OKAY so I was kinda imagining this lil scene where the male reader tries to ‘seme’ his partner (either dick or jason cuz theyre so manly ugh ) by, you know, like pinning them against the wall and do this husky/gruff voice and whispers lewd things to his partner’s ear, AND it turned on his partner ;)))) and then comes the goddamn rough sex with lots of thrusting and rubbing MMHMHM

Warning(s): explicit languages and content, the title is serious btw it’s NSFW.

A/N: OH BOI, I have never written an M/M sex scenario before, except for that one HC you probably had read before this one. BUT HEY, a first for everything! Sorry, this takes me so long, things happened, yipes!

And by the way, I just noticed some of my 18+ works are…MISSING- or maybe it’s just me.
What amImissing?

M/M, Male/Male.

Dick was surprised upon stepping his foot into his shared bedroom, he was pinned against the wall, a familiar feeling of your chest pressing against his to keep him in position while your hands were resting by his head. He looked at you with wide eyes before the initial shock was replaced with lust, he could feel his cock throbbing beneath his suddenly tight pants.

“Hello to you too, baby,” the ravenette smirked, licking his lips.

You responded with a deep hum as you placed your lips to his jaw, open-mouthed and wet kisses you delivered to his skin as your lips made their way to his own causing him to shudder. This was so unlike you.

“Not that I don’t like the attention– mmm,” he was cut off with a particularly deep kiss, your tongue invading his mouth, tracing every nook and cranny before your mouth decided to trail downwards, he took it as a chance to continue his inquiry, breathlessly, “but what’s gotten into you?”

Dick felt your teeth grazing his neck, nipping and sucking hard at his pulse point and it got him to arch his back off the now warm wall, cursing softly under his breath.

“Been thinking about you,” you looked up at him through your lashes, eyes lidded heavily as you sensuously licked down his neck, grinding your own clothed erection against his which wasn’t too hard since you were almost at the same height as he.

Dick took a deep breath, his chiseled chest expanding. “Yeah?” responded Dick lustfully, his big hands gripping your hips, pressing you more into him and just then he could feel the damp patch in your sweatpants where the head of your cock would be, “gosh,” he nearly threw his head back, “what did you think about?”

Your boyfriend let you reach for his belt buckle, fiddling with it before pulling his pants down along with his boxers, his cock twitched when the cold air hit the sensitive head. Swirling your thumb over the tip, collecting the pre that had leaked from the slit, you pressed another smothering kiss to his lips.

“Many things,” you grasped his thigs, lifting him up against the wall while he wrapped his legs around your hips. Dick’s hand went to your hair, gripping the strands tightly in his fist to bring your face closer. “You okay bottoming today?” you asked, carrying him into your shared bedroom before throwing him on the bed.

Dick bounced on the mattress, watching you as you crawled your way towards him. Your figure looming over him. He eyed the tent in your pants, licking his lips as he shed his shirt, pants already thrown somewhere when you carried him. He didn’t need to answer, all he needed to do was to reach for the lube, spreading his legs and lubed his ass hole as he stroked his needy length. His fingers went in almost with no resistance, he no longer jacking himself off, moaning just because he had his digits inside.

“Hurry,” he rasped, begged for your cock. Gone was the cool Dick Grayson, all that was left just your horny boyfriend, lifting his hips up as he kept fucking himself with his fingers. “Please, fuck, hurry up.”

You teasingly stroked your length in front of him, precum dripping out of your slit. He whined when you nudged his hole with the tip, barely pushing the head in before pulling back out, Dick was almost regretting pulling his fingers out. This was such a turn on for you, seeing the golden boy like this. Hair messy, sweat dribbling down his forehead, swollen lips opened with every deep intake of breath he took.

“Please,” was all Dick needed to say before you pushed your cock in, not even going for the slow thrusts, you went on jackhammering his ass. Your hands rested by either side of his head while his own was grasping your shoulders, pulling you down to a messy kiss. “Ohh– fuck, please!”

“Mm, don’t worry, baby,” you cooed against his open mouth, nipping his lip before dragging it with your teeth, delivering a particularly deep and hard thrust that made him keen, eyes rolling back and hand went to his dick, stroking furiously. “I’m just getting started.”

oblivious || Damian Wayne

Hallo! I’ll get straight to it. XDD Is it fine if I would ask for some Damian Wayne x Reader. Where the reader has an alter ego but Damian doesn’t know it. Damian, as Robin, is always teasing and kinda insulting the reader but doesn’t realize that it’s the same girl he likes. And the reader is kinda chill with both of their personalities that they’d be really fcking similar XDD and they don’t even try to cover it up. But she’s smart enough not to let it through. I hope you get the idea. You can just say no tho hahaha. Anyways, have a great day!

A/N: I hope this turns out okay! Do you notice I put pictures of the boys now? Yeah, bcs I’m not writing on my tablet and yes, I always write on my tablet for most of the times :>

Have I done this title before yet?

::

“Really, Robin?” You stared at the boy wonder in front of you, he had his booted foot on top of a criminal that you both had defeated- it was mostly him because apparently, he loved to steal your spotlight- the bulky man was probably unconscious since he hadn’t moved at all, he hit his head pretty hard on the ground after all.

“You were too slow,” he bent down to tie up the guy’s wrists, then flipped him over to his back before tying up his ankles and thighs.

“I arrived here first, you ass,” you huffed, sighing in defeat. There was no point arguing with the boy, he was always like this when he was doing his hero duties or not.

Oh, of course, you knew who he was at school. Damian Wayne, the son of Bruce Wayne, one of the possible heirs. He was good looking, had quick reflexes, smart but despite all that…

He still didn’t know who you were.

You did nothing much to hide that you were, well, you.Save for the mask you wore and the suit- of course, you did nothing- you let your hair just the way it was, the way you act was just the same like how you acted in school.

He still didn’t notice.

“Too bad, too sad,” Damian- Robin- stretched his arms up, he was young but damn if his body didn’t already sculpt, you had seen it first hand too on gym class when he had to wipe the sweat off his face with his shirt. “Is this all?”

“Uh, yeah,” you looked around the building, it was empty and eerie, the sound of wind could be heard because it was just that silent save for the two of you. “Let’s get out of here, I’ve called the GCPD. They should be here right about,” you heard sirens blaring from afar, the red and blue glimpses of light accompanying the sirens, “now. Let’s go.”

The two of you grappled up, away from the polices’ eyes. Their flashlights were aimed all over to look for you and Robin but they were already too late since you two were already far from the scene, heading for a nearby fast food restaurant.

The person behind the counter wasn’t surprised to see two young vigilantes strolling into the place casually, talking like you were just regular customer- which you technically were- and ordered some food then went out again to eat on their rooftop.

“It’s not like you to be late, Robin,” you commented, chewing on your curly fries, legs rocking back and forth as you stared at the ground where civilians were passing.

“Had to finish my homework first,” he looked at you, emerald eyes narrowing behind the glasses of his domino mask, “swallow before speaking.”

You didn’t pay any heed to his words and continued speaking, although, this time your food was already swallowed, “we have homework?”

“Yeah,” he paused, “wait, what do you mean ‘we’?”

“Oh shoot, we have homework,” you crumpled the paper bag, tucking it into your pocket- had to give a good example as a good vigilante- and grinned at him as you stood to leave, “do you seriously haven’t noticed who I am, Dami?” You snickered.

You watched as everything seemed to process in his head and when you knew the obvious realization washed over him you left without a goodbye but laughed loudly into the night. The poor boy was left there alone, mortified.

“Shi–” his mother’s voice echoed in his earpiece, daring him to finish that word, “crap,” he corrected himself.

After all this time he had been telling you about his feelings, asking for help and advice, ranting on how much he adored you to…you?

Needless to say, Damian didn’t come to school for a couple of days and when he did, he didn’t dare to talk to you until youapproached him.

another Damian?

Yes, there’s another one coming.

….soon.

Hi there i was hoping that you can do one about were Damian meets his twin sister and she goes to see him and now live with him in the mansion and the batboys come home (including batman/bruce) and start to freak out that they have another sibling but that it is a girl and the reader and Damian are just watching this and the reader is like a girl version of Damian so i would be really happy if you did that and if don’t that’s fine I’m just asking but can you please and have a nice day or night

A/N:This is going to be a short crack/drabble, I hope this is okay!

Damian is close to the reader!

Damian stared at the perplexed expressions on his older siblings’ faces, they just came back from their patrol, all messy and bloody- there was almost no such thing as not fighting when they went out. He had his hand clasped with another hand that definitely did not belong to him, it was a little smaller and more feminine.

But that was not the only thing that made the older boys, sans Bruce since he wasn’t back yet. Their eyes shifted to where their mother stood, she had an awkward- almost nervous- smile on her delicate face then back to you, the almost carbon copy of Damian.

You were twins, had the same dark hair and the same shape of eyes but just slightly different shades of green, Damian stood a few inches taller than you and that little prick was smug about it.

“Uh,” you raised an eyebrow, “nice to meet all of you?”

You soon regretted greeting them because they started to make a ruckus, the one that Damian had pointed out that this guy was the oldest- Dick Grayson- grabbed your face, turning it side to side while you frowned that same frown Damian always supported whenever he was annoyed. Tim- he was cute- noticed that expression and started taking pictures before showing them to Jason- second oldest.

“Holy poop,” Jason was well aware of the no cursing rule ever since Mrs. Wayne threatened to spank him in front of his brothers if he ever cursed, Damian told you about this on one of his letters, “we have a female Damian in the house.”

“DUDE,” shrieked Dick, you pried his hands off your cheeks and covered your ears. Emerald eyes met yours, there was an amused glint behind those beautiful irises and a smirk pulled at the corner of his lips, in return, you narrowed your eyes at him.

What kind of hell have you gotten me into, Damian?

“Are they always like this?” you looked over your shoulder at Mrs. Wayne, who apparently, had been tending his husband- when did he even come in?

The older woman chuckled, both of you ignoring the weird noises and whatever it was the other boys were talking about, she shook her head, bandaging her husband with such care. Alfred was trying to get the older boys to sit so he could look them up just in case they had wounds.

“No,” she finally answered, “but they are such goofy boys compared to Damian.”

“Umi,” grumbled the said boy.

“How come I’ve never seen you before?” This time it was Bruce, he had that same stern look but a bit more questioning.

“I hid because mother said so.”

“Oh.”

The awkward silence between you and Bruce was enough to make Mrs. Wayne sweat, it would be worse if the other boys weren’t still making a ruckus, Bruce was basically saying that he didn’t know he had a daughter- which totally wasn’t his fault since he didn’t even know he had a biological son because Talia never told him. Damian’s first meeting with her was a little awkward.

“Wait,” Tim was the first one to speak after he got over the fact he had a younger female, living, breathing sibling in his life now, “so, does it mean I have to deal with twoDamians? I can’t even deal with ONE demon spawn now I have to deal with TWO of them?”

“Who are you calling demon spawn, Drake?” You glared at him along with your brother, you both were questioning the poor dark haired teen in sync and the horror on Tim’s face was just hilarious if you weren’t actually offended by his words.

“Oh, great!”

Dick was the only one who looked terribly happy, he even showed it by bringing both you and Damian into a hug, it felt weird. You pushed at his chest while Damian just accepted his fate.

“Don’t touch me.”

“Just accept it, sister,” your brother spoke wisely, “he isn’t going to let you go until he is satisfied.”

What had you gotten yourself into?

Reader, I’d love to be in your position-

Requested by Anon -  A story about the justice league employing new recruits in the young justice. Kaldur is both annoyed and in love with one new girl.

Requested by Anon -  Can I get a fic where Kaldur falls in love with some badass girl after she rides on his moto to trash some criminal?

Requested by blackafricanqueen -  Can I get a fix where Kaldur is both annoyed and in love with a justice league new recruit?

Slight spoilers for season four ahead…

***

Kaldur crossed his arms, eyeing the new recruits standing in the main area of the Watchtower. He and Artemis stood together to one side as Black Lightning addressed the new members. “Black Lightning believes these are the key for the league to stay current with the times?” he asked, glancing at Artemis.

Artemis shrugged. “Yeah, he says we need more diversity.” She snorted. “Diversity in abilities and training anyway.” 

Kaldur hummed as Black Lightning finished and gestured for Kaldur to join him. Artemis gave him a supportive look as Kaldur left her side. “This is Aquaman. He’ll be in charge of getting you settled and trained on the League’s methods.” Kaldur barely hid his wince. Why did he become the League’s trainer? Couldn’t Batman do it?

Suddenly, one girl, maybe slightly younger than Kaldur, raised her hand. Black Lightning chuckled at the sight before nodding to her. “Is he Aquaman number one, two, or three? Isn’t there three Aquamans now?” 

Kaldur narrowed his eyes at her. She just smiled back cheekily. “He’s the second Aquaman,” Black Lightning said, a smirk on his face. “Now I’ll leave you to him.” Black Lightning turned and walked out of the room. 

“What now, sir?” the militant-looking recruit asked, relaxing slightly. He must be ex-military, Kaldur guessed. Jefferson never did give Kaldur the files on any of the new recruits. He’ll have to find them later.

“Now we will train.” Kaldur gestured for them to follow him as he turned to lead them deeper into the Watchtower.

“Yes, Aqua Two.” Kaldur looked over his shoulder at the girl. Annoying girl. 

“Aquaman is fine,” Kaldur said shortly.

“But what if all the Aquamans are in the same place, then I’d have to call you Aqua Two, so might as well start now.” The girl grinned. Kaldur sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before looking away. The other two recruits were wonderfully silent. Kaldur led them toward the training room, planning to put the annoying girl through more rounds with higher difficulty as a result.  

***

“Is that it?” You panted, grinning at Aqua Two as he frowned deeply. You knew you pushed him too far and he was punishing you. It was very enjoyable to see him become more and more dissatisfied as you met every one of his challenges. Every part of your body ached. You were slowing down. Hopefully, Aqua Two will give up before you do. 

“No.” Aqua Two gestured for the other two recruits to leave. “You are done for the day. See you tomorrow.” They quickly left. “I will run another simulation.” 

You sighed, taking a moment to catch your breath. However, the simulation started immediately and you barely ducked to avoid a giant ax flying at your head. A huge Viking man formed out of thin air. You smirked and grabbed the ax as he took another swing. Riding the ax up in the air as he attempted to throw you off, you flipped over him to land a kick to his lower back. He stumbled allowing you to flip around him and perform a nerve strike to his neck. The Viking fell hard and disappeared. Two Vikings appeared the moment the other disappeared. You took a deep breath before standing your ground. 

***

“Kaldur, aren’t you taking this a bit far? You had her in there for hours,” Raquel said, appearing at Kaldur’s side. Kaldur flinched. He should have heard her come in.

“This new recruit has an attitude problem.” Kaldur crossed his arms. He noticed you were slowing down. You took a hit to the face, toppling over. However, you recovered quickly, rolling back to your feet and taking down the Viking.

Raquel hummed. “You have to stop. This is Wonder Woman’s program. It will kill her.” She reached around and turned it off. You froze as the Vikings disappeared. Kaldur clicked his tongue. Raquel rolled her eyes and turned to you. “Go to the med bay. That last hit must have really hurt.”

“I’m good.” You grinned despite the blood dripping from your mouth. “Ready to keep going, Aqua Two? If you are still up for it?”

Kaldur blushed as Raquel glanced back at him with a smirk. “You’re done. Go home, (Y/N). We’ll see you here tomorrow.” Raquel waved you off and eyed Kaldur. You waved cheerfully and limped out of the room. “So you’re punishing her for teasing you?”

“It is improper.” Kaldur pursed his lips, realizing he was taking out his frustrations on you. Truth was, he didn’t like having to share the Aquaman name. It was the way it had to be, but it certainly led to several situations he didn’t appreciate. For example, being called in when they actually wanted Orin. Very irritating.

“She is just teasing you, Kaldur. No different than how I would.” Raquel shook her head. “I’ll have a word with her to lay off, but don’t take your frustrations out on the newbie because she annoys you.” She crossed her arms. 

Kaldur sighed, dropping his shoulders. “I…You are right.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Check on her for me.” He met Raquel’s eye. “I will apologize to her once I have time to…calm down.”

Raquel nodded, patting Kaldur’s shoulder. “Don’t take what she does personally. I’m the one who recruited her. She’s sassy, but her heart is in the right place.” Raquel walked out of the room. Kaldur watched her go before heading toward the zeta tubes to go back to Atlantis. 

***

You couldn’t believe you had survived this long in the League. After the first day, you assumed you would be pushed out, but here you were on your first official Justice League mission. You brushed off your brand new suit even though you received it only a hour before. 

“(Y/N), are you paying attention?” Aqua Two snapped, nudging your arm as he passed. You jerked back into reality. He waved for you to follow him. You hurried along, smiling brightly at the thought of being partnered with Aqua Two. This is a chance to proof yourself to him.

“I am. Ready to join you on guard duty.” You nudged him back. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he led you toward the zeta tube. You knew you were annoying him again with just your eagerness, but you didn’t care. Today was the day.

***

“It’s not every day you get to see the president in person,” you said as you sat on the edge of the roof next to Aqua Two. “He looks taller on TV.”

Aqua Two hummed in response, standing next to you as he scanned the crowd below. The Justice League was asked to provide extra security for the president when intel about an assassination attempt was revealed. An assassination attempt by a super villain nevertheless. 

“No sign of any suspicious activity over here,” Plastic Man reported through the comlink. 

“Nothing here,” you said before Aqua Two could speak. He narrowed his eyes at you. You shrugged. “What? I can speak too. Otherwise, why give me a comm?” 

“Quiet.” He turned away from you, studying the crowd below. You looked too. Several minutes of silence passed. The crowd grew as the president began his speech. You listened, smiling when the president cracked a joke to lighten the mood. Aqua Two’s eyes were on you. You glanced at him. He blushed when you caught him looking. 

You gave him a smile before examining the other roof tops. Nothing seemed to be out of place until you saw a slight flash of light reflecting on metal. Moving fast, you threw one of your shurikens just in time to stop a throwing knife from hitting the President in the chest. The assassin stepped out of the shadows and made eye contact with you. “Brutale.”

Aqua Two was giving orders through the comms, but you weren’t paying attention. Suddenly, Brutale threw another knife, but toward you. You were about to duck only for Aqua Two to tackle you to the ground. “Pay attention,” he growled as he rolled off you quickly and jumped to his feet.

“I was.” You hopped to your feet to see Brutale still on the roof. “I’m going after him,” you said before turning to look at Aqua Two. He looked back at you with a hint of concern in his eyes.

“You’re not ready for this.” He grabbed your arm, squeezing tight. Out of the corner of your eye, you watched the president being escorted inside the building by Plastic Man and one of the other new recruits. Brutale watched the president before looking back at you. 

You licked your lips. Brutale stepped back into the shadows. “I’m sorry, but I have to.” You jerked away from Aqua Two and fired your new grapple gun to give chase.

***

“Foolish,” Kaldur mumbled under his breath as he watched you go. He tapped his comm. “Is the president safe?” 

“Yes, sir. The president is secure,” the recruit said. “Have we captured the assassin?” 

“No, (Y/N) and I are in pursuit.” Kaldur ran for the fire escape and quickly climbed down the stairs. “Stay with the president.” He jumped down into the street, dodging the crowd when he saw you and Brutale fighting in the middle of the stage where the president had just been. Kaldur pushed past people, fighting his way to you. “(Y/N), I’m here. Keep him there.” 

“Working on it,” you replied as you dodged several throwing knives. One nicked your cheek, but you kept fighting. Kaldur jumped into the fight. Brutale fell back once he realized he was outnumbered. Moving fast, he hopped into the crowd. You and Kaldur shared a quick look. Kaldur held up three fingers. You smiled before sprinting off to the right. Kaldur moved left. He felt proud you had memorized the signals so fast. 

Brutale reached a motorcycle that was waiting for him on the street. He hopped on and drove off. “Crap.” You ran up next to Kaldur. Kaldur hummed, tapping his wrist to call his motorcycle. He had it hidden nearby, sensing it would be needed. Your eyes widened as it parked itself next to Kaldur. “Wow, do I get one of those?”

“Maybe. For now, you ride with me.” Kaldur climbed on. You eyed him before snuggling in behind him. Your arms tight around his waist. Kaldur felt a blush come to his cheeks. Luckily, you couldn’t see. Maybe you weren’t so annoying after all? Maybe even a little cute? He shook his head before zooming off after Brutale.

Kaldur followed Brutale closely. “Get alongside him,” you whispered. Kaldur tensed, feeling your breath on his ear. His body buzzed excitedly. He took a deep breath, pushing his thoughts aside. Brutale attempted to throw a few knives at Kaldur’s tires, but he dodged them. 

Your arms left Kaldur’s waist. He felt your hands on his shoulders. A glance behind revealed you were standing on the motorcycle seat. “What are you doing?”

“I got this.” You patted his shoulder with one hand as he sped up to catch up with Brutale. Suddenly, you jumped onto Brutale’s cycle. He attempted to stab you, but you dodged it and attached yourself around his neck. Kaldur dropped back, watching worriedly. 

With one jerk of the handles, Brutale’s motorcycle turned sharply, sending you and Brutale into the air. The cycle rolled several time. Kaldur slammed on his brakes. His heart stopped when he saw you hit the ground. The cycle flew over you and landed on Brutale who crashed on the ground after you. He heard a terrible snap. 

“(Y/N)?!” Kaldur dropped his motorcycle and ran to your side. He tapped his comm. “We need medical assistance immediately.” Kaldur checked your pulse. He frowned at the blood pooling by your head. “(Y/N)? Can you hear me?”

You moaned, opening your eyes. “That hurt.” Your lips cracked that annoying, yet wonderful smile. “Did we get Brutale?”

“Yes, he is over there.” Kaldur glanced over at him. Brutale moved slightly, but he wasn’t going to be able to get away. Kaldur focused his attention back on you when you hissed. “Don’t move.” 

“I think I broke my arm, Aqua Two.” You grinned when Kaldur narrowed his eyes. 

“Hush now.” Kaldur sighed in relief as an ambulance arrived. “Never do anything like that again.”

“We got him,” you said, closing your eyes. 

“You got him.” Kaldur pulled away as the paramedic came up. He went over to join the paramedic by Brutale to make sure he didn’t try to escape. Your laughter filled his ears and he knew you’d be okay.

***

A few hours later, you laid in your hospital bed. The TV played some old western. You watched it listlessly, wishing the pain in your body to go away. Apparently, they gave you some drugs, but the pain was still there. 

A knock on the door frame cheered you up. You grinned, looking over at the door to see Aqua Two standing there with a bouquet of flowers. A smile pulled at your lips. Did he really get your flowers?

“Hi,” you said when he didn’t move, staring at your cast.

“Hello.” He shook his head, stepping inside. “The doctor said you are alright.”

“Yeah, just some broken bones. They want to keep me overnight for observation.” You gestured to the chair with your good arm. He took the seat before handing you the flowers. “Thank you.” You held them to your nose, breathing in their scent. 

“I was told flowers are a customary gift for an injured person.” Aqua Two smiled tightly as you set the flowers in your lap. “How are you feeling?”

“Good. The painkillers aren’t kicking in super fast, but I’ll live.” You leaned back against your pillows. “Is Brutale in custody?” 

Aqua Two nodded. “He is. You did a good job.”

You smiled, thinking it was only a few weeks ago when he was punishing you for being cheeky. “You did too. Couldn’t have done it if you weren’t driving.”

A nurse came in to check on your vitals. She glanced between you and Aqua Two. You bit your lip while Aqua Two blushed. “Everything looks good. Call us if you need anything,” the nurse said, sending you a wink as she shut the door to your room behind her. 

“Tomorrow…” Aqua Two stopped and cleared his throat. Eyes on the floor. You watched him, smiling happily. “Would you allow me to escort you home from the hospital tomorrow?” 

You reached out to take his hand. “I would appreciate that.” Your heart skipped a beat, his hand felt so strong. “Thanks Aqua Two.” 

“Kaldur.” You blinked in surprise. He looked up at you, a hint of a smile pulling at his lips. “You may call me Kaldur.”

“Kaldur,” you said, testing the name on your lips. You liked it. He entwined his fingers with yours. Your skin electrized at the touch. “That’s a nice name.” 

The two of you fell into conversation and the time slipped away. Eventually, you didn’t even notice the pain anymore.

Part One

You and Tim eventually made your escape into one of the closets in the Watchtower. Locking the door, you sank down to the ground and covered your face with your hands. “That was the worst thing I’ve ever experienced.”

Tim sat down beside you. Sighing, he wrapped an arm around your shoulders. “Did you get a chance to tell anyone that we didn’t mean to get married?” 

