so obviously we need to utilize duke thomas in more batfam fics just because he's an underrated character that dc refuses to give any meaningful time to, but i need people to start putting this man into the forefront of more crossover fics specifically. like imagine a peter parker/duke thomas fic. the chaos. the devotion. it would be beautiful. especially if some of the more popular spidey in gotham tropes got added in
duke, introducing his new boyfriend to the family: guys, this is peter! i really hope you'll get along well.
most of the batfam, seeing a polite, doe eyed boy with an awkward demeanor and amazing manners: awesome! duke can balance out our insanity with a normal, well-adjusted boyfriend.
tim drake, twitching and having flashbacks to when he thought duke was just a normal teenage dude: i've been here before
i like to imagine they're blissfully aware of the weirdness because their scale of odd has become so wildly skewed. steph notices because she has a semi-life outside of the bats, but tim is on guard from the beginning and she just laughs at his hysteria.
jason, watching duke and peter cuddle and laugh at something together: y'know, i never thought any of us would be in a stable relationship, but i think the new kid finally proved me wrong
tim, can clearly see the small spider balanced on peter's thigh waving its arms around and is 99% sure duke's civilian boyfriend is translating arachnid drama to make him laugh: i need to make a call
the relationship gets to be serious and the bats have become used to seeing peter around the manor all the time, both with and without duke. it becomes a weird spectacle for them to watch a healthy relationship dynamic in action to the point where they start learning things.
dick, staring at duke and peter messing around in the kitchen with wide eyes: didn't you guys have an argument this morning?
duke: mm, not really? i was concerned about pete's workload at school so i brought it up, we were both tired from staying up watching movies last night though so we weren't being super productive and got kinda snappy. we decided to take a break and nap for an hour and then talked it out, it wasn't that big of a deal. he has to take the extra class in order to get enough credits so we hashed out a study system and break routine, and he put in a request for an advising appointment to see if there were any alternatives because it was stressing him out a bit too. not really an argument, just needed some sleep to tackle it.
dick, astounded: you guys disagreed and......didn't scream? you......worked through it? how????
peter, raising an eyebrow: communication and healthy sleep schedules?
duke is in love with his spidery boyfriend and simultaneously having the time of his life watching his family deal with the dynamic. i have a lot of ideas duke is my child i love him