And I come upon one of those voice-over Tumblr reads with the Minecraft parkour in the background, right?
It was titled something like 'times batman said 'im fine' (and he wasn't)' right?
and one section was like
'Situation: Alfred hugged him for no reason......
Quote: '...whats wrong'(I read it like a statement{like a statement, not a question}
Batfam note: this one broke us'
and I was like "O MY GOD, THE ANGST POTENTIAL IS ENDLESS"
and so that brings me to the point of this post;
I NEED someone to write a batfam fic (or literally any other team-relationship centered fic! it can be the justice league! I'm not picky) with this exact premise/opening:
*clears throat*
"It had been an unusual couple of weeks since the last scarecrow attack. Ever since Bruce woke up from his fear-gas induced coma, he has been more........ emotional. He would suddenly pull people into hugs or try to have actual conversations with people.... It was weird. And so the collective decision had been made to exact revenge; they had even enlisted the help of Alfred, this was gonna be good.
Someone pulled out their phone to record as Alfred approached Bruce, who was currently bent over the Batcomputer, working on a case. The video was being live-streamed to the group chat. Alfred reached Bruce and enveloped the towering man in a big hug. There was a solid minute of silence. You could see Bruce attempting to process what was going on and failing miserably, his face then hardened as he placed his hands on Alfred's shoulders and pulled the older man away. He then looked Alfred in the eye before asking him in a serious tone
"Alfred, what's wrong."
Alfred seemed to be caught off-guard by the question, this prompted Bruce to prod further
"Are the kids alright/ Are you alright? C'mon Alfred. What happened."
Everyone watching freezed. Why did he looked so worried? So scared?
"Alfred, can you hear me?"
All Alfred had done was give him a hug. Why was he reacting like this when he had been doing the exact same thing?
"Alfred!"
Alfred was the one who was closest to Bruce. The one he trusted and cared for the most.
"Ah. I'm sorry master Bruce, nothing's wrong"
"Then why did you do that?"
Was it really that strange to Bruce to receive affection? A hug? Even from Alfred?
"It-"
They could see Alfred tense up ever so slightly.
"It nothing sir, no need to make a fuss"
Alfred then turned and walked away. Bruce watched him for a while before sighing and returning to his work. Someone heard him mumling.
"Must've been the kids"
Everyone was silent. They had been expecting surprise, embarrassment, or awkwardness, not.... this. That made some people think, when was the last time they initiated a hug with Batman that didn't involve a life-changing or world experience?"
End scene
So I hope someone takes it from here cuz I need to read this!
#2 of the general ones with Cashton! "it's pouring out, why are you here?"
mandieee I love you! okay so I was honestly completely lost with where to go with this prompt for a while but then this came to me while taking my dog outside this morning. this is basically a Duke centric fic with a side of cashton if you squint a bit. but anyways, enjoy!
Ashton was enjoying a simple night at home, relaxing on the couch with a warm mug of tea. The rain tapped against the window with some kind of rhythmic pattern hidden there that Ashton could try to use as inspiration later in the night. For the time being, he was content sitting in near silence, tucked away in his own little world.
Part of him wished that Calum was here with him, enjoying the quiet night, maybe watching a movie or just cuddling on the couch together, but Ashton also accepted the time apart, knowing that the distance made their relationship stronger. They already spent so much time together for work, along with alternating between their homes on an almost nightly basis, so one night alone wasn’t going to kill him.
A light scratching noise, accompanied by a little bit of whining, brought Ashton out of his daydream, confused at who, or what, was disrupting his quiet evening alone. The scratching seemed to be coming from his front door, so Ashton pursued the noise, nervous to what he would find on the other side.
Sitting on his porch, soaked by the rain, was Duke. Like, Calum’s dog, Duke, but without Calum.
“Hey buddy, it’s pouring out, why are you here?” Ashton cooed, looking behind him for any trace of Calum. When Ashton realized he was alone, he picked up the shivering dog and brought him inside.