“No. They all kept congratulating us.” You leaned into him. “My parents were so happy, but all they could talk about was having another ceremony here.”

“Alfred said the same thing. He is pretty miffed we eloped.” Tim ran a hand over his hair. “Everyone seemed hurt that we didn’t tell them or give them any warning.” 

“It’s not like we had any warning.” You closed your eyes. “I’m going to kill Bart.”

Tim snorted. “Cassie’s looking for him. Apparently, he ran off.” You rested your head on his shoulder. He buried his face in your hair. “What should we do?”

“I’m tempted to just let it go. Let people think we’re married, do what makes them happy.” You sighed. “I’m so tired, Tim.”

Tim hummed. “I mean…being married wouldn’t be a bad thing.” He smiled when you looked at him slightly surprised. “Think of the tax benefits.”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you serious?”

“Maybe?” He pursed his lips. “I don’t know. The thought of telling Bruce and Alfred that we were drugged and got married is enough to make me want to fight the Joker fifty times instead.” 

“Same. I don’t want to try to explain to my parents. They were so happy. Apparently, they thought I was a lost cause.” You bumped your knee into his. “But what are we going to do now?”

Tim took a deep breath before getting to his feet. He brushed himself off and offered you a hand. “We’re going home. We’ll clean ourselves up and get a good night sleep. Tomorrow, I’ll take you out for dinner and we’ll discuss this in more detail.” 

You took his hand. “Okay.” You smiled at him. “But before we go, I need to find Bart.” 

Tim smirked. “I’ll come with you.” The two of you stared at each other. You leaned forward slowly and pressed your lips against his. Tim tensed before relaxing and wrapping his arms around your waist. He pulled away after a moment. “Yeah, kissing you every night wouldn’t be bad.”

You smiled. “No, it wouldn’t be bad.” You pulled away and slipped out of the closet. Batman and Superman were talking just outside. They both stared at you. Superman chuckled while Batman frowned. You quickly left and Tim was right on your heels. His face blushing under his mask.

***

Tim was fast asleep before someone flopped on his bed, jerking him awake. “What the hell?” he shouted, ready to fight until he recognized the cologne tickling his nose.  He sighed. “I knew I should have went to my apartment.”

“Timmy, I can’t believe you’re married.” Dick made himself comfortable on the other side of the bed, putting his arms behind his head. “I mean you and (Y/N) weren’t even dating.”

“Well…things happen.” Tim laid back down, turning on his side to face away from Dick. “I’ve always cared about (Y/N) regardless.” 

Dick hummed. Tim really should have went to his apartment, but Alfred insisted on him staying the night at the manor. Dick was going to keep digging until the truth came out. “So funny story,” Dick said. Tim held back a groan. Dick knew. He knew the truth. “I overheard Bart telling Wally that he just performed the ultimate prank on you and (Y/N). Revenge for the shrimp incident, I believe he said.”

“Of course, the shrimp incident,” Tim mumbled to himself. Back when you were all kids, Tim and you convinced Bart he could speak to shrimp. It took Bart years to get over the humiliation. “I should have known he wouldn’t forget that.” 

“So…I’m guessing you didn’t mean to get married to (Y/N) and Bart tricked you somehow.” Dick nudged Tim’s arm. “Jason owes me twenty bucks. He thought you eloped to annoy Bruce.” 

Tim snorted. “That’s something Jason would do.” 

Dick hummed, smiling at Tim cheekily. “You gave him the idea anyway.” Dick propped himself up on his arm to face Tim. Tim turned to meet Dick’s eye when Dick poked him. “What are you going to do?”

“Well, we’re only married on Betrassus. That marriage won’t hold up here.” Tim rolled onto his back, sighing. “(Y/N) and I are going to dinner tomorrow night. They don’t know how to tell everyone. Neither do I. Bruce would kill me for drinking an alien drink and letting myself be drugged.”

“So that’s what happened. (Y/N) was drugged too?” Tim nodded. “Wow,” Dick chuckled. “Well, I’m glad I’m not in your shoes, little brother.” He reached over to ruffle Tim’s hair. Tim ducked his head to try to get away, but Dick persisted. It occurred to Tim that it would be nice to be married to you if only it would stop Dick from coming into his bedroom.

***

You hurried to the restaurant, pulling your coat tighter around yourself to avoid getting wet from the pouring rain. The doorman opened the door for you and you jogged inside. You sighed in relief, glad you weren’t too wet. Another man came up and offered to take your coat. You let him and moved to the hostess. 

“Hi, I’m here to meet Tim Drake.” You bit your lip when the hostess smiled knowingly. She gestured for you to follow through the fancy restaurant. You felt out of place and slightly undressed. Tim didn’t warn you it would be this upscale. Then again, he probably wanted to impress you. Tim always overdid it when he wanted to impress someone. 

She took you to a private corner booth. Tim slid out and stood up when he saw you. You smiled at him and slid in first before he joined you. The hostess left you alone. “I know this is out of your element, but the food here is to die for and I know you love good food,” Tim said, opening the menu. 

“You’re right.” You opened the menu and tried not to get sticker shock at the price. “So…I did tell my parents about what really happened.” You flinched when Tim looked at you nervously. “They understood and said Bart is now banned from the house. However, they did say it gives them hope for a wedding in the future.” 

“Oh boy.” Tim set the menu down and ran his fingers through his hair. “Dick knows too. I haven’t been able to tell Alfred or Bruce yet.” 

You hummed. “I can come with you to tell them if you want? It wasn’t that hard to explain to my parents.” You reached over to take his hand from his hair and hold it in your own. He blushed slightly, but relaxed. 

“What about us?” Tim asked, glancing from your entwined hands to your face. 

“Let’s just see where we go from here, babe.” You winked at him. “After we tell Bruce and Alfred, of course.”

Tim moaned. “You had to remind me of that, huh?” He rubbed his free hand over his face. The waiter came over and the two of you dropped the subject to enjoy dinner together.

***

It took Tim about a week to gather the courage to attempt to tell Bruce and Alfred. You supported him all the way, gently pushing him to schedule the talk with them. Tim found he appreciated you more and more as you two slowly grew closer throughout the week. 

Finally, Tim asked to meet Alfred and Bruce in Bruce’s office at four. You arrived at the manor at two to help Tim work up the courage. 

“I don’t think I can do this,” Tim said for the hundredth time as he paced the floor of his bedroom. You sat on his bed, watching him go back and forth until it hurt your neck. 

“Tim, we can’t let them think we’re going to get married here.” You crossed your arms, gesturing for him to sit down next to you. Tim collapsed beside you. You kissed his cheek. “It’s not that scary. At most they will be disappointed, but we can live with that. You’ve disappointed them before.”

“It’s not that simple.” Tim moaned, laying down. His hip pressed against yours. You smiled and laid down with him. “Bruce will be upset. He’ll probably try to remove me from the League.” 

“Key word is try.” You nuzzled his cheek. Tim blushed, reaching over to take your hand. “Besides, he might understand it wasn’t our fault. We were pranked.” 

Tim hummed. “I don’t think he’ll understand.” Tim sat back up. “I just need to rip off the band-aid and get it over with.”

You nodded, sitting up with him. “True. The more we sit here, the more stressed you are getting.” You smiled when Tim squeezed your hand before getting up and pulling you with him.

“Let’s face the music,” Tim mumbled as you both left the room to head to Bruce’s office.

***

Bruce took a seat in the armchair as Alfred poured the tea. Tim stood stiff behind the couch. You moved to take a seat on the couch itself. “Thank you for the tea, Alfred,” you said, smiling at him brightly.

“You’re welcome, Mx. (Y/N).” Alfred took his own seat in the other armchair. “I’m glad we can have this time to discuss the upcoming wedding.”

You raised your eyebrows. Bruce’s eyes narrowed slightly at the sight. You glanced back at Tim who tensed. “Tim, just rip off the band-aid like you said,” you whispered to him. Alfred and Bruce sat up straighter in response. You smiled at them before taking your cup and sipping on your tea. 

“We…” Tim stopped to clear his throat, gripping the back of the couch. He shifted his weight from foot to foot. “I made a mistake.”

Bruce raised an eyebrow. “What kind of mistake?” 

Tim moved around to sit down next to you. His hands trembled. You rested your hand on his knee. He relaxed somewhat. “I…We…We were tricked.” He shyly looked at Bruce and Alfred before dropping his gaze to his feet. “Bart pranked us and we didn’t mean to get married.”

“He convinced Kon to give us a drink that made us inebriated. We ended up getting married and having a wedding night.” You blushed. Tim took your hand. 

“So we didn’t mean to get married and we don’t want to get married here.” Tim finished, looking up at Bruce and Alfred. “I know I should have known better than to drink on an alien planet. Please don’t be upset with us.” He bit his lip, burning bright red. 

Silence filled the room. You took a sip of your tea, avoiding eye contact. Tim’s gaze dropped back to his feet, but his hand squeezed yours tightly. 

Alfred cleared his throat. “Well, this is a development.” He sat back in his chair, taking a deep breath. Bruce didn’t say a word. His stare made you feel like he was staring straight into your soul. “But you two seem closer than before yes?” Alfred asked, nodding to you and Tim.

“Well, I mean…” Tim mumbled, tilting his head. 

“We’re dating now and we’re only married on Betrassus.” You nudged Tim’s head with your own. “Now that doesn’t mean that Tim and I won’t become something, but we’re not going to get married here anytime soon.” 

Bruce folded his hands under his chin and leaned forward. “This is what I warned Clark and Diana about letting young people into the league. Particularly, Bart Allen.” 

You and Tim shared a look. “I mean it’s true. We’re a mess,” you whispered to Tim. A shadow of a smile pulled at his lips. 

“Or at least Kon and Bart are.” Tim snorted softly.

“However, neither of you are to drink anything on an alien planet again.” Bruce got to his feet and crossed his arms. “And I will have a word with Bart Allen.” 

Tim froze as you had to slap a hand over your mouth to keep from laughing out loud. “A word with Bart Allen?” Tim gasped, jaw dropped.

Alfred raised an eyebrow at Bruce as Bruce marched off toward the Batcave entrance. You and Tim watched him go. Once the door was shut, you allowed your laughter to slip out. “Oh my, Bart is dead. I want to see that.” You jumped to your feet and dragged Tim up with you. Tim shut his mouth, blinking. “Come on, Tim. This is better revenge than Cassie breaking his jaw or us freezing his underwear with one of Mr. Freeze’s old guns.”

“Then we got to go. Excuse us, Alfred,” Tim said, smirking as he pulled you to follow Bruce. You quickly set the cup of tea down. 

“Thank Alfred,” you said over your shoulder as you and Tim disappeared down into the cave.

Alfred chuckled, cleaning up the tea. “They’ll be married officially by the end of the year.” He picked up the tray and turned to leave the room. “I guarantee it.” 

Part Two 

A sledgehammer was pounding against your temple. You moaned, opening one eye before shutting it immediately when bright light blinded you. Shifting onto your back when your side ached, you noticed how sore you were in certain regions. You hummed, wondering if you should have drank those Alien drinks at the party.

You and a group of the Justice League’s newer members were sent on a space mission. Green Lantern Cruz needed help on Betrassus to stop an invasion from Apokolips. Of course, you all stopped the invasion with ease and were left to celebrate with the locals. It was a wild party. To be honest though, you couldn’t remember anything after the second drink you had. 

Suddenly, an arm flopped over your chest. Your eyes flew open with terror as you followed the human arm to a lump under the covers next to you. A scream ripped out of you before you could stop yourself. The lump flinched, sitting up suddenly to reveal dark messy hair and startlingly blue eyes. Tim Drake, currently Red Robin, formerly the Robin you grew up with. He saw you and froze, eyes wide, jaw dropped. His lips were red and swollen. A large hickey on his neck. 

“(Y/N)?” he gasped, closing his jaw. You slapped a hand over your mouth to stop your scream. Your eyes dropped to take in his bare chest, also covered in hickeys. He followed your gaze, blushing and covering himself when he saw the hickeys. 

“Tim, what did we do?” you whispered once you felt safe enough to drop your hand. You glanced around, frowning when you realized you weren’t in your quarters. All the furniture was in the wrong place and the laptop on the desk had a familiar Red Robin sticker on it. It was one you made him back in the day. “Am I in your room?” 

He nodded, glancing down at you. “Are you naked?” 

You peeked under the covers to see your birthday suit. “Yep.” You peeked at him, almost smiling at how red his face was. “You?”

Tim peeked under the covers. “Yep, and covered in hickeys. I assume that must have been you, huh?”

The blood rushed to your face. “I do have a habit of that.” 

He swallowed hard, holding the blankets back to him. “Well, did we…you know?”

You shifted, recognizing the soreness you felt. “Yeah, we did.” You bit your lip and glancing over at him. “So…did you drink one of those drinks too?”

“Yeah, Kon gave me a pink one. Said it would be a great time.” Tim’s eyes widened. “That son of a bitch.”

“Kon gave me a pink one too. I had the orange one earlier, but then Kon handed me a pink one and said it was better.” You groaned, laying back down on the bed. “I don’t remember anything after that.” Your stomach turned and you closed your eyes to soothe it. 

“He did it on purpose.” Tim trembled, clearly upset. “I swear I’m going to break out my kryponite ring and break his jaw.” 

You frowned, throwing an arm over your eyes as your head throbbed. “I’ll help you if he honestly thought this was a prank.”

Tim hummed. A knock came from his door before it opened to reveal Kon rolling in a breakfast tray. He was humming ‘Here comes the Bride’. “Good morning, newlyweds. How did you sleep?” He smirked when he saw the hickey on Tim’s neck. Tim’s eyes narrowed, giving Kon a death glare. You sat up again once you realized what he had said.

“Newlyweds? What the heck are you talking about?” You snapped. Tim reached over to pull the covers over your chest when you didn’t move to cover yourself. Kon just smiled sweetly. 

“Kon, what did you do?” Tim said, crossing his arms when he noted the breakfast on the tray. Kon parked it by the bed before moving away toward the door.

Kon just smirked. “I didn’t do anything. You two are the ones who got married last night.” He laughed when your jaw dropped in shock. The blood drained out of Tim’s face. “I mean that drink was only supposed to allow your true feelings to show, nothing else.” He waved. “Don’t have too much fun.” 

You grabbed the pillow and threw it at him. Kon caught it with a laugh. He tossed it back and quickly left the room. “He’s got to be kidding, right?” you asked Tim, as you put the pillow back behind you. “We didn’t really get married, did we?”

Tim rubbed a hand over his face. “I think I remember something about marriage.” He bit his lip and looked over at you. 

“Oh my.” You shook your head, the hangover quickly reappearing in full force as it all sank in. Quickly as you could, you jumped to your feet and ran to his bathroom. You made it to the toilet just before you lost it. 

Once you finished, you sat back to catch your breath. A warm blanket wrapped around your shoulders. “Come on and lay back down,” Tim soothed. You looked at him, seeing he put some pants on. He helped you up and walked you back to the bed. “I’ll go see if I can figure this out. You rest.” He kissed your forehead as you settled against the pillow and closed your eyes. 

You reached up and ran your fingers through his hair. He leaned into your touch. “I think I must have drank more than you.”

“I think you did.” Tim chuckled. “I have a bucket next to the bed in case you need it.” He pulled away. You let your hand drop onto the bed and drifted off to sleep. If you knew Tim, he would have it all figured out once you slept off the hangover.

***

Tim stormed out of his room in his full Red Robin suit. You were fast asleep inside. Tim’s head hurt, hungover too, but not as bad as you. Besides, he had to figure this out. For you if anything.

He bit his lip, glad his suit hid the hickeys that covered his body. “Kon, what the hell did you do to us?” Tim demanded when he found Kon in the cockpit with Cassie. 

Cassie looked at Tim in surprise. “Woah, don’t tell me you’re upset already? You and (Y/N) just got married. You should still be in the honeymoon phase.” She smiled. “I’m glad for you two, but it was kinda sudden.”

“Yeah, because Kon drugged us.” Tim went over to Kon and kicked his chair around to face him. “What the hell? That was low of you and I hope this is all a prank you got everyone to go along with.” He stuck a finger in Kon’s face. Kon blinked, frowning slightly. 

He gently pushed Tim’s finger away from his face. “Hey, that drink I gave you two was just supposed to reveal your true feelings. I didn’t drug you. I just wanted you two to finally get over the little ‘will they, won’t they’ dance you have had for years.” 

Tim groaned, rolling his eyes and running his fingers through his hair. “Who told you that, Kon?” Cassie said, standing up to tower over Kon. Cassie’s eyes icy steel. 

Kon swallowed hard and blushed. “Bart.”

“Bart!” Cassie spun on her heel and stormed off. Both Tim and Kon shared a look of fear, recognizing the tone of her voice. The last time they heard that tone was when Bart stole Cassie’s bras to use as slingshots back when they were Young Justice. 

“I’m really sorry, Tim. I didn’t know, honestly.” Kon got to his feet, tensing when they heard Bart laugh in surprise as Cassie ripped into him. “I should have known not to listen to Bart.”

“Why didn’t anyone stop us?” Tim sank down into one of the chairs, pulling off his mask. “I mean you couldn’t honestly think we’d want to get married?”

“Well, you both were so for it. You didn’t seem drunk at all. It seemed like that’s what you wanted.” Kon rested a hand on Tim’s shoulder. “But is it really that bad? You’ve been sniffing after (Y/N) since you were fourteen.” 

Tim glared at Kon. “I was not sniffing.” He sighed. “I guess it’s not. Very fast though and I don’t know what (Y/N) will think once they are over their hungover.” He leaned back in his chair and ran a hand over his face. “Now what do we do? We can’t stay married.”

“I mean you could…if that’s what you wanted?” Kon shrugged his shoulders before wincing. “I better go stop Cassie before she and Bart rip a hole in the ship.” He hurried out of the cockpit. 

Tim watched him go. “This is a lot.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and wondered what you would say.

***

You sat up slowly, yawning and stretching your arms. The covers falling from your chest, making your shiver from the cold air. “Wow, what a dream,” you chuckled to yourself as you slowly took in the room. Ice cold reality washed over you when you saw you were still in Tim’s room. It hadn’t been a dream. Were you really married to Tim? 

You leaned over the edge of the bed and grabbed your clothes on the floor nearby. With a quick check at the door, you stood up and dressed yourself quickly. 

The breakfast tray was still there. You took a piece of toast, wrinkling your nose. It was damp and cold, but it made your stomach feel better. Taking the tray, you left Tim’s room and slowly made your way to the kitchen to clean off the tray. You paused in the doorway when you saw Tim sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in his hands. He stared down at it, deep in thought.

“Hey,” you said after clearing your throat. 

Tim jerked and met your gaze. “Hi.” He blushed, biting his slightly swollen lips. You felt your face burn when you thought about why his lips were swollen. 

You moved to dump out the breakfast into the waste container. Tim’s eyes stayed on you as you moved to rinse the dishes and place them in the washer. “So…” You wiped your hands on a towel, turning to finally look at Tim again. He had dark circles under his eyes. His hair a mess from running his fingers through it. Your fingers ached to fix it for him. “Are we really married?”

“Yeah, we are.” Tim took a sip of his coffee. You noted slight disgust at the taste. Without thinking, you moved to take his cup to dump it out and to pour him a fresh one. Tim watched you, wide eyed. 

You set the cup back in front of him. “So what now?” 

“Well…” Tim bit his lip. “We’re technically only married on Betrassus. The ceremony we performed won’t be accepted on Earth.” He looked up at you. “And no one at home knows. Cassie and Kon promised not to tell. Bart’s jaw is broken, so I think he knows to keep his mouth shut.”

You gasped. “Did you break Bart’s jaw?”

Tim snorted. “No, Cassie did when she found out Bart was behind the whole thing. He tricked Kon into giving us that drink.” You took the seat next to him, crossing your arms over your chest tightly. “This doesn’t have to change anything.” He bumped his knee against yours in the way he used to do when you both were kids. You pursed your lips. That was a long time ago. 

“Us sleeping together does though.” You met his eye. Tim blushed so red, he might burst into flames. “I mean…we never even seen each other naked before last night.” You smiled at his red cheeks, knowing he must have remembered quite a bit about last night’s activities. “I remember most of it now. It came back slowly.”

“What do you want to do?” Tim asked, leaning back in his chair. 

You pursed your lips. Tim stayed quiet, letting you gather your thoughts. It was funny. Tim was always the person you felt love for, but knew it would never go that direction. Either one of you were always dating someone else or weren’t in a place to move forward with your feelings. However, now felt different. “I think we should go out on a date when we get home.” You smiled when Tim looked at you in surprise. 

“Really?” Tim swallowed hard. You could see the hint of excitement in his eyes. “I would love that too, honestly.” He laughed nervously, glancing down at his coffee. “I wished I had asked you earlier, but it was always the wrong time or I was with someone else.”

“Same.” You winked at him. Tim blushed again. “Besides, we skipped all the way to marriage and a wedding night, so it’s fitting that we go back and cover the dating part.” 

Tim reached out to take your hand. You met him halfway, squeezing his hand gently. “Oh finally,” Kon groaned from the doorway. You both turned to look at him, noting the black eye. Tim turned, mouthing ‘Cassie’ to you. You reminded yourself to thank Cassie for dishing out punishment for their tricks. “I thought you two would be stupid about it.”

“Stupid how?” Tim asked, frowning at Kon slightly. 

“Stupid as in you both would decide to pretend nothing happened.” Kon shuffled to the fridge and pulled out a can of soda. “Luckily, you both used your brains.”

You and Tim shared amused looks. Kon shuffled out of the room, popping open the can. “So, we got two days before we get home, what should we do?” you asked. Your hand still in Tim’s strong, but gentle grip.

“I don’t know, but I’m sure we could figure something out.” Tim grinned and bumping your knee with his own again. The two of you laughed before talking about everything and anything.

***

Bart watched you and Tim through the security camera, grinning somewhat evilly. His jaw healed with his super speed. He hummed ‘Here Comes the Bride’ as he typed out a message to the Justice League. Last minute, he added your parents and the Batfamiy to it before sending it off. 

***

Tim and you came to the agreement to keep this to yourselves. Kon and Cassie were on board as well. Bart was being his sneaky self, but you wrangled a promise to keep his mouth shut too.

Therefore, neither one of you was ready when you exited the ship once you had landed in the watchtower. You were both met with a crowd of cheering Justice League, your happy, but hurt parents, and the stoic faces of the Batfamily. 

“Tim,” you whispered in his ear as he froze beside you. “I think they know.”

You smiled sheepishly at them, face burning. Bart laughed behind the two of you. “I’m going to kill him after this,” Tim said, eyes narrowing into a murderous look.

“I’ll help you.” You took a deep breath and took Tim’s hand. The two of you walked down together, ready to face the music.

Author’s Note - This is just a little story to help me get over my writer’s block. It’s been a challenge for me. There might be more little stories like this too. 

Warning - Pregnancy

***

The sky darkened, temperature dropping to hint at the coming storm. You glanced up at it and sighed. Gotham was quiet for once. The only people on the dirty street were two homeless people, making their bed in an alcove to hide from the coming rain. 

You tightened your jacket around yourself. One step after the other. You weren’t sure where you were going, but you wanted to get away. Away from the paper in your pocket and the news it would bring with it. You swallowed hard and pushed the thought away. 

It was pitch black before you realized you were in front of your apartment building. You frowned, glancing at the name plate with confusion. Maybe your subconscious mind knew you should go home and brought you here? You shook your head as the first few cold rain drops fell. 

Looking up at the building, you notice your apartment lights were on. He was home. You suddenly felt like you were glued to the pavement. The rain started to pour, but you didn’t care.

You frowned when suddenly the rain stopped. Glancing up, you saw an umbrella over your head. “What are you standing in the rain for?” Tim asked, appearing beside you. Umbrella in his hand. You blinked at him in surprise. 

“No reason.” You croaked, looking back up at the apartment. “Why are you here, Tim?”

“You and Dick invited us over for dinner,” Tim said, concern deepening his voice. “Remember?” 

A blush came to your cheeks. How could you have forgotten that? Now this conversation was going to be even worse. “Right.” You looked behind him to see Steph, Cass, and Damian watching you somewhat nervously. Cass looked confused. She probably read your body language. “Come on in then.” You dug your key out of your soaking wet jeans’ pocket and led them inside. 

“Are you okay, (Y/N)?” Steph asked as you led them over to the elevator. You forced a smile on your face and turned to face her. She and the others flinched. You let the smile drop. 

“I’m fine.” You went inside the elevator first, shrinking into the far corner. The others joined, huddling among themselves. 

