Hi 👋🏻 I’m singmetothesun, a multifandom fanfiction writer (they/them) having written works for Titans, Thunderbirds, Skam France, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Primeval, and Supernatural.
Summary: After a teenaged Virgil is grounded, he receives help from a rather unexpected source: someone offering a simple, spontaneous gesture. But when they are caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, complicated events will unfold. Pre-IR.
Notes: Originally written back in 2013 so excuse any mistakes. Book 1 in my Tracy Trouble Series!
Read in its entirety on AO3 or FFNet
~
Chapter 4 - The Takeover
~
The three timed consecutive shots had the desired effect of attracting attention. Terrified shoppers screamed but halted where they stood in the hope of preventing harm coming to them.
As the figures in black invaded the sizeable Mall they split up, some heading up the escalators to the upper floor to secure it whilst the remaining on the ground gathered those inside the shops and herded them into the main stretch. The ringleader, who had fired the shots, ordered for the shoppers to sit down and stay silent whilst another waded through confiscating communication devices.
This had been planned precisely; the infiltration on the hour, the hostages - being ex-military they knew what they were doing. All that was left was the robbing of the bank.
The commander smirked, they could have done it quieter but they were men of action. Besides, they’d need hostages to secure the amount they were after. No way would they have gotten ten million dollars out of the bank with the one-desperate-man-with-a-gun strategy. However, having the entire shopping centre at his mercy was certain to put pressure on the manager or whichever oaf had access to the money.
He’d ordered his men to leave the bank alone until the entire area was under their control. Communications had been knocked out, as had the alarms, the outdoor shutters brought down and CCTV placed on a believable loop so there was no getting caught by the cops. The bank was quite conveniently placed a few shops down from the main entrance, meaning they could keep an eye on the hostages whilst making their demands.
He waited for the all clear from his men that every shopper was down on the floor in front of him before giving the orders to proceed.
It was time.
~
“You, shut it! No friend of Tracy’s will get away from us either.”
“Try it,” John growled. “No one threatens my friend and gets away with-” But he was cut off mid-sentence.
Their heated exchange was halted abruptly as an unmistakeable sound echoed, as loud as an explosion, through the open doorway of the café. There was a split-second moment of utter stillness where nobody moved, all eyes snapping towards the interruption, and Virgil exchanged a panicked look with John. It was a sound the artist thought he’d never hear with his own ears.
Gunshots.
“GET DOWN!” John yelled immediately, pulling Virgil to the floor under the table, slightly difficult given their bags full of purchases.
“What’s going on?” Virgil asked but when a voice bellowed out John put his hand over his mouth to silence him.
“EVERYONE OUT, NOW!”
There was a rush of footsteps and a few screams as people made no hurry in obeying. Virgil guessed the new voice belonged to someone with a gun in their hand and not someone trying to better the situation.
“Keep quiet,” John whispered in his ear, Virgil only nodded in response as the threatening sound of booted feet hitting the floor made his heart hammer.
“Come on boys, I know you’re still here. Come out wherever you are and I won’t hurt you,” the voice said with a smugness that made Virgil’s blood run cold. Part of him was terrified, but he didn’t let it show. He was too angry with whoever this was interrupting his night. Then again, was this karma catching up so soon?
The figure the voice belonged to found them all too easily and they were practically dragged to their feet and out the door into the Mall, but not before Virgil had had the gun pressed tightly to his head when John dared to ask what was going on.
When they emerged, Virgil discovered his night was well and truly ruined. The previously bustling shopping centre was deathly quiet; the shoppers sat in a crowd, cross-legged with their hands on their knees while more black-clad figures stood guard, each one in a balaclava hiding their identities. Briefly looking around, he saw more people being herded much like him and John and he spotted Frank Rhodes already in the crowd on the floor having made a run for it at the sight of the gun. If this was a hostage situation much like in the many films he’d seen then they would have to be deadly careful – anything could happen.
John said nothing as they were both roughly shoved to the floor at the back of the group, but gave the masked man a glare. Breathing a heavy sigh of relief, he studied their predicament, his mind racing. How long would they be here? What was going to happen? What were these people after? The bank he guessed. His suspicions were confirmed when the masked guy at the front, the leader he assumed, gave an order.
“Alright, we’re go for the bank.”
John watched as he and the men advanced on the bank a few shops behind where they sat. Taking advantage of the fact they’d been left pretty much unguarded, he chanced a conversation with his younger brother.
“You alright?” he whispered, Virgil nodded back. “I thought for a moment they’d come for us and us alone, but it seems they don’t know who we are.”
