Jason and Dick falling back into being brothers after Jason gets resurrected except both of them keep forgetting that although Dick is still older, Jason is now very much not a small little Robin anymore.
Dick, pointing to an ugly old guy on TV: that’s you
Jason, gesturing to a pug: that’s you
Dick: *flicks the side of Jason’s head*
Jason: do that again and i’ll smash your face in
Dick: bring it on, little wing!
Jason: *jokily shoves Dick off the couch*
Dick: *flies two feet and smashes through a glass table*
Tim and Damian watch Dick try and sneak up on Jason from behind to shove him in the pool but Jason doesn’t even budge, and they see Dick’s eyes widen in regret before he gets judo-flipped into the water. Jason tries to jump in after but forgets how big he is and manages to both land directly on Dick’s flailing body and cause a wave big enough to drench Alfred standing at the other edge. Damian turns dead eyes onto Tim,
Damian: promise me we’ll never be that immature.
Tim: we can learn from their stupidity
Alfred, dripping onto the tiles, Jason and Dick struggling in the background: please see that you do.
Do you have a recs for fics based on the Apprentice arc?
Ooohohoho yesss, you've come to the right person. I have quite a lot of fics to rec (ive been obsessively consuming and hyperfixating like mad on the apprentice arc in particular):
(Also i consider haunted to be part of the overall apprentice arc so there are a few fics based on and set after that episode)
First you can look at the tag "dick grayson as slade wilson's apprentice" on ao3 and there are hundreds of fics, with every dynamic and characters you could want, these are just my favorites ive read (put very very vaguely in an order going down from my most favorites):
Never Alone
My favorite, its a masterpiece, its amazing! After haunted robin continues to have hallucinations and its a finished longfic that gives a really good look into robin's mental illness and how he is still only a human. I made a whole post about this fic and how its perfect in every way, i have not binged a longfic this long in forever but i did this one in a single reading session because i was completely and utterly gripped
More coherent and detailed but completely spoiler free rambles about what makes this fic so good here i cannot stress enough how this is a must read if you like the arc. I like, really really want you to read this one
The voice and gears of sunset
Oneshot set right after robin is rescued from slade in the apprentice arc. It hits so hard and hurts. Robin's recovery and him trying to connect again with the titans after what he had gone through, the titans being there to help every step of the way. The ending melts my heart
Emotional motion sickness
Oneshot set many years later when the batfam is fully formed and robin is nightwing. A good fic with dick and damian's brotherly relationship and discovering new ways to cope. There is an encounter with slade and that scene fills me with so much undescribable emotion
The fight and the war
Oneshot with the batfam. After an encounter with slade, dick is interogated with his family about the way he responded to slade's commands in the battle and how it could have gotten him killed. Dick is forced to admit what happened back when he was with the titans in the apprentice arc. Very good protective batsiblings in a different way to the other fics
Bedeviled
Oneshot set right after haunted. The spores have a lingering effect and robin presses an emergency distress signal to batman who is there for him
To pick at a scab
Years later with the batfam dick comes to the batcave and his younger brothers have some questions about a sound recording from his time with slade. Dick is thrown into a vivid flashback and the batfam break him out of it and help him talk through it. Oneshot
Just the same
Robin deals with stockholm syndrome and cant help but compare how similar or even better slade is than batman. The titans are there to help him figure things out. Oneshot.
Reforming Nightwing
Unfinished longfic. The titans never find iut about the nanobots and dick is forced to be slade's apprentice for 9 years. After Slade is killed and dick is able to excape, he goes to bludhaven where he picks up a new civillian name and the new identity nightwing. Meanwhile tim and steph want to figure out who this new "nightwing" and what his connection is to the villian "renegade"
Do you think batman will give me partial custody?