“Wait for me,” Jason shouted, jogging inside last minute. You wondered how he got past the building door, but the thought faded away as quickly as it came. Cass held the elevator for him to enter. Jason panted, glancing at you before frowning. “What’s wrong with you? Did someone die?” He chuckled softly.

“No, I’m fine.” You tried to laugh with him, but it came out a choking sound. Jason’s eyes widened and he retreated to join the others in their huddle. They were whispering, but you did your best to not listen. The worries sank deep into your stomach. You started to feel sick. The piece of paper in your pocket heavier than before. 

When the elevator opened, you rushed out first, speed walking down the hall. The others followed, keeping their distance. You struggled to get your key into your hand and to get it into the lock. A stray tear slipped down your cheek. Suddenly, a warm rough hand wrapped around yours and took the keys from you. You glanced up to see Jason giving you a sad smile.

“I got it.” He unlocked the door for you and pushed it open. You nodded at him, pursing your lips to hold it in. 

“(Y/N), there you are,” Dick said, coming into the living room with an apron on. “I was wondering why you were taking so long.” He froze when he saw your face. “What’s wrong?” He move toward you, arms open. You shook your head, unable to handle his comfort. He didn’t stop coming. You dodged his arms and ran into the bedroom, slamming the door behind you. “(Y/N)?”

Your heart shattered into a thousand pieces as you slid down the door, sitting against it as you felt the door handle twist. The door rattled against your back. You hid your face in your hands.

“What happened?” Dick asked the others, his voice soft through the door. You couldn’t hear their response. 

Moving your cold fingers to your pocket, you took out the piece of paper and unfolded it. It was damp, some of the words were smeared, but the message was still there. 

You ruined it all. A gentle knock came from the door. “(Y/N), sweetheart. What’s wrong? You took hours to get home.” Dick’s voice was so calm, comforting. You didn’t deserve that. The words on the page blurred. “You’re scaring me, love. Please tell me what’s wrong.” 

It had to be done. You swallowed past the rock in your throat as you turned to kneel in front of the door and slowly slipped the piece of paper under the door. 

***

Dick gestured for his siblings to go into the kitchen. “Help yourselves to dinner,” he whispered before the rustle of paper brought his attention down to the floor. He saw the damp piece of paper under the door. “Sweetheart, I don’t understand any of this.” 

He knelt down and picked up the piece of paper. His siblings were still behind him, watching with wide eyes. You had scared them, just like you were scaring him. Dick glanced back at them, nodding his head to reassure them before looking over the paper. It was doctor’s summary note. You were at the doctor’s? Why didn’t you tell him?

Once his eyes reached the diagnosis section, his mouth went dry. He choked. The blood drained out of his face.

“What is it?” Tim asked, coming to Dick’s side. He took the paper from Dick’s hand.

“Sweetheart,” Dick whispered, voice hoarse. He cleared his throat, dropping to his knees in front of the door. “This is wonderful news. Honey, we’re going to be parents.” Dick’s eyes filled with tears. “I know it’s not how we planned and I know we fought the last time we talked about it, but sweetheart, I’m not mad.” Dick’s heart threatened to burst from joy at the thought of his child resting inside of you. He had wanted to wait, but now that it happened, he only felt joy.

“Let’s give them a moment, huh?” Jason whispered, ushering the rest of the siblings into the kitchen. Dick saw they were smiling, although Damian looked quite confused. He’ll probably have to explain to him later. 

The door cracked open and Dick saw your eyes peering out at him. “You aren’t upset?” A hiccup escaped your lips. The tears in your eyes made Dick’s stomach drop. He shook his head, opening his arms for you. You sighed in relief, opening the door the rest of the way to crawl out into his arms. “I was so scared when the doctor told me. You said you wanted to wait and I thought you would think I did this on purpose.”

“Never.” Dick held you tight and kissed your forehead. “You aren’t that kind of person.” He kissed his way down to your lips. “I love you so much. We’ll figure this out, I swear.” 

You nodded, melting into him. The two of you would have been on the floor forever if you didn’t start shivering from your wet clothes. “I need to change,” you whispered, pulling away to look down at yourself. 

Dick nodded, kissing your nose one more time. “Go change. I’ll prepare the herd in the kitchen, so they don’t jump you all at once.” 

You smiled and got to your feet. Dick followed you, patting your back to send you on your way. You waited as Dick moved into the kitchen and was attacked by the bubbling of cheers and mild teasing. Closing your eyes, you realized the sound was music to your ears. 

With a shake of your head, you went to go change, wondering why you got such a funny idea that Dick would have rejected you. You knew the kind of man he was. He had something that you valued above all else. A heart of gold.

Requested by Anon - Can I have an imagine with Batman Beyond Damian Wayne? Please? with sprinkles on top?

Requested by Anon - Older!Damian celebrating Valentine’s Day

Author’s Note - I combined these requests together. Also I assumed you mean Damian in the new Batman Beyond comics since he isn’t in the show? If not, let me know. 

***

Old Ra’s al Ghul led Damian down the steps into the mountain base where the League of Shadows had made it’s home. His breath still visible as they went deeper. They entered the throne room, which was empty except for the lone Shadow standing behind the throne. 

“I will retire now,” Ra’s said, glancing at his grandson. “You should as well.”

Damian nodded, lips pursed in a firm line. “I will shortly. There is a matter I have to see to first.” Ra’s nodded and slowly walked off. His staff cracking against the stone floor. Damian watched him go, willing him to go faster. Once Ra’s was gone, Damian allowed himself to relax. “Are my chambers ready?” he demanded of the lone Shadow.

“Yes Master.” The Shadow bowed quickly. 

“Good.” Damian turned and marched out of the room. He walked down the long hallways, nodding at each Shadow who stepped out of his way. They all bowed to him, showing proper respect. While he enjoyed the power this gave him, he wished they would disappear at the moment. 

Damian came to the kitchens. Several servants gasped at the sight of him, quickly stopping what they were doing to bow. However, the one servant washing dishes didn’t stop to bow. Damian almost smirked at the sight. “I require a meal brought to my room.” He looked at the head cook. The cook tittered, but nodded. The servant washing dishes stopped and turned to look at him. Their eyes were sparkling, yet their face remained expressionless. “Enough for two.” Damian kept his eyes on the cook. “I’ll be waiting.” 

With that, Damian spun and marched back out of the room. He heard whispers erupting from behind him, but he didn’t care. A smirk pulled at his lips. He wished he didn’t have to be so indirect, but in his position, he had no choice.

***

His room had been prepared as requested. Warm carpets covered the stone floors, tapestries lined the walls, adding color and keeping in the cold away. The fireplace had a roaring fire. He added another log to keep it going strong. 

A knock sounded on his door. “Come in.” He turned to see a servant with the food tray. They bowed before placing it on the table in the middle of the seating area. “Anything else, Master?” 

“No.” Damian narrowed his eyes. The servant bowed again and backed out of the room. Once the door was closed, Damian turned to take off his robe and armor. He tossed them on the nicely made bed. It looked even more comfortable than before. 

Suddenly, three quick knocks followed by two soft ones sounded from his door. Damian’s heart skipped a beat. The door opened revealing you, the dish washing servant. You slipped inside and quickly closed the door behind you. 

“Hello beloved.” Damian dropped his last gauntlet and moved to take you in his arms. You kissed him passionately, running your fingers through his hair. Your hands were dry from washing dishes all day. It angered him, but you wouldn’t allow him to move you to a different position. You didn’t want people to think you were sleeping with the Demon’s Head to make your way in the world. 

“Damian,” you whispered, pulling away from him. You panted slightly out of breath. Damian loved how flushed your cheeks got when he took your breath away. Your eyes dropped to his bare chest, running your hands down until they rested over his heart. “You didn’t need to put on such a show. You could have told me to meet you in usual way.” 

“TT.” He shook his head, taking your hand and leading you over to the seating area. He lifted the top of the tray to reveal the delicious meal inside. Your eyes widened. He knew it would be a treat for you. “I wanted you to come tonight and I did not have the time to leave the note for you under my dish.” 

You smiled, taking a tentative seat on the luxurious chair. Damian hated that you were uncomfortable, but knew you would recover from that once you started eating. He took a seat next to you, serving you. He left his shirt off once he caught you eyeing his abs.

“What is the occasion?” You licked your lips at the food. Damian nodded for you to eat before getting his own plate. 

“It is February 14th.” Damian smiled as you took a big bite of food. “Valentine’s Day. Highly commercialized in America. I never liked it, but it is an old custom to be with the one you love and show your love for them. I thought I should partake in this tradition for you.”

You looked at him, blinking softly with your mouth full of food. Damian took a bit of his own, bumping his knee against yours under the table. You swallowed before leaning over and kissing his cheek. “I love you too,” you whispered, glancing back at the door quickly. 

“No one will bother us.” Damian took your hand in his. “I gave orders not to be disturbed.” He kissed your knuckles. “Relax, beloved.” 

“If anyone were to learn that I am here…” You looked at him with fear in your eyes. His blood ran cold at the sight. “I am far below your station.”

Damian shook his head. “TT.” He smiled at you before leaning over to nibble your ear. “Like that matters to me and if I say so, you will be safe and no harm will come to you.” He felt you shiver from his breath in your ear. “After all, I’m allowed to chose my own lover.”

You smiled brightly before turning your head to catch his lips. He moaned as you pushed him back in his chair to climb into his lap. Your chest pressed against his. The food on the table left forgotten as you and Damian eventually made your way to the bed.

***

You woke to the feeling of someone stroking your forehead. Opening your eyes, you smiled to find Damian al Ghul Wayne watching you with a look of almost contentment on his face. You sensed you were one of the rare few to ever see that from him. Your heart glowed at the sight. “Good morning, beloved.”

“Wait, what time is it?” You sat up, panic filling you. “I have to be at the kitchens to start the morning meal.” You started to get out of bed, but Damian grabbed your hand and pulled you back. 

“It’s fine, beloved. I sent a message for you that you were tending to a personal matter.” Damian smirked. “Besides, I realize I haven’t completed the Valentine’s Day custom.” He turned away from you, reaching into the bedside table. You crawled back under the covers. The room had chilled since the fire died down during the night. 

Damian turned back around and set a beautiful wooden box in your lap. You blinked, tracing the design on the top. It must be priceless. You felt so unworthy. “Damian, I don’t know if I can have this.” 

“TT, open it before you say that.” You glanced up at him. His eyes sparkling a bright green. Your heart melted as you drew your attention back to the box. With only your fingertips, you open the box to find a ornate gold dagger inside. You stared at it in awe. “It is one of my mother’s daggers before she passed. It has the symbol of al Ghul.” He nodded to the hilt. 

“I can’t have this.” You looked at him with tears in your eyes. “Thank you, I love it, but I can’t keep this.” You bit your lip at the disappointment that flashed in his eyes. “Damian, someone of my station can’t have something like this. It will be assumed that I stole it.”

He frowned deeply as you closed the box. “Having that knife will not cause you harm.” He kissed your cheek. “It shows you are mine. If anyone in the League gives you trouble, presenting this knife will stop them instantly because it shows you are my beloved.” 

You blushed. “So we don’t have to sneak around anymore? This will make our relationship clear to all?”

“Yes, and provide you safety.” Damian smiled as you opened the box again and took the dagger in your hand. “Also I wanted you to be able to defend yourself.” He laid his hand on yours, adjusting your grip on the dagger. “I’ll have to train you to use it, but I think it looks rather good.” 

“Thank you.” You turned to kiss his lips. “But I have nothing for you?”

“Your company alone is enough.” Damian stole another kiss. He moved your hand to put the knife back in the box before closing it and reached out to set it on the table. His lips stayed on yours. “I love you, (Y/N).”

“I love you, Damian.” You buried your fingers in his hair as he crawled on top of you. Time stopped as you both celebrated your love.

A Shower to Remember - Will Harper x Reader

WARNING- NSFW

Requested by @buffdaddyphoenix​​ - I have been addicted to reading your stuff ever since I started watching young justice !! Could I request some one-night stand smut with roy harper? He is so hot I swear

Author’s Note - I actually did Will Harper instead. Sorry not sorry. Also this is rough.

***

“Are you almost done in there?” Will Harper asked as he leaned in the doorway of the Bowhunter Security’s front office.

“Almost.” You were on a ladder in the ceiling, carefully hooking up a new router. Will could only see your hips and ass. He smirked, enjoying the view. 

“Good. I can’t bring the guys back in until we get the internet up.” He chuckled, watching you as you went on your tip toes to reach something. “I hate being the only one in this office. Gets lonely.”

You froze before stepping down one step on the ladder to peek out at him. “Lonely, huh?” You narrowed your eyes suspiciously. Will just smirked back at you. “Does that actually work for you most of the time?” 

“What works for me?” Will flinched slightly, blushing. Damn, you were quick. 

“Sure.” You went back up the ladder and back into the ceiling. Will happily went back to checking out your lower half. He would have loved to have those legs wrapped around his waist or maybe his head. “I’m almost done.” You whistled. “Got it.” 

Will perked up, coming over to hold the ladder as you climbed down. You were covered in dust from the ceiling. He reached over to brush some off your forehead. “You’re dirty.” 

“You don’t clean your ceilings.” Flinching away from his hand, you went to his computer. “Let’s see if your computer can connect.” You typed away. Will leaned against his desk with his arms crossed. His eyes still lingered on your ass. It was just screaming at him to look at it. “And there you go.” You smiled, turning to face him only to frown when you caught his eyes lower than they should have been. “Stop it.”

Will smirked. “Great job. Did you change the password or is it still the same?” He came over to lean over next to you to peek at the computer.

“It’s the same, but I would recommend a harder password to crack. Using password for your password is like begging at someone to hack in.” You rolled your eyes, moving to pack your things. 

“Well, I feel bad for you getting so dirty.” Will smirked when you bent over to pick something up. He bit his lip to hide the smirk as you turned to look at him. “We have showers here. Feel free to use them.” 

You sighed, looking at the ceiling before you climbed up to move the tile back into place. “I think I will take you up on that. I have to go to an insurance company after this and I know for a fact that they won’t like me like this.” 

Will silently cheered, watching you climb down the ladder with peak interest. His gut stirred. Part of him couldn’t believe you actually took the offer. Now to seal the deal. “Let me help you get this stuff into your car.” He closed the ladder once you were down. You picked up your tools and packed your bag.

“You don’t have to do that,” you said, but Will was already heading out the door. He smiled to himself, feeling your eyes watching him as he went. Flexing his arms, he carefully slid the ladder back on top of your car and started to strap it down. “Thank you.” You were suddenly beside him, eyes on his biceps. 

He flexed a muscle. You flinched in surprise. “You’re welcome.” He pulled away from your car. You shook your head and moved to your trunk to put your bag inside. 

“So I can still use your shower right?” You asked, pulling out another bag, which looked like spare clothes.

Will hummed, gesturing for you to follow him back inside. “Of course. It’s the least I could do.” 

You followed him. Will knew he had you. He could feel your eyes on his ass. “Thank you.” Will led you to the locker room. 

“There’s only one shower and it’s a little tricky.” Will nodded to the shower. “Let me know if you need help.” He turned to find you very close to him. A smirk pulled on his lips. “Hi.”

“Hi.” You stared at his lips. “Okay, I don’t do this sort of thing.”

“You don’t?” Will widened his eyes, trying to look innocent. “Shower in public places?”

“No.” You narrowed your eyes. Will’s entire body jolted at the sight. God, he wanted you bad. His pants grew uncomfortably tight. “This.” You leaned forward and sealed your lips to his. Will melted into the kiss, wrapping his arms around your waist to pull you to him. You tasted like the mint from the gum you had thrown away moments before. 

Will backed you up against the wall. He lifted you up and you wrapped your legs around his waist. He groaned when you pressed against his crotch. “Tease.”

“Creeper.” You kissed your way down his jaw. “I think you planned this.”

He chuckled, sliding his hands under your shirt to feel your bare skin. Soft as velvet. “Not all the details, but I was hoping you would be interested.”

You hummed, sliding a hand up to bury it in his hair. Will moaned and kissed his way back to your lips. His tongue wrestled with yours, exploring before fucking your mouth. You trembled in his arms, pulling harder on his hair while your other hand gripped his shirt. 

“Do you have protection?” you asked as Will set you down to pull off your shirt. He smirked at the sight of your bare chest. 

“I do. You?” Will took off his own shirt, flexing his muscles to make you gasp. Oh, he liked you. 

“Yep.” You reached over to undo his jeans. “Anything I should know?”

He winked. “Safe word is green.”

“Green, I suppose it wouldn’t be red for you.” You smirked at him as you pulled down his pants along with his boxers. He sprung free. “Wow, you were very eager, weren’t you?”

Will blushed. “Can’t help it that your ass is so perfect.” He dropped to his knees, helping you step out of your pants. A moan slipped out of him at the sight of your legs. His hands slid up your legs to your ass, kneading before he buried his face between your legs. 

You gasped, running your fingers back into his hair as he guided your legs up and over his shoulders, supporting your weight as he made you tremble in his arms. You tasted so sweet. He saw stars.

Will glanced up at you, smirking when he saw you flushed and panting. He pulled away before you came. You sobbed, trying to hold him to you, but he removed your legs from his shoulders and held you up until you could stand on your own. “You’re ready for me.” He pulled you into the shower, turning on the water.

“I knew that mouth did more than just flirt.” You kissed him hard on the lips. He pulled you against him, moaning at the feel of your body against his. You were so warm, so soft. Will felt himself grow harder than he thought he ever could. 

Will backed you up so you both were under the water. You shivered against him despite the warm water. Will turned you around and guided your hands to press against the wall.  “Oh god.” You gasped when he pressed his hips against your ass.

“Hold on tight.” He chuckled, reaching down to line himself up with you. “Are you ready?”

“Please.” You panted, glancing over your shoulder at him. He smirked at you again before slamming into you hard. You screamed, fingers curling into your palms. 

Will chuckled, moaning at the feel of you. He held you up when your knees shook. “You okay?” He kissed the back of your neck. 

“Yeah.” You glanced over your shoulder at him. A shaky smile on your face. “Can you move?” 

“Oh, I can move. You’ll feel the aster.” He bucked his hips. His breath became heavy as he nuzzled your shoulder. You reached up to grab the handles on the side of the shower as Will rocked your body with each thrust. 

“Aster?” You panted, reaching an arm back to bury your fingers in his hair. It sent a wave of warmth down to his cock instantly. “Are we making up words now?”

Will sucked and nibbled your shoulder. He wanted to leave a mark on you. His mark. Something to remember him by. “Something my friends used to say.” He groaned when you wiggled back into him.

You hummed in response, pulling his hair hard when he felt you tense. “Come on. Lose yourself for me.” Will kissed his way up your shoulder to your neck. “Scream for me again.”

Will shifted slightly, knowing he hit the right spot for you when you tensed and shivered around him. A scream erupted from you again. Will tightened his grip around your slippery waist as your knees gave out. The water was still warm. “Sorry,” you gasped as you panted and came back to yourself.

“Don’t be sorry.” Will lifted you up into his arms and slammed into you again. You were limp in his arms, still coming down from the high. 

“Come on, big boy.” You tugged his hair again. Will’s hips jerked a few more times and let himself go. You sighed, letting go of his hair to grab the handles again as his grip on you loosened. Will pulled away, panting heavily before leaning over to kiss your cheek.

You turned and caught his lips with yours. “Enjoy yourself?” Will asked, still trying to catch his breath. 

“Yeah.” You smirked at him. “But now I really need to shower.” You glanced down at the mess between your legs. 

“I can help with that.” Will grabbed the body wash. 

You rolled your eyes, but you relented. “But we can’t do a round two, I have to be at the insurance place by three.” 

“Three huh?” Will started washing your chest. “Let’s see what we can do.”

***

Will walked you back to your car. You were clean, hair damp. He saw the post-sex glow about you. A tiny bit of pride crept into him at the thought he was the cause of it. “So?”

“So?” You glanced back at him as you climbed into your car and started it. Your car door left open. “Is this it?”

“Well, I have your number and you know where I am.” Will nodded to the Bowhunter security sign. “We should do this again sometime.”

You nodded. “Maybe next time in a bedroom?” You raised an eyebrow at him. “And dinner too?”

“I could swing that.” Will winked. He stepped back from the car to allow you shut your car door. “See you,” he mouthed to you through the window. 

You nodded and drove off. Will watched your car until it turned the corner. He debated breaking his wifi again. A smirk pulled at his lips as he headed back inside.  

Requested by Anon - hi! i was wondering if you could do a yj wally west or dick grayson imagine where one of the readers powers is they can learn a language and extract information instantaneously via lip contact(kind of like starfire) and they use this during an interrogation or on a mission and that causes a rift in the relationship because the reader made it seem as if they didn’t have any powers?

***

Wally rubbed warmth into your hand as you both sat on the couch at the cave. A movie played on the TV, but it was mostly background noise. “Your hands are freezing,” Wally chuckled, smiling at you.

You smiled back at him, leaning over to kiss his cheek. He blushed adorably. “I probably just have poor circulation.” You ran your free hand through Wally’s messy hair. He had chased Robin around the cave minutes before and his hair was still standing on end. 

“How did training go? Did you knock Canary down?” Wally leaned forward to place a soft, fast kiss on the corner of your mouth. 

“No, but I did well.” You turned your head to catch his lips. Wally opened his mouth, allowing you to deepen the kiss. He tasted like soda and chocolate. You pulled away to catch your breath when his tongue met yours. “She said I’m cleared for missions now. Only minor ones though.”

Wally grinned. “Babe, that’s awesome.” He wrapped his arms around you and kissed you again. You buried both hands in his hair, pulling lightly to make him moan. His body vibrated excitedly against you. 

“Get a room,” Zatanna laughed as she walked into the room on her way to the kitchen. You and Wally jerked away from each other, blushing. 

“Hey Z.” You waved at her. Wally waved too before hiding his face in his hands. His ears were as red as his hair. Your heart fluttered at how cute he was. 

Robin jogged into the room. “Guys, we have a mission. Briefing in five.” He grinned at Wally. “Try to get whelmed, Walls.”

“Dude.” Wally glared at Robin. Robin just smirked at him knowingly. You blinked, realizing what Wally’s issue was. 

“Go take a minute,” you whispered to him. “It’s okay.” 

Wally gave you a thankful smile before zooming out of the room. “Batman said you could join us, (Y/N). He said Black Canary gave you the go-ahead on easy missions.” Robin leaned on the back of the couch and nudged your shoulder. 

“She did.” You flicked his nose. “And you should be nicer to Wally.”

Robin’s creepy little laugh filled your ears. “He’d do it to me too.” Robin glanced at Zatanna who was watching him from the kitchen. He stiffened, blushing slightly himself. “Hey Z, want to come on the mission too? We can be as chalant as we like.”

Zatanna giggled. You got up and left the two of them alone. A breeze hit you. Wally appeared at your side, taking your hand again. “I’m sorry I got you too excited,” you whispered in his ear. 

“You can’t help that you’re hot.” Wally grinned, kissing your cheek. “I’ll get better control. I promise.” The two of you entered the mission room where Batman was waiting. You dropped Wally’s hand when you caught Batman’s eyes lingering. Robin and Zatanna joined shortly later. You held down the excitement at your first mission briefing. 

***

Your breath came out in gasps as you ran after Icicle Jr.. He threw ice shards at you from over his shoulder. You did a somersault to dodge them, hopping back to your feet with ease. Your heart skipped a beat with joy. The training had paid off. 

However, you didn’t focus on your pride. Sprinting faster, you jumped at him and slammed into his back to knock him to the ground. Icicle Jr. grunted. His ice cold skin burned yours, but you still raised your fist for a well placed punch to his jaw to knock him unconscious.  

“Babe.” Wally zoomed to your side, eyes wide. “You did it.” 

You couldn’t stop the big smile that pulled onto your lips. “I know.” You hopped to your feet, leaving Icicle Jr. on the ground. “Did you get Killer Frost?” You glanced behind you to see Robin and Zatanna running to catch up to you.

“No, we lost her.” Wally knelt down next to Icicle Jr. 

“We’ll question him before we turn him over to authorities.” Robin frowned down at Icicle Jr. as Zatanna cast a spell to tie him up in his own shirt. “Maybe he will tell us what they were doing at the Diamond Exchange?” 

You tilted your head. “They were stealing, weren’t they?” 

Robin narrowed his eyes. “No, they weren’t. That’s why we need to learn what they were doing.” Wally flipped Icicle Jr. over and drag him over to the wall. He leaned him up against it. You rubbed your arms nervously. 

“You did good.” Zatanna stood beside you, bumping your arm before joining Robin. Wally moved back to stand with you. His hand reached down and took yours.

