Sunday HSR X Reader
masterlist
part 2
a small drabble with him as a passenger of the astral express…… and march being a fangirl
˚₊‧꒰ა 𓂋 ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ The Astral Express gym wasn’t exactly high tech, but it had everything you needed: open space, training mats, and just enough echo to make your footsteps sound cooler than they actually were. Sunday stood on the mat already, stretching his arms slowly. He was always composed. polished words, a little distant but never unfriendly. A recent addition to the Express, still settling in. You figured sparring would be a good way to break the ice. Or, at the very least, make him sweat a little.
“You ever sparred before?” you asked, rolling your shoulders as you stepped onto the mat across from him.
“Once or twice,” Sunday replied, giving you a look that was polite. “I assume you’ve done this more than that.”
You shrugged. “Yeah, a bit. We do it sometimes, just to stay sharp. Helps keep my mind quiet too.”
That made him pause for a moment. “I can understand that.” There was a brief stretch of silence as you both settled into your stances. You smiled.
“Alright. Light spar. First to three taps?”
“Fair enough.”
Then you moved. Sunday was careful. Precise. He didn’t rush or overstep, but you could tell he was reading you watching how you shifted your weight, how fast you reacted. You responded in kind, your movements smooth and quick, not showy like usual. This wasn’t about flair. It was about rhythm, connection, learning someone without needing words. The first tap came when you managed to slip behind him and brush his shoulder. He looked surprised. The second came quickly after his palm barely grazing your side as he dodged your next strike.
It was fun. Quietly fun.
Somewhere in the middle of the third round, things shifted. You both moved at the same time your foot angled to pivot, his shifting forward for a counter. It wasn’t anything dramatic, no wild kick or spin, just a split second misstep.
You felt your foot catch his. His arm moved quickly, instinctively reaching to steady you. Too late. Your balance tipped forward, his backward, and gravity did the rest.
The two of you landed with a dull thud on the mat. For a second, neither of you said anything. You opened your eyes to find yourself sprawled over him, chest pressing lightly against his, palms braced on either side of his shoulders. His arm was still around your waist where he’d tried to catch you.
Your faces were close. Close enough to count the tiny flecks of gold in his eyes. Close enough that his breath, warm and even, brushed against your cheek.
“Oh.” The sound escaped before you could help it. Not exactly graceful.
Sunday’s eyes didn’t move away from yours. His expression wasn’t annoyed, or embarrassed. If anything, he looked… thoughtful. Still. Like he wasn’t sure what to make of the moment either. You felt the weight of the silence more than the fall.
“I, uh” You shifted slightly, meaning to push yourself up, but your hand slipped against the mat, and you instinctively leaned closer to steady yourself. Now your nose almost touched his.
His hand, still on your back, tensed faintly just a twitch. But he didn’t move it. You laughed under your breath, a little breathless. “This probably looks worse than it is.”
“Maybe,” Sunday said, voice low, not quite smiling but not pulling away either. “But I’m not complaining.”
That made your heart skip a beat. You looked at him again, There was something softer in his face now. you realized you weren’t in a rush to get up. Not yet.
“…You okay?” you asked, quieter this time.
He nodded once. “You?”
You nodded too, eyes not leaving his. “Yeah.”
Another beat passed. You could feel the steady rhythm of his breathing under your hands. Not hurried. Just… calm. You slowly pushed yourself up and off of him, offering your hand once you were upright. He took it without hesitation. His fingers were warm.
Back on his feet, Sunday brushed some dust off his sleeve, but his eyes lingered on you longer than before. There was nothing more to say right then. So he just smiled and walked away.
“God I need a cold shower after that”
˚₊‧꒰ა 𓂋 ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
Turns out it wasn’t a cold shower but nevertheless, a shower. The steam from your shower still clung to your skin as you stepped into the parlor car, toweling your damp hair with one hand, dressed in your usual cozy nightwear. You’d taken your time lingering under the hot water, trying to shake off the strange feeling that had settled in your chest after the spar with Sunday.
It was the way he looked at you. Still. Quiet. And how you hadn’t wanted to move. You exhaled, trying to shove the memory aside. Maybe it was just adrenaline. Heat of the moment stuff. Totally normal when you faceplant into someone’s lap. Right?
As you rounded the corner into the parlor car, voices floated up from the seating area. You paused half curious, half wary.
“…I’m telling you,” came March’s unmistakable whisper. “They were on top of each other. Like, full on dramatic slow motion fall. And neither of them moved for a good ten seconds. It was so weirdly quiet. I thought they were gonna kiss.”
Your stomach dropped. Your face lit up like a reactor core.
“March.” That was Dan Heng. His tone had that deadpan flatness that meant you’re being ridiculous again.
“No, I’m serious!” March hissed. “It was intense. They were looking at each other like… like in one of those cheesy holo dramas. And she totally forgot I was there. I had to back out slowly like I was interrupting something.”
“Maybe you were,” Caelus muttered under his breath.
“EXACTLY,” March said. “I mean, I always thought something might happen, but not this soon. And with Sunday? He’s like… all elegant and mysterious”
“I heard that.”
Three heads whipped around at once. You stood in the doorway, arms crossed, still towel drying your hair, blinking at them like you’d just caught them stealing cookies.
March squeaked and jumped three inches off the couch. “You! When did you get there?!”
“Long enough,” you said flatly, stepping fully into the car. “Long enough to hear my public execution.”
March scrambled to explain herself, hands flailing. “No no no! It wasn’t an execution, it was it was a friendly dramatic retelling! Like bedtime gossip!”
You stared at her. Dan Heng looked like he was rethinking every decision that led him to this moment. Caelus was trying very hard not to laugh.
You pointed at March. “Next time, announce the playbill if you’re gonna perform my personal life in three acts.”
“I didn’t mean it in a bad way!” March said, now clutching a cushion to her face. “Honestly, I thought it was kind of cute!”
“March.”
“Okay! Okay! I’ll stop talking!”
You plopped down into the seat beside her, stealing the cushion from her arms to bury your face in it.
“I hate everything,” came your muffled voice.
Dan Heng finally looked up from his book. “So… did anything actually happen?”
You didn’t answer. When you pulled the pillow away, your face was still pink. You shrugged. You slumped into the seat and closed your eyes.
˚₊‧꒰ა 𓂋 ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
You walked along the glowing path of the new planet’s market district, your boots clicking softly against the polished stone. Lanterns floated above the crowd, casting a warm shimmer over everything, and strange alien wind chimes tinkled softly in the breeze. It was one of the calmer stops for the Astral Express no explosions, no urgent missions. Just exploration, some research, and a little breathing room.
You sipped your drink a fizzy, spiced thing with a color that probably wasn’t natural and hummed to yourself as you trailed behind March and Caelus. They were arguing about the best souvenir to bring back for Pom–Pom.
You lingered by a street vendor selling constellation shaped pastries when a man tall, smug, and clearly very into himself sidled up beside you.
“You look like you could use some company,” he said, his tone low and confident, like he thought he was the main character in a romance drama.
You blinked, startled. “I’m uh, I’m good, thanks.”
But he didn’t get the hint. He smiled wider, stepping just a little closer. “You sure? Someone like you shouldn’t spend a night like this alone. I know a place nearby quiet, private. Just you and me, maybe some music”
“Wow,” you interrupted, trying to laugh it off. “That’s… forward.”
“Life’s short,” he replied smoothly. “Why waste time pretending?”
You took a step back, now officially uncomfortable. “Really, I’m not interested”
“She’s not.”
The voice came from behind you, calm and steady. Sunday. You turned your head just as he stepped into view, his hands in his coat pockets, expression unreadable but voice just sharp enough to cut tension.
“She’s my girlfriend,” he added casually. “She’s not into that sort of thing.”
Your eyes widened. Girlfriend? Oh.
The guy blinked, his confidence faltering. “Oh I didn’t realize…”
“Now you do,” Sunday said, still polite, still calm. “You can move along.”
The man muttered something under his breath and walked off, melting into the crowd like smoke.
You exhaled slowly. “Okay. That was…”
“Uncomfortable,” Sunday finished for you, tilting his head slightly. “He wasn’t taking the hint.”
“No kidding,” you muttered. Then, with a faint smile, “Thanks for the save.”
He looked at you, eyes softening just a little. “You looked like you needed one.”
You nodded. “I did. But also ‘girlfriend?’ Really?”
“Seemed effective,” he replied without missing a beat. “Was I wrong to assume you wouldn’t want to go home with a stranger tonight?”
You laughed, shaking your head. “No, definitely not wrong. Just… caught me off guard.”
He gave a small shrug. “You can correct the record if you want.”
You looked at him, thoughtful now. The lantern light played against the sharp lines of his face, but his gaze was gentle, open.
“Nah,” you said, voice light. “Let them think I’ve got someone.”
Sunday gave the smallest smile. And then, almost too quiet to hear. “Maybe someday they’ll be right.”
You turned to him but he was already walking ahead, hands still in his pockets, calm as ever. You blinked. Then grinned.
˚₊‧꒰ა 𓂋 ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
March wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. Not really. She had just been browsing one of the cute trinket stalls on the edge of the plaza admiring some heart shaped glass charms when she heard your voice from the next row over. You sounded… awkward. Uncomfortable.
Curious, March peeked around the corner, just in time to see some local guy lean in too close to you. His tone was oily, confident in that blech kind of way that made her want to throw a glowing pebble at his head. You were clearly trying to shake him off.
“She’s my girlfriend.”
March’s soul left her body.
Sunday’s voice was smooth and even, not threatening, but with that finality that made the creepy guy instantly freeze. He stepped up beside you with this casual calm, hands in his coat pockets, expression unreadable but there was no doubt in his tone.
“She’s not into that sort of thing,” he added coolly. “You can move along.”
The guy mumbled something and slinked away. March’s brain started loding the spinny ball of death.
Girlfriend? GIRLFRIEND?!
She didn’t even mean to gasp aloud, but it happened. Thankfully, no one heard. She ducked back behind the trinket stall, crouching like she was dodging a security drone. Her heart thumped against her ribs. When she peeked again, you were talking to Sunday, flustered and blushing. He stood there like it was nothing, like he hadn’t just set the local rumor mill on fire with one casual sentence.
March didn’t wait another second. She took off sprinting.
“I’M SORRY BUT THIS IS AN EMERGENCY.”
Caelus and Dan Heng both jumped in their seats as March burst into the tea shop, nearly knocking over a decorative lantern in her haste.
Dan Heng put down his cup with a sigh. “Let me guess.”
“No no guessing. Just listen.” March bent over the table, panting dramatically. “Sunday just called her his girlfriend. To a random guy. Who was hitting on her.”
Caelus blinked. “Wait. What?”
“You heard me! He said it without hesitation., ‘She’s my girlfriend.’ Boom. IT WAS SO KNIGHT IN SHINNING ARMOUR.”
Dan Heng raised an eyebrow. “And she didn’t correct him?”
“Not at all! She blushed! She just stood there blushing!”
Caelus slowly grinned. “Huh. I thought we were still in the pining phase.”
“That’s what I thought too!” March wailed, dropping into a seat across from them. “I thought I had time to mentally prepare for the will they won’t they!”
Dan Heng leaned back. “Maybe they skipped to the good part.”
March glared. “This is a story, Dan Heng. There’s a structure.”
Caelus sipped his tea again, amused. “BUT LIKE he did that just to protect her. Im sure we would do the same thing”
“Shhhhh are either of you wanting to marry her and want to look longingly at her.”
Dan Heng muttered, “I don’t think that that matters when you’re watching out for someone”
March just pointed toward the plaza. “Mark my words. Those losers are happening .”
˚₊‧꒰ა 𓂋 ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
March 7 lay curled beneath her mountain of pastel blankets, one leg sticking out, mouth slightly open, a bubble of drool forming with every breath. She looked… innocent. Unaware. Vulnerable.
Perfect. You stood at the edge of her bed, Caelus beside you, both cloaked in shadows and silence. “She sleeps like someone who hasn’t committed crimes,” you whispered.
“She sleeping like she didn’t fully diss Dan Heng and I for just existing,” Caelus murmured, smirking. “She called me a coward yesterday for not pushing you two together faster.”
You narrowed your eyes at the blissfully unaware March, a mischievous grin tugging at your lips. “Your time of reckoning is over.”
And then, like a flash of divine vengeance, the pillow came down. WHUMP. March jolted awake with a squeak, arms flailing, hair a tangled mess. “WHAT WHO”
“JUSTICE,” you declared, striking again, this time dual wielding pillows like a vengeful sleep deprived warlord. “FOR PEACEFUL EXISTENCE.”
“TRAITOR!” March screamed as another pillow hit her in the face, this one clearly Caelus’s, who was now leaning against her dresser and howling with laughter. “You were supposed to be neutral!”
“I was never neutral,” Caelus grinned, tossing another pillow into your hands like a loyal arms dealer. “I just picked the winning side.”
“You picked VIOLENCE!”
“You picked CRAZY
Pillows flew. March kicked off her covers and dove behind the mountain of backup pillows she had an arsenal you knew too well. She emerged like a pink haired general, dual wielding plushies shaped like various alien mascots.
“I DID NOTHING TO YOU CAELUS!” she shouted, flinging one at Caelus’s head. “I THOUGHT YOU SHIPPED THIS LIKE ME! AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?!”
“I WAS trying to make it happen, March!” you cackled, blocking her throw with your arm. “but you’re crazy lady.”
“Because SOMEBODY has to!”
The room became a flurry of feathers and yells, the floor littered with fabric casualties. March screamed something about “romantic sabotage” while Caelus used a star shaped cushion as a shield and tried not to collapse from laughter. Eventually, panting and half buried beneath a pile of glittery pillows, March flopped onto her back.
“This isn’t over,” she wheezed. “You might’ve won the battle…”
You sat on the floor, leaning against her bedframe, heart light and cheeks aching from laughing too hard. March peeked at you with a sleepy, dramatic glare.
“Just admit you like him,” she muttered.
You grinned. “No comment.”
Caelus snorted. “So that’s a yes.”
˚₊‧꒰ა 𓂋 ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
The corridor was quiet, save for the distant, muffled thumps echoing from March’s room. Sunday padded down the hall in soft slippers, wrapped in a navy blue pajama set that still looked oddly regal despite the sleepy looseness of it. The collar was slightly askew, and his curls had lost their typical styling, falling gently across his forehead. He wasn’t sure what had drawn him toward the commotion curiosity, perhaps. Or maybe instinct.
The door to March’s room was open just enough. And there you were. Mid laugh, caught in the middle of a pillow war that had clearly escalated. Caelus was ducked behind a wardrobe like it was a bunker, March stood on her bed like a self declared queen of feathers, and you glorious in your pyjamas were twirling a pillow like a blade of justice.
Feathers floated through the air like snowflakes. Sunday didn’t move. He leaned against the doorframe, half in shadow, just out of your view. And he watched. And he smiled. He’d grown up in rooms where laughter felt rehearsed. Where joy was reserved for ceremonies, and everything had meaning, even the silence. He had known peace, yes but the kind that was still, stagnant. Like a pond reflecting stars instead of the sky itself.
Robin had always tried to shield him. Kept him wrapped in the comfort of his ideals, gave him a dream so beautiful he forgot what real light looked like. Messy, loud, brilliant life. The way your hair stuck to your cheek with sweat, the way your eyes gleamed as you dodged March’s wild throw, the unfiltered, unashamed joy in your voice as you shouted something absurd about “pillow fueled vengeance.”
