I for the life of me can't focus on the next chapter because my brain wants to focus on literally any other part of the story. Because of this and because I'm annoyed it's taking so long to write, I'm gifting you guys a short that takes place before the story starts. I actually have a bunch of shorts lying around in my drafts that I might one day give you guys if you're interested but I hope for now this one will tide y'all over until the next chapter.
Sweet Sixteen
The day started the same as any other day. You woke up, got dressed, and went downstairs for breakfast. Alfred greeted you with a warm smile, he was the only one in the dining room. “Good morning, dear. Happy birthday.” He pulled out your chair for you. You returned his smile as you sat down.
“Good morning and thank you.” You replied while Alfred set a plate in front of you. He’d prepared your favorite breakfast, as he did every birthday. “It looks great!” You were eager to dig in. It was a bit lonely just having two people in the giant dining room, but it was always like this.
After finishing breakfast, Alfred shooed you away while he did the dishes. He never let you help him when it was your birthday. You wandered into the living room and saw exactly what you were expecting. A carefully wrapped present with your name written on it. Your father never had time to give you your present in person so he’d always leave it in the living room. You sat down and slowly unwrapped, taking care to not damage the wrapping paper. Not that it was anything special, it was just a habit.
The gift was a new laptop, it was the newest model and insanely expensive. Your father seemed to think that the more expensive an item was, the more it’d make up for his lack of presence. Nonetheless you were grateful for the gift. It wasn’t a personal gift or something that showed off how well your father knew you, but it was a gift from him and you’d be sure to enjoy it. It’d feel spoiled to not like something so expensive anyway and at least its presence proved that your father thinks about you.
Dick sent you a happy birthday text. You thanked him and he asked about your day and apologized for not being there. You told him your day was good and the conversation fizzled out there.
Tim treated you no differently from usual. Which was to say he avoided you like the plague. If Tim wasn’t so obsessed with knowing everything you would think he doesn’t even know when your birthday is. Not that you expected or wanted anything from him, not fighting with him felt like a gift on its own.
You didn’t see Cass all day either, which also wasn’t unusual. It did mean that you spent your birthday alone. That was fine with you though. You were used to this and had already made plans for yourself. Said plans were just rereading your favorite books but that was all you needed.
The day passed uneventfully. Dinner was just as lonely as breakfast but Alfred’s company was enough for you. After you finished eating, Alfred went back into the kitchen to get your cake. It was just like any other birthday. Alfred walked towards you with the cake. The cake that you already knew was your favorite flavor. The cake that had lit candles with your age on it. The same as all cakes did in the past. But this cake had the number sixteen on it. That simple number was enough to disrupt your entire day.
Alfred set the cake down in front of you and all you could do was stare at it. Sixteen. You were sixteen. Seeing the numbers in front of you made today real. You knew subconsciously there was something tearing away at you the entire day. You buried yourself in your books so you wouldn’t have to think about it. You treated your birthday like a regular day so you didn’t have to think about it. You pretended you weren’t turning sixteen so you didn’t have to think about it. But now the number was in your face and you couldn’t pretend you were still fifteen.
You were officially sixteen. Which made you officially older than Jason Todd. Letting yourself finally acknowledge the thought had an instant effect. Your vision blurred and your throat felt tight. You were finally older than your older brother. You couldn’t be fifteen forever. Not like he was. He was gone and he was fifteen. You were alive and sixteen. It felt strange and wrong. It felt like you had stepped into a parallel world.
Tears streamed down your face and you just barely managed to cover your mouth to muffle the sob that had been building up. Your body trembled as you stared at the melting candles. You could barely feel a warm pressure on your shoulder. You think Alfred called your name but it was hard to hear. You’d spent the whole day avoiding it but now all you could do was think about being sixteen.
You know, an interesting tumblr transformation that's happened gradually, and which I've seen no one talk about: ask-culture has essentially dropped off to nothing.
By which I mean, asks used to be WAY more of the tumblr economy. They used to be more common to send, and receive, and see. They were integral to the collaborative, forum-like behavior of old tumblr communities, not even to speak on the HUGE number of ask-blogs that used to exist to only be interacted with in ask-form.
I'm not saying this in a vying-for-attention way but instead in an observational way: I used to get way way more asks in like 2015, even with a fraction of my follower count. I wonder if it's due to the homogenization of social media sites? There's a lot more of this divide between "content creator" and "consumer" instead of just a bunch of peer blogs who would talk to each other. "Asks" aren't really a thing on twitter, are they? And as I understand it, the closest thing to an "ask" on instagram or tiktok would be a creator screenshotting some comment and responding to it in a new reel or video or whatever those content mediums are. Are asks just too tumblr-specific? Is that aspect of the site culture dying out as more and more people converge to using all their social media sites in the same way?
it's probably from assholes making asks a minefield of trolling/harassment for years with no real blocking ability, which turned people off from allowing asks on their blogs so as a whole the site moved away from it
but now that we do have better blocking, we should try to revive it.
I actually hate this chapter lmao. I had to redo it three times because I hated it and I still don't like it but I don't want to be stuck on it anymore so I am so sorry if the quality is bad. I'm a bit sad over a few scenes that I scrapped in the original drafts (mostly sad I got rid of Tim and Reader being mean to each other) but for my sanity I have to move on to another chapter. Also if something seems weird or incomplete please let me know, I might've accidentally left in bits from older drafts but I think I got them all out.
Chapter Three
The first thing you were aware of as you drifted from sleep into consciousness was that you felt like you were starving. Your stomach growled irritably and you reluctantly forced yourself out of bed with a sigh. You got dressed for the day, slowly waking up as you went through your morning routine. You stepped out of your room and automatically your nose scrunched up.
The hallway smelled…weird. Like a bunch of smells were all jumbled out and sprayed into the air. All of them were familiar in some way but you couldn’t quite place where. One of the smells grew stronger and you could hear soft footsteps paired with it. You faced the direction they were coming from just in time to see Dick round the corner. It was a bit unusual for you to be able to hear anyone’s footsteps in the manor, they all seemed to love sneaking around. Dick grinned when he saw you.
“Good morning!” He greeted you cheerfully. Was he talking louder than usual? Or maybe your hearing was more sensitive today? That was a weird thought.