Virgil frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Come on, Virg. You know how well-known the name Tracy is, Dad is a national hero and it’s no secret we have money. For now, it appears we’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I’m not sure if that’s a blessing or a potential nightmare.”
“Shut it!” another masked man from their left called, having spotted them talking.
Then the men returned, pulling some hysterical employees from the bank. One woman was in floods of tears as she was screaming at the man that held her (they were obviously male by their voices and their bough and well-trained bodies, John had a hunch they were military, meaning they knew exactly what they were doing).
“Please! No-one here has access, we can’t help you!” the woman cried. Dressed in a smart business dress and blazer with her shoulder-length blonde hair tied in a braid over one shoulder Virgil gasped as he recognised her. It was Mrs Parker, Dan’s mum. He and Virgil should have been here together tonight. He quickly scanned the crowd for a sight of his best friend and felt better not being able to see him. Either Dan hadn’t come or he’d already left.
“That’s Dan’s mom!” the artist hissed to his older brother.
“I know.” John whispered back. “Is he here?”
“No I can’t see him, must’ve gone home already.” John nodded as he kept watching the scene before them. Virgil looked back too, thoughts whizzing around his head as he tried to process what was going on. These men wanted access to money but Mrs Parker was denying it saying no one present could get into the safe for them. Virgil had no idea if she was telling the truth or not, but the men appeared to believe so, and it was an unanticipated flaw in their otherwise flawless plan. The artist felt a rush of pride at Jane Parker’s bravery.
“Then who has?” the leader demanded.
“I’m not telling you,” Mrs Parker bravely replied, but instantly cowered when guns were pointed at her. She stepped back, her hands held up in surrender. “Okay, okay!”
“Crap” John groaned and Virgil shot him a questioning look. But John didn’t answer as Dan’s mom got there first.
“Jeff Tracy,” she breathed.
Virgil swallowed, understanding immediately why John was worked up. The fact his father had a considerable share in the bank didn’t surprise Virgil. What did surprise him however, was what John had said earlier about not being recognised. That piece of information was surely not going to stay under wraps much longer now they needed Jeff Tracy in the building. But, he thought with a sigh of relief, that was only down to the men not recognising them.
“Well contact Tracy now and get him here, pronto!”
“He’s most likely away on business,” Mrs Parker replied calmly.
What Virgil didn’t anticipate was someone willingly giving him up, as Frank Rhodes took the opportunity to right then. Standing up and pointing straight at Virgil, he shouted as loud as he could.
You looking for only recent ones / completed ones? Or does ancient or WIP work for you too?
I started collating some here but they’ll be older than 2023 mostly as I need to update it (if you look at tags list on archive view there are a fair few Gordon ones)
You looking for only recent ones / completed ones? Or does ancient or WIP work for you too?
I started collating some here but they’ll be older than 2023 mostly as I need to update it (if you look at tags list on archive view there are a fair few Gordon ones)
Are you living vicariously through the batfam because your dysfunctional family left your queer neurodivergent ass with long-lasting trauma or are you boring
written by singmetothesun
Summary: After a teenaged Virgil is grounded, he receives help from a rather unexpected source: someone offering a simple, spontaneous gesture. But when they are caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, complicated events will unfold. Pre-IR.
Rating: T
Fandom: Thunderbirds
Universe: 2004 Movie
Genre: Family/Drama
Warnings: Mild violence, hostage situations, gun violence.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Thunderbirds.
Notes: Originally written back in 2013 so excuse any mistakes. Book 1 in my Tracy Trouble Series!
Read in its entirety on AO3 | FF.Net
~
Chapter Three
Unprecedented Escape
~
Virgil was sat on his windowsill staring aimlessly out at the landscape. Their family house had a large field out the back bordered with trees that the boys usually played games in – soccer, rugby, hide and seek, you name it. Beyond the field were a few hills but otherwise it was just flat and empty, not much of a spectacular picture for an artist such as himself to want to capture. It was late autumn so the trees and fields had long lost their leaves, their colours and their beauty.
It was only just past seven in the evening and it wasn’t yet completely dark, although bordering on it, allowing Virgil to see quite far into the distance.
He wasn’t concentrating on it though; instead his ears were basking in the melody echoing from his music player and his mind was wandering. Beethoven reminded him of his mother and so if he ever needed to feel close to her he’d sit and listen to it over and over until the memories generated became too upsetting.
He’d found his talent and passion for art and music from a very young age, and it all stemmed from his mom. She was a great lover of classic composers and Virgil remembered simple things like cooking tea or dessert and day trips out were always accompanied by classical music, nearly always Beethoven or Mozart.
