial expressions, how to control his emotions. But sometimes, with his family, he didn’t fool any of them. And right now, he was clearly not going to react to Jason’s little mockery, so naturally Jason thought he’d add, speaking to his brother :
“You probably saw it. He lays his head in her lap and she scratches it. Kind of how we scratch Ace and Titus’ heads.”
Bruce kept a neutral expression (and how frustrating it was how much he could school his expression to let nothing appear), and answered, matter of factly :
“She does not “scratch” my head. She runs her hand through my hair. -short pause- It’s soothing.”
There was almost a comical gap between his lack of facial expression, his monotone tone, and his words, and it made Jason’s smile even wider. Damian too, couldn’t help but smile a little too much.
“But um. Yes. Sometimes, she just…sooth me.”
Bruce knew this sounded ridiculous, and out of character (to anyone not truly knowing who Bruce Wayne really was). But he also knew that this was the truth. You had this gift. Sometimes you’d sing him sort-of lullabies when he had bad nights. You’d hold him until he fell asleep. You’d run your hand through his hair, caressing his scalp…And he would never stop you.
He would never admit to anyone else but his children this very fact. Never. But if it could reassure his son in any way, what was the harm ?
There was none. And as the night started, Damian felt all warm inside. By the fact his parents love always made him happy for some reason (when they weren’t being gross and kissing -bleargh). But also because, if his forty years old father still had the “soothing treatment”, why wouldn’t he, when he was grown up ?
************
Your kids were pretty good at keeping secrets…but it never lasted long when it came to you. You always knew what was going on. Oh, and once Bruce knew about it ? There was no way he could resist you.
He always told you everything.
And so you came to know Damian’s worries, and even though you understood that everyone reassured him already, you felt like it was your duty to reinforce everything. So, one night, as you were tucking him in, you chose a particular story to read him.
It was a small children’s book. Definitely destined for kids way below his age. Not the kind of thing you would read to him. Usually, you’d both read classics. Adventure books. Lately you read the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy. Etc etc. Never actual kids’ books. But tonight, this choice seemed appropriate.
It was a book called “Love you Forever” written by four authors, and the last words went something like this :
“I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, As long as I’m living, My baby you’ll be.”
And there was no need for more. He knew you knew.
He knew one of his siblings told you about his fear, probably out of worries. Or that his father, as you “ran your hands through his hair”, spilled the bean. And he didn’t care.
Because by reading just a simple bed time story, you erased all his fears.
“I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, As long as I’m living, My baby you’ll be.”
************
It was rare, to have all of your kids home. But sometimes, it happened. When they took the rare night off (and only because Kate was out, because they knew it’d be calm…even in Gotham, certain nights were eventless). It happened less and less, as time went on and they all grew up.
Your babies.
You always felt a pinch in your heart, thinking about how one day, they’ll all leave. Ah if only. If only they could all feel like Damian feels right now.
Like he never wants to grow up, like he never wants to leave.
But you knew. You knew that even him, one day, would take his flight. And you knew that he would do great.
You also knew you would never cease being a mother. And that as soon as they’d need you, you’d be there.
It was getting late, and you were thinking about all this when Dick, who was always great at reading your feelings and knew you were a bit nostalgic at the moment, said :
“Hey, say, mom, since we’re all here and have the night off…what about a bed time story ?”
Oh. Ooh. How could you resist ? As Dick asked you that, a wide smile on his face, you had a flashback of the sweet little eight years old boy who used to ask that same question every night. And you never could say no.
And when they were all here ? It was impossible to refuse the offer.
Yours and Bruce’s bed was a unique bed tailored especially for you that your husband ordered years ago, when Cassandra officially became your daughter and your old bed was starting to be too small for all of you when it was “story time nights”.
It was a bed especially made for your family, and each one of your children had their spot on it, as you started to read one of the house’s favorite. Even Bruce, was listening, and the sound of your voice plus the presence of his children had the most soothing effect on him.
You all regularly joked that he was the first one to dose off, off in a deep sleep. He didn’t care much, those were the few moments he could genuinely sleep. And that made all of you happy.
One by one, your children fell asleep, a cute tangle of arms and legs (Dick had the habit since a long time to almost strangle Jason, clinging to him as he fell asleep, and as Jason grew up and became much taller than Dick, it just went from cute brotherly love to hilarious “hugchokehold”). Damian was the last one to close his eyes, as usual, wanting to enjoy moments with his family as much as he could.
The story was over since quite a while, but you weren’t asleep yet. You were just basking in the warmth and love of being surrounded by those you loved, your children who would always be your babies, and your husband who was the love of your life.
Sometimes, amongst all the hardship and troubles, there were really blissful moments.
I hope you liked it. Just a little silly story that came to my mind as I was thinking about my own mom :). Maybe it’s stupid, I still enjoyed writing it ! And I hope you liked reading it. As usual feedbacks and reblogs are always welcomed, and see you soon with a new story !
Synopsis : It’s rare. You meddling with your family’s “vigilante activity”. It’s rare. On the contrary, you usually support them, and you understand why they do it. But sometimes…Sometimes, it really gets on your nerves how little they take care of themselves ! And you’re not afraid of telling them, ALL of them. Wether it’s Bruce aka “The idiot” (your idiot), your kids, or even Alfred !
I had a dream about this, so I had to write it haha. Just a small compliation of ficlets/drabbles (some longer than other) on the same subject that I compiled together, while I still work on a bigger project that I’ll hopefully post soon ;). A bonus fic, if you will. I hope you’ll like it nonetheless ! Comments and reblogs are of course, as usual, always very welcomed :) :
Bruce knew that, when you called him an “idiot”, it was serious.
Your relationship was based on mutual respect, communication, healthy habits and, of course, a lot of love. So you calling him an “idiot”…It meant something.
It meant you were angry with him. And it only happened in one specific situation : When he didn’t properly take care of himself.
Bruce was a man of the extreme. Yes. “Was”. He was more temperate, now. Thanks to you, in a big part. Thanks to his children too. And to the constant love and support you all gave him.
Which sometimes lead to you calling him an idiot.
It was less frequent, nowadays. But at the beginning of your relationship ? Oh boy. The issue often came when he was “off duty”. Home. And when he’d work out up until he couldn’t anymore. And at first, it was source of “fights” between you two.
His work as Batman ? You understood it. You knew he was putting himself, every night, in danger. And why he was doing it. His work as CEO of Wayne Inc ? It was needed. He did so much good with his company. But when he was home. The rare moment of peace. He spend all of it training. And it couldn’t go on.
“I’m not saying to not work out, and you know that ! I’m saying being so intense is completely unsustainable, and you know it ! You’ll end up breaking your body before you’re even forty !!”
Bruce knew. He knew. And the truth was ? A part of him knew he would never be able to be Batman forever. Of course. So his idea was to push himself to his limits, to accomplish his work as fast as possible ! So what, if he sacrificed his body and mind for it ? As long as he achieved his goal : a safer place for children to grow in. So nobody will ever experience what he lived through.
Ah. But you disagreed. In part because you loved him, of course, but also because you believed in his cause. You believe in bringing Gotham back from the chaos it was in. And you were intimately CERTAIN that Bruce would break himself before finishing his goal if he continued like this.
You put things into perspective.
Showed him his self-destructive behavior.
There was a “before” and “after” you, when it came to Bruce’s work out. He still worked out a lot of course, but now, he also had “low intensity” work outs, and did yoga.
Which could sound ridiculous, to people who had a certain idea of the Batman. But it wasn’t.
It was a way of going the farthest in his goals, in his want and need to give Gotham a chance to get better. To give its inhabitants a better future.
Working out, keeping himself in shape (which arguably he did every time he went out as Batman), it was important. But what good would it do if his body couldn’t keep up ? He was, after all, just a man. He would for sure break, if everything was “all work and no play”.
And oh. Oh his life had been just that for so long. Training, training, and more training. Fighting, solving crimes, more fighting. Going home to sleep a few hours, and then go back to train.
It was as if he was a machine, going through life mechanically for the sole purpose of Justice.
And you were right, it wasn’t sustainable. He probably would’ve cracked before finishing his plans. Push himself right into the grave…
And then you came. You called him an idiot, yelled that self-care was important, and didn’t budge on the matter. You showed him he needed to take care of himself, in order to take care of others. You showed him…So much. Love has always been one of Bruce’s strength, no matter what certain people might think of him.
Love was his driving force.
And your love ? Is what made you so adamant he needed to take care of himself. And it changed…so much.
He couldn’t even list everything good it brought him, to finally think of himself. To put himself back in the “Batman” equation, not just as a mean to achieve a goal, but as an actual being. To view himself as a human again.
Bruce’s trauma ran deep. So deep he forgot sometimes he even existed. And there you were, calling him an “idiot” and making big speeches about how he needed to take care of himself.
For his own good. And in a way, for everyone’s good.
There you were, reminding him he had feelings. Grounding him in this world. Reminding him he was a person, with emotions and needs.
Oh and you’d never give up on him. Never. You were always there, reminding him all the good of being alive.
When his parents died, a part of him died too. Bruce thought he could never feel happy again. He buried himself in his work, in order to not feel. And there you were…
“Self-care is important, you idiot !”, simply because he was working too much, pushing his body and mind too much. “Simply” ? Ah. But the self-destructive tendency wasn’t even something he was aware of. This was far from simple. And without you, he might’ve never even realized it.
So. Yes. As silly as it could sound to some, self-care, knowing his limit and not trying to push them (too much), made him a better Batman.
All that thanks to self-care ? Yes. Even heroes, needed to take care of themselves, if they wanted to keep doing what they were doing. Something Bruce never really thought about. Not before you, for sure.
“Self-care is important, you idiot !” you’d yell at him, when he pushed himself too much. When he sacrificed his body and his mind for his cause. When he went too far, and pushed himself to the limits.
It would always happen. You knew it. This is how he was. Sometimes, he had to go to the extremes. And you loved him unconditionally. But hell if you weren’t going to get mad at him, and force him to take care of himself ! Subsequently, you took care of him a lot, too.
And maybe, his form of self-care was to let you be there for him ? Maybe. After all, he often said it best himself : “Life isn’t very long, and a man doesn’t have a lot of great moments. But you’ve given me many. All my best memories are with you.”
Bruce wasn’t the only one who would put taking care of himself as an afterthought, unfortunately for you. Your kids would do that to.
Of course, you’d never call them “idiots”, for many reasons. And to be honest only when he was really putting himself needlessly at risk would you call Bruce that, he just could act like such an idiot sometimes !! Just like you too, everyone could act like idiots at one points…Except your children, they were perfect. Buuuut, sometimes, they really wouldn’t take care of themselves.
And that made you “mad”.
Dick
“Richard, you ought to know that this was too high of a drop, even for you !”
Oooooh snap. You called him “Richard”. You were definitely not too happy with him. And your son knew better than to try and talk during moments such as this.
He had been with you and Bruce for just over two years now, and had recently celebrated his tenth birthday. He’d been calling you “mom” for a while now, and definitely saw you as the best thing that happened to him since he lost his parents. You and Bruce, you saved him.