“Morning…did someone spray something?” You decided to ask about the smells. Dick looked confused and paused to sniff the air.
“I don’t think so?”
“Okay…must be my imagination.” You were tempted to ask if he was wearing a new cologne but that felt like a set up to an awkward situation.
“Maybe you’re still tired? It couldn’t hurt for you to rest a little more…” Dick trailed off thoughtfully. His expression was slowly melting into one of concern and you didn’t care much for that. You gave him a reassuring smile and waved a hand dismissively.
“I’m fine. I’m more hungry than anything.”
“Are you sure?” Dick’s eyes followed your hand’s movements and you realized you were waving around your injured arm.
“I am!” You quickly put your arm back down, hoping to get his attention away from it. Not that you were lying. The wound was suspiciously painless but you didn’t have time to think about that right now. “I can smell breakfast, let’s eat.” You began trying to herd him downstairs.
“Alright, alright.” Dick conceded and let you guide him towards the dining room.
It wasn’t unusual for people to be missing from meals, last night was a rare event. So it was understandable that seeing more than one other person at the table surprised you. You repressed a sigh as you took your seat. It looks like you’d be having breakfast with Dick, Damian, and…Tim. “Good morning. How did everyone sleep?” You politely asked, already eyeing the food Alfred had laid out.
“I slept fine.” Damian replied curtly. Tim decided to not bother answering you, not that you expected him to nor particularly cared about how he slept. A silence started to settle over the table so Dick took it upon himself to fill it.
“So…have any plans for the day?” Dick asked, specifically directing the question at you. You immediately felt suspicious. It was unusual for anyone to ask about your plans.
“I was thinking about getting some last minute shopping done for school.” You answered. Dick’s smile widened and you felt like you stepped into a trap.
“Would you mind if we tagged along?”
“We?” You could feel dread twisting your insides. Dick nodded and gestured to himself, Damian, and Tim.
“They need some things too and I could drive all of us. It’d be a nice outing.” He explained as if he didn’t just suggest forcing you and Tim to spend a day together. You could tell from the face Tim pulled he thought the same thing.
“You are the only one that thinks that.” He didn’t hesitate to tell Dick his opinion. You hated that you agreed with him. “We don’t need to all go shopping together like some sad field trip.” Well now he was just being a bit harsh. Dick looked ready to make an argument but Damian spoke first, surprising everyone.
“Why wouldn’t we go together? It would be the most efficient thing to do. We all need our supplies and Grayson is offering a way to get them. Surely you realize that, otherwise you’re dumber than you claim to be.” He calmly pointed out, though it didn’t escape anyone’s attention that he couldn’t resist throwing in an insult as well. You picked up your napkin to wipe your mouth, trying your hardest to hide your smile. Tim went silent, knowing that he couldn’t make an argument to that.
“I think it’s a good idea.” You smiled at Dick as you lied. You hated the idea as much as Tim did, but you would never pass up the opportunity to look better than him. Tim didn’t hesitate to call you on your bluff.
“No you don’t.” He scoffed. You turned your smile to him, completely unbothered.
“I do. I’m sure we can both be mature and put our differences aside for one day, right?” You asked sweetly. You were pretty sure Tim’s eye twitched. He always hated when you used that tone with him.
“Right…” He finally sighed, realizing that he couldn’t get out of this situation.
Thankfully the drive to the store was uneventful and even more fortunate was that a bookstore was right next to the shop you were going to. You were already daydreaming about popping over there for a bit. Preferably without Tim. Stepping into the store, you had to pause and take a moment to reorient yourself. Just like when you stepped into the hall earlier you were hit with a bunch of different smells only this time it was much worse. You could feel your nose crinkle involuntarily and a headache start to creep in.
“What’re you making that face for?” Tim asked, giving you a suspicious look.
“Just a headache.” You replied before starting to walk again. Dick and Damian didn’t seem to notice your brief pause and you didn’t want to get stuck alone with Tim.
“Because of me? Real original.” He scoffed. For once you weren’t calling Tim a headache, but if you explained that to him then he might pry into what’s bothering you and you didn’t feel like dealing with that. You were content enough to let him think that you were being petty.
You walked around the store mostly in a haze. The smells and sounds of your surroundings were proving to be more overwhelming the longer you stayed in there. The strong smells of cleaning products and perfumes muddled into a potent concoction that made your headache grow with what felt like every breath. The chatter of everyone around you seemed to all merge together as well. You could swear you could hear conversations happening all the way across the store from you. Trying to block these sounds out left you with this consistent buzzing in your head. It made it hard for you to think and it was all you could do to make sure you didn’t get left alone in this state.
“What is wrong with you today?” A voice spoke to you, cutting through the buzzing. You blinked and the world came into focus once more. It was just you and Tim standing in an aisle filled with binders.
“What?” You asked, struggling to process his question. Tim opened his mouth to speak again but you cut him off. “What do you mean? I’m acting normal.” Tim rolled his eyes at you.
“You are not acting normal.”
“How so?” Maybe he’d go on a tangent and you could zone out again. Being aware was also making your headache hurt worse. Tim gestured around the aisle.
“First, that headache you got when we walked in. Then you silently following us around and ignoring Dick. And now you following me of all people instead of sticking with the other two.” He listed your behaviors.
“I didn’t ignore Dick.” You felt the need to defend yourself.
“He tried to start a conversation with you several times. The only reason you have any supplies is because we have the same list. You didn’t give him any input. Are you mad at him or something?”
“No…” You couldn’t remember Dick trying to talk to you at all. Tim just stared at you as if he could diagnose what was wrong with you.
“Is this because he made us come here today? Are you really throwing a fit over that?” It seemed he decided to diagnose you with being a brat.
“I’m not throwing a fit. I’m just…tired.” Your excuse was lame but you didn’t know how to tell Tim what was wrong. Even if you did know, you wouldn’t want to tell him anyway. Tim seemed annoyed by your response if the way his jaw tensed meant anything. You mentally braced yourself for a fight. To your surprise, Tim just sighed and his expression shifted to a more neutral one.
“Okay.”
“Okay?” Tim was usually just as stubborn as you when it came to arguing. Seeing him relent so easily was a bit unnerving. Tim didn’t reply to you and instead turned to browse through the selection of binders. You couldn’t believe that he just let the topic go but you were relieved nonetheless.