He’d never seen experienced this feeling. Sunday’s heart thudded quietly in his chest, a rhythm that didn’t belong to the Family or any script he’d ever memorized. He liked that you weren’t afraid to be ridiculous. That you laughed freely. That you made others laugh.
He liked that you didn’t seem to carry your burdens in front of him not because they didn’t exist, but because you chose, for a moment, not to let them define you. he liked that when you were with your friends like this, you looked entirely untouchable. Unreachable. He wanted to reach anyway. But he stayed still. Let the moment stay yours. A feather floated past his cheek. Sunday blinked once, then quietly turned, retreating back down the hall before anyone noticed. He didn’t need to be in that moment to be part of it.
˚₊‧꒰ა 𓂋 ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
Feathers still drifted in your hair. Your arms ached from swinging pillows like weapons of mass destruction. March had declared herself “the rightful queen of shipwide shipping” before collapsing in a pile of her own making, and Caelus was last seen crawling down the hallway muttering something about betrayal and glitter.
You didn’t make it to your room. Your legs had carried you halfway down the train, and then… gave up. The Parlor Car welcomed you with soft lights and the hush of starlight outside the window. It was quiet here. Peaceful. And most importantly there was a couch.
You barely noticed the figure already sitting there. You just dropped into the opposite end of the long velvet seat with a graceless thump, curling onto your side and sighing like the soul had been knocked out of you. Your hair stuck to your forehead. Your shirt was rumpled. You didn’t even bother taking off your socks.
Sleep claimed you within seconds. Sunday, seated near the center of the couch with a book resting gently across his lap, blinked slowly. He hadn’t even heard you come in. His eyes drifted from the page, tracing over your sleeping form. The way your chest rose and fell. The faint smudge of pillow war aftermath still clinging to your cheek. One of your shoes had fallen off somewhere on the way in your foot dangled off the edge of the couch, sock half hanging.
You looked peaceful. He closed the book without a sound. He stood, quietly padded over to the small linen cabinet near the entrance of the car, and pulled out a soft, navy blue blanket. One of Himeko’s spares, likely. He unfolded it carefully, draped it over you from shoulders to toes, and adjusted it so it wouldn’t slip off during the night.
Then he knelt beside the couch, brushing a stray feather from your hair with a light, careful touch. in a voice only the walls heard, he murmured,
“Sleep well. May your dreams never be burdens.”
He lingered for a moment, hand resting just beside your shoulder. Then he moved to the nearby armchair, sat down, and tilted his head toward the stars just outside the wide train windows. His book remained unopened in his lap, forgotten. He didn’t need it. Tonight, the soft rhythm of your breathing was enough.
"stop calling him babygirl, that is a grown man" TELL THE ARTISTS THAT, THEN
so tired of having to cook and trying to figure out wtf to eat, can I just have like. Specialized human dog food or something, like some vegetable and protein biscuits and a special drink so that I only have to think about maybe cooking something once a day instead.
“Bet you’re thinkin’ of me while he’s fucking you, huh?”
❧ Synopsis | In which Choso Kamo, your asshole of a best friend, starts to change after you get involved with a rather cheeky cashier, Gojo Satoru.
❧ Pairings | Choso Kamo x f!reader & Gojo Satoru x f!reader
❧ Need To Know | This story was originally written by me on wattpad with different characters. It got deleted & I moved here.
❧ Contents | afab!reader, explicit nsfw scenes, college non-curse au, toxic altercations, angst, reader lowkey hops around between the two, jealousy, possessiveness, slut activities, gen z references, alcohol, fluff, 18+ scenes, porn w plot, etc.
1 | Something about you
2 | draws me so close
3 | that it has to
4 | be true.
5 | My hearts light
| @kamiversee | ff status; ongoing | updates; spontaneous— I am on vaycay right now so they’ll be a bit slow. |
Bruh one of my fav authors is a pedo
Why did you gotta talk to kids that way man...
Sunday HSR X Reader
masterlist
part 1
its a little bit of a different format!! be warned because i know the first part was well loved
this is technically a part 2 though its a little more angsty but I tried to still hold the same dynamic. Sunday having some self doubt is a warning. You don’t need to read this part but you’d need to read the first part to make this make sense.
˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ Something cold brushed your cheek. You stirred, barely, burying your face deeper into the couch cushion. The blanket someone had kindly placed over you was warm and smelled faintly of lavender. The lights in the Parlor Car had dimmed. The stars outside twinkled lazily, unmoving.
“HEY! HEY! WAKE UP!!”
“AAAHHH” Your body spasmed upright as your eyes flew open in a panic. You blinked wildly, sleep still clawing at the corners of your vision. Something someone was screaming directly into your ear, high pitched and furious and
“We’re about to make a jump! All passengers must be prepped and present! Did you think this was a nap train?! Come on, come on!”
“PomPom?” you croaked, eyes wide and dazed, hair in complete disarray. the tiny conductor screeched, arms flailing, foot tapping with enough force you swore you could feel it through the couch. “We jump in fifteen minutes! FIFTY FIVE SECONDS of that are already gone! Do you want to arrive half dreaming and in pajamas?!”
You blinked again, your heart now racing for a whole new reason. The blanket slid off your shoulders. Across the room, seated calmly with tea in hand, Welt Yang gave you an apologetic nod as if this sort of thing wasnt normal. Beside him, Himeko, already dressed in her usual beautiful self with not a single red strand out of place, smiled gently. “Good morning, sleepyhead. You should hurry. These jumps can be disorienting if you’re not prepared.”
“Right. Yes. Okay. Jump. We’re jumping.” You stood too fast. The blanket tripped you. Your leg knocked into the table, rattling Himeko’s teacup. “Sorry! Sorry. I!”
“Just go get dressed!” PomPom wailed. “You’re embarrassing me”
You scrambled out of the Parlor Car, heart pounding, brain trying to catch up to your body.The halls of the Astral Express were softly lit, calm in contrast to your internal panic. You stumbled into your room, kicked the door shut behind you, and launched into the most frantic wardrobe selection of your life. Pajamas off. Shirt on backwards. Fixed. Pants? Where were your pants? Oh god, you’d slept in one sock and now you were wearing mismatched ones but there wasn’t time to change. You brushed your hair with your fingers, tied it up…. was that a feather from last night still in there? You stopped. Looked in the mirror. Your cheeks were flushed. There were faint sleep lines on one side of your face. But your eyes were awake now alive with motion, with chaos. And as you adjusted your jacket and took one last breath, you had a glimpse of something else.
The navy blue blanket where you’d tossed it before rushing out.
Sunday.
You paused, just for a moment. The memory of his soft voice in your sleep though you hadn’t really heard the words lingered faintly, like a dream half remembered. Had he really just sat there and let you rest? You smiled without meaning to, but only for a moment. Pom Pom’s voice echoed from the hallway again.
“FIVE MINUTES! And not a second more!”
“Coming!” you yelled, grabbing your boots and stumbling out of the room like a storm with arms. You arrived at the boarding deck just as the others began gathering. Caelus was still tugging on his coat, March was fixing her scarf as if her entire existence depended on the perfect loop, and Dan Heng had been ready fifteen minutes ago and clearly didn’t understand why the rest of you looked like you’d been hit by a comet. Sunday was there too. Fully dressed. Elegant even in simplicity. His hair was slicked back, a calm expression on his face as he glanced your way and then, just for a second, something softened in his gaze when he saw you.
“Sleep well?” he asked quietly as you joined the group.
You nodded, tugging your jacket into place. “Yeah. Thanks for the blanket.”
He tilted his head. “Seemed like you had an adventurous night?”
You blinked at him. But his eyes sparkled, just a little. The floor beneath your feet gave a small rumble. Lights along the ceiling began to pulse with color. Pom Pom stood atop the central platform, now fully in Conductor Mode, voice echoing with more authority than their small frame should’ve ever allowed.
“Next stop,” Pom-Pom announced, “an old and well met planet, we are visiting Jarilo-VI again”
The ship jumped. You barely had time to brace, but this time, it didn’t feel so disorienting. Maybe because you were surrounded by them. Your crew. Your friends. Or the fact that next to you in the parlour car, Sunday is always taking in the works around him like he was just born. So much wonder made you feel so fortunate. You weren’t entirely sure when that started to feel comforting. But it did.
˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ Jarilo-VI welcomed the Astral Express crew with its usual frosty greeting icy winds sweeping the platform, snow clinging to every rooftop and ledge, and that quiet stillness in the air that only came with winter.
You stepped off the train behind the others, watching your breath fog in front of your face. The city beyond still stood proud despite its scars. Belobog had changed since you were last here less tension, more movement. There was life in the people’s steps now. A subtle, growing hope.
March was already snapping pictures of Caelus helping a local child shovel snow off the street, her voice excited and dramatic. “Sometkme i look at him and wish I had that drive but he does stuff like he has daily tasks or commissions”
Caelus was half buried in a snowbank but gave a thumbs up. Dan Heng, coat already pristine and zipped, muttered something under his breath and walked ahead toward the Administrative District. He’d been assigned to assist with a few lingering logistics, as had Himeko and Welt. The grown ups, as March dubbed them. You? You had been told absolutely nothing.
No tasks. No missions. Not even a clipboard. Which was exactly why, once everyone else had scattered, you stayed behind. Your eyes trailed over the rooftops dusted with white, the distant roads sloping down into familiar territory. Serval’s workshop, maybe. Or even a chance run in with Bronya or Gepard. Heck, you’d even take a weird monologue from Sampo as long as you weren’t standing still in the cold. You adjusted your coat and turned to sneak off “You’re not going alone, are you?”
You flinched and turned around quickly. Sunday stood just behind you on the platform, arms folded loosely across his chest, eyes squinting slightly at the sun reflecting off the snow. Still in his usual attire, not a shred of weather appropriate attire in sight. He blinked slowly, then added, “I thought I might accompany you. If you don’t mind.”
You hesitated. He didn’t ask why you were going. Just wanted to tag along.
“Sure,” you said, smiling, “but not like that. You’ll die in five minutes.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I’ve survived much worse.”
“Yeah, sure. luxury suits. Come on.”
You motioned for him to follow and dragged him back into the Express, heading straight for the storage closet where everyone’s winter gear was kept. You shoved open the door and started rummaging. He watched you with amused patience as you returned with armfuls of thick clothes. You tossed a jacket at him navy, heavy, with silver trim. He barely caught it before you were already looping a scarf around his neck, standing on tiptoe to reach properly. “Arms up,” you ordered, like he was a kindergartener and not a six foot tall enigma.
“You’re very particular about this,” he murmured as you tugged the sleeves over his arms and zipped the coat halfway up his chest.
“You probably haven’t even seen snow before,” you muttered, voice muffled as you fixed the scarf, “Pretty boy like you? I bet Penacony was all dream beaches and sun.” You tugged a beanie over his perfectly styled hair. “This would eat you alive.”
“I think I’m capable of”
“There.” You stepped back, satisfied, and grinned. “Now you look like a fashionable marshmallow.” Behind you, a suppressed snort cracked the silence. You didn’t even turn. “March, if you even think about saying anything, I’m throwing snow down your coat.” More giggling. Retreating footsteps. Sunday glanced in the direction of the sound and then looked back at you, blinking under the knit hat you’d shoved onto his head. “Am I… presentable?”
You pretended to examine him, chin in your hand like an artist judging a sculpture. “You’ll survive. If only just.”
His smile was subtle, but it reached his eyes. Together, you stepped off the train and began your slow descent into the city. Jarilo-VI was still beautiful in the way icy sunlight catching on rooftops, the clink of tools and laughter echoing from a few shops that had reopened. As you both walked, you explained what each building had been during the whole event when the astral crew were all there, and how things had changed. Sunday didn’t speak much, but he listened. Genuinely. His hands stayed in his pockets, but his eyes followed every movement children pulling sleds, old workers salting roads, steam curling from chimneys.
“It’s different here,” he said softly after a while.
You hummed. “Cold?”
“it feels like fresh air.” His breath fogged in the air. “I used to think eternity would be the only path to peace”
You turned to look at him. He shook his head. “Its so nice to see people out.” His gaze dropped to the footprints the two of you left behind in the snow. You smiled.
“Also,” he added lightly, “I haven’t felt my fingers in the past twenty minutes. So perhaps you were right.”
“Well no duh” you grinned, and bumped his shoulder gently. “Welcome to winter, dream boy.”
˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ Eventually, you ended up outside Serval’s workshop, laughter and music spilling from the inside. She was strumming her guitar for a cluster of teens, everyone bundled up with hot drinks and wool scarves. The moment Serval spotted you, her eyes sparkled with mischief and she called out, “Hey! You brought a date?”
You flushed immediately. “He’s not”
“I’m here by choice,” Sunday cut in smoothly, tugging his scarf down just enough to speak clearly. His voice was calm, a slight smirk on his lips. “Don’t let her flustered denial fool you.”
You shot him a look, but he only raised a brow in amusement.
One of the teens whispered, “Is that guy famous or something?” Another murmured, “He looks like he owns a whole company.”
You buried your face in your scarf.
˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ Later, as the sun dipped and shadows grew long, the two of you sat at the edge of the city, the rooftops of Belobog glowing gold beneath a dusky sky. You handed Sunday the last bit of your hot drink without looking at him. He accepted it, hands brushing yours, and took a sip.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice more serious now. “For letting me come along.”
“I didn’t do it for you,” you muttered, gaze fixed ahead. “I just needed a tall coat rack.”
There was a pause, then a soft chuckle. “Then I hope I’m fulfilling my purpose admirably.”
When you didn’t reply, he added, quieter, “I don’t take your time for granted. I’m glad to be here with you.”
That made your heart skip. You looked away, flustered, and he didn’t push. The stillness wrapped around you both like a blanket, snowflakes drifting lazily in the air. You leaned back on the bench, exhaling slowly.
“Hey! Hey, there you are!”
You both turned to find Lynx bounding up the road, scarf trailing and cheeks pink from the cold. “There’s a frozen lake just outside the city! We cleared it for skating come join us! Serval’s already out there bullying Gepard, and I need backup.”
You stood, grinning. “Say no more. I’m in.” You glanced at Sunday. “C’mon.”
He blinked, surprised. “I’m sorry what exactly are we doing?”
“Skating.”
“…That’s like walking but more dangerous?”
“You’ll be fine.” You patted his shoulder. “You’ve survived worse.”
“I’m not convinced this counts as survival.”
You were already walking, but he didn’t hesitate long. He stood with a quiet sigh, resigned but not unwilling. “I assume you’ll mock me if I fall.”
You smiled over your shoulder. “Respectfully.” You smirked. “Come on. We’ll get you moving.” He hesitated but only for a second. Lynx clapped her hands and turned back toward the main street, clearly expecting you both to follow. You tossed Sunday a look, and he reluctantly stood with that soft little sigh of surrender he always gave around you. In retrospect the lake wasn’t far just past a ridge near the edge of Belobog’s perimeter. It was tucked away like a secret winter garden. A large sheet of glassy ice shimmered in the moonlight, surrounded by snowy banks and pine trees dusted in white.
A few lanterns had been strung up between wooden poles, casting golden halos onto the lake’s surface. Music played faintly from a small speaker on the snowbank, something upbeat and old school that you suspected came from Serval’s collection. And there they were: Serval, skating backwards with way too much confidence, trying to start a conga line with a group of teens nearby. Gepard, already red in the face as he stumbled along the ice, attempting to catch up to her. You were pulling on your skates before Sunday even had a chance to decline. Lynx offered to help him get into his pair, but you shooed her off.
