When Selena reconnected with her ostrasized cousin Jack Fenton, she had no idea what it would end up spiraling into.
Jack had always been the black sheep of the family. She remembered how her parents would gently encourage her to not talk too long with him whenever they were at a family gathering together. They’d stopped inviting the Fenton branch of the family before Selena finished middle school. It wasn’t until years later - when they were in their late twenties - that Jack had reached out to Selena to reconnect. She’d been reluctant at first - her parents’ gentle warnings still echoing in her head - but slowly, they reached an amicable kind of acquaintanceship that consisted of phone calls and Christmas cards.
She had still been shocked when Jack had invited her to come to meet his newborn daughter. She’d been even more shocked that she had said yes.
As she held little Jasmine Alicia Fenton in her arms in that squeaky, uncomfortable visitor’s chair in a tiny Illinois hospital, Selena felt her world tilt slightly to the left.
She was still Catwoman. She would never be able to give up the thrill of the chase - both for the treasure and the Bat.
She was still Selena Kyle - a socialite who used every connection she had to climb higher and weave her way into more and more networks, all to better understand her targets.
But she was also Auntie Lena. She made phone calls to talk not with her cousin, but with her niece - because even if technically they were second cousins, Selena decided they were aunt and niece. She sent a little girl elaborate birthday presents and surprised her with a week long girls trip in the summer every year.
And when she helped Jazz hold her baby brother Daniel James for the first time, Selena had finally accepted that she was absolutely gone for these kids. She couldn’t mock Bruce for his adoptive tendencies anymore. Not now that she understood what it meant to look at a child that wasn’t yours and loving them anyway.
Now there weren’t just gifts of kitty plushies and books of brain teasers, but ones of model rockets and photo albums filled with thick, glossy photos from the Hubble Space Telescope.
The girls trips became sibling getaways with their awesome Auntie Lena.
The first time Jazz called her asking how to make mac and cheese when she was six years old, something twisted in Selena’s stomach.
The first time Danny called her to ask how to deal with someone picking on him at school, that twisting became a heavy lead weight.
The first time Jazz asked if she and Danny could stay with Selena for the week since Jack and Maddie were leaving for a ghost hunter convention next week and still hadn’t found them a babysitter, that lead weight sharpened into a steel point.
She was determined to give these kids a good childhood. Even if it meant offering to let the kids come stay with her for the entirety of summer vacation. Even if it meant screaming herself hoarse on the phone with Jack after Jazz told her about him leaving samples of something from the lab in the kitchen fridge where either of the kids could have eaten it.
Still, she tried to let them keep their parents close. Even if she couldn’t understand it, Selena could tell that Jazz and Danny loved Jack and Maddie, and nothing Selena could say would change that.
When Selena opened her door to find her teenage niece and nephew on her doorstep at three in the morning in Gotham, hearing her niece cry about how Danny had some sort of accident in the lab and neither Jack nor Maddie had taken him to the hospital or even noticed, she made a decision.
She was determined to give these kids a good childhood.
Even if that means taking these kittens in herself.
It took a few weeks and a few favors from some friends of hers who kept a good law firm on retainer, but she managed to get it done. Jazz and Danny were moved to Gotham and set to begin at Gotham Academy next semester. Danny was set up to see a trusted family physician who knew how to keep his mouth shut. And if Selena decided to sic OSHA on her cousin and his wife in order to get their lab - and their portal - shut down, well, who was going to blame her?
The growing pains were there, or course.
The kids were used to seeing her only for short bursts of time as the fun aunt, not as the full-time parent who had to do the less glamorous parts of caretaking - such as setting curfews and grounding.
Selena had to get used to not being able to move as freely around her home at all hours of the night. Not without a solid alibi.
The sudden onset of powers was certainly a challenge. How did one keep a teenage boy from sneaking out when he had suddenly developed the ability to turn invisible and walk through walls?