Which is why he knew why you were calling him “Richard” right now.
See, Dick was one of the only one amongst your kids that always saw through your bluff. He knew, you weren’t angry. You were definitely not happy with him, but it wasn’t anger, that made you call him “Richard” instead of any other affectionate nickname you always gave him.
It was your worry for his safety. And how little he seemed to care, at times, for it.
Dick, amongst every member in your family, was the only one who truly got that. Of course, later on, all his siblings and his dad would understand you cared for them and wanted them to take care of themselves. But Dick ? Dick was the only one who knew you never got angry at them, you were just scared.
Probably a little frustrated too, let’s face it.
But mainly scared. Scared that they would forget to take care of themselves, and as a result, well…Things like what just happened would happen.
Dick, in pursuit of a thug, jumped from a point that he knew was too high, and broke his leg. But in the heat of the moment, all he thought was catching the bad guy. And he did. He caught him. By jumping on him from a little too high, injuring himself in the process.
And you were terrified.
If already, at ten years old, he started to have this kind of behavior…
You couldn’t help but remember a time during which Bruce would push himself too much. Would be more hurt than nowadays. The beginning of your relationship was far from easy, for the both of you. You didn’t want Dick to fall in the same habits.
“You have to be more careful, you know..”
“Yes mom, I know.”
Dick knew. He knew what you felt. He knew how you felt. Because he felt the same too. You and him had a lot in common,. And worrying about others’ wellbeing was one of said point in common. And so Dick knew what it was, to want someone to take care of themselves and watch them not do it.
After all, his dad was the Batman.
He was the only one in the family who ever truly got it. Who ever truly saw you were never angry at them, but scared. Dick knew. He knew.
He smiled at you, already so wise, for such a young kid.
Of course, you had no idea how much he understood how you felt. How much he knew already, that it was important to take care of himself. That self-care was vital. Especially in his line of work. And so you reminded him often.
Like right now, bringing him some food, as he was bed ridden because of his broken leg. You weren’t angry. You were scared. Scared they’d lose themselves.
“Mom ?”
“Yes, honey ?”
“I promise I’ll take more care of myself. So please, don’t be so worried, ok ?”
Wh-What ? Your son was ten. He was only ten. How was it, that he knew exactly what was on your mind ? That he knew what to say ? That he knew-
Ah. You looked at him, and he looked back at you. Giving you the purest smile you’ve ever seen. And you understood. Yes. You did.
You and Dick always had this link between the two of you, this way of understanding each other’s feelings. Mainly because your brain were wired the same on how you perceived life : as long as your loved ones were ok, you were ok. And as a result, you knew how important it was to take care of yourself, too. To be ok, for them.
It wasn’t always easy. And that’s exactly what family was for. So that during the hard times, like right now, as you were scared for your son who broke his leg as a lack of care for himself, together, you could pull through.
“Self-care is important, right ?”
He said, a light of mischievousness in his eyes. And oooh that boy. He’s always been clever. A little too much, maybe. You smiled back, and said :
“Yes it is my little one, yes it is. So please, be more careful…”
It was clear, in those moments, you were never angry at them. But scared. Scared they’d forget to take care of themselves, and get hurt (or worst) in the process.
When Dick started to live on his own, in Blüdhaven, one of the thing he constantly asked himself was : “Would mom be scared for me if I do that ?”, and it was honestly often a motivation to take care of himself. Take some “mental health days” off, so he could recenter himself and take care of his mind. Let his body rest too.
He always understood you. And as a result, of course, your constant remembrance of how important self-care was stuck with him, and will always stick with him.
Jason
Pre-Red Hood
“Jason, baby, you have to be more careful.”
“But did you see mom, did you see how I hit the ball so far that dad couldn’t even catch it ? Did you see it mom ? Did you ? That’d be a homerun right ? Right mom ? Right ?”
“Yes, yes I saw. And it’d be a homerun for sure. But you-“
“And then he ran to get it but I was already half-way around the field. I would’ve finished if I didn’t fall in the roses – I hope Alfred isn’t mad – But like, it was still good right ? Right ?”
“Yes, it was. But Jason, you need to-“
Your son jumped up on his feet, while you were in the middle of taking care of his injuries, which fortunately weren’t too bad. Small scratches there and there. A bruise on his little face. It wasn’t too bad, but it was such a recurrent thing.
“I hit it so far ! I never hit it that far ! Right mom, right ? That was so far ! I think it went to the back of the garden, and Wayne Manor’s garden is big ! Dad didn’t even got to it. Well, because he came to get me out of the roses, but he was so far from it ! Right mom ? I hit the ball super super far ! I bet I hold the record of hitting it the farthest right ? The record in the family ? Dick didn’t hit it that far, did he ? Oh wait, he doesn’t like baseball. Well I’m the one who hit it the most most most most farthest then right ? Right mom ? Right ?”
Yes. It was a recurrent thing.
Jason, often engrossed in what he was doing, wouldn’t pay much attention to his body. To himself, in general. Because even as he was just nine, he often took much more upon himself than such a young child should take on. And he would throw himself body and soul into everything he did. He was a very passionate kid, to say the least.
And he wanted to help. Oh, he wanted to help so much. Because he still thought he didn’t do enough to save his own parents…While they were the ones who failed him.
You see, Jason had to survive most his life. He grew up too fast, taking responsibilities that he should never have taken. His parents were the result of years of Gotham’s neighborhood rotting away in poverty and crime. And there was little hope, for a small child. Yet…Yet he pulled through. And took so much upon himself.
This habit stayed with him. He always wanted to be there for everyone, often to the detriment of himself, whether physically or mentally. He didn’t want to just help out, no, he HAD TO throw his entire being in everything he did.
Ok, in this instance, it wasn’t that deep. Your boy just got really excited playing baseball with his dad, and accidently got hurt in the process as he hit the ball really hard and as he got happy the ball went past Bruce, he ran and…fell right in one of Alfred’s rose garden (he wasn’t looking in front of him, as he waved at you excitedly repeating “did you see this mom ? Did you see ?”). The thorns made quite a number of him.
No wounds were too deep, but there were many of them. However, none tainted Jason’s excitement. And this was one of the core of the problem.
Your son would often get too much into something. And forget to take care of himself. Whether it was because he wanted to save someone, or because he won at a game against his dad…
In that way, he actually resembled Bruce a lot. Both of them had this inside them, this way of getting hyperfocused on something to the detriment of themselves.
“Jason.”
Your solemn voice stopped him as he was again describing what had just happened, and he turned to you, worried he did something wrong.
He was always worried he did something wrong. You quickly reassured him, and added :
“It’s just…You have to be more careful buddy.”
The question in his eyes told you everything. He didn’t even notice, himself, how he could get too caught up in something and sacrifice himself in everyway possible.
Again. This wasn’t that deep. It was just a baseball game, and he wasn’t that hurt. But it represented the root of the problem nonetheless.
“It is important, to take care of yourself, you know ? Self-care is, I would say, one of the most important thing I will ever teach you.”
“Self…care ?”
“Yes. The art of taking care of yourself. And it is, an art. You know, sometimes we have too much on our plate. Too many things are going on. And we need to take a few steps back, a good warm bath, read a good book…Just take care of ourselves. It’s important. It’s so important. I could write essays about how important it is. In fact, I’ll write one for you. Maybe it’ll make more sense. I know you can be a bit cartesian my boy.”
You smiled at him, and he smiled back, naturally.
You could see Jason didn’t quite understand just yet. But you knew he would. You knew because you’d never stop reminding him how important self-care is. And just like everything Jason did, he started to indeed take care of himself, because he knew it made you and his dad happy..
************
Post-Red Hood
“Are you crazy ?”
“I don’t need your lessons, Dick.”
“Oh yeah ? You sure about that ? Because you almost just died ‘cause you were too engrossed in trying to-“
“I. Don’t. Need. Your. LESSONS !”
Your oldest son stopped himself from saying more. He knew his little brother enough to know it was useless. To know it’d only drive him further away.
Jason had almost died (again) after he chased after a group of thugs, and, too focused on that, didn’t notice a sniper. Or rather, he noticed, but his only goal was to stop the criminals. He didn’t care what happened to him in the process. “Too engrossed in what he was doing”.
“JASON PETER TODD !”
Jason’s blood froze. Oh no. Oh. No. You weren’t happy with him. Clearly.
“Oooh, you’re in troubleeee.”
Jason glared at his oldest brother, Dick, who just said those words. What ? They weren’t children anymore. So his mom was angry, and ? He died and came back to life, so nothing really got to him anymore, and certainly not some silly-
“Exactly what do you think you’re doing ?? You could’ve been killed ! So stupidly too ! You were brought back to us, we can’t watch you go again !”
Oh. Oh he was wrong. As he saw you approached, furious, he felt like a little eight year old child again. Which was an odd feeling, because he was certain he erased everything from that time from his heart, so why would he feel like that right now ?
“Haven’t I told you to take care of yourself ? Didn’t I taught you that ? Forget everything your dad ever taught you if your hatred really makes you do it. But not this, ok ? Not the way he, we, showed you you needed to take care of yourself ? Not, not that…”
Your voice slowly faded away, tears welling up in your eyes.
Jason had come back not so long ago. You and Bruce discovered it was him not so long ago. And he still hadn’t really talked to you. He had a big fight with your husband, you knew. And you understood where his anger came from. But you couldn’t…You couldn’t bear to see him die again !
“Just take care of yourself…hate us all you want, but please…take care of yourself…Don’t let yourself get hurt like that…”
Jason had to leave. He couldn’t handle seeing you like that, but his entire being was still too wrecked deep inside, to go to you and hug you. To comfort you, like you did when he was a child. To talk.
He couldn’t.
He didn’t…He didn’t hate you. And he certainly didn’t hate his dad either. He- He didn’t know who he was anymore.
He had recently reconnected with his siblings (goddamn Dick never was able to mind his business). And Bruce had, of course, ran after him as soon as he understood who the Red Hood really was…But now, now Bruce was giving him space.
And Jason. Jason understood why. He understood. And it tore him apart even more. Oh, it would’ve been so easy, to just hate you and Bruce. But he didn’t. No.
He was hurt. Deeply. And he didn’t understand why Bruce did the thing he did. And why-
He was hurt.
And he wasn’t ready yet to confront you. To just face you. He didn’t want to break again.
And so he left.
In a way, that in itself was an “act of self-care”. Protecting himself from feelings he knew he could not handle just yet. Leaving, so he could regroup. Clear his mind.
Take care of himself.
Everyone had to (re)start somewhere.
Tim
“MOM ! MOOOOM !!”
Damian’s erratic screams pierced you like a knife. That boy rarely succumbed to panic, so if he was calling you so desperately, it meant something grave was up !
You ran towards where his voice was coming, your mind running a thousand different scenarios as to what might’ve happened. You came in the living room your family used the most, and you felt your heart drop.
Right there, near the couch, was Damian, looking as he was about to cry he was sitting down on the floor, with Tim’s head in his lap.
“He just dropped mom, he just dropped !”
