A Tomorrow When We’re Not Together

gypsydancergirl:

Disclaimer: Batman and all associated comics are the property of DC comics. Events herein are drawn from the following issues: Batman, Inc. #8, Red Hood and the Outlaws #17.   SPOILERS DO APPLY!

Word Count: 2,343

Warnings:  Violence & Mental Trauma

Summary:   Eleven years from now, Damian finds a new Game to play while patroling Gotham by himself, and with the Game, a title that he can call his very own.

Author’s Note:  And with the reboot rearranged to my personal satisfaction, there is the other side of Two-Face’s coin.  Or how I suspect the triumphant return will actually occur in canon comics—belatedly, with loved ones moving on, a replacement on hand, and even more disturbing parallels to Jason Todd.  *shrugs*  I gave ‘em a happy ending anyway.

“If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together…there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart…I’ll always be with you.”

-A. A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

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Reblogged from Gypsy Dancer Girl

Queen of Hearts by Irony_Rocks

Title: Queen of Hearts

Author: Irony_Rocks

Length: Complete (5 Chapters)

Pairings: Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson

Verse: Young Justice (Show)

Category: General/Drama/Romance

Rating: R (Sexuality and Language)

Summary: Dick has been hiding something for months and it’s time Barbara finds out what it is. For a person used to secrets, her world is about to be turned upside down by the revelation of one more.

Post-ep 2.10: Before the Dawn for Young Justice.

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Excerpt:


She stays silent through most of the debriefing. She watches Dick lead from the far edge of the room, and his body looks stiff and at attention, muscles coiled tight like he’s suddenly not the most limber person she’s ever known in her entire life. The familiar body-language reads defensive and severe, and it’s one Barbara recognizes from all those fights with Batman. But Batman isn’t here; he’s several lightyears away serving some sort of imagined penance for sixteen hours of missing time, and she’d call Dick on it but the entire team is watching and this isn’t the time to be having those sorts of conversations. The entire meeting unfolds with this quiet sense of ill-ease in the pit of her stomach. She feels like she’s missing something. A clue, an untold side to the story, a missing piece of the puzzle. No one on the mission got themselves killed, no one else was captured, and they’ve uncovered the Light’s new ally. It’s been a successful mission, all-in-all.

Why does it feel like an abject failure, then?

Barely anyone comments when Beast Boy narrates how M’gann defeated Aqualad, while the woman in question, the one that actually did the conquering, just sits there. There’s bleak avoidance buried in her gaze, and at first Barbara assumes its guilt that’s driving M’gann’s reclusive behavior, guilt at defeating a former friend, but there’s something larger, darker, almost like… shame. 

“All right,” Dick says, avoiding everyone’s gaze. “That’s it for tonight. Everyone… good job.”

The words feel hollow and empty for a victory call.

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Court Martial by Charlene Edwards

Title: Court Martial

Author: Charlene Edwards

Length: Complete (33 Chapters)

Pairings: Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson

Verse: DCU (After Nightwing 93)

Category: Drama

Rating: PG-13 (Mentions of rape and murder, language, violence)

Summary: Blockbuster was murdered … and Nightwing was “involved”. What happens when the superhero community finds out? 

Personal Commentary: First off, I want to give luanna255 thanks for recommending this amazing fanfic in one of her posts.  After I read this, I just needed to share this with others, too.

Hands down, this was one of the most emotional and complex fan fiction I had ever read.  Not only was it written intelligently, the story utilized each and every character so well, playing off of each relationships of the JLA and Batfam.  This story had made me laugh, cry, and terribly angry the entire time. The plot simply takes hold of you and throws you into this mad roller coaster, where the plot thickens every chapter.  Not only that, it’s one of those stories that you never want to end, yet in the end, it gives you a satisfying conclusion.

Seriously, it’s a absolute must read. And my personal #1 fanfic of all time.

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Excerpt:

“Get off me,” he hoarsely whispered. The intense recurring spasm of panic that had started just below his sternum seemed to spread like a white hot flame … passing through his chest, up his spine, into his face, down his arms, and down into his groin. When it reached the very tips of his toes, it finally started to subside. It had gripped him like a vice on his heart. He couldn’t breathe. The choking, smothering feeling had made him dizzy, nauseous and lightheaded. He had succumbed to the fear, to the panic, to the self-loathing. He felt as if he were going crazy, or maybe he already had. When he reached this lowest point in his life, his knees failed him. Failed as he had failed. It was at this point that Tarantula had used him … abused him and his helplessness. Yet, it was his fault. In reality, it was all his fault. Catalina wasn’t to blame, not really. He was. He always would be. “Get offa me.”

