put on your war paint

“Kiss me if I’m wrong but, do you think it’s just a matter of time before shield tries to create the power rangers or not?” @reshieldedstart​

“why would anyone choose to kiss someone if they were wrong??” they questioned, brows furrowing at the thought. such an odd statement to be made. “i don’t much care what that organization chooses to do, so long as they don’t interfere with plans to return back to our world. they’re inconsequential to me.” 

“you cannot bribe me with sweets. i am the epitome of nerves like steel, brown. you cannot break me for anything.” 

          @reshieldedstart​​    //    “  I  OVERHEARD  SOMEONE  SAY  ‘  how  am  i  supposed  to  live  laugh  love  in  these  conditions  ?  ’  and  i  gotta  agree  with  them  .

IT     WAS     HIS     OWN     EXPERIENCES     WITH     said     organizations     that     inspired     bruce’s     hesitance.     even     argus     ,     star     labs     and     the     hall     of     justice     had     its     secrets.     it     was     only     expected     for     sword     and     shield     to     have     theirs.     it     felt     misplaced     for     have     others     do     the     dirty     work     for     him     but     he     had     other     things     to     concern     himself     with.     bruce     sips     from     his     old     fashioned.    ❝     i     hope     so.     ❞     his     tone     sounds     hopeful     but     with     age     it     became     difficult     to     disguise     his     stress.     bruce     extends     his     hand     out     to     rest     on     damian’s     back.     he     gives     it     a     gentle     pat.      ❝     i     know     son     ,     you’re     big     strong     and     scary.     ❞     he     teases.      ❝     just     checking     up     on     you.     ❞      he     intentionally     skims     past     damian’s     concern     for     him.     ❝     i     heard     you’ve     been     hanging     around     with     jonathan     kent     lately.     you     two     have     always     been     close     ,     huh     ?     ❞     he     asks     in     hopes     that     his     son’s     love     life     was     doing     better     than     his     own.

right now, it seems that is all they can do -- gather what intel they could and hope. things always did tend to work out, even if it didn’t seem like it was likely in the moment. damian had learned that lesson over and over numerous times. though damian does roll their eyes at the teasing, it’s clear how they ease into the touch, completely at ease with bruce and the affection that was being shown. there were very few people in damian’s life that could garner such a reaction whenever it came to affection and physical touch. “you’re getting soft in your old age, father,” they teased right back, expression still soft. that quickly changes rather abruptly at the mention of jon, eyes widening momentarily before damian can school the expression back into something more neutral. “i -- well, yes, we became rather close after our... differences were mended.” a pause. “i’m not quite sure how to go about certain, ah, changes as of late.”

    a  familiar  face,  one  selina  recognises  quicker  than  she’d  like.  eyes  drift  over  the  suit,  taking  in  the  details  both  familiar  and  new.  but  beneath  the  mask  and  expensive  toys,  the  femme  knew  she  was  speaking  with  a  wayne.  her  back  forces  itself  to  straighten,  the  grip  around  the  bag’s  handle  and  her  own  mask  tightened.  watching  the  cat  purr  nearby  damian’s  feet,  selina  held  in  a  scoff  ⸻  stupid  cat.

❛   and  here  i  thought  stealing  was  against  your  family’s  moral  code,  ❜  selina  mused  dryly,  voice  echoing  through  the  cold  air.  she  doesn’t  mean  to  be  so  cold  towards  them,  they  were  a  kid,  and  guards  went  up  as  quickly  as  they  came  down.  selina  wondered  if  bruce  and  damian  knew  how  similar  they  were.  like  father,  like  son.   ❛   ⸻  i’m  just  tryin’  to  pay  my  rent  on  time,  gotta  pay  it  somehow,  ❜  shoulders  roll  back  as  selina  raised  a  brow,  ❛  is  that  such  a  crime  ?  ❜

  unbothered, fingers continued to glide through the cat’s fur, content for the time being as was often the case whenever it came to animals. they had always been a bit easier for the robin to be around, especially at their younger age, uncertain of how to properly interact with other people that didn’t result in a fight or cruel worlds. obviously damian had gotten better at it over the year, grew into socializing and while relating to people was still difficult these days, they’d grown a bit more accustomed to it. 