Your brain entered “automated pilot” mode as you dismissed all feelings of fear, and went right to your son, to check his vitals and…
“He’s sleeping.”
“Wh-What ?”
Damian was sobbing, scared to death for his brother. Contrary to popular belief, and even if they wouldn’t admit it themselves, Damian and Tim were very close. And so when Tim passed out all of a sudden, he downright panicked, and got extremely scared.
“He’s sleeping. He’s ok. I bet he “forgot” to sleep again…”
Yes. This wasn’t the first time Tim sort of dropped out of nowhere. He once got dumped by a girlfriend because he fell asleep in a rollercoaster. It wasn’t really too out of character. Reassured, and after making sure he was really just asleep, you went to fetch your husband so he could help you get Tim to bed. As you left you heard Damian say :
“Just you wait, when you wake up, I’ll make you pay for this !”
A soft smile on your lips, you exited the room.
You always worried about your family, of course. Especially given their line of work. But Tim ? Oh, Tim was a CONSTANT worry even when you were right next to him. You didn’t want to be overbearing, so you’d let him do “his thing”. But oh boy…That child had the worst attitude when it came to his own self.
He’d forget to eat, if he was too focus on a project. Or to drink. Or, you know, to sleep. He’d put his needs last, if it meant solving a case. If it meant finishing something.
He was the worst, when it came to self-care. And no matter how much you’d remind him, get mad at him (you, or the rest of the family really), he would always dismiss his need for (what he thought was) a higher purpose. Unlike with your husband, your argument of him not being able to achieve his goal if he dropped first, never quite hit him.
Tim simply didn’t care what happened to him, as long as he got things done. And it was tragic. In multiple ways. First, because it showed how growing up to be invisible to his biological parents truly affected his psyche. Second because it was a source of constant worry for everyone. Third because it really was unhealthy, and he was just sixteen ! Fourth…Well, the list would be infinite, when you think about it.
Tim never taking care of himself was tragic, period.
And moments like this ? Damian panicking, you feeling awful, and him passing out of exhaustion ? Well, it was proof enough of that fact.
Tim woke up in his bedroom, and was greeted by a sight that warmed his heart. Damian was asleep in an armchair, curled up in a little ball. Oh, how far they went, since the first time they met…
His mom and dad were there too, in another armchair. His mom was sleeping, but his dad…
“Hello there chum, feeling better ?”
He nodded, and smiled.
“I’m ok, of course. It was just a little moment of weakness; no worries.”
“Don’t say that to your mom, she’s gonna lose her mind if she hears you say that again after you passed out…again.”
“I know, that’s why I’m telling you. I know you understand.”
“I do. To a certain extend. I do agree with your mom, you know ? It is important to take care of yourself.”
“I am taking care of myself.”
“You passed out on your way to watch a movie with Damian, because you were THAT tired.”
“Good point. But it’s not like, all the time. I just got caught up in…stuffs.”
“I know.”
There’s a small silence. Tim knew Bruce understood him, but he also knew he agreed with you on the self-care part. Which is something he just couldn’t understand. His biological parents never took care of him, like, at all, and it was deep rooted in him that he didn’t really matter. So, you know, it wasn’t such a big deal.
He knew, of course, his family loved him. He knew the extend of your love, you showed it many times. He just didn’t think taking care of himself was that important.
In any case, he was glad you were sleeping at the moment. He definitely didn’t want you to get mad at him right now, he hated it. Not because he was getting yelled at, but because he hated “disappointing” you. So yes. He was glad. And it was heartwarming, that you guys were waiting for him to wake up.
He loved you all so much. Which is why he had to work harder to-
“DRAKE !”
Tim turned his head towards Damian, who was now standing on the armchair, pointing a finger at him.
“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOUUU ?”
For a few seconds, Tim was lost. He looked at his brother, and then at his dad and you, who definitely woke up after Damian’s outburst.
And then Damian started to talk. Talk and talk. To sermon Tim like he never did before.
And it clicked.
It clicked in Tim’s head, that day. After years of you trying to tell him self-care was important, it finally clicked…because of his little brother.
Damian was more than mad, when he woke up. He lectured Tim for hours and hours. And the concern in his voice, in his face, in the very reason he was mad…It told everything Tim needed to know.
He was important to others. He knew it of course. He knew you and Bruce loved him, that he was your beloved son. But for some reason, he always dismissed your self-care words for being “worried parents”. But when Damian put himself in such a state because of Tim lack of self-care ?
Your son understood. Finally. FINALLY. This wasn’t just the worries of parents. This was an actual important thing. Not just for him, but for others, too. He had the same epiphany your husband had, all those years ago.
It just took him a little more time to get through his stubborn thick skull. Oh, and also, it took a loud short ball of nerve showing his utter worry for him, to finally get him to understand.
Finally. Tim understood years of you saying : “self-care is important”, because of the love his little brother held for him…
Cass
“This. Ok.”
She said, showing the wounds you were tended to.
“No Cassandra, no, it’s not ok !”
Your daughter was taken aback by the use of her full name. You only used her full name when you were angry…Or when she thought, you were angry. Usually, you calling her “Cassandra” was a translation of your worries (which granted, could appear as if you were angry).
Dick would tell her you weren’t angry, just worried.
Worried because Cass grew up with people who didn’t care about her, and only ever saw her body as a weapon (resembled Damian in that way). As a result, she viewed her own self as an expandable, and it drove you crazy.
Crazy with worries, and with pain.
Your precious little girl thought of herself as an expandable, while to you, she’d forever be irreplaceable. You hated those who gave her the idea. Hated her so called “father”.
How dare they make such a wonderful woman think she was nothing important. Think her existence was secondary.
“It’s not ok, it’s not.”
You repeated. And it broke your heart, to see your daughter not understanding why you were so upset. You were pretty sure she thought you were upset with her.
“I’m not angry at you…”
You had to reassure her on that, of course. But you couldn’t look at her. You didn’t want to cry, not in front of her. You weren’t sure you could explain to her why…
But you and Cass ? You never needed words, to understand each other. You never needed hours of conversations, long explanations, to know exactly how the other felt.
You felt her hands softly settle on your cheeks, and she “forced” you to raise your head. For a long moment, she looked deep in your eyes, and you could see she was searching for the answers to her unasked questions.
Did she find it ?
You didn’t know. All you know is that she let you go, after a while. Looked at her wounds. And said :
“Alright. Important.”
************
It’s only ages later, that you realized she understood what you meant, in that moment you called her “Cassandra”. She understood why you were sad, and that it wasn’t her fault.
No. And that was the most important thing.
It wasn’t her fault.
It was a long road, to understanding truly was self-care is. But a long road she was willing to take. Because she knew you would take it with her, too. That you would be there, guiding her, not giving up on her, ever.
That you would be there, looking at her as if she was the most important thing in the world for you (and she was, along with the rest of the family). Giving her a sensation she never felt before.
Was she important ?
If she was, was taking care of herself important ?
A long road. That you’d accompany her on. Everything will be fine. She knew it. One day, one day she’d understand.
Self-care is important.
Damian
Damian was not used to have someone care for his need. So how could he know about “self-care ?”
When trained with the League of Assassins, he was fed, and had a roof over his head. But, he was being trained by the League of Assassins. He had been created for one purpose and one purpose only.
To one day rule the world.
There was no being nurtured, just being lead to be the ultimate survivor and weapon. Nobody ever asked him if he wanted ice-cream, for example, like you were, right now.
“Are you ok, my little buddy ?”
Ah. Another question he never heard before he started to live at Wayne Manor. “Are you ok ?”, oh, how three little words could mean so much.
Damian wasn’t ok. And he wasn’t even sure why. He just felt like everything was…Too much. Sometimes, things were just too much. And he didn’t quite knew why yet (he would discover along the way, get more in phase with his own feelings).
He shook his head, and slowly, you saw his face crumble, and tears gathering in his eyes and you didn’t need more prompting. You entered “mom mode”, an experience Damian only ever lived with you. Which is probably why he genuinely considered you to be his mom.
You sat down beside him, and enveloped him in your arms. And it felt so nice. He didn’t need to give you an explanation, to tell you why he wasn’t feeling well. You were there anyway. And it was nice.
A long time went by, when you finally said :
“You can always talk to me. And if it’s too hard, text me ? Write to me to explain, if you want. You don’t have to of course. But if you feel like it’ll make you feel better, do not hesitate. You will never bother me.”
You will never bother me, you tell him. In such stark contrast with what he was used to. His grandfather constantly reminded him that he was alive only because he let him be. That his life belonged to him, and that if he became too much of a nuisance, he’d-
“It’s ok my little buddy. Go ahead, cry all you need. It’s ok.”
All you need. You said need.
“You know, it’s ok to sometimes take some time, for yourself. It’s important, even.”
There’s a short silence. Damian clings to you, but he slowly calms down.
“You have to take care of yourself. Care for yourself, as much as I care for you.”
Silence again. Damian wasn’t crying anymore, but he wasn’t sure of what to say. Taking care of himself ? He didn’t know how that worked. Where to begin ? What did that entail ?
Taking care of himself, as much as you cared for him ?
Wouldn’t that be too much ? Too self-centered ? Going backward in his redemption, back to thinking he was “the best” and deserved to be put on a pedestal ?
Because you cared for him so much. So much. Like nobody ever cared for him before. Granted, it was easy, as nobody ever did. But you…You were such a great mom.
Damian didn’t want to be self-centered.
“It’s ok to take care of yourself. To have moment of self-care.”
You said, noticing your son didn’t seem convince. And it’s as if you could read his mind, as you added :
“It doesn’t mean you only care about yourself. There IS a difference between self-care and being self-centered.”
Yes. As if you read exactly what was in his mind.
“Damian. You are allowed to take time for yourself. Like right now. With me. It’s self-care. Opening up to someone, letting your emotion run free. It’s a form of self-care. And then, when you feel better, we can go eat all the junk food we can find, and binge watch all your favorite movies. That could also be self-care.”
“Eating ice-cream and movies are…self-care ?”
“Well, in a way, yes. It makes you feel good right ?”
“Right.”
“And relaxed ?”
“Yes, especially when with you.”
“Then it’s self-care. For me, it’s peace of mind. It’s feeling like things will be ok. It’s surrounding myself with those I love. Like you. I love you my little buddy.”
“I love you too…”
He never told anyone he loved them before. Because nobody ever loved him.
Self-care, huh ?
Damian never even knew it existed. He never saw simply doing something he liked, like drawing, as a part of “self-care”. Just like with his dad, you put things into a new perspective.
You made him understand, slowly but surely, what self-care was. And how important it is.
Duke
Duke had the bad habit of pressuring himself too much. He was a rather stress teenage boy, and it made it even worst that he always kept everything inside, like an actual pressure cooker.
He put in his head, early in his life, that he had to succeed at certain things in order for his loved one to be proud of him, and not worry for him. He’d stress over his studies, his future, sometimes he’d simply stress over not knowing what to eat for lunch !
It was simply the way he was, an overthinker to the core.
And he never spoke about it. Never. It wasn’t his style, and it wasn’t what he was used to.
A pressure cooker.