Dick looked nervous when the two of you met back up with him and Damian, he fixed a smile onto his face as you both got closer. “Hey, get everything you need? No fights broke out?” His eyes flickered between you and Tim, as if trying to figure out which one of you he needed to console.
“We’re fine. Can we go check out now?” Tim answered him. Dick focused his attention on you, waiting for your input.
“I’m ready to go.” You hoped you didn’t sound as desperate to leave the store as you felt. Dick relaxed at your answers and his smile became more genuine.
“Let’s go then.” He herded everyone towards check out.
Getting out of the store was a relief. The buzzing noise faded as the doors closed behind you and your headache became more bearable with the lack of smells assaulting your nose. “Let’s get your things in the car and then we can get lunch? There’s a restaurant in this plaza.” Dick offered as your group made its way across the parking lot. You stayed quiet until your bags were tucked away into the car before turning to Dick.
“Can I go to the bookstore? I can meet you guys at the restaurant.” You started to back away from him anticipating him trying to offer to go as a group.
“Are you sure?” Dick hesitated to let you go.
“Yeah, you can order for me.” You waved his concerns off and turned around to speed off to the bookstore, effectively ending the conversation.
Stepping into the bookshop was much less overwhelming compared to the other store. There were a lot of smells here too but most were drowned out by your favorite scent of old books. There was barely anyone in the store as well, making it blissfully quiet. You didn’t realize how tense you’d been until your shoulders relaxed the deeper you went into the store. Your eyes hungrily scanned the shelves, looking for anything to catch your interest.
It didn’t take you long to find something of interest. The book you pulled out to inspect advertised itself as a book of myths and monsters from around the world. You flipped it around to read the back, already leaning towards purchasing it.
“Do you believe in those?” The voice next to you nearly made you jump out of your skin. You snapped your head in the direction so fast you were surprised you didn’t sprain something.
“Damian? Why are you here?” You couldn’t contain your surprise. You shouldn’t be as shocked as you were that he was able to sneak up on you.
“I didn’t want to be left with Drake and Grayson.” He replied, his tone suggested that this should’ve been obvious.
“Why not?” He had seemed fine with Dick alone earlier, what made him unacceptable company now? Was it Tim? In that case you couldn’t blame him.
“They’re obnoxious.” His response was so simple you couldn’t stop the smile from reaching your lips.
“That’s a mean thing to say.” You tried to scold him.
“It’s true. Now answer my question.” You were sure that if anyone else had demanded you answer a question in the same manner you would’ve been annoyed. You didn’t have the heart to be annoyed with Damian though.
“Not really. But wouldn’t it be cool if they were?” You glanced back down at the book in your hands. You weren’t going to admit to Damian that you used to have daydreams about going on adventures and finding monsters. He’d find it silly.
“They’d be dangerous.” Damian pointed out, as practical as always. Part of you was sad about that. At his age you were splashing around in pools pretending to be a sea monster. Or running around in the gardens pretending to be a fairy. It felt weird seeing a ten year old with no sense of whimsy.
“Yeah. But isn’t it fun to pretend?” You turned your attention back to Damian. He gave you an unreadable look.
“Pretending is pointless.” He didn’t deliver the words as harshly as you would’ve expected. He stated them simply. Like it was a fact of life.
“You’ve never played pretend?”
“I had no need to play pretend. Or to play anything for that matter. I had to focus on my training.” Damian didn’t seem sad about this. You on the other hand felt uncomfortable with this information. He was too young to be like this.
“Why don’t you pick out a book? What kind do you like?” You decided to change the topic. Damian turned his attention to the shelves.
“I’ve only read books for studying.” He admitted. You decided that you couldn’t let this stand. Damian needed some semblance of a childhood.
“Can I pick a book out for you?” You asked him.
“I suppose. It better not be a childish one.” He gave you a stern look. You smiled at him and began your search.
To Damian’s dismay, you did end up in the kids section but you assured him you’d stick to older kid books. He didn’t seem pleased regardless and continued to scowl at your back as he followed you. You couldn’t hide your delight when you found one of your favorite books from your childhood. It was a lighthearted fantasy book that had some serious elements which were handled with enough care to not be scarring for children but to also not feel patronizing. You were sure Damian could handle heavier books but the point of this was to help him feel somewhat like the kid he was.
“How about this?” You offered him the book. He scrutinized the synapses.
“It’s a children’s book.” He looked back to you with an unimpressed expression.
“It was one of my favorites when I was your age.” You were a bit surprised when your words made him look back to the book. He inspected it as if it were a completely different book.
“This is acceptable.” He finally decided. You weren’t exactly sure what made him change his mind but you were pleased all the same.
“I hope you like it. We can talk about it after you’ve read it.” You offered, making your way to the counter to purchase the books. Just in time too it seemed because you got a text from Dick asking for you two to head to the restaurant.
The rest of the outing was surprisingly nice and peaceful. It stirred up some difficult feelings in you and you made sure to shove down the ones that longed for more outings like this. You knew this was just because of what happened the other day and that soon things would be back to normal. You decided to turn your thoughts away from your feelings and instead focus on putting your materials together now that you were back home. You were one day closer to returning to school. And one day closer to returning to normalcy.
Not sure why it's a new trend among fic readers to assume if the fic has not been posted within the week it's inappropriate to comment on it, like the fic has to be hot out of the oven to give feedback for.
I got a comment on a fic that is less than a year old and it was mostly an apology for being a comment on an "old fic" and how late they were in commenting.
Just comment on the fic. Doesn't matter how old it is.
Sorry this one took a while, whenever I sat down to write for it my brain decided to focus on scenes that either won't show up in the story or were way too far ahead in the story.
Chapter Two
When you entered the manor you weren’t surprised that the only person there to greet you was Alfred. You could see the worry in his eyes as he examined your bandaged arm. “Welcome home.” His voice was warm and you couldn’t help but give him a genuine smile.
“Thank you. It’s good to be back.” You replied. You weren’t sure how much of that statement was true, you had complicated feelings towards the manor that you didn’t feel like unpacking.