The answer turned out to be simply - you didn’t.
Three months after Jasmine and Daniel Kyle came to Gotham, Catgirl and Stray arrived on the scene.
Just a mama cat helping her kitten reach her full potential- potential to wreak havoc and break hearts that is.
(Platonic Selena Kyle & insecure!fem reader, a one shot)
I am aware this is not what the people have asked for but it's all that's been on my mind all day. So, here it is anyway!
Word count: 4.3 pages / 1529 words
"Ah! You look like such a doll, kitty," Selena gasps in delight from where she stands behind you, both of you facing your mirror. It was odd, the friendship that randomly blossomed between you and your father's ex girlfriend/fiance but you wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
You had grown up as the ugly duckling in the family, between Dick and Bruce's million-dollar smiles, Jason's rugged charm, Tim's French beauty, and Stephanie and Cass's elegance and radiance. You were painfully aware of not measuring up to the standards set by them.
It's not as if it was ever explicitly said to you or that your family or others bullied you, but nobody had told you otherwise- that you were beautiful, that is. There are only so many times you can hear people complimenting the 'handsome young man' your little brother Damian is growing up to be while you stand right there awkwardly before you're forced to acknowledge your averageness.
The few expressions of romantic interest in you came when you were younger, and you chalked it up to the fact that your younger peers just had fewer standards. It's why nobody approaches you now, you're never chatted up, hell, never catcalled. You feel gross and pathetic for wishing that it would happen to you, but you'd take anything as validation at this point. It's why when your friends compliment you, you don't believe them; they're your friends, of course, they have to be nice to you.
Selena complimenting you, however, is different. She had no obligation to; the first time she did it you had thought it was a joke- you could feel the familiar burn of self-hatred and envy in your stomach as you took in her pretty face and effortless confidence.
She could see that look of disbelief in your face, her brows furrowed, "What? You don't believe me?" She had taken your face in her hands, thumbs tracing the shape of your face, "I'm not lying, you have so much potential. You're just in an awkward teenage phase right now."
"You're kidding, right?" You had looked away, unable to meet her eyes, wanting to pull away from her hold so she would stop looking at your face too closely; she'd surely soon find all the flaws that you did.
She tutted in frustration at your pitifully low self-esteem, "Go around believing that and you'll end up in a relationship with the first sleaze bag that asks you out. Trust me, I'd know."
"You? How would you know? I doubt you've been anything short of gorgeous your entire life." You grumbled, arms crossing over your chest. What could she know about being painfully average? Her, the pinnacle of dark femininity and noir beauty, how could she ever relate to you?
She had smiled, like she was planning something, and patted your cheek, "We all have our awkward phases. Perhaps I'll teach you a thing or two."
She had kept her word; whenever she wasn't held up with Bruce or being Catwoman, she'd find her way to your room and teach you all her tricks. The way to emphasise the sharpness of your eyes with eyeliner, and where to apply eyeshadow to captivate anyone with an intense gaze. What products to use to help with acne, with dark patches- A better diet, as Selena suggested, did reduce bloating and spots. She taught you how to pout, bat your eyelashes, and play with men to get what you want.
Her hand was on your waist as she taught you to walk in heels, her fingers weaving through your hair to help separate the curls into a flowy blowout. She even began teaching you some workout routines to help with flexibility and strength. Her lessons in being 'a woman that men are scared to talk to' were a constant in your life from when you were sixteen to now, eighteen.
She was right. Everyone has their awkward phases. You'd grown into the sharper elements of your features, the slopes that you'd hated once and contemplated plastic surgery over, did in actuality look elegant. You noticed the increasing number of compliments you'd get, completely unprompted, from people you barely knew in real life or random older men in your DMs. Your style, your makeup, your body- your face grew slightly sculpted with the loss of teenage baby fat.
