Waiting desperately to be saved from a kidnapping, you end up being brainwashed to be used against your own brothers.

Requestedby@flashdash626​: “Hi! I’m not sure if your taking requests, so if your not then you can choose to ignore this. Anyways! I was hoping you could do a Batsis were the sister is kidnapped by a random villain, and once the boys find her its to late and she was brainwashed and was now under control of the random villain. Once they like knock her out they bring her to the cave and try to bring her memories back. After a little bit of them talking to her her mind snaps and shes back to normal and she gets all emotional” 

A/N: I know how this looks, I was really inspired since I was stuck on another fic and ended up writing three parts to this I’m sorry T-T

Warning: angst, violence, swearing

Eyes fluttered closed as the sound of rails lulled her to sleep. University had been so tiring this week, having to finish a whole project by the end of the week, in which the guidelines had been given on Monday. A lot of preparation and running around in order to polish a well researched and thorough end result. 

The lack of sleep, tiring long hours and accumulated stress had finally left her body as soon as she handed in the work two hours before the deadline was scheduled. To say that fatigue had taken it’s toll on her was an understatement. 

For a Friday late afternoon, the train was quite empty heading towards Gotham, but then again, no one wants to go there willingly. Her eyes fluttered closed, mind numbing, it was still two stops into the city, each of which are more or less an hour long, she had time, even if it’s only a thirty minute- one hour nap at most. Too much sleep and it was disrupt – or complicate her-return-to-normal-sleep schedule. 

 ~ I should be due at the mansion in just over two hours ~ 

A quick message wouldn’t hurt if there still need to be preparations. 

~ Are you sure you don’t want me to pick you up? ~ DG

That was quick. Smiling, (Y/N) texted her older brother back. 

~ It’s okay, you’re still busy, and I’ll be back before you’ve finished your work! ~

~ But we missed you! ~ DG

~ It’s been two weeks! Besides it’s the vacation, I’ll be home for a month or so. ~

~ Fine :( ~ DG

With a chuckle, she slipped her phone back in her inside pocket. A grown ass baby. 

Finally, she settled back into her seat, paying no mind to the occasional vibration of the carriage window to her head, inescapably submitting to sleep. 

When she finally woke up, it was at the end of the line, the carriages were empty, doors wide open, only the occasional person walking or sitting along the platform. 

Shit, the woman mentally cursed, grasping her things, and which, luckly, everything was still with her. Rushing out of the train, she scanned the screens: last train, departing in 2 hours and 30 minutes, Platform 8. The words glided along the end of the screen, in bright red dots. A disappointed sigh escaped her. At least it wasn’t late – and dark. Well, the sun was setting. 

The last stop was at the outskirts of Gotham, so she was thankful that she didn’t have to cause too much trouble getting back. Despite her nap, she was still tired – just less so, and she would really enjoy getting into a comfy bed in the company of her brothers, father and butler. 

A slightly irresponsible idea occurred to her. She could get home reaaaaally quickly if she wore her vigilante suit. The woman would be able to call her self-driving motorcycle and hurry to the Mansion in a record time. It was in her bag, and it’s not like it would hurt anyone. 

As long as she was careful when changing, this wasn’t going to threaten the reveal of her identity. 

With a smile, and making sure she held tightly onto the small bag she carried back with her, she briskly walked out of the train station, to an empty, dirty public bathroom.

Gross but will have to do. 

After having scanned the toilet for any lewd hidden cameras, she hastily slipped into her costume, placing her civilian clothes back in her bag and creeping out onto the nearest rooftop. Activating her tracking device and then the automated call, she sat down on the ledge, sighing in relief as she got the notification that her motorcycle just headed out. 

Now it was only a question of patience. Since nothing was happening, she lay down fully on the ledge, bag on the rooftop and arms under her head for more comfort. 

Her eyes closed, this time, not falling asleep, but listening to the nearly inheart environment surrounding her. 

That was until her phone vibrated. Sitting up, she reached for it, opening the message.

~ Where are you? I’m about to head home, but word is you’re not there yet. ~ DG

~ Yes, I missed the stop, called the Batcave, my ride should be here soon, sorry! ~

They must have been worried. 

Before she could answer, she heard quick footsteps trailing behind her. Her head snapped back but before she could distinguish anyone, the silhouette landed a hard blow to her head, which probably was a metal pole.

“Fuck.” she cursed in pain, her unlocked phone dropping off the ledge, sliding down the roof and landing in the gutter, “who are you!?” (Y/N) yelled standing up clumsily as the side of her head ached. 

“Lights out.” the unknown person grunted, lifting the pole high after dodging an attempted punch, slamming it to the back of her head. Her whole body smashed to the ground with violent force – but it’s not something she felt, as she fell into unconsciousness.

****

“Where is she?” Bruce grumbled as Dick entered the Manor, an hour and a half later than planned, and after some exhausting, useless paperwork. 

“What’s happening?” he frowned, seeing Robin hurry down the stairs of the Batcave.

“(Y/N) was supposed to be due, the tracker on her motorcycle hasn’t moved and she isn’t answering her phone.” Jason geared up.

“I’m coming with you,” Dick scurried to the room with his suit, slipping into it.

“We’ll be on comms if anything comes up.” Tim nodded. 

It felt like a very long ride towards the location that was given to them, even though they got there very quickly. 

As Nightwing’s motorcycle stopped close to their destination, he hopped off, watching the tracker from the screen on his arm, zooming in to be able to pinpoint exactly where her last place was. 

Jason jumped onto the nearest rooftop, scouting the area in case it was a trap of sorts. He frowned, seeing that the coast was clear and signalling his brother his ‘go’ card. 

It must have been a good half an hour before they even found a clue – excluding her untouched motorcycle. 

And it happen to make Red Hood jump out of his skin. Good thing Nightwing was still scouting the ground otherwise he would have been seriously embarrassed. 

The gutter buzzed, it was utterly unnerving. Cautiously,  he approached the roaring object, staring down at it as he spotted a phone. It was unlocked and vibrating widely. 

Crouching down, he grasped and inspected it.

(Y/N)’s definitely. And he didn’t like where this was going. It was Damian this time, calling her – in addition to like 78 missed calls and numerous texts. 

“Found her phone, she’s definitely gotten kidnapped.” The man announced nonchalantly, but his heart was beating fast. Their sister? Kidnapped at an unusually early time of the night? Hours after she got back into Gotham? Someone must have been keeping an eye out and planning. 

And given the fact that nothing has come up, it might not be a usual Gotham criminal.

“We might have a problem.” Dick spoke through his comms.

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Waiting desperately to be saved from a kidnapping, you end up being brainwashed to be used against your own brothers.

Requestedby@flashdash626​​​: “Hi! I’m not sure if your taking requests, so if your not then you can choose to ignore this. Anyways! I was hoping you could do a Batsis were the sister is kidnapped by a random villain, and once the boys find her its to late and she was brainwashed and was now under control of the random villain. Once they like knock her out they bring her to the cave and try to bring her memories back. After a little bit of them talking to her her mind snaps and shes back to normal and she gets all emotional”

A/N: Last partttt, sorry it took so long and that it is so long. 

Warning: angst, violence, swearing

They scanned around, seeing nothing but knowing someone was there, ready to fight. Then the familiar silhouette appeared, perfectly outlined by the street lamp.

(Y/N)? 

“Where were you?!” Jason yelled. Suddenly, she jumped down, legs straight into his chest, he fell down with a slam, “what the hell-”

The woman threw a punch at her oldest brother as he stood within her reach, before she glared at him. 

Dick never felt this amount of fear in a long time, the moment they made eye contact, he could tell by the ice cold and unmoving gaze she held, she was not the same person. 

“Hey, chill.” Tim pulled the girl off of him, holding her in a headlock. Resisting, she kicked his kneecap with her heel, making him groan in pain. 

Batman jumped in, hitting the back of her head, knocking her out instantly. Her body slumped in Red Robin’s embrace.

“What the hell!! You could have been careful with her!” Jason yelled, standing up with a grunt.

“It looks like she was about to kill us.” Tim breathed out. In protest, the former looked at Dick to back him up, but watched as he stayed silent, staring at the ground, he agreed with him. And Jason knew, deep down, that it was true as well. 

****

“How much longer?” Dick held the ice pack against his jaw. 

“Hopefully soon, but I can’t be certain unfortunately.” Alfred informed, placing the small tray on the counter. 

“What happened to her?” Damian murmured. 

“She was brainwashed,” Bruce spoke from the Batcomputer. 

Silence, a mournful silence. 

“We’ll have to try and get her memory back.” 

“How likely is it that we get it back?” Tim inquired. 

“I’m analysing the toxin that was in her body, so I can’t be sure until I get a concrete result.” 

The sound of restraints rattled through the cave and the brothers were quick to jump to their feet to crowd into the room where the girl was restrained, for safety purposes. 

They were met with wide (E/C) eyes. 

“Who are you?” her eyes narrowed. 

“Your brothers.” Dick mumbled.

“Brothers?” 

Once they realised they were no longer a threat, they sat down, relaxed, relieved that either the toxin was slowly wearing off or that she was knocked out enough to forget that she had been trained to have a grudge against them – to put it lightly.

“How long was I out?” she whispered.

“48 hours.” 

The woman was clearly disturbed, worry written all over her face, realising that her whole identity was at stake and she couldn’t remember a single thing. She was unable to even look at the men in front of her, not wanting to see the tired faces desperately trying to bring their loved one back, knowing it might be a long, rough ride that might never end. 

 “Did I do that to you?” she pointed to Dick’s jaw. He nodded slowly, “I’m sorry.” 

“It’s okay,” he chuckled, realising they didn’t completely lose her as her worrying nature resurfaced. 

“How was I like…before?” 

Dick glanced at his brothers before he started.

“Well…” 

“This will be your new home from now on, make sure to take as long as you need to settle down, Lady (Y/N).” The butler spoke.

“Lady?” 

“Would you like me to introduce you to your brothers?” 

“I have brothers?” her eyes lit up.

“Of course! They are in the kitchen, expecting you, this way please.” 

The girl was so excited to have brothers, but she was also extremely nervous, what if they don’t like her? That she’s annoying? What if she’s excluded because they’ve been here longer? 

“Hi!” A cheerful, cooing voice tore her out of her worries as a tall boy who was smiling down at her. “My name is Dick.” 

“Dick…” she whispered, her eyes wide, she was definitely old enough to know what that meant. A taller man behind him cackled. 

“I-it’s a nickname!” he spluttered.

“For what?” Her face contorted to disgust.

“I’m Tim,” a shorter one interjected.

“(Y/N).” 

“Jason.” the one who was laughing before greeted, not rudely but not at the same extent of welcomeness as the others. 

“Damian.” 

“Was I a good sister?” 

“Dick? What happened?” (Y/N) rushed into her kitchen, dropping her filled shopping bag on the counter and racing to his side. 

“I’m okay.” he grunted, holding his shoulder.

“It’s not, you’re bleeding.” As delicately as she could, she helped him up towards the bathroom. Once she took her time to stitch him up, she cleaned up his wound, “I’ll put a clean set of your clothes on my bed for you to change in, let me know if you need help.”

Without a word, he changed whilst she made a warm soup for him to relax. 

“Here,” she handed it to him as he sat down, curling up in her side.

“Thank you.” 

-

“Hey, you okay?” she looked over at him, eyes in a state she wished she didn’t see so often for his sake.

“Yeah,” he breathed out, running a hand through his hair. 

With one hand on the steering wheel, she poked his cheek.

“Want some McDonalds?” Glancing at her, she gave him a sympathetic smile.

“Alright.” 

“You were the best sister.” The eldest chuckled, a nostalgic look in his eyes. Her heart tightened. She had seen that look before.

“Snacks!!” she announced, holding two bags filled to the brink with all sorts of snacks, “Damian, I saw this wooden bracelet charm when I was out and thought of you, here.” (Y/N) handed it to him.

“I don’t wear those, it’s stupid.” He tutted. 

“Oh, okay then, I’ll return it I guess-”

“No give it to me.” the youngest snatched it out of her grasp and slipped it out, looking at the TV grumpily.

“Nothing for me?” Tim gasped. 

“I bought you a kilogram of NERDZ. Will you drop it now?” 

“Yes!!” he screeched.

The beautiful memories returned, but also the traumatic ones that happened not too long ago. Watching her silence, deep in thought made them stressed. Was she remembering? 

Until she started crying. 

“(Y/N)?” Dick’s eyes widened.

“I was so scared,” Jason scooped her up in his arms as soon as she said that, there was no doubt, “it hurt so much and I felt so alone.” burying her face in her brother’s shoulder, she sought comfort at the traumatic experience. 

“We’re here for you.” Dick kissed her forehead, cupping her cheek. 

“Want a hot chocolate?” Tim inquired.

“Uh-huh,” she sniffled. 

“Let’s go then.” Helping her stand up, they started walking towards the cave entrance, Damian hurrying to keep up with them, holding his sister’s hand in reassurance. 

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Waiting desperately to be saved from a kidnapping, you end up being brainwashed to be used against your own brothers.

Requestedby@flashdash626: “Hi! I’m not sure if your taking requests, so if your not then you can choose to ignore this. Anyways! I was hoping you could do a Batsis were the sister is kidnapped by a random villain, and once the boys find her its to late and she was brainwashed and was now under control of the random villain. Once they like knock her out they bring her to the cave and try to bring her memories back. After a little bit of them talking to her her mind snaps and shes back to normal and she gets all emotional”

A/N: Part 2 of 3

Warning: angst, violence, swearing

“Still no word?” Jason entered the cave, slipping off of his helmet. It had been just over a day, attempting tirelessly to pursue any leads that might have come up. 

“No, it’s like she slipped off the grid, out of the world, no CCTV footage, no witnesses, no chipped cars, nothing.” Tim typed away on his computer, eyes red and dry from the lack of sleep and ungodly amounts of coffee that have entered his system since then. 

Dead-end after dead-end made them more depressed and desperate. It was impossible to find a tangible lead to go on and the evidence left was near to nothing. 

“Everyone, go to bed.” Batman spoke after standing up. 

“What?” Jason snapped.

“We’re doing a regular patrol tomorrow, seeing what word on the streets are, so everyone, get some sleep so we can find more information in a better headspace.” 

“Tch, better headspace.” Jason followed his brothers up the stairs, rolling his eyes at the irony of it all. 

****

Her throat burned from yet another blood-curdling scream. It was such a dark and cold room, the aspect of time had dissipated in the darkness long ago. What time of the day was it? How many days had gone.

Six was the answer, but the damage caused would take years to get over. Helpless and alone, desperately wishing, hoping someone would hear, someone would come to save her. This perpetual isolation with disappearing hope now grounded within her, shook into her very core. The lulled buzzing from the other room, the stressful footsteps, ready for the worst to come if the figure would enter this particular room, but never the full preparation. 

She got more than she bargained for, but then again, she didn’t expect this to happen to her. 

Her energy was slowly leaving her body, she was weak. Older and newer injuries never quite tended to for more unnecessary pain, frightened of closing her eyes for a second, not knowing whether the demons would also appear in her mind as well. 

Growing fearful of the silence, preparing for a storm that always seems to just about come. 

Drowning, beating, dreading the next day would come just as bad as the previous one. It frightened her how quickly she became accustomed by it, and how devastatingly long it would take to mend the pieces back together. The silence was also unbearable, waiting for something to happen, like the storm, only brewing now. 

“Knock knock,” the voice rang as the door opened with a hiss as it screeched against the floor. 

Frightened, she didn’t dare open her eyes, feeling her heartbeat pound in her ears and chest, holding her breath in an attempt to conceal herself. 

“I know you’re awake.” the person chuckled, her eyes opened slowly, submissively, the only source of light coming from the corridor, “but now I’m going to make you fall asleep.” a hand in her hair to pull her head back, exposing her neck.

“Mmh,” she struggled, unable to express how painful this stabbing pain was through her muffling cloth-of-a-gag. It was only a needle, how could it feel so excruciating? Needless to say, it made her vision blurry and she soon fell into unconsciousness.

Perched on the rooftop, Red Hood scouted the area, releasing a long sigh. A month, that is how long it has been, and nothing came up about her. He kept wondering where she was, what she was doing right now, was she still in Gotham? If only he knew.

“Anything?” Dick questioned through the intercom.

“Nothing.” Tim answered. Robin was perched on a gargoyle in the center of the city, opposite of the tallest skyscraper in the city. 

He was about to move on, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, before static came from the tower, before the image of Scarecrow was displayed on the enormous screen covering the building.

“It’s Scarecrow.” Damian spoke.

“Here as well.” Nightwing chipped in.

“He’s showing himself all over the city.” Batman spoke. The few people that were out at that time scurried around the screens, some people woke up from their slumber to witness the commotion.

“Good evening, Gotham, although, I will only be addressing The Bat and his… underlings,” he started. It appeared he was in some sort of rundown warehouse, and those types of infrastructure were sprinkled all around the city, “I have planted a bomb, on one of the peers leading to the port, if you can find it before 3 a.m, a missing little girl will no longer have a beating heart. Crushing two birds with one stone” he chuckled.

“Motherfucker.” Red Hood cursed. 

“Jason-”

“He’s right.” His brothers interrupted. 

“Lucius,” Bruce pressed on his earpiece, “is Batwing ready?” 

“Ready when you are, sir.” He answered promptly, “I’ve sent it on it’s way to you.” 

****

“We only have half an hour left.” Red Hood announced, having scouted out the outsides with his brothers to see if they could spot anything unusual. 

“I know.” Bruce spoke, scanning each building with the Batwing for any signs of heat or chemical reaction. His breathing caught in his throat when he found a heat signature.

“The old cement factory, first floor.” Revving their motorcycles, they raced down the street towards their sent location.

And sure enough, there the bomb was, intact, with a good 20 minutes before it blew, nothing they couldn’t handle. 

“It might be rigged.” Dick warned as Jason approached it to disarm it. Hauntingly, he was able to without an issue, just like a regular bomb. 

“It’s done.” Red Hood peeked at his brothers and Bruce, but his tone of voice suggested what everyone else was thinking, how easy all of this was. 

Despite the yellowish light coming from the street lamps outside, the place looked pretty deserted. Dick couldn’t see a single person in sight, civilian or otherwise, this was a trap, for sure, but nothing was happening. 

No one moved, nor spoke, and they were getting more and more anxious. The tension was so thick, it could be cut with a knife. 

Until a figure rushed past the light coming from outside.

What was that?

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PART 10

college!atla/batfam social media au: in which the gaang are broke nonbender college kids at Gotham City University. y/n wayne thinks the boy who works at the tea shop is cute. zuko thinks the girl who comes into the tea shop is cute. shenanigan ensue.

taglist (closed):@cipheress-to-k-pop@coldlilheart@thxnderclouds@loxbbg@vrthngiwnt@thanosismybitch@im-in-lokis-army@emmasjulixn@anime-simp​@professor-hibiscus​@rosetheshapeshifter​@cece-lives-here​@wickdtechnical​@5sos-wdw​@iknowrocknroll567​@silverreading​@gokm1023​@ela-ena​@394pitterpatterpotter394​

A/N: yo guys! so on top of this smau, i’m thinking of starting another one as well. same concept, but backwards. college au, and reader is a member of the gaang at gotham university. it’ll be a tim drake/reader, where tim and reader become roommates. i cant go to therapy rn due to corona so i’ll be doing these two smau’s instead i love u all very much and i’m praying for everyone reading this to stay safe and mentally alright during these scary times!

y/n: [runs worriedly into the room]

y/n: what did you d O?

damian: no one died

y/n: WHAT KIND OF AN ANSWER IS THAT??

jason: you know you’ve made it when you see your picture everywhere

(y/n):

(y/n): jason- those are fucking wanted posters

jason: i had nothing to do with it

jason:

jason: okay, so maybe it was my idea BUT i feel bad about it

y/n: what are all these dead bodies doing here?

Jason, cleaning his guns: honestly, not much

just going to.. leave this here.

tim: why are you smiling

jason: am i not aloud to smile?

dick: bruce fell over outside.

jason: can you tuck me in?

bruce:

bruce: you handed me a shovel

jason: yeah, just spread the dirt as evenly as you can

bruce: i beg your pardon??

jason: then fucking beg

y/n: did you even sleep last night?

tim: i got a solid.. 8 minutes

y/n:

tim:well

tim: not consecutively, but i’m fine

tim: there’s only three of you right now

superman, to batman and nightwing: i love the whole “good cop / bad cop” thing you have going on

nightwing: it isn’t a thing. i’m nice and that’s his default setting

tim, pouring monster and five hour energy into his coffee: I have no idea what i’m doing, but I do know that i’m doing it really well.

Jason: All in all, a 100% successful trip.

Dick: We lost Tim!

Jason: All in all, a 100% successful trip.

tim, sleep deprived and on his 5th cup of coffee at 8am: onion rings are just vegetable doughnuts

dick, used to this: uh huh

tim: lasagna is spaghetti flavoured cake

dick:

tim: lobsters are mermaids to scorpions

dick, on the verge of tears:stop-

jason: please continue

tim: why would you give a knife to a child?

bruce: damian felt unsafe

tim: now i feel unsafe.

bruce:

bruce: would you like a knife,

Movies and TV Shows the Batfamily loves to watch with there S/O:

Warning: Fluff and Crack PFFTTT-

Bruce Wayne

• Bro, this dude is full on Action and Comedy, something like Mission Impossible or Transformers, for comedy probably like those really hilarious once that would make you wheeze like White Chicks or something He would probably only watch those two genres most of the time, he doesn’t like watching those emotional sad drama movies with there S/O, like for example where the girlfriend or boyfriends dies or any scene where someone dies
• He just can’t handle the pain, he would cry like full-blown tears due to trauma, he’s almost most likely to punch through the TV when the Villain shows up or does something evil in the plot…..
• No seriously, this man would punch through the whole damn fucking TV in anger, the once his S/O yells at him and a few slaps in the back of the head, he’s realize his mistakes.
• He’d immediately cuddle you with several of UwU’s going around…..

———

Dick Grayson

• Do not ever let this man get near a romance emotional movie or TV show like Riverdale or The Vampire Diaries, this bitch will fucking cry and whine and moan and bitch about how fucking sad it is and how true love exist, he would literally make gay jokes on Damon and Stefan Salvatore, like seriously it’s unhealthy.
• “DAMON PLEASE RAIL ME” 
• “Can you SHUT. THE. FUCK UP!!”
• Yeah, he’s not gonna stop anytime soon. He will also admit that Elena Gilbert is a bitch and that she didn’t deserve any of them, he’ll cuss her out every time she’s on the screen, poor S/O
• But yeah overall he likes Romance/ and Sad films to cry on, because crying is healthy and it’s okay.

———

Jason Todd

• Jason does not play around, this man will not be scared or freaked out on watching true crime films, he will keep a straight face whilst watching it, while his S/O is just like……
• Jason: ._.
• Y/N: tHiS iS nICe- :)
• He’ll still cuddle while watching it, wouldn’t even move a fucking muscle while watching, like Serial Killer and Mafia and Gangster shit like Good Fellas or Ted Bundy, Then again would still watch romantic movies and emotional ones too with his S/O, something like The Vampire Diaries too or like Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey…..
• Please do not let this man watch Fifty Shades of Grey cause he will try to do the things the movie was doing and it always ended up in one of you getting hurt, but The Vampire Diaries would also make Jason sob, especially with the Deaths of his favorite Characters and stuff, like full blown throwing a tantrum and fighting the air……it’s hilarious honestly-

———

Tim Drake

• Let’s be honest here, Tim doesn’t really have free time to actually watch or sit around and watch movie and TV shows all day, but it he were in his free time it would be with his S/O watching some bullshit documentary that just makes his S/O fall asleep.
• He does have fun with it, he likes to watch those Supernatural TV shows and Movies like Supernatural or Teen Wolf or like to watch kid Cartoons like Spongebob or Bubble Guppies….
• Yes, I said that correctly, he loves watching kid cartoons in his free time, he’s a literal baby on the inside, laughing like a child always wakes his S/O UwU aloud, he’s a baby-

———

Damian Wayne

• How did his S/O even convince him to exit his room without him being a lil BiTcH-
• No seriously, Damian hates comfort and has trouble sitting around for hours and not having some action or moving around, he thinks it’s a waste of time, he could be training or doing something more important.
• But if Damian had to choose it would obviously be Horror and Thriller movies, he’s that person how would cheer on the murderer and bad guy and praise him for the amount of guts that person has, like Michael Myers, that’s his favorite cuz it seems like the bitch can’t die at all and Damian likes that………a lot, too much to be exact.
• He too will probably laugh evilly when someone he hates dies or when the killer gets away, his S/O is over here like….
• Y/N: bRo….wHaT yOu bE sMoKiNg-
• Overall he’s a shitty person to watch movies or binge watch Shows with him…

———

Cassandra Cain

• Cassandra loves watching anime, like the only thing she watches right now is full-blown anime all the time 24/7, like when she has nothing left to do or is just her free time, her S/O would most likely find her watching anime on the big screen TV
• Cass also learns a lot more Japanese from those shows, she hardly ever uses the language, but watching those shows really gets her out of it and actually talk sometimes…
• Loves watching it with her S/O, always wanting to eat popcorn or drink a lot of sodas or ice cream whilst watching them, at least watched a whole series with his S/O in one whole day, pulling an all-nighter, but Cass doesn’t mind and so don’t you-

———

Barbara Gordon

• Barbara believe it or not loves to watch Disney/Pixar movies a lot, she can sometimes relate to the characters on the movie, but overall she loves watching how happy it looks, it makes her happy…
• Like (The Lion King) (Rapunzel) (Frozen) etc…likes watching the Disney Princess Movies, like the movie ‘Brave’ a lot considering she has the same hair color as Merida, likes how she’s also a tough bad bitch-
• Will cry in some of the movies with his S/O too, like tissues everywhere full of hot tears and snot from all the crying, cried so much with the movie ‘Inside Out’…..

———

StephanieBrown

• Stephanie likes watching SitCons for sure, like South Park or The Office or Family Guy, all the crazy funny bullshit that she wheezes so hard at, like a lot of wheezing and panting with laughter….
• She likes them because of how stupid they are and the characters, which makes the whole thing better, being an unbothered queen as she should…
• Always wheezing at the character’s choice of words and actions, wheezing with her S/O as well always make her happy. 
• Will probably re-watch all of the shows over and over again. 

Open Requests

I am aware I have been gone for a long time, but with this whole situation that is happening worldwide I have some free time for writing again (I really miss doing that). 

This is also a really big thank you for the fact that, somehow, I have over 4.5kfollowers.Thank you so much!

You can request anything (imagine/headcanon) with Bruce, Dick, Jason, Tim or Damian (or all in case of a headcanon). I also write both imagines and headcanons with Batmom. 

Please be aware that I am allowed to refuse requests if I find them inappropriate, even though it usually never happens (and I don’t mean the dirty one, just the ones that make me uncomfortable, such as the boys being involved in a romantic relationship, for example). 

Requests are open and I have all the time in the world to write, therefore, if you want to request something don’t be shy. 

Warning - Babies and mention of breastfeeding

Requested by Anon -  Saw that requests were open and I thought of a cute batfam imagine. Reader is a single mom with a newborn baby girl and surprises the boys by coming home for Christmas and Alfred helped decorate the living room and reader helped cook and basically spend her baby’s first Christmas with her family and Bruce and the boys get all emotional or something also Happy Christmas!

Author’s Note - This request came in on Christmas Day, so I thought I’d squeeze it in. Sorry, it’s late.

***

Alfred smiled, watching the boys and Cass set up the living room for the holidays. He didn’t get to decorating himself this year, but it was a good activity to keep the rest of the family busy and out of the kitchen while he prepared Christmas Eve dinner. 

When he passed Bruce’s office, he paused to see Bruce inside with his face in his hands. He was holding the photo of you and your newborn baby girl that you had posted on social media a few days ago. It was a joyous occasion, the birth of his first grandchild. Of course instead of being happy, Bruce chose to sulk at the fact he didn’t even know you were pregnant. He also started investigating to find out who the father was when he found out you were going to be a single mother. 

Alfred shook his head and kept walking toward the kitchen. He hoped Master Bruce didn’t ruin this new peace between you and the family. The phone rang once he was inside the kitchen. He picked it up quickly, smiling as he knew who it was. “Hello, Wayne residence?” 

“Alfred, it’s me.” He smiled at the sound of your voice. “I was wondering if you could send someone to get us. My car broke down and now we’re at a gas station where we got towed to.” You sighed. Alfred frowned at the strain in your voice. “I know me showing up was supposed to be surprise, but I…well…I can’t really afford a ride there.” 

“Of course, Miss (Y/N). What is the address?” He picked up a pen, writing it down as you told him. “Are you in a warm and safe place?”

The baby fussed softly on your end. “Yeah, we’re fine. I’m inside the gas station with a cup of hot chocolate.” You laughed softly. “Thank you, Alfred. I’ll see you soon.”

“I love you, Miss (Y/N). I’ll have one of the boys there soon.” He hung up the phone and left the kitchen to go the the main family room. The tree was up, and most were decorating the tree. Jason was sitting on the couch, watching them. Alfred smiled, coming over to place a hand on Jason’s shoulder. Jason tensed, sensing he was just volunteered for something. “Master Jason, come with me please.”

The others laughed. “Shut up.” Jason growled, getting to his feet and following Alfred out of the room. “What’s up, Alfie? Need my help in the kitchen?”

“No, Master Jason.” Alfred handed Jason the address. “Take one of the cars, go to this address and pick up something for me.”

Jason frowned, eyeing the address. “Okay? Can I take any car?”

“Anything is fine. Be back in an hour at the most.” Alfred shooed Jason away. “Call me if you have any questions.” 