“Your hand is so cold.” Wally rubbed warmth into your hand. You smiled at him. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” You squeezed his hand back. Robin put some smelling salts under Icicle Jr.’s nose and he slowly came to. 

Icicle Jr. blinked, swearing under his breath when he saw all of you. “You won’t get anything from me. Might as well just hand me over to the cops.” He eyed you. “I got to say, you’re beautiful, baby. You should jump me more often.” He smirked at you and winked. 

You flinched. Wally glared at him, stepping in front of you protectively. “Enough,” Robin snapped, kneeling down in front of Icicle Jr. “Tell us what you were doing at the Diamond Exchange. Nothing was missing, so you weren’t stealing.”

Icicle Jr. hummed. “You’re going to get nothing out of me.”

“Egnahcxe dnomaid eht ta gniod erew uoy tahw su llet.” Zatanna smiled smugly. You bit your lip, remembering how they told you she used this spell before to get info out of Ivo. Wally squeezed your hand again, glancing back at you with a smile. 

“Vi var där som en distraktion, förlorare. Du föll för det.“ Icicle Jr.’s smirk grew at everyone’s confused looks. You tensed. Your lips tingled, craving the absorption of a new language. It happened every time you heard one you didn’t know yet. It was your secret. Then again, you didn’t realize your power until you kissed that girl in Mexico and suddenly knew Spanish fluently.

Robin muttered under his breath. “I don’t even know what language that is.”

“Too bad M’gann isn’t here.” Zatanna shared a look with you and Wally. “She could read his mind or something. I don’t know any translation spells yet.”

You sighed, closing your eyes. “I can help.” You stepped out from behind Wally, letting your hand slip away from his. Zatanna and Robin blinked at you. Wally’s jaw dropped. 

“(Y/N), you only speak English and Spanish.” Wally reached out to grab your hand again. 

“For now.” You looked at Wally. “Just don’t be mad, okay?”

“Mad?” Wally frowned, shaking his head. You pulled away from him and moved to Icicle Jr.

“(Y/N), what are you doing?” Robin asked as you cupped Icicle Jr.’s icy cheeks. Icicle Jr. seemed to go into a state of shock. You gave him a timid smile before slowly moving to press your lips against his. He didn’t move, but you felt warmth flooding into him. 

Your body hummed at the knowledge seeping into you. Suddenly, you knew exactly what he said like you had been speaking Swedish your whole life. 

Wally grabbed your arm, jerking you away from Icicle Jr. “What the hell was that?!” Wally pushed you to face him. 

“He said they were the distraction.” You licked your lips, glancing over at Zatanna and Robin who were staring at you with wide eyes. “And he was speaking Swedish. If you try your spell again, Z, I should be able to translate.”

“How?” Wally swallowed hard. His ears were red. You knew he was angry. 

“Quiet, Kid.” Robin held up a hand before Wally could say more. “Z, do the spell. Let’s finish the mission first.” Zatanna cast the spell again and you translated. Your mind was exploding at the new knowledge, craving it like you were dying from hunger. However, your stomach sank when you caught the devastated look on Wally’s face. 

***

“Why didn’t you tell me that you can do that?” Wally exclaimed, pacing in front of you. You were sitting on the couch in the living room of the cave. Robin and Zatanna were in the kitchen, watching from afar. 

You pinched the bridge of your nose. “Walls, I don’t really know much about it. I don’t kiss too many people. Just you and that girl in Mexico.” You pursed your lips to hold back the time you got a lip kiss from one of your cousins and learned how to speak Pig Latin. 

“But you just went and kissed him!” Wally threw his hands up in the air. “How would you like it if I just went up and kissed Artemis randomly?!”

You got to your feet, poking his chest as anger swelled up inside you. “One, it wasn’t random. Two, I was trying to help us complete the mission. Three, it didn’t mean anything. I’m sorry it hurt your feelings, but I wanted to help. This was my first mission and I wanted to do what I can.”

“Well, you didn’t have to kiss a supervillain!” Wally swatted your hand away. His eyes teared up, cheeks flushed. Your heart sank at the sight.

“Wally, I’m sorry.” You took his hands in yours, holding them tight. He closed his eyes. “I didn’t know how to bring it up.” You bit your lip hard. “How do you even go about it? I never told anyone, because I was sure no one would believe me.” You pulled away from him, hiding your face in your hands. “It’s so embarrassing.”

Wally sighed, gripping your wrist and pulling your hands away from your face. “It’s not embarrassing, babe.” You saw the rage drain out of him. That was why you loved him. He took a minute to understand, but he always came through. So kind. Your heart melted. “It’s kinda cool when you think about it.” 

“Really?” You smiled meekly at him. 

“Yeah, I mean it doesn’t make any sense at all.” Wally wrinkled his nose. “But it’s kinda cool.” He blushed. “Just run it by me next time, because you totally gave Jr. a hard-on.”

You choked. “Eww. Why did you have to tell me that?” Wally laughed, pulling you against him and kissing you sweetly. 

“Well, they’re feeling the aster,” Robin shouted from the kitchen. 

Wally jerked away from you. “Dude!” 

You laughed, shaking your head. Zatanna dragged Robin away while he laughed his head off. “Don’t be mad at him.”

“I won’t.” Wally smirked at you, his ears red as his hair. “But I’m curious. What did you get when you kissed me?”

You blushed. “Well, love and affection for one thing.” You pecked his lips. “Maybe some science knowledge too? I can do chemical equations that I never did before.” 

Wally blinked. “Babe, that’s so cool.” He buried his fingers in your hair and sealed his lips passionately to yours. Slowly, he picked you up in his arms and zoomed you back to your room where privacy was guaranteed. 

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. 

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 : 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. 

__________________________________________________

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 : After a few shitty weeks of everything going wrong, you somehow find yourself faking a relationship with the one and only Bruce Wayne. 

That’s it. I did it. After 3 years posting stories on this platform, I finally succumb to one of the biggest fanfiction cliché of all time haha. The infamous fake boyfriend trope. And I really hope you will like it : 

My masterlist :@ella-ravenwood-archives

__________________________________________________

The Gap Year of Disaster

Today, you were an utter mess, and you couldn’t care less.

You know, this kind of days where you wish you would just have stayed in bed ?

Where everything goes wrong and you just want to hide under your blanket and pretend you don’t have any responsibilities ?

Well today…Today was most definitely this kind of day.

It was suppose to be your first day at an exciting new job and you were so psyched about it, that you hadn’t been able to sleep all night. 

You finally fell into a deep slumber during the very early hours of the day, and…

Of course you woke up late ! You didn’t have time to take a shower, or to do your make-up nicely or even to brush your hair. But worst of all you didn’t have time to get coffee !

When you got out with your bike….it was pouring outside. Ah but of course, because when one thing goes wrong everything has to follow. Everything WILL go wrong. Murphy’s law or some stupid things like that !

It’s in those moments you wish you had a car ! Because when it rained in Gotham…It felt like Noah was ordered to built another ark !

So, sleep deprived, soaked, in a bad mood and looking like a mess, you managed, by some miracle, to arrive at your job on time.

Only to discover that this wasn’t at all what you were expecting. It was NOT what was promised to you, which was experience in an exciting workplace and a way to make the most of it. 

Instead, it was a desk job where you ran errand for everyone. Amazing. 

This was supposed to be your first try at “real life”, this was why you took that gap year from college. 

“I want to find myself, find who I really am !” You told everyone around you, ignoring those who were negative and telling you you should finish your study first. 

Now, as you were stuck in a tiny cubicle with an endless list of coffee orders you had to get for everyone else, you felt like maybe they were right, and that this wasn’t quite the way you were going to “find yourself”. 

Then again, wasn’t it through hardship that this sort of things unlocked ? Wasn’t it with great determination and knowing how it was to struggle, that you were going to thrive ? That’s what they said in TED talks dedicated to “success”…

So far in your life, things had been rather normal. Not particularly easy, but not hard either. You grew up in a small town in New Jersey, no troubles on the horizon. You then moved to Gotham for college as you had a scholarship for Gotham’s University, and as you were about to start your third year you sort of questioned wether or not this was your path…

One of your favorite professor told you to maybe take a gap year. A few semesters off, to think things through. Taking advantage of it to do some soul searching and try to know what you really wanted and…It sounded wonderful ! 

That’s when you started to have job interviews in many different fields, and it took you three months to finally find something. Three very stressful months of wondering how long you could live off of your measly savings, and wether or not you’d have to move back in with your parents (anything but that !)…Not a very good start to that gap year for sure. 

And when you landed what you thought was going to be a great job, things definitely were looking up ! Ah, but the fact that you were chosen while you had NO experience and such, should’ve been your first warning that this was too good to be true. 

You were trying to stay positive though. Maybe it was only for the first day ? Maybe their coffee person was sick or something ? It’d get more interesting later ? Yes. Yes let’s keep a positive outlook on everything. 

Except right now, as your entire morning was made of you walking up and down the building (the elevator was not working, but of course), to the coffee shop at the corner of the street, and bringing back orders for people, you didn’t feel in the mood to try and stay cheery. 

And the worst in all that ? You didn’t even get ONE cup for yourself…This “real life” thing was not starting very well. 

And so here you were, during your lunch break, looking like a mess, bag under your eyes and still wet from the rain (your trips up and down the street for coffee runs not helping drying yourself off), your morale at its lowest..And…

“That’ll be 3 dollars and 50 cents for the large latte with triple espresso shot, m'am.”

Catastrophe. 

Proof that things could ALWAYS get worst. 

As you were looking through your bag, you couldn’t find your wallet !

Did you leave it at home ?! Maybe. 

People at your work gave you the money to buy them coffee (and not a single tips, bunch of cheapskates). And you didn’t notice you were missing that oh so essential part of your daily life…Your credit card. Or any type of money. 

Damn it ! 

“Um, excuse me miss, that’s 3,50 please ?”

“Oh yes yes, um, you know what I just-” 

“Here, miss, you dropped this.” 

As you were about to explain that in fact, you didn’t need coffee (even if when you asked for it you might’ve mentioned it being a question of “life or death”), too embarrass to admit you didn’t have the money to buy it, a…very handsome man handed you a twenty dollars bill. 

You were a hundred percent sure this wasn’t yours. You never carry lose cash like this. A quick look to his kind deep blue eyes, and soft smile, and you realize…

Oh. Great. A total (very handsome) stranger took pity of you. 

You probably looked even worst than you felt. You were about to say this was a mistake, but before you could, he gave the bill to the barista, and left with a last smile to you, taking his own cup of coffee away with him. 

Damn. You didn’t have time to say “thank you”. He vanished as fast as he appeared, disappearing in the crowd of the busy coffee shop. 

“Here’s your change, m’am.” 

“Ah you know what ? Keep it buddy. Thanks for the coffee.” 

“Wow, thanks !” 

You were pretty sure that barista never had such a big tip, and it oddly made you feel better, to make someone else’s day like that. Your grandma did always say that you found true joy from helping others…

Oh, yeah, ok, you just helped someone out, why was the universe so angry at you ?! 

As you turned around and started to leave, almost at the exist of the shop, mood a little better after this nice encounter with a (again, handsome) stranger, and the barista, you see him. 

Him. One of the reason you sort of decided to take a gap year. 

Him. 

Your ex-boyfriend, Eric, who cheated on you with your friend Monica. Needless to say, it wasn’t a good memory. And you hadn’t seen neither him nor her since you left college, especially not since you heard they actually got together. 

Your FRIEND. With your BOYFRIEND. And it went on for a while, before you finally discovered it (that day was as shitty as today…). 

Oh. And of course Eric wasn’t alone. She, was there too. The one you thought was your friend, and who stabbed you in the back like that. Both of them discarding you like a dirty old sock. 

Great. Really. Awesome. This day was going from “bad” to “please kill me.” 

“(Y/N) !” 

He looks surprised to see you, although also a little pleased. And it makes you want to punch him in the face. You don’t care if it’s because he wished things ended another way, they both betrayed your truth and then never even tried to talk to you again afterward. 

You’re not sure you would’ve forgave them, but at least, it would’ve shown they still cared about you in a way. Nobody chooses who they’re going to fall in love with (that, you’d soon discover for yourself). But she was your best friend. And he was with you for over a year. 

She’s a little more awkward than him, and smiles, clearly embarrassed. You always knew she was a bit of a coward, if she wasn’t, she would’ve face you, right ? 

And that’s when it happened. The decision that would forever change your life.

In this great moment filled with despair and awkwardness.

From the corner of your eyes, you saw that nice stranger who paid for your coffee. The handsome one. He didn’t leave the shop, but instead went to seat at a table that was a little further away than the rest of them. 

His eyes were glued to his phone, and you thought : “Well, fuck it, all this can’t get any worst right ?”

You were sort of hoping that, since he had been nice with you once and offered you those twenty dollars without knowing you (although you were very aware it was probably just pity), maybe he could help again ? 

Maybe it was the fatigue, the fact you were getting sadder and sadder, that you had a terrible day, and that you just saw two people you loved and who threw you away like you meant nothing (oh but not before being super fake to you, pretending they WEREN’T cheating behind your back)…maybe it was a combination of all of that, that made you act crazy. 

But here you found yourself, sitting at that stranger’s table, and saying, as he looked up from his phone clearly surprised : 

“How are you guys ? As you can see, I’m great.” 

You don’t dare to look at the handsome stranger, and hope he’ll be too stunned to say anything, and you can make your ex-friend and ex-boyfriend feel embarrass enough they’ll leave quickly. But then Monica says something that makes your heart skip multiple beats : 

“You…You know Bruce Wayne ?!” 

You turn to the man who gracefully paid for your coffee, and your eyes go wide. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK. How did you NOT recognize him ?! Of course. Chiseled face, beautiful blue eyes, a suit that was definitely worth your entire year’s salary, a very charming aura…

Your hazy mind full of “fuck this day” didn’t register that THE Bruce Wayne, was the one who helped you out. How did you miss that ? His face had been plastered everywhere in Gotham for the past year, since he came back to the city, in fact. 

You hear yourself wish with all your might to be struck by lightning this instant, as the two assholes who hurt you so much are looking at you expectantly and are not about to live (of course, they just met celebrity BRUCE WAYNE !! Could someone be as unlucky as you were today ?!)

And that’s when you hear a chuckle, a beautiful deep chuckle, and finally turn to look at Bruce. He smiles at you, and takes your hand, saying : 

“Honey, who are your friends ?” 

Your brain go full “ERROR 404″, not quite able to grasp the fact that THE Bruce Wayne just ran with what you were trying to do. How ? How was this possible ? You initially went to sit with him in the hope that Eric and Monica would see you were totally ok and with a hot date, not quite sure still yet how you ever thought this was a good idea and…

It was turning out alright ?! 

HOW ?! 

“Oh um, I’m..Eric. And this is my gir…This is Monica.” 

What a piece of shit. Not even brave enough to call her his “girlfriend” when he cheated on you with her for months and months. You glare at him, unable to stop this gut reaction. 

And that’s something Bruce caught. 

In fact, as soon as you sat down, avoiding looking at him and nervously looking at those two people, Bruce sort of knew you were in an uncomfortable situation. One that made you take an irrational decision. 

And oh, he didn’t like the look Eric and Monica gave you. Like they felt superior as they caught you in a bad moment. Bruce hated, people who thought they were superior to others… 

And you clearly seemed in distress and in need of help so…He ran with it. 

Bruce had to pretend to be someone he wasn’t enough that it felt natural, to run along with what your hazy mind thought was a good idea. 

“Nice to meet you, are you friends with-” 

Damn it. He realized he didn’t know your name. Quick thinking saved him, and he managed to keep his tone even, as to hide his hesitation : 

“My love ?” 

His hand around yours felt warm and reassuring, and you still couldn’t believe that, not only a total stranger, but THE Bruce Wayne was helping you out like that. Especially after you had such a bad day. 

Him calling you his “love” made your exes feel very awkward, and they shake their head “no”, suddenly pretending they’re very busy and have to meet up with someone. They leave the coffee shop, clearly stunned, whispering things to each others that you knew were probably : “how did sheget a guy like him?!”

You can’t help but glare at them some more…But then your hand feels cold again, and you realize Bruce let go off it. Well. Duh. Of course he would. 

You turn to him, your feature softening, and say : 

“Are you an angel ?” 

Ah yes. Your defense mechanism. “Humor”. 

He chuckles, and says : 

“Well, I’m afraid not. My butler would think this is very funny. But thank you.” 

Awkwardly, you rub your neck, your free hand nervously turning your cup of coffee clockwise in your palm. You don’t really know how to end this, what : “thanks for that” and leave ? 

“Thanks for the coffee. And for um…Saving my ass, just there.” 

He smiles, and wow hello white teeth and charming dimples ?! 

“You’re very welcome. They looked like they were jerks.” 

“Haha oh you have no idea.” 

“Glad I could help.” 

“Thanks again. Really. This means a lot, especially since we don’t know each others. Well, I know you. Everyone in Gotham does haha. And ok I’m going to leave now, my lunch break is almost over and I don’t want to make this even more awkward.” 

You start to rise up, but he holds you back by catching your sleeve, and says : 

“Actually miss…?”

“(Y/L/N). (Y/N) (Y/L/N).”

“Miss (Y/L/N), you are kind of saving my life right now.”

“…I am ?”

A flash blinds you. Not a lightning, a camera flash. You turn, just in time to see a guy hastily hiding a camera and running away. 

“What the…” 

“A paparazzi. Good timing, for once.” 

“Huh ?” 

You wish you had some witty come back, or would just know what to say. But you’re confused. And this has been a really weird day. 

“I am sorry if this will seem forward, or like I helped you wanting something in exchange. But I promise I will make it worth your while if you just sit back down and listen to me for a few minutes.” 

You sit back down. More because you’re unsure your leg can still support you in this moment, than because he asked you to. With a smile he continues : 

“Thank you. So. Let me explain a little, and again, sorry if this is too forward. If you don’t want to help of course, I would understand. I’m about to ask you something rather odd, I guess. And I’ll clear things up with paparazzis. I also promise I did not help you with your “friends”-”

“They’re not my friends.” 

“I figured that much. And I promise I didn’t help you with them and ran with whatever you were trying, just so I could ask you this.” 

“Ask me what ?” 

“Well, you see…it’s arranged marriage season.”

“What ?”

“Every year, every single rich family try to make me marry their single daughters. It’s a very tiring season, but I’ve never been able to avoid it…I thought about having a fake fiancee before but could never find the right person.”

What he says does not register with you. His clear proposal doesn’t hit your brain. And you just stare at him, waiting for him to keep going. But he doesn’t, and by the way he looks at you, you slowly starts to understand where he’s getting at. 

You gasp, now pretty sure this is all a dream (or a nightmare) and say : 

“And I’m the right person ?”

“Well, yes. You seem to be a…“normal” person.”

“…Thanks.”

“In that case it’s good. It’s very good. It means that if I’m dating you, a woman that has nothing to bring me, then it must be true love.”

“Wow, stop with the flatteries already mister Wayne, I can’t handle it…”

Ah, your slight wits are back. Good sign that you’re regaining your senses. Everything that happened in the last ten minutes still feel like a bad dream, but you’re back in reality now. 

“No no no, I didn’t mean it in a demeaning way ! But it’s just, you’re not rich, and you’re not famous or have political ties. You’re just a regular person. So they won’t think I’m trying to trick them, even if I am, do you know what I mean ?”

“Gotcha. My broke ass person cannot bring you any value, so it must be love and not just an arranged thing they can break. Cool.”

There’s a slight silence. And you find it a little fun, to play a little bit with the famous Bruce Wayne. He seemed so confident and cocky on TV, you never thought you’d be able to make him look so guilty. 

“I’m sorry if I offended you.”

He says, clearly meaning it. But you shake your head and smile at him (and oh why does he feel his heart tightening slightly at your smile ?), and reassure him instantly (you feel a little bad, actually, to mess with him while he did just really do a huge favor to you while he had no obligations to) : 

“Haha, just messin’ around with ya Mster Wayne. I’m not bothered by it, it’s the truth. I’m really broke, and I don’t think you could find more “regular” than me right now. So, and because you really did save my ass from an extremely displeasing experience back there. And also because you allowed me to see those assholes’ face of surprise and “how did she manage that ?!”, tell me more about your plan, and let’s see if I can help you back.”

And so Bruce starts to explain to you how, every year, this beginning of Fall is the worst time ever, as it’s a moment where everyone seems to want to marry off their daughter. And of course, Bruce Wayne is a good “party”. 

The plan was fairly simple. You’d fake a relationship with him, so he could avoid all of this, and in exchange…Well. You’d gain a lot in exchange. 

This is how you started to really feel like you had fallen into a “romcom” by accident…You and Bruce, became an actual living trope. 

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

“And then when the “marrying season” is done, you can break it off.”

“I ?”

“Well yes, I can assure you you’ll gain quite a rep if you break up with me haha.”

You raise an eyebrow, unsure you like that sort-of overly confident side of him. But you can see something behind his eyes, like a slight unsureness as he looks back at you, trying to see if you’ll agree or not.

“I don’t really need a “reputation”.”

Breaking up with THE Bruce Wayne himself. For sure people would talk about it a lot, and maybe it would help open some doors for you ? But you felt a little odd taking advantage of this like that. 

Seeing that he hadn’t convinced you quite yet, he adds : 

“Of course, I will pay you.” 

What kind of Pretty Woman sort of nonsense was this ?! You were about to protest when he added, realizing how he sounded : 

“I mean, you ARE doing me a great service. You ARE going to have to act, you know ? An…actual job ? And I will be honest with you, it won’t be easy, to find yourself in the public eye. I think it definitely justify a salary.” 

Put that way, you had to admit that, well, yeah it sort of did. Especially since you knew how crazy tabloids were about Bruce Wayne. Becoming his “girlfriend” would definitely put you on the front lines. 

“And it would truly help me tremendously.” 

Your grandma always said it : “True joy comes out from helping others !” So. What if you benefit from it a little ? If it helps you financially, and you can get a little network out of it ? First rule of Alchemy (what a weeb) : “equivalent exchange” ! Plus, he did really help you with your coffee, but also with Eric and Monica so…

And hey, this gap year was meant to help you find what and who you wanted to be. Help you go through this little twenty-something crisis. And this ? Living a literal romantic comedy cliche by faking being someone’s girlfriend ? Well, it definitely felt like the kind of adventure that could help you figure things out.  

With a smile, you finally nod and shake his hand, not knowing quite yet in which mess you actually put yourself into…

Briefing. 

Like every “secret mission”, this one too needed a “briefing”. 

A little meeting to put all the rules down, and the goals too. 

And here you were, feeling very out of place in a huge conference room in the biggest and tallest building in Gotham : “Wayne Tower”.  

The concierge stared at you for a very long time, when you said you were there to see Mister Wayne. No “nobody” like you ever called for his boss. 

Suspicious, as it was his job, he called security on you…Until it was finally cleared up that you DID have a meeting with Bruce Wayne ! 

Both the concierge, and the security guys, stared at you as you left to take the elevators they indicated to you, wondering who the hell had the kind of credentials to go all the way up there to see their boss ?! They didn’t recognize you from anywhere, not a model, not a famous politician or CEO, just…A regular person ? 

That was odd. And they noticed, it was odd. Which you assumed was what Bruce was aiming for, but it felt so awkward, to walk through this huge hall under their scrutiny. 

You finally arrived on the right floor, and oh look, some more staring. 

From his secretary, this time. She was used to see women coming to see her boss. But they’d usually wear Prada, and have plunging necklines full of pearls and fanciness. They weren’t…like you. 

You felt like it was easy, to know that you were just a “normal” person. You were definitely not wearing any designer clothes, and you were pretty sure the way you carried yourself made you super obvious. 

Hence all the staring. You could clearly see in her eyes, that she was wondering who the hell you were… 

She had her answer when Bruce came out of his office, and made a gesture as if he was going to throw his arm around your waist, and kiss you (which made you downright panic). But then, he looked awkwardly at his secretary, and instead just shook your hand. 

Something that DID NOT go unnoticed by his secretary. 

You saw how her eyes widen, and how she clearly hitched to take her phone out and call everyone…and you realized Bruce did this awkward thing because he knew his secretary, and her tendency to be a little gossipy. 

You’d discover later, in fact, that he hired her entirely because he knew if he said something, she would pick up on it and it would help him control rumors and such. Clever. 

For the moment though, he took you to a large conference room with huge windows. 

“I’m sorry for the weird “hello” back there, I wanted Shirley to think I was embarrassed to display affection to you in front of her. Usually, I do not mind at all. So doing it would make her think that-”

“I’m someone special to you.” 

“Exactly !” 

