⤷Can’t take my eyes off you!⋆✴︎˚｡⋆
Synopsis: the batboys first impression of you
Pairing: Bruce. W x reader ⋆ Dick. G x reader ⋆ Jason. T x reader
Notes: absolute crack n’ fluff, slight obsession, depiction of violence/death ⋮ Wc: 3.9k
‘300 year anniversary!’ read the large banner strung up. hundreds of people were gathered in the ballroom of The Wayne Enterprise—because why wouldn’t it have a ballroom? a chorus of chatter, smooth jazz from the band, and drink glasses clinking together occasionally filled the hall. Bruce was the center of it all, being praised for his company's amazing success. he wasn’t the one who founded it, but the way these people stared at him, he may as well have built the building with his own hands.
he had just gotten off the stage, spewing some words of wisdom and how it will only go up from here. after he raised his glass and tipped it all back, he had to practically shake hands with everyone; other business owners and CEO’s. mostly Bruce didn’t mind talking with them, some only had green dollar signs in their eyes and he made sure to cut their conversation short. each time, he flashed a bright smile, looking like the face of Wall Street. these anniversaries always went the same, say his speech, shake a few hands, and then he would be out of the door before the clock struck eleven. he wasn’t ungrateful for the extravagant party, he just wasn’t one to shift on his heels the entire night watching as people dance the night away.
Bruce believed the same would go for tonight, but fate had a different plan in mind. he was just about to head out, wrapping up a conversation with one of his employees, but over the man’s shoulder,he noticed something. or someone. there by the large array of desserts and charcuterie board was you. Bruce had been kicked off buildings and landed straight on his back, but nothing could capture the way you stole his breath. you definitely didn’t work for him, if you did he would have noticed a lot sooner. under the glistening chandelier, your navy blue dress sparkled, and he couldn’t help scanning your entire frame.
god, you must have known what you were doing when you wore that outfit. the fabric hugged your body in every good way possible and Bruce had to physically pull his eyes off you. everything from the way your hair was styled to the way you carried yourself just pulled him toward you. clearing his throat, he directed his attention to his employee,”excuse me, i’m being called over.” the man barely had time to bid Bruce goodbye before the man was calmly walking over to the food table.
you were busy scanning the options in front of you to notice the very large man settle next to you. it took Bruce a second to think of something to say,”may i ask who you came with tonight?” his voice was calm and it was a reasonable question, since only certain people were invited to events like these. (that’s just what Bruce was telling himself since he didn’t want to come off as a creep)
you opened your mouth to give a bored and uninterested response, but as you glance at who is speaking to you, suddenly no words come to mind. like a flipped switch, you are standing straighter, hyper aware of how your hair or makeup might look since you just got off the dance floor. an awkward laugh slipped past your lips and you gave a hesitant,” oh, my-uh, my friend Kaylee.” you gestured toward said girl, who was currently flirting with some random office man.
Bruce nodded slowly, recognizing Kaylee as one of the receptionists. staring up at him, you can’t help but shrink a bit. his gaze is intense, those smoky blue eyes cutting sharp, even if they mean no harm,”are you enjoying yourself?” the question confuses you more than it should, since why would Bruce Wayne wonder how you are feeling at his party?
“amazing!” you say louder than intended,” you did a great job putting this together. unless it was someone else.” you mutter the last part, flushing slightly at how awkward you were being. Bruce chuckles slightly, his deep voice tickling your skin like soft velvet,”i wish i could take credit, but i have other people to set up things like these. i’ll tell them you appreciate their hard work.”
“of course,” you smile,” but how is The Man of The Hour, does he like his own party?” when Bruce hears your tiny giggle, he feels his heart give a little flutter. you look beautiful, even as you stumbled over your words and nervously laughed. in his eyes, you were practically glowing. no one in the room mattered right now, you had caught his attention and it wasn’t something Bruce was going to take simply.
“i would be crazy not to love it.” he hums, facing the happy partygoers. you mirror him, nodding to his words, but speak up again,”does it ever get too much?” Bruce noticed how you were hesitant to say that, clearly not trying to cross a boundary. He could have put on a mask, one labeled a sybarite ladykiller who only wants to keep his legacy up, or he could be The Batman; someone quiet and secretive, blow over the question with ease, but shockingly, he was neither right now.
he swallows slowly, as if a trying to rid his throat of a burning whiskey,”if i’m being honest, it can be. it’s the price i have to pay when doing something this big.” there was no hint of gloating or pride in his voice, he was being truthful. an expression of understanding fell on your face,”do you have someone to help you through it?” a small smile washed over Bruce’s mouth, and his eyes flicked down to you,”no, not yet at least.”
you tired to ignore how his stare lit flames across your body,”waiting on the right person?” without a second of hesitation, he responded,”maybe i already found her.”