Sitting at the piano every evening back when he was six years old, he’d been mesmerized watching the quick, fluid movements of her fingers and the way they’d produced not only melodic and soothing sounds but also harsh and belting, to express emotions without words. The middle Tracy had begged for lessons and was a grade four pianist by age ten. When his mom died, for a while his passion had halted for the art studio and the music room held too many painful memories. But as time passed he’d begun to realize that playing in her memory, painting in her memory had been a comfort. Even though she was no longer around he could still feel her. He’d won his first state art competition just before his eleventh birthday and now at thirteen was close to taking his grade eight piano exam.
Looking down at the notepad on his lap, he’d actually started making notes for his poetry assignment. The quick succession of events that day had snapped something into him, a sense of determination he’d never felt so strongly before. A determination to never let anything get the better of him, never let anything beat him, and to never give up.
His reverie was broken by the sound of someone knocking on his door, but he didn’t get a chance to tell the intruder to go away before John sailed into the room. Silently closing the door behind him he made his way over to Virgil who treated him with the harshest glare he could - served him right for disturbing him!
However his glare turned to puzzlement as he took in John’s appearance.
His brother had his coat and shoes on as if he’d just come in from outside. There was a scarf wrapped around his neck and he was pulling gloves on over his hands. Okay then, he was planning on venturing outside…
“John?” he asked incredulously, as he watched the blonde fussing around Virgil’s room hunting for his outdoor wear. Finding them, he all but chucked them at Virgil.
“Virg, we’re going for a walk. Be as quiet as you can, we’re going out the window.”
“What? But I’m grounded-” the artist protested.
“Scott grounded you from going off on your own, but you’ll be with me.” And the cheeky smile he’d been given earlier was back, and Virgil understood.
“You’ve had this planned then?” he inquired as he pulled on his coat, laughing as John blushed.
“Well, how many times has Gordon got away with escaping when he was supposed to be grounded? Anyway, Scott’s asleep - I’ve checked – and Gordon and Alan are watching another film. We can be there and back before anyone notices.”
“John Glenn Tracy, I would never have believed it,” Virgil said, shaking his head. John was never one to encourage Gordon’s mischievous behavior let alone happily play along, but Virgil felt a gush of appreciation to his older brother for looking out for him. John was going to risk getting himself grounded to take Virgil out. Wait...
“Where are we going?”
“The Mall,” John answered, flashing his wallet. “I heard someone was supposed to be getting more art supplies tonight.”
“Johnny you’re the best!” Virgil beamed as he watched his brother open his window.
“Shh keep your voice down! Come on, we’re outta here.”
~
An hour later…
Gordon was fuming. Throughout the movie Alan hadn’t been able to keep still. Agitated by the glum mood hanging over the house, the six year old kept trying to escape and go to Scott’s room. Their eldest brother had poked his head in earlier to say he was heading to bed early so Gordon refused Alan’s requests to see him. He knew Scott wouldn’t have really minded but he wanted his brother to catch up on his sleep. Despite being only ten, he was still aware of the current predicament between Scott and their father, and consequently the current situation than they seemed to think. But if it meant that his oldest brothers had one less thing to deal with by Gordon not worrying them, then he wouldn't say anything. Right now, it was his responsibility to be a big brother to Alan, distracting him while Scott found some well-earned rest.
When Scott had tried to make the two boys turn in as well, Gordon had protested - they had just started another film after Virgil had retreated to his bedroom, and after a brief argument Scott had given in, entrusting Gordon to get Alan and himself off to bed in good time. And the second youngest had taken it to heart. But when the movie finished and the prankster told Alan to get to bed, he’d insisted on saying goodnight to Virgil first. Gordon couldn’t deny him that, after all Virgil hadn’t had the best of days and would appreciate Alan's simple action.
Gordon might not be at the same school as his three older brothers yet, but he’d sure heard of Gary Steelton, the idiot giving Virgil so much grief. The prankster had the bully’s kid brother, Toby, in his classes – though thankfully not in his swim meets as Toby’s forte was track. Despite not being nearly as bad as his older brother, Toby Steelton was still arrogant and disruptive and thought he was better than everybody else. But unlike Virgil with Gary, Gordon wasn’t Toby’s sole target. Instead he’d play up to anyone and everyone he could.