“Right.” Jason left. Alfred smiled before going into the kitchen. They’ll still be surprised, even if it wasn’t the way you and he originally planned.

***

Jason pulled into the gas station. He checked his phone on the dashboard. The address was right, but what did Alfred need from a gas station?

He parked the Audi in one of the parking spots outside and grabbed his phone. Frowning, he got out to look around.

“Jason?” He tensed, spinning to find you standing in the doorway of the gas station with a big smile on your face. “Hi.”

“(Y/N)?” A wave of pure joy washed over him as he ran to hug you. He spun you around, making you laugh. “Why are you here? Where’s my niece?”

“She’s inside.” You sighed once he set you down. “I was coming today as a surprise, but then my car broke down and we got stuck here.” He led you back inside when you shivered. Your baby was in her carrier, still fast asleep on the table you were sitting at while you waited. 

Jason peeked inside at her. “Look at you, princess.” He whispered softly, touching her cheek. She turned her head, opening her mouth to try to find something to suck on. He chuckled. “She’s beautiful, (Y/N).”

“Thank you.” You glanced between them, sneaking a photo of the two with your phone. 

Jason pulled himself away from her. “Give me your keys. I’ll move your stuff into my car while you two stay in here and keep warm.”

“You don’t have to do that,” you said, handing him your keys when he didn’t relent. “Thanks Jay. I honestly had no idea what we were going to do.”

“I got this.” He kissed your cheek. “I’ll come get you when I’m ready.” Jason was about to head out when you grab his hand. He turned to look, noting the panic, strained look in your eye. He knew that look well. “What?”

“There’s going to be a lot of stuff.” You blushed, your eyes on his forehead. “Just don’t judge me, okay?”

Jason snorted. “I’d never judge you.” He leaned over to kiss your cheek, squeezed your arm with his hand. “I got you now. Everything will be fine.”

“Thanks Jay.” You relaxed slightly. Jason led you over to take a seat before heading out to your car. It was an old, rusted piece of crap. He wondered how you even got this far in it. Inside was suitcases, boxes, and garbage bags. He sensed you coming for the holidays might be more than just a visit. Taking a deep breath, Jason pushed aside his curiosity and began to move your things into the Audi.

***

“Al, did you throw Jason out or something? I can’t find him,” Tim asked, poking his head into the kitchen. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath of the delicious smells from inside. 

“Master Jason is running an errand for me.” Alfred basted the turkey again and closed the oven. “He should be back in the next half an hour or so.” 

Tim hummed, stepping inside the kitchen. He leaned against the counter, taking a carrot from the serving tray Alfred had out for them to snack on. “Bruce is still brooding.”

“He’ll snap out of it soon.” Alfred smiled when his back was turned to Tim. 

“I don’t know if he will. He’s bothered by the fact (Y/N) had a baby by herself on top of trying to live on her own. I’m worried about her too.” Tim munched on another carrot. “I kept tabs on her. Her finances are in shambles.”

Alfred’s mouth went dry. Suddenly, it made sense. Maybe that’s why you reached out after three years of almost silence? Desperation. “Well, I imagine we’ll have to see for ourselves after the holidays.”

“I’m worried about the baby too. Bruce paid off her hospital bills, didn’t he? I heard he sent the hospital a check when he saw the photo on (Y/N)’s Instagram.” Tim took yet another carrot. Alfred turned. Tim had a furrow in his brow. “I’m scared for her, Alfred. It’s hard to be a single mother especially now days.”

Alfred reached over to pat Tim’s hand. “We’ll help her as much as we can.” He smiled when he heard Jason shouting that he was home with a Christmas present for everyone. “I believe Master Jason is home.” 

Tim grinned, getting to his feet and jogging out of the room. Alfred paused to wash his hands. He frowned slightly as he wondered if what Tim had said was true. The few emails and calls you made to him over the years did sound like you were struggling slightly. Troublesome living situations, having multiple jobs at the same time. He did send you money a few times as well especially when you found out you were pregnant.  

Alfred dried his hands and followed the noise to the main entryway. You were being hugged by Dick while Jason held your baby. Cass and Tim were peeking at her, cooing softly. Damian stood back with a scowl. “Miss (Y/N), I’m glad you made it.” Alfred opened his arms for you. Dick let you go and you ran to Alfred.

“I’m so happy to see you.” You held him tight, hiding your face in his shoulder like you used to do when you were younger. “Thank you for everything.”

“You’re welcome, Miss (Y/N), but you don’t need to thank us.” Alfred rubbed your back, feeling his shoulder dampen from your tears. “Collect yourself, Miss (Y/N).”

You sniffled, pulling away from him to wipe a few tears with your sleeve. “Sorry.” You smiled. “Do you want to meet your great-granddaughter?” You turned, taking your baby from Jason. The others followed you, still waiting to get a good look at her. Alfred took the baby into his arms, sighing at how beautiful she was. 

“She looks so much like you, Miss (Y/N).” Alfred chuckled, rocking her gently.

“TT, she’s a Wayne. Of course, she looks like her.” Damian crossed his arms. You blinked at him before ruffling Damian’s hair. He gasped, batting your hand away. However, a hint of a smile pulled at his lips. 

The baby slowly opened her eyes. Alfred smiled, seeing how beautiful they were. A little hand came out of the blanket she was wrapped in. Perfect little fingers and delicate fingernails. “Is Dad here?” you asked, wringing your hands.

“He’s in the study, brooding.” Dick chuckled, nudging your side as Cass gave you a hug. “You should probably go let him know you’re here. Otherwise, he’ll never come out.” 

“Cool.” You bit your lip. 

“I’ll watch over your daughter. Go talk to Master Bruce.” Alfred smiled, knowing you would be the only one to get Bruce out of the office and to join the rest of the family. 

“Thanks Alfred.” You shared a look with your siblings. “If I’m not out in twenty minutes, send Titus to save me.” You winked at Damian before slipping out of the room.

“May I?” Cass held out her arms for the baby. Alfred smiled and handed her over. Cass gasped at her niece. cooing at her softly. Alfred glanced toward the direction you went, hoping your conversation with Bruce would go well.

***

You knocked on Bruce’s office door. Nerves ate at your stomach. Shame made you feel hollow inside. You never planned to have to come back to your father like this, but life happened. 

“I’m not in the mood to be lectured, Alfred,” Bruce said inside. 

You smiled sadly before opening the door. “It’s not Alfred.” You almost laughed when Bruce fell out of his chair at the sight of you. The one and only time you surprised him. “Hi Dad.”

“(Y/N).” Bruce got to his feet, staring at you in disbelief and worry. “How…why are you here?”

You bit your lip. Your heart pounded like a jackhammer. “I came for Christmas. Alfred said I’m always invited and I figured I should since I wanted everyone to meet my daughter.” You swallowed the rest of the reason. The fact you needed money and you were homeless. That you wanted your daughter’s first Christmas to be somewhere warm and safe with people that loved her.

Bruce’s lips twitched. You tensed, knowing you probably didn’t hide it as well as you thought. “I’m glad you’re here.” He slowly came to you, opening his arms. You felt a tear slid down your cheek as you ran into his arms. He hugged you tight and for the first time in a long time, you felt secure. 

A sob slipped out of you. You buried your face in his shoulder. Bruce rubbed your back, humming to soothe you. “You’re okay. I’m here now,” he mumbled, rocking you gently. 

“I’m so sorry.” You gasped, letting out all the stress and tears you held in for so long. “I didn’t mean what I said when I ran away.”

“I know.” Bruce kissed the top of your head. You sobbed hard, your entire body shaking. “I’m proud of you. You made your way on your own like you swore to me you would.”

A lump formed in your throat. “No, I didn’t.” You sniffled, looking up at you as you felt another wave of tears come. “I had to work three different jobs just to stay in a small room in a house with five roommates. Even then, I was barely making it. Then I made a mistake and got pregnant. They kicked me out of the house after she was born and I had to live in my car.” You pulled away from him to rub your eyes with your sleeves. “Then when I came here, my car broke down and I was so scared that someone would find out and take my baby away.”

Bruce blinked. “We’ll figure that out now.” He took your hand and led you to sit down on the couch. “You’re not in this alone, (Y/N). You never were.”

“I said I didn’t need you. That I wished you weren’t my father,” you coughed, choking slightly on your tears. “How could I dare come back to ask for something?”

Bruce hummed as he handed you a tissue. “Sweetheart, did you honestly think I wouldn’t help you? I’ve kept tabs on you, even paid off your hospital bill.” You flinched in surprise. Now it made sense why they haven’t called you about your first payment yet. A weight lifted off your back at the thought.

A loud cry came from somewhere in the house. You got to your feet. “I think she’s hungry. I better go.” Bruce stood with you. 

“I’ll come with you. I’d like to meet my first grandchild.” He smiled, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “You can stay here as long as you like, (Y/N). We have more than enough room.”

Fresh tears came to your eyes. Your hormones were still out of whack. “Thanks Dad.” The two of you left to follow the sound of your daughter’s cry. 

***

“(Y/N), your stocking is still in here too,” Tim said, holding up the stocking you had since you were little. You smiled as you adjusted your daughter under the breastfeeding cover. The whole family was in the living room, snacking on cookies and veggies. Bruce sat on the couch with you, waiting for your daughter to finish eating so he could hold her again. 

“Wow, I guess Alfred never did throw things away.” You laughed. Tim hung up your stocking on the mantle with the rest of the family’s. 

Alfred clicked his tongue. “I guess we’re missing one member of the family now.” He reached into a bag and removed a brand new stocking with your daughter’s name on it. You gasped, tears filling your eyes again.

“Aww, thank you, Alfred.” You swallowed hard, glancing down at your daughter. She fell asleep with your nipple in her mouth. You moved her gently out from the cover and handed her to Bruce while you covered yourself.

“Cute.” Cass took it and hung it up with the rest. “Whole family.” 

You smiled, glancing at Bruce to see him cooing softly to your daughter as he rocked her. Alfred secretly took a picture. You knew you would find it framed somewhere. “Alfred, can I help in the kitchen?” you asked when you saw him hand the camera to Tim to take more secretive pictures. 

“Of course, Miss (Y/N).” Alfred nodded, gesturing for you to follow him. 

“You got her, Dad?” you asked, glancing back at Bruce who’s eyes were only on his little granddaughter.

“I’m good.” Bruce looked back at you. “Don’t worry.” You nodded and left the room.

“Miss (Y/N), if you could start on the pie filling for my special blueberry pie.” Alfred moved to check the turkey in the oven again. You grinned, finding the bowls where they have always been. 

It brought back memories of other Christmases where you and Alfred made blueberry pies. You were the only one to know the recipe since the others were always too busy to learn. “Of course.” 

Alfred turned on the radio and the two of you worked silently. You finished the pie, sliding it into the oven as Alfred took the turkey out. “Can I help?” Dick asked as he peeked around the corner of the doorway.

“Set the table, Master Dick. Dinner should almost be ready,” Alfred said with a smile. You peeked at the turkey, the smell making your mouth water. It was a long way from the cans of cold beans you had been eating the last few days. 

Alfred handed you a bowl of steamed vegetables. You smiled, going to join Dick in the dining room. “Hey sis.” Dick smirked at you as he carefully set plate mats down.

“Hey yourself.” You rolled your eyes as you set the vegetables down and moved to help him. “How have you been?”

“Good, considering.” Dick bit his lip, eyeing you. “I wish you would have called me if you were in so much trouble.” 

You frowned, pausing with a stack of plates in your arms. Jason must have mention it to him. “I was trying to do it on my own, Dick. You know about that.”

“Yeah.” Dick gave you a half-smile. “But we made a pact to always look out for each other.”

You snorted. “That was when you were eleven and I was ten.” 

“Still applies.” He reached over to squeeze your elbow. “Just remember I’m always a call away.”

You rolled your eyes, heart warmed by his words. “This goes both ways, you know. If you need me, I’ll be there.”

Dick nodded, letting his hair fall into his eyes. You set the plates down to brush it away. “For example, if I want cuddles from my niece, you better be there.”

“I’m sure I can make that work for you.” You laughed, hugging him tight. Dick hugged you back, lifting you up. “I missed you, Dick.”

“I missed you too.” You buried your face into his shoulder. “You guys have to stop making me cry.” 

Dick laughed, spinning you around. “Can’t help that.” 

“Careful with the dishes,” Alfred scolded with a smile as he came in with the bowl of mashed potatoes. You and Dick laughed, spinning faster. You couldn’t remember the last time you laughed so much.

***

Once dinner was done, most of the family left to go out into the city on patrol. You, Alfred, and Damian were the only ones left. Alfred and you wrapped presents on the living room floor while Damian stared at your daughter who was fast sleep in a portable sleeper Alfred had dug out of somewhere. 

Alfred nudged your arm, nodding over to Damian. You smirked over at him. Everyone thought it was odd that Damian didn’t go on patrol with them. You sensed what he stayed for. “Damian, did you want to hold her?” You got to your feet and went over to sit next to him.

“TT,” he huffed, blushing slightly. You picked her up. She whined slightly before settling back down. 

“Hold your arms like mine.” Damian copied you, sitting flat on the floor. “You have to support her head, and hold her close to your chest.” You handed Damian your daughter. He tensed when he felt the little life in his arms. 

“I can feel her heartbeat.” Damian had a shadow of a smile on his lips. 

You smiled and moved back to wrap another present. Damian held her stiffly for a while until eventually he started to rock her. Alfred sneaked a photo of the two. You shared a smile with him, pretending not to watch them. Damian held her until she woke up crying for another meal.

***

You headed upstairs with your daughter in your arms. “I have your old bedroom opened,” Alfred said, following you. 

“Thanks Alfred,” you whispered as you walked down the hall toward your bedroom. It was next to Dick’s old room and across from Bruce’s. Inside was almost untouched except for the fresh sheets and the bassinet in the corner. “Wow, you left it the same.” 

“Well except for a few additions.” Alfred moved over to the bassinet. You went over and gently laid your daughter down inside. “I’ll need more time to open up the nursery.”

“You don’t need to do that, Alfred.” You bit your lip. Guilt haunted you. Everyone was making such an effort for you. “This is enough.”

Alfred took your shoulders and turned you to face him. “Miss (Y/N), let us help you. This is your home. It is open to both of you.” Your lips trembled. Alfred pulled away before you cried again. Stupid hormones. “Now go to sleep.”

“Good night, Alfred.” You watched him go with a stray tear running down your cheek. The relief you felt was endless. No matter what your daughter was going to be taken care of in the best way possible. 

***

“Wake up, (Y/N),” Jason whispered in your ear. You moaned, opening one eye to see your brother smirking at you in the bright morning light. “Breakfast is ready and there are presents downstairs.”

You turned to bury your face into your pillow. “Jay, my daughter was up three times last night, please let me sleep.” 

Suddenly, your blankets were gone and you were scooped up into Jason’s arms. You shrieked, smacking his shoulder. Jason just laughed and carried you out the door. “Wait, my baby.” You reached back toward the room. 

“Cass has her. She picked her up before I woke you up.” Jason carried you downstairs. You relaxed, wrapping your arms around his neck. 

“Then I forgive you.” You kissed his cheek. “Merry Christmas, Jay.”

“Merry Christmas, sis.” Jason brought you to the kitchen and sat you down at the breakfast table where the rest of the family was waiting. You searched for your daughter, relaxing when you saw Tim had her. “Can we eat now?” Jason asked, taking the seat next to you.

“Now we may.” Alfred set a giant plate of waffles in the center of the table. “Merry Christmas.”

Everyone dug in. You filled your plate and looked around the table. It felt so strange to be home, surrounded by family. You glanced at your daughter who was passed back to Bruce. He rocked her and met your eye. You smiled back at him, glad you took that chance to reconnect with him. Taking a bite from your plate, you sighed and were thankful for everything this family could give you and your daughter. 

fine line of bs 2 (preview)

Joker is dead.

“He made killing him so easy Batman. Well my husband did,”

“Why did you become like this?”

“You thought Joker’s the worst? He was never the worst one in this universe.”

“Don’t worry Bruce, you didn’t make me like this. I CHOSE TO BE LIKE THIS.”

“Y/N THIS MAN IS INSANE!!!”

“So Am I.”

||Masterlist||

|| WARNINGS: None ||

|| Permanent Tag list: @jasonsballsack@marvelfreakbrynnlee@hallucifer6669@falling-grason@paintedr0ses@awesomenatalia@seutarose@samaras-weavings@ximaginx@dekahg@firstpieplaidturtle@calumsmoonlightbae@jpt-hoe@comic-nerd-dc@rawritzrobin@itzagothamcitysiren@comic-brew@unstablewritings@insane-without-delirium||

||AU: Bruce’s parents never died ||

Bruce Wayne was currently sixteen, he was very outgoing. He had a small group of friends but even for a boy as outgoing as himself, there was one girl that made outgoing, charismatic Bruce Wayne, a shy boy. 

Bruce picked Y/n up on the way to Gotham High school, she sat in the passenger seat, her hand rested on Bruce’s hand that was sitting on the center console. The two had been friends for some time now, they met due to their fathers working as surgeons, causing the two of them to grow as friends. 

“Hey.. breathe.” She said softly, Bruce looked over to her at a red light, concerned dripped from her eyes, sometimes he seemed to forget how to breathe when she was around. 

Bruce turned his attention back to the road that was covered in snow, his lips pulling into a small smile. His hand slipped into her smaller, softer one. His thumb ran over her knuckles, the small smile grew larger

“Bruce Thomas Wayne, is that a smile I see?” She giggled, causing Bruce’s heart to do a small flip 

“Maybe.” He teased

The next day, Bruce was sitting in the living room, reading a book while his mother helped Alfred decorate the manor in Christmas decor. The phone started to ring. Alfred started to descend from the ladder he was on.

“No it’s alright Alfred, I got it.” Bruce smiled as he bookmarked his page and went to grab the phone 

“Wayne residence?” Bruce hummed

“Bruce, It’s Y/n!” Bruce’s heart stopped for a moment as he smiled 

“Hi! What can I do for you?”

“Would you like to come over and bake some Christmas cookies with me, I’m home alone currently and bored.“

Her voice was gentle, it was like hearing a song you love, it’s all you wanna hear. You could hear her smile. Home alone with a pretty girl, cookies, all pros. Cons, He was nervous. 

"Bruce? Hello?” He jumped 

“Uhm yeah! Yeah! I’ll be over in fifteen?” Bruce heard a small sigh of relief 

“Perfect.” The line clicked and He ran to get changed. Alfred and Martha giving each other knowing smiles as Bruce rushed to his bedroom.

He found himself staring at the large front door, he gently pressed the doorbell, he could hear it echo through the large mansion. She opened the front door, she looked as beautiful as ever, she was all smiles as she stared at the boy. 

“Hey! Come on in!” She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the house

Two dozen cookies later, they were covered in baking ingredients

“You’re horrible at this Bruce!” She laughed as he broke an egg into a bowl, getting shell in the batter

“Shit, shit, shit. Hey I never said I could cook dessert, only some meals! Besides I came here to be with you.” Bruce said as he fished the shell out with a spoon, Y/n went quiet as those words left Bruce’s mouth. 

Bruce looked to her as she stared at him

“Really? You came over here to be with me?” She smiled softly at him

Bruce nodded as he blushed, he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck

“Well.. Yeah.. I like you.. You know.. Like.. more than a friend..” Bruce’s awkwardness really shined through at that moment, her eyes lit up more

“I do too..I have for a while.. But I didn’t want to ruin our friendship.”

“Y/n, You couldn’t ever ruin anything.” Bruce gently grabbed her hand 

“You mean too much to me for anything to get ruined between us. I’d do anything for you, you know that, Now, come on pretty girl, lets finish these cookies, get cleaned up and then I’ll take you to my house and have some of Alfred’s world famous hot chocolate. We can even sit at the fireplace in the smaller living room and roast s’mores, make it our first date.”

“Bruce Thomas Wayne, you are the most amazing man I’ve ever met and I don’t know what I would do without you.” 

Bruce smiled softly as he placed a kiss on her forehead, her cheeks flushing a pale pink

“I wouldn’t be amazing if I didn’t have you, Y/N Y/L.”

Synopsis : Your son, Jason, the fearsome Red Hood, got cursed somehow and…turned into a toddler. Shenanigans ensue.

Please. I’m very proud of the pun in the title. For once, I found the title instantly haha. Anyway, here’s a “bonus” story, sudden burst of inspiration, had to write it. I hope you’ll like it :) :

My masterlists :@ella-ravenwood-archives

_________________________________________________

Jason Todd(ler) 

It was a calm afternoon, which was rare enough, in your household, for you to notice it.

When was the last time you and Bruce had time to relax like that ? Time to do nothing, and spend a lazy afternoon just the two of you ?

Too long ago to remember.

You’re running your hand through your husband’s hair, as his head is in your lap, and he’s in a half-sleep state, just content being near you, taking a well deserved rest. You were reading, quite enjoying your book, and soothed by Bruce’s warmth.

This was such a nice moment. Relaxing. Silent. A rare moment of stillness, which you appreciated all the better.

And then-

“PARENTS, THIS IS AN EMERGENCY !!”

Dick. 

Dick just barged in, clearly panicked. And you understood instantly why, as you spot, settled in his arm…A small child ?! Wrapped in a, is that a hoodie ? You feel like you’ve seen that hoodie somewhere, but you don’t have time to look at it further as your eyes are attracted towards the kid. 

A toddler. A little boy. No more than two. With big blue eyes, and the cutest tiny face you’ve ever seen. With a white streak in his hair you’d recognize anywhere.

************

“How did this happen ?!”

There were no doubt in yours, nor Bruce’s mind, that this was your Jason.

Same eyes, same hair, and he turned to you whenever you and Bruce said : “Jason”. So, either this was your son, or it was your son’s secret son, but you somehow doubted it. Sure, kids could look exactly like their parents, but to this extent ? He even had that little beauty mark under his ear…

This was Jason. You were sure of it.

You’d recognize your boy anywhere. Now, the question remained : what the hell happened ?

“I don’t know ! I went to his place to check on him, and I found him like this. It’s Jason. It’s definitely Jason. I found him asleep on the floor, in a pool of his clothes. Definitely too big now. But it’s him.” 

“Yes, it seems like him. But, again, how ?”

“Honestly, I wouldn’t put past him actually pissing of some kind of magician or something. Last time I spoke to him, he said he had a lead on a possible metahuman who was doing some shady business, could be it.” 

Could be, indeed. This was so odd. What were you going to do now ? There was no way you could-

Ah. He was waking up. He yawned (most adorable things you’ve seen in a long time), rubbed his eyes and theN. 

Then he pointed at you, and said, smiling : “Mama”. 

“He knows who you are, my love.”

Bruce said, matter of factly, his initial shock vanished as he was now studying the situation. 

Jason turns to him then, and says : “Dada ?” 

Evidently, there were some remnant of Jason in there, as he recognized both of them. But as soon as he turned to look at Dick, he started screaming and kicking, wanting to get away, and only calming down once he got into your arms. 

What was this ? A reaction like little ducklings ? Recognizing the first people you saw as your parents ? Or some distant memories ? 

The situation was getting more and more intriguing. But you were sure you’d all figure it all somehow. 

None of you could know that Jason would be stuck in this state for a few months…

We need supplies 

How to go buy a bunch of baby supplies without looking suspicious ? 

Damn, it was annoying sometimes (often), to be so well known in your city. For sure someone would notice Bruce Wayne, no matter how he would disguise himself (ironic, isn’t it ? Everyone always recognized him in the streets, no matter what, yet nobody ever realized he was the Batman). And the same went for each member of the family. 

Especially if you’d go buy baby supplies. Imagine the gossip the next day, in the paper ? You couldn’t have Jason’s condition known ! 

You were trying to figure something out, because you did need the supplies. You had to be discreet. Because-

“What about Uncle Clark ?” 

Tim’s idea. Of course. And…OF COURSE. 

Clark DID have a baby. 

Jon. 

Maybe he still had some of his stuffs ? 

Also, nobody would bat an eye if they saw Clark Kent (who ?) buy diapers and whatnot. And then he could fly right to the Manor, he knew how to be discreet. 

It was perfect ! 

************

You know how you recognize good friends ? They’re here in less than an hour when you need them. With everything you need, too. 

Well. It did help that said friend was a metahuman with super-speed. But still.

Clark was there quickly, with clothes, diapers, a baby bed, formula. The perfect “a baby appeared in our life starter kit”. 

“Someone gonna tell me what’s going on ?”

Yes, a true friend indeed. The kind of person who comes with “baby supplies” when you ask him to, because it’s an “emergency”, and he doesn’t even ask why up until he did it. 

You quickly explained the situation, and after he laughs a little too much, he settles down and asks : 

“So, what are you going to do ?” 

“Still figuring that out. Have a few lead.” 

Clark knows Bruce enough to know that the man isn’t going to tell him more about his plans, so he doesn’t push it. Instead, he turns to Jason, and smiles at him. 

“Hey there buddy, how are you doing ?” 

He reaches to ruffle his hair, but Jason slaps his hand away, and goes to hide behind his father, reaching up, asking to be picked up. 

“He doesn’t like you.” 

Bruce says, smirking, way too pleased about what just happened. You can’t help but roll your eyes at his childishness (which always seemed to get out when around Clark), as Superman says : 

“But Jason loves me !” 

“Adult Jason maybe, but baby Jason knows better.”

“What do you mean ? Hey, hey ! What do you mean ?!” 

Bruce doesn’t answer, and just snicker, amused by his friend’s reaction. And you find the situation too funny to tell Clark that : Jason is simply a very shy child. He runs away from any person he doesn’t know, you noticed very quickly. 

You could’ve told Clark that, and it would’ve settled thing. But it was too funny to witness THE Superman trying to get a one year old kid to like him by bribing him with a wide array of toys, yet failing each times. All while THE Batman kept mocking him and telling Jason that Clark was a “bad man”…

Oh. Oh this would be a memory to preciously keep in mind. What a sight. 

************

Slowly, life went back to “normal”. Just, with a toddler Jason instead of an adult one. Which you weren’t sure was more calming, in the end. 

Your other children quickly heard the news, and slowly but surely, a sort of routine started in Wayne Manor, in which all of you took care of the boy. 

You knew he’d do the same for you. 

With Damian

“Gah ?”

“Yes, indeed. Very good choice.”

Damian didn’t notice you, as you snuck up in the room him and Jason were in, and you just looked at the both of them. Your youngest son was such a good older brother, who would’ve thought ?

He was currently drawing with Jason. There was paint everywhere, and Alfred would probably not be very happy (although he actually didn’t mind cleaning this kind of mess). The questioning “gah” Jason gave Damian was apparently about whether he should use blue or not. Of course, Damian said he should. It’d go nicely with Jason’s adorable mess of a painting.

Who knew Damian was that good at baby talk ?

They were calmly drawing together, both laying on the floor. You noticed Damian was actually painting his “little” brother, while Jason…It was abstract, but his “older” brother influence was clearly there as the colors mixed nicely together.

Jason finished his masterpiece, as he held it up with his little hands and exclaimed : “Babaaaa” (his version of “tadaa”, surely).

“Very nicely done, Little Bird, very nicely done indeed.”

“Little bird”…oh, your heart was going to melt. This was Dick’s nickname for Jason (and all his little siblings really, although Jason was the first he called like that, and it was definitely happening more with him, simply because it annoyed him so much, and Dick LOVED to get on his siblings’ nerves). 

You never thought Damian would use it one day, after all, you and Bruce never really talked about having more children. You had already quite a handful of them…And no, definitely not, having little Jason around DID NOT make your baby fever go wild.

“You’re very talented you know”, Damian says, patting his brother on the head. Jason seemed so pleased, so proud of himself. And then, then he let out the biggest yawn you’ve ever seen coming out of such a little mouth.

“Ah, it is nap time I see. Come on little bird, I’ll-“

As if it was the most natural thing in the world, Jason just snaked his way in Damian’s arms, and got comfortable. In just a few seconds, his eyes were closed, and he was fast asleep. Aaah, to be a toddler, capable of falling asleep anywhere in a matter of seconds. What a dream.

You thought Damian would stand up, and go to Jason’s room (where you installed a little baby bed,Jaso’ns actual bed being way too big…Bruce had it custom made for his son, which like, is not surprising to anyone). But instead, Damian sat up a little, rearranged Jason in his arms so the little boy would be more comfortable, and stayed still.

He wasn’t moving at all, his “baby” brother cradled in his arms. And here you were, as if hypnotized by the cuteness of the scene.

Your son still hadn’t notice you, and was looking intently at Jason. He brushed a few fingers on his chubby little baby cheek, and after a long silence during which you felt you were literally melting because this was so sweet, you heard Damian’s voice :

“You know, you used to do this for me. I don’t- I don’t really remember exactly, but I just feel it. You used to hold me just like that, when I was a toddler, and I just know you were one of the only person who were able to instantly soothe me. It’s a gut feeling. I know you were there.”

It doesn’t take long before you understand, and you find yourself chocking up.

Damian is talking about his own childhood, foggy memories of a lonely upbringing full of training, fear and harshness. Ras’ was not a tender man, and his grasp on his daughter was, at the time, too strong.

Damian did not grow up like most kid. Like any kid. And yet, amongst all the tough moments, there was one memory he seemed to be holding on…

Jason taking care of him.

You knew your son had been assigned to Damian’s protection. When he didn’t really have any memories of what happened to him, or of who he was. When Ras, out of the compassion he still had hidden deep in his heart, resurrected your boy after the Joker killed him, feeling guilty.

But Jason came back altered, the trauma of his death was too much. He couldn’t quite remember, and with reasons, Ras thought it was better to keep him with the Assassins instead of sending him back to you and Bruce. Of course, Ras being Ras, he took advantage of the fact your son was a well trained boy who could probably do his bidding…

And that’s how Jason became Damian’s protector (and an assassin for a while, but that was another story).