Dick was fighting sleep with each rambling word his professor continued to use. patrol last night had gone way too long for Dick’s sanity. he was struggling with barely four hours of sleep and each time he checked the clock it was like it was frozen in place. all he could do was hope that the bell would chime and he could grab an energy drink from the gas station. in the midst of the lesson, the back door suddenly opened with a harsh slam. Dick jolted up, forced out of his daydream, everyone’s head whipped backward. when his eyes landed on you, he swore an arrow shot right through his heart. you stood there sheepishly,”sorry,” you avoided everyone’s eyes and waited for the professor to say something.
the man’s lips stretched into a thin line, completely unamused by your entrance,”find a seat.” with that everyone turned back to the front, unbothered by the interruption. well, everyone except Dick. he was completely starstruck by you and he almost didn’t register you walking towards him until you gave him a shy wave. he scooted his chair forward, just now noting the empty spot next to him. you quickly set your stuff down, hastily looking around for anyone glaring at you. all you found was Dick, who looked anything but upset.
“slept in accidentally,” you mumbled. that sounded like heaven to Dick, but swiftly his lack of sleep was the least of his concerns. he almost forgot to respond,”i wish,” you chuckled softly,” had a rough night?” considering that hidden under Dick’s graphic t-shirt was knife slashes covered in bandages and a handful of bruises, yeah, you could say he had a rough night,”you could say that.” being up close, you could see the soft hue of purple under his eyes, so he definitely was letting on less than what truly happened, but you weren’t one to pry. so instead, you reached into your bag, pulling out an extra energy drink and sliding it towards him.
Dick’s mouth dropped at your generosity and he was just about to pass it back to you, but you were quick to shake your head,”i got plenty of sleep and it looks like you need a pick-me-up.” he blushed slightly, finally accepting the drink. your voice sounded familiar and as he sipped on the much needed drink, he realized you usually sat in the front of the room. a few times he had watched from far behind you as you raised your hand and answered a question. now you two were right next to each other, talking as if you had known each other for years.
as he thought about it, Dick was planning on staying at the manor for today, but much to Alfred’s persistence, he went despite last night. by some miracle, what he thought would be a terrible day, turned great. the rest of class sped by, unfortunately for him, and you two said your goodbyes. the entire day, Dick couldn’t get you out of his head. the way you laughed at his mediocre jokes or when your eyes lit up at a similar interest you shared. everything about you was just perfect. perfect for him. the second he got home, he was locked away in his room, fingers typing on his computer at a million words per second. all of it was to gain information about you. no, Dick wasn’t a stalker, he was just curious.
the next day, it surprised him to see you were already in your new seat, right next to him. unbeknownst to you, that sealed your destiny completely. how had he not noticed you before? he was busy, sure, but he was an observant person, how could someone like you just slip by? it’s not like that will happen again, so he spent his time observing your social media posts, smiling at how gorgeous you were. he would go to your following list, searching for any kind of information he could bring up with you.
oh, you like going to a certain coffee place, it’s only a coincidence that Dick shows up with a labeled cup from the exact shop. if he sees you enjoy a certain artist on your Spotify, then he’s already played their album 10 times in one day, letting his phone screen face upwards just for you to see who he’s currently listening to. as the days passed, you only grew closer with Dick, finding more and more things in common. boy, is he excited when you ask him to help you with a certain subject (Dick already hacked into the school’s grading book, noting your particularly low grade in Chemistry II) he doesn’t even have the class, but he’d be damned to let you down.
you suggest working at your house, but Dick just gives you an easy smirk, slyly requesting to work at his home, for no particular reason. you should have known what you were getting yourself into when a limousine pulled up in front of you and Dick instead of a normal car. Dick acted as chill as ever, not even batting an eye at the shocked glances and hushed whispers. your curiosity only doubled when the buildings and concrete sidewalks smoothed out to long acres of green grass and lush trees. Dick being the gentleman he is, opened the door for you as you stepped out. you were sure you were standing in front of a castle.