But Virgil on the other hand appeared to have had constant trouble with Gary since sixth grade. Gordon knew it was because Virgil was normally quiet, reserved and just got on with things. John had had similar problems at the start of secondary but with Scott’s intervention they’d stopped pretty quickly. However, Virgil was one to fight his own battles - obviously physically when the time came, much like Gordon himself. Virgil’s problem was that he evoked a reaction and so was the source of Steelton’s persistent bullying. Gordon hadn’t experienced anything like that personally and hoped not to, but was sure he could stand up and defend himself and his brothers whenever it was called for.
Just then Alan came running back into the room and Gordon nearly threw him out out of room in frustration of interrupting his thoughts, but the thought evaporated as he saw the look of panic on his brother’s face and the tears in his eyes.
“What’s wrong Allie?” he asked as Alan bowled into him.
“Virgey’s gone!”
~
John and Virgil walked through the mall, chatting animatedly and enjoying each other’s company.
Virgil was thoroughly enjoying himself. Their first stop had been the art store to stock up on paints, different shaded pencils, A3 paper and sketchpads. There was quite a thrill to the fact that they were here against their eldest brother’s orders and Virgil intended to take full advantage.
After browsing around record stores, book stores and scientific equipment stores, several purchases later the rebellious pair decided to head to a coffee shop. As it was Friday evening, the shopping center was open until midnight meaning they’d been and were still able to wander around at their pleasure.
Settling into a booth with their hot beverages and snacks, Virgil glanced at his watch. It was nearly nine pm. John had confiscated his mobile phone so if anyone realized he was missing they wouldn’t badger him. The artist was grateful but at the same time a little worried. This was real out of character for his blonde brother, and Virgil wondered whether it stemmed deeper than just wanting to cheer him up.
“Johnny, why are you doing this?”
“Why not? My little brother needed cheered up and I’d like to think I’ve done just that, don’t you think?” he answered coolly.
“Not that I don’t appreciate it – trust me, I really do – but you don’t get into trouble John. So why?”
John let out a long breath before replying. “It wasn’t fair of Scott to ground you, he knows none of what happened is your fault. He’s just so stressed he’s starting to lash out at whoever happens to be in front of him. He tries so hard Virg to keep it in but sometimes when dad really gets to him he can’t take it. It terrifies me most of the time but he cools off pretty quickly.
“I thought they’d reached some sort of mutual understanding but it seems they’re just heading for a relapse which is what none of us need when he’s so close to leaving. This time next year he’ll be at Yale spreading his wings but will he want to come back to our family the way it is? He didn’t want to ground you Virg, he promised he’d talk to you and clear the air. But he bedded down early, Gordy’s capable of babysitting Alan for a night and Dad was just Dad and locked himself away. So I took matters into my own hand to make sure you get what you needed. You shouldn’t have to suffer for what goes on between Scott and Dad.”
That stunned Virgil into silence for a while as he chewed over what John had said. The aftermath of their mother’s death had affected the family hard. Dad hadn’t been able to deal and had shut himself off and buried himself in his work.
Not just an ex-astronaut but also a rich millionaire businessman, his hard work and dedication having paid off, he’d started to spend more time with his sons, but that obviously hadn’t shaken Scott’s bitterness towards the Tracy patriarch for neglecting them. Virgil wasn’t naïve, he knew how much Scott had contributed and taken over as the leader of the house. But he hadn’t really understood the point of his eldest brother and father’s fights.
His thoughts were interrupted by a figure looming over the table. Virgil jumped thinking it was Scott, or even their dad. But the laugh and sneer at that action told him it wasn’t. Looking up, he nearly groaned aloud as he saw one of Steelton’s cronies – a tall, well-built boy with dark brown hair and a hideously-too-large nose.
“Tracy, shouldn’t you be in bed like the baby you are?” Frank gloated.
“Shut it, Rhodes,” Virgil growled back, not in the mood for a confrontation right now.
“Oooh touchy. I just wanted to let you know we’ll get you on Monday, payback for hurting Gary. You got lucky, we won’t hurt you too bad. We thought he was dead.”
Virgil raised his voice in anger. “Hey I didn’t see you waiting for an ambulance! Did you actually wonder if he was okay? Or are you just threatening me because he will live and he’s still your leader?”
“Virg,” John warned. Then Rhodes turned on him.
“You, shut it! No friend of Tracy’s will get away from us either.”
That made Virgil inwardly smirk, the guy hadn’t caught on that this was his brother and not just a friend. John had caught on too and was playing along, until the time was right to act.
“Try it,” John growled. “No one threatens my friend and gets away with-” But he was cut off mid sentence.
