Batfamily x Neglected Werewolf Reader
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.Ā
The hallway smelledā¦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 couldnāt 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 anyoneās footsteps in the manor, they all seemed to love sneaking around. Dick grinned when he saw you.
āGood morning!ā He greeted you cheerfully. Was he talking louder than usual? Or maybe your hearing was more sensitive today? That was a weird thought.
āMorningā¦did someone spray something?ā You decided to ask about the smells. Dick looked confused and paused to sniff the air.
āI donāt think so?ā
āOkayā¦must be my imagination.ā You were tempted to ask if he was wearing a new cologne but that felt like a set up to an awkward situation.
āMaybe youāre still tired? It couldnāt hurt for you to rest a little moreā¦ā Dick trailed off thoughtfully. His expression was slowly melting into one of concern and you didnāt care much for that. You gave him a reassuring smile and waved a hand dismissively.
āIām fine. Iām more hungry than anything.āĀ
āAre you sure?ā Dickās eyes followed your handās movements and you realized you were waving around your injured arm.
āI am!ā 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 didnāt have time to think about that right now. āI can smell breakfast, letās eat.ā You began trying to herd him downstairs.
āAlright, alright.ā Dick conceded and let you guide him towards the dining room.
It wasnāt 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 youād be having breakfast with Dick, Damian, andā¦Tim. āGood morning. How did everyone sleep?ā You politely asked, already eyeing the food Alfred had laid out.
āI slept fine.ā 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.
āSoā¦have any plans for the day?ā Dick asked, specifically directing the question at you. You immediately felt suspicious. It was unusual for anyone to ask about your plans.
āI was thinking about getting some last minute shopping done for school.ā You answered. Dickās smile widened and you felt like you stepped into a trap.
āWould you mind if we tagged along?ā
āWe?ā You could feel dread twisting your insides. Dick nodded and gestured to himself, Damian, and Tim.
āThey need some things too and I could drive all of us. Itād be a nice outing.ā He explained as if he didnāt just suggest forcing you and Tim to spend a day together. You could tell from the face Tim pulled he thought the same thing.
āYou are the only one that thinks that.ā He didnāt hesitate to tell Dick his opinion. You hated that you agreed with him. āWe donāt need to all go shopping together like some sad field trip.ā Well now he was just being a bit harsh. Dick looked ready to make an argument but Damian spoke first, surprising everyone.
āWhy wouldnāt 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 youāre dumber than you claim to be.ā He calmly pointed out, though it didnāt escape anyoneās attention that he couldnāt 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 couldnāt make an argument to that.
āI think itās a good idea.ā 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 didnāt hesitate to call you on your bluff.
āNo you donāt.ā He scoffed. You turned your smile to him, completely unbothered.
āI do. Iām sure we can both be mature and put our differences aside for one day, right?ā You asked sweetly. You were pretty sure Timās eye twitched. He always hated when you used that tone with him.
āRightā¦ā He finally sighed, realizing that he couldnāt 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.
āWhatāre you making that face for?ā Tim asked, giving you a suspicious look.
āJust a headache.ā You replied before starting to walk again. Dick and Damian didnāt seem to notice your brief pause and you didnāt want to get stuck alone with Tim.
āBecause of me? Real original.ā He scoffed. For once you werenāt calling Tim a headache, but if you explained that to him then he might pry into whatās bothering you and you didnāt 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 didnāt get left alone in this state.
āWhat is wrong with you today?ā 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.
āWhat?ā You asked, struggling to process his question. Tim opened his mouth to speak again but you cut him off. āWhat do you mean? Iām acting normal.āĀ Tim rolled his eyes at you.
āYou are not acting normal.ā
āHow so?ā Maybe heād go on a tangent and you could zone out again. Being aware was also making your headache hurt worse. Tim gestured around the aisle.
āFirst, 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.ā He listed your behaviors.
āI didnāt ignore Dick.ā You felt the need to defend yourself.
