Tag: alfred pennyworth

HYPNOTISED: A Jason Todd/Red Hood x OC Fan Fic

Summary: Snippets of a blossoming romance between Jason Tood/Red Hood and an original character (named Ima), with other DC characters in supporting roles. Jason falls for a waitress at a diner he frequents with his best friend, Roy Harper. When she is caught in the crossfire between him and Black Mask, he is determined to protect her at all costs. What he does not expect is her falling for him, too. And how much she becomes a part of his – and the Batfamily’s – life.  

** Not strictly canon. Romance + fluff + minor angst. A lot of Batfamily feels. Title from the Coldplay song. Currently 8 chapters long, each one to be posted separately due to length. Editing may occur, depending on inspiration. 🙂 **

Chapters: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight

Now I’m hyp- hypnotised

Yeah, I trip, when I look in your eyes

Oh, I’m hyp- hypnotised

Yeah, I slip and I’m mesmerized


Now I’m hyp- hypnotised

Yeah, I lift to a permanent hight

Oh, I’m hyp- hypnotised

It was dark

Not it’s sunrise

One

In and out. That was the original plan, a simple extraction mission.

Word had gotten out that an exchange between Black Mask and a Russian mob boss was going to take place at an abandoned warehouse by the Gotham Bay docks: a billion and a half dollars for a briefcase that contained a classified Kryptonian substance that could be weaponized, and in evil hands, possibly set off a third World War.  

It was no surprise that Black Mask and his crew had not thought twice about doing the exchange in an unsecured location. It was an open secret that Gotham’s finest, save for Commissioner Gordon and a few others, would turn a blind eye. After all, they had the criminal to thank for their overseas vacations and fancy cars.

Preoccupied with mentoring a new Justice League of America, Batman put Red Hood up to the task. Arsenal was only too happy to be part of the action. “Just like old times, Jaybird!” the former Green Arrow sidekick had exclaimed. Though it had already been a year since the two Heroes-for-Hire disbanded over “professional differences”, they picked up where they left off easily. In spite of their constant bickering, they grounded each other and worked efficiently as a duo. (Plus, they both secretly missed the banter.)

The plan was to slip past the guards and into the container truck. After getting a hold of the briefcase, they were to evacuate immediately before alerting the cops of the exchange. “By taking the briefcase out of the picture first,” Bruce had explained, “we remove any leverage Black Mask has over us and keep the substance out of GCPD’s reach. I’ll explain everything to Jim when this is over. But for now, we can’t afford any slip-ups.”

But, clearly, life had other plans for Jason that day. When one of the guards he had beaten up begged him for mercy, he begrudgingly relented. Then, the second he turned his back, he heard radio static from the man’s chest pocket; the others were alerted of the hostile take over. He almost regretted his self-restraint, internally cursing at Bruce for showing him the high road. The Russians panicked and opened fire. Chaos ensued.      

So, there he was, just a fifteen minutes in, already running in zigzag lines to evade scorching flames and falling debris. His body was trying to keep up with his mind as he outweighed the risks of each potential exit route. Black Mask had ordered his men to burn down the warehouse, trapping him, Roy, the Russians, and whoever else was left.  

“Uh, Jaybird? I think this is our cue to go. Like any. Second. NOW,” Roy yelled, watching steel beams crash around them. He was down to two trick arrows that were of no use to the situation at hand. And unless they had some sort of deus ex machina, their only option for survival was to make a run for it. Roy went ahead, clearing a path for his best friend to run through.

Jason was about to follow when he heard a whimper behind some oil drums. “Gimme a sec, Roy!” Did he imagine it? Did someone need help? He crept towards the sound, both revolvers cocked just in case he was wrong. He could make out a silhouette with soft curves. A woman? Taking a deep breath, he quickly grabbed her from behind, stifling her scream.

"I’m not gonna hurt you,” he whispered to her ear. Unless she made him. He turned her to face him, and his breath got caught in his throat. The deep hazel eyes, the full brown lips, and the smooth ebony skin that haunted his dreams… now covered in soot. What was she doing here?

He would get his answers later. He slowly uncovered her mouth. She stared at him with wide eyes, clearly petrified. Then, as if she regained her senses, pounded her fists on the graphene-plated symbol on his chest. He winced, knowing that it physically hurt her more than it did him.

He held her close, dodging falling debris as he ran them towards the only opening in sight. Almost tripping over a fallen cargo box, he heard an explosion. The oil drums. He let go of a breath he did not realize he had been holding.