“ i know people that like to be entertained by it . it’s fun ! very comfortable , actually . “ much more comfortable than some of his usual fits . makes him appreciate the scottish a lot more every time he does it . “ well , it’s not an actual bow and arrow . the key is to spread love not .. well , death . “ he blinked , a smile forming on his face . “ not a lot of people think so . have you not seen the decorations ? and all the lovey - dovey vibes ? “

damian wasn’t sure how to do any of this, really. even for all of the manga read, the animes watched that tended to fall into the romance and slice of life categories, they had absolutely no real idea how to go about this. putting such things into real life seemed far more complicated, especially whenever it came to jon. falling back onto something that he was comfortable with seemed the right thing to do with what damian had planned, which was why he was setting down his sketchbook, a page turned to a drawing that had been done of jon. it was detailed -- one where the super appeared to be in the midst of laughter. an image that tended to always stay in their mind even when they weren’t together. 

“you can flip through, if you’d like.” there would be more sketches of jon. different poses, different paused moments that damian had drawn from a snapshot in their mind. 

             ❝     c’mon  man  ,  don’t  act  like  that.  i  literally  watch  you  canoodle  my  brother  —  you  don’t  think  i  know  ?  trust  me  ,  it’s  kinda  like  .  .  .  team  bonding.  i  kiss  tim  all  the  time.  well  .  .  .  used  to.       ❞

their smile drops momentarily at the words the other uses “ surprisingly ? ” she asks perplexed “ what is that suppose to mean ? i always have good ideas. ” she crumbles and turns their attention back to the options, nods as he places the order and smiles at the worker “ can you add extra m&m’s to that sundae, he needs to pay for his words. ” they give him a glare and pays for the ice cream “ so what you up to lately ? ”

damian merely smirks at the glare, amused and more than a little pleased with himself. even if it did end up costing him a bit extra in the end. while he wasn’t really the best whenever it came to interacting with people at times, this was his attempt at trying to be friendly. teasing, joking. or, rather, trying to do so. clearly it wasn’t coming off as well as it may for other people. taking the ice cream, damian glances around the shop before wandering over to one of the tables. “piecing together information regarding this world, mostly. patrolling. attempting to figure out certain things about an enemy that escaped my clutches upon going through the portal.” settling down into the chair, damian gave a shrug. “the usual. what of yourself?? have you been keeping busy??” 

    *     ⅋        —        @reshieldedstart​          ❪         open     starter  

   the  night  doesn’t  scare  her.  street  lamps  that  illuminated  her  way  home,  flickering  out  of  time  while  the  moon  acted  an  illusive  guide.  this  new  city  was  strange,  but  full  of  opportunities.  for  someone  like  selina,  you  had  to  make - do  with  what  you  got;  reliance  is  a  risky  business,  and  in  times  like  these,  the  only  person  she  could  trust  was  herself  ⸻  but  even  then,  selina  struggled  to  stay  consistent.  tiny  shards  of  smudged  glitter  rested  underneath  tired  eyes,  her  make-shift  mask  and  a  midnight  bag  caught  up  in  one  hand.  she  was  doing  her  best  to  survive,  sometimes  to  keep  above  board,  it  called  for  illegal  measures.

❛  she  seems  to  like  you.  ❜  the  femme  called  out,  head  tilted  to  the  side  as  she  watched  one  of  her  newly  adopted  strays  rub  the  entire  length  of  her  body  against  the  stranger’s  leg  ⸻  a  spark  of  quiet  jealousy  burned  in  selina’s  chest  at  the  sound  of  the  cat  purring,  it  took  a  good  week  for  the  stray  to  like  her.  dark  hues  flicker  to  face  the  stranger,  a  suspicious  sparkle  in  selina’s  eye.  ❛  did  you  stuff  your  pockets  with  cat-nip  or  somethin’  ?  ❜

the suit is still... new these days, different than the one damian had grown accustomed to during the very beginning of their start as robin with the bright red and yellow that had become all but synonymous with the robin alias over the years it had been in play. a bit more muted with the grey and black while still remaining true to the vision with a splash of yellow for the cape. gloved fingers scratching underneath the stray’s chin, damian peered up from beneath their mask, coy grin appearing. “animals just take to me.” that was the truth of the matter. they’d always had a bit of a soft spot for animals, and it seemed the sentiment tended to be returned.