“You’re one of the first memory I have, Jason.”

Damian continues, as you look at them, feeling your heart filling and breaking at the same time.

“You took care of me, protected me from people who wanted to end the “Demon”’s legacy. You don’t really remember, I know. And I don’t either, I was too young. But I have glimpse of moments, furtive memories of it.”

You know Damian would never talk about this to Jason if he hadn’t been turned into a toddler. Both Damian and Jason had trouble expressing their feelings (can you say : “like father, like son” ??).

But it felt like Damian had waited a long time to finally get this off of his chest. To finally speak his mind about it. 

He remembers Jason. He remembers how he took care of him, how he was there when nobody else was. He remembers. 

“I’ll protect you, Jason. I will. Just like you did for me. I’ll protect you.” 

The flood gate was now opened, tears running freely on your cheeks. You discreetly left as Damian was slowly swaying his brother from side to side, and the little boy drifted off to sleep, a sleep full of pleasant dreams as he knew…He knew, he was safe in Damian’s arms. 

He was safe. 

Not him !! 

Zatanna was busy, but she promised to come by as soon as she could, which could take months, given her schedule. 

“Bruce, I’m afraid we don’t have a choice.”

“No no, we do. There’s always a choice. And other options.” 

“Do you really know that many people with magical powers ?” 

“You’d be surprised.” 

“Ok, fine. But he’s the one we’re sure is going to be available.”

“I’d rather call Black Adam than him.” 

“Bruce…”

Silence. He doesn’t look at you, turning away, clearly pretending to type something on the Batcomputer. 

“Bruuuuuuce.”

Yup, he’s definitely ignoring you now. 

“Are you sulking, my Broosh ?” 

He turns around quickly, and says, a little too intensely : 

“I am NOT sulking ! Why would I sulk ? There’s absolutely no reason whatsoever I would. I don’t sulkanyway.”

“You do. Sometimes. You definitely always sulk when we talk about him.” 

He glares at you (or at least, he tries, to you, he just looks like an adorable grumpy bear), and you hold his eyes. After a while, seeing you’re not about to back down, he sighs and says : “Fine. Call him.” 

Constantine’s Help

“When I received your call, I knew it meant you got yourself into some shingles. But I didn’t expect that.” 

John Constantine was standing in front of you and Bruce, and stared at Jason, who was in his father’s arms. 

Jason. Jason Todd. The Red Hood. Batman’s son. That tall jacked “boy” who always seemed like he could snap anyone like a twig if he wanted to (and honestly, John wouldn’t put “snapping people like twigs” passed that “kid”). 

Jason grew up to be such an imposing man, that it was quite a surprise to see him…Like that. 

John thought he couldn’t be more than two years old. Probably one and a half (John had a knack at guessing people’s age, it was…useful for his craft). 

He quickly gave his diagnostic of the situation : 

“Well, he’s been turned into a toddler.”

“…”

“…”

Silence. And then, Bruce, will all the sarcasm he could muster, says : 

“…Thanks. We didn’t notice.” 

John smiles, always happy to get on Batman’s nerves. He adds : 

“Cooking up such a spell requires quite a bit of power. It probably left a trace where it happened. If you show me the place, I think I can figure out a way to retrace it, recreate it, and therefor, hopefully, reverse it. It might take some times, of course.” 

“Of course. Thanks anyway for coming.” 

“Oh no worries beautiful, for you, I’d always co-”

“Ok thank you, bye now.” 

You and John exchanged an amused smile, it was always fun to make Bruce jealous (although he was adamant he never felt jealousy. What a load of cr-). He was now quite literally pushing Constantine out of the house, because he knew the warlock was about to flirt with you.

On purpose. Just to piss him off. 

But also, Bruce knew you and John Constantine had a quick fling in the past, and he knew John himself. No way he was about to let him flirt with you. The man had quite a reputation…Nuhu. 

Making sure to have a promise from him to work on your son’s case, Bruce then chased him out of the house. Later, he turned to you and said : 

“Black Adam would’ve seriously been better.” 

With Bruce

“No, Jason. Noo. Oh my god please boy, stop touching all the button. No, JA-”

The boy almost pressed quite a dangerous button, “autodestruction” and all that. And Bruce had enough. He put him on the floor and-

“BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH !!”

Big sad cries. Jason was just balling his eyes out now, and Bruce knew he wouldn’t stop up until he would pick him up again. 

You knew he wasn’t going to resist. You gave him 10 seconds max. And ah, you overestimated him. 4 seconds later, Jason was back in his arms, trying to reach every single buttons possible, getting frustrated because Bruce kept stoping him from doing so.

Your husband turned to you, sighing deeply, and you couldn’t help but laugh. 

************ 

He ended up building a “sensory box” for him. Jason always wanted to be held, for some reasons, and disliked being anywhere else but in someone’s arms. The problem was, when he was in Bruce’s, he kept wanting to touch everything on the bat computer. 

Of course, for a child, it was quite an attractive thing to touch. 

And so, after a few researches, Bruce found out that kids Jason’s age had a lot of “sensory experiences”, and couldn’t help but just touch everything (the same way babies always put stuffs in their mouth).

It didn’t take him long to build a little box, with a bunch of buttons on it, some making noise, some just nice to the touch. It occupied the boy nicely. 

Jason would giggle away, playing with his box, and it made Bruce’s heart full, to hear that little laugh. 

One night, as he thought you fell asleep in your desk chair (it happened often, although this time, you were just resting a bit), Bruce turned to his son and asked : 

“Not tired yet champ ? Should be time for a nap, no ?” 

The boy just looked up at him, smiling widely, clearly not tired. He always smiled when looking at Bruce. Of that smile that- 

That-

That Bruce hadn’t seen in years. 

Not since-

Since-

He felt a tear on his cheek. 

“I’m sorry Jason, I’m so sorry..;”

It was like he felt something break in him. Something he held on for so long. Looking at that little boy, who bore the smile of the son he lost all those years ago. 

Jason still hadn’t smile like that again yet. You knew it would happen some day. That he would finally heal. But it didn’t happen yet. 

And the fact that as a child, innocent and trauma free, that smile came to him so easily…It awoke all of Bruce’s guilt. All of his heartbreak. 

Bruce’s sadness distressed the boy. 

“ ’Ou ok ? Ok dada, ok ?”

“You ok ?” he was asking. Which made Bruce’s emotions surge even more. Jason as always been such a nice kid. He didn’t deserve what happened to him. 

He didn’t deserve it. If only he never met him..

Jason was standing in Bruce’s lap now, on tippy toes, barely reaching his father’s face and…slowly comforting him.

That was your Jason.

Even as a small child, always so compassionate, sweet, and caring.

“No cwy, no cwy, all ok.” He said, patting his father’s cheek, and smiling, hoping he would console his father. 

Yes. Jason has always been such a good person. 

Bruce knew he wasn’t going to be able to stop his emotions, and so as to not further distress his son, he just hugged him tight. Close to his heart. And his warmth and little giggles were such a nice comfort…

Nightmares

When John was here, he said that it was possible that he had some remnant of memories of who he was. Which was probably why he called you and Bruce “mama” and “dada” right away. 

But it was also probably why at night, when he was all alone in his bedroom, he would have horrendous nightmares and scream his lungs out. 

You learned to recognize his cries, over the months. Sometimes, he was hungry, sometimes, he demanded attention, sometimes, he wanted this or that…His cries during the night were haunting. 

There was no doubt in your mind, neither in Bruce’s, that he had recurring nightmares. And you didn’t have to think much about it to know what those were. 

You didn’t want to think about it. You didn’t need to. As long as you were there, when he woke up, panicked…

************

Panicked. 

Exactly the word that would describe the first time it happened, on the first night Jason came to the Manor, turned into a young child. 

Screams. Of a deep seated fear. 

It was horrible, to hear such a sound knowing it was your “baby” who was currently very afraid. 

Both you and Bruce rushed to him. He was just coming back from patrol when Jason started to wail. 

You barge in his bedroom, and he’s crying. Big salty tears running down his face, crying so much it’s hard to breath. 

Bruce is faster than you, and he reaches for his son. Jason’s naturally put his arms up, definitely wanting to be picked up. 

It took a good ten minutes before the boy calmed down, exhausted from crying, slowly falling back asleep in his father’s arms. 

Bruce didn’t leave Jason’s bedroom that night, and you didn’t either. You all cuddle up in his actual bed. The double bed he usually use when he crash at the Manor. 

Jason falls asleep in the middle of you and Bruce, his tiny little hands clutching your fingers. Yours, and your husband’s, each arm on each side of him. 

You don’t dare to move, afraid he’ll wake up. And in the night, when Bruce moves a little too much in his sleep and Jason’s hand sleep away from his finger, the boy wakes up, and starts to panic as he thinks he’s alone, before being soothed back to sleep by his father, who always had a light sleep, and woke up the instant he heard the smallest of whimper. 

************

Each night. Each night he wakes up at least once, screaming, crying, afraid. Afraid of what ? You can only guess. 

John did warn you about this. During his sleep, he’s most likely to remember his past life. 

You can only assume than when he’s all alone in his bed, he has horrible nightmares. But when you sleep with him, or when he’s asleep with Bruce or his siblings, the way he clutches at you, the way he peacefully sleeps…it feels like he remembers the good time. 

He seemed terrified of the dark. Understandably so, when you knew his history. 

Poor baby, always so afraid to be all alone. 

With Tim

“Um, was spaghetti really the best idea, Tim ?”

You came in the room just as Bernard was asking this question to your son, and. Oh. Oh the carnage. (A/N : For those who don’t/didn’t follow more recent comics and such, Bernard is a childhood school friend of Tim with whom he sort of lost contact after he got adopted by Bruce, and they recently reconnected and are now dating J)

“It’s his favorite food ! I mean, adult him. I swear once, I saw him only spaghetti for two weeks straight, with different sauces every time. But his favorite is bolognese. I guess…It wasn’t the best idea here.” 

Jason is COVERED with pasta. His entire face is red, tiny pieces of meat stuck to his cheeks. The little fork Tim gave him is discarded on the floor, and the boy is eating with his hands. 

Handful of pasta, out of which very few actually reach his mouth, and even less enter it. Most of it is just splayed all over his face. 

“I see babysitting is going well.” you say, amused. 

Bernard stands up quickly, as if you’re his boss or something. You smile at him, and say : “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you boys. Having fun ?” 

Tim sighs, knowing you’re mocking him a bit. But Bernard is still a little tense. After all, he’s been introduced into the family not very long ago. Tim finally felt confident enough to introduce him to you guys, and of course he was met with a warm welcomed. But it didn’t mean he wasn’t still a little nervous in your presence. 

Especially since you were THE (Y/N) Wayne. And oh god, he could never relax around Bruce (which honestly was your husband’s fault, he was always suspicious of his children’s boyfriends/girlfriends at first, and still considered Tim, one of his youngest, like his baby bird). 

“Mama !” Jason said excitedly, and then he took another handful of pasta, and threw it on Tim. You could see he didn’t do it on purpose. That he was just SO excited his body didn’t quite respond with the proper coordination. 

Tim turned to you, blasé. 

You and Bernard burst out into laughter, this was quite the scene. 

Jason giggled, and Tim couldn’t help but smile. Who would’ve thought that his brother could be so adorable ? Adult Jason was quite different. 

Still adored his brother though. Jason often bragged about how smart Tim was, as if him himself wasn’t (which wasn’t true, Jason was extremely intelligent, he just had a massive imposter syndrome). And Tim was Jason’s first little brother, he doted over him all the time. 

Of course, Jason was close from Damian too, but with Tim, it was something different. 

Because Tim “replaced” Jason. In a way. He was the one which brought some light back in Bruce’s heart. The one that helped you start to heal from the wound Jason’s death gave you. 

Jason thought he had to hate Tim, at first. Because he was “replacing” him. But he quickly realized he couldn’t do that. 

Because Tim was Tim. 

And he was himself. 

Jason had never been a hateful person. So sure, he was angry at his father, angry at the world for how unfair he was treated. But he couldn’t be angry to someone who had nothing to do with it. 

Plus, when Tim came in, he was so adorable, and SUCH a fanboy. How could Jason not instantly adopt him as his brother ?

“Adorable”. That’s what Tim was thinking about baby Jason now. 

Funny, how life could go full circle like that, sometimes, right ? 

“Pabgeti !” Jason yelled, happy, showing his food (that once again was more all over his face than anywhere else). And then he pointed at Tim, and repeated : “Pabgeti !” 

You smiled, and said : “Tim made you some spaghetti ? He’s nice isn’t he ?” 

Jason nod his little head, and smiled widely at Tim and-

Any trace of annoyance, or anything else, vanished. Ah. Funny. Even as a baby, Jason was always there to make sure Tim felt home. 

************

Sat down in the sofa in his room (with the door open, Bruce’s rules…he was so old school), Tim and Bernard were holding hands as they looked at Jason who was playing on the floor in front of them. 

The little boy turned around, saw the linked hands, and creased his eyebrows. He crawled on all four towards the sofa, managed to get on his feet and he separated both hands. 

“What, not you too Jason.” 

But the little boy would have none of it. He refused to let Bernard get back closer to his brother, and kept glaring at him, as if afraid he was going to still Tim away. 

It was very cute, to be honest. And although Tim could’ve been annoyed, he actually felt quite happy and warm. 

First steps

Jason had simply refused to walk so far.

So, nothing prepared you nor Bruce to witness what was about to happen. 

It had been a month since Jason turned into a toddler. John did say he never heard of such a spell, and would have to do some thorough research (although Bruce suspected him to take his time, just because he thought the situation was funny, and because he loved to spite him). 

He crawled everywhere, for sure. It was a nightmare, actually. He truly only listened to you and Alfred, and would way too many time try to escape his siblings’ surveillance. 

He hid in a basket once, fell asleep in it, as they all looked for him, panicked. 

Yes, he crawled, and got into tiny spaces where it was hard to get to him…But he never walked. 

Until now. 

You were laying leisurely on the couch, legs across your husbands lap, looking at your son playing on the floor, thinking about how weird your life was sometimes. 

One of your boy turning back into a toddler. How odd really.

Jason was sitting on the floor, playing with some toys. And then, he got on all four, and your heart beamed as you noticed Bruce’s body tense. He was ready to get his son if need be (for real, that kid really managed to get himself stuck in the strangest places). 

But Jason didn’t move. Instead, he pushed with his little arms and…

He was on his feet. 

Standing. Standing ! Albeit his legs were shaky and it felt he would fall back on his butt any seconds, he was standing ! 

He took one step, and was falling forward wh-

You felt your legs being pushed aside. Not violently or anything, Bruce knew how to be delicate. 

You felt it, and then somehow, your husband was near your son, catching him before he hit the ground. Damn. You forgot sometimes that he had insane reflexes. 

Jason was giggling now, evidently very pleased with himself that he managed to stand up. He looked at Bruce, smiling widely, and started to blabber in baby talk. Non-stop. 

Bruce chuckled. An affectionate and sweet chuckle. And he said : 

“Yes yes, very impressive. You’re so strong. You’re so strong, little one. Can you do it again ?” 

Bruce sad the boy back on the floor. Jason smiled, looked at him again, said : 

“Dada ! Babubya !” (whatever it meant) 

And he stood up once again. Took one step, two, once again his father’s arms caught him before he could fall. 

“Aaaah baba baba !” Jason exclaimed, very proud of himself. 

“You did so good !” 

Bruce was as excited as his son, and it was the cutest thing to witness. Leading the life you lead, you never got to have a baby in the house before then…So this was how it felt, to saw them take their first steps. 

This time, Jason made four steps before crashing in his dad’s arms (which you suspected he did on purpose, because he thought it was fun). 

By the end of the day, he could walk on his own and on quite a distance. When Damian came home from school, he was greeted by an extremely proud little Jason, who walked towards him, exclaiming :

“DamDam wak !” (which you translated to something along the lines of : “Damian I can walk”). 

Oh. The feels. 

With Dick 

Dick found Jason first. He hadn’t heard a word of his brother the entire day, and got worried. Which yes, for many it’s ridiculous but…

Dick cannot help it. He HAS to have at least a text from his family members every 24 hours, or he freaks out. And, could you blame him, with the life you lead ? 

The only exceptions were if you warned him first. “Hey, I won’t be there for the next four days, don’t worry before the fifth one haha !” then he wouldn’t insist. And all of you knew by then, that you “needed” to give him a head’s up whenever you wouldn’t be reachable. 

And to be honest, if it could reassure your son, you’d definitely go the extra mile. Every member of your family would. 

So when Jason didn’t warn him about not being available, and didn’t answer his texts and calls, Dick panicked. 

He knew he shouldn’t, that his brother was probably all right. But he couldn’t help it, he had to quickly check. 

He went to where Jason’s phone pinpointed (of course he put trackers in everyone’s phones. After all, Bruce was his teacher, right ?), one of his hideout, on the outskirt of Gotham. 

He came in through a window, as usual, and…

That where he found a baby. A baby fast asleep, in a pool of what he knew were Jason’s clothes. 

A baby that, evidently…was Jason ?? 

************

“Do you think he remembers us ? Or who he is ?” Dick asks you, looking at his little brother who’s happy to be held in your arms. 

“I’m not sure. He did call me mama, and is calling Bruce dada. I don’t know if it’s just natural, or if he has some remnants of memories. Because clearly, he’s “just” a baby, and not Jason stuck in a baby’s body. I mean. Itis Jason. But an actual baby version of him. Know what I mean ?” 

“Yes, I do.”

There’s a small silence, before Dick has an idea : 

“Ok well, let’s see if he does sort of remember but can’t quite voice it. Hey little man, I’m-”

“NO !” Little Jason says, slapping Dick right in the face and pushing him away.

“Ok, it’s definitely Jason…Except, like him when he first came here. He used to downright hate me haha.”

“He didn’t hate you…”

“He kind of did.” 

“No, he didn’t. He just- He just wanted to show everyone he could be just like you, if not better. He wanted recognition.” 

“Which I…did not give him.” 

Regret was obvious in Dick’s voice, and it broke your heart. For once, you weren’t sure what to say. Because it was kind of true, that at first, Dick wasn’t the nicest towards Jason. Things didn’t go as smoothly as you wished. 

But neither you nor Jason or Bruce ever blamed Dick for it. It was a time in which he was lost, and always so angry. He left the manor because of it. 

Long story short, Dick hadn’t always been the best brother. Jason’s death profoundly changed him…

Now, he couldn’t imagine his life without his siblings. And he could definitely not imagine not being the oldest one. 

It actually hurt a bit, Jason’s rejection. The boy was now hiding his face in the crook of your neck, clearly not wanting to be held by Dick. 

Ah, but your son had an idea. 

“Coming back in a sec.” 

He disappears for a bit, and comes back indeed just a few minutes later with a- Ah. Yes. Of course. 

He has a cookie in hand. Jason’s weakness. He’s never been able to resist a cookie, especially not those baked by Alfred, like he one Dick was holding. The boy looks curiously at him, and then at the cookie, obviously interested. 

Dick breaks it in smaller pieces, and hand it to him, Jason immediately proceeded to suckle on it and-

That was it really. Dick managed to get him in his arms, and from then and on, Jason never rejected him again. 

“Bribing him with cookies always worked.”

“Um, excuse me, bribing ? Why did you need to bribe him before ?” 

“Oops haha.”

And then he was gone, escaping your question by quickly leaving the room. You shake your head, aaah, those boys. 

************

Jason started to seek Dick, now. Whether it was because he wanted more cookies, or to see his brother, nobody could quite say…

DADA ! 

Baby Jason adored Bruce. 

Adult Jason too, though he would never admit it. Not anymore. Not after what happened to him…

But he did. Adore his father. That’s probably why he found it so hard to forgive him for not killing the Joker after what he did to him. Ah, but this was another story. For now, Jason as a one year old was an absolute Bruce fanboy. 

He loved you too, it was obvious. He came to you whenever he wanted comfort, or cuddles, or anything of the like. You were his mama, and at that age, he would choose you over anybody else. 

But, Bruce ? 

“DADA !!” 

Jason would exclaim whenever he saw him in the evening, when your husband would come home from work. And then he’d do his little toddler run towards him, and Bruce would catch him in his arms. 

So heartwarming. 

You took time off of work, you were pretty independent anyway so nobody really minded. You took time off of work, so you could help Alfred with Jason. You saw that little boy all day. 

But Bruce ? 

Ah Bruce. He still had to work. The responsibilities of owning such large enterprises made it impossible to take more than a day or two off. So he would see your son only in the morning, and evening before bed time. 

It was enough, though. 

“DADA !!” 

Jason would yell excitedly, running to him. 

Bruce found himself waiting for this moment with great anticipation. Your son would melt anyone’s heart, with his cute little face, big blue eyes, dark hair and that infamous streak of white…He was such a cute toddler. 

But Bruce ? 

Ah, Bruce’s heart had always been soft for his family, unbeknownst to many. How could he resist that child ? 

“DADA !!” 

Running little feet on the floor. Giggles as he was lifted off of it. And then he’d put his hands on his father’s cheeks, and just…smile. 

Of that recognizable and pure “Jason smile” he used to always have before-

What if Jason couldn’t be turned back into an adult ? Was that such a bad thing ? 

He had another chance right now. 

Bruce had another chance. Another shot at not screwing up. At keeping him far from this “Batman” business. 

Another chance…

But was this really your, or Bruce’s decision to make ? 

No. No it wasn’t. 

“DADA !!” 

Run. Catch. Hug. 

A shame, that you both knew this was but a chimera which had to end one day. 

With Alfred 

You almost missed it. But as often in your life, fate made it so you managed to make it just in time. 

A few minutes before or after, and you wouldn’t have seen it. Because for sure, if he had seen you, he wouldn’t have done it. And if you came just a little later, you simply would’ve never had any idea it happened. 

Here they were. 

Baby Jason laying in Alfred’s arms, as the butler sat in a comfortable arm chair, in the library. 

 “Puff the magic dragon lived by the sea, 
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee
Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff
And brought him strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff
Oh, Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail” 

Singing. 

Alfred was singing to him. 

And Jason was utterly enthralled by the song, his big blue eyes staring at his “grandfather”. He was holding one of the butler’s hand with both of his, tightly. And you were sure your son didn’t even notice how much he clutched at the old man’s hand. 

Neither of them noticed you, standing there, looking through the crack of the half-opened door.  

 “Jackie kept a lookout perched on Puff’s gigantic tail
Noble kings and princes would bow whene'er they came
Pirate ships would lower their flags when Puff roared out his name” 

Captivated, Jason let Alfred caress his little head with his free hand, not realizing what he was doing. 

Putting him to sleep, surely. 

 “Oh, Puff the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee
Puff the magic dragon lived by the sea
A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys
Painted wings and giant’s rings make way for other toys
One gray night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more” 

Oh my God. This song was actually incredibly sad. But Alfred’s soft voice interpreted it so perfectly, that it was beyond soothing at the same time. 

Baby Jason didn’t really understand the lyrics anyway, he just seemed to find the song beautiful. It was made obvious by how his eyes got a little misty. 

The boy was moved, and it was truly magical. Such a young mind, touched by all the love poured into this song by his grandfather. 

 “And Puff, that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar
His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain
Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane
Without his lifelong friend, Puff could not be brave” 

The song reminded you of Jason and Bruce too much. You felt like crying, and you didn’t hold the tears back when they started to fell. 

It was a bittersweet feeling. Sadness because of all the hardship they both went through, but happiness because they managed to overcome them. 

Bittersweet. 

Because their strong bond, their father/son love, was so important to both of them, that it became the source of so many conflicts and pain. 

 “So Puff, that mighty dragon, sadly slipped into his cave
Oh, Puff the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee” 

“Sadly slipped into his cave”, was this song specifically written for your Bruce or what ? Yes. Yes it fitted Bruce and Jason’s story so well. 

It made you choke with emotions. 

“He used to sing that to me when I was a child.”

You didn’t hear him come in, in fact, you felt his arms wrap around your waist before he even made a sound. 

Your Broosh. And his warmth is so comforting. 

In the library, Alfred starts singing the song again, after Jason was babbling in baby talk, clearly asking for more. Ah, and the old butler was never able to resist any of those kids. 

“What is it ? The song.” 

“Puff the Magic Dragon, by Peter Paul and Mary. It used to be my favorite song. I think it still is…”      (A/N : I highly recommend listening to it once, just to get the feel…I love that song)

You both listen to Alfred sing to Jason. The boy is clearly in love with that song, too. Bruce whispers : 

“It used to soothe me, no matter what. As a baby, at least according to my parents. And I’d only want Alfred to sing it, nobody else. Not even my mother or father. When they died he-”

“Oh, Puff the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee”

“He used to sing it every single night. And it always helped me to fall asleep, even when I thought I wasn’t going to be able to. I love that song.” 

“Yes, yes I think- I think I do too.” 

You and Bruce stayed there for a while. Holding onto each other for comfort. Listening to that lovely song, while Jason was slowly falling asleep, a smile on his lips. 

Trouble and Jealousy

Jason wasn’t even two, in that state, yet he was already quite a smart boy. 

Everyone always thought Tim was the brain of this little cluster of siblings, and although often they weren’t wrong, all of your children were intelligent, and great strategist. 

And evidently, it showed in young Jason right now. 

He quickly found he had a knack to get out of trouble. He just had to look at people with cute eyes, and boom. It was done. 

Something his siblings weren’t too fan of, because it worked way too well on their mom ! And ever since Jason was turned into a toddler, said mom, you, got her attention a little too focused on him ! 

The kids were rarely jealous of each other, especially because you and Bruce always found time for each and everyone of them. There were NO favorites, in the Wayne household. 

But a toddler demanded much more attention than a, say, 8 years old child. And definitely more than an adult. 

Oddly enough, Damian didn’t mind too much. He took his big brother role very seriously, and had a very : “Jason (as a baby at least) can do no wrong” kind of mindset. Even if it was obvious the boy did something he wasn’t supposed to, Damian would defend him, and fight anyone who wouldn’t leave it alone. Which Jason noticed quickly. 

Running to his mom or to Damian became a habit, when he caused…Utter chaos. Honestly, there was no other words. 

He was a very energetic boy, and although he was very sweet, obedient and nice, it seemed he always came up with the worst of ideas ! 

Which is what Tim discovered, as he came in the kitchen and found his little brother devouring cookies, sat in the middle of SO MUCH FLOUR ! 

“Jason, what did you do ??”

Jason looked at him, and giggled. He giggled, the little devil ! Tim went to him, picked him up, and was about to scold him a little (as he should) when you entered the kitchen. 

“Oh. My. God. What happened ?!”

Tim was of course about to say Jason somehow got on the counters and such, but the little boy in his arms, after looking at him, a mischievous look in his eyes…started crying. 

Big cries that Tim knew were fake. Oh, the crocodile tears ! 

But it worked on you. It worked really well indeed. 

You went to him, took him into your arms, patting his back to comfort him, holding him close. 

“Shush shush, it’s ok baby, it’s ok. Tim, please can you clean the mess ?” 

And then you left, consoling little Jason…Little Jason who wasn’t sad at all ! He was still making crying sound, but Tim swore he saw a smile on his face as he looked at him and their eyes crossed when their mother left the room !

************

Dick was easily jealous, if you gave more attention to another of your kid. After all, he had been a lonely child for quite some years before Jason came in. He was used, for so long, to be the sole receiver of your attention (fighting for it with Bruce, though). 

Even as an adult, when he came to see you, you’d make sure to have time for him. You saw less of each other since he moved to Bludhäven, so when he came by, you dropped everything to spend time with him. 

Dick LOVED it. Maybe he had always been a bit of an attention seeker, but you couldn’t blame him. He had been an only child for years, even before he met you and Bruce. Old habits die hard. 

So recently, when, whenever he came by, you would take care of Jason, he couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. 

He hated to feel jealous of his siblings. He thought he grew out of that. Most of his conflicts with Jason, years ago, when the  boy first came in, were born from Dick being jealous and thinking Bruce replaced him without a second thought (very wrong). 

Also, Jason was currently a toddler. Of course he’d have more attention. 

Didn’t mean Dick didn’t feel jealous though. Sigh. Damn. 

But then-

Then whenever Jason saw his oldest brother, he would jump on his feet and run to him, and Dick felt like he was the most important person on the planet because of how the boy looked at him. 

He would never admit it now, but Jason had always greatly admired Dick. He was his model. His hero. 

Seemed like things never changed, eh. 

Ah. Well, Jason always got away with almost everything, with Dick. Some things will never change indeed, no matter the age. 

And just like that, any jealous feeling vanished. 

With Cassandra 

Jason was mesmerized by Cass. 

Whenever he would start to cry, or feel cranky, she’d dance for him. 

Ballet. 

He loved it. 

He would instantly stop crying, and just stare, utterly captivated, entranced. And then when she’d be done, he’d smile, widely, and raise his arms to make her understand he wants her to pick him up. 

And she would, of course. 

Cass and Jason never spoke a word, never made a sound. They seemed perfectly content in just being with each other. 

Often, Jason would look for his “big” sister, and just sit with her, looking at whatever she’s doing. Even if, say, she read a book with no picture. He’d just look at the words, and at his sister, perfectly content. 

Tim quickly renamed Cass “The Baby soother”. 

Jason could be a little destructive, as a toddler. He broke way too many vase, and the more people (that weren’t his mom or Damian) told him “no”, the more he wanted to do it. 

Yet Cass would come in, and it’s like she knew the button to turn him off. Even if in the middle of a tantrum, she’d just dance, and Jason would calm down. 

It was magic, really. 