He smiles widely as you understood his plan (not sure how you felt about it, then again, that’s why you were here for, making sure you knew where both of you stood in all this), and then tells you he’ll be back in a few minutes. 

You have time to feel anxious and stressed before he finally comes back. 

“Sorry for the wait.” 

“Oh no, I bet you’re a busy man.” 

“Yes well. Anyway. Let’s get to it shall we ?” 

“Yes.” 

“Ok. So. I thought we’d settle sort of a little contract, so neither of us ever feel uncomfortable ?” 

“Sounds good, mister Wayne.” 

“Yes well first, please call me Bruce.” 

“Only if you call me (Y/N).” 

Oh and you two were still on the path of “romcom cliches”, with this conversation. He smiles, nods, and continues : 

“Ok, then I thought we could-” 

And so your fake relationship started, with some little ground rules. Like he could only kiss you after you gave him permission, if you ever felt overwhelmed everything would be called off, etc etc. 

Most rules were in your favor, to be honest. And WOW the paycheck he was going to give you for this little farce…Hey, maybe this gap year was finally gonna get interesting ?

Meeting the Little Buddy. 

It was sort of necessary. By then, Dick had been his son, officially, for a few months. He wasn’t calling him “dad” yet (and Bruce didn’t particularly want him to, at the time…ah but everything change one day, right ?), but they were already family. 

And it was a needed step. 

It wasn’t in the little “contract” you made, and honestly you could’ve refused to meet him but…Well, you liked kids. In another life, it felt like you could’ve been a teacher (A/N : AH, like in this story ;) : “Can you be my dad’s girlfriend, please ?” ). 

And you’d feel awkward, to fake a relationship and not ever meet his boy. 

The first time he saw you, it was at the Wayne Tower, and his eyes widened as he exclaimed : 

“Wow you’re so pretty ! Are you Bruce’s girlfriend ? You’re too good for him, you know.” 

You could feel your heart melt, how adorable this little guy was, right ? You chuckled, and almost full on laughed as you saw how vexed Bruce was by the comment. 

Not that he thought he was too good for you, no, he was just a little unhappy his son was stealing the show, and thought he couldn’t land someone like you…Oh but that, you couldn’t guess at the time, of course. 

“Nice to meet you, Dick. I’m (Y/N). And…I’m not really his girlfriend.” 

“Can you be mine then ?” 

You laugh again. You and Bruce had decided to tell him the truth, Bruce assuring you that kid was good at pretending too. You answer : 

“No, I’m saving him from marriage proposal.” 

“Oooooh !” 

Good at pretending. Dick had no idea what you were on about, but he was very good at acting as if he knew. 

It’s only way later, that he finally got it. By then, he already accepted you as : “his dad’s girlfriend”, and even knowing the truth, there was no way to change his mind. And to be honest, out of everyone, little Dick Grayson was probably the most aware of what the situation truly was. 

He had a knack, to notice how people felt. 

A “family” outing.

Two months in, and it was going GREAT. Faking a relationship was actually pretty easy. All you had to do was hanging out with him (and he was very nice to hang out with), and when a paparazzi was around, quickly kiss his cheek, or hold his hand, or let him put his hand in your hair…All those cute things new couples do. 

Today was one such small date. 

You could see Bruce was nervous, though.

After hanging around with him that many times, you started to know him a little better. Started to know he wasn’t really that persona he portrayed publicly.

He was actually quite a dork. What a pity, nobody else would ever know his real self…Yet, it made you happy you were one of the few in on the secret.

“Ok, out with it mister, what’s up ?”

He looks at you with such surprise in his eyes, as if it was the first time someone guessed what he was feeling…and, well, yes. It was. It was the first time someone who wasn’t Alfred got it. Someone realized something was on his mind. And asked him about it, didn’t just ignore and move on. Actually cared to know. 

“I-Um…”

“Well ? Come on, I think literally nothing can surprise me by now, given you know, I’m faking a relationship with a billionaire, and it’s like, my job now.”

He smiles, and he couldn’t possibly know how soft his look was, as he gazed at you.

“I…well, people don’t quite believe in us because-”

“WHAT ?! With all the “dates” and kisses and lovey dovey shit we did ?!”

He chuckles at your reaction, loving how honest you always were, and adds :

“The problem apparently is that you weren’t seen with my son yet, so many don’t believe we’re serious.”

“Oh…”

You met Dick. Because it felt like a necessary step to yours and Bruce’s scheme. And you knew he knew this was all fake…But neither of you wanted to confuse the boy in any way so he was kept mostly out of the plan.

“I talked to him, and it’s actually really up to wether you’re comfortable with it or not. I know he wasn’t part of our contract, and I should’ve probably thought about it, I’m sorry. But um…If you’re ok with it, we could..Do things with him, too ?”

Bruce is really nervous; And you’re pretty sure no one but you (and maybe Alfred) ever saw him like that. It’s kind of…sweet. But you let the silence linger for too long and he hurries to say :

“You really don’t have to ! It’s ok if they don’t think we’re that serious and I get someproposals. I can manage ! You’re still a great help right now. It was just an idea. Dick is a very social kid, he would go along with anything and loves to do activities outside. He would be fine. But if you’re not then we can-”

“No. No no it’s…It’s ok Bruce. The few time I saw him, Dick did seem absolutely a peach to be around. And I always have fun with you, so sure, let’s organize a little something and show those bastards we’re totally real.”

You chuckle a little, your smile and carefree face making his heart skip a beat, for some reasons…Bruce also decided to ignore how happy it made him, to know you were always glad to be with him, and instead, he smiled and settled a date.

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

And here you were. In one of Gotham’s biggest park, opening a basket full of delicious sandwiches made by the one and only Alfred. Pretending to have a great family outing.

“Hey, hey look !”

Dick was absolutely amazing, at acting as if you were really a thing. As if you were really a “family”. Right now, he was doing flips and cartwheels, demanding your attention with avidity.

Bruce made sure to always hide his face from pictures (he was GREAT at noticing where paparazzis were hiding, a life of practice, you assumed), as he wanted to keep as much as he could his son’s privacy (especially after he made all the headlines when he lost his parents).

It was quite adorable. And…You were really having fun.

Dick was such a lively kid, and he was full of talents. The food was good, and it was so comfortable around Bruce. It felt so natural.

This wasn’t all that bad. To fake being a family. A good use of your gap year, really. 

You purposefully decided to ignore the glint in the boy’s eyes. The way you sort of suspected for him, this was getting real, and not only pretend.

You and Bruce purposefully ignored it, actually. And you both felt shitty for it. Because not only were you risking to break that little boy’s heart when it was all over but…It was too hard to accept that maybe, maybe he was right.

And that all of this ? Might’ve not been as fake as you’d love to repeat yourself.

First Official outing. 

First gala. You were terrified. So far all you had to do was hang out with Bruce in the afternoon, there and there. It mainly consisted in him buying you coffee, and keeping the addiction to caffeine real, while talking about anything that would come to your mind. The conversations between you two was always fluid and pleasant. 

Or you’d go out with him and Dick, to do some fun things like mini-golf or catching a movie. Nothing too big and scary. It was mainly just you guys, no one else. 

It seemed like he knew where the paparazzis would be (most likely because he was “anonymously” tipping them off himself), and he’d take you on random short dates when he had time in between his work, slowly fueling the rumors Bruce was not a heart to steal anymore. 

And that he was dating a “commoner” ! (He hated this name for you, while you really didn’t mind that much). 

And this gala, was what made it completely official. Finally. It was your idea, to take things “slow”, and hang out with him and his son BEFORE hanging out in public areas like this. 

It was clever, really. To make it seems like you were trying to “hide” your relationship by being low-key, to then finally announce everything in public like that, at such an event. 

Bruce went to get a drink for the both of you, and you were looking around you, horrified at the mere idea that someone would come talk to you. 

But for some reasons, nobody seemed to dare. Maybe Bruce made sure that people would leave you alone ? Even as if you were clearly the talk of the evening, all eyes on you, and not even trying to be subtle ? 

You knew he did the same with little Dickie. That he made sure he was safe from the paparazzi and that no unsolicited journalist would come around him.

Thinking of it, where was the little one ? Usually, according to Bruce, whenever there was a gala he would spend his entire time near the food table, eating as much as he could, and he would come home feeling nauseous because of it…Haha sounded like Dick alright. That kid was so-

Oh oh.

Who was that sleazy looking gal talking to him ? He seemed so uncomfortable, yet too polite to brush her off…Oh no, she wasn’t one of them, was she ?

Without thinking twice about it, wether it was your place to do what you were about to do or not, you resolutely walked towards them.

“-Think it’s because he relates to you ? As both of you lost your parents in horrific situations, you know ?”

“I-I don’t know m’am.”

When you saw Dick’s distressed face, and his eyes slowly filling with tears, there was no doubt in your mind.

This woman was not supposed to be there, and was definitely not supposed to talk to that child…

This woman was a - shiver of disgust- tabloid journalist.

Your blood boiled as you saw her take a picture of the teary eyed Dickie, and you were standing protectively in front of him before you could even think about it. When you felt the boy clutch to your sleeve, hiding behind you and holding on for dear life, you knew you wouldn’t regret it.

“Can I ask you why you’re talking to that boy, please ?”

“What, it’s illegal to talk to fellow guests now ?”

“Lady, you’re well in your thirties. He’s eight. You have no right talking to him. Not only is it weird, but I know what you’re doing.”

“Oh, and pray tell, what am I doing, lovey ?” 

“You’re trying to get a story out of him. And you should be ashamed of yourself. He’s eight ! And from what I heard, you were asking some very disgusting things back there !” 

“I-”

“Shut up.”

Your words came out harsh and determined, and the woman was so shocked she stayed silent for a while. You crouch down to Dick’s level, and ask : 

“Are you ok, my little buddy ?” 

He nods weakly, and then burst into tears as he launches himself in your arms, clinging to you tightly. You turn your head towards the woman, glaring at her so fiercely she doesn’t dare to take a picture of the scene, even as she knows she could sell them for a golden price. 

“You should be ashamed of yourself. He’s just a child !” 

The woman was about to say something else, something you knew would fuel your anger further, when Bruce arrived, and it was clear from his face that he was not happy. 

A quick look to you holding his crying son in your arms, and to the lady with the camera in her hands, and he understand what happened. With a cold voice you never heard him use before, he says : 

“I suggest you leave the area now, before I force you to.” 

There was something almost scary, in his demeanor. Almost like…No. Impossible. In any case, you didn’t worry about it much, drawing soothing circles with your hand on Dick’s back, trying to calm him. 

People around quickly stopped staring as they met Bruce’s assassin glare. It was not secret, that he was very protective of his son. And of his new girlfriend, apparently. 

You picked the little boy in your arms (Dick, at the time, was still so tiny), and Bruce comes closer, trying to soothe him too. And it really looked like all this was real…

Dick fell asleep in Bruce’s arms shortly after that, and was still there when it was time for the gala official pictures. Not wanting to wake him up, for once, Bruce allowed people to photograph the boy, as long as they did not frame his face. 

He laid his free hand on the small of your back, and just like you got used to those past months, you pretend to be head over heels for him and have one of your own arm around his waist.  

“Would you please allow me to kiss you on the cheek, for the cameras ?”

His question is so sweet, softly whispered in your ears. And you felt like a tease tonight, and maybe a little tipsy too. You tell him : 

“On the cheek only ? Let’s give them a show no ? Let them forget about what happened with Dick.”

Of course, you’re only joking, but there’s a light in Bruce’s eyes you haven’t seen before and…It disappears quickly. He chuckles, of that low chuckles that would charm anyone in the world, and says :

“I don’t want to force you to do anything you wouldn’t want to. Actually kissing me, I realize, might be too much.”

You know he caught on your joke, but you can’t brush off that light in his eyes that ignited when you suggested to kiss him…You don’t know why, and it feels you’re not controlling your own words, as you hear yourself say :

“Oh because kissing you would be such a horrible thing wouldn’t it ? Oh my, you’re only one of the handsomest man in Gotham, a rather attractive fella, how could I handle kissing you ? So disgusting !”

Your tone is teasing, and a little bit challenging. He catches on that, too. He answers : 

“But I am merely here to serve. I will do as you wish. You only have to say the words.” 

His smile fills your vision. His face. And the way he softly holds your waist, even as his other arms is carrying his son (the man was BUILT). And you think…Well, fuck it ! It was time for the first (fake) kiss, right ? 

Right here, in front of the cameras, where everyone was seeing you. Making it go full circle. Making it “official”. 

“Kiss me then, if you dare.” 

You simply say. Releasing a breath you were unaware you were keeping in. And he feels his heart squeeze, and as if he’s sweating a bit. When was the last time he was nervous about kissing a woman ? 

He couldn’t remember. 

And then he kisses you, the flashes of cameras slowly fading away as his lips melt onto yours. 

Wow. What a perfect, and nice, first kiss. 

As fake as it might be.

Your room. 

Your room at Wayne Manor was bigger than your entire apartment. 

You and Bruce decided that sometimes, so you wouldn’t raise any suspicion, you’d sleep at the Manor. Paparazzi were so on top of everything, it would seem weird if he was in a “committed relationship” and you never slept at his place. 

So Alfred settled a room for you. 

Oh. Alfred ! You met him not long ago, and he was the best ! 

It felt like he could magically guess what you wanted when you wanted it, and magically appeared with that warm cup of tea you craved, or that meal you’ve been thinking about all day. 

But beyond that, he was genuinely nice and made sure to make you as comfortable as possible. He showed you around, and his conversation was so pleasant ! 

You could actually see a lot of Bruce in him. Or, rather, it was evident that Alfred had raised Bruce most of his life, because they had a lot of similar mannerism, and were both kind and caring (Ah, imagine if Superman knew what you thought of Bruce, how crazy it’d sound to him eh ? But of course, that you’d discover way WAY later). 

You never went to explore much when it was time to go to bed, too afraid to get lost. This place was huge, and you never quite had a good sense of orientation. 

One could only wonder, what would you have discovered if you ever dared to wake up during the night, and explore his home ?

Build a Bear. 

Sometimes, Bruce really had to wrack his brain for original date ideas. Ever since he came back to Gotham, his dating days consist of pretending to sleep with every model in the World. 

He’d take them to fashion shows, to galas, to charity events…All very public places, unsuitable for a “serious” relationship like he was hoping to make yours and his pass for. 

Enter : Clever little Dickiebird, who always had an idea (and who might’ve been the best wingman someone like the Batman needed…that, of course, he’d discover it way, WAY later) :

“You can take her to a build a bear !” 

“Build…a bear ?” 

“Yeah, you know. You go and you make your own teddy bear !” 

“I do know, I took you to get Chester - the name of Dick’s favorite plushie toy now, and maybe with which he slept-. But…For a date ?” 

“What ? It’s cute and intimate !” 

“Huh ?” 

It has been a long time, since Alfred Pennyworth had to hold his laughter in that hard, and try to stay impeccably neutral. And there, faced with his master Bruce, who was known as the “ultimate womanizer”, the “perfect playboy”, and who was currently taking advice from his eight years old son…It was really hard to keep a straight face. 

It was also incredibly adorable. Especially how Bruce seemed to genuinely listen to the little one, unaware that he seemed actually way too interested for things just to be for his “fake relationship” to be more convincing. 

Not that Alfred was going to tell Bruce anything. 

“Dick, you know (Y/N) isn’t really my girlfriend, right ?” 

The way the boy talked about taking you to a date, felt to Bruce like he was forgetting this was all fake. And it was important to remind him.

But Dick had to invoke all the efforts in the world to not roll his eyes as to say : “sure she isn’t”, by now, it was oh so obvious to everyone but you and Bruce that there was a very real thing forming between you two. 

Instead, he said : 

“But you’re suppose to make the public really believe it right ? If you take her to build a bear, I can assure you they will think you guys are the real deal.” 

Bruce pondered this for a little bit, and realized that his son was right. It did seem like a cute and intimate date to bring your girl to, even if she was your fake girl…

Ah. Bruce forgot his own words. “Dick is great at pretending.” He is. He really is. Just like right now, he was pretending his idea was completely innocent, while he knew it would bring you two ever so closer. 

That whenever you’d see those bears you were going to build in your home, you’d think of one another. And remember fondly of the memory. 

And oh. Oh that boy was right. 

Your bear was sitting proudly on your couch, and every time you saw it, you remembered how clumsy Bruce had been, filling his own bear up. And how cute he was, carefully thinking of his options. 

And every time Bruce saw his own bear, that Alfred, for some reason, settled in the Batcave on the “trophy shelves” (and for some reason Bruce didn’t take it off of it…), he couldn’t help but think how he had genuine fun that day. 

Genuine fun, for the first time in what felt like ages. And how your smiling and giggling face didn’t seem to leave his mind, whenever he saw that bear…

Conniving traitors. 

“We both agree, he’s in love with her right ? He’s just too dense to realize it.” 

“Oh yes, young Master Richard, he definitely is. And he is dense, at times.” 

“Should we do anything ?”

“No more than what you’re already doing.” 

“Which is ?” 

“Which is continuing to push them in the…Right direction.”

“Oh ! I get it ! I’ll keep going Al’!” 

“And I’m sure you’ll make miracles, young master.” 

Dick’s smile to the old butler was so pure and happy, that Alfred had a hard time keeping his composure once again. 

And oh. Oh how he wish they were right, and that his Master Bruce would FINALLY allow himself to be happy… 

Rumors and Truth 

Bruce was just a tiny bit older than you. 24, according to his wikipedia page. 

And you couldn’t help but be a little jealous, as you were looking at the page to re-enroll yourself in Gotham’s university, knowing he was done with college.

Then again, he was obviously a genius and would’ve been done faster than you anyway, even if you were the same age, since he finished his PhD just the year before, while most people don’t even START their doctorate until they’re around 23/24. 

Mmmm. Made you think. Was this just yet another rumors about the man ? 

Maybe not, after all it was proven he started college at age 14, and in Ivy Leagues ones, all across the world. 

From Cambridge, to Oxford, without forgetting La Sorbonne (A/N : by the way, this is canon haha, Bruce really did start college that early and went to many different places, and honestly, is anyone surprised ?). 

This wasn’t really something you absolutely couldn’t believe, compared to other crazy rumors about him. And you knew he WAS smart. 

By then, you couldn’t count how many things were circulating about him, and how hard it was to know the truth from just plain old rumors. 

He had over a thousand lovers, he had MORE than one PhD (impossible, right ?), he had died once but survived somehow, he was part of a cult, he often lost his status as a billionaire because he gave so much money to charities and such, but his companies meddled in so many areas that his bank account was always filled more and more…

Honestly that last part didn’t really surprise you. You saw him gave his money away to things he cared about (like education and medical care) without a second thoughts, so the fact he constantly oscillated between “billionaire” and “multi-millionaire” didn’t really surprise you, not when you knew him like you did now. 

You totally trusted the rumors that said that by now, he gave away more than he currently owned. It sounded like him alright…But how to know the truth from the downright crazy ? Did he really have a PhD or was this just an addition to how special and different Bruce Wayne was in Gotham ? What kind of PhD did he have anyway ? 1000 lovers, really ?!

So many questions. And not a lot of answers. Even if you grew closer (as friends, of course), Bruce was still somewhat of a mystery to you. 

He never really tried to dismiss rumors, even the bad ones (unless they touched his son). Which made you wonder if they were true or not. And you really, really, for some reasons, wanted to know more about him…

“Is something the matter ?” 

He asks. Oh goddamn you, day dreaming on one of your regular “coffee date”. 

You shake your head, sipping on your drink and say : 

“Was just thinking about…Tabloids.” 

“Ah.” 

He frowns. For understandable reasons.

“I was just thinking about wether some rumors were true or not.” 

“What do you think is not true ?” 

“I don’t really know, and you never really say a rumor is false so it’s hard to know.” 

“Do you want to know anything in particular ?” 

Bruce knows it’s dangerous, to let you enter his private life like that. There’s a reason, after all, why he never dismisses any rumors. 

It helped build his fake persona, and take away any suspicions that he might be the infamous Batman. 

But he felt weak, around you. As if he just wanted to please you, no matter what. Sometimes, he felt dangerously close to just tell you : “ask me anything and I’ll tell you the truth”, even if it meant revealing his night activities…

Crazy, right ? 

He knew it was. And that he shouldn’t let it happen. Yet here he was, asking if you wanted to know something. Craving your attention. It felt so unlike him. But…You seemed to unlock a certain part of him. 

The one that didn’t die with his parents, and remained hidden. The one that was the old little Bruce, full of hope, honesty and happiness. Full of wish for the future…Even if he knew there was none. 

“How was college, for you ?” 

You hear yourself asking, really wondering if it was true he was 14 when he started, and if it was…How different you guys were, right ? You were 21 right now, and taking a gap year after two years of college…When he was your age, he had already finished a master (or even maybe two). 

“My college years were actually pretty boring, and unlike some rumors say, weren’t particularly wild. I was really young.”

“Ah, I heard the rumors.”

“Those are true, I’m afraid haha.”

“Afraid ? You’re a genius !”

Which is why you found, more and more, his “himbo” persona to be odd. WHat was Bruce Wayne trying to hide ? Mmm…

Bruce recognized that look in your eyes. The look of someone who was onto something, and it was too frightening to let it happen. So he said :

“Yes well, I feel I missed a lot, during those years. Which is why I make it up now hahaha !”

His boisterous laughter seemed genuine, and totally fooled you. You couldn’t always be on top of everything eh ? And this, did answer your question about his himbo persona…Oh, Bruce was good.

And he knew it. He trained for years, to make sure nobody would ever even suspect him to be Batman.

But he had to be careful with you. He knew it. It was obvious. You weren’t that easy to fool…

The Day Batman saved you. 

The fact he had to be careful with you was confirmed not long after. When, as Batman, he came to your rescue.

He should’ve known, that even with a voice changer, and a mask covering most his face, plus a demeanor that was completely different from his usual one, you’d still get suspicious…He should’ve known because he, by then, knew you quite well. 

But, what ? Was he suppose to just let you get mugged ? 

He couldn’t. 

Even if in the grand scheme of things, it would’ve been better, and he would definitely intervene if it got too rough…He couldn’t. 

He couldn’t bear the thought of you getting hurt, or feeling distressed.

He knew this was stupid. That he shouldn’t get so attached. That muggings weren’t really his area of expertise, that to stop them, he had to hit the big bosses. He knew. Small thugs weren’t his target. He had a much bigger vision. And rationally, he should be somewhere else right now. 

Yet he couldn’t resolve himself to. Because, and that was a dangerous thought and feeling, he was in l- 

“Why are we spying on your girlfriend ?” 

Dick’s voice takes him out of his reveries, good. It WAS getting dangerous. Still keeping you in his field of vision (you were slowly going back to your apartment, a few minutes still, and he could leave to do other things knowing you were safe and sound in your home), he answered :  

“We’re not spying on her, we’re making sure she’s safe. And she’s not my girlfriend, you know that.” 

“Oh yeah ? We’ve been following your “totally not girlfriend” since the night started, awfully looks to me like we’re um, you know, stalking her.”

“We’re not.” 

“Suuuuuuuuuure.” 

Bruce gives an annoyed look to his son, who had way too big a smug face right now, and says : 

“The night is calm, if something comes up we’ll go. But right now, it’s alright. And it has been made official, that she and I are a couple.” 

“Fake couple.” 

“Fake one to us, not to the public eye.” 

“Ooooooh !” 

Connections were quickly made in the boy’s head, and he understood why they were following her. After all, this was Gotham. And if THE Bruce Wayne had ONE known lover…Well, it was easy to know it’d attract some nasty business. 

Dick was about to make a smug remark of which he had a talent for, when it happened. He pointed at you, fear in his eyes, and Bruce focused your way again. 

“Stay here.” 

“What why ?! I wanna help her too !” 

“Because she’s too smart not to put two and two if she sees you with me. She knows us in our day lives. She’ll recognize us for sure, if we’re together.”

“Oh…”

“Just stay still, ok ?” 

“Ok.” 

Without a second thought, Bruce jumped down in the street down below, under Dick’s worried eyes. If anything happened to you, he knew his dad would never be the same again. 

And he knew he couldn’t bear to lose yet another person he cared about. Even loved. Yes. Yes Dick loved you, as if you really were part of his family…

The months of “faking” family outings made it so. Your worst fear happened. Dick was getting attached, hardcore. And he really hoped you and Bruce would figure out you were actually in love with each others before the end of your “contract”, and before his sometimes very dense dad would decide to let you go…

For now though, he was anxiously looking at Bruce making his way to you, after he spotted a suspicious group of men genuinely stalking you. 

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

“Hey pretty girl, can we talk ?” 