“Shall I help bring your things to your room?” Alfred didn’t give you or anyone really a chance to respond to his question. He’d already been in the process of taking your bags from Dick.
“Bruce and I could do it.” He tried to protest which Alfred easily ignored.
“I’m sure you two have other matters to attend to. Besides, I’d like to hear all about their summer.” Alfred smiled at you. The two men hesitated before eventually deciding to let Alfred help you settle in while they did…whatever they needed to do. You felt guilty that a part of you was relieved when it was just you and Alfred.
“I missed you.” You admitted to him as you followed him upstairs to your room.
“I missed you too, my dear. How was your summer?” You took a moment to contemplate his question while you opened your room’s door for him.
“Aside from…” You could swear you see gnashing teeth. “Aside from that it was good.” You politely sat on your neatly made bed instead of throwing yourself onto it. Alfred set your bags down and began unpacking them. “You don’t have to.” You quickly stood up so you could take over but Alfred waved you away.
“What was your favorite part?” You sighed and sat back down.
“Honestly? I think the clean air. I didn’t realize how…heavy the air is here until I left.” You admitted. Alfred nodded in agreement. His eyes wandered back over to your arm.
“How do you feel?” You knew there was probably more to that question but you chose to ignore that.
“My arm’s fine. It doesn’t hurt as much as I thought it would.” Alfred hummed in response and set down what he was holding, he turned to face you.
“May I?” You nodded and held your arm out. You didn’t want to look at it so you turned your head away while Alfred gently held and inspected your arm.
“Can you help me when I have to clean and rebandage it?” You felt bad asking but you don’t think you could stomach looking at your wound. You were sure it would scar and you dreaded that. You didn’t want any reminders of that night.
“Of course.” Alfred released your arm and you let it drop back to your side. Seeming to sense your mood he smiled at you. “Why don’t you get some rest? I need to get started on dinner, it’s your favorite.” You perked up at that.
“Can I help?” Cooking with Alfred was always fun.
“Not this time. I’d rather you rest until dinner is ready.” You sighed and dramatically laid down on your bed but didn’t argue. Alfred chuckled at your antics and leaned down to kiss the top of your head. “I’ll get you when it’s ready.” He assured you before slipping out of your room.
You laid on your back and stared up at the ceiling. You didn’t feel tired. You weren’t sure what exactly you felt. You had the time now to try and sort through your feelings but that didn’t sound relaxing. Instead, you got up and wandered over to your bookshelf, grabbing a book at random and sitting back down.
You were only a few pages in when you noticed your door opening. Usually people knocked since that was the polite thing to do. You scowled as you turned to see who it was, it was probably Tim. You were certain even Alfred wouldn’t be able to instill manners into him. Your glare faltered when you saw a pair of green eyes staring back at you. That was not Tim. You quickly bookmarked your page and plastered on a smile for your guest.
“Hi Damian.” You greeted the boy. He narrowed his eyes at you in response and you felt very judged. “Do you…need something?” Damian didn’t usually grace you with his presence, unless it was to scoff at you about something.
“I heard you were home.” He finally replied. You blinked at him, not sure what to say to that. “You didn’t come to see me.” You didn’t realize you were supposed to. Really he should’ve come to see you but you decided not to point that out.
“Sorry Damian. Alfred insisted that I rest until dinner.” You felt bad throwing Alfred under the bus but you were certain Damian wouldn’t get upset with him.
“Tt.” Damian scoffed and you noticed his gaze flicker to your arm. You felt a sudden urge to hide it. “I heard what happened. I am…pleased that you survived.” Oh. Your heart warmed a little, that was the nicest thing Damian has ever said to you. “It would’ve been disgraceful for my sibling to die in such an easily avoidable way.” He just had to add that part. You held back the urge to sigh.
“Thank you for checking on me.”
“I’m not checking on you.” Damian wouldn’t look at you, his eyes were wandering around your room. Maybe he felt bashful…probably not though.
“Either way, I appreciate you going out of your way to see me.” You politely smiled. Damian scowled and turned around, facing your door.
“Pennyworth is right, you need to rest.” He told you with all of the authority a ten year old could muster before marching out of your room, shutting the door behind himself. What a strange interaction. Though, interactions with Damian were usually strange. You shrugged it off and picked your book back up.
A little while after Damian’s visit, Alfred returned to escort you to dinner. You were surprised to see everyone…well…almost everyone sitting at the dinner table. You never broke the habit of looking at his empty chair. Still, usually it was only you and maybe one other member at the table, everyone being too busy to have a consistent meal schedule. You took your seat next to your father and Dick. The seat across from you was as empty as usual.
Dinner was an awkward affair. At least it felt awkward to you. Dick and Tim were able to chatter on about…something. You weren’t really paying attention. Damian chimed in a few times. Your father and Cass stayed as quiet as you. You noticed Tim occasionally glancing at you and felt a spark of irritation. He probably felt smug. You messed up and caused a fuss and he didn’t. You looked up from your dinner to look at him. The two of you stared at each other for a moment before he looked away to continue his conversation with Dick. He never tried to include you in the conversation and if he were anyone else that wouldn’t have bothered you. But this was Tim and despite your best efforts, everything he did bothered you. You turned back to your food and stabbed it with your fork.
Everyone was quick to disperse when dinner ended. You offered to help Alfred with the dishes but he shooed you away. As you headed back to your room, you felt as if you were being watched. Pausing in the middle of the hallway, you turned around and nearly jumped out of your skin when you noticed Cass standing a bit behind you. “Oh! Hi.” You politely smiled. She always made you a bit nervous. Cass glanced at your arm and you felt the urge to hide it behind your back. “Is everything okay?” Her attention snapped back to your face and you wished she’d stayed focused on your arm. She nodded.
“Are you?” Her voice was quiet.
“Yes, I’m just a bit tired.” You wanted out of this conversation. You felt bad, Cass never did anything to you. You just…hated that she seemed to see through you. You knew she could see through your polite smile and carefully chosen words. That scared you. She probably hated what she saw. Cass didn’t reply and you took that as her accepting your answer. “I’m going to head to bed. Goodnight.” You gave her one more pointless smile before retreating to your room.