Their heated exchange was halted abruptly as an unmistakable sound echoed, as loud an explosion, through the open doorway of the cafe. There was a split second moment of utter stillness where nobody moved, all eyes snapping immediately towards the interruption, and Virgil exchanged a panicked look with John. It was a sound the artist never thought he'd hear with his own ears.
Summary: Gar has a question on his mind. Short story post-Season 3 finale.
Rating: T
Fandom: Titans (TV 2018)
Genre: Family/Friendship
Chapter: 3/3
Chapter word count: 2306 words
Warnings: canon-typical swears (Jason)
Disclaimer: I don’t own DC Titans.
Read on AO3
Chapter summary: Jason listens to Molly and gives Gar a call.
Part 1 | Part 2
~
Part 3
~
Gotham City, New Jersey
~
Jason was sitting on the floor at the foot of Molly’s bed, knees up to his chest with his red burner phone in his hands. Molly was busying herself heating them some soup at the kitchenette in the corner of her small studio apartment.
“I like him,” she was saying, turning around to look at him. “He had the balls to come here in the middle of the night and ask me for help. None of the other Titans bothered.”
He didn’t immediately respond to her. Gar had only found out about Molly accidentally while he was snooping around Jason’s room in Wayne Manor trying to find clues as to how to contact him. He’d found Molly’s note that Jason thought he’d kept safely hidden, locked in one of the room’s secret compartments.
She still didn’t know the entire truth regarding Jason’s relationship with the Titans, but he could tell she was itching to ask.
What with the Batman finishing off the Joker after Robin was murdered, coinciding with Bruce leaving town after Jason died, Batman’s identity was all but blown to shit to those who paid attention. Add to the fact Red Hood immediately came out of nowhere bearing the Joker’s former alias, and Jason’s obvious ties to the Titans, Molly wasn’t stupid. She knew there were big things he wasn’t telling her.
“Gar always sees the good in people. Always tries to help. It’s both a blessing and a curse,” he said, rubbing a hand over his forehead.
“A curse?” Molly raised her eyebrows, her arms crossed over her chest. “To want to help you?”
“I’m a bad fucking person, Molly, I don’t deserve anybody’s kindness!” He let his phone drop to the floor beside him and carded his hands through his hair. “I’ve killed so many people, caused the death of countless others.”
She came and sat in front of him. “So, what am I to you then, huh? Free room and board?” She was teasing him, and he felt himself smirk despite how he was feeling. Molly always could get through to him, the real him; it was hard to hide much from her.
“We’re Crime Alley kids, alright? We stick together. It’s different. I met Gar like eight months back, he hardly knows me.” It was a white lie, and he knew it. Out of all the Titans, Gar was arguably the one Jason could have called a friend, if he hadn’t fucked up so much.
“And the rest of the Titans? When are you gonna tell me the real reason you disappeared to San Francisco, Jay? The opposite side of the country? Where the Titans happened to come here from after Robin died and Batman finished off the Joker?”
She wasn’t outwardly accusing him of lying but he could read the hurt all over her face. He’d wanted nothing more than to keep her oblivious to this life. A part of him he could keep safe and secure, away from Bruce, away from Dick and the Titans. Though he himself had thrown that out the window the second he’d revealed himself to her as Red Hood. At least he’d managed to keep her off Crane’s radar.
He took a deep breath before looking her in the eyes. “I was Robin. Dick’s Nightwing.” He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. He deliberately withheld Bruce’s identity but knew she’d work it out if she hadn’t already.
“Shit,” she said softly. “So…you’re a Titan. But, Robin died, Jason, how-”
“I was, and I did.” He shrugged, leaning his head back against the bed. “I went after Joker and he jumped me, and Crane brought me back, turned me into Red Hood.” His voice was flat, and his mind was filling up with all the guilt and shame again and he couldn’t bear to see the same look on Molly’s face. “It’s all so fucked up.”
“You should call him. Gar,” Molly elaborated when he glanced at her. “It’s obvious you don’t want me to know everything and I’m okay with that. Gar wants to be there for you too, and I think he can help you more than I can. He knows stuff I don’t, he’ll understand things I can’t. I’m still here though too, even to just be a boring-ass roommate and to keep doing our own vigilante stuff.”
He grinned at her as she stood up and went back over to the stove, taking the pan off and grabbing a bowl and a coffee cup out of the cupboard above her head to the left.
Jason picked himself and his phone up off the floor, only to flop back onto the bed behind him. The apartment ceiling was all metal beams and bland ceiling, it somewhat reminded him of the Batcave.