You stop in your track, turning around, cursing yourself for not having the instinct to just take off running. Oh. But you can see at least one of them has a gun. You can’t run faster than a bullet… 

“Ah it is you, isn’t it ?” 

You don’t answer, knowing what they mean. Bruce sort of warned you against this. But you didn’t take his warnings seriously, and here you were, going home at night, something he definitely told you not to do. 

You just couldn’t sleep that night, and needed a walk…And here you were. 

“You’re gonna come nicely with us, right ?” 

“I dont’ think so.” 

Uh ? You’re pretty sure that weird robotic voice wasn’t yours. Even if that’s exactly what you wanted to say. And that’s…oh wow. 

That’s when you see him. Batman. 

Immediately, the atmosphere grow even tenser. And you can see the thugs who wanted to take you with them fearfully looking at him. 

“This has nothing to do with you Batman, leave us alone, we didn’t do anything wrong !” 

“It has everything to do with me. Leave.” 

“We have to-You don’t understand. We have to take her to-” 

“Nowhere. Leave.” 

Even if he was protecting you, you had to admit that, that dude was frightening. He had his back to you, and even then, he looked so intimidating and tall and broad…

Bruce was tall and broad too. But he was soft and sweet, not scary at all.

“OH MY GOD LOOK OUT !!” 

One of the thug had a gun pointed at Batman. Right at his head. He didn’t have the time to enforce his helmet yet, and if he shot around his mouth, he was done for…

A rock coming out of nowhere hit the thug right in the face. 

Coming out of nowhere ? To you, maybe. But Bruce knew that this was little Dickie’s doing. “Robin always has Batman’s back”, he said often…

For the time being, the one taking his gun out being knocked out triggered a “fight or flight” reaction in the others, and as two took off running (and were mysteriously hit by rocks too, knocking them out), three decided to attack Batman. 

Bad move. 

Very bad move. 

In a matter of second, it was over. 

He turns to you, and it’s hard to discern any emotions with his lighted eyes and mask. He asks : 

“Are you alright, (Y/N) ?” 

“How-How do you know my name ?”

“Well, you’re Bruce Wayne’s girlfriend, right ?” 

There was no hesitation in Bruce’s voice as, as soon as he pronounced your name, he knew he messed up…but he trained himself to think quickly. And this “fake” relationship was a perfect excuse, of course. Everyone in Gotham knew about you two, by now. 

“Oh, right, ok.” 

You seemed a bit disappointed, and Bruce couldn’t quite understand why…

It only hits him later, as he was going to bed, why you looked like that. And it made hi heart beat widely. Because he was pretty sure that it was because you sort of hoped Bruce talked to “Batman about you…Oh…Oh this was getting dangerous. 

But of course, Bruce had a reputation to be the one funding Batman’s gadget (a really good cover for the fact he was actually Batman). So they’d know each others…

But right there and then, as he just saved you, you felt so stupid, hoping that Bruce would’ve talked to you to Batman. Why would he ? How the hell would your name even show up in a conversation between Bruce Wayne and Batman (but oh, if you knew you occupied his thoughts many times, and who he really was, maybe you’d feel less bad ? It was, in a way, Bruce talking about you to Batman, right ?). 

You smiled weakly and shyly at this impressive being in front of you, and thanked him one more time. He nods, smiling too (oh ?), and bid you farewell. 

Ah. But Bruce didn’t notice your eyes go wide, as he took off with his grappling hook, and you caught the side of his face in a certain light…

Fake ?

“You know, he smiles more when you’re around.” 

Dick tells you once, you look at him curiously, as he continues : 

“And before you say it’s “all pretend”, let me tell you there’s a difference between this smile and the fake one. Look, that’s how he pretend.” 

On that note, he looked at you and smiled widely, exaggeratedly, but his smile didn’t reach his eyes. And it was so like how Bruce portrayed himself in public, that it made you chuckle. 

It also scared you a little. 

Not because there was a possibility Bruce did smile more around you, but because as that little boy was being silly, and now imitating his adopted father further and oh so perfectly…You felt a surge of love for him. 

And that wasn’t good. 

Because the day, which was coming soon now, you’d have to “dump” Bruce Wayne, you wouldn’t be able to see that little one again…why would you ? 

It’d be too weird, right ? Someone like you, once “broken up”, would have no reasons or ways to ever interact with billionaire Bruce Wayne or his son ever again. 

That little boy was the sweetest child you ever met. He suffered a great loss so early in his life, and there he was, making you laugh and being nice by saying you made his dad genuinely smile. 

It hurt, to know that one day, you wouldn’t see him again. That he’d grow up, and you wouldn’t know what he became. 

You were sure he was destined to become a great man, and you wished you could see it…No. No this was bad. This was so bad. 

“I mean it you know.” 

His little voice brings your attention back to him. 

“I think you make him happy. With you, it feels he can be himself. He laughs more, really laughs. And it’s often that he tells me “oh this makes me think of (Y/N)” and calls you. He doesn’t need to call you for the fake relationship thing, right ? Yet he does. That means something. I think he likes you.” 

You shake your head, smiling at this little boy’s wild imagination. No way. No way was THE Bruce Wayne falling for you in any way. Were you guys becoming real friends ? Sure. But it definitely stopped there. Right ?

Oh but if only you knew Dick had a knack to see this kind of things, and to guess people’s real feelings. If only you knew, that yes, Bruce was starting to fall for you…It would make the next episode way less painful for you. 

“Catch me dead before you catch me catching feelings” - You to yourself, a few days before starting a fake relationship with THE Bruce Wayne. 

“Fuck you” - You to yourself, almost six months in faking a relationship with Bruce Wayne. 

This was…bad. 

Soon enough, you and Bruce will break this entire deal off, you will “dump” him, and you’d go on your separate ways. And…

This was bad. 

Why ? WHY COULDN’T YOU JUST HANG OUT WITH THIS AMAZING CHARMING MAN AND THAT’S IT ? Why ? WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GET OUT THERE AND CATCH….

Catch…

Catch those body shivering “feelings”. 

Not just for Bruce though. But for the little buddy too. 

You felt yourself fall for Bruce slowly, and as if it was completely out of your control. But you also felt like if Dick wasn’t in your life anymore…You wouldn’t feel whole again. Like he was sort of your son, too, by then. 

This was so bad. How did you get yourself in this mess ? What was that FIRST rule you gave yourself when all this started ? 

Right, “Catch me dead before I catch feelings”. Damn it. 

Thanks GOD the “marrying season” was finally coming to an end. Both you and Bruce settled you’d wait a few weeks after it to make your break-up official, so nobody

Synopsis : You have a special little way to tuck your children in, to tell them “Goodnight” and send them off to have sweet dreams, and they absolutely love it. It makes, however, your Bruce a little jealous, at times…

When I was a kid, my mom used to sing to my brother and I a song every night, after our bed time story, and then she’d tell us she loved her, we’d in turn be like “I love you from here to the Moon !” and it’d go for a good half an hour of arguing over who loved the other one most…It inspired this mini-fic. Something very short, again to make you wait for longer more elaborate stuffs. Sorry i’m being slow, a lot of things (good things) is happening and I have very little time. I hope you will like this little thing :) : 

My masterlist blog : @ella-ravenwood-archives

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Dick

Dick is the one that invented this little “night ritual”. 

He told you this was the perfect name for it, because it sounded like you were witches up to no good, and he “loved that for you two”. 

Of course, it was fairly obvious he’d be the instigator of it all, as he was the oldest child. Your first little kiddo. Oh, but you helped too. 

The good ol’ days, during which you had absolutely NO idea how to raise a child. When you and Bruce, frankly, hadn’t been adults for THAT long, considering. 

And yet, and you were sure it was entirely thanks to little Dickie, everything came to you naturally. Everything felt right. Even if sometimes, you were a little clumsy. 

Both you and Bruce tried so hard though. To make Dick feel home. And like you were his parents. You never tried to replace his mom and dad. But in Dick’s own words, you just slowly became his chance at having parents again. 

Becoming Dick’s mom, and Dick’s dad, didn’t mean he forgot the ones he lost. It just meant he loved you as much as he loved them. And though the loss would forever hurt, he did know both John and Mary Grayson would’ve want him to be happy. 

And at Wayne Manor ? With you and Bruce ? He became happy. There was a few rough and dark first days, but things slowly build up. 

You became a family. You were his parents, now. And he knew, that his mom and dad wouldn’t be mad at him if he “moved on”, and allowed himself to love again. 

Bruce often said that he adopted Dick because he didn’t want the boy to become him. And in that simple fact, in that simple way little Dick Grayson understood he still had a chance at being happy, at having a family…He was already extremely different from his “new” dad. 

At least, from when he was at his age. 

Mission accomplished. 

In any case, this parent thing that was thrown your way, became one of the most important thing you’ve ever done in your life. 

And again, although there were some clumsy moments, and not everything was always great (Dick had some mighty fit of rage at times, Bruce could be a jerk, and hell sometimes you needed to get away from them as well because you could be such a dick…Everyone has their moments where they’re not on their best behavior, it’s called life), you were a mom, now. 

And being a mom, in your mind, meant tucking your kid in when it was time for bedtime. 

Only, it was easier said than done. 

Dick was a difficult child to put in bed. He’d always find ways to not sleep, and make you stay longer with him. Eventually, you made a “deal”. 

And that’s how the “night ritual” was born. 

You see, before this little ritual. This “deal” as you called it at first, before Dick found the name. It took you hours, to put him to bed. 

Bruce was often out in the city early (although he always made sure to be here for a good night kiss and a “love you, champ. See you tomorrow, sleep well”) and Alfred would monitor the computer, at those times. 

Later, when Dick grew up, you’d often be behind that monitor. But if a kid had to be put to bed ? You gladly took it upon yourself to do it. 

For you, especially in those early motherhood days, it was important to be there for your child. For him to feel like he wasn’t an afterthought, and that “the butler” (although everyone knew Alfred was more than that) wasn’t here to take him off of your hands. 

So bedtime, was your task. The task you gave yourself. 

And oh boy, with Dick ? It quickly turned into a hassle. 

“I’m thirsty…Wait, I’m afraid to stay alone in the room, piggyback ride to the kitchen ?” 

“I can’t sleep, it’s a full Moon.” 

“Hey, I didn’t clean up my room today ! We can’t leave all my toys laying around like that, can we ?” 

It was always “one last story” or “I have to pee” or “I forgot to brush my teeth !”. 

And at the time, you just didn’t have the heart to scold him and tell him it was enough, that it was time for bed. Oh well, who were you kidding. Even now, you didn’t scold your kids if they took their sweet time to get to bed. 

You just didn’t quite understood the point in getting  mad at them just because they didn’t go to bed right away. Dick eventually fell asleep, and not even that late. And if he was stalling for too long, he would only get mad at himself the next day because he’d be exhausted, and then that night he’d go to bed earlier. 

So no. You didn’t get mad. It sounded ridiculous, to yell at kids for this. However, you were a mom now. And you knew your kid couldn’t just do whatever he wanted, even if he was as sweet as Dick. 

Dick was nice almost all the time. He listened, did his chores, worked in school…So what if you gave him a little freedom sometimes ?

Yes. Sometimes. It was fine sometimes. 

But not all the time, like it had become. And not for bedtime. Seeing your son, in the morning, with big bags under his eyes, made you think of your husband, and oh you didn’t want this little 8 years old to be as tired as your Broosh could be. 

Of course, Dick was in bed WAY BEFORE Bruce came to bed. But for a small child like him, falling asleep at 10 or 11 pm was already too late. 

And so, one day you had enough. And you decided to make a deal with him. There had to be things required for him to go to bed (like a story, for example), but when you said : “it’s time for bed now”, he HAD to listen. The threat was that you’d just kiss him goodnight and leave. 

At first, Dick didn’t believe you. You couldn’t possibly have the heart to not tell him a story, and leave him alone so soon ! But you had to give him a lesson. 

And so, came the first unpleasant act you did as a parent. Because being nice and lenient was one thing, but you still were his mom. Not his friend. And there had to be certain rules, especially for such a young child. 

Rules, that he had to understand, or it was meaningless. Now, of course, you weren’t as harsh as your husband (you’d get mad at him enough, when he trained Dick and was a little too much). But still. You couldn’t let him decide of everything. You really REALLY didn’t want him to become a brat who thought he could just have anything whenever he wanted. 

Dick was a great kid, your worst fear at the time was that he’d turn into a phony who thought of himself as superior just because he was from a famous and rich family, and allowed to do whatever he wanted. 

And so, the “night ritual” began. On a common accord (because Dick was such a good kid, but also because that time you just kissed him, tucked him in and left really left a mark on him and he hated that so much !). 

You realized the reason he couldn’t get to sleep right away was because he was always wayyyy too excited, but also…because he didn’t want you to leave so soon. 

He dreaded the moment you’d leave, and he would be alone in his room. 

So you put in place a system, that would gradually make him sleepy. And…

It worked. 

First, you’d get dessert in bed. Usually fresh milk and a cookie. Something light, just to put him a little bit to sleep (Dick always got sleeping after he ate something, for some reasons). And you’d talk about your day, about how you felt. You’d lay it all out, so that your boy wouldn’t get to bed with any negative feelings. Talking, always helped. 

Then you’d read him a bedtime story. Better yet, you’d invent a bedtime story just for him (this is how your most famous book saga, “Richard and the Space pirates” came to be). If you felt benevolent that night, you’d even tell him two stories. 

One would usually do the trick, however.

Then you’d sing him a few lullabies, to lull him softly to sleep. 

And as he’d fall asleep, you’d whisper : 

“I love you so much.”

And he’d answer, outraged but too weak to really argue. A few last words before falling into a deep slumber : 

“I love you more !”

And bam. He’d be passed out. Your soft voice in his ears, as you told him a story, sang to him, and told him he was loved…It was what he needed. 

He was a rather young child too, who had a busy life. School, training, homework…So of course, with a little coaxing, he’d fall asleep fast. 

But he had to know you were there. Had to know he had those moments with you, and wouldn’t be alone before he fell asleep.

See, you understood that all his stalling before the “night ritual” was put in place, was because he was trying to tire himself out before you left. He was trying to keep you there as long as possible, just so he would fall asleep fast once you were gone. 

“I love you most.” 

You’d tell him, as he was already sleeping sweetly, clinging to his comforter as you slowly caressed his hair, laid a last kiss on his forehead, and left the room. Making sure before, that his little light was on, in case he woke up at night. 

Dick hated the dark. 

“I love you.” 

“I love you more !”

“I love you most.” 

Night ritual. 

Existing because your oldest kiddo, Dick, needed some “guidance” to fall asleep. But most importantly, because he needed to know you’d be there too, until he fell into his dreams. 

You’d indulge him. Meeting him half-way between “doing everything he wants you to do” and “being way too strict”. There were rules, to bedtime. 

A “night ritual”. 

But the rules were lax. Could be bend. And existed only so he would be able to sleep relatively early. 

For years and years, you’d do that little nightly ritual with him. It stopped when he was around 14, even if he still had a kiss goodnight and got tucked in. Things really stopped overall when he left for the Titans, shortly after turning 16, after that awful fight with his father. 

Oh and to be honest, something he’d never tell anyone…Even now, as a grown ass adult, he’d sometimes call you at night just so you could sing him a song, as your voice was still the thing that’d put him peacefully at sleep even to this day. But the real “night ritual” stopped. Your little boy grew up.

Which made you so sad…But then Jason came in. And soothed the pain. 

Jason

Jason ressembled Dick in that he really wanted you to stay for the longest possible. But, unlike Dick who wasn’t afraid to speak his mind and who could be a bit of a brat sometimes, Jason wouldn’t say anything. 

Dick definitely used his little charms and smiles to make you and Bruce crack, and give in…the little bugger even taught his younger siblings everything about how to manipulate you two into saying “yes”, to your greatest dismay…

Oh but, was one more scoop of ice cream really that bad ? After all, your children were nice most of the time, it was fine to be a little lenient sometimes, and though Bruce loved to think of himself as a strict parent, nobody was fooled, you were both pretty cool and lax…Which didn’t mean your children were misbehaving brats, although they had their moments, like everyone. 

Anyway, Dick used to make it clear he was demanding for you to stay longer with him when bedtime was coming. 

But Jason was a little shyer. He spend his entire life until then thinking he was bothering the people around him, that he was a burden, so he really didn’t want his new family to think that of him. 

But you could see it in his eyes. You could. When he wanted for you to tell one more story, or to sing him one more lullaby. And although you were constantly teased by your husband about how easy those kids played you (as if he was one to talk)…you couldn’t resist. 

You were always left rather sad and depressed, if you put one of your kids to bed and they looked visibly upset. So you’d stay longer. Anything for them to go to bed feeling good. 

About life. About themselves. About everything, really. 

A child shouldn’t have his sleep burdened by any worries.

Of course you knew you couldn’t be forever there for them, they’d eventually grow up and you wouldn’t really need to “tuck them in” anymore (at the time, you had  no idea that even well in their twenties, if they came to sleep at the Manor, even as they already moved out, they’d ask you for a good night kiss…The magic of being consistent in your love for them, really). 

You knew that eventually, they’d grow up too much and wouldn’t need you as much. That it’d be harder, too, to cheer your little ones up. Growing up unfortunately meant your worries grew with you too, and were harder and harder to forget. Or to be distracted from. 

You knew one day would come, in which little Jason would not be soothed anymore, by you telling him a bed time story. 

So maybe, you cracked a little too often, especially with him. 

You knew Dick had a good childhood, before you adopted him. But Jason ? He was bruised and abused, and thrown away like a dirty socks too often. Nobody ever wanted him, anywhere he went. 

Which was why, he didn’t dare to ask for a second story when you finished the first one. 

See, Dick would just jump up in his bed, do a backflip and dramatically say : “Pleaaaase fair lady, another story for the poor squire boy !”. Which would make you smile, and tell him one more. 

But Jason ? He didn’t say anything. And held all his feelings of sadness and disappointment inside. 

He wanted, more often than not, a second story so bad. But he didn’t want to bother you. He didn’t want you to realize he was actually a burden, and to throw him away, just like everyone else did. 

Jason always got to have a second story. Of course, any of your kids would if they asked. But Jason never dared to ask. So you’d just give it to him naturally. 

He always started to fall asleep half-way through the second story, which you’d keep on hold to then sing to him. 

Your songs would make him slowly drift to sleep, a genuine smile on his face. 

Oh. Jason. Always such a sweet boy, afraid to bother others, yet as contradictory as it sounded boisterous and full of life. 

Your little Jason. When Dick left for the Titans, you hadn’t realized how much you missed having a little one home. And then. 

Then there was Jason. 

When he died, you thought your “motherhood” died with him. Dick was over eighteen by then, and even if Jason’s death made him come back to the Manor, there was no “night ritual” anymore. You didn’t have the heart for it anyway…

You still had Dick, but losing your young son like that, knowing how he died, made you feel like you would never recover. You were in such a bad shape, that you couldn’t even help Bruce when he also fell into a dark well. When he turned back to being overly violent as Batman, practices he stopped when Dick left and opened his eyes. When Dick questioned him. 

You still had Dick, but it felt like part of what you were as a mother, died with Jason. How could you do a “night ritual” properly now, with the memories of your son’s sweet smile, him telling you this was his favorite part of his day ? With the memories of…

You moved from the East wing to the West wing, after Jason’s death. None of you could walk past his empty room anymore. 

Dick came back. And it was his turn, to help you fall asleep. More than one night, he spend trying to comfort you as you couldn’t stop the tears from running down. He never left you alone. 

Bruce couldn’t handle any of it, and he buried himself under his work as Batman. It would take him some time, before he realized that you had to be there for each others…

When Jason died, it felt like it was the end of everything nice about motherhood. Every night, you fell asleep with your head in your oldest son’s laps, seeing in his eyes the grief and pain of it all.

And you felt guilty. More depressed and sadder. You always hated seeing your children off to bed looking upset…

But it was hard to resist. Everything felt so far away. And Bruce wasn’t there. This was one of the darker moment, in your family life…

Dick felt helpless. He hadn’t been able to save his little brother. Now he couldn’t even help his parents. It felt like the entire family was breaking…

And then. Then Tim came in. 

Tim

Tim’s parents never tucked him in, too busy with their high society lives. 

So when he started to live with you and Bruce, after he lost both of them, he didn’t really expect you to…

“Do you want a bedtime story, maybe ?” 

You asked him on his first night being officially adopted. 

Oh but this was rather long after you started to see him as your own son. Tim already stayed over the Manor many times (without his parents ever even calling to know where he was). And he’d been Robin for a few months, before his parents passed away and he was officially adopted into the Wayne family (A/N : no need to tell me that canonically, Tim got adopted quite a long time after his parents died and he was “just” a ward like Dick was, for a while ;). No need either to tell me he was “older” than the age I give him there, which is around 10/11…Firstly because it varies according to canons, like sometimes he’s young, sometimes he’s fifteen, but also because this is a fanfic and my canon ages for the boys are taken from the canon I prefer XD which are not the ones in which he had a certain “Happy 15th birthday” pizza. Anyway what I mean is, that I’m not entirely accurate here for sure, but eh, it’s a FANfic, let’s allow ourself a little freedom…there’s no official canon on his age or how old he was when adopted anyway, it varies wildly from era to era hehe). 

Both you and Bruce kept your distance from him, at first. In more way than others, he painfully reminded you of the son you lost. And it felt wrong, to replace him so…

Replace him ? 

Slowly, both of you were reminded of that conversation you had with Dick, once. When he was little, and asking if his parents would be mad if he called you and Bruce “mom and dad”. 

That conversation, during which all of you talked about how you didn’t replace John and Mary, you just became another family for him. His new parents. 

Didn’t mean he would ever forget about the ones who were ripped away from him. Just that he…

He allowed himself to love again. 

And you did, too, when you finally accepted Tim in your life. 

That boy had a way, anyway, to crawl inside your heart and settle comfortable there…He was just such a bright one, in more than one way. Sure, he was extremely intelligent, but he also just…Shone. A new sun in your life. 

Not one that would replace any other Sun. Just. A new one. That you were allowed to love, too. 

“Do you want a bedtime story, maybe ?” 

Now, he was officially your son. And this was the first night he’d spend in the Manor being yours. Before, you never dared to tuck him in, by fear of getting too attached just for him to be ripped away from you…And he almost did. 

His father, almost took him away, before his ultimate demise… But that was another story. 

Tonight, was the first night as your son. And he was still so small, just ten little years. The age Jason was too, when the official adoption papers were signed…

You chased away the painful memories, as little Timmy looked at you, surprised. But you could see a hint of interest in his eyes. 

“A bedtime story ?” 

“Yes, if you want to of course. You don’t have to-”

“I’d love a bedtime story !” 

He was in such a hurry to tell you this, that it made you smile. And you could feel it in your bones. That boy never had anyone asking him if he wanted to be told a story, before sleep. 

It was obvious in his excitement, and it was obvious in his hopeful eyes. Eyes that were asking : “…Do I really mean something to you ? Enough that you’d spend time reading to me ?”. 

It broke your heart. Poor little one. Even though he had parents, and came from a rich family, he was never truly cared for. It was obvious in everything he did. 

Often, he’d try to do stuffs on his own, and would be surprised if you, Alfred or Bruce would ask if he needed help… 

Ah. Well tonight. Tonight called for one of your made up stories for sure. A mere random storybook wouldn’t do. No. You had to tailor one for him. Just for him. So he would finally know how special he is. 

“Ok, well then.”  

You settled next to him in his bed, as he sat up, the excitement pouring out of his very being. Alfred chose that time, to drop some milk and cookies, as he informed you he would be down in the Batcave to help Bruce. 

Impeccable timing. As usual. 

You thanked him, and started your story, as Tim looked at you with wide eyes, eating his cookie absentmindedly, quickly realizing you were telling a story about him ! : 

“Once upon a time, there was a little boy. His name was Timothy, and he didn’t know it yet but one day…He’d save the entire Kingdom of Waynalia. How, you might ask ? Well it was simple. You see, young Timothy had a talent to cure people’s heart. And the King and Queen of Waynalia, who were known to be cruel and vile, only were so because they’ve had broken hearts for far too long…” 

Tim fell asleep at the end of the story. And just like his brothers, quickly took to this “night ritual”. After all, he was still just a child. And this entire “milk/cookie/ story/lullabies/kiss goodnight” was great. 

Cassandra

Cassandra was fifteen, when she started to live with you at Wayne Manor. Too old, you thought, for the “night ritual”

Dick himself stopped demanding it around aged fourteen (after a certain Wally West mocked him when he heard of it), and even that was rather old when you thought of it. One of the main reason he slowly detached himself from it (apart from being mocked), was being Robin full time now, and going most nights out, so he didn’t really have the energy anymore for the ritual. It wasn’t needed. Which sort of broke your heart. 

