#beyondthewalls

Most Popular Works

Childhood homes: Jason comes back to Gotham determined to save his city by doing what Batman doesn't have the guts to do. The Red Hood appears in Crime Alley without warning and starts staking his claim. The plan is to put down the new Robin and prove that children don't belong on the battlefield, but this changes when he realises that he isn't the only one Bruce has failed.

Or

Tim gets forcefully adopted by the Red Hood and Jason helps rebuild Crime Alley.

Bat...Man?: The press named the vigilante Batman. Bryce wondered if the criminals she had been fighting were blind or possibly on drugs. But she would never ignore the opportunity to keep her identity even safer.

Part one complete! Part two now in progress!

Being Yourself: A Beginner's Guide: Jason Todd has been angry since he was a teen, the problem only getting worse as he got older. Several years after his death an overheard conversation gives him a starting place to begin understanding why. A Trans Jason fic.

There's more to us than masks: A series of short stories all in the same universe exploring different aspects of the Batfamily ranging from adoption to hobbies, queerness and religion. Mostly an excuse to do character studies and write family interactions.

Monsters at Heart: Bruce and his kids are human. The Bats are not. Most of them live in harmony with the spirits they are entwined with, others struggle with the monsters within.

The siblings are siblings and Damian is learning to trust

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Damian collapsed onto his bed. Cass was a thorough teacher and insisted on repetition until each movement had met her standards. She had taken him through the basic positions of ballet, demonstrating with ease. Damian could not see the use of this in his life but he had been instructed to spend time with each of the younger masters and mistress. If she wished to spend her time teaching him her craft that was her prerogative. His skin pickled as he had an unpleasant thought. Perhaps she expected him to learn so as to entertain the family and guests? He couldn’t imagine how awful it would be. Humiliation made his skin flush and he felt the heat of it spread down his face and neck to his chest. Surely she wouldn’t. She liked him, called him little brother despite his protests. 

They all called him that, except for Master Wayne who called him son, and Butler Pennyworth who referred to him as a master, as one of the family. He wondered if maybe, maybe it might be possible.

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A Robin takes flight

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Damian ran his fingers over the textured kevlar of his new suit, admiring the craftsmanship. His hand stopped over the large golden R, resting his palm over the symbol he would now wear. He was going to save lives, not take them. He was going to stand side by side with his family as a protector of Gotham, not a shadow skulking by in the night. But there was something he had to do first.

“Pennyworth, I was wondering if there might be somewhere I can burn these?” he asked, his old robes folded neatly in his hands.

“Certainly sir.”

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It had been years since Damian had been privileged enough to be in the presence of the Demon’s Head and Mistress Talia, and yet today they had ordered his presence. He knelt where he had been told, waiting patiently. Pins and needles dragged up his legs. The sharp stab of broken ribs came with every shallow breath, mingling with the ache of his back. He refused to allow himself to shake or bend. Damian would not let himself dishonor the League by disrespecting his Masters in such a way. A few hours was nothing. He could wait longer. 

Other slaves passed on their way to other tasks. They did not glance at Damian. He did not try to catch their eyes. The wind blew, rustling leaves and bringing the scent of desert flowers through a nearby window, as well as another wave of heat. Sweat drops traced their way down his neck. Damian did not lift a hand to wipe them.

Faint voices began to echo down the corridor towards him and Damian ran a mental assessment down his body, ensuring that he would be able to stand and serve as needed. His injuries throbbed with pain but it was nothing he had not felt before. It would cause no problems. The voices became louder until finally the wooden doors to the room were pulled open. His masters had a guest, a man he did not recognise wearing a formal suit. Damian bowed low over his knees and waited for his Master’s instructions, holding back a gasp of pain. 

Damian is observant, Alfred is MVP and Dick hits Bruce for putting his foot in his mouth

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Damian had been watching the family closely since he first arrived. At the beginning to understand what they required of him, what would lead to punishment or to approval. Now he watched because he wanted to know. He wanted to understand the why of their family. What had drawn them together? What gave them such strong bonds? Why did they all move like warriors?

Drake moved stiffly one morning, claiming to have slept in an odd position. He did a better job of hiding it for the rest of the week but Damian recognised from personal experience the movement of someone with bruised ribs. Stephanie arrived one morning with a burn up one arm, claiming a cooking incident. If she hadn’t been quite so shifty, quite so rehearsed, he might have believed it. Richard’s twisted ankle was explained as an unexpected fall. He believed that, but he didn’t accept that it had simply been stepping onto an unexpected patch of ice that threw the man off balance. Not with the split skin and bruises on the man’s knuckles that spoke of thrown punches. Not with the shadow of half-hidden bruises around his neck like a rope.

Jason made no excuses when he changed his bandages sitting at Damian’s desk, simply bagging the soiled material and pretending he didn’t notice him watching. The League of Assassins was more fond of traditional weapons but Damian knew a gunshot when he saw one. He didn’t ask and Jason rambled about his newest reading material as if nothing had happened. 

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We're finally at the end of Damian's journey <3 In this chapter an afternoon of reading is interrupted, Titus is a good boy, and Damian sure has siblings.

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“Quite the mess. You and Master Tim must resolve this issue quickly.”

Damian maintained his prim facade, fighting the smile that wanted to twitch across his lips. “Timothy is the Demon’s Head, Grandfather, I am sure this has nothing to do with me.”

“Indeed,” replied Alfred, raising an eyebrow.

Damian could no longer hide his smirk. “I assure you, Grandfather, he knows what he did. Now, I must go. I will take this pathetic excuse for an assassin down to the cells.”

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Damian learns about his siblings talents and teeters on the edge of a decision

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Just in case you need it. Ask Tim if you want a different weapon. - J   

Ask Tim if you want a different weapon. Why Timothy? Because he lived here permanently while his older siblings did not? Or because he had a different mindset to his other siblings?

Just in case you need it.

He did need it.

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