I can handle it!!!! (she said, clearly not handling it)

bc wdym some of you guys have bookmarks titled "fics so good I am ascending" and "ao3 is my apartment and your fic i living rent free" and my fic is added to that???

"You owe me a ten-second car." "I had to make a call." "You miss the bullets?"

A lull dropped across them, quiet conversations breaking out to the left and right as food slowly dwindled and drinks were passed around, plates shared and utensils traded, and Damian leaned back in his chair, content, relaxed, at home.  “I would like to discuss the terms of my will.”  Silence fell like an avalanche of bricks over their heads. Bruce sliced into his potatoes, unperturbed.

second chapter is uppppp

Like... Batgirl is not beholden to Batman in any way. She takes inspiration from him, yes, and she borrows part of his name and his shtick.

But she is her own hero and while they partner-up sometimes, she is not his partner. She is his equal, and I love the idea that like... Bruce learned to have a partner before he ever learned to have a Child. if that makes any sense?

I love the idea that Barbara was First, and because of her he learned how to balance the relationship between Bruce and Dick and Batman and Robin. Idk.

For one because Princess is Cass's nickname and he would never dare share a nickname thats a sure fire way to cause Problems in the Wayne Household

For two because Princess is such a father/father-figure+daughter nickname and its what Arthur used to mockingly call her, so Bruce firstly doesn't want to associate with him and secondly doesn't want to force that sort of relationship onto her

Hal tries to be careless with his life because he wants to be worth something and thinks if he dies during battle fighting at least his life will finally have mattered for something and at least he had a purpose for one second- even if it was just sacrificial- but his ring won't let him die and he's worked too long and too hard and is too good at his job to die.

Both of them wanting their own death for different but parallel reasons and finding a reason in each other to force the other to stay alive.

Every Batman only ever has one Batgirl and every Batman is defined by one specific Robin.

Bruce?

He is defined by Dick, no matter the order of which the children come to him, no matter the situation. Dick is his perfect yang, his polar opposite and perfect match all in one. Batman and Robin was created because of them.

Barbara is Bruce's Batgirl and he does not ever have another one, even after she leaves and gives it away she is still forever his Batgirl and no one can take that title from her.

Dick?

He's defined by Damian's Robin because Damian is to him what he was to Bruce. (Also Damian is his only Robin, but that's irrelevant)

Stephanie is Dick's Batgirl and she does actually stop being Batgirl pretty quickly after Bruce returns from the Dead and even though she is Batgirl for a brief stint during Bruce's I Am Alive thing, she's only ever Dick's Batgirl.

Damian?

Damian's Batman is defined by Steph's Robin (She was also his only one, but again that's irrelevant) because she is exactly what he needed as a Robin and allowed him the room to grow into it while helping to guide him along, the way a Robin should