Oneshot. After the apprentice arc, robin returns to gotham. Unable to figure out how he feels about the situation he goes to his parents' graves where he encounters harely who helps him start a conversation with him about the abuse they both faced
The apprentice
Unfinished longfic where the titans dont discover the nanobots and robin has to continue being slade's apprentice. He spends his time figuring out how to get a message to the titans or to batman or to anyone without slade knowing
Next to my robin and some matchsticks
Oneshot set after apprentice part 2 where the titans patch up robin's wounds and talk about some scars he has, some from his time before the titans and some from slade
that ‘beep beep richie’ thing they did in the It books whenever richie was being a jackass but its the batfam members reminding jason to take a breath and not lazarus-rage anybody into the grave and instead of ‘beep beep jason’ it’s just them flashing a green flashlight at his face.
it started out as a joke, just a quick flash of green to remind him that his anger was most likely down to pit rage and not actual annoyance, but at this point jason’s kinda pavloved himself into pausing and calming down at the sight of bright green lights.
*at a league meeting*
Jason, getting visibly agitated at Clark and reaching for the kryptonite: there is no goddamn FUCKING reason for me to leave my guns at the cave you arrogant fucking-
Tim from across the room: *flashes him in the eyes with the flashlight*
Jason:
Clark, slightly nervous:
Jason: *blinks rapidly* *grumbles angrily as he puts the kryptonite down and storms out the room*
Clark: where is he… going?
Tim: to put his head between his knees until he calms down. he’ll be back in a minute we can carry on.
the league:
-
*lantern visiting the cave for Bruce’s help with something*
Bruce: i can get the results back to you in-
Jason, angrily appearing to storm towards the manor: -gonna KILL that demon brat- thinks he can take MY SWORDS? from MY SAFEHOUSE?
Lantern: uhhh-
Bruce, sighing: Dick, do you have the-?
Dick, bringing out a green penlight and going after him: yeah, i got it. really gotta make Damian stop doing that though.
-
*during a team up, hatching out a battle plan*
Damian, interrupting Bruce’s plan with a whisper: Father, may i borrow the lazarus light?
Bruce: why? Hood isn’t arguing with anyone
Damian: he has been glaring at Green Arrow for the past fifteen minutes, and his fingers are starting to twitch.
Wonder Woman: what did Arrow do?
Damian: nothing, Hood just isn’t a fan.
Bruce:
Bruce, sighing: just a quick flash to keep him on subject, i can’t have him blinded right now.
-
*on an undercover mission*
Roy, cracking his knuckles: aren’t you pumped up to take this guy down?
Jason, stood in the middle of a rave, fluorescent green lights have been flashing in his face for the past ten minutes, his arms are hanging limply at his sides: ………huh?
Dick: yeah i don’t think he’ll be much help on this one.
Roy: ?
Dick: he’s basically catatonic
Jason: i’ve never been more calm.
Roy: you’re wearing a crop top and booty shorts
Jason: i kinda feel like a nap
I think more people need to play around with Damian's speech. Don't get me wrong, I love the antiquated Victorian child style of speech, but also he's a teenager that swears plenty in the comics. We really need more scenes like:
Damian: Father, I regret to inform you that I have been assigned in-school suspension for the next three days.
Bruce: What, why?!
Damian: My classmate Kevin was disparaging a female classmate for turning him down, so I called him 'a rizz-less, basic-ass neckbeard bitch' and said I was going to fuck his mom and give her a son she'd actually love.
Bruce: *is completely speechless*
Damian: That is all I needed to tell you. If you will excuse me, I have homework to complete before dinner and patrol.
Expanding on the below concepts from a dream I had last September
Ig I’m headed towards a haunted/manifestation of guilt idea hmm
Batman: I have decided I will reveal my identity to one person
Justice League: !!!!
Batman: *walks over to Green Arrow*
Green Arrow: Wait wha-
*Hot steamy make-out session right in front of the League. Jaws are dropped, Superman’s eyes are red, there’s tongue*
Green Arrow: … huh
Batman: *raises an eyebrow* Do you understand?
Green Arrow: *now completely aware that Batman is Bruce Wayne due to how many make-outs the two of them have had over the years* Surprisingly yes
Justice League: ?!?!?!