Jason died before he ever got the “chance” to ask you to stop….

But this was not something you wanted to think about. Oh no. 

In any case, Cass was fifteen, and you thought, too old to want some bedtime stories by her mom, or any sort of snuggles. 

That was until…

A nightmare. 

You heard her, it felt even in your sleep. Something woke you, and then she started to scream. Bruce wasn’t home yet, and it was her night off (you forced all of them to have one, at least once a week). 

That night, you had marathoned your favorite TV show with her, and went to bed your separate ways. You did kiss her goodnight, and told her you loved her (you always told them at least once a day, because you learned that in your line of work…you never knew what could happen…Jason’s smiling cheeky face came to your mind, did you tell him often enough that he-no. Not tonight.). 

And then, late, it was pitch black out, you heard her scream. 

Your mother instinct made you run to her. Quickly, you understood she had yet another bad dream about her father coming to get her, and forcing her to be a weapon again. It happened so often… 

You shook her up, and she almost knocked you down as she was slowly regaining consciousness and wondering what the hell was happening and where she was. You know, those few seconds before you’re fully awake, when you’re not even sure you’re even someone anymore ? The time you need to remember oh right, I’m human, and I was in my bed. This is my bedroom. Right. 

To sooth her, you started to slowly sing to her. To hold her while you rocked gently back and forth, and sung. 

She didn’t talk, as you dried her tears. As you reminded that this was all fine, she was home, and David Cain would never hurt her again. 

Cass calmed down, and fell back asleep. You held her most of the night, waiting for Bruce to come back. You just didn’t feel like going back alone in your bed, after such screams

The next night off she had, when it was time to part at the top of the stairs after yet another TV show marathon, when you’d go to your room and her to hers…

She stopped. And held onto your sleeve. 

“Cass, honey, what is it ?”  

There was a few seconds of silence, before she said : 

“Do it again ?” 

And you understood instantly. 

See, the other nights, the ones she didn’t have off, Cass would come home exhausted after a night of vigilanting. But when she had her night off, when she wasn’t “working”…Sleep was hard to come. 

You knew all too well what she felt. Your Broosh was the same, and already poured his feelings to you about it more than once. 

Now, Cassandra wasn’t much of a talker (your husband either, really, but then it was different with you)but you could see it in her eyes. 

“Sing ?” 

She nodded. And so you went to tuck her in. 

You thought she was “too old”. You thought she wouldn’t like it. You thought, as she was slowly discovering her own independence after being treated as a weapon and not choosing anything in her life, that she’d want to be alone in moments like this. 

And oh. Oh you thought wrong. 

That night, you sang to her until she fell asleep. And slowly but surely, the “night ritual” put himself into place. 

Over the years, it didn’t change much. Because it was such a successful formula. Milk and cookies was talking about their day, getting their feelings out. A story by you. A soothing lullabies. Snuggles and kisses. 

Winning formula. 

Why change it ? Your children were all wildly different, but the one thing that linked them all, was how much they loved you and your antics. 

Each of them had “mom time”, where they’d spend the day just with you (just like your Broosh and you had date nights and such). You always took time to spend individual time with all of them, and during those times the activities would be very different from one kid to another. 

But those “night rituals” ? They didn’t need to change. Because they were perfect the way they were. Exactly what they all needed. Pure love, in many ways. And the knowledge they’d never be alone again. 

Love and loneliness. 

Two things your youngest son, Damian, struggled with for years. 

Damian

“I love you, little one.” 

The first time, Damian didn’t respond. He just nodded, and turned around in his bed, back facing you. 

He couldn’t face you, or you’d see the “stupid” smile plastering his face at the mere thought he was loved, and had a real mom…But that, you didn’t know.

You didn’t really take it personally, you happened to know another “emotionally stunted” Wayne, so you were used to it. It took a while, for Bruce to finally admit his feelings for you. Even if they were obvious, and written all over his face (which is why Damian used the “back facing you” trick). 

You knew it’d take time. So for now, you’d settle with a simple kiss, and reminding him he was cherished. 

And then one day… 

“Why do you not read me bed time stories ? Or make one up, with me as the hero ?” 

“Beg you pardon ?” 

You were diligently tucking him in, as he never told you off when you did it, when he asked this, taking you by surprise. What he said didn’t quite register, until he added : 

“Grayson says that when he was little, you’d tell him a story. Made him the hero of it. And then you’d sing. He said there were cookies, too. Why do you not do that with me ?” 

Oh. Oh. Oooooooooh. 

You got it now. But you’re no less surprised. 

“I thought…You had no interest in those ?” 

Damian nodded slowly, and said : 

“I know why you would think this…Mom.”

Mom. That…He hadn’t call you that very often, so far…

“But when you come to tuck me in, I never have nightmares. I sleep soundly, and I dream of-Soft things. Like unicorns and cats.” 

This makes you smile. Oh. Oh if only people could see the Damian right in front of you, and not the Damian he liked to pretend he was. 

Sweet, sweet boy. 

“I know why you think I don’t want a story, and snuggles, and all the thing Grayson gushed about for hours. But I…Do. I like when you come to tell me goodnight, and I wouldn’t mind if it lasted longer ?” 

He was so unsure. Very unlike his cocky usual self. 

This, was the real Damian. 

The one who really wants to connect with others, who wants to be good, but he’s just not really sure on how to proceed. So he pretends he doesn’t care. 

But he does. He cares a lot. 

He’s very much like your Broosh, in that regard. Like father like son, eh ? Both of them love to hide emotions from their faces, and pretend everything is ok, even when they’re breaking inside. 

Silly boys. 

You managed to reach Bruce. You were sure you could reach your son…

And it had already started. You could see it. You smile, and leave his room to get cookies and milk. 

And oh damn it, you should’ve told him you were doing that ! Because when you came back, he was laying in his bed and looked absolutely crestfallen ! There was even small tears in his eyes, oh no ! 

You quickly understood that he thought you were refusing to do the famous “night ritual” with him. That you just went to bed too, and weren’t going to tell him a story. 

His face brightens, truly brightens, reminding you of when the sun just comes out from behind high mountains. He sees the cookies and milk, and oh. Oh he looks so excited. 

You dried his tears with the back of your hand, and smiled fondly at him. 

It makes everything worth it. All your effort to connect with him, worth the work and heartache it brought. 

You knew. You knew you’d eventually make it. And it’s that evening, when he asked for “the night ritual”, that you truly realized it. 

First, cookies and milk, and a little talk about his day. His feelings, too. 

Then the story, one you made up with him as the hero. He seemed to love that, especially to be a good hero, and not a villain. Cute, and heartbreaking at the same time. 

Then come the lullabies. 

And finally, the soft drift to sleep, and a last feel of warmth as you kiss his forehead and leave him to a deep slumber. 

Damian has never felt so peaceful in his life before. 

Duke

You didn’t really dare, at first, going to tell him good night. 

Unlike your other children, Duke arrived in the family being a sixteen years old boy. Way pass needing someone to tuck him in. And you didn’t want to overstep your bound, you already knew how difficult things were for him. How hard it was to adapt to it all. 

It was quite the same than with Cass. But even more complicated. 

Cass’ childhood was inexistent, really. Destroyed before she could enjoy it. So sometimes, when with you or Bruce, she’d let go, and act like a child, even though she was older. It was fine. She never had a childhood, she could make up for it now. And so what if she liked hot cocoas and cuddles ? Nobody would hold it against her. 

In fact, most adults would probably LOVE to be taken care of by their mom again.

But Duke, was different. He had a happy childhood, parents who were loving and caring…His mom most likely told him stories, and sung him lullabies. 

And he was sixteen. And in the middle of an identity crisis, as his powers just barely manifested. 

So you didn’t go to tuck him in. Even if you really wanted to. 

You wanted to give Cass freedom, let her explore herself, as she always lived following someone else’s orders and view of life. 

But Duke ? Duke was an entirely different case from Cass. And you could see him, at times, feeling lost and sad. 

You always hated having your kids go to bed upset. But what could you do ? 

He was certainly not gonna let you…Or, was he ? 

After all, you never asked. 

“Do you…Want a bedtime story ?” 

He stares at you, visibly confused and thinking you’re a little crazy. And you realize yes, this question is ridiculous. The boy was sixteen ! 

“Nevermind, sorry that was stupid. I was just thinking…Well I don’t know what I was thinking. Sorry. Night buddy.” 

“Wait !” 

Uh ? There was a sort of little panic, in his voice. As if he was afraid you were leaving so soon. You turned around, and waited for him to speak again. 

“Maybe not a…bedtime story but…Maybe, maybe we could talk ? For a little bit ? My…My mom and I used to talk every night, it helped me sleep.” 

You felt a lot of things at the same time. 

Touched he wanted to do with you what he used to do with his mom. 

Reassured to realize your guts were right, and that his mom did tuck him in sweetly every night. 

And sad that it took him so long to ask you for this. 

“Of course Duke, of course.” 

Duke, was older than any of your other children, when he came into your life. But it didn’t mean…

It didn’t mean he didn’t need you. Or your motherly side. 

He never quite had the full “night ritual” experience, as some aspect of it were definitely too childish. But he had the cookies and milk. And the talk. And the feel that you would always be there for him. 

Always. 

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

The end ? 

No. 

Bruce 

Bruce tossed and tossed in his bed, sleep evading him. 

There used to be a time, every nights were like that. Unable to fall asleep, and when he did, his slumber was plagued with the most terrible nightmares. 

Maybe that’s why, more than anything else, he decided to use his nights to be a vigilante ? Of course, the cover of nights helped in many ways, doing his Batman work in broad daylight would be more difficult (even if he did do some work during the day). Especially in regards of his “Brucie Wayne” persona, his cover up, pretending he definitely can’t be Batman. 

Ever since his parents died, Bruce had trouble falling asleep. That’s probably why it was so easy for him to train himself to sleep barely a few hours a night, and stay in shape even as he often ran on very little resting time. 

He lived like that for so many years…

And then. Then you appeared in his life. 

And every nights in your arms were peaceful, he was taken by a deep sleep that could happen only with you. He slept so soundly, when you were there, that often when you had to wake up before him, you had to call Alfred so he’d help you untangle yourself from his grasp (I wrote a story about that haha :How to remove a Wayne safely).

You forced him to take at least one night off, and he was so sure he wouldn’t be able to rest on those nights…yet he always fell asleep like a baby, around 11 pm max, often falling asleep in front of whatever movie you were watching, just the two of you. 

You had that power. To allow him to sleep well, and not have such awful nightmares.

So when you weren’t with him, he couldn’t find sleep. 

He would toss, again and again, and whenever he’d almost fall asleep, his hand would unconsciously look for you in bed and the fact you were absent would make him be wide awake again. 

Yes. He just couldn’t sleep, when you weren’t there. 

Which is why…Which is why he was a little grumpy, when you would take a long time telling your children good night. It was a sort of jealousy he wasn’t very proud of. 

Fighting other men to get your attention ? Any day. Fighting his own children…Felt a little shameful. Not like he could control this feelings, there was time, he was a little selfish. And you two had such few times to yourself, with the life you lead, that any opportunity was taken gladly.

He’d always try to be there for the story time, and for a kiss and some “Love you, kiddo” before leaving either for the cave, or to take an early night in.

Early night ins. Rare occasion. 

Like tonight. His one night off this week. 

He trusted his cousin, Batwoman, to take care of the city, and his oldest sons, Dick and Jason, who were now old enough to go out there on their own, too…Well, he did still hid trackers in them, and made sure to ask Kate to keep an eye on them, but they were adults. 

Capable of taking care of themselves, and go out there to keep Gotham safe, and take care of their younger siblings.

They were still absolutely forbidden to go out there alone. And no one wanted to argue much with your husband about safety, he had already made punchlines for those occurrences and it was impossible to win against him. 

Cass, Tim, Damian and Duke weren’t allowed yet to fly solo like their older brothers. They were only allowed to go out there while Bruce wasn’t IF they were with Kate, Dick, or Jason. 

Bruce particularly liked when they were with Jason because although many would think he was the most reckless one, because of his “bad boy” reputation but…When it came to his siblings’ safety, he did NOT joke around. 

Dick encouraged them to become their own person, and to take initiative (he trusted them to know what they could and could not do, and he was right). But Jason ? Jason took after you, and your “mama hen” personality, for sure. 

Actually, Bruce often sneakily stuck one of his younger kid with Jason, so his reckless son would be more careful. Neither you nor your husband wanted to ever lose him again…So what if you had to resort to dirty tactics and ask him to look after a younger siblings for him to be less incautious ?

In any case, it had been a long time deal by then, that Bruce HAD to take at least one night off. All of them had; They each had one night a week. Conveniently, there were seven of them. 

On those nights, you and Bruce would be together every single second of it, relishing in a little alone time, and in spending an entire night together for once, and not just a few hours there and there. 

But tonight, Damian was sick, and couldn’t go out either. Which was why you weren’t in bed with Bruce, right now. You were tucking your sick son in, and it already took quite a while on normal days but as he was feeling under the weather ??

Bruce knew you. He knew you would stay with him until he fell asleep. And he knew his son, too. He knew he would try to stay awake as long as possible just to be with you. 

Which meant…Your husband being alone, right now, and unable to sleep. Ugh. He should’ve just gone out as Batman tonight, and take a break another day. …As if you or Alfred would’ve let him. You knew that “taking a break another day”, with him, meant never. 

Bruce tossed a few more times, and resolved that he couldn’t sleep up until you’d come. So he sat up, and thought he might as well take a walk around the Manor. It always calmed him down, as a child… 

That’s when you decided to come in.

“Going somewhere ?” 

You ask him, suspicious. He knows you think he was about to leave for the Batcave. And he doesn’t correct you. It’s better you think that, you already knew way too much how to push all his buttons down, he’d rather you not know that he was in fact about to just walk around the Manor and not go to the bat cave because he promise you to take the night off… 

Oh. Oh if Superman could hear his thoughts right now. He would surely not recognize his “workaholic” friend…And definitely not recognize his will to not piss off his wife, and listen to her. The Batman didn’t care, if he pissed people off ! Well. Except for his wife, who could be very scary, when angry. 

Damn it. 

Your face. 

Your face shows much concern, behind that slight bit of anger at the thought he was about to sneak to the Batcave, that he can’t hold it back for too long. 

To hell, if you were the only one who knew him perfectly, and had him wrapped around your little finger. You gave it back to him plenty. So, just as soon as he was telling himself he wouldn’t tell you the truth…He told you the truth : 

“No. I was-…I was just about to take a walk around the Manor.” 

You look at him, a question in your eyes. And you don’t have to ask him, as he answers : 

“I can’t sleep when you’re not there. Needed to clear my mind.” 

It makes you smile, of course. And it’s the truth, oh it’s the truth. 

He really can’t fall asleep, when you’re not near. 

You climb on the bed, and slowly move to him. 

“How’s Damian ?” 

“Asleep. His fever went down, finally. Thanks the gods.” 

“Was he trying to fight sleep, and argue to have another story ?”

“Oh you know he did.” 

“Haha, I don’t blame him. Anything, to keep you closer for longer.” 

“What a sappy man you turned out to be, my heart. Who would’ve thunk, right ?” 

“Don’t tell Clark.” 

This makes you laugh, and you move even closer to him, settling in his laps, facing him. His hands find themselves around your waist naturally, and as you lay your own hands on his cheeks, looking at him fondly and longingly, you say : 

“I love you, my Broosh.” 

“I love you more.”

“I love you most.” 

“I love you so much I think I’d die if you were gone.” 

“I love you so much I put up with your bullshit.”

“Hahaha. Cheeky. I love you so much I eat your awful gluten free cake without batting an eye.” 

“You ass ! Well, I love you so much I don’t even mention it when you call this disgusting mixture you make in the morning “coffee” “

“Oh wow, ouch. I love you so much I don’t even care about you criticize me.”

You chuckle a little, and kiss his nose, before adding :  

“I love you so much, that I wouldn’t change anything in my life. Not even the heartaches…Because everything lead me to you. And a life without you, is no life at all.” 

Admittedly, you cheated a bit, using his “I love you so much without you I’d die” against him, twisting things a little to pack a little more punch. And…

There’s a short pause, he looks at you, and then he leans over, slowly and softly pecking your lips. You think this means you won tonight, and you will be back in his arms in no time, allowing him to sleep properly…But you’re wrong. 

He says, after burying his face in the crook of your neck, in barely a whisper, his breath tickling you softly : 

“I love you so much, I would quit being Batman if you asked me to.” 

“Wait, what ?” 

You never asked him to. You never did, and never will. Because you were on of the only person on this Earth that truly understood him, and that loved him unconditionally. 

You knew and understood why he dressed like a bat each (or almost each) nights, to go fight crimes in Gotham City. 

You knew and understood all of his motives. 

And for this reason, you’d never ask him to stop doing so. But him admitting he would stop if you did ask, it made you feel…So much. 

It touched you beyond all measure. You didn’t even know how to respond to it. 

“Ah, I win, didn’t I ?” 

You had no words to answer. You knew how much you loved him, how much he meant to you, and how impossible it was to even envision a life without him. But he always  managed to surprise YOU with how deeply in love he was with you. How much he’d give up, just for you. How you knew, he would burn the entire world, if it meant saving you…

He would for his children, too. There was no doubt in his mind that if he had been to that warehouse sooner, and killing the Joker meant saving Jason…he would’ve done it. There was no point doing in afterward, once his son was already gone…But there, in the moment, to save him ?

He would. He would kill everyone, just to save his family. 

This was a side not a lot of people knew. They all assumed he wouldn’t do it, that he would let you or his children die for the greater good. That’s why considering, you guys weren’t kidnapped that much. 

Every villain, everyone, always thought that the Batman would not budge from his principles even if it meant saving those he loved. 

And they were wrong. They were so wrong. 

It was good, though, that only you knew that. 

“Ah. I win, didn’t I ?” 

You don’t have the words to answer him, your heart overflowing with so much. Overwhelming. So you go to the next best thing. 

Actions. 

You kiss him. With all the passion and love you can gather in your being. 

You kiss him, and he kisses you back. 

That. 

That was his night ritual. 

The only way he could fall asleep peacefully, like he used to when his mom and dad tucked him in. Before their death. 

Finding purchase once more, in your arms, after years of night plagued with nightmares and pain. 

Being near you. With you. In every way possible. Touching you, feeling you near. Right there. By him. 

The big bad bat’s “night ritual”, it was you. 

It was, and would always be you. 

The end(for good, this time, haha). 

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As you might’ve noticed, I’m in a very soft mood lately haha. I guess I’m just happy about my current situation, so I wanna write all the fluff and make the Batfam happy…Not for long though. I have some mighty angst in store for you, just you wait ;). In any case, here’s to a small bonus story. Hope you liked it even if it’s not what I said I’d post ^^’. I assure you what I planned is coming, I’m just being damn slow. As usual any comments and reblogs are more than welcomed<3. 

PS : Last time I posted a bonus story, an anon wasn’t happy I wasn’t posting longer stories I said I would post soon haha…So just a quick thing : those stories I’ve been posting lately literally take between 20 minutes to an hour to write. It’s extra fast, and I don’t re-read myself. So I can post them rather rapidly. But those I have in store that are long as hell and full on one-shots I thought a lot about, not just random drabbles, need a lot more work. Which is why they take longer. Which I’d think is obvious to everyone (most of y’all are super understanding and nice <3), but I guess not huh…Please. Be patient with me. I’m super busy lately. But everything I said I’d post WILL be posted. I can promise this much. 

Synopsis : Even big scary tough vigilantes, sometimes need a hug. Comfort. And you ? Well, you’re always here to help with this. Wether it be for your husband, or your kids. 

Another bonus thingy before posting tomorrow (or Sunday), the “fake boyfriend trope” with Bruce :). Just a little thing, about the kids, but also Bruce, needing and seeking comfort. The pandemic got us all hug-less, so I wrote a story about giving hugs and all haha. Hope you’ll like it : 

My masterlists blog : @ella-ravenwood-archives

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Bruce. 

You had to admit, when you first started dating him, you were a little selfish. 

He was the one giving you comforting hugs. Reassuring you. He was the big spoon, and the one to always initiate it. 

The one to put his arm around your shoulders when you felt a little scared or uncomfortable. Or his hand on the small of your back when you were anxious during a gala, his mere touch soothing you. 

The one pulling you on top of him to fall into a soft slumber. The one you used as a pillow when you fell asleep in the car, or on the couch. The one to give you a massive bear hug, holding you tightly against his heart, if you felt even remotely sad…

And for a while. For the first months of your relationship, in fact. It just…Didn’t occur to you that he would need those kind of hugs too. 

Yes. When he hugged you, you hugged him back. But it wasn’t the same, was it ? Most of the time, he was holding you, and you’d just respond. There was a difference. Anyone receiving a hug from someone could tell. Giving hugs, although very nice, never felt quite as comforting as receiving one. 

Feeling warm and safe in your loved one’s embrace. 

You felt quite ashamed, when you realized that you never really gave him a hug, never initiated things because…Well, Bruce always seemed sure of himself, so strong and poised, right ? 

Both as Bruce Wayne and Batman, it always felt like he was in total control and knew what he was doing. And sure, he often was, but…Even the strongest people on Earth, sometimes needed comfort. 

Later on, you’d feel mad at yourself for thinking he could handle himself. To your defense, he wanted you to think that. Both because he wanted to protect you, and because one of his biggest flaw was his pride and he didn’t want to…Ask for a hug. Plus, your relationship was very new, you couldn’t know all his secrets and weaknesses right away. 

But then.

Then one day, he came back from a tough night, and it was visible on his face that he had seen some pretty messed up things. 

And that’s when it happened.

It was pure instinct. Probably very much like it was for him, when he hugged you. As he was coming to bed, ready to take you in his arms…You made the first move. 

You delicately took his head in one hand, and his arm in the other, and pulled him to you. Laying his head against your breast, and sneaking your arms around him. Holding him tight. 

You ran your fingers through his hair and…A sigh. 

A warm sigh of relief, right against your skin. He relaxed in your arms. He snuggled closer, quite like a little kitten (although “little” was hardly a word used to describe Bruce Wayne). And in an instant, he fell asleep. 

That was a revelation to you. One that made you feel guilty at first, because you never really thought the big scary Batman needed hugs sometimes. But one that would slowly shape and describe your love for him. And his for you. 

You two, you were always there for each others. 

Always there to comfort one another. To hold each other. Whoever needed to be held. 

It took you a few months, but once you made that discovery, you made sure to never forget it. You still sought comfort close to him of course. Everyone needed a hug, sometimes. 

Everyone. Even the Batman himself. 

When he wasn’t feeling well, for any reasons, you would hold him. His head against your breast, your fingers running through his hair slowly scratching his scalp, drawing soothing circle on his back with your other hand. 

Wether you were laying down, or standing up, it was always the same (A/N : not putting specific heights, but let’s imagine if you’re short and couldn’t possibly hug that man while he’s actually standing up, he sits down or just really hunch against you haha). 

Often, you’d just guess when he needed it. And would never even think twice before taking him into your arms. 

But sometimes. 

Sometimes, he demanded them. Asked sweetly. In a way that would completely ruin his reputation if anyone else but you knew, or even noticed. 

It even happened in public, sometimes. But no one ever seemed to realize what he was doing. Only you, knew. And you’d give him what he wanted. 

It was always the same. 

He would never just downright ask for one. No. Instead, he’d look at you with those puppy eyes you loved so much. And he’d slowly tug on your sleeve. 

Quite like a child, yes. A 6′2″ child. Who worked out. Like, a lot. 

A little pull on your sleeve. A light in his eyes. 

The Batman himself, demanding to be hugged and comforted. 

Ah, if anyone knew…

But no one did. Not even his kids, or Alfred. Sure, they saw you hugging him. But they never noticed. They never noticed, he was the one asking for it…

Dick. 

Out of all your children, Dick was the one that would give out hugs the easiest.

To be honest, your son had this reputation that followed him all around, to be quite a witty, flirty, happy go lucky guy, who didn’t shy away from showing his affection for the people he loved and…although it was true, it always made you smile when you heard someone say that he always looked happy and ready to hug the life out of people. 

It always made you smile a little, to hear people say that. Because in your personal experience, he could enter quite scary rages, and he was too proud, and he hated being scolded, hated being wrong…

But that was another story. And to be honest, although, just like everyone, your son had flaws and wasn’t always the nice guy people thought he was (you’d always forgive him anyway, everyone had days where they weren’t particularly nice…you could’ve gone without the sibling rivalry he used to have with  Jason though, god those boys worried you…)

But it hasn’t always been the case. Oh no. 