You stood on the lake first, gliding across the surface like it was second nature, your balance steady and posture relaxed. Lynx clapped excitedly as you looped around her, grabbing her hands and pulling her onto the ice.
“Wait wait wait!” she squealed, trying not to fall as you twirled her.
You laughed freely, cheeks flushed and heart light.
“You’re weirdly good at this!” she cried.
“I have secret skills,” you said with mock seriousness.
“I literally live here, how are you like this.” Lynx replied. you winked. Gepard was the next target.
“Hey, Captain,” you called, skating up beside him with a wide grin, “Race you to that snowbank.”
He narrowed his eyes, the same competitive spark you remembered lighting up in them. “You’re on.” Two seconds later, you were both flying across the ice, skates slicing through it with sharp precision. Three seconds after that, you crashed spectacularly into the snowbank, laughing as you rolled over onto your back and blinked up at the stars.
“You okay?” Gepard asked, snow clinging to his uniform.
“I’ve been better,” you wheezed, still laughing. Serval skated over next and dropped onto her knees beside you. “You die?”
“Spiritually.”
The next ten minutes were a blur of white flurries and screaming as Serval roped you into a full scale ambush on the Landaus. Lynx betrayed you instantly. Gepard tried to remain neutral. It didn’t work. You laughed until your stomach hurt, until your hair was full of snow and your gloves were soaked and all the while, Sunday watched from the sidelines, sitting alone on the bench near the treeline. His winter coat bundled around him, scarf you wrapped earlier still snug around his neck.
His eyes followed your every move. Your joy was loud. Free. Untamed. He watched as you threw snow with both hands, collapsed in a heap of laughter, and got back up just to do it again. Your smile wasn’t measured. It wasn’t perfect. It reminded him of what should have been. Of what he never had. His own sister had never laughed like that. Robin had smiled, yes, but it was always rehearsed duty bound. Everything in Penacony was orchestrated. Everything was planned. Conditional. watching you here, he felt it again, that strange ache. That pull toward something… unconditional. It made his chest tight.
“You’re not gonna sit there all night, are you?” Serval’s voice cut through his thoughts. He turned slowly to see her smirking down at him, hands on her hips. “Why don’t you get out there? She’ll catch you if you fall.”
“…I have no experience skating.”
“Exactly why you should.” She leaned in slightly. “You two act like you’re not into each other, but you’ve got the tension of Bronya and Seele after seeing each other for too long” His eyes flicked up to her.
She winked. “Go on, dream boy.”
You were in the middle of trying to help Lynx build a snow cat when a shadow fell over you. You turned. Sunday stood awkwardly in borrowed skates, hands in his pockets.
“…I believe I require assistance.”
Your brows lifted. “You’re actually going to try?”
“I was… encouraged.”
You snorted and skated over. “Okay, come here.” You held out your hands, and he took them without hesitation.
“Bend your knees slightly,” you instructed, “and keep your core tight.”
“I feel like I’m being trained for battle.”
“well trying anything new kinda feels like that.”
His feet slipped, and he lunged slightly but you caught him. You laughed, and he stared at you. “I will admit,” he said quietly, “the company makes it tolerable.”
You felt your smile soften. You pulled him gently along the ice, step by slow step. He clung to your hands like they were lifelines. Lynx waved at you two from across the lake. Serval gave a not so subtle thumbs up. You pretended not to see them.
˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ warmth immediately spilled into your bones, melting away the bite of the Belobog chill still clinging to your coat. You stepped inside with Sunday beside you, arms still linked, boots dripping faint traces of snow onto the polished floor.
His scarf was still a little uneven where you’d adjusted it earlier, and his cheeks held the last blush of cold. His steps were careful, as they had been all night, but steadier now. You were guiding him more than anything. Not that he’d admit it.
You glanced at him as the doors closed behind you.
“You know,” you started, “I think you’ve set a record for the most times someone’s fallen in one walk.”
“I would prefer it not be the legacy I leave behind,” Sunday replied, smooth and quiet, a faint wryness in his voice. “Though you seem particularly fond of recounting each incident.”
“I’m preserving history,” you said, stifling a laugh. “Someone has to tell the tale of the Great Trip of Ten Feet Past the Bench.”
His gaze shifted down toward you, expression unreadable but fond. “If I recall, you were laughing too hard to be of any assistance.”
“I got there eventually,” you said innocently. “Besides, you falling over is weirdly elegant. Like watching a tree try to curtsy.”
That pulled a quiet breath from him, something like a laugh but more reserved. “It was… a good night.”
You smiled at that, more to yourself than anything. “Yeah. It was.”
The two of you walked a little slower now, letting the soft lights of the Express guide your path past the Parlor Car. Himeko’s voice murmured faintly from the direction of the tea table. Someone probably Dan Heng had left a book open on one of the lounge chairs.
You and Sunday paused in the corridor just before it branched off into your rooms. The moment hung there, gentle and still. He looked at you, his tone quieter now. “Thank you… for inviting me.”
You tilted your head, a little amused. “Pretty sure you invited yourself.”
“I did,” he admitted, “but you didn’t send me away.”
Your smile lingered, warm. “Wouldn’t have, even if you asked.”
He gave a small nod, the weight of the day still visible in the curve of his shoulders, but there was ease there too like something heavy had been left behind in the snow.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.
You didn’t let go of his arm right away, but when you did, your hands brushed one last time. He turned with quiet steps and disappeared down the hallway toward his room, the soft rustle of his coat fading behind him.
You stood there for a moment longer, just listening. The train hummed, steady beneath your feet. The stars drifted lazily outside the windows. Eventually, you turned and wandered toward the main lounge where March was curled up on the couch with a blanket, swiping through pictures on her camera.
She looked up as you walked in and grinned. “Okay. You have to see this one Bronya mid fall. her arms are doing this dramatic flailing thing. I swear, it’s like ballet.”
You laughed and plopped down beside her, glancing over at the tiny screen. “She did try to defend her honor.”
“Yeah, and then immediately ate ice again,” March said, beaming. “And you and Sunday? how was that today… nothing out of the ordinary…”
You rolled your eyes, reaching for a throw pillow. “You’re imagining things.”
March wiggled her eyebrows. “Sure I am.”
You stayed a few minutes longer, sharing stories, teasing each other in the soft glow of the lounge, until your body finally reminded you how tired you were. After promising to join her again tomorrow for more photo reviews, you stood with a stretch and padded quietly down the hallway. The lights dimmed slightly as you reached your door, and in the stillness, you caught yourself thinking back on the day. The snow. The skating. The way Sunday had looked at you when he said he didn’t mind being useful if it was to you.
The crew slept quietly around you. The hum of its systems was softer in the middle of the night, like even the machine itself had tucked in. You hadn’t meant to stay up this late but after tossing and turning in bed, your sweet tooth had convinced you to sneak down to the kitchen car. Just something small. A cookie or two. Maybe something warm to hold for a while.
You were on your way back now, satisfied and relaxed, your steps light as you padded barefoot through the dim halls. Most of the lights had dimmed to a faint glow, golden enough to keep the shadows at bay but soft enough not to wake anyone. A few stars shimmered lazily beyond the train windows, the galaxy at peace. Everyone else had already turned in. You were on your way to do the same when a quiet sound halted your steps near the guest car a space meant for travelers passing through, those not quite crew but not strangers either. Sunday stayed there.
Your hand hovered over the handle to your room, ready to turn in at last until you heard it. A sound. It came from the guest car just around the bend. Your brows furrowed. Everyone else had already turned in. You were on your way to do the same when a quiet sound halted your steps near the guest car a space meant for travelers passing through, those not quite crew but not strangers either. Sunday stayed there.
You stayed still, holding your breath. There it was again. A stifled breath. The kind someone might mistake for a cough if they weren’t paying attention.
But you were paying attention. It was the sound of someone trying not to cry. Your first instinct was to leave him be let him have his space, his privacy. But the image of him skating with shaking knees and guarded pride, of the way his eyes had softened during the snowball fights, lingered too vividly. The fondness you felt for him wasn’t something you could ignore. You stepped away from your door and moved toward his.
The door to his room was slightly ajar. You didn’t call out. Probably should’ve knocked. You just stepped inside quietly, drawn by something you didn’t have the words for. The room was dim, lit only by the faint starlight filtering in through the window. Sunday sat upright on the edge of the bed, his coat shrugged off and draped over the chair. He hadn’t changed for sleep. His eyes were red, his shoulders trembling just slightly. He was turned away, both hands clasped as if trying to hold himself together.
You simply knelt in front of him, your knees pressing into the floor, eyes searching his face until he finally looked down. His breath hitched at the sight of you. His lips parted like he might try to speak, but nothing came. So you offered your hand. No words. No expectations. Just your hand, palm up, waiting. He stared at it for a moment. Then, slowly hesitantly he reached out and took it. His fingers were cold. His grip was light at first, like he didn’t quite trust himself to hold on. But then he exhaled, the breath catching at the end, and he interlocked his fingers with yours. He didn’t cry again, not right away. He just breathed. Slow. Shaky. Like the pain had found a safe place to settle.
Minutes passed. And then, quietly, he spoke. “…You looked so beautiful today,” he whispered. “With the others. With that girl… her laugh reminded me of Robin’s.”
Your thumb gently brushed over the back of his hand. “She always tried to laugh like that,” he said. “But it was always… restrained. Like it had to be measured. Beautiful, but… not direct.” His voice broke. “Not like yours.”
You stayed still, grounded, letting the silence hold space for him. “I kept thinking… if she had a life like yours… if I had” He stopped, trembling again. “Every time I look at you, I learn something else I never knew I needed to value. Every gesture, every laugh, every time you reach out for someone like it’s nothing…” He shook his head, a small, helpless sound. “It teaches me what I missed. What she missed.”
You lifted your other hand to rest gently against his knee. His grip on your fingers tightened, like he needed something to hold on to.
“I’m afraid,” he admitted. “That the more I see, the more I’ll realize how empty everything I had really was. And yet, I can’t look away.”
He looked down at you again then, and in that moment, he didn’t look composed or mysterious or sharp. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “You shouldn’t have to see me like this.”
“You don’t have to apologize,” you said softly. “Im sorry for barging in.”
He exhaled again, a little steadier now, and lowered his forehead to rest gently against yours. There was no need to say anything else just yet. You were here.
You stayed like that for a while his forehead resting lightly against yours, his hand warm and solid in your own. The silence wasn’t heavy anymore. Then, slowly, you shifted. Still kneeling, you leaned forward, resting your head gently on his legs. Your cheek pressed to the soft fabric of his trousers, and your fingers relaxed around his.
Sunday froze, just for a moment. His breath hitched again, but not from pain this time. Then his hand moved. Carefully. Tentatively. Fingers brushing through your hair. He stroked it once. Then again, slower.
The movement was gentle like he wasn’t sure he deserved to touch you this way, but needed to anyway. Like this moment was fragile, and he was terrified of breaking it. You let him comfort himself in the rhythm of it, in the quiet press of your presence. The train hummed softly beneath you both, as if it too understood the importance of silence right now.
His hand paused only once just to curl lightly at the ends of your hair, like he was memorizing the texture. Then, after a while, he shifted forward, leaning down just slightly.
His hand cupped your face, thumb grazing along your cheek with a reverence that felt almost sacred. He pressed a kiss to the top of your head. He didn’t say anything after. He just stayed there, his hand still against your cheek, his other resting in your hair.
Eventually, he sighed, a sound almost reluctant to disturb the stillness.
“…If you stay like that much longer,” he murmured, voice low and hoarse from emotion, “your neck is going to ache terribly.”
You hummed softly, not moving just yet. Still, the smallest smile ghosted across your lips.
Hizashi Yamada X Reader Drabble/Crack
masterlist
a student calls you mom
·+̊🖇️✩ +̊🎧⊹♡ Setting up for Hizashi’s English class was something you did often as his TA, but today, you felt particularly playful. The classroom was empty, the morning sunlight casting golden rays through the windows as you arranged papers on his desk. Hizashi stood near the whiteboard, adjusting the projector settings, his glasses slipping slightly down his nose.
“You know, Y/N,” Hizashi mused, tapping at the keyboard, “I think these kids would riot if they knew how excited I was for today’s lesson.”
You chuckled, glancing over the syllabus. “They always riot when it comes to English.”
You smirked, stepping closer until you were right behind him. Your fingers ghosted over the fabric of his vest as you leaned in, breath warm against his ear.
“Oh, they always riot when it comes to english,” you murmured, voice dripping with mischief. “But lucky for you, I’m here. and the faster this lesson goes means we can finally have some… fun.”
Hizashi stiffened for half a second before he turned to you, eyes slightly wide behind his glasses. His ears, hidden beneath his wild blond hair, were definitely burning red. “Oh? Is that so?” His voice cracked just a little, and you bit your lip to hold back a laugh.
Before he could recover, the bell rang, signaling the start of class. The door swung open as students began filtering in, chatting amongst themselves. You took a casual step back, arms crossed, watching as Hizashi cleared his throat, adjusting his collar as if it would help hide his flustered expression.
“ALRIGHT, CLASS! LET’S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!” he boomed, though you could hear the slight edge in his voice.
A collective groan cut him off.
“Not English…” one student muttered, resting their forehead against the desk.
Another let out a dramatic sigh. “Why do we even need to learn this? Can’t we just use our quirks in other countries and let a translator handle it?”
You smirked, stepping forward. “Actually, no. A lot of hero agencies overseas require their heroes to have at least basic conversational skills in English. And trust me, you don’t want to be that one hero who has no idea what’s going on in a mission briefing.”
A few students exchanged glances, though the enthusiasm was still lacking.
Hizashi nodded. “Yeah! Plus, how are you gonna do interviews with foreign news outlets if ya don’t know what they’re askin’?”
“That’s what subtitles are for,” a student shot back, earning a few chuckles.
You sighed, shaking your head. “Look, I get it. English can be frustrating. But it’s not impossible. And since I actually spent time in America, I know the best ways to help you guys get comfortable with it.”
One student perked up. “You were in America?”
You nodded. “Yeah. A few months, actually. Lived there, worked there, and had to use English every single day. Trust me, I made all the mistakes you could possibly make, so I know exactly what you’re struggling with.”
“Wait… So you were, like, an American hero?”
“Not exactly,” you admitted. “More like I was there for a temporary collaboration. But I did patrols, worked with some American heroes, and had to communicate with civilians. So if you want to hear some embarrassing stories about me messing up English in public, now’s your chance.”
That seemed to spark some interest.
“Did you ever say something really bad by accident?”
“Oh, definitely.” You smirked, crossing your arms. “I once tried to compliment someone’s shirt and accidentally told them they looked like a banana.”
A few students laughed. Even Hizashi chuckled beside you.
“That’s what I’m talkin’ about!” he said, gesturing dramatically. “Language isn’t just about books and testsit’s about communication! And sometimes, communication is messy, but that’s how ya learn!”
The class groaned again, but at least this time, it was with less resistance.
You smirked. “Alright, let’s start simple. Let’s go around and have everyone introduce themselves in English. Just a basic ‘Hi, my name is ____, and my quirk is ____.’”
The students groaned again, but one by one, they hesitantly began their introductions, stumbling over words and laughing at their own mistakes. You and Hizashi guided them through the pronunciations, offering encouragement where needed.