Holding everything cooking up inside, under high pressure.
You knew that. You knew, and it drove you crazy, because you also knew this kind of stress couldn’t just be cured overnight, if it could even be cured.
Duke was an anxious boy, and as a result he often got strung up on things and forgot himself. Forgot his own safety.
You made it your duty, to remind him that he needed to take care of himself. Just like you did with all your children.
But Duke was particular. All your children were different, and they all had to learn to take care of themselves in different ways. For Duke, who also had the added stress of discovering new powers which could turn dangerous if he didn’t learn to use them, it came under the form of a schedule.
Duke like the safety of knowing what was going to happen. Of planning things ahead, which is what made him such a great vigilante (and was closely related to his powers, when you thought about it).
He needed a structure, or his stress would go through the motherfu**ing roof. You discovered that the hard way. You were trying to explain to him he needed to take some self-care moments, to tell him taking care of himself was important…And it really didn’t work. In fact, it had the opposite effect.
He listened to you. He took a day off and…panicked. He hadn’t time to think what he was going to do, how he would use this day productively, how-
It just didn’t occur to him that Duke would react that way. And it was ok. Learning through trials and errors, right ? The next day, you showed him a blank schedule, saying he should try to fit a “self-care day” at least once a month, to start with. And then incorporate one a week, if he could.
And this ? This was reassuring. He could work, with thinking of a schedule. With thinking of specific days, in which it was ok for him to not plan things. He just had to plan that in advance.
For many, it could sound contradictory. But for him, who had this anxiety he had to live with for so long, it wasn’t. If he knew he had that day to relax, to not think of anything. To put everything on a side, and just do his hobbies, hang with his family and friends without worries…Then he could genuinely let go.
It was maybe a little too cerebral for some people. But it’s how Duke worked. The very essence of his meta-human powers showed this was just who he was. Someone who needed to plan ahead. It didn’t mean he couldn’t improvise, oh no, on the contrary, he had quite the talent to improvise. He was a smart boy. But, it meant having a direction to go was reassuring, and nice. And knowing when he could turn this off, was also nice.
To Duke, self-care started with a piece of cardboard. A blank schedule you gave him. And it slowly took meaning from there. Slowly became an actual thing. To finally take its full place in his life.
Duke had his own way, to self-care. His own path. And as he introduced this in his life, he became less stressed, and truly understood what you meant.
Self-care was important.
Self-care was almost vital, in a way ?
It could help you function during days you felt like nothing would go right.
Self-care was important.
Duke had a tough few years, what with losing his parents to the Joker’s laughing poison, and discovering he was a meta-human. And you teaching him self-care ? Showing him the foundation of what it was ?
It helped. It really did.
Not only self-care became a part of his daily routine. But it’s also what made him feel like he had a family again. Because if you, Bruce, those he came to introduce as his siblings, wanted him to take care of himself…It meant you really cared for him. It meant you loved him.
It meant he had a family again.
Alfred
You would FORCE Alfred to take days off.
Out of everyone, he probably the one who took care the least of themselves. And with people like Tim or Bruce in your family, that was saying a LOT.
In a way, it seemed logical. After all, his very position, being a butler, meant everyone else’s need came before his. But in your way, it couldn’t always be like that !
Alfred too, needed time for himself. Needed time for some precious self-care.
And although he was quite a stubborn man, and held his ground in front of the Batman himself…He couldn’t beat your determination. And he had to admit, it was nice, to sometimes lay back.
Everyone needed some self-care days.
YOU !
Just like you’d get mad at them, they’d definitely get mad at you too…
Sometimes, they would say you took care of them TOO MUCH.
Of course, most of the time they wouldn’t complain. They loved being around you. But they loved you being healthy even more. And so the “you time” came in. “Me time”, for you. Every now and then, you’d have moments of pure self-care. All on your own. Which was…nice.
You loved your family, but those moments of calm wanted “loneliness” were good. It was part of your self-care. The other part was…To let yourself be utterly pampered by them.
By your Broosh. By your children. By Alfred.
Moments devoted to you, to your every need. Because your health was precious, to all of them. And you understood. You understood, because this was the exact reason you always “fought” them to take more care of themselves.
Yes.
Yes, self-care is important. And it was something that almost became a motto, in the Wayne family.
Just like last time, I haven’t written anything in a while (this time mainly because of lack of time though, and not my mental illnesses…yay ?). So I’m a little nervous about sharing this little thing, I wrote rather fast in a burst of inspiration (albeit I wrote this half-asleep so ya know). They’re just drabbles. Maybe too descriptive, but the theme was made for it aaah.
I really hope you liked it. And as usual, comments and/or reblogs are always welcomed, encouraging, and heart warming :). Thank you.
Synopsis : You’ve always had really bad period pains. You learned to live with it, and to take care of yourself during those times…Up until a certain Bruce Wayne came into your life, and made it his mission to be there for you.
For@meghan-maria, who gotta be the sweetest out there :), and for anyone who ever had really bad period pains. I hope you will like it:
TW : periods. It’s obvious given the theme, but I guess we never know and better safe than sorry.
It’s the fact you cancelled your planned date with him without an explanation that makes him worry.
“Sorry, can’t make it tonight. Will see you tomorrow !”
You never did that before, and you two were so busy neither of you would miss a date really. Not unless something bad or important happened. But then in that case, you would’ve told him, no ?
It made him so anxious. And he was starting to clearly overthink things.
Were you maybe…having second thoughts ?
You and Bruce made your relationship official not long ago, was the media’s pressure becoming too much ? You told him you’d be fine, but after a few months experiencing the plague that were paparazzi and invasive questions, did you change your mind ?
Or maybe it was because of the whole Batman thing ? You discovered that a while ago, even before making your relationship official so…why would you change your mind about it now ?
Maybe he came home with too many cuts and bruises. Maybe you were freaking out ? He would understand if you did.
Or…There was a last option that came to his mind : he upset you somehow.
It was entirely possible, sometimes he could get stuck in his own mind, and be a jerk without even truly realizing it. He knew that fact very well about himself. It was often the reason of how he ruined multiple relationships, friends or more.
The way he sometimes just got too focused on his vigilante work. Too obsessed. And could be stuck in a “dark mode” like you’d say…
But, he also knew that you never took any of his shit. You would’ve told him if something was really the matter, right ?
Right ?!
Should he ask Alfred if he noticed anything ? His butler, and surrogate father, always saw things that escaped him. Especially when it came to feelings.
This was a less known trait about Bruce, but ever since he was a child, he’s always been anxious. He was usually really good at hiding it, and his “Brucie Wayne” persona made everyone think it wasn’t possible for him to be anything else but confident and cocky but…it wasn’t true.
Especially when it came to those he cared about. Especially when it came to you.
You loved him despite his flaws, accepted him fully, without any conditions. It was the first time it ever happened, that he LET it happen…So, with this simple plan cancellation that was quite unlike you, he freaked out a bit.
In the middle of the day, he finally decided to call you. One. Two. Three tones before you picked up, and oh. Oh he felt so relieved to hear your little “hello ?”
At the same time, his worry peaked. Was it just him, or did you sound really weak ?
“Hey honey, just wanted to check if you were alright ? Your text was a little short, and I know you don’t owe me any explanations of course, but I just wanted to check on you. You know. I-um…”
Clumsy Brooshy.
It made you smile, the way he could be a little flustered and lose his words, when with you. And it made you smile even wider that he chose to call you to make sure everything was ok.
Sweet Broosh.
If you really didn’t want to talk to him, you wouldn’t have answered. And he wasn’t the kind of man to “insist”. He would’ve left a voice message, and leave you alone until you felt like calling him back. Bruce was most definitely not invasive…but at the same time, you’d never leave him worrying for no reasons, knowing how anxious he could be.
The truth was, your text was short because…You didn’t know how to tell him the reasons you needed to cancel your date. You didn’t want to embarrass him. Men didn’t really like to talk about what you currently were suffering from.
You also were a little embarrassed yourself, because the entire society surrounding you made you feel wrong for having periods.
Periods.
One week a month. Every single months. That was a lot.
Especially for you because…you always had complicated and difficult periods. Painful. Making you feel like you couldn’t move. The pain making it impossible for you to even get out of bed for long.
You and Bruce had been dating for a while but…weren’t periods sort of a taboo subject ? You didn’t really know how to tell him. Especially since most men really seemed uncomfortable with the all thing.
Of course, you should’ve know Bruce wasn’t “most men”.
“Baby, are you there ?”
“Um yes yes, sorry I was lost in thoughts.”
“Are you ok ? You don’t sound right.”
The most observant man in the World was obviously going to realize your voice sounded weaker than usually. The truth was, you were trying really hard to keep it steady as pain filled your being.
“Yes yes, I’m ok, just feeling a bit…under the weather ?”
“Is there anything I can do ? Is it a cold or something ? If so, I can bring you buy some chicken noodle soup, and pick up any meds you might need.”
You almost cried at his words.
Super busy bee Bruce Wayne was telling you he’d go out of his way to bring you what you needed…It made you crack a little.
He was too damn nice. And your hormones were in shambles. It was very easy right now for you to cry.
This. How willing he was to help you, how he immediately asked if he could…Was what made you say the truth without thinking twice :
“I’m-I’m on my periods. They’re usually- They’re usually bad.”
“Oh.”
His response scared you a little bit. Were you right, was this maybe too much, too soon ? You were about to add something when he said :
“I’ll be there in about an hour, if it’s ok with you ? If you prefer to be alone I can send-”
“No ! No, I would love for you to come. I just-I wasn’t sure-I-”
“It’s ok. I understand. See you in a bit, love you.”
“Love you, too.”
On that note, Bruce hung up and leaves you with a wild beating heart.
************
Exactly an hour later, your doorbell rings.
With difficulties, you stand up, and go open the door. Surely enough, it’s your boyfriend.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
He has a bag in his hand, and you melt a little at the soft look and smile he gives you (even if there’s clear concerns behind it). You let him in, and go sit on the couch, even if just sitting up is already too much.
“Do you want to lie down ?”
“No. No I’m fine. You came all the way here, I can’t just stay in bed haha.”
“Of course you can.”
There’s a small silence for a little bit. Not awkward, you’re just not quite sure what to do. Should you go back to bed ? You really want to. And clearly, he understands. He always does.
“Ok.”
You stand, and wince because moving really makes everything worst. He approaches you, worried, but doesn’t dare to touch you and just follows you into your room. You get back in your comfy bed, under your comfy comforter.
Another silence. Until he breaks it, taking something out of the bag he was carrying and saying :
“So. I wasn’t sure you had a hot water bottle, I don’t ever recall seeing one in your apartment. So I bought one on the way just in case. Sorry if you don’t like the color, I can pick another one up later. It’s just, the woman on YouTube said that heat pads and hot water bottles were great.”
“The…woman on YouTube ?”
“Yes, I watched a video on menstruations on the way here.”
For a few seconds, you just stare at him, stunned. Never EVER in your entire life did you think you would hear THE Bruce Wayne say those words one day.
“A video on menstruations ?”