the reason as to why Dick was living like a prince finally came to you when you found a family portrait in their library. standing in the middle of a cluster of men, was none other than Bruce Wayne. Dick stood next to you wearily, unsure of how you would react,”you’re the son of Bruce Wayne?” it was something that was bound to be revealed,”yeah,” was all he could muster.
expecting the worst, he was shocked to only hear you mutter,”cool,” and walk away from the portrait. the library was filled head to toe with books and many desks littered the area. Dick already had the books on one of the tables, but behind him was a staircase toward more sections of novels. you wondered if this place had a book for everything and you wouldn’t be shocked if it did. Dick was a really good tutor, which wasn’t as much as a surprise since you knew he was an amazing leader. you had noticed the qualities when your class had a group project, when presenting, Dick was always the one speaking and he assigned the roles. you were glad to finally be understanding something, no thanks to your annoying chemistry professor.
after about an hour of Dick tutoring you, boredom slowly seeped into your systems. it was obvious by how you sighed occasionally and he didn’t seem as prone to cracking jokes. without a second thought, Dick rose from his wooden chair, grabbing your wrist and trudging through the manor halls. you were utterly confused, but before you could speak up, Dick was already flicking on a room’s lights. before you was a colossal sized tv, at least six rows of theater chairs, and Dick already sitting down and turning on the screen. you had no reason to complain, so you sat down next to him.
“is this one of the many pleasures of being a Wayne son?” you tease, making Dick chuckle,”i guess you could say that.” he scrolled through the movies, smiling each time you pointed out a movie you had seen before,” what’s next?” you chime,”we’ll go bowling down the hall?” the silence that followed made you snap your head toward the man, who only stared at you with a sheepish expression.
“you’re joking.” you scoff, completely dumbfounded by this insanity of this mansion. Dick let out a laugh,”i can say we don’t if it’ll make you feel better.” you rolled your eyes half-heartedly,” it’s too late, but if we play a round together, i might be satisfied.” you watched as a warm smile spread onto Dick’s face, an emotion that you couldn’t quite pinpoint, but it was gone in a flash, replaced by a cool and casual look. you both finally picked a movie to watch and by the end, your head found its way to Dick’s shoulder. he tensed at first, glancing down nervously, but he relaxed when he saw you were fast asleep. slowly, he let his cheek fall onto your head. you were so content and Dick had forgotten about the movie entirely.
what started out as a happy accident was going to end in Dick asking you to marry him, even if you didn’t know it yet.
rain poured down extensively on the city, complimenting the chilly night. above the bare concrete streets, sitting quietly on a building’s ledge, was Jason. usually his patrols aren’t this laid-back, but tonight he was left just waiting around for something to happen. that sounded bad, like he was wishing for the worst, but he couldn’t stand doing absolutely nothing. if he had someone with him, he could pass the time just fine, but he was all alone. at least he was before you wandered onto the sidewalk. you weren’t wearing a jacket, no umbrella, not even a bag to carry above your head. Jason’s interest was caught and he tucked his legs up from the side of the brick wall.
in the shadows he stared as your mouth moved in hushed curses. you must be brave, or severely stupid, to walk alone at night in Gotham. thankfully for you, you had a vigilante angel looking over you. to the left of Jason, was an alleyway, lit by a red neon sign, and you skittered towards it. the building next to the one he was sitting on had an awning and you were currently seeking shelter under it. you shivered harshly, hugging yourself for some comfort. Jason wondered if he should help you, but he didn’t want to make himself known.
you were just about to walk back out to the sidewalk, when a rough hand yanked you back. only half of your petrified scream made out into the world before another hand came slamming down over your mouth. wincing, you watched as two men walked out from behind you and your capture. you knew something bad was going to happen, you told yourself to stay at the office, but you needed to get to your apartment to feed your cat. now, you weren’t sure if you would even leave this alley alive. your heartbeat quickened as the guns in their hand shimmered against the buzzing neon sign.