Dick weakly pushed her off him and rolled over into the jumbled heap of his torn and bloody costume. The panic almost overwhelmed him again as the smell of blood assailed his nostrils. Dick closed his eyes and tried to regain his composure, but the tremble in his arms gave him away. Her hands were on him … all over him … violating him. He deserved to be violated. Deserved … he knew what he deserved.

“Didn’t you love it baby?” she callously asked. Her feral excitement in her kill had led to fierce and fervent sex. He couldn’t resist, he couldn’t breathe, he was numb. His body was in shock, yet it still responded to her. “You know you did. It would’ve been better only if you had killed him yourself. You could revel in it. But see it’s all better this way … we did it together. We stopped a horrible man together. Killing him was the only way, and it was right. He deserved to die and needed to be killed. It was the right decision. Now … he’s gone and we’re free. Everyone will know not to take his place or we’ll take them down too. It’s all over. ALL over now. We’re heroes. We did what others couldn’t or wouldn’t do. Doesn’t that make you feel hopeful and special?” Smiling she lay her head on his bare back.

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Gonna Be A Better One (A Thousand Miles To Your Door) by Traincat

Title: Gonna Be A Better One (A Thousand Miles To Your Door)

Author: Traincat

Length: 2 chapters (Complete)

Pairings: Kon-el/Tim Drake

Category: Romance

Rating: PG-13 (sexuality)

Summary: Tim quits being Robin, cutting all ties with his vigilante life, but Kon refuses to quit Tim.  Hoping to hold on to their relationship, Kon takes action to keep his boy wonder in his life.

Personal Commentary:  In this AU, Tim and Kon have an established relationship. It’s full of fluff, and some parts are definitely chuckle-worthy.

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Excerpt:

Chapter 1: you and only me and no one else

If the world was ending, then kissing Kon seemed like the thing to do.

It had made sense at the time – the sky dark with thousands of enemy ships, the grey clouds between them like splintering cracks, and Tim hadn’t wanted this regret too, so he had fisted his hands in Kon’s shirt, crumpling the S shield between his fingers, and stretched up on his toes.

As first kisses went, it was pretty fantastic, even if Kon tasted like sweat and ash, alien jet fuel splattered across his face. The audience of killer robots wasn’t ideal, but beggars couldn’t be choosers, and Tim had wanted to kiss Kon so badly.

The problem was the world didn’t end.

Which left Kon and Tim standing back-to-back together in the rubble, beaten and bloody but altogether alright.

It wasn’t the most awkward silence Tim had ever been part of it, but it was solidly in the top three. Then Kon threw up his arms and let out a wild whoop and Tim felt a smile tug at his lips; he quickly bit down on it.

“We won!” Kon exclaimed, grinning at the clearing sky like it was the best and most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

“We did,” Tim said. He didn’t look at Kon. “Same old world.”

“Good ol’ world,” Kon corrected. He started to walk, ambling between bits of broken spaceship and fizzling, dismantled robots. Tim hesitated a moment before he fell in step. “So, hey. Back there. What was that?”

Tim swallowed hard. He kicked a broken bit of spaceship out of his way. This was his chance to say, that was nothing or, what are you talking about? Did you breathe in any of those spaceship fumes?, but his lips still tingled from where Kon had kissed back.

“Heat of the moment,” he replied after a beat. It wasn’t, strictly speaking, untrue.

“Yeah?” Kon said. He tipped his head back, drumming his fingers against his thighs. Tim shot him a sideways glance. “’Cause I was thinking… we could probably do it again. If you wanted.”

“I,” Tim said, heart in his throat, and apparently that was all the confirmation Kon needed. He turned on his heels and caught Tim’s face between his big, warm hands. The press of his lips was solid and real.

“Well?” he said when he pulled back, searching Tim’s face. His eyes were superhumanly blue.

“Well,” he returned, mouth a perfectly serious line. He grabbed Kon’s arms, keeping him in place. Kon’s face broke out in a grin.

“Yeah?” he said, and, laughing under his breath, Tim seconded, “yeah.”