“Well, yes. Obviously, I don’t have periods. So I have no idea what it feels like. So I watched a video, to understand the process. And also so that you wouldn’t have to explain anything to me. You know what periods are, you don’t have to educate me on it. It’s not your job. And I definitely don’t want to sound patronizing about it. So I watched a video, and read a few articles. I won’t say I know how it feels, but I understand it more. Tell me if I ever step my bounds at any moment..”
You can’t help but smile, even as your lower belly is on fire. Ah. Of course he would search things about it. Bruce was the kind of man to be thorough in his researches before tackling a problem. As Batman, he always tried to know everything there is to know about a situation before finding any solutions. But he was like that in real life too.
And it particularly touched you that he did it so you wouldn’t have to explain…You had an ex, once, who sat down with you to talk about menstruations and it sort of drove you crazy. He thought it was nice, but your hormones were wreaking HAVOC and he was trying to explain to you how periods work and what it felt like ??? Give you advice about it and that it would be fine if you did what he said ?? Excuse me ??? As if you didn’t try everything already to feel less pain. And as if, as a woman, you didn’t know what it felt like or what it was exactly…
And there came Bruce. Reading up on it. And knowing he would never quite know how it feels. But educating himself so he won’t say something that could trigger you in any way.
Sweet sweet man…If only people knew.
He caressed your cheek softly, before whispering :
“Then I-I watched something on endometriosis, because I read in a previous article it felt horrible. And you said your periods were bad, when we were on the phone. It sounds awful. Do you-…Have endometriosis ?”
You shake your head weakly. Endometriosis was one of the reason why your periods were so painful and dreaded. And the worst ? It was a sickness many people said didn’t even exist.
A woman being in pain during her periods ? Drama queen. Right ? It didn’t hurt that baaaaad. See, some women didn’t feel anything, just bled for a bit and moved on with their months. So obviously every women felt the same. Some were just being too sensitive…
Endometriosis was still, even to this day, a rather unknown illness and one that was rarely taken seriously. Some people just couldn’t even fathom you being in pain because of your periods, so much so that you couldn’t move.
That you occasionally fainted, that you couldn’t eat much because it made you vomit, that you had awful migraines, stomach ache and back pain. That you couldn’t focus or sleep because of it. No.
No those were just “made up symptoms” because you were “weak”…What awful things to say, right ? It was even worst to hear. Someone telling you this, as you felt like you were dying because of the pain, made you feel GUILTY to have painful periods.
But it wasn’t your fault ? IT WASN’T YOUR FAULT ?! Nor were the moodswings, the cravings, the fatigue…
You hated going to the doctors when you were younger, because you knew he wouldn’t believe you when you said your periods hurt…
Anyway. Even without endometriosis, women who had bad periods pain were rarely taken seriously. Unless they met another woman who felt the same. Then they’d feel like they weren’t alone, or crazy. Like there were others who felt bad too.
Every woman was different. And you unfortunately never met someone else with the same problems than you…
You felt very alone, for so long, and it was enhanced by your hormones going crazy and the pain being unbearable at times.
And then, in come Bruce.
Your Broosh.
“Ok. Well. I brought you some of your favorite food. And um, I picked up some snacks if you want to do a movie marathon ? I brought all The Lord of the Rings extended editions. I got heat pads and a hot water bottle like I said. We can also just cuddle and relax if you prefer, I read that physical comfort was good ? Or, I can leave everything here, settle you in properly, and leave you alone. Just, tell me what you need my love ?”
What did…you need ?
Nobody ever asked you that. Nobody. Not even your parents.
What did you need ?
The answer came quickly.
Him. You need him. His warmth. His large and soothing hands. His comforting presence. His calming voice.
You knew you were in love with him since a while now. You exchanged “I love yous” already. But never did you feel as much love for him as right now, seeing him sitting in front of you, asking you what you needed…
A simple action. Simple words. And yet, it meant everything.
“What do you need, honey ?”
The concern in his eyes, and how he was very obviously ready to do whatever you wanted him to.
It already made you feel better. The physical pain didn’t go down, that’s not how it worked unfortunately. But the emotional anguish ? Gone.
Because he was there.
Without even realizing it, you started crying. This was too much for your heart, too overwhelming. It meant the World, in that moment.
It meant the world, to you and your overworked hormones. And so you cried. You cried hard.
Without thinking twice, Bruce moved towards you. Taking his coat off and leaving it on the floor (Alfred would scold him about this for sure), he climbs in your bed and engulfs you in his arms. And it’s so warm and comforting, comfortable, too.
“Just tell me what you need..”
He whispered to you, in his deep calming voice, his fingers running soothingly through your hair.
“Could you just…keep holding me ?”
He smiles softly, and says :
“Of course.”
He never, and never would, shy away from comforting you in any way. If you needed to have a good cry in his arms, so be it. And if you just needed him to be there, he would be there.
You cuddled for a bit, the soothing circles he rubbed on your back doing wonders to make you feel relax. He brought some essential oils, that he massaged on your belly before filling the hot water bottle and laying it there…It relieved the pain a little bit, as you started a marathon of your favorite movies.
He took great care of you all day long, answering your every need even as you didn’t dare to ask…as if he could read your mind. You almost suspected he really could. You never felt so in phase with anyone before like you did with him.
You had been together for less than a year. Although your anniversary was right around the corner. But him coming over as soon as he knew you weren’t feeling well. Him educating himself on what was it that hurt you…
If you weren’t sure yet that he was the one…You knew now.
It sucks to be a woman, sometimes
Bruce never knew periods could be that bad. Well, of course, he was a guy. And “periods” was never really a subject he talked about with anyone. He never really paid attention to it, like many men really.
Until he saw you while on it.
He knew you. He knew you were a tough lady. Once, you broke your leg while on a date with him. A silly accident really. Involving an ice rink, and an overzealous you chasing a hockey puck…Long story short, you ended up with a bad break. And you barely said a word about it.
Bruce had his bones broken many times, he knew the pain of it. It was one of the pain he hated the most, along with burns. One he dreaded the most. And you took it like a champ.
The break was bad enough you even needed surgery, yet you kept smiling at him (he might’ve feel bad that he let his over-competitive mind take over, “pushing” you to really want that puck…but of course, it was not his fault, after all, you too were very competitive, it was a pure accident). Saying you were fine, and that it’d be ok.
He always hated seeing you hurt, it hurt him too. Inside. And scared the Hell out of him, to even think about you being harmed. So that day, he was rather frantic. You staying calm helped him, which made him feel a little guilty that even as you were the hurt one, you reassuredhim.
But then you reminded him the roles were often reversed when he came back hurt from a rough vigilante night…You always had the right words to ease his mind.
Anyway. That one time, after badly breaking your leg, you stayed rather calm and collected. But when you had your periods ?
He never knew it could hurt so much. You couldn’t hide your pain, or pretend everything was alright.
It was clearly a really bad moment to go through.
He knew about the terrible migraines, being unable to sleep which made everything worst, feeling like your lower belly was being twisted from the inside, being sore all over for no reasons, not being able to move…
Seeing you, was enough for him to know that periods sucked.
“Being a woman is the worst, sometimes!”
You’d often say during those moments, and he’d just soothe you, wishing he was in your place…
He hated when you were hurting. It hurt him too. Inside.
And never. NEVER would he doubt that you were in real pain. Because unlike the doctors who kept telling you it was in your head, he knew you. He saw you get injured before. He knew you were tough. So for you to not be able to pretend everything was fine…
You were hurting. Badly. And it was awful. But he believed you. He believed you and that’s all that mattered to you.
Space
He also knew how to give you space when you needed it, though.
He would be here if you needed him, bring you any food you craved, giving you relaxing massages, rubbing essential oils on your belly, filling up your hot water bottle etc etc.
To be honest, his reaction to you being on your period is what made you sure he would be a great father one day…And you were right.
Not a perfect father.
But oh. Oh he cared. And wanted so much to do good…
And he knew.
He knew exactly when he had to be there, and when he had to give you space.
His hoodie
Bruce couldn’t always be with you when you had your periods, of course.
He often took time off to be. But it was unrealistic to think he could be 24/7 with you the entire week.
And sometimes, when he was away, you really suddenly craved his presence…So you came up with a trick.
You stole his clothes.
Particularly, hoodies he often wore when hanging out casually in the Manor.
First of, they were very comfortable. And second, and most importantly : they smelled like him.
They were warm, had his scent, and you could fall asleep feeling like he was almost there.
Bruce couldn’t count the number of hoodies he lost to you….Then again, after a while, you’d ruthlessly abandon one because it stopped smelling like him, and would steal another one.
Of course, he never minded. In fact, beyond the fact hoodies were nice and comfortable, he started to wear them a lot while in the house or during times he didn’t need to wear a suit (in every sense of the term), specifically because he knew you’d steal them when you felt lonely.
It was cute. And it made his heart beat faster just thinking about it.
Nobody.
Nobody ever needed him that much before. Nobody ever loved him so much that sometimes him not being around was distressing.
Of course, he felt the same. And the knowledge that you too, would sometimes feel lovesick when you were separated for too long…Filled his heart to the brim with the best feelings.
For so long, he thought someone being dependable of him, and him being dependable of someone was bad…Oh, how he was wrong.
It’s not because you open your heart to someone that you’ll get hurt, or that they’ll use it against you. You just have to find the right person…
So. Yes. He will always cancel plans just to be with you.
To bring you hot water bottles whenever you need. To cook your favorite food and snacks. To be there during all your mood swings, and endure even if you’re not the nicest to him (it’s not your fault). To watch your favorite movies. To let you sleep in and run your errands…
Periods sucked.
He didn’t need to be a woman to know that.
So he was there. Right there. For you. Taking care of you. And he would forever be there for that.
But when he wasn’t ?
Then he’d strategically leave one of his hoodie near the bed, so you could steal it, and comfort yourself with his smell…
Mood Swings
“Brooooooooooosssssh…”
You’re crying. You’re crying !
And it makes Bruce panic. You cry very rarely, so when you do it means something really bad must’ve happened or..or…
Bruce makes a quick calculation in his head and…Yup.
It’s that time of the month again.
Already ? Poor you..
This means that tomorrow, you’ll be a mess as everything will hurt too much, and today, the eve right before, you’re overly emotional.
Hence you clinging to him right now, sobbing while repeating “I love you so much Bruce, I love you soooo much”.
Hormones could really turn your head around. Right at the start of your period, before the pain, you had a rush of many emotions.
You could either get very irritated for no reason (like “WHY IS THIS FLOOR ON THE FLOOR ?!”) or cry at everything. Right now, you were crying because you realized you loved your Broosh to death and you just had to tell him and you didn’t want him to go that night and…ah…
“It’s alright, it’s alright my love. You’re ok. We’re ok.”
He lets you cry in his arms, of course. And already made the decision to not go out tonight, and stay with you. Kate could take over. He couldn’t leave knowing your emotions were doing quite a trick on you…
************
Your mood swings during your periods were particularly bad.
You guessed it went in pairs with all the pain. Of course, not just one thing had to be exacerbated. Oh no. EVERYTHING bad about periods had to be turned to the max for you. Otherwise, were was the fun, right ? Sarcasm.