You sighed in relief once you were in the safety of your room. You barely managed to change into your pajamas before flopping down onto your bed. It wasn’t even that late and you were exhausted. Though after everything you’re sure no one would blame you for turning in early. You closed your eyes, already starting to doze off. Tomorrow should be an easier day.
You would think I'd finally name this concept and give it a proper title lol. I'm going to try and actually write for this but I won't make any promises on how consistent I'll be on getting chapters out. I hope you guys like my writing as much as you liked my concept.
Chapter One
Content Warning: Animal attack, some description of the wound from the attack, hospital (I'm not sure if that one needed to be added but I wanted to make sure everything was covered)
Your eyes felt heavy as you stared up at the ceiling of the cabin. Summer was over and when the sun came up you’d be on your way back home. You used this time away to distract yourself from everything that waited for you back at the manor. Now, you couldn’t avoid it any longer. You had hoped that you could at least get one last night of good sleep but it looked like that wasn’t in the cards for you. With a sigh you pushed yourself up into a sitting position, careful not to move too loudly and disturb your cabinmates. You searched for your shoes in the faint moonlight that came in from the window, and slipped outside once you found them.
The night air was cool and refreshing, you paused to close your eyes and take a deep breath. The air wouldn’t be this clean back in the city. You opened your eyes and looked up at the sky. You wouldn’t be able to see the stars this well in the city either. You leaned against the railing on the porch of the cabin and allowed yourself a moment to admire the sky. It was a clear night, you could see all of the stars and the full moon perfectly.
Deciding that you had enough of stargazing, you descended the cabin steps, intent on heading to the mess hall to snag a glass of water. You began your trek across the camp, it didn’t take long for you to pause again. Standing in between you and the mess hall was a wolf. It looked...weird. It seemed bigger than an average wolf but maybe it was the night and your nerves making you anxious? The way it focused on you made you uneasy, weren't wolves supposed to avoid humans? The longer it stared, the louder something in you screamed to run away.
You took a deep breath to steel your nerves and straightened your posture. You’d been taught about the wildlife during your first week at camp and what you should absolutely not do was run from a wolf. You just needed to maintain eye contact and slowly back away. You could do that. This would be easy. You just needed to calm your nerves. Everything was fine. You were going to be fine.
You took one step back and felt a shiver run down your spine at the low growl the wolf let out. You froze in place, desperately trying to stay calm. The wolf began to stalk forward, prompting you to take more steps back, despite its growls.
“Stop it.” Your voice came out shakier than you intended. You cleared your throat. “Stop. Go! Shoo!” You raised your voice, hoping to scare it away. The wolf was completely undeterred by this. “Go away!” You clapped your hands, hoping the loud noise would scare it off. Your actions seemed to have the opposite effect, the wolf went from slowly approaching to full on sprinting at you.
You tried to back away even faster, despite knowing that even if you ran as fast as you could you wouldn’t be able to get away. You were so focused on the wolf that you didn’t realize you’d tripped over something until you were already on the ground, your palms stinging from the impact. That was the least of your concerns though, you squeezed your eyes shut tightly as you threw your arms up to protect your face and throat.
Your left arm was immediately engulfed in a burning pain as the wolf’s strong jaws clamped down onto it. The feeling of your skin tearing as the wolf aggressively shook its head made you cry out. Tears managed to slip past your still closed eyes as a sob interrupted your scream. Your right arm blindly reached around for some kind of weapon to defend yourself. Finding what you assumed was a rock, you struck the wolf with it several times but all your strikes seemed to do was make it angrier. It bit down harder and tugged on your arm, yanking you forward and partially dragging you around. You screamed again, pleading for help.
The next few moments were a blur, there was a loud slamming noise and shouting. The pressure on your arm immediately left and a moment later a hand was grabbing it, avoiding the bite for now. You were distantly aware of someone calling your name so you attempted to peel your eyes open. One of the counselors was kneeling in front of you, she was clearly terrified as she tried to calm you down.
“You’re okay. You’re okay.” Her words would’ve been more comforting if she didn’t sound like she was also on the verge of tears. “Just focus on me, you’re okay.” She tried to keep your attention on her and you knew that it’d probably be for the best that you didn’t look at your arm. But you couldn’t stop yourself. You immediately felt sick when you saw the mess of blood and shredded skin. The wound seemed to hurt even worse now that you’ve actually seen and acknowledged it. The counselor reached out to try and cover it, presumably to stop the bleeding and you felt your head spin. The world went dark as you passed out.
When you started to regain consciousness, the first thing you noticed was the strong smell of antiseptic. It was strong enough to make your head start hurting. With a weak groan you opened your eyes and saw all white. It was nearly blinding and you squeezed your eyes shut again with a pained whine.
“Hey, buddy.” A very recognizable voice greeted you. You reluctantly opened your eyes again and turned your head to the side, once your vision adjusted to the bright light, you were able to make out Dick Grayson sitting in the most uncomfortable looking chair you’ve ever seen. The only greeting you could manage to give him was an ineloquent grunt. The acknowledgement pleased him enough because he smiled back. “How are you feeling?” His question prompted a small scowl from you and he winced slightly. “My bad, probably not good, huh?” You sighed, too out of it to try and be cordial.
“Water…please.” You mumbled, barely remembering the manners Alfred had instilled in you. Dick nodded and grabbed an unopened water bottle from the bedside table. You managed to sit yourself up as he opened the bottle for you. He waited patiently while you nearly chugged all of the water. The awkward silence began to settle in when you handed him back the bottle. Dick busied himself with it to buy himself time to think of anything else to say. You took a moment to get your bearings, feeling more alert after getting hydrated. “Where are we?” You broke the silence for him. He gave you what he probably thought was a reassuring smile, but you could see he was mostly relieved you said something first.
“The hospital. Do you remember what happened?” He asked the question cautiously. You could only nod, there was no way you’d forget that anytime soon.
“How’d I get here?”
“One of your counselors drove you here after you passed out.” You nodded as you took in the information. A feeling of dread suddenly struck you.
“Did…did they tell dad?” You already knew the answer to that. Dick seemed confused and a bit concerned as to why you even asked that.
“Of course. He’s talking with a doctor about how to treat your wound when we get home. Do you want me to get him?” Dick started to rise from his chair but stopped as you shook your head.
