#bruce returns home and jason is just here... drinking tea with alfred and helping tim with homework

[prlssprfctn]

Jason Todd arrives to the Gotham after being brought back alive for the first time, and while building up his career as Red Hood, visits Harvey Dent in the Arkham. They talk in a surprising peace, discuss this and this, and Jason even shares some of his insane ass lore, because, honestly, who is going to believe Harvey Dent?

And no one doesn't.

But there is a problem. The next time Bruce Wayne visits Harvey, Harvey randomly drops a bomb on him by saying that he is so, so glad that their Jaylad is back, and he grew up so much, looks so much like Bruce now! He even tries to assure him that, you see, yeah, Jason was dead, but he crawled out of his grave, and then, the Lazarus Pit fixed him!

Bruce thinks Harvey finally had reached the end of his line. Like, low-key, the last stage of insanity.

Harvey: God, he is still so well-mannered. I feel so pleased that he came to visit old me first, though. I always thought I was his favourite over you.

Bruce, laughing awkwardly, while asking the medics to add some new medicine to Harvey: Ahaha, yeah, that sounds like our Jaylad.

Harvey: Super happy for him, seriously. I mean, look at him, getting himself a new career as a Red Hood. That's our son. Feel a little bit bitter that he is into Al Ghuls family now, but that's fine.

Bruce, frowning, because Harvey isn't supposed to know about Al Ghuls and their connection to Lazarus Pit or about Red Hood: Uh, had J-Jason said something else to you?

Harvey: Oh, damn, we spoke for the whole night. He was pissed at you, though. Like, for the Tim guy, whoever he is.

Bruce, turning to the doctors: ...Maybe, uh, give me the same pills you gave him. I feel like I need it, too.

[anothertimdrakestan]

Batfam On A Road Trip HC

req: “Batfam on a road trip? It’s been on my mind for like a week-”

oh god it’s probably so chaotic... and like distinctly dangerous???

also this is my car AU where there’s infinite rows of seats in the car until I’m done.

we’ve got Bruce driving - even though Damian, Dick, Tim, Jason, AND Steph all tried to get behind the wheel but after last years incident the only people allowed to drive are Bruce and Duke but Duke doesn’t like driving with his siblings bouncing off the damn walls.

Speaking of Duke, mans snagged himself a window seat SO FAST it would make your head spin. He likes to sit next to Damian (who got put in the middle because he’s the smallest) and they share earbuds and Duke’s phone which is loaded with like 128 hours of songs. Against popular belief, Damian is actually good at sharing when it’s not with one of his more “obnoxious” siblings and he and Duke get along really well - they also have the same music taste. Duke changes between queue-ing songs, staring out the window making little stories in his head, and watching Damian draw. He occasionally is tasked with holding the sharp objects smuggled into the car after they’re discovered by Bruce as he’s the second most responsible (after Cass).

Speaking of the most responsible sibling, Cass somehow got shotgun next to Bruce. This is because she’s the only who makes him not want to throw himself out of the car and she’s a pretty good navigator. So, as she tries to moderate the back of the car she also is in charge of agreeing on pit stops and coffee breaks which works well because Cass is fair and no one can be an asshole to her. On the first road trip Cass discovered a Wendy’s Frosty and now she will usually write at least one Wendy’s stop into the trip - no one complains except Tim who is forbidden from ordering the spicy nuggets after last years incident.

Tim, the one notorious for threatening to throw himself out of the car most often, is sat in the far back. He someone gets a row to himself under the guise of “sleeping” when in reality he spends the trip typing away on his laptop, chugging monster energy drinks, and occasionally trying to make Dick bark like a dog through some kind of sleep-manipulation he read about one night at 2am. It involves him whispering in his ear and usually ends up making the whole car uncomfortable, except Jason who thinks it’s the funniest shit ever. However, after the incident his back seat gets thoroughly checked by Bruce for stowaways every pitstop, but he’d never store a secret in the same place twice...

We move to Jason! Who sits next to Steph. They’re the snack distributors. Known for throwing popcorn in the other’s mouths but it usually ends up being thrown at Bruce, Damian, or both. Jason is a champ at fruit roll up eating competitions. He claims it’s because his tongue is so strong from eating... nevermind. Jason is surprisingly organized about the snacks, and frequently restocks (with Bruce’s credit card of course) on pit stops. Jason likes to complain early into the trip but by the end he’s telling the most fun stories, singing the loudest, and causing the most trouble. His and Steph’s row is definitely the most fun. But he’s still on the list with Bruce after helping Tim become a world class smuggler during the trip that shall not be named.

Steph is the family interpreter. She shares messages from the back to the front and vice versa. She’s known for saying the back row is hungry when it was in fact her but everyone loves her for her honesty. She’s the first to ask for a leg stretch break, and the one who puts on good songs after Dick has had the aux for too long. She’s basically the lorax of the batfam road trip. She usually makes the snack packs that are distributed throughout the car and is known for memorizing everyone’s favorites to optimize the best snacks. Steph actually wasn’t in the car for the great incident, she often questions what happened but only knows what Dick quietly whispered to her, something about feeding nuggets to a foreign passenger...

