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