“No. That’s okay.” You quickly assured him. You wanted to delay seeing your father. You wanted to go to summer camp to avoid him having to worry about you and look at what happened. You ended up in the hospital. He was probably worried sick. You were supposed to make things easier on him, not harder. Couldn’t you do anything right?
“You sure, bud?”
“Yeah, um…did anyone get my stuff?” You clumsily tried to change the topic.
“Yeah, we picked it up a little bit ago.” You could feel your guilt grow. Not only did you worry them by winding up in the hospital, they had to go to your camp to get your things. You should’ve just stayed in bed last night. Dick shifted in his seat, he was uncomfortable. He could tell something was bothering you but didn’t know what. And he definitely didn’t know how to help. “We should be able to leave soon. Now that you’re awake. The doctor will probably want to look you over one more time first.” He tried to take a guess at what was bothering you and attempted to give a solution. You could appreciate his effort at least.
“Is…did anyone else come?” You were almost afraid to ask. You didn’t want to worry anyone but there was a selfish part of you that hoped he was worried and was somewhere nearby. This time Dick could guess exactly what you were thinking about and he offered you a sympathetic smile.
“Sorry bud. It’s just B and I.” You nodded and turned your head away from him, trying to mask your disappointment. You felt the presence of Dick’s hand hovering awkwardly near you. Not sure how to comfort you before giving up and letting it drop back to his lap.
“What are you doing here? Not that I’m bothered just…” You trailed off, hoping you hadn’t offended him. You faced him again to check, Dick didn't seem offended by the question.
“I was already visiting and was with Bruce when he got the call.” He answered. The conversation ended there as the door opened and your father entered with your doctor. You couldn’t bring yourself to look at him, you didn’t want to see the worry on his face.
“Hi, honey. Have you been awake long?” You felt bad about how strong the relief was in his voice. You shook your head.
“Only a minute or so.” You could hear him approach your bed. You felt his hand hover near you, much like Dick’s had earlier. Instead of retreating like he had, your father gently, though a bit stiffly, patted your head.
“Are you feeling up to getting checked out?” You nodded in response and heard the doctor finally walk over to you. While he was inspecting your wound and explaining to you how to take care of it and signs of infection, you realized that it didn’t hurt nearly as much as you thought it would. They must’ve given you some pretty strong painkillers, you thought idly as the doctor wrote out a prescription for antibiotics and more painkillers. He handed the paper to your father who thanked him and you were finally allowed to change out of your hospital clothes.
Climbing into the back of the car, part of you dreaded whatever was going to come next. You were sure reporters would be sniffing around, a Wayne child did get hurt after all. You should've been more careful. You were just making a mess for everyone at this point. Speaking of everyone...you were hesitant to see the other residents of the manor. Being away all summer gave you some space but instead of coming home refreshed and prepared you were coming home injured and uncertain.
Getting lost in your thoughts made the drive home much quicker than you'd hoped. All you could do now was take a deep breath and force a smile as you got out of the car. You could pretend everything was fine. You could pretend you were fine.
@s1mppp (I wasn't sure if you still wanted to be tagged but figured I would just in case)
Batfam x Neglected Werewolf Reader (Concept) Part 3
This post will be about my favorite part of writing, character relationships! I put a lot of thought into these and I'm obsessed with them, I've been rotating these thoughts in my head ever since I first thought of this concept. Once again, I will say that all knowledge I have about these characters are from the fandom so I'm sorry if I mischaracterize anyone. Also, hopefully my thoughts are coherent, I tend to lose the plot and ramble when I get excited.
Putting a read more thing because this is a beast of a post and I don't want to hold people who aren't interested hostage.
Alfred
As I said in my last part, I think Alfred could have two different versions of his relationship with Reader. I'll start with the more neutral one. In this one, Alfred doesn't really go out of his way for Reader and treats them with more professionalism. Reader wouldn't feel comfortable reaching out to this Alfred because of the distance between them.
The other way this relationship could go is that Alfred and Reader become very attached because he is their primary caretaker. He'd treat them like his own grandchild. Reader would feel the most comfortable with him and would trust him with anything.
Bruce
Bruce loves Reader. They are his firstborn and the youngest child he's ever had to take care of. I think he'd end up with them when they were around four. He was still new to taking care of kids (I think he only had Dick a year before Reader showed up) and he doesn't know what he's doing. He usually had Alfred care for them but while they were little he'd still make time for them. When Reader got older he focused more on being Batman which distanced him from Reader because he didn't want them involved in that part of his life.
The more kids he takes in the more he can feel the distance between himself and Reader grow. He hates this and tries to make up for it by buying them gifts or fulfilling any requests they have. He feels immense guilt that he doesn't know how to be a better father to them but as long as they're safe he thinks things are good enough.
Reader has complicated feelings for their father. They love him and they want to spend more time with him. But a part of them resents him for giving his attention to all these other children. They know why he's closer to the others (they know about Batman and Robin and everyone knows they know) but it still hurts. They know the gifts are his way of trying to make amends but it doesn't comfort them much. I think they try to show their care for Bruce by trying to be an 'easy' child. They had many reasons for wanting to go to summer camp and I think one of those reasons was so that Bruce had to worry about one less thing even if it was just for the summer.
Dick
Dick is thirteen when Reader comes to live in the manor. Reader is four, the age gap makes it hard for them to connect. I've also heard that Dick was kinda surly and angsty as Robin so I'm going based on that. He doesn't have much interest in Reader, he'll hang out with them but to him it feels like a chore. He'd rather focus on being Robin. Honestly their dynamic is probably typical teen sibling being annoyed by younger sibling just existing.
He eventually leaves and becomes Nightwing, growing as a person as he does. He doesn't think much about his relationship with Reader until after Jason dies. When he briefly comes back to Gotham he wants to fix his relationship with Reader but isn't sure how. He knows he wasn't the best older brother to them and part of him is afraid that Reader hates him because of it. He tells himself that he'd only annoy Reader if he tried to get close to them so he keeps a bit of distance. He tells himself that if Reader reaches out then he'll absolutely be there, but if they don't reach out then clearly they don't need him.