You’d get irritated for no reasons. Then feel bad and cry for hours. To then feel ridiculously giddy once again for seemingly no reason…and then suddenly a burst of anxiety would attack you.
It was a circus in your mind, and in your body.
You couldn’t focus on anything. You couldn’t sleep properly. You felt awful all the time. Everything hurt. God…
And there he was. Bruce. Taking the brunt of your bad moods without saying a word. He knew it wasn’t your fault. That you didn’t mean it. That your hormones dictated your behavior against your own will.
He knew.
And he was there.
He was there.
“Every little moment is important, Son” - Thomas Wayne, to Bruce during the Flashpoint events.
“Bruce ? What are you doing here ? Thought you had important meetings ?”
“They weren’t that important.”
“Really ? Lucious said-”
“Lucious is overdramatic. Anyway, Tim is taking care of it.”
“…You’re letting our sixteen years old son taking care of the future of your company ?”
“To be honest, he’s probably more competent about it than me.”
“…That’s actually pretty accurate. But, why did you cancel things ?”
“Because it’s this unpleasant time of the month, right ?”
“Oh. You don’t have to-”
“I absolutely do.”
Disappearing for a few seconds, your husbands comes back, wearing one of his favorite silk pajamas (and by “his” favorite, he really means : he knows you love them and think they look good on him, but won’t ever admit it because they’re “damn pajamas, it’s silly”…but he likes to please you). He then climbs in bed with you, and settles comfortable against you.
“So, what’s the program today ?”
This wasn’t unusual, for him to do this when you were on your periods.
In fact, it was almost a ritual. Delegating his works to others, so he could take care of you.
Ever since that first time, all those years ago, things didn’t change much. He would ask you what you need, you’d tell him, and he would do it happily.
He knew it was a tough moment for you, physically, hormonally, mentally…Having your periods sucked. So he was there. Right there.
The words his father…Well, not really his father. The “Thomas Wayne” of another dimension. What his father would’ve become if he died that fateful night, instead of his parents. Regardless, to him, it was his father.
The father that never saw him grow up and became the man he was now…Yet who had important words for him.
“Take advantage of every little moments, you never know when it’ll end.”
Those words stuck with him. Because it was true. It only took a few seconds in an alleyway for his whole world to turn upside down…Why would it take any less for it to completely change now too ?
What if something happened to you ? And he didn’t spend enough time by your side ? Or to his kids ?
There was a time, being Batman was everything to Bruce. Because he was angry, lost, and devastated.
But over the years…Over the years this role stayed important. But he expended his vision. He included others in it.
So. Yes. He would treasure those small moments with you. And if it meant taking a day and night off to take care of you during a rough time, then he’d do it. If it meant missing work (both his works) because one of his children was sick, so be it.
He was Batman. But he was also a husband. A father.
And now…Now he knew his priorities.
He’d never stop being Batman. Never.
But he knew now. He knew there was more to life than this dark world he thought he’d get stuck in till the end of his life.
“I was about to watch a movie.”
“A movie it is. If you want me here, of course.”
“Do you even have to ask ?”
“To make sure you’re ok ? Always.”
“-sigh- Yes. Yes Bruce, I want you here. I want nothing else, in fact.”
“Ah, not even pop-corn ?”
“…Once we’ll have pop-corn, I’ll want nothing else.”
“Um, why is there tampons in your drawer ??”
One day, one of Bruce’s associate, Carlton, needed some paperworks to finish a deal, and came into his office. Bruce was on the phone, and gestured to him to just pick the papers up in one of his desk’s drawer.
Only the man misunderstood and opened the wrong drawer and…
“What the-Why is there tampons and pads in your drawers ?”
He asked, half-bewildered half-amused. Bruce finished his phone call, and answered :
“Why wouldn’t there be ?”
“Um, are you a woman ?”
“No, but my wife, who often come to this office, is.”
“Jeez Louise Bruce, never pegged you to be such a simp haha ! Oh man, they’re even “organic”, how far can you go for one woman right ? Haha joking of course, or maybe..haha !”
There was something in the tone Carlton took that brushed Bruce the wrong way. Something disrespectful and irritating. Not disrespectful to him, as if he cared to be called a “simp” (by a grown ass man by the way, which made it even more ridiculous). No. He didn’t care. But..This was his wife, they were talking about, in the end.
“A…”simp” ? Because I have items who can be useful to my wife in my desk drawer ? A place in which she often comes, as I already said ?”
His voice was cold, and Carlton definitely noticed. He always thought Bruce was an affable man, but sometimes…Sometimes he had something almost scary in his eyes.
Ah, but Carlton wasn’t the kind of man to really take this things seriously. And he added :
“Come on Bruce, don’t you think it’s a little ridiculous ?”
“No.”
“I just think it’s funny you have a drawer full of those things.”
“As I said, my wife comes by often, and might need it sometimes. I keep them here for her. It often came in handy you know.”
“Don’t say that, that’s so gross.”
“Why ?”
“Just thinking about it.”
“Just thinking about something my wife, but also yours by the way, have no control over ?”
“My wife doesn’t- We just don’t talk about it.”
“Well I guess yes. Or you wouldn’t react that way. Do you not take care of her when she has her periods ?”
At the word “periods”, the man opened his eyes wide, which made your husband roll his. It truly TRULY baffled him that this dude was being grossed by OBJECTS and most likely didn’t take care of his wife ? How could you love someone and not want to comfort them ?!
“Well, I don’t think she- I- She doesn’t - I …It’s embarrassing, no ?”
“No.”
“Well, maybe it’s not with your wife but with mine it has been. She asked me a few times to buy pads for her.”
“Why would it be embarrassing ? I can assure you, nobody is going to think it’s for you.”
Carlton’s face was steadily going red. He said :
“It’s just something we don’t talk about.”
“Why not ?”
“It’s just…gross and…”
“Why is it gross though ? Why do you think that way ?”
“I mean, you know what periods are right ?”
“Of course I do. It’s something happening to a very large chunk of our population, and that is a natural phase in their life. Do you think your wife wants to have periods ? Most likely not. Mine definitely doesn’t. But she does. So I do keep pads and tampons here in case of an emergency, in case she has nothing else on her.”
“Nothing else ?”
“Do you think only pads and tampons exist for women’s periods ?”
“I-”
“It’s not hard to read up on it a bit. Especially when someone as close as your own wife is a “victim” of it.“
Awkard silence. Clearly, the man was uncomfortable. Bruce sighed, and said :
“Just go take care of those papers.”
Evidently relieved, his associate almost ran out of the room.
Bruce kept thinking about how funny Carlton thought it was to have pads in his drawers. How he was about to mock him further before he got called out. “Simp”. If taking care of the woman he loved meant being a simp, then whatever.
Bruce couldn’t stop thinking about his associate’s words. And it gave him an idea…
The next day, every newspapers and local news channel talked about how the (Y/N) Wayne Foundation gave millions of dollars to every school and public places in the country to provide free tampons and pads to women. And how Bruce Wayne became a huge advocate of the “period positivity” movement his wife started.
“Periods shouldn’t be taboo.”, he said in his speech for the grand-opening of thousands and thousands of free pads distributors.
When the kids are around.
Dick
Dick was little when he first witnessed what your periods did to you, and he downright panicked when you fainted in front of him while you two were shopping for Bruce’s birthday present !
That morning when you woke up, you knew you were going to have your periods. You always felt it in your bones, a little bit before it truly started…But you also promised little Dickie you’d help him chose a gift for your husband.
You hated breaking your promises. Especially the one you made to your kid. He was just nine, and already experienced so many heartache…You couldn’t just break a promise you made to him, no matter what.
So you went anyway, knowing there was a high chance you’d feel ill during the day. You were hoping, in fact, your periods wouldn’t truly start up until the evening, and so you could spend the day with your son.
Alas…
“Mom ? Mom !? Someone help !!”
Your fainting during your period never lasted long. Just a sudden drop of energy, feeling dizzy, and falling…you woke up fast. Opening your eyes to see your baby boy with tears in his eyes. You knew what happened, and reassured him immediately.
You refused to call an ambulance, and instead called Alfred to ask if he could come pick you two up (you would NOT risk driving while in this state).
And there you were, sitting on a bench with your son while waiting for Alfred who would be there as soon as it takes to get from Wayne Manor to Gotham’s City Center.
“Are you sure you’re ok ?”
“Yes, don’t worry, this is normal.”
“Fainting is not normal !”
Dick looked so distressed…Should you tell him what was going on ? But he was such a young child.
Ah. But you were amongst the people who thought that kids weren’t as stupid as many people thought. And that they could handle the truth, especially this kind of things.
Understand what was happening to you would surely easy his mind. And make him understand, and act accordingly in the future. Wether with you, or a possible girlfriend ?
So you do just that.
You explain to him what is going on. You don’t give too many scientific details, but you explain as best you can so he understands.
“And every women has it ?”
“Every women have periods yes. But not everyone’s hurt.”
“Why do yours hurt ?”
“We don’t really know. I guess I wasn’t lucky ?”
“Scientists don’t know ?”
“Well, research on it are rather recents to be honest.”
“Why ? Women had it long ago too no ?”
“Yes, but it was a little taboo.”
“Why ?”
“Patriarchy.”
“Oh, damn patriarchy.”
You laugh. You knows he didn’t understand your answer, said as a joke to yourself. But it’s absolutely adorable how he immediately sides with you anyway.
“When I grow up, I’ll be a scientist. So I can help.”
“Ah, I thought you wanted to be an adventurer like Indiana Jones ? Or “whatever dad is doing I want to do it too” ?”
“Well. I can do more than once things at the same time, right ?”
“Sure you can. You can do anything.”
He smiles at you, and get closer for a little cuddle. And that’s how Alfred finds you two, your son hugging you, and you hugging him back, on a bench in the streets…
************
After the initial panic, Dick made it his mission to take care of you. He got really scared when he saw you faint, and would actually be a little…overbearing.
When he knew you were on your periods, he’d literally forbid you to walk around, and would make sure you had everything you needed.
His attentions, plus Bruce’s, made you feel like periods weren’t so bad in the end ?
Even as a grown up, Dick would often come by the manor with your favorite cake, for example, when he knew you didn’t feel well. And he would still get strict with you if he saw you roaming around and getting too busy while he knew you were in pain.
He’d do whatever you had to, for you. Wether it was cleaning things up, picking groceries…Running any errands for you, so you could rest.
You were definitely grateful. Even if sometimes, you wish you could just tell him to ease up a bit…Ah. But how could you really ?
The trauma Dick felt when loosing his parents made him overprotective and rather intransigeant. This was just how he was. And you always loved all your children unconditionally. You could take him being a bit too overprotective sometimes, because oh, oh he brought so much in your life…
Jason
You having really bad periods is the reason why when Jason, as a child or an adult, heard anyone say to a girl : “Jeez, why you so moody are you on your periods ?!”, would get mad.
It was cute to see his little ten years old self lecture grown adults about it : “Periods are really tough on a girl ! It’s not their fault is they don’t feel well or have mood swings, be more empathetic !”.