Kon kissed him again. It was, Tim had to admit, a little breathtaking.

“Man,” he said against his lips. “I am so going to be the heat of your moment.”

Tim drew back, his grip on Kon’s wrists slackening.

“That was terrible,” he said. Kon waggled his eyebrows. “And stop doing that thing. Is this what you’re going to be like from now on?”

“Oh, a million times worse,” Kon replied sincerely. Tim suspected he really shouldn’t have felt so happy about that.

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Jason and Me by David Hines (hradzka)

Title: Jason and Me

Author: David Hines (hradzka)

Length: One-shot

Pairings: None

Category: General, Drama

Rating: PG-13 (mentions of death/murder, violent imagery, language)

Summary: Newly appointed Robin, Stephanie Brown investigates some old history after she is told she is alike to a certain deceased Robin.(Written before Robin #125.) 

Personal Commentary: Highly recommended. Stephanie’s characterization is spot on with the head-strong personality and curious nature  that we see in the Robin series. Honestly, it’s a very interesting read, especially if you think of it as a “prelude”  or foreshadowing to the certain events of War Games.

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Excerpt:

The best part is, I get to wear the suit.

The first time I put it on, I just stare at myself in the mirror. For an *hour.* I still can’t believe it. Dick made it famous. Tim made it his own. And now it’s mine.

Jason died in it, but that’s got nothing to do with me.

I look a little more squarely into the mirror. Try to ignore Jason’s old suit in the display case reflected over my shoulder. This moment’s mine. I’m not sharing it with ghosts. The cape looks good. The suit’s heavier than I thought, but it feels right.

In the mirror, his empty mask looks back at me.

Screw him. I’m getting out of here. I have to show Cass.

She’s out on patrol, sure, but I know when she usually ends her shift so it’s easy to be waiting for her in her cave when she gets in. Cass is always in a good mood after patrol. She drops through the skylight to the floor. She looks tired and happy. I want to surprise her, but hiding won’t do any good. She’ll realize somebody’s there, and in a second she’ll recognize my step, but —

“Hey,” I say. “Notice anything different?”

She turns to face me — and freezes.

“Robin?” she says.

“In training. Can you believe it? Isn’t this *great?!*”

She takes a long time to answer, and when she does her voice is very small and shaken. “No,” she says.

“What?” This isn’t how it was supposed to go. She’s supposed to be happy for me, and we’re supposed to have girl time, and toast the new outfit, and maybe do our nails and talk about boys. “Cass, what’s wrong? I thought you’d be happy for me.”

She almost looks afraid. But Cass isn’t afraid of anything. Except maybe books without pictures. “Jason,” she says.

Jason Todd. Jesus, I can’t get away from him tonight. “I’m not going to die, Cass. Come on. You know me.”

“Batman,” she says. “Said you’re like Jason.” She pulls off the mask and looks up at me. I’ve never seen Cass like this. She looks as if she’s about to cry. When she opens her mouth again, the words come out as if she’s begging me.

“Don’t be,” she says.

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Road to Damascus by irrelevant

Title: Road to Damascus

Author: irrelevant

Length: Novella

Pairings: None

Category: General, Drama

Rating: PG-13

Summary: In a universe where Bruce Wayne is willing to kill, the Graysons never fall. His family alive, Dick Grayson stays with the circus. He’s happy. Tim Drake grows up in Gotham while his parents travel the globe. He has tutors and a lot of money and a camera. He’s not happy, but he’s almost okay with that because he has Dick. Even if Dick doesn’t know it.

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Excerpt:

Around one o’clock on Friday, Dick decides he needs to run away from the circus.

“I’m serious about this,” he says, waving his scrub brush. “One more time with the spraying and you’ll be Maire’s for good. And she’s mean—we’re talking steel wool mean.”

This time he doesn’t get out of the way fast enough. He frowns at his wet tee, frowns at the reason for the wetness, and shakes his brush menacingly. “Don’t make me pull out the big guns. They have water pressure.”

There’s a brief stare-off, Dick keeping his brush and bucket of soapy water ready for quick retaliation. Quiet Bastard grunts once and reluctantly lowers his trunk.

“See, that wasn’t so hard,” Dick says. He dips the brush into the bucket and gets to work, making sure to scratch the itchy spot just behind Bastard’s ear good and hard before moving on to his neck. “Not like I want this any more than you do,” he mutters, “but you’re getting kind of ripe, and nobody else volunteered.”