Reader won't reach out to Dick first. They'd feel like they're annoying him or that they'd be a burden. Reader tells themself that he's too busy and they'd just be adding more to his plate. Seeing Dick try to be a more active big brother to the others further cements that idea to them. They feel like he does so much for others that they'd just be causing him more stress. There might also be a part of Reader that resents Dick for not being there for them after Jason died.
Jason
I've been most excited for this one. Before Jason dies, he's Reader's best friend. Reader wanted a friend or someone to play with, when Jason was adopted they were determined to befriend him. Jason was a bit wary of them at first but let them follow him around the manor like a duckling. One day he went to the library to read and Reader followed him. They curled up beside him as soon as he sat down with his book and asked him to read to them. Ever since that day the two became inseparable. I could literally write out a short story I've thought about that specific interaction so much.
Jason is only a few years older than Reader which helped them bond. He got Reader interested in reading and it became a bonding activity for them. They made sure to have a session of just cuddling up and reading together whenever they could. When Jason became Robin nothing really changed. He would tell Reader about his adventures as Robin, downplaying any injuries he or Bruce got. Reader really admired him.
When Jason dies, Reader is inconsolable for a while. They spend their time locked up in the library, reading Jason's favorite books. I feel like Jason annotated his books so Reader mostly reread the books to see his notes. It's the closest they could get to hearing him talk. When they weren't locked in the library they were sleeping in his room or wandering the halls, subconsciously searching for him.
They cope better with their grief as they get older. They sleep in their own room again. They only go to Jason's room when they've had a hard day, they'll sit on his bed and talk, pretending they're venting to him. They don't lock themself in the library anymore, they took Jason's books and put them in a safe place in their room. When they can't sleep they'll reread them.
When Jason comes back, he's angry. The pit twisted and ruined any precious memories he had and he finds himself mad and hateful towards almost everyone. The exception to this is Reader. He could never hate his younger sibling, instead, he hates himself. He hates himself for not being the same person that Reader once admired and adored. He's changed so much and he's terrified that Reader will despise what he's become. Seeing the look of love and admiration on their face change into disappointment, disgust, hate, would crush him. So he keeps his distance. Even when he reaches a point where he's willing to try and patch things up with Bruce, he still keeps his distance from Reader. He's afraid he'll tarnish whatever fond memories they might have of him. A part of Jason worries that Reader left for summer camp to try and avoid him, even though another part of him thinks that if that's true then it's for the best.
Reader doesn't learn that Jason is back for a while. They hear about Red Hood and what he does but they don't know his identity. When they finally do they feel a lot of things. They're hurt Jason didn't reach out to them sooner. They're scared that he doesn't love them anymore. They're mad he's been as distant as their father. But mostly they miss him all over again. Reader leaves for summer camp pretty shortly after learning that Jason is back. They needed time to process Jason's return and to sort out all of their feelings.
Tim
I think so far I've painted Reader as an understanding and forgiving person. They love their family despite everything and would do anything for them without expecting anything in return. This goes out the window with Tim lol.
Reader and Tim are about the same age and I think they each feel jealous of the other one. Reader wasn't in a good place when Tim joined the family so their relationship was off to a bad start and kinda spiraled from there. Part of Reader feels that if Tim didn't show up when he had then maybe Bruce would've finally bonded with them. Maybe he would've finally tried to comfort and connect with them after Jason's death. Maybe he would've tried to be more emotionally open. And then Tim showed up and became Robin and Bruce seemed okay again. Reader is jealous and feels like Bruce chose Tim to bond with instead of them. When they were younger, Reader also felt like Tim was trying to replace Jason and resented him for that. They grew out of that though. The jealousy thing, not so much.
Tim is jealous of Reader. From what I've picked up from any Tim content I find, he constantly feels the need to prove himself and he desperately wants approval. So I think he compares himself to the previous Robins. He tries to be better or at least as good as them. He feels like it's the only way he'd be worthy of Bruce's approval and love. He's jealous that Reader has all of that by default. They don't have to prove themself. They never even had to be Robin to get that. They were simply born and Bruce loved them. Tim worries that if he makes one mistake he'll lose his place in the family. Reader never has to worry about that.
Reader was standoffish with Tim when he first arrived and the two have never had a proper talk about their feelings with each other. Instead the two usually avoid each other because when they do cross paths they end up fighting. Both of them want to one up the other by being seen as the bigger person but neither of them are able to do it when it comes to the other. So they just avoid each other to avoid looking bad by fighting.
Cass
I'll admit, I know almost nothing about Cass, lore wise or personality wise. But I think she lives in the manor so I'll take a swing at this.
The two are neutral towards each other. Reader is honestly a bit intimidated by Cass so they try not to be alone with her for too long. Reader feels like Cass can see right through them which also puts them on edge. Because Cass doesn't talk much, Reader mistakes this as her judging them based on what Reader thinks she sees in them.
Cass I think can see through Reader but doesn't judge them. If anything I think she wants to reach out to them but is unsure how. She can tell Reader is intimidated by her and obviously notices how they avoid being left with her for too long. This makes her hesitate to reach out because she's worried she'll make things worse or overstep in some way.
Damian
I've seen some people think Damian would love a blood sibling and some think he'd try to kill them so he's a bit complicated for me to get a read on lol.
I'm going with that Damian is pleased to have a blood sibling and only briefly thought about trying to kill them. He was worried that since he isn't actually Bruce's firstborn he wouldn't get his inheritance to the Batman legacy. Upon finding out that Reader absolutely does not care about that, he decides they don't have to die. After deciding this, he realizes that he does want to bond with Reader and experience having an older sibling. But he's unsure how to go about this. Reader being a civilian with no training also makes him nervous to get close. He worries that he'll end up hurting them since he doesn't know how to be gentle. This makes him want to push Reader away from him.
Damian is in a constant state of push and pull with his relationship with Reader. He wants to bond with them but also wants to keep them away from his sharp parts. He'll have moments of being mean to them for no reason before regretting it and trying to make up for it in some way later on. He probably constantly stresses Reader out without realizing. Reader left for summer camp a few months after Damian started living in the manor. Damian feels like they did that to get away from him and feels slighted by that.