Jason and Cass had both very strong childhood trauma. It seemed to please her that her brother’s bad experience had now been erased. 

“Can’t we keep him like that ?” 

She once asked. You answered : “I wish. But it’s not our decision…” 

You couldn’t possibly decide for your son like that. You couldn’t, for selfish reasons, decide to keep him as a baby, letting him grow up differently. You couldn’t. 

“I know..” 

She said sadly. Seeing her sad made Jason sad, and the boy was about to cry when-

His favorite thing. She started dancing for him. This time picking him up to dance with him. 

Because she was going to take every chance she got to make her brother’s “new” childhood the most memorable, calming, and warm possible. 

Jason Todd 

Finally, after three whole months, Constantine came back. 

With good news. 

“I found a way to reverse it, but it might be a little long.” 

And long it was indeed. With the help of Bruce, it took him the entire day to perform the ritual that would give Jason his adult body back (and mind, hopefully…John wasn’t sure, but he wasn’t about to tell that to any of you. Oops). 

It worked. 

It worked. 

Jason was there, actually Jason. And according to John, there would be no permanent damage. He managed to bring both body and spirit back. 

He warned them he would sleep for a while, the shock of the transformation being exhausting. 

Jason slept the entire day, when he woke up, he was groggy and still tired, his first words being : 

“Mom.” 

Of course, because he saw you first. 

“Dad.”

Bruce felt a pang in his chest. Jason’s first instinct was to call for himtoo. 

“…The FUCK happened ?!” 

And your Jason was back to his normal self, for better and for worst. You wouldn’t have it any other way. As you told him the story of the past few months, you realized that you would never forget the memory of Jason as a baby, and how sweet that kid has (and will) always be(en). 

And when he says : “The last thing I remember is being with that girl, oh I forgot her name now. Anyway I was with her, because I suspected she was a metahuman and wanted to make sure, but she didn’t say anything. Then she was all like : “well if you’re going to act like a child, then you might as well be one” and…And that’s it, that’s all I remember.”, you all bursted out into laughter. 

“You might as well be one” indeed. Of course, Jason would piss of a magician capable of transforming people. 

Years later, you’d learn said girl was a disciple of Klarion, and everything finally made sense. 

I want to be an older brother 

Damian started to understand, those months. The feeling you get, as an older brother. The intense need to protect your younger sibling, to teach them things, to be there for him. 

And looking back on his life since he joined you and Bruce at Wayne Manor ? All his older brothers and sister did exactly that for him. 

Jason, always did that for him. Ever since he was a baby. And Damian ? He wanted to be that for someone too. 

“Being an older brother is pretty fun…”

Damian told you, not long after Jason turned back into his adult form. 

And you could see he wished he wasn’t the youngest one, for once. Damian definitely enjoyed his junior status, he knew he could get away with a lot of things with his siblings and parents (funny enough, Jason was the softest one who would let him get away with stuffs that honestly weren’t too good), but having a toddler around seemed to make him want to be an older brother…How funny, how destiny works.

You weren’t going to lie. It was nice, to have such a small kid home. You and Bruce never got to raise a child from birth, for obvious reasons. Not that you regretted anything, or the life you lead until then. It was just…Nice, to have a little kiddo around. 

Funny, how things work. 

Was it fate, that made it so you had a certain news not long after that adventure with Jason being turned into a toddler by a wizard he offended ? 

Fate, that made Damian’s wish a possibility. Fate, that made it so you discovered that you were actually…

Pregnant. 

To be continue ?

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If you thought this was another excuse for me to write more toddler with Bruce and Batmom…then you were right haha. I’ve been in a mood my friends, and I love writing babies. Jason as a “lil lad” who has (almost) a chance at a good childhood makes my heart warm, but it can’t happen so next best thing ? Wizardry. Haha. I almost want to write a “turned toddler” story for each batsiblings hehe.

Hope you enjoyed ! As per usual comments and reblogs are very welcomed :) 

PS : I tweaked a little Jason’s story with the Al’Ghuls after he got resurrected, just because…I wanted to haha. So, Damian’s part is heavily inspired by actual canon stories, but maybe, JUST MAYBE, I made it so Jason and Damian’s relationship was stronger that it is portrayed to be, just because, again, I can. And I love that headcanon.

Synopsis :In which Batmom (you), is HYPING Bruce up A LOT. Because like, have you seen the man ?? He IS handsome and smart and beautiful and brave and *insert more ramble here about how much of a simp we all are for Bruce Wayne*. 

I realized something yesterday : I wrote HUNDREDS of stories of Bruce (or the kids) hyping Batmom up, but I don’t think I ever wrote a story where she’s the one hyping him up ?? I shall correct that fatal mistake in this story. Hope you’ll like it, as usual comments/reblogs are welcomed :) : 

My masterlists : @ella-ravenwood-archives​

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                                          ************

Bruce hated himself. 

He hated himself for not being able to save his parents. 

He hated himself for the way he treated Alfred after they died, and for the way he abandoned him to go train far away. 

He hated himself for not being able to save everyone. 

He hated himself because he knew he had issues, he knew he wasn’t well…yet he continued on the dark and lonely path of being “The Batman”. Vengeance itself. 

He hated himself for not being able to save Dick’s parents. 

He hated himself for not being able to convey his feelings properly, and to show how much he cared for that little boy. To show his love, the fatherly love he quickly felt towards him. 

He hated himself because he wanted so much for Dick not to be like him, but could he ever achieve that ? Yes, the boy was happier and brighter, but if he stayed with him…Could Dick really have a good future ? 

He hated himself because he knew he was violent and his ways weren’t always good. But at least…At least Dick was a good kid. It was good, that he went off by himself with the Titans, to cool down. And Bruce hated himself for missing him so much. Wasn’t this what he wanted ? To make sure Dick could move on, unlike him, who couldn’t forget his past ? 

His hatred for himself went through the roof with Jason. He hated himself for not being able to protect him. He wanted to die, when he realized his son was still alive, hating him maybe even more than he hated himself (which was a feat). He wanted to die, and not feel anything ever again, when he lost his son, and when he realized what Jason became…He couldn’t save him…he couldn’t save him…

He couldn’t save Damian either. Nor could he be there when Tim needed him the most. And Cassandra ? Did he ever do anything good for her ? Ah, he couldn’t save Duke’s parents, if only he had killed the Joker… 

Yes. Bruce hated himself so much, sometimes, it was unbearable. And so he hid his feelings, he pretended to be cold, to not care, even. 

It was easier, to push everyone away. To keep them at bay, and act as if he didn’t feel anything. But the truth was…

The truth was that he felt everything. 

He had always been an overly sensitive child, “hypersensitive”, they even said. And he had to beat this side of him down, to pretend he lost all feelings…It was vital, in a way. 

He couldn’t survive otherwise, he couldn’t keep going if he always let his emotions out. He would not have survived his parents’ death. He would not have survived his son(s) death. He-

It was just easier. To hide the fact he hated himself so much. To hide all feelings. To pretend. His facade was so well polished, and perfected over the years ! 

But then-

Then you came along. 

Yes. Bruce hated himself. Past tense. 

There were still moments Bruce had a hard time to live with himself, and went back to old habits. But…

But ever since you entered his life, things changed. 

Because you loved him. Wholly and unconditionally. And if someone loved him so much, someone he loved to death too, someone he found to be the most amazing person he ever met. If that someone loved him so damn much, then maybe…Maybe, he wasn’t so bad ? 

Even when he was a jerk to you. Even in his darkest time.

You found him. Took none of his crap. Told him off, and brought him back on a way full of life. 

No matter how hard things got, and oh, they sometimes became so hard you felt like you were not going to be able to keep going, you stayed. 

And you told him. You told him how much you loved him, how important he was, how-

You made him believe it. 

There were still moments he hated himself, and felt like he would fall back into old habits of punishing himself by pushing everyone away, and becoming “Vengeance” once again. But now…

Now he had you. And you never shied away from telling him how great he was.

Bruce hated himself, but you love him.

It’s funny, how someone can think another person is their savior.

Before you met Bruce, you were destined to have a certain life you knew you would’ve hated. And then you met him. 

Your light. 

You knew Bruce thought that you were the one who saved him, that you were the one who kept him together. Your husband always had a tendency to put you on a pedestal, and think you were the greatest human who ever lived. 

The truth was, you desperately needed him. You were a highly flawed individual, and you were very aware of your flaws…except when he was with you. 

He always knew what to say, how to make you feel safe and loved, how to make you feel like you were the most important person on the planet. 

And it killed you to know how he could be so hard on himself sometimes. 

You had made it your mission, long ago, to erase all those feelings inside him. You knew it was going to be a long journey. You knew there were times he wouldn’t believe you. Because you were the same.

You were the same. 

Sometimes, you didn’t believe him when he told you you were the most beautiful woman he ever met, the one he loved the most, the only one he had eyed for (oh but if anyone could’ve told you : when you were in the room, he really did have only eyes for you, not noticing any other women nor men because you occupied all his thoughts). 

You knew he didn’t always believe you…But you were never going to stop telling him how great he was. 

You were NEVER going to stop hyping the love of your life up. 

Before you even met him

“Have you heard of that guy, um, the rich one who just came back? Because (Y/N), he’s hot.”

“What ?”

It was too early in the morning for your best friend’s shenanigans. What, it wasn’t even 7 am, you were about to go buy coffee before going to school (it was exam week at your high school, you needed the caffeine), and here he was, talking to you about some random rich man who “came back”. Came back from where anyway ? Ugh, this SO didn’t interest you.

You were about to take an important maths test, you really didn’t care about some random handsome billionaire who was going to flaunt his wealth all around Gotham, pretending to care about the city while not doing anything to help it. 

“Bruce Wayne, it’s Bruce Wayne ! You know, from THE Wayne family !” 

“Ugh, yeah, I kind of got that from the fact his last name is “Wayne”…”

Your friend ignored your snarky comment, staring at the cover of the magazine you still didn’t even look at, where, you assume, was probably a picture of that “Bruce Wayne”. 

You had faint memories of him. Years ago, he suddenly disappear from Gotham and like um, his butler ? His adoptive father ? You couldn’t even remember the guy’s name, but he told the press his “Master Wayne” (cringe) went to school abroad or something. 

Again. You didn’t care. You had your head full of equations. You would’ve done anything for your best friend to STOP talking about that dude. 

“Just look at him (Y/N), he’s so your type ! Come oooon !” 

“Ugh, I don’t have a type, and you-”

He shoved the cover in front of your face, definitely forcing you to look at it and…Wow. 

Oh. 

Oh no. 

Hewashot. 

No. Fuck. No. Wait. Noooo, but your maaaaaths ! Damn your brain for going : “hot man + handsome face = you’re not going to remember Pythagoras’ theorem”. 

“Shit.” You say, and your friend just looks at you with an expression that clearly means : “RIGHT ?! Told ya.”. You take the magazine, automatically reading the title of it. 

“The prodigal son returns : after years away, Bruce Wayne is finally back in town. And he has a plan !” 

You weren’t going to lie, you didn’t even care about the plan, kinda obnubilated by how hot he looked. Nooo, you thought you passed the age of having instant crush on random men ! 

“He looks like a douche.” 

You say, trying to hide the fact that, annoyingly, your friend was right when he said that man was your type. Ugh, couldn’t he not look so ridiculously good smiling at the paparazzis like that ?!

“Well, he’s already hot as fuck, he can’t get all the qualities right ? That’d be unfair. He looks like such a himbo.” 

You nod, and add : “a doumbo”. Your friend look at you curiously, and you say : 

“Ya know, the combination of a himbo and a douche. Like, himbos aren’t always douche bags, but look at him, and his dumb sexy smirk. He must be a douche.” 

“A doumbo. A himche ?”

“Some would say, a Douchbo.” 

“A Himbouche, even.” 

“Haha, himbouche. Sounds French and fancy.”

And that was all you needed to burst out into laughter. A well needed fit of laugh, before arriving in front of your maths test and realizing that…You can’t remember anything of your lessons, as the face of that “Himbouche” kept coming back into your head. Physical appearance didn’t even mean that much ! Personality was your jam ! Ah but with handsome men like that, how could you even pretend not to be interested ? 

Ugh. It’s not like you’d ever had a chance to even meet him ! 

But you met him. 

You could mock that cover all you wanted, the fact remained that you kept that magazine for a long time, too long to divulge it because it’s really embarrassing when you think about it. 

Thanks the gods you managed to hid it from Bruce. He never even knew you owned that magazine, and like, good. He would’ve never let you hear the end of it. 

You first met him at a gala, in which you felt very uncomfortable. 

A charity, to open more libraries in Gotham. Your charity. You send him an invitation on the off chance he would come and…Here he was. 

You noticed him instantly, but he was busy and you were definitely not going to introduce yourself first. 

Somehow, you ended up speaking to a bunch of women you didn’t know the name of, but you often saw them in pictures participating in galas and such. They were probably rich. You had most likely Bruce Wayne to thank for them coming, because your charity ? Clearly not their crowd. 

“So tell me, um…?”

“(Y/N).”

“Ah yes, (Y/N), what an adorable name.”

Could someone sound even faker ? Probably not. You could feel your eye twitch a little, but you promised yourself not to snap back at any possible donator. It was hard. 

“So, tell me (Y/N), how did you manage to get Bruce Wayne to come here ? He usually only comes to um, important events. Not that your little thing isn’t, it’s just- you know.” 

You did know. But you weren’t going to let this people intimidate you so you said : 

“Actually, I don’t. Would you care to explain what you really mean ?” 

That put them in an awkward position of course, because as much as these people were good at insinuating things and being snarky, they never seemed to outright speak their mind. Which often worked to your advantage. 

The woman cleared her throat, and you said (regretting it immediately) : 

“Bruce Wayne actually comes to a lot of the smaller events, and always donate gracefully to good cause. He’s clearly not the snobby man you think he is, just last week he was at a small neighborhood place which was trying to get money to open a basketball court in the Narrows. He’s amazing.” 

All those years ago, when you called him a “himbouche” with your friend, you couldn’t be more wrong. His action spoke for themselves, he really turned the city around. Plus, he financed the Batman, which is something you couldn’t ignore. How great was that ?! 

You might’ve spoken a little too vehemently, because the woman facing you smirked. One of those almost evil smirk which meant she was about to try to humiliate you. And indeed, she said, loud enough for everyone to hear :

“What, you have a crush on Bruce Wayne or something ? That’s cute.”

Deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. Murder was not on your list tonight. You smiled, of that same fake smile she harbored, and said : 

“Please, who doesn’t ?”

You decided that it was easier to not even lie, to not pretend you don’t have a crush on the man. Because, well, you knew you were definitely not the only one. And there wasn’t any shame in having a little crush on someone. 

Plus, the way that person said “that’s cute” really irked you. You were not about to let someone mock you like that. Even if you knew there were no chance that he’d be interested in you, the way they said it, “oh that’s cute” as if it was a given he’d never notice you, really made you mad. 

“A crush on me, you say ?” 

What ? No. Fuck. Ah. He was right behind you right ? Bruce Wayne ? Yeah. You were never going to turn around ever again. Ignoring him seemed like the rational thing to do. 

Your flawless plan of not turning around was, however…Flawed. He literally just had to move in front of you. Which he did. 

“Bruuuucie, how nice it is to see you !”

The woman instantly latched on him, but he downright ignored her, turning to you and saying : 

“I’m Bruce Wayne, very nice to meet you (Y/N). Love your books..”

The rest was history. From that night, it seems, you two never quite managed to truly say “good bye” to each other.  

************

“Did you mean it ?” 

He asked, later that night. You two escaped on an isolated balcony, where no one could find you. It’s strange, how it seemed like you both had the same idea at the same time. 

“What ?” 

“What you said about me.” 

“The…Crush ?” 

“That too, but not only. The other thing, about me making Gotham a better place.”

“Ah, of course I meant it. It’s plain to see you really do. Surely, you’ve heard that before ?”

He lets out a little self-deprecating chuckle, and turns his face towards the sky.

“Well, I guess a lot of people do say that. But I don’t think many of them truly mean it. So, thank you.” 

He turns to you, and he smiles. A pure, almost child like smile. A real smile. Not the one you saw on his face countless times in magazines, or on TV. 

Wow. 

Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. 

Your heart beat so loud, you were sure he could hear it. 

What a smile. The most beautiful you’ve ever seen. Without exaggeration, you were sure that smile could brighten an entire room easily. 

“I don’t think many of them truly mean it”, those words sounded so lonely. Like you caught a glimpse of his true self, right before he hid behind his mask again. How come a man like this didn’t think people really meant it, when they said he was amazing ? 

That blew your mind. 

You promised yourself that night, that if you ever were to meet him again, you’d make sure to always give him the compliments he deserved. 

In Private

It’s early in the morning. 

A moment you both loved and dreaded. 

Loved, because the first thing you saw as you woke up was your beloved husband. Dreaded, because it usually meant you wouldn’t see each other the entire day, as you both were very busy. And then, there was that all Batman gig…

But for now, for now, you’re both waking up, and you’re in each other’s arms. 

He rolls on top of you, hands on each side of your shoulders, and smile. 

Ah, that pure smile you love so much. 

“What a handsome man…” you say, as you put your hands on his cheeks.

He lays his face in the crook of your neck, and you know it’s because he’s trying to hide his reaction.

“You getting shy on me big man ?” the amusement is evident in your words, and he grumbles but you feel his lips quirk up on your skin. And that’s enough to make you feel content. And to make him feel butterflies in his stomach. Even after all this years, you still make him so happy with the simplest compliment. 

************

“I love it when you smile…”

It took a long time, before you got to see his real smile. Not the one he arbored at gala, not the “Brucie Wayne” one, no. His real smile.

The one he had when looking at you, eyes full of fondness. A smile of utter contentment, he had only when with you, or his children. 

Your comment makes him smile, and he’s about to say he loves yours too but you don’t even give him a chance : 

“I love being with so much, I wish time could stand still when we’re together.”

“I feel the same..” he whispers, as you two instantly fall into each other’s arms. 

“Bruce, I mean it.” 

“I know. I do too.” 

“No but, I truly mean it. I’m so happy I fell in love with you. When I hold you in my arms, I feel so lucky.”

Sometimes, he feels chocked up. It’s rare, and it always takes him by surprise. To be honest, most of the time, he’s the one to render you speechless with his beautiful words. He always had a knack with finding the perfect things to say to make you feel good about himself. 

You did too, of course. Just, he was always better at controlling his emotions. Didn’t mean he didn’t appreciate your compliments of course. 

But yes. Sometimes, sometimes it felt almost too good to be true. He was so sure, after his parents’ death, he would never know again what happiness was. And here he was. 

In those moments, he’d hide his face in the crook of your neck. You knew what it meant, when he did that. Your words meant too much to him. So much, that he lacked the words to truly express it, and the only thing he could do was embrace you. 

Oh. Oh you wished more people could see him like that. During moments he couldn’t hide his emotions, he couldn’t hide at all. During moments he showed his true self : a caring, loving, empathetic and emotional man. 

It made you made, sometimes, that people thought of him as only a “machine”. Someone who could endure anything and everything. Someone who, anyway, didn’t feel anything. 

As you often said : he feels everything. 

Everything. 

It’s not easy, to be the Batman. To endure. To keep it all inside. 

So many people were wrong about him. So many people didn’t truly knew him. 

Not the Vengeance. But the man who, even as he was utterly broken, kept fighting for what he believed in. Driven by love. Ah. 

But in a way, you liked the fact you were one of the only person privy to his real feelings. And so, when he hid his face in the crook of your neck, you could feel nothing else but happiness. 

************

“It’s so unfair.” 

You say, breaking the silence reigning in the batcave. He’s been focused on the screen of his computer for a while now, and you caught yourself just staring at him. He acknowledge you though, as always, and he says, turning his head towards you : 

“Mm ?” 

“You are so handsome. Like, all the time.” 

He smiles softly, but shakes his head. Of course, Bruce had always been aware he was a good looking man. He used that to his advantage many times. But when you said it, even after he heard you say it hundreds of times, he just felt all warm inside. Butterflies. Flustered. Like a damn teenage boy. 

He turns back to the computer, not even realizing the smile has not left his lips yet. 

************

Bruce kept it all in a special place in his heart. All your beautiful words, that made him feel like he wasn’t worthless. Like maybe, there was no reason to hate himself so much. He kept it all inside his heart, so that in tough moments, like fighting an intergalactic menace far from you and his family, he could plunge back in that part of himself and remember how loved he is. 

This part of him kept everything, everything you told him over the years : 

“You have my heart. I’m so glad you chose me.”

“The sound of your laugh is music to my ears.”

"I’m in awe of what a wonderful person you are.”

“You inspire me to be a better woman”.

“When I’m with you, I feel like I found what I was looking for.”

"I feel so safe with your arms around me.”

“Your presence brings the best out of me. I can’t wait to make more memories with you.”

“You make me so happy just by being yourself.”, you were probably one of the only person who loved him for who he truly was. For him. 

"Being with you feels so right. Thank you for loving me.” 

"I never get tired of looking at you. Of talking to you. Of being with you.” 

“Hearing your voice brings me so much joy.”

“I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

You always acknowledge the thing he did for you, too : 

"Thank you for supporting me.”

"Thank you for looking after me.”

“Thank you for always being there for me.”

"Thank you for listening.”

You just always had a knack to hype him up ! : 

"There is no one else like you. You are the best.”

"You always have the best ideas.”

"Adventures with you are my favorite. You always manage to make things interesting, even the dullest ones.” 

"You make the world so much more beautiful. You know you’re the best, right ?”

“I’ll fight anyone who say anything bad about you.” 

And if he ever said something along the line of : “You don’t have to.” You’d respond with : “Oh no but, I do.” 

Alfred had always been supportive of him. And along his life, Bruce met countless people who praised him for whatever reason. 

But nobody, nobody ever quite had your talent to hype him up. To make him feel like he was genuinely great. 

Clark would say that your praise of him sometimes did him a disservice. Because, yes, your husband knew he was intelligent. And he could therefor be so damn arrogant. But his arrogance often hid, as most arrogant feelings do, a great sense of insecurity. As if him being smart was his only use in the world…

You made him feel like it wasn’t. You made him feel like being Batman wasn’t the only thing he had going on. So what if sometimes he was insufferable, he thought he was always right etc…You never once saw Bruce act as if he was superior to anyone. 

You never understood this weird image following him. Sure as Brucie Wayne he played on being insolent and arrogant and all. But as Batman ? When did he ever truly make someone feel less than ? Never. That’s when.

On the contrary. Bruce often hyped others up, even if they didn’t notice (were there really a biggest Superman fan than him ? He just was subtil in his compliments). 

Nobody ever said your husband was flawless. But his qualities vastly outweighed his flaws. You could bear with his “dark moments”, and him sometimes being a jerk, because you knew how great he truly was. 

Hoping people can be perfect at all time is so unrealistic. And quite toxic, really. 

Everybody makes mistakes. 

Not everybody can try to better themselves though, like Bruce does. It drove you crazy that some people seemed to never notice how much progress he did. Ah, but you knew. 

Bruce wasn’t selfish as some people said, he was selfless. 

You knew. 

You never wanted him to be perfect anyway, you loved him just as he was. 

In Public

From the day he became your boyfriend, to when he turned into your fiancé, and now as your husband, you never shied away of being very vocal about how much you admired him. How amazing you thought he was. 

************

“He’s amazing, isn’t he ?” you’re often caught gushing at the journalists, and oh you have so many reasons to be proud of your husband. Whether he just started an amazing charity, or just because he exists really. 

Many people tried to fluster you, or anger you (drama always sold more) by making inappropriate comments about your husband, like how hot he was and such. How many people were after him. Without missing a bit, you always answered things like : 

“He’s gorgeous in his new suit, right ?” 

“Honestly can’t blame anyone who have the hots for him. I mean, have you seen him ?!” 

“I know, his butt looks GREAT in those pants !” 

“I had to go buy a new dress shirt for him, he flexed his arms and pecs earlier and tore it apart. Can you believe it ? He’s so strong. And fff, what a snack. A buffet, even.”

Sometimes, some people tried the other tactic, trying to denigrate Bruce in any way : 

 “What did you just say ?! My husband is the kindest, smartest, most incredible person on this planet. I will tolerate no slander.” 

And you were ready to fight. You would NEVER stand for any bad talk about your husband. People could say whatever they wanted, but anyone pretending he was a bad person were just liars. You’d never, NEVER let them defame him !

************

Whenever you spotted a paparazzi, you reveled in showing your husband off. Pointing out his chiseled jaw line, or his biceps. Forming the word “thicc” on camera as you pointed your finger to his thighs. 

It became a running joke in Gotham, and a source of endless memes. Nobody could deny that Bruce Wayne was an attractive man anyway… 

If anyone asked you a passing question about him, while you were going somewhere or they caught you buying coffee, you would often ramble about how great Bruce was. 

“He’s so smart. And humble. And kind. And brave. And bold. And compassionate. And so pretty. And interesting. And (insert an infinite influx of compliment).” 

To be fair, people learned not to ask you much about your husband, because you could never shut up, and hype him up in front of everyone. And vice versa, “that’s my wife” Bruce would say, proud of you at any small occasions. 

“Bruce Wayne and (Y/N) Wayne are our modern Gomèz and Morticia Addams” was an official instagram account. A very popular one. You always wondered who was the creator of it (I’ll let you guess). 

************

“Bruce, Bruce listen.” 

“Mm ?” 

“I crave you more than pizza.”

He chuckles at that, and you-

“Ew. Please. Mom. Can’t you wait for us not to be around to say things like that ?” 

“Right ?! I agree with Tim, please. This is our family night, you and father, stop being gross.” 

You turn to your children, snickering. Oh how you loved to gross them out by openly complimenting you husband. And you knew he loved it too, and that he was most likely about to make a comment that would annoy your kids, while making you feel all warm and nice. 

“I’ll never look at pizza the same way…”

Jason says dejectedly, looking at his piece of pizza. And you can’t help but burst out into laughter. Drama queens, all of them. 

Aaah, it’s not because your children were there that you were going to not tell Bruce how much you loved him. How much he meant to you. How amazing he truly was. 

At the League’s headquarters

“Your intelligence always astounds me, my heart.” You say without thinking, forgetting that well…You’re surrounded by all your superheroes friends. And they’re all looking at you and Bruce.

Superman, your great friend Clark, has a faint smile on his lips (what ? The man was a sucker for good romance ! Following yours and Bruce’s love story was quite the ride, and he was always there in the tough moments…he secretly was the person, along with Alfred, who rooted for you two the most). 

Wonder Woman smirked (she thought it was funny when you managed to fluster Bruce).

Flash was going to catch flies with his mouth open like that, in utter shock. 

Green Lantern seemed almost grossed out (his expression not unlike the one your children harbored when you two kissed in front of them). 

Green Arrow’s eyes immediately went to Black Canary’s, their relationship more alike to yours than any of you will ever know…Y

ou made a mental list of all your friends in your head, looking at you two. Ff, the League was getting big now, with new arrivals pretty regularly. Maybe you should try to control your “simp surge” (that’s how Tim called those moments during which you gushed over your husband).

But then, how could you, when he truly was intelligent ? The best detective out there. Once, you heard one of them (you could honestly not remember who) imply that Bruce wasn’t an important member of the league because he didn’t have any powers. And oh Gods. 

“Please.” you said, annoyed that anyone would think just because he doesn’t have any power he’s not the most important part of the team (no, you never exaggerated ! hehe)

“When A piece of rock is your nemesis, or when the color yellow is your weakness, you don’t really get to brag too much ok ? Plus, let’s think about how many times Bruce got you all out of bad situations, mm ? Who always has a plan B, all the way to Z here, mm ? Dare to say you wouldn’t panic if Bruce one day say : “I don’t know”, mmmmm ?”

To be fair, it was kind of true. Nobody could quite deny the fact that, if one day, the Batman himself ran out of ideas to “win”, it’d be quite frightening. Not that he was the only intelligent person around. Oh no, there was Barry too of course, and J’onn, and many others ! But over the years, everyone came to rely on his mastermind to find solutions to their biggest problems.

Ah yes. There wasn’t a moment in the League headquarters where you didn’t express your admiration for your husband (in relevant situations of course).

To friends 

You had the same friends he did, for the most part. Except for your childhood friend, and his. You shared the same friend group. 

To be fair, the League was in big part your friends. But it was different, when you were officially on League missions, and only just all together casually, outside of “work”. 

You hyped Bruce up, but not in the same way you hyped Batman up. 

************

Clark is the only one used to it. 

Everyone else always gets taken aback, when you gush over Bruce and he sometimes let a smile slip up. Usually, he keeps his face cold and unfeeling (he has a reputation to uphold). But sometimes…

Only when he doesn’t have the cowl on, does they sometimes catch him smiling at you. Unable to stop himself. And that’s when they all realized that “The Batman” was before all else, just a man. 

And an impressive one at that, as you constantly reminded them. 

************

One day, you were sitting on the Kent farm’s porch, a cup of coffee in hand, waiting for your husband and Clark to come out (they were currently doing the dishes, and helping Martha out with some things, Martha was adamant that the men must help, and you two had to chill  à préciser que les two c’est elle et Lois) when Lois joined you.

Lois had a true “journalist” reflex. As soon as she learned Batman’s real identity, she wanted to ask him so many questions. And when she met you ? Oh boy.

Like today. It was the first time you came over at Martha’s for a Sunday lunch. The first time of many. Clark and Lois didn’t have children yet, and Dick was with you since just a few months (he was currently helping to bake a pie…that boy LOVED to cook).

“Ok I have to ask. How is he, really ? With you ?”

“Mm?”