“Here,” Molly held the mug across his vision so he couldn’t miss it and he sat up, taking the steaming cup with a muttered word of thanks. “I know this place isn’t exactly private, so I’ll head into the bathroom with my laptop and watch an episode of Grey’s or whatever and you can call him out here.”
“Molly-”
“Jay, the acoustics in there will be terrible for a phone call. It’s cool, just yell once you’re done and then we can watch a movie. Sound good?”
He rolled his eyes at her as he took a sip of soup. Tomato and basil out of a packet but it would warm him up. He also realised this was why she had given him the coffee cup, as he tended to move around a lot when he was on the phone.
“Fine. Thanks for the soup.”
“You’re welcome.”
As she grabbed a spoon for the bowl and her laptop and headed for the bathroom, Jason moved off the bed and headed for the small square table by the apartment door. He took a few more sips of the soup, letting the hot liquid warm up his insides some more, contemplating whether to send Gar a message first asking if he was available.
He knew the Titans were on their way back to San Francisco and were probably close by now if they’d been flying all day. It was about seven hours from Gotham.
Fuck it. Bruce’s private jets were small, but privacy wouldn’t be that hard to find if Gar really wanted it.
Gar answered after two rings.
“Jason?”
“Hey, man. How’s it going?” He cleared his throat and licked his lips, his mouth felt dry despite the soup.
He heard some shuffling in the background. “Great! Yeah, just… hey, Dick? Can you get Kory to stop the bus ASAP? Thanks! … Err, we’re somewhere past Pittsburgh I think?”
Jason frowned. “You’re not flying?” Jason assumed they’d have taken the jet back to San Francisco the same way they’d come.
“Nope, Dick got an RV! Road Trip 2: Electric Boogaloo! Except this bus is amazing, like luxurious! Better than the jeep we did the run in last time!”
Jason couldn’t help but laugh, remembered being squashed in the back of a still spacious jeep the first time they’d headed to San Francisco after the Trigon incident in Ohio. They’d stopped back in Gotham initially to drop Jason off at Wayne Manor, and Dick reconciling with Bruce ended up with Jason being forced to pack and get carted off to Titans Tower. When Jason begged for them to take the BatJet, Bruce had just squeezed his shoulder and called a road trip “training”.
He’d bet Bruce regretted ever sending him now.
“Jason, you still there?” came Gar’s voice and Jason shook himself out of his thoughts.
“Yeah, sorry. Thinking.”
“I’m sorry for the way things turned out, man. I’m going to miss having you around the Tower.”
Jason sat back in his chair; the mug of soup abandoned on the tabletop in front of him. He kept his gaze on it.
“Me too, bro. I know I can never make it up to any of you.”
He was grateful that Gar decided to change the subject. “So, what are your plans? I get you’re leaving but do you have somewhere in mind?”
Jason stood up, grabbed the soup in his other hand, and walked over to the nearest window. Molly’s apartment was on the eighth floor of the building, nestled in the East End at the edge of Ripley Park with a decent view over the Diamond District – skyscrapers, including Wayne Enterprises, looming in the near distance.
“I don’t know, might head South.”
“What, Florida? Send me a postcard from Animal Kingdom!”
Jason huffed a laugh. “Not that far, I was thinking more Myrtle Beach.”
He could practically hear Gar’s eye roll. “A city with a crime rate to rival Gotham’s that’s not Detroit. Sure. Only you.”
“But with a beach, bro!”
“Maybe I’ll come and visit sometime. It’s got arcades, right?”
“Fuck yeah, geek paradise, bro!” Jason found himself smiling at the idea of Gar joining him even for a few days, imagining them hitting the many games and machines the arcades had to offer. Laughing and enjoying each other’s company, not having to worry about missions and reputations and training. Jason didn’t deserve that though.
“I won’t tell anyone,” Gar said sincerely, the ‘especially Dick’ hanging unsaid in the air. Jason appreciated that. “Just be safe, okay? And if you move on, tell me, man. I know you may feel like you deserve it but you’re not alone, Jason. I’ll come over there and keep you company, you only have to ask.”
Jason nodded. “Thanks, bro. And I mean that. But your place is with the Titans, they need their favourite green tiger.”
“You know we’re still friends, right? Don’t forget that. If you ever need or want to talk; you call or text me.”
Jason sniffed, taking another sip of hot soup, and savouring the burn down his throat as it warmed his insides. “Sure, and if any of the Titans give you any shit, you tell them to fuck off.”
Gar chuckled, somewhat nervously and Jason knew he’d never do such a thing. Get angry, maybe, but Gar was definitely not as crass as Jason.