Midway through the lesson, as you walked between desks helping students with their pronunciation, a sleepy voice mumbled, “Mom, how do you say ‘speed boost’ in English?”
Silence.
You blinked, turning slowly toward the student who had spoken. The entire class went dead quiet as the realization hit them. The student, wide eyed with horror, turned an impossible shade of red.
“I I mean uh” They clamped their hands over their mouth, mortified.
The room erupted into laughter. Even Hizashi doubled over, his laughter echoing through the classroom. You couldn’t help but smirk, arms crossed as you arched an eyebrow.
“Well,” you said, grinning, “at least you said it in English.”
·+̊🖇️✩ +̊🎧⊹♡
The final bell rang, signaling the end of class. Students packed up their things, still chuckling over the earlier slip up. The poor student who had accidentally called you “mom” had bolted out of the room the second they could, face burning red. You were still amused by it, though.
“Alright, see ya next class!” Hizashi called after the last few students, waving as they shuffled out the door.
Once the room was empty, you sighed, stretching your arms over your head. “Whew. That went better than expected.”
“Oh yeah?” Hizashi drawled, turning toward you with a mischievous glint in his eye. “You sure about that, Mommy?”
You froze. Then you turned to him slowly, narrowing your eyes. “…What did you just say?”
He grinned, far too pleased with himself. “What? I’m just embracing my student’s interpretation of our dynamic! I mean, you are helpin’ me teach, you keep ‘em in check feels pretty parental to me!” He stroked his chin dramatically. “Maybe I should start callin’ ya that more often”
You smacked his arm firm, but playful.
“OW!” He laughed, rubbing the spot where you hit him. “What?! It’s a term of endearment!”
You shook your head, grinning. “Oh, you think you’re funny, huh?”
“I know I’m funny.”
You crossed your arms, smirking. “Well… I could be a mommy.”
Silence.
Hizashi just stood there.
His expression froze completely like his brain had just cut out. He wasn’t even blinking, just staring at you with his mouth slightly open.
You bit back a laugh at the way his mind was clearly racing at a million miles per hour.
And then, just to mess with him even more, you leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his lips before pulling away and sauntering toward the door. “See you later, Daddy.”
You barely made it out of the room before he exploded.
“WH WAIT! HEY! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!”
You laughed as he stumbled after you, his voice rising in sheer panic and excitement.
“Babe, hold on WAIT A MINUTE” He caught up, following you into the hallway. “Are you just messin’ with me, or ? ‘Cause, like, if you’re serious”
You threw him a teasing look over your shoulder. “What? You want to make me a mom right now?”
His face went completely red, but his determination didn’t waver. “I MEAN IF YOU’RE DOWN I’M JUST SAYIN’”
You only laughed harder, enjoying how flustered he was. you had no doubt this is going to be a topic of discussion when you get home today.
Kon-el | Connor Kent X readerbatsis!
uhhh self indulgent bat family stuff
masterlist
This is mostly Batfamily X Batsis. Though I think I had enough Conner Kent X Reader to classify this as a thing.
GUYS I WROTE DAMIENS NAME WRONG THROUGHOUT THIS WAIT
✮ ⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。 ° ✩ The first thing you learn about your parents is that they are fundamentally incompatible. The second thing you learn is that they will never stop trying anyway.
You don’t remember a time when Bruce and Selina were ever something as simple as together. They exist in contradictions she flirts, he broods; she steals, he stops her; she leaves, he waits. You used to think they would eventually find a middle ground, but you’ve long since given up on that idea.
Bruce and Selina have always been on and off, a constant push and pull. He loves her, but he can’t accept her choices. She loves him, but she refuses to change for him. You grew up watching them dance around their feelings. One moment, she’s draped over his desk in the Batcave, teasing him, and the next, she’s gone without a trace, leaving only a cryptic note behind.
Still, they make sense, in a way that defies logic. And despite all their back and forth, they both love you just in completely different ways. The truth is, Bruce and Selina will never be able to give you the same kind of love.
⸻
“Again.”
You grit your teeth, clenching your fists as Bruce circles you in the Batcave’s training area. You’ve already gone through this drill a dozen times. Your muscles ache, your ribs are sore from earlier blows, but he’s relentless.
You feint left, then pivot sharply, throwing a kick at his side. He blocks it easily. Too easily. His expression remains unreadable, but you can feel his disapproval.
“Sloppy,” he says, stepping back. “You’re letting yourself get tired.”
“That’s because I am tired,” you snap. “We’ve been doing this for over an hour.”
He crosses his arms. “On the field, you don’t get to decide when you’re done.”
You roll your eyes. “Oh, but Tim does? Jason does? Even Damian doesn’t get this much micromanaging.”
Bruce’s jaw tightens. “This isn’t about them. It’s about you.”
“No, it’s about me being your daughter.”
His silence confirms it.
You let out a bitter laugh, shaking your head. “You trained all of them, let them fight their own battles. You trusted them to figure it out. But me? You’re scared to let me.”
Bruce’s expression darkens. “I’m not scared.”
“Then what is it?” you challenge, stepping closer. “You push me harder than you ever pushed them, but you still won’t let me prove myself. What’s the point of all this if you’re just going to hold me back?”
His voice is quiet when he finally answers. “Because I can’t lose you.”
The weight of those words presses against your chest. You want to be angry, to keep fighting him on this, but the raw emotion in his voice makes it impossible.
You don’t know what to say, so you settle for the only truth you have.
“You won’t,” you murmur. “But you have to let me go.”
Bruce doesn’t answer. He just exhales slowly, tension still radiating from his stance. You don’t expect him to change overnight, but at the very least, he doesn’t call for another round. That’s something.
⸻
Selina finds you hours later, sprawled out on the balcony of her penthouse. You weren’t planning on coming here tonight, but after your fight with Bruce, you needed air. And if there’s one thing Selina understands, it’s the need to escape.
She slides the glass door open, stepping onto the rooftop with effortless grace. “I thought I’d find you here.”
You don’t turn to face her. “Bruce is being impossible.”
She chuckles, settling beside you. “He’s still your dad don’t call him bruce, though when isn’t he?”
You sigh, tilting your head back against the cool metal railing. “I just… I don’t know how to make him see me as more than just his kid. He acts like I’ll break if I take one wrong step.”
Selina hums thoughtfully. “That’s what he does. He builds walls around the things he loves, convinces himself it’s the only way to keep them safe.”
You glance at her. “And you?”
She smirks. “Oh, I’d never keep a bird in a cage. I’d teach her to fly.”
There’s something appealing about that. With Selina, there are no rules, no suffocating restrictions. Just a quiet, unwavering confidence in your abilities. Even if you don’t approve of the way she lives, you can’t deny that she makes you feel free.
She pulls a small velvet pouch from her pocket and tosses it into your lap.
You raise a brow. “Do I want to know?”
She grins. “Just a little something I picked up.”
You groan, shoving it back at her. “I told you to stop giving me stolen jewelry.”
Selina only laughs. “It’s not stolen technically. I swapped it for something better.”
“That’s still stealing.”
“Details, darling.”
You can’t help but laugh. She winks, ruffling your hair before standing. “Come on. Let’s get something to eat before you let your father’s brooding ruin your whole night.”
You shake your head but follow her anyway.
For all their differences, Bruce and Selina have one thing in common: they both love you, fiercely.
Your dad will always try to protect you from the world. Your mom will always remind you that it’s yours to take. You exist in the space between them.
✮ ⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。 ° ✩
Patrol had been standard until it wasn’t. You and Tim had been watching an arms deal go down from the rooftops of Gotham’s East End. The intel from Oracle suggested this was a simple exchange one that didn’t require much interference. The plan was to observe, gather intel, and report back if things escalated. But you weren’t convinced.
Something felt off. You crouched beside Tim, scanning the warehouse below. The deal was happening inside, but your eyes were locked on a figure slipping through a side entrance, unnoticed by the others.
“Tim, we’ve got movement,” you whispered.
He barely glanced at the figure before shaking his head. “Not our priority. We wait and”
“I’m going after them,” you interrupted, already moving.
Tim grabbed your arm. “That’s not the plan.”
“I have a bad feeling about this,” you insisted, shaking him off. “Cover me.”
And before he could protest, you were already gone.
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
The side entrance led you through a narrow corridor, crates stacked high along the walls. You moved quietly, using the shadows to your advantage.
The man you were following a mercenary by the look of his armor spoke softly into an earpiece. You couldn’t hear what he was saying, but the urgency in his tone sent a chill down your spine.
You pressed closer, peering around a crate. Then you saw it.
This wasn’t just an arms deal. There were bombs. Crates of them. Military grade explosives, lined up and ready to be moved.
Your stomach dropped.
“Oracle,” you whispered, touching your comm. “We have a problem.”
“I see it,” her voice came through your earpiece. “I’m running facial recognition on the men inside. This isn’t just some street gang these guys are mercenaries.”
“Figures.”
Tim’s voice suddenly crackled through. “You were supposed to wait.”
“I’d say ‘I told you so,’ but I’m a little busy.”
A movement caught your eye. The mercenary was reaching for a detonator.
Shit.
You sprang from cover, knocking him back with a swift kick to the ribs. The detonator clattered across the floor.
“Got company,” you muttered.
“On my way,” Tim responded.
But it was already too late.
The other mercenaries had heard the commotion, and within seconds, you were surrounded.
⸻
Fighting in the Fire
You moved on instinct, blocking the first blow aimed at your head and countering with a knee to the gut. The second merc swung at you with a baton, but you ducked, sweeping his legs out from under him.
The fight was brutal there were too many of them, and you were alone.
A blade sliced across your side, and you hissed, twisting to avoid a deeper wound. Blood soaked into your suit, but you ignored it, focusing on staying alive.
Then the explosion hit.
A grenade thrown from somewhere behind you detonated against one of the stacked crates. The force sent you flying, crashing through a pile of debris. Your ears rang, and your vision blurred.
Somewhere in the distance, you heard Tim’s voice in your earpiece. “Hold on I’m almost there!”
Gritting your teeth, you forced yourself to move.
You weren’t dying here.
When the dust settled, the mercenaries were either unconscious or retreating. The explosives were still intact, and Tim arrived just in time to secure them.
But you were wrecked.
He looked at you, taking in the blood seeping from your side. “You’re an idiot.”
You gave a weak smirk. “Yeah. But at least I was right.”
Tim muttered something under his breath before helping you out of the warehouse.
✮ ⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。 ° ✩
The moment you step off the platform, you feel him before you see him.
Bruce is waiting. Arms crossed. Silent.
He’s still in the Batsuit, the cowl pulled back, his expression unreadable but you know better. You’ve seen that look before.
Tim doesn’t say a word. He just gives you one final glance and walks off, leaving you alone with the inevitable.
You brace yourself, but Bruce doesn’t raise his voice. He doesn’t have to. His disappointment is a physical weight in the air.
“You abandoned your partner,” he says, voice like stone.
“I chased a lead.”
“You disobeyed orders.”
You grit your teeth. “It was the right call.”
He steps forward, and suddenly, you feel small. Not because you’re afraid Bruce would never hurt you but because his presence alone is suffocating.
“The right call?” His tone sharpens. “You were injured. You could have been killed.”
“But I wasn’t,” you argue, though the sting in your side says otherwise.
Bruce exhales slowly, his jaw tightening. “You’re reckless.”
“You don’t say that when literally anyone else is on a mission,” you snap.
He doesn’t answer immediately, and that silence stings. Because you already know the truth. You’re different. You’re his daughter. And that changes everything. but it doesn’t Damien is younger than you. You don’t get it.
“You’re dismissed,” he finally says, voice cold.
You hesitate, fists clenched, but there’s no point in arguing. Not when his mind is already made up.
You turn and head toward the med bay, fuming the entire way.
✮ ⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。 ° ✩
You’re half out of your suit, sitting on the medical table while Alfred patches up your side, when Jason storms into the Batcave like a force of nature.
“The hell happened tonight?”
You groan. Of course he found out.
Bruce, still near the Batcomputer, barely glances up. “Jason”
Jason ignores him, turning straight to you. His eyes flick to the bloodstained bandages, and his expression darkens. “Who did this?”
“Relax,” you sigh. “It’s just a scratch.”
Jason scoffs. “A scratch?” He turns to Bruce, eyes blazing. “What the hell was she doing in a situation where she could end up like this?”
“I made the call,” you interject. “It was my decision.”
Jason looks at you like you’ve lost your mind. “That’s not a good thing, dumbass.”
You scowl. “It’s part of the job.”
Jason shakes his head, pacing. “Nah. No. You shouldn’t be out there like this. He shouldn’t be letting you”
“I let her do nothing,” Bruce interrupts, his voice a low warning.
Jason laughs humorless, sharp. “Oh, really? Because it looks to me like you’re putting her through the same damn cycle we all went through. How long before she ends up dead in an alley too?”
“Jason”
“No, screw that,” Jason snaps. “You’re just letting her walk into this life like it’s fine. Like it’s not gonna chew her up and spit her out like the rest of us.”
You push yourself up from the table, ignoring the sharp sting in your side. “I chose this, Jason. No one forced me.”
Jason turns his glare on you. “You don’t get it, do you? You think this is just about being a hero, about doing good?” He scoffs. “It’s a death sentence.”
You clench your jaw. “So what, you expect me to just sit at home and do nothing?”
“I expect you to be smarter than this,” he snaps.
Before you can fire back, his eyes narrow, and suddenly, the conversation takes a sharp turn.
“Speaking of dumb decisions,” Jason mutters, crossing his arms. “You’re still with Superboy, right?”
Your frustration spikes. “Oh my godseriously?”
Jason gives you a deadpan look. “knock off superman? Really? You could do better.”
You throw your hands up. “Why does everyone have a problem with me dating Conner?”
Jason rolls his eyes. “Because he’s a walking red flag wrapped in blue spandex.”
You glare. “That’s rich coming from you.”
Jason scowls. “I don’t trust him.”
“You don’t trust anyone.”
He doesn’t deny it.
You exhale sharply, rubbing your temples. “Look, I’m tired, I’m injured, and I don’t have the energy for this right now.”
Jason studies you for a moment, then sighs, running a hand through his hair. His anger hasn’t faded completely, but the sharp edge of it has dulled.
“Fine,” he mutters. “But if he ever screws up, I will break his face.”
You roll your eyes, but there’s a flicker of something warmer underneath the annoyance. Jason will never say it outright, but you know what this is.
It’s not just anger. It’s fear.
Bruce was right about one thing losing people leaves scars. And Jason? He has more than most. He won’t stop you from fighting your battles. But he’ll sure as hell be there when you fall.
✮ ⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。 ° ✩
Dating in the Batfamily was a challenge. Dating Conner Kent? That was practically a declaration of war.
You weren’t an idiot you knew what your family thought of him. Bruce didn’t trust him. Superman’s clone, an unpredictable force of power, a boy with too much strength and too little control. That’s how your father saw him, at least. Jason didn’t respect him. “A knock off in a leather jacket? Come on, you can do so much better.”
Tim was wary. Conner was his best friend, but even he had his doubts when it came to you.
And your mother? Selina raised a delicate brow when she first caught wind of your relationship, a teasing smirk playing at her lips. “Oh, darling,” she had purred. “You know how your father’s going to react, right?”
You had sighed, rubbing your temples. “Yes, Mother, I know.”
She had hummed in amusement. “Well, Im starting to think i’m a bad influence, at least try not to be like me and your dad.”
“Mom.”
She had only laughed.