“Well, I knew Bruce before, but I always felt he wasn’t showing his true self to me. Like there were always a barrier between us two. Probably why we didn’t last long. So I was wondering…”

You don’t have to think much about it : 

“He’s kind, nice, sweet, always pays attention to me and tries to make me confortable in every situation. He-” 

Fifteen minutes. For fifteen minutes, you hyped your man up. Fifteen minutes of you gushing over him, and Lois couldn’t help but smile. 

She was happy, that Bruce found the right one. And that you found him. You were clearly meant for each others. 

That day, she also realized the same things your other friends will see over the years : “The Batman” was human. He loved like everyone else, he hurt, too. He wasn’t that heartless machine they thought he was, or that stupid and arrogant playboy. No. He-

He was just a man, trying to do his best. 

Your constant admiration of him made them realize that. Gave him a humanity they thought wasn’t there. Made them realize, they never truly knew him before then.  

And it made them a little jealous, too. Because it was clear your love for each others knew no bound, and you’d always be each others biggest fan. 

With your kids

They don’t mind it, most of the time, when you compliment their dad. 

Sometimes, it can get a little gross, like why does it always lead to kisses ?! 

But sometimes, it’s really cute, and inspire them to find someone who loves them as much as you love Bruce (and vice versa). 

Maybe that’s why none of them would ever settle for anyone toxic ? Because they had their parents example, and certain “couple goals”. 

************

You and Damian constantly boast about Bruce (when he’s not there). Damian would never admit it openly like you did, but he thought his dad was amazing. And only with you, did he feel safe enough to truly speak his mind about the matter. “Did you know father could bench press 1000 pounds ??”, “I did ! And he always does that at the end of his training, the man is a machine, a beast.” Damian constantly bragged about his dad (and you, and his siblings) at school. And nobody could ever really tell him that THE Bruce Wayne wasn’t as cool as he sounded…because everyone knew he was (except maybe Bruce himself).

You and Dick LOVED to fluster Bruce. Exaggerating your admiration for him (which was already huge) was your jam. Dick was a great actor, he’d often take his most angelic face before saying how much he loved his dad. It was even worst when he became an adult, because he kept that angelic face and nobody could resist that expression. You and him could never get enough of seeing Bruce blush as you both complimented his every action. 

Jason, before his death, never shied away from backing you up when you said Bruce was a great father. “My dad is the best !” He’d exclaim proudly, making sure journalists caught that on tape. 

After his death, those words never really came out of his mouth ever again. Which made Bruce feel miserable. Until one day : someone dared speak ill of him. Jason lost his cool, and let’s say that this person will never dare again say something bad about Bruce Wayne. This was proof Jason still cared so much, still thought he was the best…And that only him, could criticize his father. 

You and Tim used to have a secret “Batfam Fandom” website, that Bruce found out about years after its creation. You and little Tim had forums, and fan pages dedicated to the Bat (and by extension, to Bruce, albeit you were the only ones knowing the truth). When Bruce finally discovered that page, he was too touched to even admit he found out about it. You still didn’t know he knew…But he definitely went to check that site from time to time, when he didn’t feel good and needed a “pick me up”, knowing he’d found your account (NumberOneBatmanSimp) and your son’s (BatmanStan) gushing over how great he was. 

Cass was THE daddy’s girl. Of course she’d always join in on you complimenting him. “You. Great.” she’d tell him whenever he felt badly about himself. She would never hesitate to scold him, too. “You taught me how to love myself. Love yourself, too. Or else…”, the threat in her words often meaning that if he didn’t, she would hug him up until he felt better. Just like you, she would never let anyone speak badly about her father, including himself. 

Duke was already a fan of Bruce before he met him. And when he finally did, reality went beyond his expectations. Bruce was everything he imagined, and more (the more being : newsflash, he was also the Batman !). How could he not find him amazing and cool and all ? 

Yes. Bruce often found himself stuck in a “hype sandwich”, where you and one of the kids (sometimes even more than one), would remind him of how great he truly was. And how much you loved him. 

Hyping the kids up

"Have you met my oldest son, Dick ? No ? You have to, he’ll honestly make your life better by just existing.” 

“Yes, Jason, my son, he’s fantastic isn’t he ? When he laughs, it brightens the entire room and he never did anything wrong, ever.” 

“Have you ever met someone more intelligent than my Tim ? The answer is no, because nobody is. Objectively speaking, he’s the greatest.” 

“Cassandra is beautiful, smart, amazing, flawless…I pity anyone who can’t see that.”

“Damian ? Another one of my son who never did anything wrong, ever. I’ll fight you on that. Damian is the sweetest little boy ever, he overcame so much, and constantly works on bettering himself. Not a lot of people will achieve even half of his will to become a better man. He will change the world, mark my world. And for the better.” 

“Duke didn’t let his power change him, do you know how strong you have to be for that to happen ? How much of a good person you have to be, to not turn pretentious because you’re powerful ? Such a powerful kid, in every sense of the term”. 

Being your child meant never feeling worthless. Never feeling less than. Of course, you weren’t always perfect and you lost your cool with them more than once…But we established nobody was perfect. 

Well. Except your children. 

They were perfect in your eyes. Their “flaws” only made them better, stronger. They always impressed you so much by how tough they truly were. They went through so much, yet always pulled through. How impressive was that ? 

You never missed an occasion to tell them how amazing they were.

And nobody could hype someone up quite like you.

__________________________________________________

Ok, hope you liked it ! I wrote it “fast” in a burst of inspiration, but I hope it’s suitable for y’all :) comments and reblogs = always loved, welcomed, and motivating ^^. 

Anyway. I wanted to write this because like, I think an aspect of Bruce that is often overlooked is : “why did he decide to become the Batman, and shut away his feelings a lot of times ?” ya know ? Anyway, here’s my way of seeing things. I always felt like Bruce hates himself so much, which is why his facade is so polished…We know that deep down, he actually feels everything to the max (he even says so himself TT.TT). Hypersensitive Bruce trying to protect himself…My jam <3.

Anyway.At least now it’s clear I’m a huge Bruce Wayne simphaha. 

Synopsis : 50 years being married..Surely, this calls for a party ? Except of course, said party is planned by your children, who never ask for your permission. And they drag poor young Terry McGinnis (aka “New addition to the family”) along with them… 

This was requested by @legendarylearner18, been a while since I wrote a request haha. Also, first time I write something with Terry in it ! :o I really wasn’t planning on writing this, as I didn’t have time but..Sudden burst of inspiration right before bed. Anyway I hope you’ll like this, comments and/or reblogs are of course, as usual, very appreciated : 

my masterlists :@ella-ravenwood-archives

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                                         ************

It’s early in the morning, and a warm hand caressing your cheek is slowly taking you away from your deep slumber. 

Too bad. You were having such a pleasant dream. 

Well, more of a souvenir, really. Of a day long ago. A beautiful, beautiful day. 

Full of love, laughter, and maybe a little sibling rivalry…How nice of your subconscious, to recall such time to your mind, and to turn it into dreams. 

That beautiful beautiful day, was it the last one you spend all together ? Yeah. Yeah, you slowly realized, nostalgic and a little sad. 

You were dreaming of a day spent with all of your children, and your Bruce, and Alfred…oh Alfred…

Yes. Yes this was the last day you all spend together, before Alfred’s passing, and before your children were all grown up and so, oh so busy. 

Of course, you still saw them. But it wasn’t like before. It could never be, like before. First because Alfred wasn’t around anymore. And second, because you never quite managed to gather them ALL together again. It was always too difficult, their schedules were so different…

Your pleasant dream was, as you were waking up, fading into a nostalgic feeling. Damn. You missed your kids so much. Getting old sucked. And-

“Morning, my love.” 

Ah. But everything didn’t suck. No. No some things were constant. Like love. Love for your children, of course. But also love for that man…Ah that man. 

Bruce Wayne. 

Your Broosh, the love of your life. Still here, after all this years. 

After all this years ? Those words made you feel like you had to remember som- OH ! 

Of course. This was why he woke you up. Today was special. And he’s never been a patient man. You had to admit that lately, you did sleep in a little too much. Being old sucked…

But him ? Even at 80, he had a hard time getting rid of his old habit of not sleeping lots, and would always be up early, even while it has been a very long time since he last wore the Batman suit. 

Today. Special. Was it really already 50 years ? 

Wow. Fifty years married to that man. 

Your strong, shared love was one of the only thing, you knew it, that got you to go this far. There really were difficult times, along those years. But you two stuck together. Never giving up on one another. 

“Hello, my Heart.” 

A kiss. Soft. Right on your lips. 

“You know what today is ?” 

“Um, Friday ?” 

He chuckles, knowing full well you’re teasing him. And as he looks at you, you’re, for the millionth time, struck by the adoration and love you’re seeing in those eyes. Were those really just for you ? 

Yes. Over fifty years ago, if someone would’ve told you you were going to still be as in love with him as you were then, you weren’t sure you’d believe them. After all, at the time, you sort of lost hope for “true love”, and although your feelings for him were already strong, nobody could’ve guessed you’d go this far together. 

Well, by nobody it really meant you two. Because anyone who ever saw you together knew instantly you were meant for each other. Clark told you that many times. “At first I was shocked he had a wife, and a damn family. But once I saw you together ? It all made sense” he said. And you understood him, for sure the Batman he knew at the beginning was certainly not portraying himself as a family man. 

But Clark, and many others, learned to see past his shell. Although you were the first to do so. And he was the first to teach you what real love was, too. You knew that he could decipher the same love and adoration in your eyes, too. 

It’s emotions you were never able to hide, when it was just you and him. 

And as your eyes lock, you’re once more reminded of how wonderful those past fifty years by his side were (although sometimes rocky), as nostalgia rushes over you when you think about how long ago it was, that you adopted Dick. And how all your children were grown, now. They didn’t need you as much…

************

Tim took care of Wayne Enterprises, and was overbooked all the time. He did come by to see you two though, and would fall asleep at the dinner table…Some things never change ? You did tell him to slow down though. Him too, wasn’t getting any younger, and though he could endure the lack of sleep as a teen, but now ? Mmmm. That boy will always worry you.  

Dick retired from being Nightwing after too many wounds, including one leaving him paralyzed for a while (how fortunate, that Barbara always stuck around him, right ? And oh, how history unfortunately repeats itself sometimes). He was still living in Blüdhaven, and had his own little family now. He was always so busy with so many things, although he did come by too. 

Jason was probably the one who came to see you the most often. He stayed in Gotham, and made quite a nice career out of writing books (like you, which surprised NO ONE given his love for literature). Although it was often a source of tremendous pain for him, your boy (now a man…Well, he’s been a man for decades actually) has never been able to leave it behind. He would visit at least once a week, if not more, and was probably the one making sure to see everyone in the family the most. Not surprising really, family has always been important to your Jaybird. That’s why it was so hard for him to accept, and forgive, the fact Bruce never went after the Joker and killed him. He knew now, though. That was one thing you were glad was in the past. 

Damian left a year ago, on a grand mission. He wanted to reform the League of Assassin. He took up the Batman mantel for a while, but then found a grander calling. If he could achieve his plan, then the League could truly turn into something that could save the World in so many ways. You missed him. Lots. Especially since you knew that it would be a while before he would come back. He warned you about it. You didn’t try to stop him. This was something he needed to do. He wanted to finally put the final touch to his redemption. Unbeknownst to you, your son was going as fast as he could, so he could come back to Gotham. His greatest fear was that you or his father die while he’s not there…You were getting old. 

Cassandra didn’t retire from her vigilante days. She was probably the only one actively still working. Gotham didn’t really need “Bat-people” anymore… Although lately, things took a turn for the worst again. She opened her own ballet school. Your only daughter came by whenever she could, which unfortunately wasn’t as often as you wished. 

Duke was extremely involved in Gotham’s social work life. After what happened to his parents, and finishing his teen years growing up with you, he took a great liking to helping people. In every way he could. He was the one, nowadays, bringing forth charities he thought Wayne Enterprises should support. He also didn’t gave up The Signal mantel, and was often seen around town too. 

Yes. All of them still came to see you and Bruce. But it just wasn’t the same, you know ? Getting old…It really did suck. You just ended up being more and more alone, as your children grew up and went on to have their own lives. 

Oh. Oh you wished you could turn back time if only for a moment. You think you’d go talk to Alfred first. And ask him to help you put together a feast for your entire family…

“A penny for your thoughts ?” 

************

Bruce’s voice brings you back to reality. You shake your head and smile at him. Living in the past was never good, that’s something you definitely learned from growing old with Bruce. 

Ah. Growing old with someone…yeah, it wasn’t all bad. 

Sure, you couldn’t gather up all your babies at once. But he was still there. He was always there. Bruce never left your side, and you his. And yes, growing old with him was honestly not too bad. You never felt lonely, that’s for sure. 

How many people on this earth could say : “I found the one, that person that always knows how to cheer me up, that listens and cares. I found the one, that person who understands me like nobody ever did. I found the one, with whom I can just sit in total silence, and still feel utterly comfortable. I found the one.” ? You knew : not many. 

Finding the one, one real love, love of your life, life entirely spend together. How precious. To never feel alone, because you did find your genuine other half. 

Plus, the existence of people like Diana, or John Constantine and his mystic powers, sort of proved to you there must be something after Death. Everything pointed to it. And you were sure that you’d find everyone there once this was over, and that he would still be here, too. Somehow, you don’t think you’d have to wait for him too long. 

This was maybe a little morbid of you, but you always thought that if Bruce died first, you would follow after quickly. And vice versa. It didn’t feel possible, that one of you could go on living without the other much longer. Especially not now, at your age. 

“A penny for your thoughts ?” 

You didn’t want to tell him you wished all your kids were here, and that Alfred wasn’t gone. You didn’t want to tell him you were feeling suddenly too nostalgic, borderline sad. You knew it would hurt him, too. So you just said : 

“Just that fifty years is a long time, yet I’m still not tired of you waking me up with a kiss.” 

To be fair, you were together for more than fifty years. But you sort of didn’t pay attention at the beginning (and there was that infamous long months you “broke up” and Dick and Clark managed to patch things up with you two), and your wedding day became when you two started to actually count the years. 

He kissed you once more, one of those soft kisses you liked so much, and caressed your sides, slowly lowering his head to your chest and resting it there, right above the beating of your heart. 

As the years went by, both your libido went down. It was all rather biological, really. Most humans lost it, and to be fair right now, at 80 ? Definitely couldn’t do what you used to do…You almost blushed, at your old age, thinking about oh, oh all the things he did to you over the years. 

But the cravings for physical contact ? Hugs ? Kisses ? Just holding hands ? You don’t think this would ever disappear. If Bruce was in the same room than you, it felt weird not to touch him in some way. Whether it was your legs across his. Your head in his lap, his in yours. Or simply sitting shoulders to shoulders… Across those 50 years, the need to be close never died down. 

And so you reveled in him putting his head on you, arms around you, lying down right next to you (there used to be a time, he would lay on top of you, as you always loved how safe it made you feel…but he was a little too heavy for your old bones, now). 

You were running your hand through his hair, a motion that always had a soothing effect on him, as he said : 

“Happy anniversary, my Love. Fifty years by your side went by too quickly.” 

“Happy anniversary to you too, my Heart. Should w-”

BANG, the door to your bedroom opened suddenly. 

“IS THERE ANYONE IN THIS HOUSE ?! HELLOOOOOOO !! Been calling for you guys for ages, guess old age makes you DEAF. Oh no look I knocked but I opened the door at the same time, how does it feel ugh ? Y’all better not…oh god, you really better not, you’re way too damn old for doing the nasty !” 

What ?

************

“Jason.” 

Bruce said simply, as indeed your son was the one who barged in your bedroom. He was wearing one of his infamous shit eating grin, clearly very pleased with himself about his little surprise. 

“Damn you’re old. Once upon a time, you would’ve heard me coming and thrown something at m-HEY !” 

A pillow to the face is what he got. Bruce still had good aim. Jason threw back said pillow to you and Bruce and…

Laughter. 

What else could happen ? 

This scene was very reminiscent of a lot of moments Jason just barged in (eyes close, always, just in case…it was always quite funny, to see him come into your room, no knocking of course, with his eyes close to avoid any further trauma). A definite scene of déjà-vu. This has happened before. 

From the day he came into your life, to now. 

Aaah, this was a nice feeling to have. A sense that yes, some things would never change. Like your son’s laughter, his voice was much deeper yes, but it still had the same tone than when he was younger. 

Imagine that. Forty-five years old, and yet he still acted like such a child sometimes. 

“Always a pleasure to see you son, but what are you doing here ?” 

“Wha-What am I doing here ? What ? You didn’t think we were going to miss the show, did you ?” 

************

You are…so touched. 

So much so, that you’re crying. In fact, you really can’t stop crying, as you hold onto your husband’s shirt and hide your face in it. 

They’re all here. They’re all here ! Well, except for Damian. He was too far of course. He called you just a few days ago, saying he still had so much work. But the rest of your children were here. All of them. 

And in the middle ? Terry. Evidently, he had been dragged out of his home by Dick, and brought here. His hair were still disheveled, and you could see on his face he had no idea what was going on. 

It was almost comical. You were sure that you would laugh about it later, thinking back on the scene. But right now, you were a crying mess as they were (almost) all reunited, for the first time since a very, very long time. 

You were starting to feel better when-

“Mom, where do I put this ?”

A voice you didn’t expect to hear resounded in the living room. You turned around and…There he was, with a cake in his hands. 

“DAMIAN ? WHAAAAT ?!” 

You exclaimed, and you ran to him, forgetting your bad knees and joints, and your cane, as you jumped in his arms. 

“My baby ! My baby, you’re here !” 

Terry wasn’t sure to understand what was going on. He never saw you have such a strong reaction (of course, he rarely saw you interacting with your children…life got in the way of you seeing them way too much). Evidently, you were happy to see that man. 

That man he recognized as one of your sons, Damian. He never met him, but he saw pictures of him all around the house. Damian was the only one of your children he hadn’t met yet, because he left right as Terry started to interact with Bruce. 

“You little rascal, I can’t believe you lied to me !” You screamed, squishing your son in your arms. And it was actually really funny, how he was tall and big like his father yet you almost manhandled him, at your age. 

“Grayson made me !” Damian answered, pointing a finger at his oldest brother. 

“What-Hey ! How dare you put that on me ! -short pause- It was Jason’s idea !”

“…EXCUSE ME ?!” 

It was odd to Terry, to witness all those people, people he admired for year and looked up to…fight like children. 

The mighty Nightwing. The fearsome Red Hood. The kind (Y/N) Wayne. 

He never expected to see them act that way. As if they were kids again. And in a way, when you were around, they were. 

So what if they all were well in their forties now ? They would forever be your babies, as your reaction upon seeing Damian proved it. And this…Was very soothing for Terry. 

It was proof that you were all humans, after all. When he first met Bruce, and talked to him, the man appeared so bitter, cold and harsh. 

But then…Then Terry started to come over the house (well, to the Batcave specifically). And he met you for the first time, as you brought tea and biscuits to him (you weren’t about to give up a habit given to you by Alfred). 

And slowly but surely, over that past year, Terry really got to know you and Bruce. And your children. But just a bit. He would see them pass by quickly, or leave just as he arrived. It was clear you were a tight knit family, but he never realized how tight up until now. 

And how weird it was, to see Jason, right now, grab his brother (Dick) in a chokehold and say : 

“Snitches get stitches !” 

“Why are you attacking me, Damian is the one who-AAARGH MY BACK !”

Jason, knowing of his brother’s old injury, immediately let go…only to be viciously tackled by Dick who said : 

“Can’t believe you always fall for it, you big softie.”

“HEY DO NOT RUFFLE MY HAIR, I’M NOT A CHILD ANYMORE !”

“Not even two minutes together, and you guys can’t even act properly.” Tim sighed, looking at Cass and Duke and…All three of them rolled their eyes, as if they were used to this kind of antics. 

Terry felt strange. A warmth was spreading from his heart to…Every where. The sort of warmth he rarely felt during his short 16 years on this Earth. 

It was carefree, pleasant, and-

He couldn’t help it. He bursted out in a huge fit of laughter, and all of you turned to look at him, curiosity in your eyes. 

“I’m sorry but-HAHAHAHAHA-I-I-HAHAHAHAHA-I always saw you all as such a stoic and serious family this is just-hahahHAhahHAHAHaHAhahah.”

He couldn’t even breathe, because of how much he was laughing and- 

None of you needed more to follow in his laughter. 

************

Damian did lie to you on the phone. He always had the intention of coming back for your anniversary. How could he miss the celebration of fifty years of love ? 

Jason and Dick were the masterminds of it all. They carefully planned everyone’s scheduled months and months in advance, making Tim do an excell spreadsheet so nobody would have an excuse to not come ! 

But of course, they’d all find the time for their family. And it had been so long, since the last time they were all reunited. 

In fact, ever since Alfred was gone, they were pretty sure that-

Ah. But of course. Alfred had always been a good planner. He always managed to get everyone together, and it’s a talent none of you quite inherited…Nobody could be like Alfred. Nobody could fill his shoes. And you weren’t sure anybody wanted the spot anyway. Alfred was one of a kind, and he had to remain so in all of your hearts. 

When he passed away, things really got harder. He was such a pillar in your family. But in the end, and that counted also when you and Bruce would be gone..You’d always make time for one another. 

As your children showed today. And as they showed you by coming by whenever they could. 

You were happy Terry was here too, he became a full time member of your family in your mind, and he reminded you so much of your sons. It was nice, to have a kid around once more… 

************

You’re happy. So happy. 

This was the kind of memory that would last. A core memory.

As you were sitting around the dining table you always used, you took a little time to look up. A metaphorical gesture, because you knew he wasn’t actually in the sky but…You took the time to send some thoughts to Alfred. To thank him, as he was one of the reason you were here today. 

Somehow, you knew that wherever he was, he was always keeping an eye on you all. And you knew he would be so proud. 

Bruce caught your gesture, and took your hand in his, giving it a squeeze that you knew meant : “I love you.” 

You squeezed his hand back, as a response, and turned to your family. 

“Thank you all for being here. Really. This means…So much.” 

************

It was a grand day. 

Full of dramatic retelling of all your best memories.

Silly memories, like that time Bruce lost Dick in a mall and kept yelling “HAVE YOU SEEN MY DICK ?!” to everyone (a classic). That time you and Damian stole an elephant from a circus, because he was mistreated. That time Bruce thought it was a good idea to let Jason, 9 years old, choose what he wanted to eat for dinner and he decided that two full bucket of vanilla ice cream would do…and how he got sick for three days straight (and the subsequent hour long sermon Alfred and you gave Bruce). That time Tim had a science show and his project was so brilliant they thought Bruce and you made it for him, and your outrage when they refused to give him the first place prize ! 

And more serious memories, like that time Duke discovered his powers, freaked out, and thanks to you all managed to calm down. The moments you discovered Jason and Damian were alive (you hit Bruce and Tim on the head saying : “and the moments you guys faked your death I swear I could’ve actually killed you”). The moment Cassandra was so afraid to hurt you guys that she ran away, and you tried to find her, in a downright panic, thinking maybe her father took her back…

Precious memories. Your life, really. And its meaning. 

Terry learned so much, that night. About the “Batfam” (he didn’t even realized yet that he was part of said family now), but also about himself, and about what he wanted in the future. 

This. 

This is what he wanted. A loving family getting along (most of the time at least). That were able to put aside their differences because that’s how much they love each other. 

This. 

A family who would always be there for each other, no matter what. This is what he wanted. 

************

The evening went by so fast. Too fast. Terry got introduced to Bruce’s family (and in a way, his family too). All of them now. He knew all of them. 

And he understood why, sometimes, he would catch you looking at pictures with a fond smile on your lips. It was obvious, even if distance and time kept you away from each other, that this family was all about love. 

The young man felt so welcomed in your family. Even by Damian, of whom he heard (mainly by Tim) that he wasn’t always an easy child (which honestly implied that the rest of them were, and you could say a few words about how : nu-hu, they were all trouble at some point. And you wouldn’t have it any other way). 

“Drake ! What did you tell him about me ?!” 

“The truth Damian. The truth…” 

Tim kept his flare for the dramatic, and the way he said those words just made you laugh. He was always so great, at teasing his little brother. And said little brother always fell for it. Ah but one had to look deeper, to actually understand that this constant teasing between the two of them were only their own love language, and that they’d be lost if their brother would disappear…

Painful memories of when Damian died came to mind, Tim’s reaction was so strong. And when Tim faked his death ? The maddest one was Damian, who never gave up on him and wouldn’t admit his brother was gone without seeing a body. 

This, Terry would learn a little later. Right now, he only saw two adult men bickering over nothing, and he found it very amusing. But one day, one day, he would realize what brotherly love truly is. In big part thanks to Tim and Damian, who were a little closer in age with him (at least, compared to Jason and Dick). 

************

It was already late at night, and time to leave. 

Dick was going to drive Terry back home when-

“What are they doing ?” He asked innocently, looking through the window at you and Bruce standing outside, only lighted by the moonlight. 

“Oh, right. We never did tell you what we came to celebrate. Sorry about that buddy.” Dick said, and continued : “It was their fiftieth wedding anniversary. And they’re about to do one of their little tradition, on such a night…” 

Curious, Terry turned back to look at you and your husband. You were- turning on music ? From an old-what was that ? A “gramophone” right ? Terry never saw one in real life before. And he was sure this type of technology was old even for you two. So why-

The music turned on. They could hear it faintly from the Manor. 

And then…

Then Bruce caught you in his arm, letting go of his cane. And you did the same. You were each other’s support, after all. And slowly, you started to waltz. 

Not as fast as you use to, not as vigorously. But it was beautiful. Terry felt captivated by the spectacle you were giving. Slowly, your children gathered up around him, looking at you two fondly. 

************

Seeing you and Bruce dancing slowly in the moonlight, brought many memories to your children’s mind. Memories that were a little bittersweet, of times that none of you will ever live again, but that none of you regretted. 

DICK

Dick found himself in his eight years’ old body, feeling sad and hopeless, not long after his parents’ death. He just had an argument with Bruce, and became so angry he broke a vase that used to be Bruce’s mother’s…Neither you, nor Bruce or Alfred yelled at him. But Dick couldn’t help feeling guilty as he saw the hurt in Bruce’s eyes, and in yours too. He knew you wanted to help him. He knew. But he was always so angry…So here he was, sat on the floor in his bedroom, knees to his chest, head down. But then…

A song resonated through the manor. It was faint, from his bedroom. And it lighted his curiosity. He followed the sound, and- That’s when he saw you two. You were dancing in the living room. 

It was raining outside, so you didn’t go out that year. But you still had to dance. It was an important tradition. And Dick found himself looking at you two swirling around, smiling at each other. 

The song ended, and Bruce wrapped his arms around you. You rested your head against his shoulder, and you stayed just like that, close to each other. For some reason, Dick felt all warm inside, looking at you two. 

You never knew he was there, that night. And you never knew how much this event meant to your son. That night, a little slither of hope came back in his heart. Because the love he witnessed ? His little eight years old self didn’t quite understood it yet, but he knew it meant something. It meant that everything wasn’t all dark. It meant that, yes, he lost his parents who were his heroes…but he was one of those “lucky ones” that managed to find a new family in which there was just as much love as he used to have. 

JASON 

Jason had a flashback of the first time he came with you to a charity ball. 

He was so awkward and uncomfortable, wearing a suit he really hated. He kept pulling on his bow tie, trying to readjust it and to not make too much of a mess of his clothes because…He was wearing the exact same suit Bruce was. And the man he came to see as his father seemed so comfortable and at ease in that damn suit, that he was trying really hard to imitate him. 

But it was tough. He wasn’t used to that. And he wasn’t used to all eyes constantly being on him, Bruce Wayne’s new son. 

He knew those people saw him as a charity case, although he also knew he wasn’t. No. Bruce and you showed him what true parental love was. So he knew. He knew you didn’t adopt him just because you had pity on him. He didn’t care what they thought. All that mattered what what YOU thought. But yes : This evening, Jason wished he could be somewhere else up until- A song. A song started to play. 

A song he never heard before, but that from that moment up until the end of his life, he will always associate with his parents. And with love. 

It was as if he was in a movie. Maybe his memory of the moment was a little warped, it was, after all, almost 40 years ago. But the way he remembers it, this is how it happened : The song started. You and Bruce immediately went to each others, without concerting. As if you knew, even though you were both talking to different people at different places of the room (charity events were lots of work). It was as if people moved to make a path and lead you to each other. Nobody else was dancing. Just the two of you. You captivated the room. And then the song ended, and it was as if everyone came out of a dream. Was this really what happened, or did Jason romanticized the moment in his mind ? It didn’t matter. Because that’s when he knew. 

And that’s when Jason knew. That’s when he knew he could endure anything, as long as he had both of you there. 

Tim

Tim remembered an evening very much like this one. 

The moon was shining, and he couldn’t sleep. Sleep (at least at night) had never been something easy to come to him. He thought too much. 

Ever since he was a child, nights were just not when he could properly sleep. And so here he was, on the roof that he could access from his room’s balcony, looking at the moon. That’s when he noticed something unusual. 

Bruce was in the garden, probably just home from patrolling. And, you were too ? What were the two of you doing ? Tim had always been a curious boy, so he followed you two discreetly, thinking you didn’t know he was there (but of course Bruce knew all along). 

And then, the strangest thing happened. You turned on an old gramophone (which had sentimental value to both you and Bruce), and a song started. A song which had this peculiar grain to it, due to being played on a gramophone. 

You walked towards Bruce, who was smiling at you. And ah, this was the first time Tim saw him smile like that ! He felt flabbergasted. What was going on ? 

The song went by, and Tim felt things he never felt at ease for what felt like the first time in his life. He had always been a stressed individual. Always felt like he had to be productive, or else ! 