Roy was nowhere to be seen, and Jason hoped desperately that he had already made it out in one piece.  

"Let me go! Ugh!” she shrieked, kicking at him. If it was not for his reinforced codpiece (Dick’s idea), he would have been wailing in pain on the ground. He dragged her behind a post, just inches away from a falling block of charred wood.

The more she struggled, the harder it was for him to sprint them towards the nearest exit. There was no way he was leaving without her. But if they were to make it out of there alive, she had to calm down. And he realized that an emotionless mask with a voice modifier was less than comforting. A desperate time, a desperate measure. With a press of a button at the base, his helmet unlocked. Pfffttttzzz. “Let me try that again,” he said softly, cupping her cheeks, “I’m not gonna hurt you.” The sound of his real voice must have calmed her down because he could feel the tension leaving her body.

He could hear the sirens from a distance rushing towards the blazing warehouse.    

“Jason…,” she coughed out, before passing out in his arms.

Batman and Mario Puzo’s “The Godfather”

I was listening to that beautiful main theme from the soundtrack of “The Godfather” film when this all occurred to me: parallels with the Bat family. However, I’m limiting my discussion to Bruce, Dick, Jason, and Tim (and maybe a teeny bit of Damian) since they’re the only ones I can relate The Godfather characters with at this point. So, here goes.  

I vaguely remember a quote about how none of sons were the father, but each of them had a characteristic that reflected their father. It had something to do with Vito Corleone, but it seems to be very appropriate with Bruce Wayne, as well. 

None of the Robins (much less anyone outside the Bat family) could ever really replace Bruce as Batman because, well, Bruce’s Batman is the definitive Batman (in my opinion, at least). All his strengths, all his flaws… they’re all very… Bruce. Does that make sense? Regardless of whoever dons the cowl in Bruce’s absence, he/she will always be doing it in homage to him.     

But, having said that, each of the Robins has a special trait that they share with Bruce – whether or not it was something they learned from him. I’m fondly reminded of that set of panels from the Robin War story arc where Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian tell the civilian Robins-in-training the most valuable trait of being a Robin according to the Batman. And, interestingly (I’m pretty sure, not coincidentally), each of them spoke of a trait that reflected Bruce’s Batman and the specific Robin concerned.  

Anyways. Naturally, I start with the fathers:

Bruce as Vito Corleone:

For all his sins and flaws, Vito is revered as a character, both by his fellow characters and the audience. Perhaps it has something to do with his brilliant on-screen portrayal by Marlon Brando? Regardless, we find it in ourselves to revere him because he’s sympathetic. We know that he’s a criminal, a cold-blooded murderer, a thief, yet we romanticize him because we’re given glimpses into his most vulnerable moments: his home life, his struggle to be a lesser evil, his orphaning, etc., etc. He witnessed his mother murdered by a merciless mafioso in front of him at a very young age, leaving him an orphan and prompting him to escape a life of poverty and into the United States. 

Familiar scenario? I guess I don’t have to go into detail about what Bruce has been through (except, he wasn’t born into poverty and had a generally happy childhood before the Crime Alley event, of course).

The main difference, I suppose, is that while Vito used crime to right the wrongs in his life, Bruce wanted to break the vicious cycle.       

As fathers, both of them want to protect their children from the chaos in their individual crusades. They built empires so that their children would have better lives than they did growing up, but at the risk of exposing them to the behind-the-scenes reality and enticing them to join in. Vito wanted his youngest (and most promising) son, Michael, to steer clear of the “family business”. Bruce trained Robin so that he wouldn’t become like him, consumed by darkness; he wanted his kids to be able to channel their frustration in positive and productive ways (leave the extravagant-ness of his methods to fiction, though).

Also, both are tired old men, jaded by experience, but refusing to pass on the mantle to their children just yet.  

Dick as Sonny Corleone:

The eldest. The most obvious heir to the family business. Chatty. Very, very protective of his family. Can get very emotional, and will be extra aggressive when angered.  

Jason as Fredo Corleone:

The second son. Willing to do shady/underground dealings to expand the family’s (and his personal) empire. Master manipulator. Has a history of betraying his family.

Tim as Michael Corleone:

The third son. Seemingly weak at first. The most introverted. Brains before brawn. Has the closest temperament to the father. Was initially the most sheltered one, as two older brothers had already gone deep into the “family business”. Eventually takes over the empire. 

Damian as the unborn child in Kay’s womb??? Or, we could go with an aged Damian holding his pet, Alfred Pennyworth *wink wink*:

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