At first, it was easier to keep it hidden. You and Conner met in the shadows, in places no one else would look.
Abandoned rooftops, dimly lit diners on the outskirts of the city, quiet parks in the dead of night where he could float just above the ground, keeping you wrapped in the warmth of his presence.
He wasn’t like Superman and you weren’t just Batman’s daughter.
That’s what you loved about being with him. When he looked at you, he didn’t see the vigilante, the heir to Gotham’s dark legacy. He didn’t see someone who had to be perfect. He saw you. Your flaws, your fears, your messy, complicated emotions. And he never tried to change them.
“I don’t care about what your dad thinks,” he had told you once, leaning back against the fire escape outside your window. “Or your brothers. Or your mom, even.”
You raised a brow. “Not even a little?”
He grinned. “Okay, maybe a little. But it doesn’t change anything.”
You had smirked. “You are stubborn.”
“Says the girl who won’t admit she likes me.”
You scoffed, but he had been right. Liking him had been the easy part. Accepting that he was yours? That had been harder.
Gotham was a city of ghosts.
Your life had been built on shadows, on silent movements, on always thinking five steps ahead. Mistakes had consequences, emotions were weaknesses, and attachments?
They got you killed.
But Conner… Conner made you feel like you were alive.
He never cared about the weight of your family name. He never expected you to be perfect. He let you be wrong, and he still stood by you.
One night, after a brutal mission, you had been exhausted, bruised, and pissed at your father for another round of overprotection.
Conner had found you on the rooftop of your shared apartment, sitting at the edge, staring out at the skyline.
He had landed softly beside you, his presence warm against the cold night.
“You okay?”
You hadn’t answered right away.
Then, quietly, you had admitted, “Sometimes I think its much more worth it to leave this place”
Conner had been silent for a moment before he shifted closer. “Yeah. I get that.”
And you knew he did. Superman saw him as something broken. A project. An accident to be controlled. Bruce saw you as something fragile. Something not ready.
You had glanced at Conner then, at the way he looked at you not as something to fix, but as someone whole. You had leaned into him, and he had let you.
That was the thing about Conner.
He didn’t just love you. He trusted you to be exactly who you were.
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
Your father was the last to acknowledge it.
Bruce had spent months pretending you weren’t sneaking out to see Conner, pretending he didn’t know why your patrol routes started conveniently lining up with the edge of the city.
But Bruce noticed everything. eventually, he noticed him. It started with the little things.
Conner was always near you in battle, always the first to shield you from an explosion, always ready to catch you if you fell.
Bruce watched the way Conner would take the hit for you not because he thought you couldn’t handle it, but because he could. Conner was powerful, but he never used that strength to control you. He never underestimated you.
One night, after a particularly nasty fight against a group of assassins, you had ended up battered and bloody, a knife wound deep in your side.
Conner had carried you back to the Cave.
Bruce had been waiting.
The air had been tense as Conner laid you gently on the med bay table, his jaw tight, eyes burning with barely contained fury.
“She shouldn’t have been alone,” Conner had said, voice sharp.
Bruce had met his glare, unreadable. “Yeah she shouldn’t have.”
“Then act right on this and she wouldn’t have been alone,” Conner snapped. “shes strong but I don’t care like assholes like you neither does she.”
Silence.
Then Bruce had simply turned and walked away. It wasn’t approval. But it wasn’t rejection, either. You supposed, in his way, Bruce was starting to understand.
✮ ⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。 ° ✩
Looking back now, lying in the med bay once again, you let out a slow breath.
The room was empty.
The cave was silent.
Your body ached, your side still throbbing from the mission gone wrong. You stared at the ceiling, letting exhaustion creep in.
Jason’s words still echoed in your head.
“Tights and a cape? Really?”
You sighed.
They’d never understand.
when Conner held you, when he saw you, when he treated you like something more than just Batman’s daughter… It didn’t matter what anyone else thought.
✮ ⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。 ° ✩
Gotham was different when Dick was in town. Maybe it was the way he carried himself loose, easy, like the city didn’t weigh on his shoulders the way it did on everyone else’s. Maybe it was because he didn’t live here anymore, so Gotham’s shadows didn’t cling to him the way they clung to you, to Jason, to Bruce.
Either way, his presence always changed the air. Right now, though? It just made the tension in the Batcave feel even heavier.
Dick had barely been back for a full twenty four hours before he noticed. The way Bruce’s jaw was tighter than usual, how Jason was avoiding both of you, how Tim kept smirking behind his coffee cup like he was enjoying the chaos. And you?
You were just done.
He didn’t say anything at first. Just watched.
Watched as Bruce checked your gear three times before your patrol. Watched as Jason kept throwing pointed glances your way, muttering curses under his breath like you were the idiot. Watched as Tim leaned back against the Batcomputer with the most entertained expression, like this was his own personal sitcom.
Eventually, Dick just sighed.
“Alright, kid,” he said, slinging an arm around your shoulders. “Burgers. Let’s go.”
Bruce barely looked up. “She has patrol.”
Dick raised a brow. “No, she has burgers with her favorite brother.”
Jason scoffed from across the room. “Favorite? Yeah, okay, Nightwing.”
Tim sipped his coffee. “I don’t know, Jay. He is also my favourite.”
You didn’t argue. You just grabbed your jacket and followed Dick out before Bruce could protest.
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈
The diner was a little hole in the wall place, tucked between two crumbling buildings. Greasy food, crappy lighting, the kind of place that felt like Gotham to its core. You slumped into the booth, arms crossed as Dick slid in across from you.
He didn’t push. Didn’t prod. Just casually unwrapped his burger and took a bite, waiting. It didn’t take long for you to break.
“He treats me like a soldier,” you said suddenly, frustration bubbling to the surface. “Not even a good one. Just one he doesn’t trust to make their own decisions.”
Dick chewed, nodding. “Bruce?”
You rolled your eyes. “Obviously Bruce.”
You picked at your fries. “he’s such an ass, i know he’s had this tough love thing since Jason but god why cant he let me be? Every move I make, he second guesses. Every mission, he reroutes my patrol to keep me ‘safer.’ He acts like I’m some reckless idiot who’s one bad decision away from getting killed.”
Dick hummed. “Jason probably isn’t helping.”
You huffed. “Oh, he’s worse. At least Bruce lets me fight Jason acts like I’m made of glass. Like I need protecting, like I can’t handle myself.”
Dick smirked. “Well, you did almost get blown up yesterday.”
You scowled. “That’s not the point.”
“Mmhmm.”
You ignored him and kept going.
“And then there’s Tim. Who just smirks. Like he enjoys watching me get lectured by dad and chewed out by Jason. Like this is all some kind of entertainment to him.”
Dick laughed. “It is entertaining.”
You threw a fry at him. He caught it without looking.
“It’s just” You exhaled sharply. “Bruce doesn’t trust me, Jason coddles me, and Tim thinks it’s all a joke. And yet Damian gets to do whatever the hell he wants.”
Dick raised a brow. “Ah. So this is about Damian.”
You stabbed your fork into your fries. “It’s not. It’s about all of it. But also? Yeah. It’s about Damian.”
Dick took another bite of his burger, chewing thoughtfully. “Bruce would let him get away with murder?”
“Literally,” you muttered. “Meanwhile, I take one risk one calculated risk and suddenly I’m ‘not ready.’”
Dick sighed, setting his burger down. “Okay. So, what’s the actual problem?”
You frowned. “I just told you”
“No, I mean the real problem. You don’t actually care that Bruce is strict. You expect that. You don’t even care that Jason’s overprotective he does that to everyone he loves.”
You looked away. “…So?”
“So,” he said, smirking, “what you actually hate is that they don’t see you as an equal.”
You frowned.
Dick leaned back, crossing his arms. “They see you as their little sister. Their daughter. They see someone they have to protect, not someone they can trust.”
Your grip on your fork tightened. “And that’s not fair.”
“No,” he agreed easily. “It’s not.”
Silence stretched between you.
Then, casually, Dick added, “But hey, at least Conner treats you like an equal.”
You froze mid bite.
Slowly, you looked up at him.
He grinned.
You narrowed your eyes. “Don’t.”
He tilted his head. “What?”
“Don’t start.”
“I’m just saying,” he teased. “You could’ve gone for someone normal, but nooo. You had to pick another dark, broody, overpowered meathead”
“Dick, I swear”
“You surround yourself with annoying guys”
You groaned, dragging a hand down your face. “Never speak again.”
“Oh, absolutely not.” He leaned forward, eyes glinting mischievously. “In fact, I think I should speak more. Maybe bring this up at family dinner. Hey, Bruce, did you know your daughter has a thing for emotionally constipated guys in leather?”
You threw another fry at him.
He dodged it effortlessly, laughing.
“Dick. I will kill you.”
“I kinda want to meet this guy.”
You glared.
He just smiled. But despite your annoyance, despite everything Bruce’s overprotection, Jason’s coddling, Tim’s smirking something about the conversation helped. Because at least one of your brothers saw you.
✮ ⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。 ° ✩
You regretted ever telling your family now. Dick knowing about Conner means you’ve been introduced to hell.
oh satan over there? yeah he’s on the body of your bug brother.
Not because he was mad not even because he was disapproving but because he was Dick.
Which meant relentless teasing.
Which meant grinning at you like he had the world’s juiciest blackmail material. Which meant the exact sentence that had been haunting you ever since your burger night.
“I want to meet my younger sister’s hero.”
It had been two days. Two. And he would not let it go.
You tried to avoid it. Tried to make excuses. But Dick was persistent.
So now here you were on a Gotham rooftop, arms crossed, glaring at him as he sat on the ledge like he didn’t have a care in the world.
“You’re ridiculous.”
“I’m interested,” he corrected. “I mean, c’mon. I’ve only ever heard about this guy from our brothers, and none of them have anything nice to say.” He smirked. “Figured I should form my own opinion.”
You groaned. “Can you not?”
“Oh, I definitely can,” he said. “I just won’t.”
Before you could argue further, a gust of wind swept through the air, and There he was.
Conner landed a few feet away, hands in his jacket pockets, red cape billowing slightly behind him. His gaze flickered between you and Dick, brows furrowed in mild suspicion.
“You okay?” he asked you first, like he always did.
You exhaled. “Yeah. I just ” You shot Dick a look. “Had a situation to handle.”
Conner raised an eyebrow.
Dick, meanwhile, was grinning.
“Well, well, well,” he said, standing up and brushing off his suit. “The infamous Superboy.”
Conner’s eyes narrowed slightly. “And you’re…?”
Dicks mouth dropped glancing to you “Oh, wow. That actually hurt.” Then he extended a hand. “Dick Grayson. Also known as Nightwing. Also known as best older brother. Nice to finally meet you.”
Conner eyed him for a second before shaking his hand. “…Right.”
Dick’s smirk widened. “So. You’re the little guy my little sister’s been sneaking around with, huh?”
You instantly regretted your entire life.
Conner’s gaze flickered to you before he answered, clearly unsure how to respond. “Guess so…?”
“Oh, I like him already,” Dick laughed. “Got that classic ‘brooding hero’ energy. I see the appeal.”
You glared. “Dick”
“I mean, you do have a type,” he continued, grinning at you. “The whole ‘dark, broody, overpowered’ thing? Classic. keep the family values. I respect it.”
Conner glanced at you, fidgeting slightly as if trying to hold back a laugh. “its not a wrong point.”
You smacked his arm. “Not you too.”
Dick just laughed. “So. How’s the Super life treating you?”
Conner shrugged awkwardly, clearly not sure how to navigate the conversation. “Could be worse.”
“Dealing with my family yet?”
“All the time.”
Dick nodded sagely. “Yeah, that’s rough, buddy.”
Conner gave a quiet, awkward chuckle. “It’s not that bad.” His gaze softened slightly when he looked at you. “She makes it easier.”
Dick raised an eyebrow. Then slowly he grinned.
“Oh, man,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re down bad.”
You groaned. “Dick. it’s gross when you say that. Shut up.”
“I love this,” he continued, delighted. “This is so much better than I imagined.”
Conner crossed his arms and tried to lean against the ledge nonchalantly, but there was a slight stiff tension in his posture. “I wont stop her if she starts fighting”
Dick gasped, hand over his heart. “You’d turn her against me?”
“mmmmm i’m in a Y/n wrongs and right are rights morality,” Conner pointed out with a soft, awkward chuckle.
Dick sighed. “ew you sound like me with women.”
You rolled your eyes. “Okay. We’re done here.”
But before you could drag Conner away, Dick clapped a hand on his shoulder.
“Look, all jokes aside,” he said, suddenly more serious, “I get why Bruce and Jason are… difficult about this. You’re powerful. You’re dangerous. You’re not one of us.”
Conner tensed slightly, glancing over at you like he didn’t know how to respond.
Dick met his gaze. “But I see how you look at her. And I see how she looks at you.” His expression softened. “So, for what it’s worth? You’ve got my approval.”
Conner blinked, clearly caught off guard. He cleared his throat, trying to hide the flush creeping up his neck. “Wasn’t asking.”
Dick grinned. “Oh, I really like you.”
You groaned. “I hate both of you.”
Conner just took your hand, squeezing lightly, trying to brush off the awkwardness that had started to settle in. “You love me.” he whispered
You muttered something under your breath. Dick slung an arm around your shoulders, still grinning.
“Alright, Superboy. Don’t break her heart. Or I will break you.”
Conner didn’t flinch. “You could try.”
“Ohhh, I really really like him.”
✮ ⋆ ˚。𖦹 ⋆。 ° ✩
The gala was everything you dreaded about Gotham’s elite. The high end designers. The glittering chandeliers. The fake smiles and empty conversations about stock markets and charities you knew were just tax write offs. You were dreading it. But you had no choice. Your dad had insisted.
“You’re going with me,” Bruce had said, his tone one you couldn’t argue with. “Damien’s going too.”
Damien.
You rolled your eyes. If there was one silver lining, it was that Damien would make the night more bearable. Sure, he was insufferable, but deep down, he was your favorite… well one of them.
You didn’t know when it started, but you couldn’t deny it. Every time someone made a comment about you, something snide about being Bruce Wayne’s daughter or how you’d grown up in a world of privilege, Damien was right there. He might have been a bratty little boy, but he had a surprisingly soft spot for you.
He’d bark back at anyone who dared talk down to you. And that always made you smile.
Still, you hated the galas. The whole act of pretending to be someone you weren’t, of feigning interest in the people who rubbed elbows with the most corrupt figures in Gotham. It made you feel like you were just another part of Bruce Wayne’s PR machine, just another Wayne for the rich to admire, the perfect daughter.
You weren’t. At least not in the way they thought you were.
⸻
You stood in front of the mirror in your dress, adjusting the neckline slightly. It wasn’t too flashy. Not as tight or revealing as some of the other dresses you’d seen at these events. It wasn’t your style to try and look like you were above everyone else. There was an elegance to it, sure, but it wasn’t over the top.
You sighed, glancing at the clock. You were almost late. You had not been in the mood to get dressed up and pretend you weren’t itching to leave this stupid party as soon as you walked in.
The door to your room creaked open just a bit, and you turned to see Damien standing in the doorway, his usual scowl plastered on his face.
“Are you done yet?” he demanded, crossing his arms.
You blinked at him. “Are you done yet? You look like a little mini Bruce.”
He shot you a glare. “I’ll have you know, I’m a Wayne too, and I’m far superior to Father in many ways.”