He was always on the move, always had to keep his mind or else his thoughts would consume him. Yet here, hidden in those bushes, basically spying on you dancing…he felt relaxed. 

Peaceful. 

There was a vibe coming off of you and Bruce, that just made him feel like everything was going to be alright. He almost felt like your swirls and such were hypnotizing him but…No. 

It was the serenity radiating from you and your husband that touched him. Tim and Bruce bonded quickly, because they were both always so anxious. You were pretty sure (except for you), nobody understood better your son than Bruce, and vice versa. 

They had the same OCD moments, the same worries, the same need to work constantly. The same disregard for their own safety, and health. They were more alike than anyone seemed to think. 

So maybe this was why your boy felt like that right now ? As if Bruce’s own comfort spread to him ? If even Bruce, who had so many issues, could sometimes let it all go just to dance with his wife in his garden….then surely, he could do, right ? 

Yes. This simple dance gave hope to Tim. And was a good reminder that he could, and would get better. It’s funny, how impactful something in appearance so small can be, right ? 

Tim only talked about the impact it had on him seeing you that night to one person, nobody else. , . Not even to Kon, or Stephanie, nor you. No. Tim only talked about it to Bruce, a few days after the event. 

Your son felt so relaxed, that he fell asleep in the bushes. Of course, Bruce found him, and took him back to bed (and he was so adorable and tiny at the time ! Well, not that he grew too much, out of all your children, Tim definitely never quite hit that growth spurt they all went through). 

Tim guessed that Bruce brought him back when, the next day, he woke up in his bed. And he told him. He told him what he saw, and how he felt. Although he didn’t understand those feelings quite yet. And Bruce ? Bruce help him understand. Because the were more alike than anybody seemed to think.  

Damian 

Damian’s memory  was short, but one of his favorite memory ever. 

He came down one evening, unable to sleep and trying to sneakily get some ice cream from the freezer (Alfred was utterly exasperated whenever he found the locks he kept putting on this damn freezer crack or simply cut…worst thing is, he could never know who was stealing the ice cream, because you all did it). 

And that’s when he saw you and hid father, dancing slowly in the kitchen. He wasn’t even disgusted by the display of affection, more, intrigued. 

“Hey my little buddy, can’t sleep ?” 

You asked casually, your head on your husband’s neck and his face buried in yours. 

“Um, yes. Yes I couldn’t sleep.” 

“Neither could we.” 

And there, came the important memory. The day he realized he loved you and his father so damn much. As if your minds were connected, both you and Bruce took a step away from each other, and you said : 

“Do you want to dance with us ?”

Damian didn’t really know how to react, but he approached and-

“LOOKS LIKE DAMIAN SANDWICH IS BACK ON THE MENU BOYS !”

You grabbed him by the shoulder, and squeezed him between you and Bruce. It made the Dark Knight chuckled, and Damian made a mental note that his dad wasn’t always the same person when around you (or his kids). 

Your son didn’t even remember he should protest, and resist this force hug ! Because he felt so warm, safe and loved all of a sudden. So much so, that the slow swaying you were doing, dancing with him, put him to sleep. 

Bruce carried him to his bed. And that’s it. That’s when Damian realized how strong love could be. 

Cassandra 

Cassandra was lost in the memory of one of her favorite day ever. 

She loved ballet as a child, and kept the hobby up until it became too hard physically to dance…Although you were pretty sure that even know, past forty, she could still do amazing dance moves. 

She liked ballet. She didn’t have to speak and could let her body express her feelings, without hurting anyone. Bruce built her an entire dancing room in the Manor, so she could practice. 

And that was it. Today was one of her biggest recital yet. She was so nervous. But what stressed her the most, was whether you would be there or not. 

You and Bruce were busy. So busy. And honestly, finding free time just to come see her silly dancing ? Meh. Of course, that’s was what she thought. Cass, although many people didn’t realize it, had the bad habit to self-deprecate. This was unfortunately how she was raised, feeling like she was never enough. 

Up until last minute, she didn’t know if you were there or not. She was too afraid to look at the room, and see the empty seats she reserved for you. 

And then, finally, the curtain rose, and she jumped on stage and…

You were there. And Bruce too. Sitting in the front row. Ah ! And her brothers were here too !! They were clapping so much for her, it reminded her of that scene in The Addams Family movie…And it made her radiate. 

She was so happy. And she gave it her all, to make all of you proud. Proud, was a euphemism. Her brothers swarmed her and if you didn’t stop them you were pretty sure they would’ve thrown her into the air like a cheerleader. 

Bruce, of course, was the proudest of them all. And you ? Well, of course. You too. Most of all, you were so happy she found a hobby. Something she loved doing, and that always seemed to take her mind off of her troubles. You told her : 

“I like to dance too. Waltz though, I think I’d be bad at ballet.” 

“Waltz ?” 

“Yes.” You smile at her, and a little shyly, she asks : 

“Show me ?” 

Ah, you were never able to resist that cute little face. And so you nodded, and without even having to ask, Bruce stood up too and..You waltzed. 

Cassandra was mesmerized. Your movements were in perfect synch (which she knew wasn’t that easy to achieve), and you were twirling around so gracefully. Oh, and the looks you exchanged…probably the only time she wasn’t grossed out by your love. 

Waltz, was something she taught her students at the ballet school. Because she realized it helped with coordination, and synchronization. And because…it reminded her of you, and that mere thought always put her in a good mood. 

Duke

Duke couldn’t help but be thrown back to decades ago, when he first came to the manor and came in to see…You and Damian dancing ??

You were waltzing with your son all around the room, and laughing together. He was clearly imitating Bruce, and his impersonation was spot on and made you laugh so much. 

When you noticed Duke, you asked if he wanted to dance, too. Not particularly a waltz, just…Dance. You had a date night with Bruce, and while he was getting ready, you and Damian were making fun of him (as you should, why was he always so long to pamper himself ??). 

Duke joined in, he too, had some wicked Bruce impersonation. “Hey, look at me, I eat my burgers with a knife and fork because I’m so fancy !” and you and Damian were bend forward, laughing too hard. Duke pushed the caricature even further, further and further up until- 

“This is NOT how I sound.” 

Oh oh. That was Bruce. Coming down the stairs adjusting his bow tie, and not looking amused at all. Damn. Duke was afraid he upset him, it’s true that it was quite the impersonation, and he didn’t think The Batman was too kin on humor. 

“This, is how I sounds.” And then, Bruce cleared his throat and said, in a perfect gentleman way, and that smirk you loved so much on his face : 

“May I have this dance, my Love ?” 

And as you took his hand, and Bruce took the lead, Duke remembers thinking, right at that moment : “that’s what true love looks like.” 

It was a flash, an evidence. This was it. True love. Wow. He hoped he could find it one day. 

“Oh ew, here they go again…Come on Duke, let’s go play “Cheese Viking” before they start -gagging sounds- kissing !” 

Not only did Duke discover what it was like, to find your one true love. But this moment also became a bonding moment for him and Damian. The first time he called him “Duke”, and not “Thomas”. And the first time he started to view him as his brother…

************

The song ended, but you didn’t leave your husband’s arms. This was your moment. The one where you would just hold each other, for as long as you wanted. As long as you needed. 

Inside the manor, your children were all smiling. 

This was it. This was what those 50 years represented. 

Love, in its purest form. 

How not to feel touched ? 

Their hearts were filled with the same emotions. They knew it. Because they all lived this before. And they hoped they would live this a lot more times…because a world without their parents ? 

They already lost Alfred. Their parents HAD to live longer. 

Ah, maybe this was why they felt so at ease right now ? 

Whenever they saw them dance, and remembered all those times they saw them dance, it felt like you and Bruce were young again. Like they were children once more. 

And those memories ? They’d make you live forever, if only in their heart. 

The end.

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Ok here ! Just a short story (compare to usually haha) that I did NOT plan to write (didn’t have time, but I wrote this in an hour right before bed so like, bonus story hehe), but was fun to. Hope you liked it. Don’t hesitate to leave a little comment or(/and) to reblog ! :)

Important to anyone who is surprised about what I wrote about Damian + certain things if you read the comics (especially most recents ones) :

I don’t care about what they did with Damian in some recent Batman Beyond comics. It’s like, literally a renewal of when he first came at Wayne Manor and I hate it. Please. Stop constantly annihilating Damian’s hard earned redemption and making him a villain, to then give him a redemption arc again, and doing this again and again and again it’s getting old…So in my version, he chose to leave the Batman’s mantle behind not to continue Ras’ “legacy”, but to go to the League and deeply reform it so it would become an organization good for the World…right away. He didn’t first try to see if Terry was “worthy” (please, he did basically the same fucking thing when he was ten with all the Robins…………….STOP WRITING STORIES WHERE HE REGRESSES) and never had any intention of following The League of Assassin’s goals. Like, none of that : “oh I changed my mind I’m not a bad guy again now” bullshit. He’s directly not a bad guy, and just has higher/other inspirations.

+ I also changed Dick’s future, because…I didn’t like most of it…mmm…

+ Same for Tim. Sue me.

+ Jason appears almost never and whenever he did I was like : “no” so…Hahahahahahaha.

+ Same for Cass.

+ Duke doesn’t appear at all, but in my world, he does. Because Bruce would never just ignore any of them if he could. ALSO most of those characters don’t exist in that world anyway but you get my point.

+ Ok not gonna lie, the only future I like is Barbara, only because it makes sense that she becomes commissioner. Other than that…MEH.

+ Ok maybe I really like Terry’s character, and his relationship with Bruce, but honestly what they always do to other characters I love in this universe are very meh.

Long story short : in the world of fanfiction, you can just change whatever you hate and pretend it never happened.

I’m a sensitive bitch, I made myself cry when I talked about Alfred because I couldn’t stop thinking about Batman Beyond’s Bruce having to live without him at his sides…Haha. Also. No spoiler but if you ever decide to delve into Neo-Gotham territory, be ready for quite a lot of heartbreak. Not too much in the TV show Batman Beyond, but certain comics ? Oof (SPOILER : I’m still not over Bruce saying goodbye to Terry, my dudes…And especially how it happened and aaaah)

PS : If anyone knows the “Metal Gear Solid” game saga, y’all know why I love Terry McGinnis haha. The MGS are some of my favorite video games EVER, and a major plot point is shared by both those stories hehe…No spoilers for anyone who never watched/read anything with Terry. Highly recommend (both MGS and the animated series + some comics). 

Synopsis : The story of the heartbreak brought by the dreaded news that one of your son just died…

Hello everyone. Long time no see☺️ Was very busy IRL (in a good way), but I don’t intend to stop this blog anytime soon. So here’s a story. Angst in coming haha. As usual comments and other reblogs are always very welcomed ! Hope you’ll like it: 

My masterlists :@ella-ravenwood-archives

TW : Angst, death of major characters 

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You wanted him to shut up.

You’d do anything for him to not utter another word.

Punch him in the face with all your might. Leave and never come back. Duct tape his mouth, or force him to close it with your hand. Sing loudly as to drown his voice. And if only you were able to speak yourself, you could scream at him to shut up. 

Shut up, Bruce, shut up. 

Just shut up. 

You’d do anything for him to stop talking. For you not to hear what he’s about to say.

If only…

If only you were able to move. To speak. But you couldn’t. You were frozen on the spot, unable to stop the disaster that was bound to happen. 

If only this was a dream. 

If only…

You’d wake up, and tell him about this awful nightmare you had. About how you wanted nothing but for him to shut up because you knew that he was going to announce a tragedy you weren’t sure you could handle. 

But this was reality. And he was right in front of you. And you could do nothing, but listen to what he had to say. 

“Jason…”

You could feel your legs buckle under you, as if they just turned into cotton. And you couldn’t control them. You couldn’t control anything. A fuzzy dark fog took place in your brain, knowing exactly what was about to happen, while at the same time refusing to accept it. 

But you knew. 

You knew what he was going to say. You knew ever since you saw him come back alone, his face emotionless. A face he would make only when in great distress himself, trying to tuck away his emotions in order to survive through the crisis. 

He only kept this emotionless attitude around you when the situation was dire. When he felt the worst. So you knew. You knew what happened.

And you didn’t want to hear it.

“Jason…”

Thanks God Alfred was right next to you, or you would’ve fall.

You grabbed the butler’s arm, and he catches you.

He knows too what your husband is about to say. He knows too, how broken you two are going to be, and he knows he has to be strong to try and mend you back together.

And so when your weight falls on his side, your surrogate father catches you.

He’ll always be there to catch you.

Bruce finally says it. After his explanation of how the Joker got your boy…He finally says it. Those few dreaded words.

“Jason…Jason isn’t coming back.”

He tries to stay stoic, to not bow down. To not fall apart, to not feel overwhelmed and destroyed by the death of his son. 

He tries to stay strong, for you.

But he cannot hide the sadness filling his eyes when he looks at you. He cannot hide the guilt he feels, as he came back without his son. Your son. 

He tries, really hard. Because he can’t break right now. But it’s hard. It’s too hard. And what he thinks will follow makes it even harder. 

You’re shocked. And devastated. 

And he waits.

He waits for you to regain a semblance of your senses. He waits, trying to stand tall, for you to…get mad at him.

Furious, because it is his fault you lost your son. 

He waits for you to come to him, and hit his chest as hard as you can. He waits for you to let your hatred for him flow. He waits for his sentence, as he committed an irreparable crime. 

It’s his fault your son died. His son.

He should’ve never allowed him to become Robin, never. It was so selfish of him. Dick left, and went to do his own thing, and he found Jason and…The boy was so enthusiastic. So happy to be there. So eager to please, and be part of your life. Part of bettering Gotham, too, knowing full well how much the city needed help. 

Bruce couldn’t resist him. Couldn’t resist that pumped little boy who wanted so desperately and wholeheartedly to help. He trained him, took him in as his son.

And now he was dead. And it was all his fault.

You pull away from Alfred, wiping tears off of your cheeks. The man you came to see as your father hands you a handkerchief, and you take it, trying to dry the ever flowing stream of salty tears coming out of your eyes.

You finally take a step away from Alfred, and look at Bruce.

Your eyes are so full of pain and misery that he cannot hold your stare. He bends his head down, trying as hard as he can to remain stoic. Wrongfully thinking that he has to be the strong one. That he has to endure everything on his own. 

He feels you coming close to him, and he’s ready for you to hit him with all your strength. To yell at him that it is his goddamn fault if Jason was gone.

You’re right in front of him.

His eyes close automatically, awaiting your well deserved hate towards him…
Awaiting for the last bits of his heart to be trampled on, as he’s sure he earned your loathing.

But instead… 

He jumps at the feel of your hands on his cheeks.

You force him to rise his head, to look at you. There’s so much sadness in your eyes that he feels like his heart is going to burst, but there’s also…determination ?

He doesn’t understand why one of your hand strokes his cheek while the other tangles in his hair. He doesn’t understand why you drag him down to you, so your foreheads are touching.

He doesn’t understand why you’re not yelling at him, why you’re not trying to hurt him…With a broken voice that makes you wince, because it’s filled with grief and hopelessness, he says :

“I killed our son…”

It’s barely a whisper. You can hear him only because you’re so close to him.

Your fingers massage his scalp, you know he always found the gesture soothing. Although in this instance, maybe he didn’t even notice it…

With your other hand, you brush his mouth with your thumb, and bring him ever so close to you. Flush against your body. His arms automatically wrap around you, and his head buries itself in your neck.

“I killed our son…”

He repeats. And you can’t take it anymore. Tightening your grip in his hair so he doesn’t look away, the hand that was on his cheek moving to go around his shoulder, you say :

“No. Bruce. No.”

“But I…”

“It isn’t your fault. It isn’t anyone’s fault but the Joker’s. He’s the one who took our son away. Not you. Hell, if you’re guilty then I am too, I didn’t do anything to stop him from going out there as Robin either…”

“You’ve got nothing to do with that ! I won’t allow you to even think about it !”

“Then it’s not your fault either. It’s the Joker’s. You know it is. It is his fault. His.”

The anger rising in you scares you. You can’t allow such feelings to install themselves inside you. And yet…you see it happen with frightening clarity. 

Bruce’s voice brings you back to reality :

“It is still my fault. I am…”

You shut him up with the softest kiss on his lips, trying to convey to him that no, no he’s not responsible for Jason’s death. It’s the Joker. It’s all him. He killed your beloved son. It is hisfault. He has to pay.

You feel the furry climbing inside you, how it overshadows even your sadness.

Turning your grief into hatred. You want to kill him. You want to kill the Joker…

God, you want to annihilate him so bad. 

But you know it’s not the solution.

You know it’s exactly what that psycho wants. And Bruce does know it too. He can feel your anger as well, and inside him, it’s a turmoil of emotions.

In your arms, he understands though.

He understands that he cannot kill the Joker for what he did to his son. Because if he does, then not only did he lost his boy, but also his soul.

If he kills the Joker, then the clown wins. Everything the Joker ever did was to taunt the Batman to kill him. He will not give him this satisfaction.

For Jason. And everything that boy stood for. 

He cannot let that happen. For Jason. He’ll never let that happen.

He won’t let the Joker win.  

He can feel you loosing all your strength in his arms, and he goes down on his knees with you, holding you tight against his heart.

“It is not your fault my love, it is not your fault…”

You repeat that for hours and hours. You repeat that until he almost believes it.

Here, on the floor of the batcave, you repeat it, while you hug him with all your might, and let him burry his face in your neck. 

He needs it.

He needs to let go. You make him understand he doesn’t have to be strong with you. He just lost a son. You just lost a son.

He doesn’t need to be strong all the time. And certainly not when with you.

“We…we lost our son…”

His voice cracks, and finally, his tears run freely, his arms strengthening around you, bringing you even closer to him. You let him. Of course you let him. You let go too. And together, you let your grief run fully out of you.

You can feel at some point Alfred coming close to you, wrapping the both of you in a warm blanket. Even in pain he makes sure you don’t catch a cold…you want to tell him “thank you”, but all you can say is :

“It’s not your fault.”

To Bruce. Over and over again. Holding him close. And he almost believes it.

You repeat those words, until you’re both too tired, exhausted because of the sorrow, and the heartache you felt.

“We just lost our son…”

************

It was the same nightmare all over again.

Jason came back to you years ago. It took him a long time to forgive you and Bruce for not killing the Joker. It took him ages to realize why you didn’t do it. And though he finally understood, the boy he used to be, the cheerful and mischievous boy he was, had forever disappear.

Sometimes, you could see some remnants of what he used to be. Some fleeting moments, when he was with you or his brothers. But it was often gone rapidly…In a matter of seconds, he was all serious and broody, just like his father. 

Just like his father, though your Bruce would give anything for him not to be.

Jason came back to you years ago, but the boy he was died that fateful day. Your boy was gone, forever, replaced by a man. But at least, he came back…

And now, it was the same nightmare all over again.

“Damian…Damian isn’t…”

“Please Bruce. Shhh. Don’t say it. Please. Don’t say anything else.”

The wave of despair that hits you right there and then, makes you fall to the floor, hard. And Bruce can barely catch you before you hit the ground heavily.

Here you are again. Laying on the batcave’s floor, in his laps, grieving a son.

Damian isn’t coming back, you already know it.

His own biological mother killed him, to prove a point to herself. 

A point that hurt her. Because no. She wasn’t as emotionless as she thought. No, she couldn’t just kill “her” son and move on. She wasn’t her father…

But she killed him. She did. Keeping yourself from killing her isn’t as hard as when you decided not to kill the joker. Because you know she suffers too, more than if she was dead. And in a twisted way, this makes you more satisfied than if she was gone. 

You resent those feelings. This is not who you are…And yet. It is. The hatred you feel after the death of your little boy will forever be part of you. The need for the person responsible to suffer is unfortunately something you truly feel, to your core. And honestly, who could blame you ? 

Unlike the Joker, you knew Talia felt things. And, good. 

Because she doesn’t even deserve to die. It would be too easy. 

And oh, oh how you don’t recognize yourself in those ugly feelings. But…She killed Damian. She killed “her” son. She killed your son. You cannot hide this dark part of yourself that needs revenge. 

You cannot. 

You feel Bruce shake while he holds you against him. Sat on the floor with you in his arms,  not ready to ever let you go.

You can see Alfred collapsing in Dick’s arms. Your beloved butler cannot handle it this time. He cannot be the strong one everyone needs. Not again.

On your oldest son’s face, there’s nothing but misery, but he tries to keep it in, because it’s his turn to take care of you, of Alfred, of his father…He wasn’t there for you guys when Jason died, busy doing his “own things”, not even knowing his little brother died. Maybe if he was there at the time, he could’ve saved him ? Maybe if he didn’t “selfishly” decide to leave ? 

But there is no point in dwelling in the past. He wasn’t there before, he would be there this time. He would be there this time…

You can also spot, in the blur of your teary eyes, Jason holding a shaking, crying Tim. It wasn’t always the biggest love between Tim and Damian. They drove each other crazy on a regular basis. But he was his brother. The teasing didn’t mean there was no love. On the contrary, their constant bickering was their own way to say : “I care deeply about you, dumbass”, their brotherly love language. And Damian was so young. Damian was so young…He wasn’t even able to protect his little brother, how could he help protecting the city ?

You don’t see Cass, and in a way, that’s good. You’re not sure you could handle seeing her heart broken You vaguely recall, in your painful state, that she’s away on a school trip, and you dread her return…

(A/N : Duke was not yet part of the fam when Damian died, which is why he does not appear in this story). 

Your eyes meet Jason’s, and the strength in them makes you feel a tiny bit better. You know he’ll be here too. You know he’s not going anywhere. Not this time. It took him a long time to forgive you and Bruce, but now, he wasn’t planning on leaving ever again. Especially not now. He knows you need him more than ever, and he’ll be there. Yes. He’ll be there.

This time, no words are exchanged between you and Bruce. You just hold onto each others, because that’s the only thing you can do, the only thing you can bear. His breath warms your forehead as he holds you close to him. 

This time, no words are exchanged between you and your Bruce. No. This time, you can’t speak. Surrounded by your grieving family, by your sons who are shaken to the core, by your surrogate father who was dying of sadness, by your Bruce…You can’t utter a word.

You can just hug your husband tight, making sure he won’t go.

He can just burry his face in your hair, not holding back his tears and sadness. Once again, he lost a son, and it was his fault, because he wasn’t able to protect him.

This time, you don’t have the strength to tell him itisn’this fault. This time, years after you lost Jason, you don’t have the strength to handle it anymore.

Couldn’t your family catch a break ? So much grief, so many bad things happening to your beloved sons, to your Bruce…

This time, you don’t have the strength to reassure Bruce.

You just lost a son. He just lost a son.

“We just lost our son…”

You hear him whisper, so lowly that you’re not sure he actually said it, or if your brain is playing tricks on you. If it’s some kind of flashback from Jason’s death.

Damian isn’t coming back. He’s never coming back. You lost a son. He lost a son. Your kids lost a brother. Alfred lost a grandchild.

The World lost one of its greatest and brightest inhabitant. 

The reality of all of this delves on you, and the same sadness you felt when you thought Jason was gone forever washes over you, taking away all of your hopes, all vision of a bright future.

Damian. Your son. Your youngest little boy. Isn’t coming back.

He’s never coming back.

Yes, how terrible it is, to love something that Death can touch.

To be continued ;) (because yes, Jason and Damian’s death were super hard to deal with…but let’s not forget about how Dick, Tim and Bruce faked their death and it must’ve been as equally horrible to think you lost your loved ones just to realize they were fine all along, re-writing this story made me want to write a sequel about those guys so bad :). And also talk about other very close call with death, admittedly an endless subject with this family haha). 

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Maybe some of y’all noticed, this is a rewriting of an old story of mine (which I accidentally erased…I need to stop being on Tumblr on my phone ). I liked it so I just…rewrote it (I still had the original story tucked away in a word document, thanks God I saved everything from the first time I accidentally erased something haha). The original story was almost 5 years old, and although I’m still insecure in many ways about my writing, I do believe I improved since then (mainly thanks to this blog, and y’all <3). I’m pretty happy I re-wrote it, I made some massive changes to it which I think better it :). I don’t know if any of y’all read it before this re-write, but if you remember it (again, it’s old and pretty much went under the radar amongst all my fics), you’ll realize how vastly different it is now. And I like it better…I hope you do too.  

Yup. I do hope you liked it, and if you did, comments and reblogs are always beyond appreciated, and motivating:). 

Synopsis : Your water breaks during a storm in Gotham, which prevents you to get to a hospital right away…Freak outs all around ensues. Except for you, as you try, while in labour, to calm your family down.  

I’ve had that idea in my head for a while haha. So here we are. I hope you’ll enjoy reading this story, as usual don’t hesitate to leave a comment, reblog, and such ^^. Thank you, and here we go : 

My masterlists :@ella-ravenwood-archives​

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It was a dark and rainy night, and a storm was brewing. 

The weather outside was downright awful, the kind of weather that makes you want to curl under a warm blanket, with a cup of warm tea or chocolate milk, and read. Or watch a movie. Just stay inside, safe and sound. 

Living near the Atlantic wasn’t without danger of a natural disaster, although storms were rare in Gotham.  But oh when they happened…You couldn’t see the end of it. It could last for days, and it was rather violent. 

The city, courtesy of Wayne Inc, had turned most buildings into “hurricane proofs” shelters so that in the rare occurrence of such a storm happening, everyone would lock themselves in. Safe and sound. 

Iron curtains would come down, foundations of skyscrapers were reinforced etc etc. The “hurricane protection” program started with Bruce’s parents, and their son finished it after years of construction work, and patience. Despite having a terrible reputation crime wise, the city was known to be one of the safest in the USA in case of a natural disaster such as this. 

Bruce had also installed “Hurricane relief funds” so that every single citizen would have enough supplies to actually stay in. 

Yes. Violent storms (or rather, “hurricanes”), were rare, in Gotham. But they happened. And most people hated them, understandably so. Even if nowadays they were safe, great damages would still be done. It was one thing to get your car blown up by the Joker, it was fine, there were insurances for that…But it was another thing to get it flooded and/or destroyed by a goddamn storm. Thanks god for that Wayne guy “relief funds” eh. 

Especially since, well, this was Gotham. Nothing was ever half-assed here. When the weather was getting real bad, it was getting REAL bad. And of course, being isolated in your home for a few days was never fun. 

And then there was you. Probably one of the only person who loved hurricanes.

Selfishly so, but then again, everyone was allowed to be a little selfish, sometimes. Especially when the reason you liked when there were storms…Was because your entire family would gather in Wayne Manor. 

And your entire family being in the same place at the same time ? Well, let’s just say it was almost as rare as hurricanes in Gotham. Almost, there was still moments you could gather all together, but oh with your children growing up it was getting harder and harder to do it. 

So, stormy nights ? Let’s be a little selfish and be glad that they happened, just so you could have your family close to you. You relieved a little of your guilt knowing that Wayne Inc and your foundation would help people repair the damage, so it was ok if you wanted more hurricanes right ? To see your kids ? Everyone was safe anyway. 

Not even the bad guys, went out during those times. It would be a death wish to do so. Which meant even Bruce, stayed home for the nights. 

How ironic, that it’s on one such dark and stormy night, that you affectionate so much because they get you to stay at home with your family, that a very pregnant you’s water would break…

************

Gotham’s meteorologist were always right, when it came to coming storms. A few days prior to one, they would make all necessary announcement and everything would be put into place. 

The city was often taken by surprise by attacks from a large and colorful array of criminals. But storms ? That was under control. 

Your family was definitely prepared, although your husband was a little worried because you were rather close to the due date. 

Bruce wanted you to stay the storm’s duration in the hospital, just in case. But you refused, because little Thomas wasn’t due for another three weeks, and you wanted to spend time with your family in the privacy of your home. 

“Bruce, we’re fine, he’s not suppose to show up before a few weeks still. It’d be very unlucky if he suddenly decides to come out now.”

You felt that three weeks was definitely a large enough time, and your son would come when he was supposed to. Plus you weren’t going to push yourself too much. Anyway, your children, Alfred and Bruce were absolutely doting on you (which was nice). There was no chance you’d “set in motion the delivery” (Tim had very…original ways of calling childbirth) by being too active. You were just going to chill with your family, probably fall asleep earlier, let Bruce carry you to bed etc etc.

You would quickly come to the conclusion that you were wrong, and that you should’ve listened to your husband. Never again, would you underestimate your youngest child ability to surprise you, and his proficiency to impatience. 

Because as the storm was finally fully raging, and you were walking towards the couch to enjoy a good movie night…

Splash

Not a sound, nor a feeling you liked. You froze on the spot, in shock for a few seconds, not sure what had happened, until you realized…Yup, your water definitely broke. 

The next steps were going to be very delicate. You had to tell that to your family, without them freaking out. And ah, you knew them. 

To people who didn’t know them well, they might all appear in control of their emotions, and ready for whatever could come at them. Your husband was the goddamn Batman after all. He always had a plan, right ? And he schooled himself for years, to control his emotions perfectly. 

Dick was a joyful boy (man, now) yet extremely serious when he had the Nightwing costume on. He was the one who resembled Bruce the most, in a lot of ways. A leader, capable of taking that weight on while keeping a cool head. 

Jason could appear more emotional to everyone else. Prompt to explode in anger, and let his impulsivity get the better of him. And in a way, it was true. He had always acted on impulse, and could get his emotions overwhelm him. Except in serious and dangerous situation. In those times, he knew exactly how to control himself. His older brother, Dick, was one of his role model for this. The capacity to not let his emotions run his actions. 

Tim was a very cerebral being. He was able to detach himself from every single situation and keep calm, analyzing every details to find solutions. You were kinda counting on him to stay relax and help you direct the others. 

Cass could appear emotionless, if not cold, to a lot of people. That was because she had been raised to be a living weapon, and sometimes, human interactions were a little hard for her. It didn’t mean she didn’t have any emotion though, oh no, on the contrary. But she was very good at staying calm and collected, so you were counting on her too, here. 