Dick had terrible nightmares. That kept him awake at night. And sometimes…He’d scream. At the top of his lungs. 

Over and over again he saw his parents fall to their death. 

And he would scream. Cry. And call for you or Bruce. 

A needed hug. A warm one. Full of love and support. You’d end up falling asleep with him, sandwiching him between the two of you, making him feel safe, and helping him chasing the nightmares away. 

But this was it. Those were the only moments, at the time, he sought comfort. During the day, or any other time in which he had control…He wouldn’t. Even if he really wanted to. 

Only when it total distress, unable to control his emotions after a terrible nightmare, would he yell for you or Bruce to come get him. Only in those moments. Otherwise, although he was cheery and such, he would still stay a little distant physically. 

A kiss goodnight on the forehead. A hug when he woke up, scared out of his mind. That was it. 

And you didn’t want to force him. He went through so much already. 

But then one day…One day, he came into your writing office, tears in his eyes, and it made your heart race. What happened ? What happened ?!

“Can I-Can I have a hug, please ?” 

He asked shyly, staying at the door frame. And you jumped on your feet, going to him, telling him “of course baby boy, of course”, and he lunged in your arms, sobbing. 

What happened ?! WHAT HAPPENED ? 

“I just- I Just-” 

He couldn’t tell you. It must’ve been terrible. Was he missing his parents again ? You’d understand. You were-

“I just watched “The Fox and The Hound” and it’s just so saaaaaad !!” 

He managed to let out, holding onto you with his little arms. And it absolutely melted your heart. 

Finally. Finally he was opening up. Not just in great moment of distress. But also in regular every day life. Finally. Finally, you knew he considered you his mom too. You knew. Just because, after watching a sad movie, he came to you for comfort. 

Oh. Oh and you’d give it to him. You patted his back in soothing circles, telling him “it’s ok buddy, it’s ok. I know it’s sad, it really is.”, and giving him exactly what he needed. 

Just a little eight years old seeking comfort from his mama. 

Everyone always assumed Dick was the one who had the easiest time hugging you, or everyone. And they were sort of right. He found giving out hugs easy, and quite liked it. 

Yes. It’s true. Although he had quite a temper. 

But…receiving hugs ? It wasn’t as easy. It wasn’t as easy for him, to truly open up, and asks to receive comfort. 

He found it easy to be there for others. To be there when they needed his support, to hug them if need be. But he found it so hard to ask for help. To ask for the same kind of support. 

In fact, even to this day, he’d only ever come to you for this. For you to hold him. Wether it be because he was truly sad and devastated about something, or because he saw a puppy hugging a baby. 

Dick, since that “Fox and Hound” incident, would only ever come to you to receive hugs. And honestly ? You were quite happy to have this little special bond with your son. 

Dick Grayson would hug a lot of people to make them feel better, but he only ever asked for his mama, when he needed to feel better. 

Jason. 

Touched starved could describe Jason. 

When Bruce brought him home, the boy had been living in the streets for quite a while already. And before that ? 

An abusive father who quickly disappeared from the picture, and a mother addicted to drugs who was never able to get out of it, not even for her son. 

Jason could probably count on his fingers, the number of time he got a hug. 

There was that one time, when he was really little, his grandma visited from California and gave him a big hug ! She had to leave though, go back to her home in SoCal. She died the year after and he never saw her again. She was the only family he had, except for his parents…And she gave hugs that he remember to be nice, although he was so small he couldn’t really be sure anymore. 

There also was that time his classmate, Ariana, hugged him and said she had a crush on him ! Only for her mom to yell at her and say, right in front of Jason, to not associate herself with such a delinquent. Jason didn’t even understand. He was four, and he tried to be nice. He always behaved in school. Why did that woman hate him ? It made him feel sad. And then angry. So angry. He couldn’t possibly know that Ariana’s mom knew his mom, knew where they came from…

And then, there was that time his dad split, and his mom clung to him all night, crying. The only time she truly hugged him. But it was because SHE needed comfort, not him. And so he hugged back, little six years old trying to console his mother in this trying times. 

Oh ! And there was all the hugs he gave his dog. And if his dog had arms, he would probably have hugged him back. 

But that was it. Jason’s experiences with hugs were pretty much non-existent. And somehow, it registered in his head as him not liking physical contact. 

But it wasn’t true. 

Jason was a naturally sweet boy. You instantly noticed it. 

He had a soft smile, eyes that reflected wiseness beyond his years (and so much sadness and pain…) and a will to help and make himself useful. 

People always thought he was the rowdiest of your children, and though nowadays he might be, it hadn’t always been the case. On the contrary. 

He was such a sweet boy. 

And you knew, your motherly instincts were telling you…He didn’t hate hugs. He just never really had ones, and convinced himself he didn’t need them.  

The first time you gave him a hug, his entire body went rigid, stiff, and he reminded you of a cat in many ways. You know, when they’d stand on their tip toes, hair all up, and hissing ? Quite the same thing. 

You immediately let go, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable ! And you apologized. But then, then he told you it was fine, and there was something in his eyes…Something in his eyes…

You hugged him a second times, later on. After he had a particularly good grade at school, and go praised from his teachers. And he was a little less rigid. 

Sometimes, you’d hug him. For whatever reasons. Did a mother really need a good reason to hug her son ? No. So you did. Always making sure it was ok, though. And over time…He hugged you back. 

Jason discovered that he didn’t hate others touching him. On the contrary, he was heavily touched starved. 

It wasn’t a sudden change. 

It took a few years, actually, for him to slowly open up. For him to heal from a painful past. For him to willingly come to you, and ask for a hug when he felt down. But he did. 

Once his barrier were down…Oh you always knew. 

You always knew Jason was a sweet boy. 

And him ? He had years of hugs to catch up. He often sought comfort in your warm hugs. Often. 

When he died, you thought you’d have to start all over. You thought you’d have to teach him all over again that he was loved. Oh, he was so so SO loved. 

But no. No. The first time you saw him, after you learned of his resurrection and begged Bruce to take you to him…

The first time you saw him, after years of mourning him (and never quite recovering), he- 

He looked at you. Helmet off. Straight in the eyes. 

He was so mad. He was so mad at his father. He was pure anger. 

But he looked at you. And all you could see…It was that little banged up orphan that decided to steal the Batmobile’s tyres once. Whom Bruce brought home. Who became your son. 

He looked at you, and all you could see what the eyes of that sweet, sweet boy you loved so much. 

And when you looked at him, kept your eyes on him, not quite believing he was still alive, and he saw you. He saw you… 

Bringing you to him was something that Bruce never regretted. 

Because that night, as you looked at each others, having rushes of memories on rushes of memories all coming back to you. 

That night…You went to him. And you embraced him. 

At first, he was all rigid. Like a cat who was on edge, back and hair sticking up, and almost hissing, you know ? 

But then. Then a tear fell down his eye. And another one. And your arms were warm and loving. 

Bruce never regretted taking you to him, even as it was dangerous because Jason wasn’t himself anymore. 

Because that night….That night was the first step in taking back your precious son, bringing him back from that dark pit he fell in. 

Because that night, for the first time in years, he sought comfort in his mom’s arms. And he felt the warmth back. 

Cassandra. 

Cassandra dropped you on the floor, the first time you tried to hug her. 

She had spoken for the first time, and you wanted to celebrate. It was a gut reaction, you hugged her. Her own gut reaction, pure instinct, was to throw you off of her and push her knee to your throat, immobilizing you. 

Thanks god Bruce wasn’t around. He would’ve freaked out. And not know what to do. On one side, his wife got attacked, which would usually made him see red and lose control. On the other side, the attacker was his daughter (whom he JUST adopted). 

Thanks god Jason and Dick weren’t either, they probably wouldn’t know how to react as well, and it’d just be so awkward. And you DID NOT want any sibling rivalry or suspicion anymore. Not when those two finally stopped bickering all the time. 

Anyway, once she realized what she did, she immediately let go, stood up, help you up too, and looked so stricken and distressed that before she even said “sorry” you reassured her : 

“No no no, it’s my fault, I’m the one who should’ve asked before hugging you. It’s ok. It’s ok little one; I’m sorry I scared you. Look. It’s ok. It’s ok.” 

Bruce hugged her before, right before adopting her. And a few times after that. She sought Bruce’s hugs, because her biological father never gave her any. Or any physical contact. And you knew how Bruce could feel safe and warm. 

But you ? She wasn’t used to yet, of course. Not to your hugs. To your softness and love, yes. But. Hugs. No. 

Slowly, carefully, you gestured to take her into your arms again. She let you, even taking a step towards you. Really wanting to understand why she felt the need to have a hug from you, now. 

And you held her. Telling her you were proud she was starting to speak more. Telling her it was ok, it would be ok. Telling her…Everything she never heard, everything she never knew she needed to hear. 

And there it was. When she understood that, when sad, you’d always be there for her. 

After that, whenever she felt sad or a little down. Sick or stressed. She came to you for a “mama’s hug”. She never really asked, and it was always quite surprising. 

She’d just come to you, and sneak herself around you. “Snake” herself, would maybe be more appropriate. 

Meaning : if you were laying on the couch, reading, she’d crawl in between your book and you, trying not to disturb you, and just laying there waiting for her hug. If you were talking to someone, standing there, cooking..She’d come and snake her arms around you, and wouldn’t let go up until you hugged back. 

She wouldn’t ask, like her brothers. Or stare at you with puppy eyes, like her father. She’d ask in another way. A way she knew better than words. And a way you taught her to be ok, too. 

Taking what she wanted. 

It was ok. 

She lived so long following horrible orders and not thinking for herself, at first, she just wouldn’t dare to do anything. 

You often found her, standing in a room, not moving. And when you asked what she was doing, she’d answer she was waiting for you guys to tell her what to do. 

It was a real learning process, that you and Bruce spend a lot of time on, to make her understand it was ok to live her own life. And maybe, just maybe, she learned on one of your girls night out that it was ok, too, to take what she wanted without asking. 

And hugs from you, were one of those things. 

She’d come to you, no matter what the situation (at galas, in the watchtower, during dinner etc etc), and “snake” herself around you, demanding a comforting hug from the one she came to call “mom”. 

And without missing a bit, you’d hug her. If you were talking to someone, you wouldn’t stop. Just hug back, and brush her hair softly (it really was something all your children, and your husband, loved and found soothing). 

It was natural. No matter the time, or the place. 

A daughter wanting support and love from her mother. 

And a mother giving it without a second thought. 

Tim.

Tim had hugs before being adopted by you and Bruce, but none of them ever felt warm. 

His parents cared little about him. They weren’t absolutely terrible people, they just…never really paid attention to him. 

They were high society, you see. They had a son only for appearances. Tim was mostly raised by a nanny. He saw his parents rarely, and they never seemed to really want to be with him much. 

They were almost the exact opposite of what Thomas and Martha Wayne. Same high society, awfully rich (although the Waynes were definitely richer), same world of appearances and fakes…But the Waynes loved their son. To death. 

The Drakes ? Well. Their son existed, and that was that. They were both rather selfish beings. They only started to care when they realized Bruce was taking care of him a lot….But that was another story. 

All of that to say that, Tim had an automated response, to hugs. 

When you gave him hugs, you noticed. He would pat your back a few times, and pull away. It would be almost formal…And. It was. 

He was taught to be polite, and proper. A short hug, a few pat on the back, for appearances. “Yes I love my mother and father.”, and yes they love him too…

No warmth. 

Just a few forced embraces. That they had to get on with. 

Naturally, without even noticing you were doing it, you took it upon yourself to show him what a real hug was.  

When he tried to pull away, you wouldn’t let go. You’d hold him tighter, and tell him you loved him. And at first, he was a little lost. 

What happened if someone didn’t let go, after he patted them three times on the back ? 

What happened ? 

Warmth. Love. Feeling comforted and safe. 

That’s what happened. 

Slowly but surely, you showed him what it was, to truly be hugged. And cared for. And it…changed something in him. It really did. 

Tim was arguably the more “cerebral” out of all your children. The most pragmatic one for sure. It’s because of the way he was raised. Always keeping up appearances, and acting like everything was fine. 

It was just a mean to achieve your goal. Or so his parents told him. 

What he found, after slowly warming up to your hugs and even seeking them, was that…There was more to life than just “work”. Than just pouring his very soul into school, or into “Robin”. 

Sure, it was important to him, and he’d probably always be a bit of a workaholic. He liked it, ya know. Not in the same way his parents chased after social status and such. No. No Tim ? He just wanted to help. 

He really REALLY wanted to help. And make the world a better place. He was a little Batman fan, who took it upon himself to give a hand. 

And he was slowly learning, that it was ok to have “mundane goals”. To not always be ambitious, like he was taught. To have some downtime. And to…show his feelings. 

If he was sad, or didn’t feel well, he was allowed to show it, with you and Bruce. When with his parents, he’d have to pretend. Always. Pretend. 

Not with you. 

He didn’t have to pretend anymore. 

He didn’t have to give out fake hugs devoid of any warmth. 

He could enjoy it. The physical contact. He could revel in it. He could appreciate it. He could… 

He could ask for it. 

Although he never quite asked. Not like Dick. No. He would…give you that smile…That smile…

It could sound weird to anyone not knowing his past, or not knowing your family. What, asking for a hug ? Odd. But it wasn’t. No. It wasn’t. 

It just meant Tim finally understood he was allowed to be an actual human. And not a robot that needed to please everyone, regardless of his own feelings. 

In many ways, he reminded you of when you first met Bruce. Both of them had very similar ways of hiding it all behind a smile (a smile you could ALWAYS tell was fake). 

That smile.  

That fake smile. “Everything is alright, mom.” That smile you could always tell was fake. Meaning…Meaning he needed comfort. 

Meaning he was seeking it. “Everything…is not alright. Could you-”. 

Yes. 

You could. 

Of course you could. 

You would always give your beloved son a hug, when he needed one. Especially when he was asking in such a sweet way. 

To an outsider, it would just seem like he was fine. Like he wasn’t asking. But to you…Oh to you. 

You knew your son. You were, with Bruce, the first person to truly know him. To show interest in him. To want to know him. 

You knew your son. 

And that fake smile ? It meant he WASN’T alright. And that he’d soon return your hug with all his might, and hold you back for a little while before he’d finally confide in you…

You knew your son. And you loved him so, so much. To death, really. And now..

Now, he knew you knew him, too. 

Damian.

He always saw Dick giving you hugs, to say “hello”. And “goodbye”. And…Dick gave you a lot of hugs. For no apparent reasons, Damian often thought. 

Was baking his favorite cookies really worthy of a hug ? 

Damian couldn’t be sure. 

Sometimes though, he noticed that it wasn’t his older brother giving you a hug, it was you giving him one. And that…That Damian truly couldn’t understand. He even saw his dad, once, clearly asking to be held by you. 

That someone as soft as you accepted to be hugged, it made sense in Damian’s head. You were nice, and kind, and sounded like someone who would love hugs (you did, but at that time, Damian still had the little misconception that you could never be scary or dangerous…terrible misconception, as he’d learn one day, seeing you genuinely mad at someone). 

He knew you were strong. But yes. You struck him as someone who’d love to be hugged. But his father ? Big scary bat ? And Grayson ? Proud cocky Grayson ? Why did they even like it, and would ask you for it ? 

Damian simply couldn’t understand. He couldn’t. 

Up until…That fateful day.

He was afraid of thunderstorms. In  his mind, it was reminiscent of those cold lonely nights his mother would send him to places for missions. Reminiscent of being all alone and freezing, in a dark scary forest full of danger. Reminiscent of having nobody, and the only source of light would be the piercing lightnings through the sky…

Damian never liked thunderstorms. Even when he wasn’t out on missions. Even when he was “safe” in his bedroom. It just always freaked him out. The roll of thunder, the terrible sound it made. And then the piercing light. Who would illuminate everything for but a few seconds. 

He always thought he saw things, during those few seconds. Silhouettes haunting him. Ready to jump on him. 

And sometimes, he was right. It was a habit his mother had, to hire assassins to “keep his reflexes sharp”. 

A flash of light. 

A movement in the corner of his room… 

Damian stood up, jumping out of his bed and ran to turn the light on…But alas he was home. At Wayne Manor. Actually safe. 

Yet the rumbling outside, and the lightnings still scared him. 

A phobia deeply ingrained within him. 

Tonight, because he had hurt his arm recently, he had the night off. Meaning everyone was out. Everyone…but you. 

You told him you would sleep in your room tonight, since he also was there. He scoffed at you, saying he could very well be alone. As if he needed anyone, he wasn’t a scaredy cat. “Maybe they -he pointed at his siblings- needed you to hold their hands as they slept, but I don’t.” 

He wasn’t even sure why he said all of that. He kind of regretted it…Especially now, as the thunderstorm seemed to be right above Wayne Manor ! 

You told him it didn’t matter. That you hated when one of them slept all alone in the Manor, while everyone was out in Gotham or down in the cave. So you’d sleep upstairs too. 

Meaning you were there. 

You. Were. There. 

Another loud “BANG”, followed right away by lightning. It was right above him ! Damian didn’t think twice, he opened his door in a hurry and started to run down the hall towards yours and Bruce’s bedroom. 

His father, of course, was out as Batman. But you, you would be there. 

He came rushing in your room, scaring you as he took you out of your slumber but…Well, you were kind of used to being woken up in a panic. You were Batman’s wife, after all.

Very quickly, you regained your senses (something that could save your life, in moment of real dangers), and there you saw him. During a flash of lightning. Shivering in the doorway, looking downright terrified. 

“Damian ?” 

He quickly filled the gap between you and went to stand next to you, one hand holding his other one, trembling. 

“Are you ok, buddy ?” 

He didn’t respond right away, but another rumble and flash of lightning made you immediately understand what scared him. Your guts that were dangerously tightening in fear at what might’ve happened to your son slowly uncoiled, and you smiled at him. 

He was holding your comforter now, and it seemed he didn’t even notice he did. Slowly, he said : 

“I don’t normally-It’s just…The thunderstorm.” 

You just smiled. Didn’t even comment. And pulled back your comforter, opening your arms. 

Damian hesitated a few seconds, before slowly walking to you, climbing in bed and…letting you hold him.

And he found that…He understood why Dick always asked you for hugs. Why his father, did too. Why sometimes he’d stand next to you, give you puppy eyes trying to make you understand he wanted to be held. 

Damian understood, even as if now Dick was a grown man, why he did it. And why his father seemed to crave them. 

It felt so nice. It felt safe. Warm. Loving.

He never felt all those emotions before. All at the same time, it was overwhelming. 

He curled up against you, quite like his father did (except Damian was a tiny bean). His hand were holding you with force, and his eyes were shut tight.  

He felt so many things. It was so confusing. Yet…Soothing. 

And when you started to hum a little lullaby. When you started to brush your hand through his hair, and pat little soothing circle on his back. 

It was as if the rumble of the thunder, and the lightnings, disappeared in the background. Damian knew the storm was still right above them. But he wasn’t afraid anymore. He didn’t even pay attention to any of it. 

He felt himself…drift…to…sleep…

You smiled. Holding him dearly against you. This was the first time. The first time Damian actually asked to be held. Well, he didn’t asked with words really, but his entire demeanor was screaming for it. The first time…

You felt incredibly happy. And later on, Damian would find that all those new feelings he discovered that night, made him feel incredibly happy too. 

And whenever he felt down. Sad. Scared. He knew. 

He knew his mom would be there, and gladly accept to hold him until she chased all his worries away. 

He knew. 

He knew that, finally…He was loved. 

Duke.

Duke didn’t have it easy, that’s for sure. 

Well. None of you did. But him…His parents were still alive, but would never be the same. He was thrown into a new family and…He discovered he was a meta-human. 

Everything about his life was novel. 

From having siblings, to being THAT powerful (and not even knowing or understanding quite yet how his powers worked). 

It was a lot to take in, for a teen. 

Sometimes, he felt like he wasn’t quite part of the family. 

His parents held him back. The mere hope they might get better one day, made it hard for him to truly feel like he was part of it all. 

It was understandable. His situation was quite different than those of your other kids. Of course, for you, it didn’t make any difference. You’d love him all the same. And you knew he cared a lot about you, about Bruce, and about his “siblings”. 

But it couldn’t be help. He was really in a difficult situation. 

And to be fair, he has been with you for barely a few months, by then. 

So many changes. Duke never liked, changes. As a child, he loved doing crossword puzzles because once you solved one, things ended up being very logical with the rest, and all definition sort of worked in the same way. 

It was a nice anxiety reducer, to do something he knew didn’t change much. Guessing words was easier and easier, the more he filled crosswords. It was the same mechanic, and often the same kind of words. 

So when his entire life was flipped upside down…

Bruce thought that Duke had trouble acclimating to Wayne Manor because he blamed him for what happened to his parents.  But it wasn’t true. Duke never NEVER blamed Bruce. He knew the real culprit was The Joker. 

And that Bruce was NOT responsible for his actions (Jason would maybe pipe in that if he had killed him…Oh but that was another story, and Duke wasn’t Jason). 

You spend a lot of sleepless night, holding your husband and trying to comfort him after his guilt and will to make Duke comfortable in his new home kept him awake…Even as it was a “night off”, where he wouldn’t put the Batman mantel on. 

Yes. 

Duke, at first, really struggled with his own identity. And felt he didn’t belong, at times…Over the years, he would come around. Come to think of you as his real family. Introduce you other children as his siblings. But for now…For now he wasn’t quite there yet. 

His parents held him back. They were still there. There was still a chance…And what if they got cured, and they went to see him only to realize he forgot them and called someone else “mom” and “dad” ? 

It was so many changes. And everything was so painful and confusing. 

But then. Then there was you. 

Bruce, in his guilt ridden state and will to do good by Duke, sometimes was too overbearing. Duke didn’t want to hurt his feelings by telling him how he truly felt, telling him his “belong” problem. 

And with your other children ? They all had difficult childhood too. All lost their loved ones. All had a painful background. Compare to some of them, Duke felt like he shouldn’t even feel like that. He hadn’t been killed, like Jason. Or used as a weapon, like Cass or Damian. 

But then. There was you. 

Your smile made him feel safe. And he knew you would understand. He knew. You were just that kind of person, making people want to open up to you. 

Sometimes, it was annoying. God knew how many times some rich idiots blabbered to you all night long at a gala about their stupid meaningless problems. 

But sometimes…Sometimes, it allowed you to make people like Bruce feeling safe enough that they could confide in you. This is why your relationship with him was so strong. You told each others everything, when things weren’t right. And one was always there to pick the other one up. 

Yes. There was you. 

And Duke spilled the bean to you. He told you everything. He ranted for hours, about feeling bad that he felt sad while some people had it worst than him. That he felt lost and confused, with those new powers. That it was difficult, to adapt to this new environment. 

He told you everything. 

And at the end, you didn’t say anything. You knew no words would make him feel better. Because he heard them all. He heard them from you, Bruce, Alfred, Dick, Jason, Cass, Damian…From Commissioner Gordon. 

He heard everything someone could say to try and cheer him up. And it wasn’t what he needed. 

For now, you weren’t sure what he needed. So you did what your instincts told you to do…and you hugged him. As simple as that. 

During that time, when in your arms, as he sobbed against your shoulder and you listened to him, truly listened to him…He had an epiphany. 

He’d understand it truly only later on. But it was your hug. 

Your hug made him feel like he belonged. 

At least on this front. Being part of the family. Truly. Your hug solved it…

It sounded silly. Yet it wasn’t. All it took, was a mother putting all her feelings of love into one simple hug. 

From then and on, whenever Duke felt lost, confused or sad. Unable to find his way and his place. He’d come to you. He’d have this look in his eyes, that you could recognize anywhere. 

And you’d give him a warm loving hug. A mother’s hug. Making him understand that it was ok. That it was going to be ok. And that he did nothing wrong, seeking comfort like that. 

Because yes. At first, he thought of his mom, still in that special hospital opened for Joker’s laughing gas’ victims. He thought, what if his mom saw him, there, hugging someone else who he started to think as as a second mom ? 

But then you were there. 

Telling him seeking comfort was ok. Wanting hugs was ok. 

And his mom ? She’d probably give YOU the biggest warmest hug, if she knew you were there for her son. If she knew you considered him your own…

All it took, was a hug. And being willing to ask for help. 

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Since the pandemic, I haven’t had a single hug. I felt compelled to write about one of my favorite thing ever :). Just something written in a few minutes, in one sitting (understand that as : “I’m sorry if there’s typos I didn’t re-read myself and I’m using the fact I wrote it fast as a poor excuse to explain those” haha). 

Hope you liked it. As usual, comments and/or reblogs are more than appreciated and super motivating <3.