You raised an eyebrow. “Mm. Sure, Damien. If that’s what helps you sleep at night.”
Damien’s eyes narrowed in the way they always did when he was being stubborn. “I’m just here to make sure you don’t embarrass the family again.”
“Again?”
“You know exactly what I mean.”
You chuckled. “Whatever, Damien. Just don’t get in my way.”
He huffed, but his expression softened for a second. “You know, you don’t have to act like you don’t belong there. It’s your place.”
The rare kindness from Damien caught you off guard. You almost wanted to tease him about it, but something in the way he said it made you pause.
Before you could respond, Bruce’s voice echoed from downstairs. “Damien, [Y/N], let’s go.”
You rolled your eyes. No escape.
⸻
The gala was in full swing when you arrived, the grand ballroom filled with well dressed Gotham’s elite, all laughing, talking, and pretending to be better than they really were. As you walked in behind Bruce and Damien, you couldn’t help but feel like a fish out of water.
Damien, ever the mini Bruce, stepped confidently beside you, his posture straight, eyes sharp. He barely even looked at anyone around him, already ready to shoot down any attempts at conversation. You, on the other hand, put on your best poker face, walking with your head high, but your mind already halfway to escaping.
Bruce was already surrounded by some of the usual suspects, but it didn’t take long for the first person to notice you.
“You know,” a woman with a glass of champagne in hand said, smiling in that way people did when they thought they were better than you. “It’s nice to see the Wayne family so well represented. A fine, upstanding family, despite… well, you know…”
The pause was intentional, like she wanted to see if you’d react to the snide remark. It was a comment about your family’s history, a little jab that no one dared speak out loud but always found a way to slip into their conversations. Isnt being a woman supposed to be about supporting other women? Damien arguably had the same history as you.
You opened your mouth to say something, but Damien beat you to it.
“That’s quite enough.” He said it flatly, stepping forward with a warning glare. “I’m sure if you don’t have anything productive to say, you’d be better off leaving.”
The woman blinked, surprised by the bluntness, but Damien was already walking away, his weird little aura behind him like he was some miniature Dark Knight.
You couldn’t help but smile at him. You were right. He was your favorite.
Bruce glanced at you both, an eyebrow arched. He had seen the whole exchange. You could practically feel him holding back a smirk.
“Damien,” Bruce said, his voice a little too controlled. “You don’t have to go picking fights.”
Damien didn’t back down. “I’m simply defending Y/n. Some of these people need to remember their place.”
Bruce didn’t say anything, but the faintest glimmer of approval passed through his gaze, and it was enough.
⸻
The night dragged on, but you found yourself less uncomfortable with Damien by your side. His quiet protectiveness, the way he always seemed to catch the smallest slight before you did, made it easier to navigate the pretentious conversations. Every time someone made a comment about your family, you could feel Damien’s posture tense and his eyes narrow. And each time, he defended you.
Despite everything, despite how much you complained about his bratty tendencies, Damien was your brat. the weight of the night began to settle. The glittering lights of the gala still flickered in your mind, but the presence of your father and Damien beside you made the ride back almost bearable. Damien, as usual, sat stiffly, his posture perfect even in the backseat of the car, while Bruce remained uncharacteristically quiet, his gaze focused out the window.
You couldn’t help but glance over at Damien, who was looking out his own window, seemingly lost in thought. There had been a moment earlier when Bruce had shared a look with him, something small but meaningful a look you couldn’t quite place. But it was enough to make you feel something unspoken between the two of them. It wasn’t often you saw your father show a soft spot for anyone, let alone his own kids.
The car pulled up to the Manor, and as it came to a stop, you turned to Damien, the words already spilling out before you could stop them.
“You know, you’re not as bad as you pretend to be,” you said, voice teasing but soft. “I might just like you after all.”
Damien scoffed. “You shouldn’t like me. I’m better than you, after all.”
“Pfft, whatever,” you grinned, ignoring his words. The sudden burst of affection you felt in that moment made you throw all your self control out the window. Without thinking, you lunged at him, wrapping your arms around him in a tight hug.
Damien let out an exaggerated, dramatic gasp, his body going stiff in shock. “Unhand me, woman,” he hissed, clearly uncomfortable with the sudden outburst of affection.
You ignored his protests, squeezing him tighter. “Nope! Not until you admit that you love me.”
Damien scowled, his face flushing just slightly. “I do not love you, you foolish girl.” But there was no hiding the faint blush creeping onto his cheeks as he tried unsuccessfully to push you away.
Bruce, who had been watching the exchange with mild amusement, cleared his throat from the front seat, as though reminding you both that you weren’t exactly alone. But it was too late to stop now.
You pulled back just enough to look Damien in the eye, still grinning like a cat. “Come on, admit it. I know you love me.”
Damien tried to glare at you, but there was no hiding the slight curve of his lips. “I tolerate you,” he said begrudgingly.
You held him tighter. “Close enough!”
He growled, finally breaking free from your grip. “This is not over,” he muttered under his breath, adjusting his suit with a dramatic flair.
You leaned back, still grinning like an idiot. “Sure, sure, Damien. You can pretend all you want.”
Bruce finally spoke up, his tone surprisingly light. “Alright, break it up, you two. We’ve still got a whole night to get through.”
Damien shot a glare at Bruce. “I’m not the one causing disruptions here.”
You and Bruce shared a look, and for just a brief second, you saw it, something rare and almost tender between the two of them. Damien wasn’t as bad as you’d thought. he had his own way of showing care.
Damien, still grumbling, marched ahead toward the front door, muttering something about how he was going to “train” and “get away from these ridiculous people.” But you knew better. Underneath the bravado, Damien was just like everyone else in this family he cared.
As you stepped out of the car and onto the front porch of Wayne Manor, the cool night air hit your face, carrying the faint scent of rain. You were exhausted, mentally drained from the fake smiles and shallow conversations of the gala, and the weight of the night hung heavy on your shoulders. You couldn’t wait to retreat to your room, get out of this damn dress, and let your thoughts settle.
But as you walked toward the front door, something or rather someone caught your eye. Standing by the door, just under the archway of the Manor, was a familiar silhouette. The figure straightened when he saw you approach, a soft smile appearing on his face.
Conner.
Your heart skipped a beat. You hadn’t expected him to be here, but there he was, waiting for you, like he always did.
“Hey,” you said softly, as you run over to him. your exhaustion suddenly lifting at the sight of him.
He tilted his head, his expression a mix of amusement and concern. “You look… very beautiful tonight.”
You let out a small, tired chuckle. “Beautiful? someone is learning how to express his emotions”
Conner’s brow furrowed, his eyes scanning you like he could see the exhaustion beneath your calm exterior. He stepped forward, his large frame nearly blocking the door. “You okay?”
You nodded, but only half heartedly. “Yeah, just… tired of it all. Tired of pretending.”
Conner didn’t say anything at first, but his gaze softened. His next words were simple, but they always meant more than you expected. “you’re done now, don’t have to think about it now.”
You stepped closer to him, letting the tension in your body melt just a little. “Thanks, Conner. It means a lot. I don’t think I could stand much more of these stupid galas if I didn’t know you’d be waiting for me.”
He smiled at that, the kind of smile that made your heart flutter in your chest, as he stepped aside to let you in. “Always. You know I’ve got your back.”
You couldn’t help but grin. “You’re the best.”
Conner chuckled, stepping back as you passed him. “I’m just doing my job, keeping you out of trouble.”
You shot him a playful look over your shoulder. “Really? Keeping me out of trouble?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Well, you seem to find it even when I’m not around.”
You couldn’t help but laugh, but the moment you passed him, you felt his hand gently grasp your arm, a soft but firm hold that pulled you back toward him.
“What?” you asked, confused.
Conner was staring at you, his blue eyes intense but gentle. “You looked like you needed someone tonight. If you want to talk about it, I’m here.”
You stared at him for a moment, letting his words settle. But instead of saying anything, you simply let out a long sigh and let your shoulders relax. You didn’t need to talk about it now. Not when Conner was here, offering comfort without the need for words.
Instead, you smiled softly, stepping into his embrace, feeling the warmth of his body against yours. “I think… I think I just need this right now.”
Conner wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close as if to shield you from everything outside this moment. “I’ve got you.”
You closed your eyes, letting the familiar warmth of his embrace wrap around you.
The moment of quiet was shattered by the unmistakable sound of someone clearing their throat.
You tensed slightly, already knowing exactly who it was before you even turned your head.
Bruce stood in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest, expression unreadable but his presence alone was enough to make the warmth in your chest falter just a bit.
“It’s late,” he said, voice even, but carrying that weight of authority only he could manage. “You should be inside now.”
You sighed, pulling back slightly from Conner but keeping your hand locked around his wrist. Of course, Bruce had impeccable timing.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m going,” you muttered, turning toward the door but you didn’t let go of Conner. Instead, you tugged him along with you, acting like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Bruce’s eyes flicked down to your hand still gripping Conner’s, his expression barely changing, but you knew he noticed.
Conner hesitated for half a second, casting a glance between you and your father, as if gauging whether it was a terrible idea to follow you inside. But you weren’t giving him a choice.
Bruce let out the tiniest sigh, stepping aside to let you both in, but not without a warning glance at Conner.
“Don’t make me regret this,” Bruce said evenly.
Conner just glared at him, tight lipped smile. “Wouldn’t dream of it, sir.”
You definitely caught the way Bruce’s brow twitched ever so slightly at the sir, but you didn’t dwell on it. You just smirked to yourself and pulled Conner further into the Manor, past your father, past all the unspoken tension, and straight toward the one place you could finally relax.
Conner leaned in as you walked, voice low and teasing. “You dragged me in here.”
You grinned up at him. “What, scared of my dad?”
Conner huffed. “No. But I am scared of what your brothers are gonna say when they see me here.”
You just laughed. “Oh, you should be.”
As you pulled Conner deeper into the Manor, you moved quickly, knowing full well that the longer you lingered, the higher the chance of getting ambushed by one of your loving brothers.
You practically speed walked through the grand hall, past the dimly lit corridors.
“Ah, welcome home, Miss.”
You skidded to a stop as Alfred appeared seemingly out of nowhere, standing near the bottom of the staircase with his usual composed demeanor.
Conner tensed beside you, standing up straighter like he was about to get scolded. Clearly, even he wasn’t immune to Alfred’s presence.
You shot the butler a quick smile, still keeping a tight grip on Conner’s wrist. “Hey, Alfred. Gala was awful, as expected. Goodnight!”
And before he could reply, you dragged Conner up the stairs.
“Goodnight, Miss. Goodnight, Mister Conner,” Alfred called after you, voice laced with mild amusement.
Conner barely managed to glance over his shoulder to offer a polite, “Uh goodnight, sir,” before he was pulled around the corner and out of sight.
When you finally made it to your room, you threw the door open and all but shoved Conner inside before shutting it behind you with a sigh of relief.
“Okay, safe,” you muttered, leaning against the door.
Conner raised a brow. “You act like we just broke into the White House.”
You pointed a finger at him. “This house probably has better security than the white house.”
Conner snorted, shaking his head as he glanced around your room. He’d been here before, but it was still surreal for him standing in Wayne Manor.
You walked over to your bed, flopping onto it dramatically. “I swear, I love Alfred, but he always pops up at the worst moments. It’s like a sixth sense.”
Conner smirked, stepping closer. “Maybe he was just making sure I wasn’t sneaking in to corrupt his favorite Wayne.”
You peeked up at him through your arms. “Bold of you to assume I’m his favorite.”
He sat down beside you, resting his elbows on his knees. “You definitely are.”
You grinned, nudging him lightly with your foot. “Flatter me more, Superboy.”
Conner just chuckled, shaking his head. “You don’t need flattery. You already know how great you are.”
You huffed, rolling onto your side. “Tell that to my dad.”
Conner didn’t say anything right away, just let his hand rest on yours, grounding you. You let out a slow breath, the exhaustion of the day finally settling in.
“Get some sleep,” Conner murmured. “I’ll stay as long as you want.”
You didn’t even think about it before squeezing his hand. “Stay.”
And he did.
Conner sat beside you on the bed, his fingers tracing absentminded circles against your wrist. The room was dimly lit, casting shadows across his face, making his blue eyes stand out even more than usual. He was warm, solid, grounding in a way you desperately needed after the night you’d had.
You shifted closer, tilting your head up toward him. He caught the movement instantly, his gaze flicking down to your lips before he leaned in, closing the space between you.
The kiss was gentle at first, unhurried. His lips pressed against yours in a way that made your chest tighten not with nerves, but with something softer, something steady. His hand slid up, fingertips brushing your jaw before cradling your face, pulling you just a little closer.
You sighed against him, your hands resting against his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath your palms. He kissed you again, deeper this time, as if memorizing the shape of your lips, as if reminding himself that you were here, that you were his.
A loud noise from the window, followed by the distinct sound of fabric rustling, and then.
THUD.
Conner barely had time to pull back before a voice cut through the moment.
“Oh, come on I just ate.”
You both snapped your heads toward the window, where Tim stood, looking absolutely horrified, like he’d just walked in on the worst crime imaginable.
You groaned, flopping back onto the bed. “Jesus Christ, Tim”
Tim pinched the bridge of his nose like he was experiencing actual pain. “You know I tolerate this relationship for your sake, right? Doesn’t mean I need to see it.”
“Theres a reason we’re in my room with the door closed. what did you even want anyways”
“Ok miss shitbag, I was gonna see if you brought any food from the gala”
Conner, looking far too smug for someone just caught making out, leaned back on his hands. “You could’ve knocked.”
Tim made a disgusted face. “Knocked? On her window? I didn’t think I needed a warning before coming in.” He gestured wildly between the two of you. “I thought I was safe! But no, I have to live with the trauma of seeing my best friend all over my sister.”
You threw a pillow at him. “We weren’t even doing anything!”
Tim caught it with one hand, unimpressed. “There was face touching. That’s enough.”
Conner just shrugged. “If it makes you feel better, I think she’s a better kisser than you.”
Tim immediately gagged, doubling over like he’d been physically attacked. “WHY WOULD THAT MAKE ME FEEL BETTER?!”
You burst out laughing, while Conner grinned like he’d won something.
Tim groaned dramatically, shaking his head as he turned toward the window. “I hate this. I hate both of you. I’m leaving.”
“Goodnight, Tim,” you called sweetly.
“I hope you both stub your toes,” he shot back before disappearing out the window.
As soon as he was gone, you turned to Conner, still grinning. “You did that on purpose.”
Conner smirked. “Maybe.”
You rolled your eyes before pulling him back down into another kiss because if Tim was gonna be dramatic about it, you might as well make it worth it.
Batfamily X Batmom! Reader
I feel like Tim has very little love. So how does he feel in a family thats so weird?
masterlist
Timmy timothy tim likes to journal his problems
ཐི⋆♱⋆ཋྀ Journal entry- Shes always there. Written from the point of view of Tim Drake. In Tim Drakes Journal. Which Is my journal… Tim Drake… because it’s my journal?
When people think of Bruce Wayne, they think of Gotham’s crowned prince brooding, rich, charming in a suit. Maybe they even think of Batman if you’re one of the few people that actually know him, the knight in Kevlar, Gotham’s relentless protector. They forget, more often than not, that behind the cowl is just a guy made of jagged edges. The kind that can cut even the people he cares about most.
But her?