And it was still cute to see him as an adult glare at those who’d say this and give them a sermon about why it was wrong, and they better not say it again “or else” (and when a man like your son said the words “or else”, literally no one wanted to find out what he meant by it).
Once, someone told him, sarcastically :
“Wow, you drunk a lot of “respect women juice” huh ?”
“What is that even suppose to mean ? I’m being a decent human being. You should try it sometimes. If respecting women is so foreign to you, that hearing me say what I said is funny and ridiculous, reassess your life mate.”
It’s really not like anyone really wanted to argue with your son. Besides the fact he was very tall, and as a vigilante definitely worked out a lot…he had a “dangerous” air about him. It was his eyes maybe, daring anyone to argue and making them understand he wouldn’t back down without a fight ?
Ah. But if only people tried to look beyond that. If they only tried to know your son.
They’d realize he’s the sweetest little buddy around.
It surprised people that you still called him “little buddy” even as he was fast approaching his mid-twenties. But for you…
For you he was still that little, sweet Jay he was before he died. The one that you could still see sometimes, behind all his anger, trauma and hurt.
Ever since he was a child, Jason always felt everything more than anyone around him. He was an “hypersensitive” child. When he was angry, he was enraged. When he was happy, he was the happiest boy on Earth. When he was sad, it was hard to console him.
When he grew up, and all those bad things happened to him…This trait of his got even more enhanced. It was sometimes hard to reach him under all those negative emotions…Yet. Yet you managed to do it.
Bruce too…But that was another story.
For now, you just always felt extremely proud that your son was actually not as harsh as some people thought (the same mistakes they all kept making about your husband…you hated this kind of assumptions).
He always stood up for the underdogs. And was always respectful, and would voice his opinions.
Like how he hated when people told women : “ugh are you on your periods ?!” if they were being just a tiny bit difficult (sometimes, not even).
As a kid, Jason would worry a lot about you when you were on your periods. He hounded Bruce to know if you were ok, which your husband didn’t mind, of course. But he never quite dared to “bother you”.
Of course, he would never bother you. But Jason was a complicated kid who always worried too much. He didn’t want to get in your way, or annoy you.
So he had little quiet actions for you.
Like getting your slippers warm when you’d wake up, by placing them near the radiators all night and putting them right beside your bed before you’d wake up. Or bringing you hot beverages. Baking your favorite treats, and leaving them in strategic places so you’d see it. Or scolding his dad when he thought he wasn’t taking care of you enough haha.
Jason was a good kid. Nobody would ever change your mind on that. He was a good kid, to whom bad things happened. Yet he never strayed from his principles…No matter how people could see his recent actions.
Jason was a good kid.
He was your kid.
As a child, he hated this week during which you had your periods. He dreaded them as much as you did. Just like Bruce, he had a hard time standing you being hurt…
As an adult. It was the same. And he still had little silent actions to make you feel better. To make your day easier.
That was Jason for you.
Such, such a good kid…
Tim
Tim, very much like his father, was a boy who needed to always have a plan, and to know everything before finding solutions.
When you were on your periods, he’d always know. Because he kept a calendar about it.
Some people might find it weird, but…Why ? He kept count of the days to know when you’d have your periods, so he could act accordingly. So he wouldn’t be caught off guard by one of your mood swings. And so he could take care of you ??
It was an act of care, to keep track of your periods. Sometimes, he even knew before you when you were going to have it.
People who thought it was weird to kept such a calendar, were the same people who thought periods were gross and a taboo subject.
Sure, it was definitely not very glamorous. But it was part of half of the World’s population life ?? Why keep it taboo and refusing to talk about it ?
Tim immediately, just like his dad, did a lot of research on women’s menstruations…Which got you to be called in his principal’s office once.
The man was worried, and unhappy that your son was reading a magazine “for woman” about “menstruations”, he thought the topic was vulgar and inappropriate.
Your son was 13. Which was also the age many of his girl friends were experiencing their first periods. And that principal was out there, scolding him because he talked about it, making an entire generation of little girls thinking they were wrong for having periods ?
Needless to say, you got rather mad. And the principle never called you ever again (if he had to call, he was always making sure to get your husband on the line, and not you).
And so Tim kept learning everything possible about it, in the hope also to find the perfect remedies to ease your pain. He tried a lot, to help you out. Gave tricks to Bruce, too.
And so, kept a calendar.
This allowed him to know if something was wrong, as well.
He was the first one to guess you were pregnant with Thomas, because of his calendar. And one time, you had hormonal problems and he’s the one that told you you should check an endocrinologist because you’d been too irregular with your periods time !
Yes. Just like his dad, Tim needed to know a situation fully before acting. And seeing him trying to know as much as he could in order to help you was…why, it was the most adorable thing in the world.
Cass
Cass’ periods were not painful, and you were so glad for her.
To her, it was a mild annoyance, there was no pain, it was just irritating. And yes, she had mood swings and could easily get mad, but it was nothing major.
She never even knew other women could have it so bad…The education about periods was really lacking ! They never talked about it anywhere !
Cass was a woman of few words…but she knew how to pass her emotions through her body language. Oh, how she knew.
“Momma.”
Just like your other kids, she’d come check on you when Bruce couldn’t take care of you. You wanted space sometimes, which they all understood. But honestly, during your periods, when you were so sensitive about everything ? You also wanted them around almost all the time.
A paradox. Very fitting of those damn periods time.
Cass would just sit with you, and make sure you were comfortable. She wouldn’t say a word. Lay her head on your shoulder, and hold your hand. Watch movies with you. Hold you close.
She was delicate with you, as if afraid to break you.
Just like your husband, her presence had a soothing effect ? As if nothing bad could ever happen to you as long as she was there (and that probably was right, Cassandra would never let anyone touch her “momma”).
She didn’t need to talk. She didn’t need to do anything more than stay with you when you didn’t want to be alone.
She never experienced the pain you had, but if even to her, who had painless periods, it was annoying and a damn plague ? Then to you…
She didn’t need to do much.
Just her being there already meant a lot.
Her holding onto you, even as she stayed afraid of anyone’s touch for so long.
“Momma.”
Cassandra was your only daughter. And oh you were glad her periods weren’t as bad as yours. That’s all that really mattered to you.
“Momma.”
You often fell asleep with the warmth of your kiddo right there. Next to you. Knowing she wasn’t going to leave unless you wanted to. Knowing she wish she could take your pain on.
Ah. But no. No even if it was possible you’d never allow that. You were the mom. YOU were supposed to take their pains on.
And knowing that Cass never suffered on her periods as bad as you did, was enough. After all, your baby suffered enough in the past…She could get a little lucky, right ?
“Momma.”
That word was music to your hear. Cass’ first word to you.
She didn’t need to talk anyway. Being here was enough…
It was more than enough.
Damian
Everyone who saw Damian around you would notice that he wasn’t quite the same boy than "normally”.
He was calmer, nicer, and sweeter.
You’d argue that it was his real self. That this was his “normal”. That he was just never allowed to show his true heart before, and wasn’t used to trust others and open up. And you were definitely more than happy that he finally managed to do that after arriving into your home.
That none of you ever gave up on him.
You especially had a calming effect on him. After all, he never had a “conventional” mom, who could take care of him when he was sick, kiss him good night and make sure he always had everything he needed.
Some would say you coddled him too much…And you didn’t care. Because that boy lived 10 years being the opposite of coddled. So what, if you’d cut the crust off of his sandwiches, or read him bed time stories every single night ?
Damian loved it. As he often said, being a momma’s boy was “hardly something he was ashamed of”. He never felt loved and safe before, you bet he’d take every chance he got to be cared for.
He never got to act like an actual kid. You allowed him to do just that, AND you made him feel like he belonged. Finally. Like he had an actual family.
So…The day he heard about your absolutely awful periods, what did he do ?
Every single day of your life with him, you had at least one nice intention to him. Wether it was baking his favorite cookies, or telling him how proud you were of him, you always had nothing but kindness for him, often going out of your way for your son.
It was normal for you. Of course. And you did it with all your children…but you had to admit maybe Damian had just a little more of it, because he really never had anything like that to him.
And to him, it only felt normal then, when you felt at your worst, that he’d be there for you exactly like you were there for him.
During any mood swings, he’d have comforting words for you. He had little attentions for you that just made life easier.
Again, it would greatly surprise anyone but his family, but when you had your periods, he did a lot of overly sappy little things.
Like for example : every month, he wrote seven things he found extraordinary about you and would put them in a jar. Seven. The number of day in a week. And usually the number of day, give or take, your periods would last.
The jar would be sitting right on your bedside table on the first day, with the indications you had to read one paper every morning, or every time you felt down (it was supposed to be one paper a day). Sometimes, you’d go through his seven messages in less than a day…and magically, the next day, the jar would be filled again.
Damian made sure of it.
This was just a small example. But it showed exactly what kind of boy your son really was.
If he was heartless, a killer, someone destined to destroy the World…would he really put that much effort into making you feel love ? Into making you feel better any way he could ?
You didn’t think so. The only way your son could ever “turn bad”, was if you (and Bruce) stopped caring for him. Left him alone (A/N : this is a CLEAR jab at current comics canon, if you know what I mean :I ). Only if he felt abandoned, unloved, and rejected.
You knew your boy had, just like you, “rejection dysphoria”. It was hard for him to accept any kind of rejection, and it made him act out and hurt. But that was another story…
Right now, all that mattered to you, is that you knew your son was always going to be there for you, just like you’d always be there for him.
That he finally learned how to love, and care. That he would never unlearn it, as long as you lived.
Your periods sucked.
So bad.
But Damian was a ray of light in the darkness of those seven dreaded days…
Duke
Duke’s mom also had endometriosis.
Over the years, he perfected a “special remedy” he always made her when she had her periods.
He hesitated to make it for you. After all, it was something that made him bond greatly with his own mom…was making it for you, now, acceptable ? Did it mean he forgot about his mother ?
No. No of course not.
Duke scolded himself for even thinking that. You too, became his mom. He learned over the years that it was ok, to have two mom. That when they’ll find a cure for his parents, it wouldn’t take away the years you filled in for the mother role, and took care of Duke as if he was your own.
So here we go.
Some ginger. Some lemon. A dash of his little secret ingredients. Your favorite blend of tea. And it was done.
He brought it to you, saying it always soothed his mom…
And just that.
Just those words. It meant so much.
“It always used to soothe my mom. Used to do it all the time, ever since I was five !”
He said with a smile.
It was something he used to do for his mom, and now he did it for you. Just this. Just that fact, it was enough to make you feel better.
It didn’t take away the pain, but mentally ? It felt amazing.
You drunk his concoction and…Oh god.
Oh god it was disgusting. And…Ah. Yes. His mom probably pretended she liked it. “Ever since I was five !”. Ha. So cute. But also, it really was gross.
At the same time, you felt a pleasant warmth spread through your body as the terrible aftertaste slowly faded. Duke smiled to you, and with a little mischief in his voice said :
“It’s really gross, isn’t it ? But it does the trick haha”
There was a few seconds of silence. During which you blinked at him, not quite registering what he just said. Until…
You burst out laughing. The little mischievous smile, and the way he said “it’s really gross, isn’t it ?” was just too funny.