Duke was an anxious teen, but he had that rare talent that made him capable of controlling his stress and using it as a driving force. Just like with Tim, you were kind of hoping he would use his freakout as a springboard to find solutions. 

Damian was a little ball of nerve, to whoever didn’t really know him. He was actually a very smart child, who lived with a lifetime of guilt and who wanted nothing more than to redeem himself. To you, he was one of the sweetest little boy you ever met, but he was definitely going to freakout right now. He wasn’t just yet as in control of his emotions as the rest of your family. 

Ah, but in this situation, none of them would remain master of themselves. You sort of forshadowed it, knowing them as well as you did. You were standing still, looking at them as they were waiting for you (pee breaks were happening often, while you were pregnant), you felt a surge of panic that you tried as best as you could to shut down. You had to remain calm, because you knew they weren’t going to.  

Jason and Dick, as if they were kids again, were fighting to have the most comfortable armchair in the room. Both were incredibly stubborn, and they ended up sitting in it uncomfortably, sharing half of the chair, sure that the other one was going to give up (very unlikely). It alleviated your anxiety about losing your water just now, if only for a few seconds, to see your sons, now grown men (they were still your babies, and only in their early to mid-twenties !), “fight” like they used to when they were younger. 

Tim had taken his favorite spot, on a bean bag you deemed absolutely uncomfortable but that the boy loved. He’d sit in it, right in front of you and Bruce’s legs, because he liked the comfort of knowing you were near. 

It was Damian and Cass’ turn to sit next to you and Bruce, and they were already in their place. 

Duke was sitting in the armchair just in front of the one Jason and Dick were fighting for…An exact replica of the armchair they were arguing over. Years ago, to stop them from fighting because of it, Bruce bought the same model again. Both your sons said it wasn’t the same and they liked the other better (it was the EXACT same one). Duke looked at them, rolling his eyes, comfortably settled in that great armchair, quite amused by his oldest brothers behavior. 

Alfred was distributing hot beverages, and would soon go sit in his own dedicated armchair…but then he saw you. And he immediately understood. 

Good. Saved you the task to tell them what happened, right ? 

Alfred’s worried look was quickly spotted by Bruce, who was already sitting down, and he turned around as fast as a certain Wally West (at least, it felt to you that it was that fast). He saw you, standing, and at your feet…A puddle of “water”. You had just lost your amniotic fluid. 

You were about to…

“WHAT THE FUCK ??” 

Before Bruce could react, Jason, who, as many little brothers around the world, had been ejected from his spot by his older sibling, was about to go back to the fight to get that armchair, when he also saw you. 

Chain reaction. 

Your husband turning around to look at you, plus Jason’s sudden exclamation, made it very clear to everyone else what was happening. They all turned to you, a few seconds of silence (the silence before the storm ? Pun non intended), only the wind outside was heard. And then…

Everything went dark. And the panic started. 

************

Just like in many cases of hurricanes, the power went out. And apparently, it had a sense for a dramatic flair, as it happened just as everyone realized that you were about to give birth, and how bad the situation was. 

Fortuntely, Wayne Manor had multiple generators, and they started by themselves after a few seconds, during which you heard your children, and Bruce, scramble toward you while also trying to be careful not to just run into you and hurt you (or the baby). 

The light went back on, and you were surrounded by worried eyes as they all started to talk at the same time : 

“What are we going to do, we can’t go to the hospital ???”

“I’m sure the bat mobile could endure the storm !”

“If we go with the bat mobile though, won’t everyone know it’s us ?” 

“Yeah we’d be sus, but hello, mom is about to have a babyyyy !” 

“HOLY SSHHH ! SHE IS !!”

“Guys.” You tried to squeeze in, but they didn’t hear you. Couldn’t hear you.

“What are we going to do ??” 

“Boys. Stop yelling. Might scare baby brother.” Cass was distributing little slaps on her brothers foreheads to make them stop, but she didn’t seem calm either. In fact, you knew she was freaking out, just like they all were ! 

Bruce had taken you into his arms, and carried you to the couch, before you could say a word, and was pacing in front of you. And, wow. It calmed you for a few seconds, to be honest, because that was quite the sight. 

Have you ever seen Bruce panicking ? Maybe like, twice in all the years you’ve been together. And even then, he managed to keep his cool. But there ? Not really. He seemed lost, and unsure. Which was a first. But who would blame him ? Even the Batman himself, could freak out at the thought of having his wife about to give birth, while an access to a hospital was nearly impossible ! And with nobody in the house knowing how to deliver a baby ! 

Oh this wasn’t good. They were about to make you freak out too, and you knew that once you were panicking as well, things would go from bad to worst. 

Someone had to keep it together. And to be honest ? You were feeling fine, even if your water broke. And ah, you just realized. You didn’t feel any contractions ! This wasn’t the start of it yet, you had time to gather your thoughts and think of this calmly ! 

“What if we have to deliver the baby ??”

“I think I’m going to throw up, and I’m not sure if it’s because of the fact maybe we’ll deliver the baby, or because I’m so stressed.” 

“Don’t throw up on me bro !” 

“Maybe we could…No, no that wouldn’t work…Or maybe…” Bruce was mumbling, his brain clearly not wanting to work properly. He was obnubilated by the fact things could go very wrong, and your life as well as his son’s were in danger. 

None of them were listening to you, and it was becoming increasingly stressful to see them in such a state. 

“Guys, guys, GUYS !”

You raised your voice very rarely, but when you did, there was that edge to it that instantly made all of them shut up. Maybe it was the surprise at you screaming that stopped them, or maybe you genuinely scared them back into place because they knew how scary you could be when angry (the only occurrences you might scream). 

“Listen, my contractions didn’t begin ok ? I’m not actually in labour yet ? It could be a few hours before it starts, it is common.”

You visibly saw Bruce’s face relax, because…He had time. It wasn’t sure how long, but at least he had some time to think. And he needed it. He needed time to gather his thoughts, to calm down, and think of this logically. With pragmatism. He was sure he could think of a viable solution, with this valuable time. You smiled at him, and added : 

“It gives us time to- AAAAH.”

You mentally slapped yourself, as you were pretty sure your optimism just jinxed it…Because you just had your first contraction. That baby wanted out. You could feel it. 

************

All Hell broke loose. 

Your scream of pain (and surprise really, you didn’t expect to have a contraction so suddenly) put your entire family in a state you never saw them in. 

Alfred was nowhere to be seen, while you were desperately looking for him so he could help you calm your family down. He had disappear as the light went back on, and you assumed he was fetching some things to make you comfortable. At least, you hoped he was. 

Your children were not armed against seeing you in pain. They rarely saw you hurt, and it was always such a grand source of distress when you were. 

They were downright freaking out, even more than before. 

Your contractions were very spaced out, which made you think this was just slowly started. But they wouldn’t know that, would they ? Plus, you definitely screamed in pain. And they really didn’t like that. 

Bruce, oh boy. Bruce was in a state. He was even worst than your kids when it came to you getting hurt. He just couldn’t bear it. And you could see that he was not doing well right now, and felt powerless as he knew there was no way he could get you to a hospital. At least, not without breaking the secret that he was Batman. 

The phone lines were off, so there were no calling for help (anyway, you were pretty sure, given the violence of the storm outside, that nobody would’ve been able to come). 

Alfred had reappeared with a fresh beverage that you definitely needed to calm and cool down, and disappeared once more God knew were. 

You could see Damian was on the verge of crying, not able to handle all this stress and scared to death that something bad would happen to you. 

This instantly calmed Jason who took his role as a big brother very seriously (Dick did so much for him, when he was younger, even if most people always thought he wasn’t present before his death…it was wrong, Dick had been a constant presence in his life, always there for him, and the first one able to approach him and talk to him when he came back as the Red Hood). He went to Damian, and cradled him (maybe a bit roughly) in his arms, patting him on the back to calm him down. 

Damian didn’t cry, but he did stay latched on his brother for a bit. 

Cassandra was pacing all around the room, nervously cracking ALL of her bones, and you knew she was not doing well and was rather panicked because of how unable to stay still she was. She’s always been a discreet girl, so seeing her pacing around and such was quite a sight. Not a very good one, really. You wished you could reassure her, but you didn’t know how. 

Tim was in his own world, clearly trying to calculate all outcomes possible of the situation, and not quite liking the results because he was sweating profusely, and obviously was about to freakout even more. Dick, seeing this, also tried to do what Jason did and calm down to take care of him…but Tim said something in his ear and all of a sudden Dick went really pale, and they both kept rambling about things, hyping each others up in the worst way possible. You could only hear a few things they were saying, but it was clear they were imagining the worst scenarios that could possibly happen, and it was not good at all. 

Duke was next to you, and you were honestly not sure whether he was more trying to calm himself or you. He didn’t know what to say, but held your hand and kept nodding, trying to convince you (and himself) that everything was going to be ok. 

Suddenly, Bruce stopped in his track, took a look at the sky, and started yelling : “Clark ! CLARK !”

“What are you doing Bruce ?”

Another contraction arrived just after your question, and you did your best to not scream as to not provoke even more panic in your family, but they could clearly see by your face that you were in pain. 

Bruce turned his head the other way, as he knew he was going to lose it completely if he saw that expression one more time. And he answered, bluntly : 

“Calling Clark.” 

Silence. You knew the phone lines were off, it always happened during a storm in Gotham, phones just didn’t work. And you were a little confused by your husband reaction. 

Calling Clark ? How ? 

“CLARK HURRY UP GODDAMNIT !!” 

Your kids stopped what they were doing (which was great, because what they were currently doing, was freaking the hell out and it was doing nobody any good), and looked at their father as if he definitely had lost it. 

But then…

Crrrrraaaaaaack

The front door, you knew this was the front door. That clearly just shattered. Maybe because of the storm ? This couldn’t be someone.

Because first, who the Hell was crazy enough to come all the way up here with that kind of weather outside ?? And second, nobody was strong enough to destroy that massive door, right ?

By then, it hadn’t quite hit you that only one answer to this question, “who could it be if it was a person”, was possible. 

Bruce left, and came back quickly with… 

Well. Yes. Clark Kent. One of your best friend, also known as “Superman”. 

“I knew this must’ve been an emergency when you called me “Clark” instead of “Superman””. 

He was smiling, of that smile you all knew all too well. But there was a strange edge to it, and you knew that Bruce had filled him in on the way. 

But you weren’t quite sure how he got there. Of course, being Superman, the storm wasn’t really a problem, but…how ? How did he know ? 

On that moment, you couldn’t think straight. Your water had broken, your family was freaking out all around and you didn’t know how to calm them, and now Clark was here and you just couldn’t think of why and how ?? 

And then it hit you. And you felt dumb that you didn’t think of it before. Of course, given the situation, you were most definitely not to blame for a little cognitive lapse. 

Super hearing. 

Clark had super hearing. 

But still, did he really hear Bruce yelling from all the way to Metropolis ?? 

“How ??” 

You managed to ask, in between contractions who were worryingly getting closer and closer. 

“I heard Bruce.” 

“Amongst…Everything ?”

“Oh yeah, I know the sound of y’all’s voice. It’s the same for Lois, Jon, Conner…Everyone important to me, you know ?” 

“You…know the sound of our voice ?”

“Yes ?”

Silence. 

“Is that weird ?” 

If it was anybody else than Clark Kent, you would’ve found it slightly creepy. I mean, someone knowing how your voice sounds exactly, to the point that he could recognize you calling for help in the cacophony the world was ??? 

Well, granted, not many people had super-hearing. But, yes, if it was anyone else but your good friend, you would’ve been freaked out. But Clark ? Clark was the golden retriever of your friend group. A little too nice for his own good at times (although you already saw him angry, and were DEFINITELY happy he was your friend, and on the “good side”). And definitely the kind that cared a LOT about the people close to him. It wasn’t that surprising that he imprinted in his head the exact sound his close friends and family made. Although honestly, it was impressive that he was able to isolate you guys’ voices…Then again, we were talking about Superman. 

He’d never cease to impress you. Not like you’d ever that to Bruce anyway, so what was the arm in thinking it ? Another contraction took you out of your reveries and Bruce said : 

“You have to fly her to Gotham’s hospital. I have a batsuit downstairs which she can get into so”

“Bruce -aaaaaah- I’m fine, I’m fine Clark, don’t worry, contractions ya know. Bruce, if we do that, everyone will know you’re Batman. It’s going to be SO obvious.”

“I don’t care, your safety and the little one’s are more important.” 

You felt your heart melting, and if the situation was different, you would’ve jumped into his arms…

Your children gathered around, clearly agreeing with their father. So what if their secret identities were revealed, if it meant their mom and little brother would be safe ? 

And it was so sweet. The very example of what “unconditional love” meant. But it wasn’t possible, it simply wasn’t. They weren’t thinking straight, you said : 

“We will all be in more danger if people know who we really are, and I can’t let that happen”. 

Silence. And…Well, yes. If it was known who Batman really was, and who his sidekicks were, your entire family’s life would constantly be at stake. That’s without counting that what they were doing was illegal, and they would certainly get arrested fast, no matter what Jim Gordon’s feelings were about them (you were pretty sure he guessed years ago who Batman really was, but would never say it because he thought he was important for Gotham).

Taking a deep breath, you finally found the force in you to fully calm down. It only took the thought of your family to be in danger to finally make you think clearly : 

“So far, everything is going on fine. I am feeling like I am suppose to feel. Am I terrified ? A little bit. But nothing is going wrong. There’s no complications, you know that, you read the books about childbirth.” 

“Oh, childbirth for dummies or childbirth 101 ?” Clark asked, clearly trying to ease the atmosphere.

“Both.” Bruce answered, almost mechanically, as he was studying you to see if everything was indeed going as well as you were saying. Well, albeit for the fact you were about to give birth home, while it really wasn’t planned. 

“I read them too, when Lois was pregnant with Jon. They were very informative and reassuring and-Right. Sorry. Not the right time.” 

Ah, but Clark few words made you smile. The golden retriever of your friend group for sure. And the way your husband glared at him ? Priceless. You continued : 

“We’re not gonna use Clark and a batsuit to take me to the hospital. It’s definitely too obvious, and a bad idea in the long run. The storm will not stop any time soon, so let’s think this logically and aAAaAAAaaa- sorry, sorry, I’m fine. Let’s think this aaAAAAAaah !” 

“Six seconds apart, mom’s contractions are six seconds apart !! The baby is definitely coming !!”

Tim exclaimed, panicking again after this short lull in the “freakout department” that the surprise of Clark’s appearance gave. And you could see they were all about to go into “hyper mode” again, as it was becoming clearer and clearer that you will have this baby here. 

Even Clark, who finally realized what the situation truly was, seemed about to panic and man, have you ever seen Superman himself panic ? It’s not a sight you wanted to see again. 

You were about to, once again, try to calm them down (although it sort of felt that the fact you had contractions that were closer and closer, and that you couldn’t help but show your pain each time it happened, was making things worst) when…

The back door opened, and : 

“Oh, a visitor. Unexpected but…yes, yes actually, Mister Kent, it’s good you’re here. You will be able to keep this lot away while we do what we have to do.” 

Alfred had reappear, wearing surgical gloves and a white coat. 

“Alright, let’s go, Lady (Y/N)”

************

Alfred. Who had been strangely discreet, this past few hours of freakout from your family. He was there, taking care of you. Bringing you everything you needed before you even knew you needed it. That constant reassuring presence in your life, as usual. 

But he didn’t speak much. And when he wasn’t bringing you things, he was nowhere to be seen. 

You didn’t really think much of it up until now, as he reappeared dressed like that. Your mind was occupied elsewhere, to notice. Same for your husband, and your children, who would usually call him for help right away. But the specific situation send all your brains’ into overdrive, and none of you really were able to think beyond the panic. 

“Follow me now, please. Time is of the essence, now that the contractions are close. Thank you, Master Timothy, for keeping track of this.” 

You couldn’t quite grasp what was happening, but Bruce seemed to catch up faster. He rushed to you, picked you up, and followed Alfred. 

Dick, Jason, Tim, Cass, Duke and Damian were close behind, Clark in the back, following by instinct more than anything. 

When he heard Bruce calling him, the panic hearable in his voice, he didn’t think twice. Lois told him to go, and he did, leaving behind a calm family night to rush to his friend’s aid. 

He arrived quickly, of course, and Bruce filled him in. He wanted him to take his pregnant wife, you, to the nearest hospital. In the storm. With a batsuit. Risking to divulge the secret of his identity. 

If you didn’t say something, Clark would have spoken up. He had never seen Batman in that state…Then again, it’s been years since their first encounter. He had learned that the Bat hid a lot behind his mask of coldness and harshness. 

Anyway, as for now, Clark was following along, ready to help if need be. Truly, the golden retriever of the friend group. 

While on the way, Alfred started to explain what the Hell was going on. He, on the opposite of everyone else, seemed completely calm and collected : 

“I’ve prepared anything necessary to bring this baby into this world. Lesl- Dr Thompkins and I prepared a birth plan, just in case. We are going to the room I’ve prepared, now. If you need my credentials : I received extensive courses from Lesl- Dr Thompkins in case this would happen. It was most definitely a probability given Master Bruce’s…Night work. I’m sorry it took me a while to settle things properly. Follow me please. So we can take care of this.”  (hello I secretly ship Alfred and Leslie Thompkins haha)

“This ?” 

“Lady (Y/N), you have been in labor for quite a bit now. In pain.”

Bruce visibly flinched at the words “in pain”, and the kids all turned to you, beyond worried. They knew this was definitely painful, but putting things into words made it that much more real. And they were on the edge of freaking out once more..But Alfred didn’t give them time to, putting them into action. 

“From your symptoms, and the amount of contractions getting closer and closer, we can clearly not wait. Like father like son, this baby is already quite an impatient one.”

“Alfred-”

“You will ask questions later, for now, hurry along.” 

The “butler” always had the best words to shut everyone up. Anyway, you were all kind of too stunned to react more to this all thing. After a few minutes, he stopped in front of a room that is very rarely used. One of the guest bedroom and : 

“Wow, when did you do all this ?” 

“As soon as your water broke, I did my best to help you, and settle things here. I was hoping you would go into labor later, hopefully the phone lines would be back on so we could call the Dr. But, this will do. I’m sorry, I had to hurry.” 

The room looked like a hospital room. A bed was made, and everything needed for a baby delivery seemed to be here. This further convinced you into the fact that Alfred was not a human, but a fae of some sort who was to protect Bruce and his loved ones at all cost. He was most definitely magic. How else would he have put all this together so fast ?

“To reassure you on my credentials on the matter once again, I am actually a trained midwife.” 

“You are ??” 

“Like I said, the eventuality of you having to give birth in the Manor could happen. Les- Dr Thompkins and I therefor made a birth plan for you, just in case. I am sorry my dear, for not telling you sooner. I really wished we would’ve avoided this evenuality…Although I had worst scenarios in my mind.” 

“Like…What ?” 

“Well, in one of the emergencies I thought about, Wayne Manor was under attack and we had to go to the safe room and it’s honestly no place to give birth. A storm is alright. Manageable.”

Both you and Bruce were STUNNED. Everyone was. 

Jason shook his head, chuckling to himself and saying something along the line of : “Old man still surprises me even after all these years.” and his siblings agreed. You were even pretty sure you heard a few “holy shit”, which, coming from your kids who didn’t swear often, was quite something. 

“Wait, you’re a trained midwife ? You can’t be a trained midwife so fast, right ? You’re always here as well, when did you train anyway ?” Damian asked, suspicious, as he was thinking of nothing else but your safety. And his little brother’s. 

Alfred cleared his throat a little, before taking that tone of voice, the one he took when he was saying something he found embarrassing : 

“Well um…When it became serious between Master Bruce and Lady (Y/N), I took some classes. Just in case. Evidently, it was the right kind of thinking ahead.” 

Ah. Well, it made sense. After all, Bruce had got his “I always have a plan” thing from the man who ended up raising him. 

“Wait, when it started to get serious ? That was years ago..”

“Yes, I had quite an extensive training, as I said. Once again, sorry I hid this from you all. It was um, in cases of emergencies. Now enough chit chat, we have a baby to deliver !”

Alfred cut all possible questions with this. It wasn’t the time, right now, to wonder about what he did in his free time. They might ask about it later, and maybe he’ll answer. For now, there was a “baby to deliver” !

At those words, you saw how your kids were getting a little panicky. Well. Yes, watching a baby being born wasn’t very glamorous. Watching your MOM give birth ? Yikes. 

“I need all of you to stay calm, and help me run this smoothly.”

Alfred. One of the pillar of this family, the calming force that could soothe all of you in a few words. 

“Alright. Everyone out now, except for Master Bruce, who will assist me. Please Mister Kent, keep the children out, no matter what is heard in this room. Their intervention will only complicate things.”

Clark nodded, and left the room with your kids, who all still looked hella worried about you. Alfred smiled at you, winked, and added, a little mischievously: 

“Plus, let’s not scar the children, today.” 

************

Everything went so fast. 

Alfred was constantly monitoring your temperature, pulse, blood pressure, and the baby’s heart rate. 

And the good news ? Everything was going perfectly fine. 

Bruce had calmed down and listened to every single instruction Alfred was giving him. Reassured that the butler thought of everything, and had the right machines to monitor everything important about you. 

And everything was doing good. Everything was doing good. 

Little Thomas definitely wanted out, and the good thing was that he put himself headfirst, which ensured a smooth delivery. 

Smooth, but given the fact you were at home, not without pain…

************

A few hours later. 

Clark had to stop the kids, a few times, from rushing in the room because of your screams. In the end, it was good, that he came. He hadn’t been able to bring you to a hospital, but his presence was clearly necessary. 

Letting Alfred do his thing was vital, right now. And Clark took his role very seriously. Especially since he was about to become an uncle !! 

Well, again. He already had five little people (although Dick and Jason weren’t so little anymore…) he considered his nephews and niece. But still ! 

Silence was slowly coming back in Wayne Manor, but the door to the room still didn’t open. 

“It’s taking so long !” 

“Calm down Damian, things will be alright. It’s Alfred we’re talking about. And mom. She’s tough, and he clearly knows what he’s doing.” 

Dick was trying to reassure his nervous little brother, but it was clear he was himself rather nervous. Tim added : 

“Child birth can sometimes take days, in some cases. It’s actually rare it’s taking only a few hours, especially for a first kid.” 

Jason gasped, and said : 

“Days ? I don’t think I can handle it. I will fight you !” 

Clark, whom Jason was pointing at, chuckled and said : 

“It’s alright, this is pretty standard. Jon was born after 48 hours of labor.” 

“Well that’s because he’s a born annoyance ! My brother will not be that kind of person !”

Clark didn’t even say anything about the comment Damian said about his son. He knew the two of them were best friends, and that the stress always got the better of your own son. He also found it a little funny that he was already in full blown “protective older brother mode”. 

“Can’t we open the door a little, to make sure everything is fine ?” Duke asked, trying to go pass Clark who didn’t let him through. 

“Boys, calm. No more freakouts. Or I’ll freakout.” 

Cassandra murmured, and there was a dangerous edge to her voice. It definitely told them they should stop blabbering and trying to get into the room. She was about to add something when-

Finally, the door opened, and from inside, they could hear the sound of a baby crying. 

“It’s done. And they’re both ok..” 

Bruce almost crumbled to the floor right there, as the stress of the night was suddenly lifted from his shoulders. But he held tight, holding himself up against the door, as he let the kids peek in. 

“Can we see her ? Is it ok ?” 

“Well, she’s very tired and-”

“It’s ok, it’s ok, come in.” 

Your voice, albeit a little weak, still resounded all the way to them. The baby wasn’t crying anymore. 

The door opened fully, Bruce let the children go through (and Clark, Clark went through too. Meh, after all, he was part of the family) and…

The emotions Dick felt were indescribable. The feelings Jason was overwhelmed with were too strong. The sentiments that filled Tim were intense. The force of the warmth taking hold of Damian, as he looked as his little brother, was immense. A strong fire lit in Cass’ heart, and she knew it would never be extinguishable. The sensation which took hold of Duke’s entire being knew no bounds. 

And Bruce. Bruce’s eyes, as he looked at you and his newborn son in your arms, were filled with unshed tears and love. So much love. 

Clark sniffled at the sight of that little cute baby. And that was it. That was it.

The massive freakout was over. 

And Thomas Wayne II had fallen asleep, probably feeling safe and sound after the most traumatizing time of his life (they often say the day your born is a huge trauma). Probably already feeling the love that surrounded him. 

************

The next few days, as the storm slowly faded away, things went swimmingly good. The phone lines were back on, and a quick call to Dr. Thompkins confirmed the birth happened perfectly fine. 

Little Thomas was healthy, and so were you. 

You had to admit, you rarely got to hold your son, because he was constantly in one of his siblings’ arms, or his dad, or even Alfred. But you were ok with this. You knew, after the stress of his birth, they needed to know he was doing good. 

Plus, those who didn’t hold your son, were doting on you with extra fervor. Making sure you had everything you needed, and that you were resting properly. 

More than once, as Thomas started to cry, one of his sibling snuck into yours and Bruce’s room to take care of him. 

Those first few days, the fact that there was a storm, was honestly a blessing. Because otherwise, they would be most of the time out taking care of crimes in Gotham ! But as the storm went on for a few days, a plan of action was able to be put into place. 

First, it was great that everyone could be here for those first crucial day. Everyone took turn to take care of Thomas. But also, second, it gave you all time to put Bruce’s plans in action. Each night, at least two of your family member would stay home with you, while the others went out. 

For at least a year, there was extra passion into cleaning Gotham’s streets of all crime. Because now…Now they had one more motivation to do so. 

Nobody ever talked about it, but you all more or less vowed to never let Thomas become a night vigilante. He was doomed to, if you couldn’t put Gotham straight before he was of age. So there was even more effort than before, to make the world a safer place. 

Your youngest son came into the world in rather…Special circumstances. For a special boy. And he was loved, so loved. A cherished baby, surrounded by the unconditional love of his family. And oh, before he was even born, he was already so loved. 

The freakout everyone went through the night he was born was proof enough of that..

The end. 

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Well, I hope you liked this :). As usual, comments and reblogs are more than welcome, and are very motivating and encouraging to write more !! It also alleviate my nervousness of always thinking I write terrible stories hahahaha. Haha for real, I really hope this story did not disappoint you ! See you soon with another story ! 

Just in case, the baby that chose the worst time to decide to be born, is the oneyou can find in all those stories hehe : The Great Mall adventure,Master of Diaper,Shaky steps and bad teaching,Polichinelle,“Go away, you’re confusing my baby”,Wild Child 2 “We want them back”,How do you make babies ?,“Mom got lost again”,The day he understood what Death means,What it means to be a big brother - By Damian Wayne in case you wanna catch up :). 

Synopsis : It’s rare. You meddling with your family’s “vigilante activity”. It’s rare. On the contrary, you usually support them, and you understand why they do it. But sometimes…Sometimes, it really gets on your nerves how little they take care of themselves ! And you’re not afraid of telling them, ALL of them. Wether it’s Bruce aka “The idiot” (your idiot), your kids, or even Alfred !  

I had a dream about this, so I had to write it haha. Just a small compliation of ficlets/drabbles (some longer than other) on the same subject that I compiled together, while I still work on a bigger project that I’ll hopefully post soon ;). A bonus fic, if you will. I hope you’ll like it nonetheless ! Comments and reblogs are of course, as usual, always very welcomed :)  : 

My masterlists : @ella-ravenwood-archives

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Bruce

Bruce knew that, when you called him an “idiot”, it was serious.

Your relationship was based on mutual respect, communication, healthy habits and, of course, a lot of love. So you calling him an “idiot”…It meant something.

It meant you were angry with him. And it only happened in one specific situation : When he didn’t properly take care of himself.

Bruce was a man of the extreme. Yes. “Was”. He was more temperate, now. Thanks to you, in a big part. Thanks to his children too. And to the constant love and support you all gave him.

Which sometimes lead to you calling him an idiot.

It was less frequent, nowadays. But at the beginning of your relationship ? Oh boy. The issue often came when he was “off duty”. Home. And when he’d work out up until he couldn’t anymore. And at first, it was source of “fights” between you two.

His work as Batman ? You understood it. You knew he was putting himself, every night, in danger. And why he was doing it. His work as CEO of Wayne Inc ? It was needed. He did so much good with his company. But when he was home. The rare moment of peace. He spend all of it training. And it couldn’t go on.

“I’m not saying to not work out, and you know that ! I’m saying being so intense is completely unsustainable, and you know it ! You’ll end up breaking your body before you’re even forty !!”

Bruce knew. He knew. And the truth was ? A part of him knew he would never be able to be Batman forever. Of course. So his idea was to push himself to his limits, to accomplish his work as fast as possible ! So what, if he sacrificed his body and mind for it ? As long as he achieved his goal : a safer place for children to grow in. So nobody will ever experience what he lived through.

Ah. But you disagreed. In part because you loved him, of course, but also because you believed in his cause. You believe in bringing Gotham back from the chaos it was in. And you were intimately CERTAIN that Bruce would break himself before finishing his goal if he continued like this.

You put things into perspective.

Showed him his self-destructive behavior.

There was a “before” and “after” you, when it came to Bruce’s work out. He still worked out a lot of course, but now, he also had “low intensity” work outs, and did yoga.

Which could sound ridiculous, to people who had a certain idea of the Batman. But it wasn’t.

It was a way of going the farthest in his goals, in his want and need to give Gotham a chance to get better. To give its inhabitants a better future.

Working out, keeping himself in shape (which arguably he did every time he went out as Batman), it was important. But what good would it do if his body couldn’t keep up ? He was, after all, just a man. He would for sure break, if everything was “all work and no play”.