She was warmth. A reporter with fire in her blood and sharp questions at her lips. That’s how Bruce met her chasing down a story she didn’t know he was part of yet. She wasn’t intimidated by his name or the shadows that followed him. And when she found out he was Batman, she didn’t run. She pivoted. She didn’t want to be used by the Gotham Gazette to milk a headline about their relationship. So she left. Started something new. Told the stories of villains not to glorify them, but to show their truth. The people they used to be. The cracks that made them break. That was her power.
I didn’t meet her until later, of course. But I always knew of her. I still stayed with my parents at the time and since she stayed at the mansion i never really saw her. she was the one everyone talked about. Not just in passing, but with reverence. Even Bruce, in his own quiet way, would drop her name like it meant safety. And to Dick and Jason? She wasn’t just a stepmom, or “Bruce’s wife.” She was Mom.
Dick talks about her like she’s the sun. When he visits he always visits, at least once a week no matter where he is you can see it. How his whole face lights up just stepping into the manor and hearing her voice from the kitchen. You’d think he was back in the circus and just found his net again.
“She used to stay up for me, no matter what time patrol ended,” he told me once. “I’d come in through the balcony, boots muddy, bruised up, sometimes bleeding and she’d be in the kitchen heating soup. Always that look on her face like I’d just come back from war. Never lectured me like Bruce. Never told me to be more careful. Just… held me. Like that fixed everything.”
Dick never stopped calling her “Mom.” Not even during the rough years when Bruce pushed him too hard. Not when he moved out. Not when the Batcave felt colder than the Gotham River in winter. If anything, she was the reason he kept coming back.
When she got that small publishing deal to write about Harvey Dent’s past, Dick flew back from Blüdhaven just to take her out to dinner. No press, no big celebration. Just a booth by the window at her favorite Thai place and a bouquet that barely fit through the door. He said he owed her everything. “I don’t care if I’m not hers by blood,” he told me once. “That woman taught me how to hold on to who I am, even when everything else was falling apart.”
Then theres my other older brother. Jason’s love is different. It’s quieter.
Harder to see unless you’re looking close. He’s not good at the soft stuff. Not anymore. But with her, he tries. He never says “I love you.” I don’t think I’ve ever heard the words leave his mouth. But he’s always fixing stuff around her house. Not the manor her place, the little brownstone Bruce bought her because she hated the echo of the mansion. The place with the bookshelf she filled herself, the mismatched mugs, the heavy desk where she does her interviews. Jason comes by when she’s out running errands. Patches the leaky sink. Replaces the light in the hallway. Leaves a bag of her favorite tea on the counter. No note. No credit. But she always knows it’s him.
“She used to sit on the fire escape with me,” he told me once, when we were staking out some arms deal in the Narrows. “I’d be pissed off at Bruce, just raging. And she’d just sit there. Didn’t ask questions. Didn’t talk me out of it. Just sat and sometimes smoked a cigarette. One time I cried. Don’t remember why. But she didn’t flinch. Just put her hand on my back. Stayed until I fell asleep.”
He’d die before saying it out loud, but I think in a way… he’s more hers than he ever was Bruce’s. And when he came back when he was the Red Hood and he was full of grief and rage and bullets she was the only one who hugged him. Everyone else flinched. Even Bruce. But she opened the door, saw what he’d become, and said, “You look like hell, baby. Come inside.” And he did.
I remember the first time I met her. Bruce had just taken me in. I was still flinching every time he walked into the room, still unsure if I belonged in this broken, stitched up family. And then she walked in breezy and fierce, like she’d just come off a battlefield with coffee in one hand and her phone in the other. “You must be Tim,” she said, giving me a once over like she could see right through to my spine. “You eat?”
I hadn’t. She fixed a plate, sat with me, asked me about everything except my parents. I had just lost them at the time and that’s when I got it. Why Dick lights up around her. Why Jason will move heaven and earth to fix her sink. She’s home. Not the kind with walls and Wi-Fi. The kind with presence. With knowing how to say just the right thing without ever saying too much. With safety, and warmth, and late night soup and hair ruffles and sitting on fire escapes even when the kid next to you’s got blood on his boots. I think that’s why even Bruce… softens around her. She’s the one person who makes him feel safe.
When she got her first daughter, you can tell something changed in her. Cass didn’t talk much. Not in the early days. She was quiet in the way shadows were quiet always there, always watching, always slipping through cracks without a sound. Most people assumed she just didn’t want to talk. Or couldn’t. But I saw it different.
Cass spoke just not with her mouth. She spoke with her hands, her eyes, the way she’d tense or soften when you entered a room. But with her? With Mom?
Cass bloomed.
She’d lean on her shoulder when they sat on the couch. She’d grab her hand subtle, small, but full of meaning and lead her to the garden out back just to sit in the sun. I watched Cass laugh once, like actually laugh, cheeks lifted and eyes crinkled. I didn’t even know she could laugh like that. But it was because Mom had made some dumb joke about a rogue penguin at the zoo stealing someone’s purse. Cas used to flinch at affection. Now, she hugged her. Without hesitation. Leaned into her side. Signed things with soft smiles and the rare, quiet “Love you,” if no one else was around. She didn’t even say that to Bruce. Not really. But Mom? Mom got everything.
She knew how to talk to her. Never pressed. Never coddled. Just existed beside her with a kind of understanding that didn’t require words. I think Cass clung to that someone who didn’t need her to be anything but herself. Someone who didn’t treat her like a porcelain weapon. I’d never seen Cass so… safe. So full.
Then there was Damian. God. When Bruce brought him to the manor, I thought maybe we’d finally seen the worst of it. Turns out a ten year old assassin with an ego the size of Arkham was the cherry on top.
From the minute Damian showed up, he was a walking migraine. Arrogant. Condescending. Entitled in the way only someone born and bred to believe they were superior could be. But the worst part? He was cruel to her.
Not in the loud, tantrum way kids can be cruel. No. Damian was sharp. Precise. Calculated. His insults were surgical targeted and clean like a blade to the gut. “I don’t see the point in you,” he said once, arms crossed in the foyer, looking her dead in the eye. “You’re not my mother. You’ll never be her. Father had real women in his life before you.”
It wasn’t the first time he said it. Wouldn’t be the last. she….God, she just took it. Not because she agreed. Not because she was weak. But because that’s who she is. She let him be angry. Let him lash out. Let him burn himself on her because she knew what was underneath it all. But I saw it. I saw the way her shoulders slumped when she turned away. The way she stirred her tea a little too long in the kitchen. The way she lingered in front of Bruce’s old pictures of Talia that he put up for Damien. didn’t touch them, didn’t say anything, but looked like someone standing in a war zone, wondering if the ruins were prettier than she’d ever be. She never said it aloud. Never asked if she measured up. But we all knew the weight she carried. Bruce’s past wasn’t just shadows it was legacies. Legacies she was never meant to compete with. And Damian made sure she felt that.
I don’t know when that started to change. Maybe when she helped patch him up after his first solo patrol and didn’t say a word about the busted ribs. Maybe when she sat in the library and helped him with his handwriting because even deadly assassins have messy cursive. Or maybe it was when she found his sketchbook. hid it from everyone else, never mentioned it, just left him new pencils on his desk with a quiet, “You’re very talented.”
He stopped being so sharp after that. Still rude. Still Damian. But less… venomous. Like the poison had burned itself out and he was left kind of confused by the fact that she was still there. Because she always was. For all of us.
And then there’s me. The extra. The late one. I was never brought in because Bruce wanted to be a father. I was brought in because I figured out his secrets and then wormed my way into the cave, into the suit, into the family. I don’t know if I was ever really meant to be here. Not the way the others were. Me? I had parents. Not great ones. But they were there… until they weren’t. I didn’t grow up in an alley, or a pit, or the League. Sometimes I wonder if that’s why I feel so… replaceable. But she never made me feel that way. She saw me. She knew I overworked myself. Knew I never slept. Knew I spiraled when I wasn’t useful. And instead of pushing me to be better or telling me to slow down, she just… met me where I was. Once, I found a note in my backpack. Folded between mission plans.
“Youre the most amazing boy that i know, You my boy are going to do amazing things. I love you so much!!”
I never told her I found it. But I kept it. Still have it, tucked into my journal like armor.
I don’t know if any of us would’ve survived this family without her. Bruce taught us how to fight. How to fall and get back up. But she taught us how to rest. How to breathe. How to love without blood and history binding us. She fixed all of us. Bit by bit. Even when we didn’t know we were breaking. I don’t feel broken enough to deserve that kind of care. But she gave it anyway. Because that’s who she is. Because she was always there.
I heard her once, talking on the phone to someone. Maybe a friend. Maybe a source. “They’re not mine by blood,” she said. “But God help the world if they ever needed me. I’d burn down Gotham to protect any one of them.” That’s when I knew she meant me, too. if I had to tell this story about the Batfamily, about the ones who wear masks and hide pain and throw themselves into the fire night after night I’d start with her. Because Batman might have saved Gotham but she saved us.
ཐི⋆♱⋆ཋྀ
Tim closes the journal with a soft thump, fingers lingering on the worn leather cover. His hand hovers just a second longer before pulling away. The room feels too quiet now like his thoughts are echoing louder without the scratch of his pen to distract him.
He pushes the chair back, the legs creaking on the old hardwood floors, and stands. His back cracks. How long had he been writing? Hours maybe. It’s dark out, the kind of heavy Gotham dark that presses against the windows like it wants in. The manor groans quietly in the silence, pipes murmuring and the wind brushing tree branches against the windows like fingers tapping to be let inside.
He walks out of his room, bare feet soft on the carpet as he pads through the hallway. The air feels heavier at night in the manor. Like all the ghosts that live in the walls are finally breathing.
I turned the corner after walking mindlessly and stared. There you were.
Back facing towards me, wearing one of those oversized, faded shirts Bruce always swore he didn’t miss. Standing in front of the stove, hair pulled up, humming something under your breath as you stirred with a wooden spoon like you were crafting alchemy and not just soup. And beside you, leaning against the counter, arms folded but eyes softer than I’d seen in weeks. Jason. He wasn’t wearing his jacket. Which was rare. His boots were off. Rarer. And he was smiling. Not the cocky half grin he used when he was about to pick a fight, but something quieter. Warmer. Something like a son sitting in the only place in the world where he felt safe.
You said something to him I couldn’t hear what but you reached up on your toes and smoothed his hair out of his eyes like he was five. He rolled his eyes, said something sarcastic, but didn’t pull away. If anything, he leaned into it. that was when Alfred walked by, hands behind his back, chin tilted slightly in amusement as he passed me. “You know the rule, Master Timothy,” he said, low enough not to disturb the moment in the kitchen. “She is the only one allowed in there. The rest of you have forfeited that right after the last… incident.”
I groaned.
“That was Damian’s fault,” I hissed back.
He raised a brow. “Was it Damian’s idea to flambé a Pop Tart?”
“Okay. Fine. That part might’ve been me.”
It was one of our dumbest ideas maybe not the dumbest, but it’s a crowded race. It started with a challenge. Damian, fresh off a smug streak and newly obsessed with culinary documentaries, claimed that my “American palate” had “eroded my taste and motor skills.” I told him I could cook circles around him. Neither of us could cook.
It escalated quickly. An Iron Chef style duel. Secret ingredient: eggs. Only, I dropped mine. Three times. Damian misread the baking powder as flour. Then I panicked and tried to “smoke” the scrambled eggs for flavor using a packet of incense from the guest room and a lighter.
Within ten minutes, the fire alarm was going off, Alfred had activated the emergency sprinklers, and the kitchen looked like something between a crime scene and a culinary apocalypse. Mom was the one to find us.
Standing soaked, flour covered, blinking through smoke. Damian holding a spatula like a sword. Me covered in what I hoped was yolk. You didn’t yell. That’s the worst part. You just… looked at us. Long and hard. Then let out a breath, pinched the bridge of your nose, and said, “Alfred, I assume this is why you told me to ban them from the kitchen.”
“Indeed, madam,” he replied grimly.
And that was that. Kitchen rights revoked. Except for you. Always you.
Now I stood there in the hallway, watching you and Jason from the doorway, unseen. He was telling you about something he saw on patrol a gang trying to smuggle rare books, of all things. You were laughing, that full body laugh that makes your shoulders shake and your eyes close, like the world could still be beautiful if you just tried hard enough. And Jason?
He was drinking it in. Like he’d been starved of this kind of love for years. Ever since he came back, you were different around him. Not overly careful like Bruce. Not tense like some of us had been. You just loved him. Loudly. Freely. kisses to the temple, touching his shoulders like you had to convince yourself he was still solid. Like you had to remind him that he was still wanted. Jason never said it but he melted under it. His edges dulled. His anger slipped. When you held him, when you gave him that smile that said “you’re home,” he softened. He belonged.
I swallowed hard. Stepped back, just a bit. Let the shadows take me. Because I’d never had that. Not in the same way. You loved me I knew that. But it wasn’t the same kind of fierce, smothering love. And maybe that was fair. I wasn’t broken in the way Jason was. Not born in blood like Damian. Not carved out of grief like Dick. Not silenced like Cass.
I was just… me. Smart. Quiet. Stable, mostly. I’d always felt like a thread sewn into someone else’s tapestry. Useful. Strong, even. But not the reason anyone stayed warm. in moments like this seeing Jason melt under your hands, seeing you pour every ounce of your soul into making him feel alive I couldn’t help but wonder if I was ever going to fit here. So I stepped away from the kitchen door.
ཐི⋆♱⋆ཋྀ
The house was quiet again. The kind of quiet that only happens after everyone’s gone to bed or pretended to. I was curled up in the corner of the library, one leg slung over the arm of the chair, a thick old book cracked open across my lap. It wasn’t for patrol or mission planning. Just something to read. Something to fill the quiet so I didn’t have to think too much.
It was peaceful, until muffled voices filled the room. I blinked, tilting my head just enough to catch the low murmur threading in from the hallway. At first, I thought maybe Bruce had wandered into the Batcave again, but then I heard my moms voice. Whispering like someone trying not to wake a sleeping baby. Bruce responded, and you both laughed, low and secretive. I rolled my eyes and went back to my page.
I stopped caring about that kind of thing a long time ago. You and Bruce were always, in a word, gross about each other. Not the clingy, PDA gross… well yes the clingy PDA way but the kind where he’d brush your cheek mid conversation like it was instinct. Or the way you’d make him coffee without asking, and he’d pass you reports to look at because he trusted your opinion more than the board’s. It was… sincere. Intimate. Kind of annoying, honestly, when you were trying to eat cereal and Bruce kissed your temple like it was some kind of reflex.
But it was comforting too. Something solid. I was just starting to lose myself in the book again when
“Boo.”
“GAH!”
I launched the book about a foot into the air and nearly twisted my entire spine trying to figure out what demon had possessed the room. My heart rocketed into my throat as I whipped around, hand halfway to a batarang that wasn’t even on me. You stood there, grinning ear to ear.
“Tim,” you cooed, covering your mouth to stifle a laugh, “you should’ve seen your face oh my god, I think you levitated.”
“I almost hit you with Tolstoy!” I hissed, breath still catching up to my body. “Don’t sneak up on a guy in this house! I was ready to throw hands with a ghost.”
“Well,” you teased, “if it was a ghost, you’d be the only one I’d trust to outsmart it.”
I gave you a flat look, still massaging my neck. You sobered a little, stepping forward and tapping the top of my head gently. “Come on, kiddo. There’s something we want to show you. In the dining room.”
I blinked. “We?”