Batman: That’s all *sweeps out of the room with a dramatic flare of his cape*
Damian has a jagged scar across his stomach and when the bats see it for the first time they try to unlock his Tragic Backstory about how he got it and Damian just scowls and refuses to speak whenever they bring it up so they all assume its a really sore spot to do with some kind of childhood trauma at the league, until Red Hood shows up in Crime Alley, starts working with the bats, catches wind of this, and mercilessly informs them that when Damian was 8 he insisted on helping him carry some new LOA weapons down the stairs and he tripped and ate shit with a serrated javelin in his hands.
Damian reveals Jason's identity out of spite.
One of these days the yearning is gonna get them both killed
Interviewer, catching Damian in costume: Robin! Can you explain the process of picking up Robin or passing on the mantle?
Damian, mildly annoyed at Bruce at the moment: It's quite simple. Batmam steals young children from their bed, usually nine or ten or so. Then he takes you to his lair and give you a deal.
Damian: If you can beat him in a game of your choosing, he will train you to be Robin. If you lose, you are eaten. I beat him in a classic fencing game. He's quite good with swords, but he wasn't very good with the sport itself.
Tim, standing next to him: Yeah, I beat him at a memory card game. I like totally cheated, but I'm too old for him to eat now, so ot doesn't matter.
Damian, nodding: Yes. The worst part of the job is disposing of failed Robins bones. He usually sucks them clean and leaves them all over the floor.
Tim: Yeah, its messy. But after you hit, like 15 he stops trying to eat you, so that's cool.
Damian: I have not yet reached 15. I'm still in danger. If you have more questions, ask Nightwing, as he was the first to avoid being eaten.
-
Same interviewer, at a different date: Mr. Nightwing. Is it true Batman tries to eat potential Robins?
Dick, who has no idea what she's taking about: Yeah, it's really scary. His jaw unhinges like a snake.
As Bruce grows older into his 50's or 60's the paparazzi and people crowding him becomes less and he thinks that people have finally decided that Bruce is too old to be attractive or mainstream and he's actually super fine with it and makes jokes( more like sarcastic remarks) about it. But in reality they've grown more freaky cause instead of looking wrinkly and a sappy old man the level of cunt he serves grows everyday,he doesn't look like a snack he looks like a buffet, 13 year olds are using his pics as the cover pages of their mafia wattpad stories, he looks majestic, absolute dilf, we don't talk about the amount of tags he's birthed just by ageing on ao3, and hes still an absolute UNIT, the reason he's not heard about it yet cause the batkids are blocking the shit OUT with all of their will and strength cause it doesn't matter if all of them are full grown adults they're still all like-THATSMYDADGETAWAYFROMHIMHEDOESN'THAVETIMEFORYOUHESBUSYBEINGOURDAD
Peter Parker meets batfam fics are funny to me because I think it’s bold of y’all to assume the batfam wouldn’t take one look at Peter, decide “oh that’s just a tim who still holds childhood innocence and wonder” and adopt him straight on the spot
Peter: *in Gotham for the first time* oh my gosh! *snaps photos* these buildings are so interesting! Bruce: *watching wearily* interesting? This thing is crumbling. Peter: exactly. Very good photo opportunities. Bruce: hmm.
Peter: *scarfing down the batburger Jason bought him* this is really good! Haha I just wish I had a coffee to go with it, I have a lot of studying to do tonight. Jason: *eyes narrow under helmet* coffee? Peter: *completely blazing past* so anyway are you like, the Friendly Neighborhood Crime Lord or—
Peter: *goes on long-winded chemistry rant* Damian: *staring* it’s like . . . . Jason: *leaning over to Damian* yeah. It’s like reading a translated book where everything is just slightly off but still similar enough to make you squint Damian: that is not the analogy I would have chosen, but okay Jason: hey as long as it continues to be chemistry and not technology. One of those I can handle moderately well. The other still sounds like gibberish. Damian: *raises brow* Jason: okay, yeah, I have no clue what he’s saying
they just bring Peter to the manor one day and are like “hey Tim, here’s your twin from another universe. Corrupt him with coffee addiction, murderous tendencies or general jadedness and we’ll announce Red Robin is going to finally address the copyright infringement allegations against that burger franchise”