Which is why Dick is doing the scrubbing instead of, say, Maire.

It’s not that hosing elephants off is his job, although everyone pitches in with everything at one time or another. It’s just, he’s always liked animals (most days) and he’s the only human Bastard seems to like (sometimes). So maybe the job is his, if only by default. Which is okay with him for now since he’s got nothing else going on until the three o’clock practice run. Anyway, he’d rather be out in the air than in a tent breathing in recycled human sweat.

It’s a nice day for summertime Florida. Not as muggy as it could be, clear skies, and no sign of the downpour that’ll come promptly around two thirty. He guesses he could wait until then and let Bastard stand in it, but even that wouldn’t kill the stink of steaming elephant.

Dick keeps scrubbing.

He leans down to get the bend of Bastard’s knee, and Bastard swings his trunk around and gooses him. “Why you little… big… little…” Dick glares at Bastard. “You better not be laughing at me.”

Bastard snorts, opening his mouth and swishing his trunk back and forth.
                                                    
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It All Works Out in the End: A Story Starring Robin’s Rear End by Anonymous

Title: It All Works Out in the End: A Story Starring Robin’s Rear End

Author: Anonymous

Length: One-shot

Pairings: None

Category: Humor

Rating: PG (Butts, Butts, Butts)

Summary: A Tale of Robin’s Rear End. Really. Takes place during Young Justice, and interestingly enough, the silly tone of the entire story really reminds me of the actual 90’s Young Justice comic. 

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Excerpt:

“OWWWOWWWOWWWOWWWW!”

“I didn’t know he could make that noise…”

“OWWWWOWW!”

“Nice shot, A.”

“I didn’t mean it!”

“OWWOWWSOMEBODYGETITOwwwUT!!!”

“Ummm… I’m not touching it.”

“You do it, Supes!  That tactile telekinesis has ta be good for sumthin’!”

“I think he’s prefer if one of the girls got it out.  I don’t think he
swings that way.”

“I think someone with gloves should do it.”

“We’re all wearing gloves.”

“I’M NOT!”

“Me neither!”

“I don’t care who’s wearing gloves, somebody GET IT OUT!”

“Impy, maybe if you pull it really fast it won’t hurt.”

*whimper*

***

It was supposed to be the perfect week.

My first week of summer vacation.

I’d skidded through my first semester at Brentwood with, well, marks good
enough that they were letting me come back.  Probably could have done better
if I had spent my evenings studying with Ali instead of fighting the forces
of evil, but hey, we’ve all got priorities.

Anyway, the week before I arrived home, Dad announced that he and Dana were
going on a vacation.  In Europe.

I was totally psyched up to immerse myself in a whole week of sidekicking.

Then Alfred told me that Bruce was going on a business trip and would be
scaring the poop out of bad guys in Keystone City until Friday.

Which, while it was a minor downer, was not a total disappointment.  There
is always excitement to be had in the life of this Boy Wonder.  A few phone
calls later, and my week was crammed with green tights and bang-a-rangs.

Monday was something of Young Justice reunion— all of us had promised to
be there.  I hadn’t seen them in… well, long enough that hanging with Bart
Allen still seemed like a fun idea.

    Tuesday, I was spending the night with Dick.  I think Dick’s always wanted
his own sidekick, so he tries to bum me off Bruce whenever he thinks he can
get away with it.

Wednesday, I promised Oracle I’d help her fix up her mainframe a little.  
After what Blockbuster and his guys did to it… grr.  Just grr.
Steph had laid claim on Thursday.  I wasn’t quite sure what she had in mind,
since her mom had confiscated all her Spoiler stuff, but I wasn’t
complaining.

And Friday, it was back to the traditional gig, sidekicking with the best.  
I wanted to impress Bruce with some of the little tricks I’d cooked up at
school.  Not that I have ever managed to impress Bruce, but it’s always fun
to try.

Well, Monday went as planned.

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“Friday I’m in Love” by impertinence

Title: Friday I’m in Love

Author: impertinence

Length: 2 Parts

Pairing: Kon-El/Tim Drake, (and a little Bruce Wayne/Dick Grayson)

Category: Romance, Humor

Rating: R (Sexuality)

Summary: Tim asks Kon a question that causes him to (very briefly) question his sexuality.  By the next time they hang out, Kon realizes that he has a huge crush on his probably straight best friend. However, with Tim just acting like—well, Tim, Kon finds it very difficult to restrain his feelings.