Your communicative laugh spread to Duke, and as he laughs it makes you laugh even louder too and…You forget.
For a moment you forget about your periods. The pain. The anguish. The emotional labor. This damn week of hell.
You forget.
And you just laugh.
You laugh alongside your son.
Thomas(if you wonder who the H is Thomas, you can check my “Batmom” masterlists, he appears from the story “the great mall adventure” ^^)
Thomas must’ve been about four, when he first saw you having your periods.
Your littlest baby was also one of the most sensitive out of them all (right along with Jason, the two of them cried their eyes out when they watched “Inside Out” and Bing Bong disappeared). Bruce always said he took that after you. And honestly, you couldn’t disagree. It’s true you could be very sensitive.
So one morning, when he woke up and went to breakfast and heard you weren’t feeling right, he immediately went to you and…
Bruce found him an hour later, crying in his room.
“Oh wow hey hey, what is it buddy ?”
He asked, trying to hide the panic in his voice. Thomas might’ve been sensitive, but he rarely cried. He was just a very empathetic boy. But also a cheerful one, and he had a knack to see the good even in the worst situations.
So seeing him sob like that, made Bruce’s heart drop.
“Is mommy going to die ?!”
It took Bruce a few seconds to get a hold of his racing heart. His son crying. And asking if you were going to die. It shortcircuited his brain for a few seconds. Until he realized what Thomas was talking about…
“Oh, oh no champ, no, mommy isn’t going to die.”
Your kids were used to see you strong and fierce. Of course the first time your little one would see you on your period, he’d think something big was wrong.
He had just recently learned what death really mean (you can read about this here : The day he understand what Death means), and since then was so scared it’d happen to his parents. Or his siblings. Or anyone he knew, really…
Picking up his son and slowly and softly tapping his back in soothing circles, he walked around the room and rocked him until the boy calmed down a bit, before trying to explain as best he could why mommy felt bad, without going in in too many details.
Once Thomas understood this was just like when he got a fever that time, that it would pass, he felt much better. But also worst. Because his mommy wasn’t feeling well ! And it happened often !
Bruce reassured him that there were ways they could help you…And soooo :
Thomas brought you hot water bottles, with the help of his dad (the bottles were almost as big as him), and ended up falling asleep on one as it laid on your belly (he heard that humans’ body heat was very strong and wanted to “help the hot water bottle”).
The water in the bottle became cold, and you removed it..Your son didn’t woke up, so you laid him back down on your belly. And he was warm and so tiny, and you loved him so much…It made you feel like the luckiest woman in the world, to be surrounded by people like this little one.
And all your kids. Alfred. Your friends. Broosh…You fell asleep with sweet dreams made of warmth and cuddles.
Not long after, Bruce came by to check on you, finding both you and Tommy deeply asleep and…An overwhelming feeling of happiness took him over.
You weren’t the only one feeling lucky. Except for Bruce…For Bruce it was even stronger, because after his parents died, he never thought he would be happy ever again.
This was why he’d always be there for you. You gave him another family…
His schedule was freed, and he had a busy day. A nap sounded perfect. Especially while nestled against you, with his little one right there.
Dick came by in the afternoon, and found all of you like this. Bruce holding both you and his son, Thomas taking way more space than such a small body would make you thing he’d take.
Dick snapped a picture, and send it to the group chat he had with his siblings and some other close friends and such (like Clark, Wally, Conner, Diana etc etc they used the group chat to gossip about Bruce, mainly). With the caption : “Big bad bat tamed by a four year old”.
Cass send multiple hearteyes emojis. Jason said it was adorable and send a crying emoji, and didn’t care one bit what anyone would think of him saying such things. Damian yelled at Dick that he should’ve put the comforter back up on his baby brother and mom because it wasn’t properly put on !! Duke send a : “I’m downloading that picture for the next time he gets mad at us and we need to soften him up”. Tim replied with a gif of Maes Hughes from Full Metal Alchemist saying : “dis dad”. Clark said “they look so peaceful, you wouldn’t believe he threatened me just yesterday to punch me because I made a joke” to which Diana answered : “that joke was so bad I wanted to punch you to. Cute pic btw, give kisses to Tommy for me, you should come see me more, I just stocked my freezer with nothing but ice creams”..Everyone send a little comment about it.
Because even superheroes, could have normal conversations about those they love.
Suffering alone is a thing of the past
It’s funny. You couldn’t even remember, now, what it felt like “before”.
Before.
Before you met Bruce.
Before that first time he showed up to your apartment to take care of you.
How were your periods before that ? The worst.
Definitely.
Actual Hell.
Not that they were feeling better now. Oh no. There were time your overdramatic self exclaimed : “uuuugh just kill me alreadyyyy” when the pain was too grand…But you weren’t alone anymore.
That’s what made it a bearable moment of the month.
It still felt as bad as it used to when you were younger.
But it wasn’t just you agonizing in your bedroom all alone anymore.
It wasn’t you wishing you’d have someone to take care of you, and to try and ease the pain. Not anymore.
It wasn’t you crying with nobody to dry your tears anymore…
No. You had an entire army of people right there just for you.
Alfred, your children, and most of all…Bruce.
Your Broosh.
Ah. If only some people could see this side of him you and your family knew. The caring and loving one. In a way though, it was rather comforting and made you feel special, that only you and your kiddos knew the real Bruce ?
Of course nowadays, some of his closest friends like Clark and Diana weren’t fooled anymore either. But they’d never see him the way you did, when you were in unbearable pain, and he was right there, drawing soothing circle on your back, keeping you warm and safe…
This was only privy to you.
Your Broosh.
Yes.
Your periods were still as painful as they used to. But now…
Now you weren’t alone anymore.
The end.
________________________________________________
Hey guys ! I hope you liked this :). As usual, feedbacks and reblogs are always welcomed ! (Especially lately, the reblog ratio seems at its worst haha). And again, I really hope you liked this. I was finally able to sit down and write after weeks of being stuck in a depressed mood, so I’m quite excited about sharing this. But as usual, always a bit nervous that you’ll be disappointed blahblahblah low self-esteem and all that haha… :). I just hope this is to your liking. Thank you.
Summary: You watched in your rear view mirror as the officer got out of the car and you did the unthinkable — you smiled. Of all the police officers, it would have to be him. Only your favorite police officer on the whole force, for crying out loud. Dick Grayson.
Warnings – Language. Smut. NSFW. Nipple play. Very mild gun kink. Slight abuse of authority.
Word Count: 4.6k
A/N: xoxo Happy Valentines Day to my beautiful wifey ❤️@internalsealpanic
Summary: You watched in your rear view mirror as the officer got out of the car and you did the unthinkable — you smiled. Of all the police officers, it would have to be him. Only your favorite police officer on the whole force, for crying out loud. Dick Grayson.
Warnings – Language. Smut. NSFW. Nipple play. Very mild gun kink. Slight abuse of authority.
Word Count: 4.6k
A/N: xoxo Happy Valentines Day to my beautiful wifey ❤️@internalsealpanic
Summary: You watched in your rear view mirror as the officer got out of the car and you did the unthinkable — you smiled. Of all the police officers, it would have to be him. Only your favorite police officer on the whole force, for crying out loud. Dick Grayson.
Warnings – Language. Smut. NSFW. Nipple play. Very mild gun kink. Slight abuse of authority.
Word Count: 4.6k
A/N: xoxo Happy Valentines Day to my beautiful wifey ❤️@internalsealpanic
Summary: You watched in your rear view mirror as the officer got out of the car and you did the unthinkable — you smiled. Of all the police officers, it would have to be him. Only your favorite police officer on the whole force, for crying out loud. Dick Grayson.
Warnings – Language. Smut. NSFW. Nipple play. Very mild gun kink. Slight abuse of authority.
Word Count: 4.6k
A/N: xoxo Happy Valentines Day to my beautiful wifey ❤️@internalsealpanic
Summary: You watched in your rear view mirror as the officer got out of the car and you did the unthinkable — you smiled. Of all the police officers, it would have to be him. Only your favorite police officer on the whole force, for crying out loud. Dick Grayson.
Warnings – Language. Smut. NSFW. Nipple play. Very mild gun kink. Slight abuse of authority.
Word Count: 4.6k
A/N: xoxo Happy Valentines Day to my beautiful wifey ❤️@internalsealpanic
Request from @bookish-and-shy Hi! Can I request a female New Zealander dating Dick and hanging out with the Batfam? And they make hobbit jokes and stuff because she’s pretty short? I’ve seen Aussie specific fix’s but never kiwi ones. Sorry it’s pretty specific!! I love your work so much, you write so well! If you’re too busy to do it it’s 100% fine, I hope your brother gets better soon! Thanks!
Just a disclaimer, I found everything about New Zealand and such online so anything that is not accurate to New Zealand, blame the internet and not me. (I hope you like this, it was so fun learning about New Zealand). I also based the attitude on my one Kiwi friend and he’s a bit of a jerk, this doesn’t mean all New Zealanders are jerks, but it was what I had to work with.
-You were born and raised in New Zealand, moving to Bludhaven for school. There you felt a little like a fish out of water, when you read about America it seemed so crazy and fun (and the accents were cute), but now that you were here you just wanted to go home and if you heard one more Goddamn American asking you if you liked ‘shrimp on the barby’ you were going to kill someone.
-You and Dick met at a pub, where he said he liked your accent, and correctly identified you as a kiwi, a first in America.
-Your first date with Dick was when you invited him over to watch the Black Caps in the Cricket World Cup. He wasn’t all that interested in it, but he had a great time with you.
-You didn’t realise that he counted it as your first date, you thought that you two were just hanging out and catching the game.
-You quickly discovered that Dick’s greatest source of amusement is asking you what you call things and then telling you the English counterpart.
-”Y/N! What do you call that?”
-”A Chilly Bin.”
-”In America we call them coolers.”
-”I know Dick, I live here.”
-Dick introduces you to his family after a while and you come over for tea. And you decided that you liked Alfred the best.
-You quickly realise that many of his siblings think New Zealand slang is funny, like when you watched Jason swallow down an entire meal in less than a minute, you couldn’t help but say:
-”He eat so much, your brother’s such a hungus.”
-Without skipping a beat or knowing what a hungus was Jason replied, “Shut up hobbit!”
-You could never really shake that nick name afterwards.
-You become close with all of Dick’s family, and they easily include you into their family. This means countless terrible jokes about New Zealand, Hobbit nickname for life, and all of the kids (including your traitor boyfriend) impersonating your accent terribly.
-Also everytime the boys are giving you presents they just hand you Kiwi the fruit, and everytime you yell at them, because KIWI ARE THE NATIONAL ANIMAL NOT SOME STUPID FRUIT!
-Whenever Tim sees a kiwi fruit in the supermarket he takes a picture and send you the caption ‘is this you?’
-Dick and you have a great relationship, and unbeknownst to you he bought tickets to New Zealand and a diamond ring for the trip.