“I’m here too,” came Bruce’s voice from the hallway, in that terrible deep gravel whisper he clearly thought was somehow sneaky. You and I both turned to look at him as he peeked around the corner, trying very hard and failing to look inconspicuous.
I squinted at him. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing,” he said too quickly.
You sighed and gently smacked his chest. “Why are you like this?”
“I’m building intrigue,” Bruce said with what I assumed was supposed to be a straight face. “It’s part of the plan”
“You’re ruining the surprise,” you whispered, dragging a hand down your face.
“There’s a surprise?” I asked slowly, eyes darting between the two of you.
Bruce’s expression didn’t change, but I could see the micro tension in his brow. He was lying. For the world’s greatest detective, the man couldn’t lie to his children to save his life. Every time he tried, he got this weird stiffness, like someone who’d never used human emotions before. You groaned again and took my wrist gently. “Come on. Just come to the dining room. Please?”
I stood up slowly, abandoning my book on the chair. “What’s going on?” I asked again, warier now. “Is this, like… an intervention? Did Damian break into the Tower again?”
“Nope.”
“Did Jason get arrested for vigilante loitering?”
“Not this week.”
“Are you going to make me touch grass?”
You snorted. “God, no.”
I sighed. “Alright. But if this is a trap, I want it on record that i died saying my parents were weird.”
Bruce just grunted. So I followed them. These two weird, overly affectionate, semi cryptic parents of mine one with crows’ feet from smiling too much and the other still pretending he didn’t smile at all. Down the hallway. Toward the dining room. Still completely, utterly confused.
The hallway to the dining room wasn’t long. It just felt long. Partially because Bruce was still trying to act like this wasn’t suspicious at all, and you kept elbowing him in the ribs every few steps. Partially because my nerves were starting to twitch under my skin. mostly because I could hear whisper yelling coming from the dining room.
“I said put the banner up, not strangle the chandelier with it!”
“That wasn’t me! It was Damian! He climbed up there!”
“I was fixing your poor attempt at symmetry, Grayson!”
“Why is the pie we made lopsided Jason what did you do to the pie?”
“It’s good. Shut up.”
“You burned it.”
“I call it caramelized flavor.”
“…It smells like regret.”
“Can someone…. Cass, what are you doing with the glitter glue?!”
“Decoration.”
I paused just outside the door and looked up at Bruce and you with raised eyebrows. You just smiled softly and gave a little shrug, while Bruce tried to maintain whatever shred of dignity he had left. It wasn’t working.
You both looked so stupidly in love standing like that his arm around your waist, yours looped casually around his. Like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like this was normal. Like this whatever chaos was waiting behind the doors was ours.
Bruce leaned in toward the doorframe like he was assessing a mission room, and I swear I saw his eye twitch.
“I gave them very simple instructions,” he muttered.
You patted his chest. “Your children are as smart and emotionally constipated as their dad”
The door swung open before anyone could knock. Dick stood there with his usual too big grin and remnants of glitter on his cheek like war paint. “Timmy! You’re late to your own surprise party!”
“It’s not my birthday?”
“Not that kind of surprise party!” he said, reaching out to drag me in with too much enthusiasm. “It’s Appreciation Day!”
“That’s… not a real holiday.”
“Sure it is,” said Jason, appearing from behind a mess of mismatched plates and aluminum foil wrapped disasters. “We just made it real. Sit down, Nerd Boy.”
Cass waved from the head of the table with a little toothy smile. Damian was on a chair next to her, arms crossed, already pouting like he hadn’t been helping just ten minutes ago.
The table was atrocious like someone had thrown a home economics final exam and a kindergarten arts and crafts project into a blender. The centerpiece was a crooked sign that said “WE APPRECIATE YOU” in bold, messy handwriting (clearly Dick’s). There was glitter on everything. The cups didn’t match. The pie looked like it’d been in a fight. it was perfect. All of it.
Dishes were stacked, uneven and mismatched. Cookies were slightly burnt on one side. Jason’s so called “caramelized” pie was visibly cracked. Cass had made what looked like finger sandwiches shaped into little bats. Even Damian had contributed begrudgingly with a plate of sliced fruit that had been carved into vaguely threatening shapes.
And in the middle of it all was a small card in your handwriting.
Tim,
We know things have been hard.
We know it sometimes feels like you’re overlooked.
But you’re not. Not here.
You’re brilliant. You’re loved. You’re ours.
Love,
Your Family (a bunch of idiots, but yours)
I couldn’t speak. Not really. Because what was there to say? This… this wasn’t some big show. It wasn’t polished. It wasn’t perfect. But it was real. it was for me. I glanced down the table.
Dick was beaming and already scooting over to make room for me. Jason was pretending not to look at me too hard, but his expression was softer than usual. Cass gave me a small nod, the kind that said more than words. Damian looked away when our eyes met but I could see the tiniest hint of awkward approval in the way he pushed a napkin toward the empty seat beside him. I took it. Quietly. Still blinking a little too fast. I didn’t cry. I didn’t. But I felt it thick in my chest. That weight. That feeling. Because my biological parents had never done anything like this. They didn’t see me, not really. I was a project. A prodigy. An obligation. But you and Bruce, in his awkward gruff way you saw me. You made this happen. I looked up once more and saw you and Bruce still standing near the door. Arms still around each other. Watching. Bruce’s eyes met mine. He gave the smallest nod. You just smiled. I mattered here. not always loudly. not in the same way the others did. But I mattered. And this this was home.
Present Mic / Hizashi Yamada x Reader
⋆˚✿˖°Irresistible ⋆˚✿˖°
BACK TO HIM DATING A YOUNGER READER!! hes just so lovely, we are married actually.
Being back at U.A. always felt a little surreal. No matter how many years had passed since your time as a student, the halls still carried the same energy, the same excitement, the same faint scent of ink and sweat, the same distant shouts of students causing trouble. It was nostalgic, sure, but today, you weren’t here as a student.
You’d agreed to be a guest speaker at U.A. today, mainly to share your experience as a Pro Hero with the students. It was a bit of a casual visit, with no intense expectations, just a way to inspire the next generation of heroes. Of course, Hizashi, Present Mic was assigned to show you around for the day.
Today, you were here as Pro Hero: Lumine, a guest for the day. Still, that didn’t mean you couldn’t steal a moment for yourself.
As you walked the halls, Hizashi right beside you, you kept up the act, casual, professional. You were here to speak to a few classes, answer some questions, maybe help out with some training. But right now, with no students or teachers in sight, you saw an opportunity.
You grabbed Hizashi’s wrist and pulled him around a quiet corner, just out of sight.
“Whoa babe?” he blinked, confused for a second, before a slow, knowing grin spread across his face. “Miss me already?”
You rolled your eyes but didn’t deny it. “You know I don’t get to see you much when I’m busy with work.”
His grin softened. “Yeah… I know.”
You let your hands rest against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. It was rare for the two of you to have moments like this. where the world outside didn’t demand your attention, where you weren’t constantly on duty, where you weren’t Pro Hero Lumine and Present Mic but just… y/n and hizashi.
Hizashi leaned in, resting his forehead against yours, his voice quieter than usual. “You sure we got time for this?”
“Barely,” you admitted. “But I’ll take what I can get.”
He chuckled, sliding his arms around your waist. “Y’know, you’re gettin’ real bold. Pullin’ me into a corner like some kinda secret rendezvous.”
You smirked. “What can I say? I see a tall blonde guy and my mind goes dumb”
“Really now, huh?” His voice dropped just a little, teasing. “So if I kissed you right now, would that be too exciting?”
You tilted your head, pretending to think. “Hmm… depends. Are you gonna be able to keep your voice down?”
“Oh, babe,” he grinned, leaning in just enough that his breath brushed against your lips. “That’s a real big ask.”
You huffed a laugh before finally closing the distance, pressing a slow, lingering kiss against his lips. Hizashi hummed in contentment, pulling you closer as if he could somehow make the moment last longer.
But the sound of voices approaching had you both reluctantly pulling apart. He sighed dramatically. “Duty calls, huh?”
“Duty calls,” you echoed, straightening his tie playfully. “Try not to look too lovestruck, yeah?”
“Pfft—too late for that, babe.” He winked before stepping back, adjusting his glasses like nothing had happened. But you caught the way his fingers brushed his lips, as if memorizing the feeling.
With one last glance, you turned the corner together back to being professionals, back to your roles, back to the world outside of this stolen moment. But as you stepped into the light, you knew you’d both be thinking about it all day. Though Hizashi kept up his usual energy as he led you through the halls, chatting away as he pointed out minor changes to the school since your time as a student. The occasional student would recognize you, whispering excitedly to their friends, but no one interrupted. Not yet, anyway.
Eventually, you both reached Class 1-A’s door. Hizashi grinned, wiggling his eyebrows at you. “Ready to meet the little hero’s ?”
You huffed a small laugh. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
He clapped a hand on your shoulder. “That’s the spirit!” Then, without missing a beat, he flung the door open and practically bounced into the room. “YEAHHHH! WHAT’S UP, CLASS 1-A?! GUESS WHO I BROUGHT?” a collective gasp followed.
“Wait! that’s Pro Hero Lumine!”
“No way! They’re here?”
“Whoa, they’re so cool in person!”
Hizashi gestured toward you with a dramatic flourish. “That’s riiiiight! The one and only Lumine!” He shot you a look, and you barely held back a smirk.
Aizawa, standing at the front of the class, gave you both a blank stare, then sighed. “I assume you’re not just here to disrupt my class?”
“Aw, c’mon, Eraser, you know we had a guest today!!” Hizashi had a tragic frown on his face. “Lumine here is our guest speaker, remember?”
Aizawa raised a brow at you, and you simply shrugged. “I’m just along for the ride at this point.”
As you stepped forward, Hizashi continued, “Now, listen up, kiddos! Not only is Lumine one of the youngest Top 10 heroes—”
“—he’s really over explaining right now,” you interjected.
“—BUT!” Hizashi continued dramatically, ignoring your interruption, “they also happen to be my—”
You stiffened. Your what?
Luckily (or unluckily), Aizawa cut in smoothly, “Your former student. Yes, we’re aware.”
Hizashi blinked, then coughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Right, yeah, my former student. That’s what I was gonna say.”
The students exchanged looks. Some, like Kaminari and Mina, were eyeing you both very suspiciously.
Mina leaned forward, grinning. “Ooooh, that pause was kinda weird, wasn’t it?”
Kaminari elbowed her. “Right? Like, what was he actually gonna say?”
“Probably something embarrassing,” Jirou muttered, smirking.
You shot Hizashi a look. Really? He gave you a sheepish smile in return. Aizawa pinched the bridge of his nose. “Can we move on?”
You cleared your throat, stepping in to refocus the room. “Right! Anyway, I’m here to answer any questions you have about being a pro hero. So—”
But before you could finish, Kaminari blurted, “How do you know Present Mic so well?”
The whole class leaned in, clearly interested. You deadpanned. “We go way back.”
“How far back?” Mina grinned.
Aizawa sighed. “This isn’t relevant.”
“But it’s interesting!” Mina shot back.
Hizashi, bless him, was absolutely not helping, just standing there grinning like an idiot. You exhaled through your nose, crossing your arms. “Far enough that I have plenty of embarrassing stories about him, but not enough time to share them all.”
The class erupted.
“Oh, we need to hear those!”
“Please tell us at least one!”
You shot Hizashi a look, and he gave you an exaggerated shrug, eyes sparkling with joy.
—-
After the class, as the students trickled out, you turned to Hizashi with a pointed look. “You’re doing a terrible job at hiding our relationship.”
He grinned, entirely unapologetic. “Oh c’mon, babe. You look real cute when you’re flustered.”
You rolled your eyes, but before you could leave, he caught your wrist, fingers warm against your skin.
“Hey.” His voice was quieter now, softer, missing its usual booming energy. He glanced at the empty classroom, then back at you. There was something unreadable in his expression, something almost hesitant. “Got a sec?”
You hesitated, Nezu had mentioned stopping by to check in on you, and you really should be heading to the next class but the way Hizashi’s fingers brushed over yours made it hard to say no.
“…Fine. But just a sec.”
Hizashi wasted no time, tugging you toward the classroom’s small storage area, pulling the door shut behind you. The space was tight, barely enough room for the two of you, and the moment you were alone, his hands found your waist, pulling you in close.
His voice dropped lower, rougher. “You drive me crazy, y’know that?” His thumb brushed over the fabric of your uniform, slow, deliberate. “Havin’ to watch you all day and not kiss you?”
You smirked, fingers slipping up his chest, feeling the warmth of his body through his shirt. “Must be so hard for you.”
“You have no idea.”
Then his lips were on yours urgent and deep, like he was making up for lost time. You barely had a second to react before you were melting into it, tilting your head to let him kiss you deeper. His hands slid up your back, one trailing to cup the back of your neck while the other stayed firm on your waist, keeping you pressed against him.
The kiss started slow, teasing, but it didn’t stay that way. The pent up energy from the entire day the lingering touches, the stolen glances, the way he had to hold back in front of the students spilled over into something more intense. Your fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt, pulling him closer, and he let out a quiet groan against your lips, the sound vibrating in his chest.
“Babe,” he murmured between kisses, “you’re killin’ me here.”
You smirked against his lips. “You started it.”
Hizashi let out a breathy chuckle, then dipped his head lower, lips trailing down your jaw, then to your neck. The scrape of his teeth against your skin sent a shiver down your spine, and your grip on him tightened.
“This is such a bad idea,” you whispered, tilting your head back to give him better access.
“Yeah?” His breath was warm against your throat. “Then why aren’t you stoppin’ me?”
You swallowed hard, knowing he had a point. “Because,” you admitted, fingers slipping up to to the back of his neck, “I missed you.”
That made him pause. Just for a second. Then he let out a quiet sigh, pressing a lingering kiss to your shoulder before leaning back just enough to look at you.
“I missed you too,” he murmured, voice softer now, more serious. His fingers brushed against your cheek, his thumb tracing your lower lip. “You’re always runnin’ around, savin’ the world, bein’ a top hero and all. Feels like I barely get time with you anymore.”
You exhaled, hands resting against his chest. “I know. I feel it too.”
For a moment, neither of you said anything. You just stood there, in that small, dimly lit space, his arms around you, your bodies still close, the world outside feeling miles away.
Hizashi’s fingers slid down your arms, his grip tightening around your hands. “Maybe after this, we ditch early. Get some real time together.”
You smiled. “You suggesting we cut class, Yamada?”
He grinned, pressing another kiss to the corner of your lips. “A little. Say you had to go save someone and take me with you”
You hummed, pretending to consider it. “Tempting.”
Before either of you could decide, a voice shattered the quiet. “You do realize this school has cameras, right?”
You both froze. Slowly, you turned to see Aizawa standing in the doorway, arms crossed, looking utterly unimpressed.
Hizashi, ever the professional, cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses, casually stepping away from you like that would somehow erase what just happened. “Hey, Eraser! How long you been standin’ there, buddy?”
“Long enough.”
You exhaled sharply. “Fantastic.”
Aizawa gave you both a long, pointed look, then sighed, rubbing his temples. “Just… keep it out of the classrooms.” Then, shaking his head, he walked away.
As soon as he was gone, Hizashi turned to you with a grin. “Welp. Busted.”
You groaned, burying your face in your hands. “I told you we’d get caught.”
Hizashi just laughed, slinging an arm around your shoulders. “Worth it.”
:0
Editing on my phone is actually so comical when I have to save every two seconds