“don’t you know it’s dangerous for pretty things like you to be walking alone at night?” a gruff voice whispered into your ear. his breath was hot and reeked of alcohol and spoiled food, the urge to gag was forced away as something cold and sharp glided on your bare arm. you kept as still as you could, even if you were shaking, but it didn’t matter, since the man forcefully pressed the blade into your flesh. the scarlet that dribbled out made you light headed, but you knew if you were to faint, you weren’t going to wake up breathing. the two men in front of you grinned sadistically, inching closer, but you weren’t going to die without trying to escape.
your teeth clamped down onto the man’s fingers and as he grunted, you reeled your bloody arm back, shoving your elbow into his rib cage. with a pained groan, his hold loosened and you had just enough space to swat his hand away. you saw an opening and dashed, praying on everything that you’ll make it, but a boot right in front of your feet stopped all hope. you smacked into the ground, gasping for air. you heard disheveled groans from behind you, followed by unclear words, probably insults at you. you forced yourself to your knees, about to rise and run, but you cried out as one of the men’s shoes came down onto your ankle.
peeking behind you with tears in your eyes, you noticed the hellfire radiating around them. you would need a miracle to make it out of this. a crack of lightning flashed in the sky, giving you just a split second of a clear view and you gasped. you thought you were just hallucinating, but you swore you saw an inky figure standing right behind the men. the thought quickly passed when the man that had been holding you captive grabbed on your leg. dragging you near him. you screamed at the top of your lungs, hoping someone would hear your pleas, but it died in your throat as your injured arm scraped along the rough floor. tears streamed down your face and you could only close your eyes and weep.
“is that anyway to treat a lady?” an unknown voice boomed over the downpour, starling the thugs. suddenly, the hilt of the stranger’s gun rammed into your abuser’s head, forcing him onto his knees. the other two whipped around, aiming their pistols into the darkness. again a bolt of lighting lit up the shadows, but it was only to show that the stranger’s boot was wheeling right toward one of the men’s heads. the force of the kick sent the male into the brick wall. with no other choice, the final man shot out into the darkness, hoping to hit something, but his arms were shoved down, forcing a bullet into his foot.
you stared in horror as the other two man slowly got up, ready to fight. with the helpful distraction, you crawled to the edge of the alley, gripping onto your open wound. more gunshots rang out, making you flinch with their powerful blast. your body was burning with pain, newly forming bruises aching under your outfit. tucking your head into your arms, you waited until there were no sounds of struggle anymore. the last body thumped to the ground and you heard sturdy shoes make their way over to you. you didn’t want to know if it was someone here to help you or the opposite, so you continued to curl into yourself.
a large, but gentle hand caressed your head, making you look up. you weren’t expecting to see a man with a red hood and mask to be staring back at you. you tensed, but relaxed once you saw the white bandages in his other hand. he gestured toward your bleeding arm and nervously, you gave it to him. there was no conversation between the two of you, the end result of your night walk was enough of a lesson. he didn’t seem to care about talking to you, just making sure you were okay. he tore the end of the wrappings with a blood caked knife, but in contrast, he pushed onto the bandages with such carefulness, it made you forget about how he just killed three people. slowly, he stood, reaching out for you, you didn’t hesitate this time to grab hold of his gloved hand.
as you rose to your feet, wiping away any stray tears, you stared up at the man who saved you. overwhelmed by so many emotions, you wrapped your arms around him, tears of joy flowing from your eyes. unknowingly to you, Jason hated touch. from anyone. he told himself to gently push you off or just stand there, but he surprised even himself by placing his arm around your shoulders. it wasn’t out of guilt, though Jason did feel that since he had told himself nothing would happen, since nothing had happen for the past handful of hours. Jason just felt a strange connection toward you. this sparkle in your eyes as you look at him with nothing but gratefulness.
maybe it was because you didn’t cower in fear and try to run, like most do when they see how violent he can be. it’s just how he has always been, he couldn’t change something he had known his entire life as normal. however, you weren’t scared by it, in fact, you were the opposite of his actions. it was Jason’s duty to protect the citizens of Gotham, but strangely, he felt overly protective over you. he didn’t even know your name, but he was going to. when you sadly pulled away from the hug, Jason lingered near you, wanting to speak up, ask you for your name, but this couldn’t be how you two met. so after a bundle of ‘thank you’s’ from you, you walked out of the alley, calling your friend to pick you up. Jason got rid of the guys, completely disgusted by their pig tendencies.
on your end, you believed you would never see your savior again, and you didn’t, at least not to your knowledge. to Jason, he saw you two days after in a coffee shop. it was pretty packed and conveniently there was an open spot in the seat in front of you. that day, you met Jason Todd, a charming man who got your number the same day, and you would be going out on a date with him a few days after. though in Jason’s mind, you were still the woman he was going to protect with every fiber in his body. the world would turn to ash before he let the fire even touch your skin. maybe soon he will tell you why he sounded so familiar the first day you met, but for now, it’ll be his little secret.