Reader doesn't know what to think about Damian. I think he's the only one younger than them so he's their only chance at being an older sibling. Part of them wants to take up that role but another part of them feels like the others would be much better at it. Damian himself gives them whiplash. One minute he's insulting them and the next he's (still being mean) trying to be helpful. They want to give him space to adjust to his new environment before trying to properly make a bond with him. His behavior slightly scares them off but since he's a child they are willing to try and power through it once they return home.
Damian was part of the reason Reader left for summer camp but not in the way he thinks. Reader just wanted Bruce to be able to focus on helping Damian adjust while also trying to reconcile with Jason.
Others
So, I do want to say that I know of Barbra, Stephanie, and Duke. In my timeline it's too early for Duke I believe so he unfortunately wouldn't be in the story. I don't think Barbra or Stephanie live in the manor so Reader would very rarely interact with them I think. So they probably wouldn't be mentioned much in the story. That's why these guys didn't get their own sections.
Batfam x Neglected Werewolf Reader (Concept) Part 2
This post will be me going into more details for my idea. I still don't know if I'll write an actual story for it or just toss out my concept and dip though. I will probably make one more post after this one going into details about how I think the dynamics between the individuals in the batfam and Reader are. This post would be too long if I tried to put that here and also I want to do a bit more research on the characters I don't know as well.
I threw together a quick timeline of events for this idea so if the events and people's ages look weird then politely ignore that. I don't know if the story would start at the end of Reader's time at summer camp when they are bitten, sometime before then, or right after they get home. I want to say, in my little patchwork timeline, Jason comes back as Red hood and Damian starts living at the manor which I think the stress of so much happening at once was a big factor in Reader deciding to go to summer camp.
After they get home, they begin to notice that something is off. Their sense of smell is stronger, their hearing is better, they can see unnaturally well in the dark, they feel stronger and their stamina is better. They also start to get a craving for meat.
Reader puts together what's going on and has a theory that they're a werewolf. They do think they're being silly at first but start to grow paranoid that if that is the case then they could cause serious harm. They decide they won't risk anything and will prepare for the full moon as if they are a werewolf.
The story changes a bit depending on how Reader's relationship with Alfred is. I could see it going two ways which I'll get into more in my next post about the relationships. If Reader has a close relationship with Alfred then they'll confide in him and get his help preparing for the full moon. If they don't have a close relationship with him then they'll ask Alfred for help with a few things but lie to him about what's really going on.
The full moon happens and Reader gets through it without hurting anyone and without anyone finding out. Except for Alfred if Reader confided in him. Now that Reader knows for sure they are a werewolf, they work to better refine their plan for full moons but otherwise continue on as a normal teen.
A few months later and Reader has the hang of things but this is when the murders start happening. The first time Reader doesn't think much of it but the second time it happens they start to suspect another werewolf. They suspect a werewolf before the batfamily does. If they confided in Alfred then they can get his help investigating who's behind the murders. If they didn't then they'll investigate on their own. As I said in my last post there's a few reasons why Reader would want to investigate so it's a matter of picking their motive from that point.
And that's all I really have planned plot-wise. If I do write for this I'd probably wing the rest of it as I go as I usually do when I write.
I don't know if this post will even make it out of my drafts let alone it I'll ever attempt to actually write for this so I decided to throw the idea out into the void. I'm going to go ahead and warn you guys that pretty much all of my knowledge comes from fanworks. This is only a brief summary of my idea. I have more in-depth ideas for the concept and I have an idea as to how everyone's relationship with Reader is (for the characters I know the most about) but since I don't know how interested anyone is in this and because I will yap if left unchecked I'll save those for if people ask.
Reader is Bruce's biological kid and neglected (obviously). They love reading, especially fantasy and supernatural stories. They go to a summer camp one year and get bit by a wolf during the last full moon there. When they get home they figure out that they're a werewolf. They manage to figure this out before their first full moon and prepare themself for it. The full moon goes by and nobody knows they're a werewolf and they've managed to not hurt/kill anyone.
Reader continues to do this for a few months and things are going great. But one month a bunch of murders happen in Gotham, all on one night, all of the victims have been torn up in typical werewolf violence fashion. The fam is put on alert but there's no more attacks until the next full moon. The victims are once again found in brutal ways. They eventually come to the conclusion that it's a werewolf or someone pretending to be one at least. Reader also realizes this and decides to investigate on their own. This could be for a few reasons.
Reason one: They're lonely and want someone who could possibly relate to them and become their friend.
Reason two: They're upset that another werewolf is encroaching on their territory.
Reason three: They're worried that this investigation will somehow lead back to them and get them in trouble.
Reason four: They're worried for the other werewolf and think that it might be someone who doesn't know how to properly prepare themself for the full moon so they want to find them and offer help.
This makes it a race against the batfam to try and find this other werewolf first so they can decide what to do with them.
I just got described as an "ad hating commie" by someone because I said a minute of youtube ads is unpleasant. fully spent 5 minutes arguing and defending youtube ads. insane stuff
Like a month ago I messaged a craft group about accessibility for wheelchairs and the answer I got was “there’s a lot of stairs but we have cute boys who can carry you”.
And it’s…not good. As a wheelchair bound person I largely depend on people when I want to go out and do *anything* so I’m used to it, I laugh it off, make an annoyed post about it and off I go. But I wanna just say a thing real quick.
Even if I wasn’t gay, wasn’t a survivor scared of men, getting help as a disabled person is just…Not a pleasant thing to us! Imagine for a sec how you’d feel being carried up a flight of stairs. You’re a grown person. You’re being touched in an awkward way. You’d rather do it yourself. You’re So Uncomfortable. It’s not where I look for the beginning of a romantic relationship.
So like…could abled people stop doing this thing where they think helping us in a condescending and infantilizing way is cute? Cause I’m real tired. Just get me a ramp or lift and I’m cool. I don’t need a dating service when I’m just trying to go about my day
I reblogged her late last year and my 2024 has been very satisfying work-wise and (secure enough to not stress out) money-wise so far. Money Snake is wise and good.
Grab a cozy drink, pack your MC's bags, and go read the Prologue of Costa Sul. It’s time to head back home! 🩵
I can't wait to hear what you think. Please drop your thoughts, any bugs you might find, and your favorite moments down in the ask box!
As promised, I'll be jumping straight back into my April game plan, so keep an eye out for those character intros and scenarios coming very soon. But for now... Happy playing!