And oh. Oh his life had been just that for so long. Training, training, and more training. Fighting, solving crimes, more fighting. Going home to sleep a few hours, and then go back to train.

It was as if he was a machine, going through life mechanically for the sole purpose of Justice.

And you were right, it wasn’t sustainable. He probably would’ve cracked before finishing his plans. Push himself right into the grave…

And then you came. You called him an idiot, yelled that self-care was important, and didn’t budge on the matter. You showed him he needed to take care of himself, in order to take care of others. You showed him…So much. Love has always been one of Bruce’s strength, no matter what certain people might think of him.

Love was his driving force.

And your love ? Is what made you so adamant he needed to take care of himself. And it changed…so much.

He couldn’t even list everything good it brought him, to finally think of himself. To put himself back in the “Batman” equation, not just as a mean to achieve a goal, but as an actual being. To view himself as a human again.

Bruce’s trauma ran deep. So deep he forgot sometimes he even existed. And there you were, calling him an “idiot” and making big speeches about how he needed to take care of himself.

For his own good. And in a way, for everyone’s good.

There you were, reminding him he had feelings. Grounding him in this world. Reminding him he was a person, with emotions and needs.

Oh and you’d never give up on him. Never. You were always there, reminding him all the good of being alive.

When his parents died, a part of him died too. Bruce thought he could never feel happy again. He buried himself in his work, in order to not feel. And there you were…

“Self-care is important, you idiot !”, simply because he was working too much, pushing his body and mind too much. “Simply” ? Ah. But the self-destructive tendency wasn’t even something he was aware of. This was far from simple. And without you, he might’ve never even realized it.

So. Yes. As silly as it could sound to some, self-care, knowing his limit and not trying to push them (too much), made him a better Batman.

All that thanks to self-care ? Yes. Even heroes, needed to take care of themselves, if they wanted to keep doing what they were doing. Something Bruce never really thought about. Not before you, for sure.

“Self-care is important, you idiot !” you’d yell at him, when he pushed himself too much. When he sacrificed his body and his mind for his cause. When he went too far, and pushed himself to the limits.

It would always happen. You knew it. This is how he was. Sometimes, he had to go to the extremes. And you loved him unconditionally. But hell if you weren’t going to get mad at him, and force him to take care of himself ! Subsequently, you took care of him a lot, too.

And maybe, his form of self-care was to let you be there for him ? Maybe. After all, he often said it best himself : “Life isn’t very long, and a man doesn’t have a lot of great moments. But you’ve given me many. All my best memories are with you.”

Bruce wasn’t the only one who would put taking care of himself as an afterthought, unfortunately for you. Your kids would do that to.

Of course, you’d never call them “idiots”, for many reasons. And to be honest only when he was really putting himself needlessly at risk would you call Bruce that, he just could act like such an idiot sometimes !! Just like you too, everyone could act like idiots at one points…Except your children, they were perfect. Buuuut, sometimes, they really wouldn’t take care of themselves.

And that made you “mad”.

Dick

“Richard, you ought to know that this was too high of a drop, even for you !”

Oooooh snap. You called him “Richard”. You were definitely not too happy with him. And your son knew better than to try and talk during moments such as this.

He had been with you and Bruce for just over two years now, and had recently celebrated his tenth birthday. He’d been calling you “mom” for a while now, and definitely saw you as the best thing that happened to him since he lost his parents. You and Bruce, you saved him.

Which is why he knew why you were calling him “Richard” right now.

See, Dick was one of the only one amongst your kids that always saw through your bluff. He knew, you weren’t angry. You were definitely not happy with him, but it wasn’t anger, that made you call him “Richard” instead of any other affectionate nickname you always gave him.

It was your worry for his safety. And how little he seemed to care, at times, for it.

Dick, amongst every member in your family, was the only one who truly got that. Of course, later on, all his siblings and his dad would understand you cared for them and wanted them to take care of themselves. But Dick ? Dick was the only one who knew you never got angry at them, you were just scared.

Probably a little frustrated too, let’s face it.

But mainly scared. Scared that they would forget to take care of themselves, and as a result, well…Things like what just happened would happen.

Dick, in pursuit of a thug, jumped from a point that he knew was too high, and broke his leg. But in the heat of the moment, all he thought was catching the bad guy. And he did. He caught him. By jumping on him from a little too high, injuring himself in the process.

And you were terrified.

If already, at ten years old, he started to have this kind of behavior…

You couldn’t help but remember a time during which Bruce would push himself too much. Would be more hurt than nowadays. The beginning of your relationship was far from easy, for the both of you. You didn’t want Dick to fall in the same habits.

“You have to be more careful, you know..”

“Yes mom, I know.”

Dick knew. He knew what you felt. He knew how you felt. Because he felt the same too. You and him had a lot in common,. And worrying about others’ wellbeing was one of said point in common. And so Dick knew what it was, to want someone to take care of themselves and watch them not do it.

After all, his dad was the Batman.

He was the only one in the family who ever truly got it. Who ever truly saw you were never angry at them, but scared. Dick knew. He knew.

He smiled at you, already so wise, for such a young kid.

Of course, you had no idea how much he understood how you felt. How much he knew already, that it was important to take care of himself. That self-care was vital. Especially in his line of work. And so you reminded him often.

Like right now, bringing him some food, as he was bed ridden because of his broken leg. You weren’t angry. You were scared. Scared they’d lose themselves.

“Mom ?”

“Yes, honey ?”

“I promise I’ll take more care of myself. So please, don’t be so worried, ok ?”

Wh-What ? Your son was ten. He was only ten. How was it, that he knew exactly what was on your mind ? That he knew what to say ? That he knew-

Ah. You looked at him, and he looked back at you. Giving you the purest smile you’ve ever seen. And you understood. Yes. You did.

You and Dick always had this link between the two of you, this way of understanding each other’s feelings. Mainly because your brain were wired the same on how you perceived life : as long as your loved ones were ok, you were ok. And as a result, you knew how important it was to take care of yourself, too. To be ok, for them.

It wasn’t always easy. And that’s exactly what family was for. So that during the hard times, like right now, as you were scared for your son who broke his leg as a lack of care for himself, together, you could pull through.

“Self-care is important, right ?”

He said, a light of mischievousness in his eyes. And oooh that boy. He’s always been clever. A little too much, maybe. You smiled back, and said :

“Yes it is my little one, yes it is. So please, be more careful…”

It was clear, in those moments, you were never angry at them. But scared. Scared they’d forget to take care of themselves, and get hurt (or worst) in the process.

When Dick started to live on his own, in Blüdhaven, one of the thing he constantly asked himself was : “Would mom be scared for me if I do that ?”, and it was honestly often a motivation to take care of himself. Take some “mental health days” off, so he could recenter himself and take care of his mind. Let his body rest too.

He always understood you. And as a result, of course, your constant remembrance of how important self-care was stuck with him, and will always stick with him.

Jason

Pre-Red Hood

“Jason, baby, you have to be more careful.”

“But did you see mom, did you see how I hit the ball so far that dad couldn’t even catch it ? Did you see it mom ? Did you ? That’d be a homerun right ? Right mom ? Right ?”

“Yes, yes I saw. And it’d be a homerun for sure. But you-“

“And then he ran to get it but I was already half-way around the field. I would’ve finished if I didn’t fall in the roses – I hope Alfred isn’t mad – But like, it was still good right ? Right ?”

“Yes, it was. But Jason, you need to-“

Your son jumped up on his feet, while you were in the middle of taking care of his injuries, which fortunately weren’t too bad. Small scratches there and there. A bruise on his little face. It wasn’t too bad, but it was such a recurrent thing.

“I hit it so far ! I never hit it that far ! Right mom, right ? That was so far ! I think it went to the back of the garden, and Wayne Manor’s garden is big ! Dad didn’t even got to it. Well, because he came to get me out of the roses, but he was so far from it ! Right mom ? I hit the ball super super far ! I bet I hold the record of hitting it the farthest right ? The record in the family ? Dick didn’t hit it that far, did he ? Oh wait, he doesn’t like baseball. Well I’m the one who hit it the most most most most farthest then right ? Right mom ? Right ?”

Yes. It was a recurrent thing.

Jason, often engrossed in what he was doing, wouldn’t pay much attention to his body. To himself, in general. Because even as he was just nine, he often took much more upon himself than such a young child should take on. And he would throw himself body and soul into everything he did. He was a very passionate kid, to say the least.

And he wanted to help. Oh, he wanted to help so much. Because he still thought he didn’t do enough to save his own parents…While they were the ones who failed him.

You see, Jason had to survive most his life. He grew up too fast, taking responsibilities that he should never have taken. His parents were the result of years of Gotham’s neighborhood rotting away in poverty and crime. And there was little hope, for a small child. Yet…Yet he pulled through. And took so much upon himself.

This habit stayed with him. He always wanted to be there for everyone, often to the detriment of himself, whether physically or mentally. He didn’t want to just help out, no, he HAD TO throw his entire being in everything he did.

Ok, in this instance, it wasn’t that deep. Your boy just got really excited playing baseball with his dad, and accidently got hurt in the process as he hit the ball really hard and as he got happy the ball went past Bruce, he ran and…fell right in one of Alfred’s rose garden (he wasn’t looking in front of him, as he waved at you excitedly repeating “did you see this mom ? Did you see ?”). The thorns made quite a number of him.

No wounds were too deep, but there were many of them. However, none tainted Jason’s excitement. And this was one of the core of the problem.

Your son would often get too much into something. And forget to take care of himself. Whether it was because he wanted to save someone, or because he won at a game against his dad…

In that way, he actually resembled Bruce a lot. Both of them had this inside them, this way of getting hyperfocused on something to the detriment of themselves.

“Jason.”

Your solemn voice stopped him as he was again describing what had just happened, and he turned to you, worried he did something wrong.

He was always worried he did something wrong. You quickly reassured him, and added :

“It’s just…You have to be more careful buddy.”

The question in his eyes told you everything. He didn’t even notice, himself, how he could get too caught up in something and sacrifice himself in everyway possible.

Again. This wasn’t that deep. It was just a baseball game, and he wasn’t that hurt. But it represented the root of the problem nonetheless.

“It is important, to take care of yourself, you know ? Self-care is, I would say, one of the most important thing I will ever teach you.”

“Self…care ?”

“Yes. The art of taking care of yourself. And it is, an art. You know, sometimes we have too much on our plate. Too many things are going on. And we need to take a few steps back, a good warm bath, read a good book…Just take care of ourselves. It’s important. It’s so important. I could write essays about how important it is. In fact, I’ll write one for you. Maybe it’ll make more sense. I know you can be a bit cartesian my boy.”

You smiled at him, and he smiled back, naturally.  

You could see Jason didn’t quite understand just yet. But you knew he would. You knew because you’d never stop reminding him how important self-care is. And just like everything Jason did, he started to indeed take care of himself, because he knew it made you and his dad happy..

************

Post-Red Hood

“Are you crazy ?”

“I don’t need your lessons, Dick.”

“Oh yeah ? You sure about that ? Because you almost just died ‘cause you were too engrossed in trying to-“

“I. Don’t. Need. Your. LESSONS !”

Your oldest son stopped himself from saying more. He knew his little brother enough to know it was useless. To know it’d only drive him further away.

Jason had almost died (again) after he chased after a group of thugs, and, too focused on that, didn’t notice a sniper. Or rather, he noticed, but his only goal was to stop the criminals. He didn’t care what happened to him in the process. “Too engrossed in what he was doing”.

“JASON PETER TODD !”

Jason’s blood froze. Oh no. Oh. No. You weren’t happy with him. Clearly.

“Oooh, you’re in troubleeee.”

Jason glared at his oldest brother, Dick, who just said those words. What ? They weren’t children anymore. So his mom was angry, and ? He died and came back to life, so nothing really got to him anymore, and certainly not some silly-

“Exactly what do you think you’re doing ?? You could’ve been killed ! So stupidly too ! You were brought back to us, we can’t watch you go again !”

Oh. Oh he was wrong. As he saw you approached, furious, he felt like a little eight year old child again. Which was an odd feeling, because he was certain he erased everything from that time from his heart, so why would he feel like that right now ?

“Haven’t I told you to take care of yourself ? Didn’t I taught you that ? Forget everything your dad ever taught you if your hatred really makes you do it. But not this, ok ? Not the way he, we, showed you you needed to take care of yourself ? Not, not that…”

Your voice slowly faded away, tears welling up in your eyes.

Jason had come back not so long ago. You and Bruce discovered it was him not so long ago. And he still hadn’t really talked to you. He had a big fight with your husband, you knew. And you understood where his anger came from. But you couldn’t…You couldn’t bear to see him die again !

“Just take care of yourself…hate us all you want, but please…take care of yourself…Don’t let yourself get hurt like that…”

Jason had to leave. He couldn’t handle seeing you like that, but his entire being was still too wrecked deep inside, to go to you and hug you. To comfort you, like you did when he was a child. To talk.

He couldn’t.

He didn’t…He didn’t hate you. And he certainly didn’t hate his dad either. He- He didn’t know who he was anymore.

He had recently reconnected with his siblings (goddamn Dick never was able to mind his business). And Bruce had, of course, ran after him as soon as he understood who the Red Hood really was…But now, now Bruce was giving him space.

And Jason. Jason understood why. He understood. And it tore him apart even more. Oh, it would’ve been so easy, to just hate you and Bruce. But he didn’t. No.

He was hurt. Deeply. And he didn’t understand why Bruce did the thing he did. And why-

He was hurt.

And he wasn’t ready yet to confront you. To just face you. He didn’t want to break again.

And so he left.

In a way, that in itself was an “act of self-care”. Protecting himself from feelings he knew he could not handle just yet. Leaving, so he could regroup. Clear his mind.

Take care of himself.

Everyone had to (re)start somewhere.

Tim

“MOM ! MOOOOM !!”

Damian’s erratic screams pierced you like a knife. That boy rarely succumbed to panic, so if he was calling you so desperately, it meant something grave was up !

You ran towards where his voice was coming, your mind running a thousand different scenarios as to what might’ve happened. You came in the living room your family used the most, and you felt your heart drop.

Right there, near the couch, was Damian, looking as he was about to cry he was sitting down on the floor, with Tim’s head in his lap.

“He just dropped mom, he just dropped !”

Your brain entered “automated pilot” mode as you dismissed all feelings of fear, and went right to your son, to check his vitals and…

“He’s sleeping.”

“Wh-What ?”

Damian was sobbing, scared to death for his brother. Contrary to popular belief, and even if they wouldn’t admit it themselves, Damian and Tim were very close. And so when Tim passed out all of a sudden, he downright panicked, and got extremely scared.  

“He’s sleeping. He’s ok. I bet he “forgot” to sleep again…”

Yes. This wasn’t the first time Tim sort of dropped out of nowhere. He once got dumped by a girlfriend because he fell asleep in a rollercoaster. It wasn’t really too out of character. Reassured, and after making sure he was really just asleep, you went to fetch your husband so he could help you get Tim to bed. As you left you heard Damian say :

“Just you wait, when you wake up, I’ll make you pay for this !”

A soft smile on your lips, you exited the room.

You always worried about your family, of course. Especially given their line of work. But Tim ? Oh, Tim was a CONSTANT worry even when you were right next to him. You didn’t want to be overbearing, so you’d let him do “his thing”. But oh boy…That child had the worst attitude when it came to his own self.

He’d forget to eat, if he was too focus on a project. Or to drink. Or, you know, to sleep. He’d put his needs last, if it meant solving a case. If it meant finishing something.

He was the worst, when it came to self-care. And no matter how much you’d remind him, get mad at him (you, or the rest of the family really), he would always dismiss his need for (what he thought was) a higher purpose. Unlike with your husband, your argument of him not being able to achieve his goal if he dropped first, never quite hit him.

Tim simply didn’t care what happened to him, as long as he got things done. And it was tragic. In multiple ways. First, because it showed how growing up to be invisible to his biological parents truly affected his psyche. Second because it was a source of constant worry for everyone. Third because it really was unhealthy, and he was just sixteen ! Fourth…Well, the list would be infinite, when you think about it.

Tim never taking care of himself was tragic, period.

And moments like this ? Damian panicking, you feeling awful, and him passing out of exhaustion ? Well, it was proof enough of that fact.

Tim woke up in his bedroom, and was greeted by a sight that warmed his heart. Damian was asleep in an armchair, curled up in a little ball. Oh, how far they went, since the first time they met…

His mom and dad were there too, in another armchair. His mom was sleeping, but his dad…

“Hello there chum, feeling better ?”

He nodded, and smiled.

“I’m ok, of course. It was just a little moment of weakness; no worries.”

“Don’t say that to your mom, she’s gonna lose her mind if she hears you say that again after you passed out…again.”

“I know, that’s why I’m telling you. I know you understand.”

“I do. To a certain extend. I do agree with your mom, you know ? It is important to take care of yourself.”

“I am taking care of myself.”

“You passed out on your way to watch a movie with Damian, because you were THAT tired.”

“Good point. But it’s not like, all the time. I just got caught up in…stuffs.”

“I know.”

There’s a small silence. Tim knew Bruce understood him, but he also knew he agreed with you on the self-care part. Which is something he just couldn’t understand. His biological parents never took care of him, like, at all, and it was deep rooted in him that he didn’t really matter. So, you know, it wasn’t such a big deal.

He knew, of course, his family loved him. He knew the extend of your love, you showed it many times. He just didn’t think taking care of himself was that important.

In any case, he was glad you were sleeping at the moment. He definitely didn’t want you to get mad at him right now, he hated it. Not because he was getting yelled at, but because he hated “disappointing” you. So yes. He was glad. And it was heartwarming, that you guys were waiting for him to wake up.

He loved you all so much. Which is why he had to work harder to-

“DRAKE !”

Tim turned his head towards Damian, who was now standing on the armchair, pointing a finger at him.

“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOUUU ?”

For a few seconds, Tim was lost. He looked at his brother, and then at his dad and you, who definitely woke up after Damian’s outburst.

And then Damian started to talk. Talk and talk. To sermon Tim like he never did before.

And it clicked.

It clicked in Tim’s head, that day. After years of you trying to tell him self-care was important, it finally clicked…because of his little brother.

Damian was more than mad, when he woke up. He lectured Tim for hours and hours. And the concern in his voice, in his face, in the very reason he was mad…It told everything Tim needed to know.

He was important to others. He knew it of course. He knew you and Bruce loved him, that he was your beloved son. But for some reason, he always dismissed your self-care words for being “worried parents”. But when Damian put himself in such a state because of Tim lack of self-care ?

Your son understood. Finally. FINALLY. This wasn’t just the worries of parents. This was an actual important thing. Not just for him, but for others, too. He had the same epiphany your husband had, all those years ago.

It just took him a little more time to get through his stubborn thick skull. Oh, and also, it took a loud short ball of nerve showing his utter worry for him, to finally get him to understand.

Finally. Tim understood years of you saying : “self-care is important”, because of the love his little brother held for him…

Cass

“This. Ok.”

She said, showing the wounds you were tended to.

“No Cassandra, no, it’s not ok !”

Your daughter was taken aback by the use of her full name. You only used her full name when you were angry…Or when she thought, you were angry. Usually, you calling her “Cassandra” was a translation of your worries (which granted, could appear as if you were angry).

Dick would tell her you weren’t angry, just worried.

Worried because Cass grew up with people who didn’t care about her, and only ever saw her body as a weapon (resembled Damian in that way). As a result, she viewed her own self as an expandable, and it drove you crazy.

Crazy with worries, and with pain.

Your precious little girl thought of herself as an expandable, while to you, she’d forever be irreplaceable. You hated those who gave her the idea. Hated her so called “father”.

How dare they make such a wonderful woman think she was nothing important. Think her existence was secondary.

“It’s not ok, it’s not.”

You repeated. And it broke your heart, to see your daughter not understanding why you were so upset. You were pretty sure she thought you were upset with her.

“I’m not angry at you…”

You had to reassure her on that, of course. But you couldn’t look at her. You didn’t want to cry, not in front of her. You weren’t sure you could explain to her why…

But you and Cass ? You never needed words, to understand each other. You never needed hours of conversations, long explanations, to know exactly how the other felt.  

You felt her hands softly settle on your cheeks, and she “forced” you to raise your head. For a long moment, she looked deep in your eyes, and you could see she was searching for the answers to her unasked questions.

Did she find it ?

You didn’t know. All you know is that she let you go, after a while. Looked at her wounds. And said :

“Alright. Important.”

************

It’s only ages later, that you realized she understood what you meant, in that moment you called her “Cassandra”. She understood why you were sad, and that it wasn’t her fault.

No. And that was the most important thing.

It wasn’t her fault.

It was a long road, to understanding truly was self-care is. But a long road she was willing to take. Because she knew you would take it with her, too. That you would be there, guiding her, not giving up on her, ever.

That you would be there, looking at her as if she was the most important thing in the world for you (and she was, along with the rest of the family). Giving her a sensation she never felt before.

Was she important ?

If she was, was taking care of herself important ?

A long road. That you’d accompany her on. Everything will be fine. She knew it. One day, one day she’d understand.

Self-care is important.

Damian

Damian was not used to have someone care for his need. So how could he know about “self-care ?”

When trained with the League of Assassins, he was fed, and had a roof over his head. But, he was being trained by the League of Assassins. He had been created for one purpose and one purpose only.

To one day rule the world.

There was no being nurtured, just being lead to be the ultimate survivor and weapon. Nobody ever asked him if he wanted ice-cream, for example, like you were, right now.

“Are you ok, my little buddy ?”

Ah. Another question he never heard before he started to live at Wayne Manor. “Are you ok ?”, oh, how three little words could mean so much.

Damian wasn’t ok. And he wasn’t even sure why. He just felt like everything was…Too much. Sometimes, things were just too much. And he didn’t quite knew why yet (he would discover along the way, get more in phase with his own feelings).

He shook his head, and slowly, you saw his face crumble, and tears gathering in his eyes and you didn’t need more prompting. You entered “mom mode”, an experience Damian only ever lived with you. Which is probably why he genuinely considered you to be his mom.

You sat down beside him, and enveloped him in your arms. And it felt so nice. He didn’t need to give you an explanation, to tell you why he wasn’t feeling well. You were there anyway. And it was nice.

A long time went by, when you finally said :

“You can always talk to me. And if it’s too hard, text me ? Write to me to explain, if you want. You don’t have to of course. But if you feel like it’ll make you feel better, do not hesitate. You will never bother me.”

You will never bother me, you tell him. In such stark contrast with what he was used to. His grandfather constantly reminded him that he was alive only because he let him be. That his life belonged to him, and that if he became too much of a nuisance, he’d-

“It’s ok my little buddy. Go ahead, cry all you need. It’s ok.”

All you need. You said need.

“You know, it’s ok to sometimes take some time, for yourself. It’s important, even.”

There’s a short silence. Damian clings to you, but he slowly calms down.

“You have to take care of yourself. Care for yourself, as much as I care for you.”

Silence again. Damian wasn’t crying anymore, but he wasn’t sure of what to say. Taking care of himself ? He didn’t know how that worked. Where to begin ? What did that entail ?

Taking care of himself, as much as you cared for him ?

Wouldn’t that be too much ? Too self-centered ? Going backward in his redemption, back to thinking he was “the best” and deserved to be put on a pedestal ?

Because you cared for him so much. So much. Like nobody ever cared for him before. Granted, it was easy, as nobody ever did. But you…You were such a great mom.

Damian didn’t want to be self-centered.

“It’s ok to take care of yourself. To have moment of self-care.”

You said, noticing your son didn’t seem convince. And it’s as if you could read his mind, as you added :

“It doesn’t mean you only care about yourself. There IS a difference between self-care and being self-centered.”

Yes. As if you read exactly what was in his mind.

“Damian. You are allowed to take time for yourself. Like right now. With me. It’s self-care. Opening up to someone, letting your emotion run free. It’s a form of self-care. And then, when you feel better, we can go eat all the junk food we can find, and binge watch all your favorite movies. That could also be self-care.”

“Eating ice-cream and movies are…self-care ?”

“Well, in a way, yes. It makes you feel good right ?”

“Right.”

“And relaxed ?”

“Yes, especially when with you.”

“Then it’s self-care. For me, it’s peace of mind. It’s feeling like things will be ok. It’s surrounding myself with those I love. Like you. I love you my little buddy.”

“I love you too…”

He never told anyone he loved them before. Because nobody ever loved him.

Self-care, huh ?

Damian never even knew it existed. He never saw simply doing something he liked, like drawing, as a part of “self-care”. Just like with his dad, you put things into a new perspective.

You made him understand, slowly but surely, what self-care was. And how important it is.

Duke

Duke had the bad habit of pressuring himself too much. He was a rather stress teenage boy, and it made it even worst that he always kept everything inside, like an actual pressure cooker.

He put in his head, early in his life, that he had to succeed at certain things in order for his loved one to be proud of him, and not worry for him. He’d stress over his studies, his future, sometimes he’d simply stress over not knowing what to eat for lunch !

It was simply the way he was, an overthinker to the core.

And he never spoke about it. Never. It wasn’t his style, and it wasn’t what he was used to.

A pressure cooker.

Holding everything cooking up inside, under high pressure.

You knew that. You knew, and it drove you crazy, because you also knew this kind of stress couldn’t just be cured overnight, if it could even be cured.

Duke was an anxious boy, and as a result he often got strung up on things and forgot himself. Forgot his own safety.

You made it your duty, to remind him that he needed to take care of himself. Just like you did with all your children.

But Duke was particular. All your children were different, and they all had to learn to take care of themselves in different ways. For Duke, who also had the added stress of discovering new powers which could turn dangerous if he didn’t learn to use them, it came under the form of a schedule.

Duke like the safety of knowing what was going to happen. Of planning things ahead, which is what made him such a great vigilante (and was closely related to his powers, when you thought about it).

He needed a structure, or his stress would go through the motherfu**ing roof. You discovered that the hard way. You were trying to explain to him he needed to take some self-care moments, to tell him taking care of himself was important…And it really didn’t work. In fact, it had the opposite effect.

He listened to you. He took a day off and…panicked. He hadn’t time to think what he was going to do, how he would use this day productively, how-

It just didn’t occur to him that Duke would react that way. And it was ok. Learning through trials and errors, right ? The next day, you showed him a blank schedule, saying he should try to fit a “self-care day” at least once a month, to start with. And then incorporate one a week, if he could.

And this ? This was reassuring. He could work, with thinking of a schedule. With thinking of specific days, in which it was ok for him to not plan things. He just had to plan that in advance.

For many, it could sound contradictory. But for him, who had this anxiety he had to live with for so long, it wasn’t. If he knew he had that day to relax, to not think of anything. To put everything on a side, and just do his hobbies, hang with his family and friends without worries…Then he could genuinely let go.

It was maybe a little too cerebral for some people. But it’s how Duke worked. The very essence of his meta-human powers showed this was just who he was. Someone who needed to plan ahead. It didn’t mean he couldn’t improvise, oh no, on the contrary, he had quite the talent to improvise. He was a smart boy. But, it meant having a direction to go was reassuring, and nice. And knowing when he could turn this off, was also nice.

To Duke, self-care started with a piece of cardboard. A blank schedule you gave him. And it slowly took meaning from there. Slowly became an actual thing. To finally take its full place in his life.

Duke had his own way, to self-care. His own path. And as he introduced this in his life, he became less stressed, and truly understood what you meant.

Self-care was important.

Self-care was almost vital, in a way ?

It could help you function during days you felt like nothing would go right.

Self-care was important.

Duke had a tough few years, what with losing his parents to the Joker’s laughing poison, and discovering he was a meta-human. And you teaching him self-care ? Showing him the foundation of what it was ?

It helped. It really did.

Not only self-care became a part of his daily routine. But it’s also what made him feel like he had a family again. Because if you, Bruce, those he came to introduce as his siblings, wanted him to take care of himself…It meant you really cared for him. It meant you loved him.

It meant he had a family again.

Alfred

You would FORCE Alfred to take days off.

Out of everyone, he probably the one who took care the least of themselves. And with people like Tim or Bruce in your family, that was saying a LOT.

In a way, it seemed logical. After all, his very position, being a butler, meant everyone else’s need came before his. But in your way, it couldn’t always be like that !

Alfred too, needed time for himself. Needed time for some precious self-care.

And although he was quite a stubborn man, and held his ground in front of the Batman himself…He couldn’t beat your determination. And he had to admit, it was nice, to sometimes lay back.

Everyone needed some self-care days.

YOU !

Just like you’d get mad at them, they’d definitely get mad at you too…

Sometimes, they would say you took care of them TOO MUCH.

Of course, most of the time they wouldn’t complain. They loved being around you. But they loved you being healthy even more. And so the “you time” came in. “Me time”, for you. Every now and then, you’d have moments of pure self-care. All on your own. Which was…nice.

You loved your family, but those moments of calm wanted “loneliness” were good. It was part of your self-care. The other part was…To let yourself be utterly pampered by them.

By your Broosh. By your children. By Alfred.

Moments devoted to you, to your every need. Because your health was precious, to all of them. And you understood. You understood, because this was the exact reason you always “fought” them to take more care of themselves.

Yes.

Yes, self-care is important. And it was something that almost became a motto, in the Wayne family.

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Just like last time, I haven’t written anything in a while (this time mainly because of lack of time though, and not my mental illnesses…yay ?). So I’m a little nervous about sharing this little thing, I wrote rather fast in a burst of inspiration (albeit I wrote this half-asleep so ya know). They’re just drabbles. Maybe too descriptive, but the theme was made for it aaah.

I really hope you liked it. And as usual, comments and/or reblogs are always welcomed, encouraging, and heart warming :). Thank you.