“I’ll let you go now, don’t want them chewing you out on my account.”
“They wouldn’t dare, not if they want any of my homemade pizza once we’re back!”
Jason smiled, downing the last of his soup but keeping hold of the cup and tapping his fingers on it. There were a few beats of silence.
“Take care, Gar,” he said, trying to put as much feeling as he could into the words.
“You too, Jason,” Gar replied quietly, and Jason felt the concern and affection in his voice. That was Gar, always genuine, always so helpful and optimistic. It made something in his stomach hurt. Gar was so kind and had absolutely no business in caring about Jason as he did.
“See you around,” he said, before hanging up. He chucked his phone back onto the bed as he made for the sink to rinse out his mug and wash up the pots, needing something to do with his hands.
He figured Myrtle Beach was a safe gamble as somewhere to flee to. It wasn’t San Francisco and it wasn’t Gotham, but it was still a city in need. That didn’t mean he’d actively show himself as Red Hood there, but he could still quietly help. Dick had settled in Detroit when he’d branched out of Gotham searching for something to call his own. A part of Jason hoped he could get the same out of this move, a fresh start, a way to find himself and maybe even be successful.
No fucking way he’d become a cop though. (Jason would much rather go back to San Francisco, thank you very much).
Perhaps he could get his GED and then enrol in college; he sure had enough trust fund money from Bruce to make a good go of it. Who was to say he couldn’t be a vigilante on the side? Friendly neighbourhood vigilante that is and not a wannabe crime boss and drug lord. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but he would be betraying a lot of his younger self’s dreams if he didn’t try.
He’d make sure everything was okay in Gotham first though.
Finishing the washing up other than Molly’s, he knocked on the bathroom door, signalling to her that he was finished, and she could come out of her little bathroom cinema session.
“All good?” she asked, passing her bowl and spoon to him as she grabbed her laptop from the toilet seat. He retreated back to the kitchenette to wash them before placing them on the dish rack with the others and draining the sink.
“Yeah,” he said honestly, grinning. “They’re road-tripping it back to San Fran, can you believe that?”
Molly raised her eyebrows. “Christ, rather them than me. Now come on, you promised to watch the new Cats with me!”
Jason groaned. “At least put the good version on.”
“Uh-uh, when in Gotham we watch the creepy as shit CGI version guaranteed to give us nightmares.”
“I hate you.”
~
They were about 20 minutes in when Molly turned the volume down some. “Okay, what’s up with you? You haven’t stopped fidgeting the whole time and I know it’s not just ‘cause you hate the movie.”
Jason sighed, flopping back on the bed. There was so much to say, Jason didn’t know if he had the fucking words. She deserved to know the truth, mostly so that there were people she could go to for help if she needed it. He took a deep breath and sat up again.
“I need to know you’re gonna be okay here. Are there any more shelter cases you need help with, like Diego’s? I don’t want to leave you here without anyone to help you.”
Unprotected, he said in his head. He knew she could handle herself in a situation, Alley kids were their own breed of tough, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t still fucking scared.
She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him and he reciprocated, feeling his chest loosen a little as he breathed. God, he was going to fucking miss her.
“I’ll be fine, Jay. We’ve worked with the shelter before to establish recovery protocols in the aftermath of attacks such as Scarecrow’s. All the kids are accounted for, the next step is locating all the new ones in need. It’ll be tough as everyone has a whole new layer of trust issues now after the water contamination, but if it was easy there wouldn’t be a problem to solve. That’s Gotham for you.”
“No point in asking you to come with me then?” he said as they separated, echoing her own sentiments from what felt like a lifetime ago when she’d suggested getting the hell out of dodge in a bid to save Jason from himself.
She shoved him, smiling. “Hawaii is still on the table, just give it a few more years. Look, I get that you need to escape after everything, I can see how antsy you are. But my calling is here, helping with the clean-up. You don’t need my permission to leave, just don’t be a stranger.”
“Never,” he said immediately, “I just need to make sure I got all bases covered for my own peace of mind.”
Gar had her number, sure, but San Francisco was hours away even by jet. She needed local backup, someone who could be there in minutes, masked or not.
In that moment Jason decided, fuck it.
“Bruce Wayne is Batman.”
~ The End ~
~
Notes: I had a huge multichapter planned after this, (points for guessing where it was set). It’s still on my laptop, I just don’t know when I’ll get to it, but I’ll always be thinking about it ☺️
Summary: Gar has a question on his mind. Short story post-Season 3 finale.