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Excerpt:

Part One

||

The thing about Gotham is that no matter how smoggy and weird and, okay, gross it gets, it’s never boring.

Kon scowls and ducks behind a building, just ahead of the whispering shadow that shifts past him. It doesn’t seem human, which is kind of funny, because this is the only place—except for Bludhaven now, he guesses, and that’s a bizarre thought—where he can almost assume that the shadow is human.

…and, yeah, he kind of confused himself with that.

He passes two men with knives menacing a homeless girl; he knocks their heads together and walks the girl to the nearest shelter. He has a not entirely unfounded suspicion that if he flies her there, the guy waiting at the door will be tall, narrow-eyed, and very Battish.

Yeah. Walking, man, right now? Walking rocks.

“What are you doing.”

Sweet.

“Uh, hi, Tim.” Kon drops the drug dealer to the ground and makes a move to shove his hands in his pockets, stopping when he realizes that, hey, if he actually reveals that he’s nervous, Tim might tackle him and demand to know what was wrong. “I just thought I’d visit. You know, just a friendly little—“

“You’re in Gotham.”

“Yeah. So?” Way too defensive. Damn.

“You’re in Batman’s Gotham.”

“No,” Kon says before he thinks about it, which is what he always does, which is a habit Tim’s bound to try to wean him off of, sooner or later, “it’s your Gotham.”

Tim blinks, which is the Timquivalent of letting his jaw drop incredulously.

“Batman isn’t my friend,” because, hey, might as well dig the hole a little deeper. “You are. So it’s your city, not his.”

Tim purses his lips. Kon thinks he’s probably aiming for something fancy like “cynically amused”, but he ends up just looking really pleased. The blush just under his mask doesn’t exactly help change Kon’s mind.

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Cruel and Unusual by J.T.

fyeahbatmanandrobin:

Title: Cruel and Unusual

Author: J.T. of fyeahbatmanandrobin

Rating: PG

Characters: Damian Wayne, Tim Drake, and Dick Grayson

Summary: Damian has a weakness he’d hoped no one would ever discover.  Grayson and Drake are eager to exploit it.  (Humor, perhaps a bit twisted)

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“This is about to get very unpleasant for you, Damian.  Last chance.”

Grayson stood in front of Damian, arms folded, blocking him in with his body.   His lips were pursed around a frown.  Drake stood beside Grayson as part of the makeshift cage that trapped Damian against the sofa, but the younger of Damian’s two antagonists wore a predatory grin.

“Come on,” Drake taunted. “Choose the hard way and surprise absolutely no one.  I really want you to.”

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“Shake Your Tailfeathers” by quipquipquip

Title: Shake Your Tailfeathers

Author: quipquipquip

Length: 3 Chapters

Pairing: Dick Grayson/Stephanie Brown

Category: Romance, Humor

Rating: R (Sexuality, Violence)

Summary: Dick and Steph team up to take down an orally-obsessed serial killer with a taste for blond girls. Dickbats has avoided working with the new Batgirl, but this time he doesn’t have a choice. Set just after Batman: Black Mirror, and before the end of Steph’s Batgirl run.

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Excerpt:

As far as undercover gigs went, an assignment at a popular nightclub was cake. Most undercover jobs required extensive costuming and acting, which was time-consuming and mentally exhausting. In Dick’s opinion, the only thing worse was an outdoor stakeout in foul weather—-he’d harbored an intense dislike for any and all stakeouts since his early Robin days. His costume choices over the years hadn’t been tooled toward warmth. Ever an aerialist, he gravitated toward cuts and fabrics that were streamlined and light. They were great for flying, but useless in bad weather.

Dick should’ve appreciated getting a chance to dress down and blend into a familiar old environment. There’d been a time not so long ago where he’d enjoyed going to clubs, but this was far from being a night for fun and letting loose.

First off, the place was called the Crow Bar. The lit-up sign out front had a black bird perched on the rim of a martini glass, but that wasn’t what he thought of when he heard the name. No, he thought about the heft of the metal tool that’d gotten him out of the Mirror House. He thought about the blood that stained the curved end of it, old and flaking, and the tuft of black hair he’d found caught in the fissure.

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