Dick, the storyteller, the terrible-music-meister, the road trip organizer himself, sits on the other side of Damian. He was the one who purposefully cleared everyone’s schedule for the weekend and who roughly planned the route. Dick works closely with Cass to make sure they’re going the right way and he also mediates all fights that occur during the trip, and trust that there are a lot. Dick is known for being restless and often throws his head out the window on the freeway “just to feel something” his quote not mine. Dick is incharge of taking all dangerous items off Damian (and sometimes Tim’s) person before the trip and he was in the most trouble when the intruders were found during last years incident. But he took it with stride and promised Bruce this year would be better!

Damian, the deeply unhappy middle seater, can be found drawing and pretending he can’t hear Grayson blabbing on about “this crazy adventure he had as Robin so sooo long ago”. Damian is known for pouting through the first stop but after he’s had some quiet time he can actually be seen with the corners of his mouth upturned- especially if they drive past farms during the trip (Cass tries extra hard to make sure they do). Damian also had been known to try to run away during stops so he’s kind of heavily watched by Bruce and Dick. Luckily, his place in the middle seat means he’s far enough away from Tim to be “bothered by his mere presence” which is a significant win and close enough to Duke and Cass to keep him sane.

We are in fact missing two main people: Babs and Alfred. These two opt to stay home, getting the much deserved break they need. They like to have tea parties, cleaning extravaganzas, and (though they won’t admit it) the occasional dance break in the batcave when no one’s looking. They like to take the batmobile to get food and their guilty pleasure is watching rom-coms on the giant screen in the batcave while eating “trashy takeaways” as Alfred so eloquently calls them. These two have the best time, but if anyone asks they were simple awaiting the rest of their families return.

That’s how I think it’d go down! Overall I think it would be chaotic but not as bad as one might think, they are family after all : )

Oh wait, I forget, there are two more stowaways...

Bart and Kon are silent, Kon mostly flies above but occasionally slips into the trunk to rest with Bart. Bart easily slips into the trunk and is quite literally gone in a flash if Bruce ever suspects anything. Just because Tim can’t hand feed him nuggets doesn’t mean the boy isn’t read for road trip part two! He just hopes Kon made a flying stop at tacobell because he’s getting kinda hungry...

“Timmmm are we there yet?”

“DID I JUST HEAR WHAT I THINK I DID TIM”

“oh my god I finally experienced the great incident but now part two!”

“hi Steph! Yeah I’m here! Sorry Brucie, but yeah, can you pass me a twizzler?”

“HOW DID YOU DO THIS AGAIN TIM I SWEAR TO-”

yup, now that’s a batfam road trip : )

[headcans-oneshots-and-stuff]

The one that got away...

Warning: None, just fluffy fluff Word count: 1,7k   Summary: With a mysterious past on your pack you make your way to Wayne manor to find Damian Wayne, only to be faced with our favorite butler and a nice cup of tea... Pairing: Damian Wayne x reader

Requested by a lovely-dove(l)y(?) Anon: My first request is The reader from is damians past in the league of assassins and she shows up at the house while everyone is not there ( expect Alfred of course) and the just have tea and wait for him to return and when he returns ( with everyone else) he just like runs up to her and kisses her and everyone is like what the heck who is she

A/N: I didn’t really specify the ‘girl’ as the reader, but I’m sure we all know that she is supposed to be you, also AHSOSDFSJFSOPDJ all the fluff (also I really didn’t know what to call it, so the title is maybe a bit weird, but yeah)