 BRUCE    NODS    HIS    HEAD    IN    AGREEMENT.    damian’s    wit    outmatched    bruce’s    ;    he    learned    that    the    hard    way    .    .     .    multiple    times.       ❝    i    can’t    disagree.    ❞    he    admits    his    defeat.    bruce    sets    his    pen    down    and    watches    them    take    a    seat.    he    provides    them    a    soft    ,    gentle    look.    a    father’s    relief    FLOURISHES    over    him.    his    son    is    okay.     ❝    i    assume    you’re    talking    about    shield    and    sword.    ❞    he    lifts    his    pen    and    FUMBLES    the    object    between    his    fingers.     ❝    wonder    woman    is    looking    into    it.    ❞    he    responds    flatly.     ❝    nightwing    is    as    well.    or    at    least    I    HOPE    he    is.    ❞    bruce    clicks    his    tongue.    ❝    but    my    primary    concern    is    .    .    .    you    ,    damian.    how    are    you    ?    ❞

does that bring a faint smirk to the robin’s lips?? absolutely. never a doubt that damian always did enjoy being proven to be better in any way, especially whenever it came to their family. easing a bit underneath that watchful, gentle look, feeling it warm them from the inside, damian leaned back in the chair, giving a nod of affirmation. these government agencies appeared to be rather larger players in this world, a fact that had left damian a bit distrustful. “practical people to help look into this fact, which i am certain they’ll both be able to find information that we need to determine if either of them can be trustworthy.” a pause, head tilting to the side, their own gaze softening up a bit at the question. “father, you know i am more than capable of taking care of myself. i can assure you that i’m perfectly well, taking the proper precautions necessary. nothing is wrong. what of you, though??” 

she needs to explore the city some more. new york city in another universe is NO metropolis afterall and the quicker she learns about her new place, the easier life here will be. she probably looks a lot like a bumbling TOURIST, constantly looking up at landmarks and street signs. which she is except she didn’t choose to come here willingly ( except that she walked through the portal. WILLINGLY ) and she doesn’t have a return ticket home. but her fortune is changing and soon a familiar face spots her. damian. ❝ hey damian. ❞ the reporter is glad to see him. he’s always a CONSTANT presence in the kent household and jon’s life. she knows that jon very much LOVES damian and their friendship and lois has come to see him as part of the family because of it. he is always so good to jon and anyone who was good to jon was good for her. ❝ glad to see you too damian. and uh no. ❞ sadness creeps up at the mention of jon. ❝ haven’t seen him. yet. ❞

if there was anyone that tended to bring out the better moods in damian, or just an all around better version of himself, it tended to be lois lane. she was someone who did not take anything no matter who the person was, and needless to say that had stuck with the young robin. nothing that he could get away with at the manor, or anywhere else in gotham, would hold up in the kent household. he’d learned quickly, of course, and had adjusted accordingly over the years. spending that time with the kent’s in their home had always been some of the most memorable times of his life. “i know he’s around here. jon was just over at my apartment not all that long ago. knowing how they can be, i’m sure jon will seek you out soon enough. are you alright otherwise??” 

💌 cissie → damian :  you are excused 💌 cissie → damian :  i would never ever reveal my sources… 💌 cissie → damian :  by your tone i will take it is true? 😏

@definedself​

💌 cissie → damian :  hey little birdy 💌 cissie → damian :  another little birdy told me you been smooching… what you say to that?

“Indeed, I’m not sure if I’ll ever quite be ‘on board’ with how wide-spread these holidays are,” Brainy had a very good intellectual understanding of human holidays, of course. It wasn’t like they didn’t do their research beforehand. But as always, there was a distinct lack of connection towards the emotional meaning of holidays like Valentine’s Day in Querl’s mind, “Well, I think it’s logical for people to be involved with their own ‘love affairs’, as it were. I was just expecting this to be a more private sort of celebration between couples.”

“you believe love affairs, or whatever people wish to refer to them as, are logical??” hardly the robin’s experience whenever it came to witnessing such things throughout the years. generally, he was far more used to seeing love destroy people. tear them apart bit by bit until there was nothing left but anger and resentment. damian had always wished to avoid that path himself after seeing what it had done to his mother, but it appeared fate never did intend for anything else but utter destruction. “personally i’ve always viewed the whole love thing as a waste of time and illogical.” so why did it make sense when it was with one particular person?? “one can be perfectly content without.” 

             eyes    squint    beneath    the    domino    mask.    ❛❛    really    !    no    way.    i    thought    you    were    still    like    ,    thirteen.   ❜❜    he    asked    while    scratching    the    back    of    his    head.    ❛❛    hey    !    dude.    i’m    like    ,    twenty    five.    that’s    not    old    right    ?    ❜❜    there’s    uncertainty    in    his    voice.    ❛❛    right    !?    ❜❜

              *  𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑   &   𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍   .   .   .    𝘧𝘵   !    @reshieldedstart​  .

              ❝     bro  .  .  .  i  don’t  even  know  what  a  boyfriend  does.  how  am  i  supposed  to  be  one  ?  especially  a  GOOD  ONE  !    ❞