You had Selena to thank for it, for helping you actually cultivate some self-esteem and worth. The confidence to laugh at gross and forward messages, to simply block the men behind them. Guys your own age still didn't approach you, but it was more because you never put yourself out there, kept inside the manor for the most part, in your room. Bruce doesn't really like it when you go out too much- he says it's dangerous in Gotham, which is true, but what does he expect you to do with your summer?
You're eighteen now; it was stupid having to explain to your friends that no, you couldn't go out to clubs with them because your father would never approve. That you couldn't come to the function because you'd already been out earlier that week, and going out more than once a week was a sure way to get Bruce on your ass. You kept yourself sane with the knowledge that college would be your escape; you just had to last until then, and then you'd be free.
Selena seems to have other plans for you. She always likes to irritate Bruce; taking you under her wing started as an attempt to annoy him by being a bad influence on you, but your desperate need for help is what kept her from abandoning you, even after she and Bruce broke up. You needed a steady figure in your life, and no, Alfred doesn't count; for example, see how Bruce turned out.
That leads to now: Selena helping you get ready for your first club outing. She's clad in a sleek black, sexy number, with stilettos and her usual dark makeup. You're in a matching dress of a dark red colour, with a slightly thicker heel for more stability. Your hair is out of its usual updo, instead flowing down your shoulders. Selena isn't lying when she says you look like a doll; even you can admit that you look pretty damn good.
You spritz some glittery cherry-scented body mist as Selena collects her purse from your bed, "Ready to go?"
"Uh-huh, mama," You grin, the familiar nickname slipping out without a thought. She smiles and links arms with you, guiding you out of your room to the front door, passing your family as you do, who are gathered in the living room.
"Selena, what the hell are you doing with my daughter?" Bruce chokes out in a rare moment of genuine shock and bewilderment.
He'd glanced up from his papers to see you by Selena's slide, like a kitten with its mother cat (although you were nearly the same height wearing those towering heels- since when did you wear heels?), looking every bit like an attractive young woman and not the dorky teen girl he knew. This was bizarre.
"You look like a common harlot," Damian splutters, pointing at you like a pilgrim during the witch trials. "A Jezebel. Father, confide her to the house!"
"Holy shiiittt," Jason laughs at the sight of you. He could have mistaken you for Selena's actual kid- the look was all Selena's doing. He could only imagine what trouble you'd cause. Especially with guys. Suddenly, it wasn't so funny. Why was his baby sister dolled up like that?
"Going somewhere?" Dick raises a brow, "And without me?"
"Yes, golden boy, without you," Selena smiles coyly as she plays idly with your hair, "It's a girls' night out."
"Selena's taking me to a club," You give a twin smile, lashes batting at Bruce as you talk with genuine excitement, "It's gonna be so fun! She's got this place that plays really good music."
Bruce's face softens at your words and cute smile. How could he ever say no to-
"Father, she's trying to bewitch you with her mascaraed eyelashes- do not fall for her tricks!" Damian proclaims and prods you with the hilt end of his sword.
"Ow!-"
He bats at Selena next, "How dare you influence my sister into becoming a lady of the night!"
"I did no such thing-" Selena laughs.
Tim picks up the struggling Damian by the collar. "Have fun and be safe. I have a tracker on your phone, so call if you need any help."
"As sweet and totally not creepy and paranoid as that is, we'd better get going." Selena pulls you out of the room by your interlocked hands. "I'll take good care of our kitty, Bruce. Don't worry."
Context like this usually gets lost due to the passage of time, but it is very important to note that despite red hood not killing black mask in utrh, he actually gets killed by catwoman in catwoman 52 directly after he disappeared in utrh (the issue he dies in came out the same day as the end of utrh too)
This also means that black mask spent his final days getting thoroughly ragebaited by jason and I find that deeply amusing. Here are some of the highlights, since the only good thing black mask ever did was be jason's personal punching bag. My personal favorite was the rpg because that panel of black mask running followed by jason's deadpan response never fails to amuse me