Rating: T
Fandom: Titans (TV 2018)
Genre: Family & Friendship
Chapter count: 1/3
Chapter word count: 613 words
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: I don’t own Titans.
Notes: This is a scene outside of my usual range, but I hope y’all like it! Title is from I Won’t Give Up by Jason Mraz.
Read on AO3 |
~
New Stanton, Pennsylvania.
30 miles outside of Pittsburgh.
~
“From here, we stay on the I-70 through Columbus and onto Indianapolis for our overnight stop, and tomorrow we’ll head on to Oklahoma City. Everyone okay with that?” Dick was saying as they all piled out of the RV and started to disperse. “Stick together, keep safe, back here in an hour, okay?”
As everyone nodded and headed off towards the gas station, Gar hung around the bus, still debating whether to ask what had been on his mind for the past five hours. Knowing this was probably the best opportunity he’d get for the next leg of their journey to San Fran before they stopped again, he blurted out.
“Hey, Dick, can I talk to you for a sec?”
“Sure, is everything okay?” Dick frowned at him, concern and worry evident in his eyes, and Gar realised his somewhat nervous disposition had set off alarm bells ringing in the older man’s head. Over the past eight months they’d known each other, Gar had become a lot more confident in approaching Dick for anything so the fact he was acting awkward was cause for concern.
Gar instantly put his hands up. “I’m fine, everything’s fine!” he said, glancing over at the others, seeing Kory sling her arm around Rachel and Tim and Conner chatting to themselves before guiding Dick further away. He sincerely hoped Conner wouldn’t listen in. “I just… I just don’t feel like it’s something I can talk about in front of the others, at least without some sort of reaction, and even you might not be okay-”
“Gar, hey, what’s wrong? You know you can tell me anything.” His eyes were searching now, the worry mostly gone, and Gar recognised the detective face, could practically see the cogs working inside Dick’s head. “You want to talk about Jason?”
Gar let out a breath and nodded. “I’m sorry, I just. I’m worried. I was hoping you’d be able to give me his new number? I know he has a burner, but Molly wouldn’t give up his number to me, and I know he’s called you before, right? I want to check in with him, make sure he’s doing okay. You’re not mad, are you?”
Dick moved to hug him, and Gar found himself instantly relaxing in his hold. When he drew back, Dick kept a hand on his shoulder.
“Of course, I’m not mad. Worried, maybe? But I know that if that’s what you need then I won’t stop you. I’m proud of you, you know? Of the faith you have in him. You refused to give up on Jason, you saw the good in him when I couldn’t, and he knows that. I don’t deserve to be his brother but I’m working on fixing that,” he said softly, taking his phone out of his jacket pocket. “I hope you both can be to each other what me and him never were.”
Dick held out his phone to Gar as he got his own out of his pocket and copied down the new number into Jason’s existing contact. There was a high chance he’d already ditched it for another new one, but Gar knew Jason, and though he acted like he didn’t care about anyone or anything, deep down he desperately wanted people to connect with him. Gar understood that all too well, and it was one of the reasons they’d gotten close when Jason was with them in San Francisco before everything went sideways.
Gar only hoped he could tap into the softer side of Jason that needed someone.
Summary: After a teenaged Virgil is grounded, he receives help from a rather unexpected source: someone offering a simple, spontaneous gesture. But when they are caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, complicated events will unfold. Pre-IR.
Rating: T
Fandom: Thunderbirds
Universe: 2004 Movie
Genre: Family/Drama
Warnings: Mild violence, hostage situations.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Thunderbirds.
Notes: Originally written back in 2013. Book 1 in my Tracy Trouble Series! This Masterpost is for my pinned. Only 2 chapters are on Tumblr at the moment so the rest are to follow!
Read in its entirety on AO3 | FF.Net
~
Chapter 1 - Accidents Happen
Chapter 2 - Consequences
Chapter 3 - Unprecedented Escape
Chapter 4 - The Takeover
Chapter 5 - They’re Our Brothers, We’re All Coming
Summary: Alan was promised that if he finished the school year with good enough grades, he’ll be home educated next semester and allowed full-time involvement with International Rescue. But will spending time with his brothers and their Thunderbirds put him off? And are his brothers willing to have him as part of the team despite Alan’s rescue performances?
Rating: PG
Fandom: Thunderbirds
Universe: 2004 Movie
Genre: Family
Disclaimer: I don’t own Thunderbirds.
Notes: Started this in 2014, forgot about it, and finally finished it last year. Six chapters to come, Alan-centric but lots of the bros too! This is the master post to find all the chapters when it’s complete - FIRST CHAPTER TOMORROW!
