PROLOGUE WORD COUNT: 869 WORDS

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Bruce Wayne loves his children, of this he is certain. 

He had taken them all under his wing. He’d trained them and taught them self-defense. He attended parent-teacher meetings and stayed by their sides after nightmares. 

Bruce Wayne was a good father. 

But Bruce Wayne was also Batman. The dark knight who had protected Gotham every nightfall for several moons– and who would do so for many years to come. 

He had tried, Gods he had tried so hard. But somehow, someway, he had failed you. His firstborn child. Dick Grayson’s anchor when he and Bruce fell out, Jason Todd’s younger sibling, the one who stayed with him in the library when nightmares had chased sleep away. 

Dick had just donned the Robin mantle when you arrived at the gates of Wayne manor. 

Only three years old, and curious about everything you were able to lay your big eyes upon. Not once did you let go of Bruce’s hands.  

Back then, your eyes carried an innocence the way only children can do– children who had not yet been tainted by the destructive nature of Gotham City. 

This had been why he’d chosen to leave you out of the vigilante world. His only wish for you was to grant you the ability to grow up like a child. One who did not understand the meaning of bruised knuckles and ungodly sleep schedules. He would don the cowl so that you would never have to. 

That is what he had told Dick when he asked, and what he told every child that joined the cause in the years to come. 

But then, Dick and Bruce started to fall apart. Your big brother– the one who’d taught you everything you knew– was leaving. By then he’d been dividing time between Batman and The Titans, so his absence was not unknown to you, but this was different. As young as you might have been, you understood this decision was final. Jason loved spending time with you. The two of you spent hours in the library, and played silly games in the living room with you whenever he could. He stayed with you when nobody else did. 

But then he’d left. In search of his real mother is what he had told you– his real family, were the words that stayed unspoken.  

And he never came back. 

This only solidified Bruce’s decision in not telling you about their secret identities. Because he knew what you would say. And he could not afford to lose another one of his children. 

Bruce believed that he had made the right choice in not telling you. That you would stay the safest this way. But he never considered what this would do to you.

You who had never felt so alone in the manor. You, who had to find out from some random child with too much time on his hands, that your father was the Dark Knight. That your big brother was Nightwing. That Barbara used to be Batgirl, and that Jason used to be Robin. 

Just as Bruce had predicted– and feared– you had begged him to join, wanting to take revenge for your brother and get justice for what had been done to Barbara. Barbara who had been nothing but kind to you. Who had fought so hard and had paid the ultimate price. 

But Bruce refused. He refused to accept the risk of any of that happening again, not to his child, not to you. The problem? He never properly communicated this to you. To you it sounded like your father simply did not want you there, that your presence was unneeded, weak. He could accept your siblings, but not you. Never you.

He had taught you self-defense at first, in case something were to happen. But higher duties and his desire to be the one to keep you safe himself had overpowered him. 

So you tried helping in other ways. You learned basic medical procedures. You learned how to mend clothes in case their suits ripped, and you learned how to bake in case they needed snacks while debriefing missions. All taught to you by Alfred of course. 

But in the end, it didn’t really matter did it? Because once you put the suit back on the mannequin, or once you placed the delicate plate of sweets on the desk, you had no reason to be in the cave. You added no extra information to briefings and could not offer any insights on investigations. If you did decide to wait around a bit longer? An awkward silence would build up. What could they talk about with you? You wouldn’t understand the weight of it all anyway.

It wasn’t on purpose, you know this very well. But that didn’t make it hurt any less. You understood that their relationship was different. That they were different. The others had a silent understanding between each other, their own way of communicating. You weren’t a part of that. Not a part of that world. 

Your family loves you, of this you are certain. But they do not like you. Maybe they did once– maybe they will again. They could have once, but they’re much too late now.

Oh em gee! That’s the prologue everybody! I am very excited but also scared to start this fanfic, but let’s fight through it together HAHAH

If you have any questions or idea’s for this fic, please let me know! My dm’s and asks are open. 

EDIT : this chapter has been edited and rewritten

warning/this story contains: 18+, female reader. university au, business major au, black cat!namgyu x golden retriever!reader dynamic, text messages, swearing, more toxic ex boyfriend drama lmao, friendly bullying, mentions of smoking, rumor spreading, reputation issues, namgyu doesn’t know how to comfort reader but he tries, developing friendship!!, namgyu being emotionally vulnerable (rare event) and simultaneously avoidant despite having anxious attachment tendencies, namgyu struggling with self worth (wbk…), insecurity, fear of rejection, overthinking, difficulty expressing emotions…

a/n: part 2 is here!! yayyy!! and the plot slowly thickens😼 i hope you guys enjoy<3

part 1 || part 2

more under the cut!!

Apricity's first little comic! Ruffles is a very loyal slugcat, I'll have you know.

Apricity is an AU set between Rivulet and Saint's campaigns that assumes that Rivulet was sent to investigate conditions around Five Pebbles and Moon, given the mark of communication by-- of all iterators-- Unparalleled Innocence. A pearl from Moon's area carried back to UI reveals that, perhaps, it may be worth a shot sending some instructions.

In the meantime, with no contact between the rest of the local group and FP/Moon, the local group has been busy. Busy with what? Well, with abandoning their slowly deteriorating cans and going to the one with the best chance of long-term survival, but perhaps more is going on than just that...

apricity (noun) - the warmth of the sun in winter