Duke licked Ashton’s face appreciatively, relaxing a bit into Ashton’s hold. Ashton carried him to the bathroom, placing him in the tub to quickly wash off his muddy paws before wrapping him in the biggest, fluffiest towel that he could find.
“Now, what in the world are you doing here,” Ashton asked, giving Duke a welcome scratch behind the ears. Duke sniffed the air, tilting his head to the side a bit as if he was trying to answer Ashton’s question.
At the same moment, Ashton’s phone lit up with Calum calling him, the contact picture being Calum planting a big kiss on Ashton’s cheek, arms wrapped around his middle.
“Hey-“Ashton started, ready to ask why Calum dropped off his wet dog at his doorstep without warning.
“Ash, Ashton, fuck, I need help, I- I lost Duke. I took him out to use the bathroom and he just, I don’t know, got spooked? Something scared him, maybe the thunder? Fuck, I don’t know, but he ran away, and I tried to follow him, I did, but I-I lost him, I need help,” Calum panted, the sound of the rain muffling his voice slightly through the receiver.
“Yeah, Cal-“ Ashton started, smiling fondly down at the dog on his lap as he was interrupted by Calum again.
“I’m fucking terrified dude, it’s dark out and the rain and like, what if he’s gone! What if I never get him back! I love that stupid dog,” Calum whined, sniffling a bit from the other side of the phone.
Ashton tried to start again, only getting through “Duke-“ before Calum started up again, sounding slightly more hysterical than he did initially.
“What if someone takes him in and never gives him back? I mean my info is on the collar but like, people are mean! If I saw a dog as cute as Duke, I wouldn’t give him back. How am I going to explain that one, ‘hey everyone, I lost my dog because I’m an idiot’, yeah that sounds about right.”
“Calum, he’s at my place,” Ashton replied, effectively shutting Calum up.
“WHAT,” Calum all but yelled down the line, a slight catch in his throat showcasing his emotion.
“I don’t know, he was on my front porch! I was just about to call you when you got to me first. He’s here, he’s fine,” Ashton assured him, booping Duke on the nose for good measure as he barked softly.
“God, what, I… I’ll be there in less than 5,” Calum said, hanging up the phone immediately.
Ashton felt a twinge of guilt for not telling Calum about Duke sooner, knowing that if he was the one who lost an animal, he would have been just as distressed as Calum, if not more.
In the meantime, Ashton brought Duke out of the bathroom, still wrapped up in a towel, to the kitchen where he could give him some food from the bag Ashton had especially for him. With how often Calum and Duke stayed the night, dog related items had somehow started popping up around his home- a bed in the living room, bowls in the kitchen, toys strewn across both his studio and the bedroom. Everywhere Ashton looked, there was a piece of Duke, therefore a constant reminder of Calum.
Moments later, Calum burst through the door without knocking, sneakers squeaking against the tile loudly from the rain. “Thank god,” he sighed, falling to the floor in front of his little dog, “I was so worried, you stupid old man.” Ashton felt his heart skip a beat, seeing Calum seconds away from full on crying on the kitchen floor, holding his dog up to his face like it was the last time he would ever see him.
Duke threw himself into Calum’s arms, licking the rain mixed with tears off Calum’s face. Ashton smiled fondly at the sight in front of him, slyly pulling out his phone to take a picture to capture the moment.
“I wonder why he came all the way here,” Ashton asked, pulling Calum back to reality, “I would have thought he would run right back into your house if he was scared.”
Calum smiled, wiping away the last of the rainwater and tear drop mixture from his face. “Probably the same reason I called you first when I couldn’t find him, he knew you would be able to help him.”
Content warmth spread through Ashton’s chest, proud of his ability to help the ones he loved the most, even when he didn’t really do anything to assist the situation other than hold on to Duke for a bit.
“Well, my home is your home, always has been and always will be,” Ashton replied, sinking down to the floor next to his favorite human and favorite dog.
“God, what would I ever do without you?” Calum asked, leaning back against Ashton’s chest, still holding Duke as close to him as possible. Ashton only hummed in response, running one hand over Duke’s fur and the other finding its place on the back of Calum’s neck. For Ashton, home is wherever Calum is.