āHe tried to start a conversation with you several times. The only reason you have any supplies is because we have the same list. You didnāt give him any input. Are you mad at him or something?ā
āNoā¦ā You couldnāt remember Dick trying to talk to you at all. Tim just stared at you as if he could diagnose what was wrong with you.
āIs this because he made us come here today? Are you really throwing a fit over that?ā It seemed he decided to diagnose you with being a brat.
āIām not throwing a fit. Iām justā¦tired.ā Your excuse was lame but you didnāt know how to tell Tim what was wrong. Even if you did know, you wouldnāt 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.
āOkay.ā
āOkay?ā Tim was usually just as stubborn as you when it came to arguing. Seeing him relent so easily was a bit unnerving. Tim didnāt reply to you and instead turned to browse through the selection of binders. You couldnāt 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. āHey, get everything you need? No fights broke out?ā His eyes flickered between you and Tim, as if trying to figure out which one of you he needed to console.Ā
āWeāre fine. Can we go check out now?ā Tim answered him. Dick focused his attention on you, waiting for your input.
āIām ready to go.ā You hoped you didnāt sound as desperate to leave the store as you felt. Dick relaxed at your answers and his smile became more genuine.
āLetās go then.ā 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. āLetās get your things in the car and then we can get lunch? Thereās a restaurant in this plaza.ā 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.
āCan I go to the bookstore? I can meet you guys at the restaurant.ā You started to back away from him anticipating him trying to offer to go as a group.
āAre you sure?ā Dick hesitated to let you go.
āYeah, you can order for me.ā 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 didnāt realize how tense youād 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.Ā
It didnāt 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.
āDo you believe in those?ā 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 didnāt sprain something.
āDamian? Why are you here?ā You couldnāt contain your surprise. You shouldnāt be as shocked as you were that he was able to sneak up on you.
āI didnāt want to be left with Drake and Grayson.ā He replied, his tone suggested that this shouldāve been obvious.
āWhy not?ā He had seemed fine with Dick alone earlier, what made him unacceptable company now? Was it Tim? In that case you couldnāt blame him.
āTheyāre obnoxious.ā His response was so simple you couldnāt stop the smile from reaching your lips.
āThatās a mean thing to say.ā You tried to scold him.
āItās true. Now answer my question.ā You were sure that if anyone else had demanded you answer a question in the same manner you wouldāve been annoyed. You didnāt have the heart to be annoyed with Damian though.
āNot really. But wouldnāt it be cool if they were?ā You glanced back down at the book in your hands. You werenāt going to admit to Damian that you used to have daydreams about going on adventures and finding monsters. Heād find it silly.
āTheyād be dangerous.ā 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.
āYeah. But isnāt it fun to pretend?ā You turned your attention back to Damian. He gave you an unreadable look.
āPretending is pointless.ā He didnāt deliver the words as harshly as you wouldāve expected. He stated them simply. Like it was a fact of life.
āYouāve never played pretend?ā
āI had no need to play pretend. Or to play anything for that matter. I had to focus on my training.ā Damian didnāt seem sad about this. You on the other hand felt uncomfortable with this information. He was too young to be like this.
āWhy donāt you pick out a book? What kind do you like?ā You decided to change the topic. Damian turned his attention to the shelves.
āIāve only read books for studying.ā He admitted. You decided that you couldnāt let this stand. Damian needed some semblance of a childhood.
āCan I pick a book out for you?ā You asked him.Ā
āI suppose. It better not be a childish one.ā He gave you a stern look. You smiled at him and began your search.
To Damianās dismay, you did end up in the kids section but you assured him youād stick to older kid books. He didnāt seem pleased regardless and continued to scowl at your back as he followed you. You couldnāt 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.
āHow about this?ā You offered him the book. He scrutinized the synapses.
āItās a childrenās book.ā He looked back to you with an unimpressed expression.
āIt was one of my favorites when I was your age.ā 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.
āThis is acceptable.ā He finally decided. You werenāt exactly sure what made him change his mind but you were pleased all the same.
āI hope you like it. We can talk about it after youāve read it.ā 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.
@s1mppp

