It was noon when the doorbell of the manor rung and Alfred made his way to the entrance to check who it was. He was expecting a postman or a delivery, maybe one of the older children - who had made plans to join them for dinner on that day-, since everyone who lived in the giant house was out at the moment (Cass, Damian and Tim were in School and Bruce was in the city-office for once). What he surely didn’t expect was to open the door to see a young girl looking up at him with eyes that were so serious he almost felt threatened, not to mention the fact that she was wearing a dark fighting suit that was equipped with a hood that was laying over her hair and had knives, a sword and what looked like the outlines of a small handgun hidden in it, but not well enough for Alfred to oversee them. Working with tons of vigilantes teaches you one thing or another after years. It looked quite similar to what Damian wore when he had first come to them and it didn’t take much for him to make the connection to her being a member of the league of assassins. He wasn’t quite sure what to do at that point, but he kept his composure. “How may I help you?” he politely asked and was almost relieved when he saw her stoic demeanour change into an unsure one. She looked around a bit and shifted from one foot to the other. “Uhm...Is- Is this the home of Damian Wayne?” she asked, but couldn’t keep her eyes on him, instead opting to look at her hands as she fiddled with them. Alfred had spent enough time with traumatised, scared children that he could recognize the signs no matter how good the girl was with hiding it, the way she was looking around, shifting - as if she was ready to run away at any moment- and had one hand always near where he presumed a set of knives to be. He didn’t want to set her off so he just nodded, trying to seem as un-dangerous as possible. “Could I maybe talk to him? If that would be possible?” “I’m afraid that isn’t possible,” he started but regretted his choice of words as soon as he saw her composure falter. He quickly continued: “He is currently in School but he should be back in about an hour if you’d like to wait.” Her face seemed to brighten up and she looked at him like she was looking at Santa Clause. “That would be preferable,” she mumbled and smiled a bit, her face looked like it wasn’t used to stretch in that way. Alfred noticed how her voice sounded like she was thanking him, but her words weren’t exactly saying that, but he had seen Damian in his first few months with them so he was aware that these words were more than he could’ve expected from him back then. He led her inside and made an off-comment about her maybe wanting to leave the weapons at the door, he was well aware that asking that would most likely be futile if she was anything like Damian, only to be surprised when she took off the hood and emptied every visible and a lot of previously invisible pockets. Stacking up a dozen different kind of knives, the gun that Alfred had expected earlier, the sword and some other weapons he wouldn’t have foreseen. The act alone, even though the Butler wasn’t gullible enough to actually think she had no other weapons on her, showed him that the girl wasn’t hostile or posed a threat.

Damian was far beyond annoyed by now. When School had ended he had hoped he could go home and be left alone until it was time to go on patrol, but of course, the universe decided that the exact opposite would happen. He stepped out of Gotham Academies Gates alongside Cass who had caught up to him in the hall to be greeted by the sighed of his worst nightmare. His family in casual clothes leaning onto a car. Bruce was standing at the driver’s door beside Dick, the two of them chatting, Tim was sitting on the Hood of the car typing on his Phone and Jason was leaning onto his bike right beside the black car. “What are they doing here? Where is Pennyworth?” Damian scoffed and folded his arms in front of his chest. “Family dinner tonight,” Cassandra just shrugged and walked over to her older brothers and father. “Tt,” he huffed and joined them, brooding to himself as he quickly sat down in the backseat of the car, not wanting to necessarily talk to anyone, not even his family. They stayed on the spot for a few minutes while they were making conversation before finally, Dick, Tim, Cass and Bruce entered the vehicle, Jason sitting down onto his bike to trail after, and started making their way to the Manor. The drive was just barely tolerable, but luckily no one bothered him further than asking him about his day or how School was. God, he just wanted that day to be over with and go on Patrol already. He almost sighed with relieve when Bruce drove into the Manor spacious garage and they were able to leave the car. The six of them walking through the building to greet Alfred (Well Dick and Jason wanted to greet him, Bruce had to talk to him also and Tim, Cass and Damian had to take that route if they wanted to get to their rooms quicker). They were slightly confused when they heard two voices instead of one from inside the living room, one of them having the all too familiar tone of Alfred. He sounded by no means scared or aggressive so they weren’t worried for him, although still quite curious. They opened the door and caught sight of their beloved butler sitting opposite of a girl in a suit that they recognize all too well, not to mention the small blade that was laying beside the steaming teacup on the saucer. In the blink of a second five of the six were in a fighting stance, although more defensive than aggressive since the girl was still just sitting there drinking tea. She looked up at them and everyone in the room could immediately feel the shift in mood. Bruce mustered her and noticed how her eyes were fixated on something and he followed her gaze to his youngest son that was mirroring the girls look and Bruce couldn’t quite tell what it was that was plastered all over their faces. He noticed how Damian, arguably the most hostile child of his, hasn’t assumed any kind of defensive or aggressive stance, instead of looking rather dumbfounded. For a second there’s complete silence, but then Damian just leapt forward to the girl that basically jumped up from the chair and enveloped her in his arms. He basically picked her up and swung her around in a circle, almost throwing the table through the room if it hasn’t been for Alfred who held it stable, before setting her down again and doing something that shocked his family, well all except our saint butler, even further. He cupped her cheek with a softness they have never seen before, the girl immediately leaning into his touch, before he gave her a simple, soft, but visibly loving kiss, after which he withdrew and looked at her like she was the only person in the universe, while her eyes were still closed in bliss. “Habibti,” Damian mumbled as he laid his head into the crook of the girl’s neck and rubbed his nose lovingly against it, her hands digging into his hair as she just relished in his presence, seemingly not even realizing that there were still five new people in the room beside Alfred whom she had befriended during the hour and a half they had spent chatting and drinking tea, going as far as to actually telling him who she was (more or less) and why she was there. About how she and Damian had grown up, trained and fallen in love at the league together - she hadn’t been ‘royalty’ like he was, but her parents were high enough in the ranks that no one minded her and Damian being acquaintances - then had hidden their relationship and she had asked him to run away with her, but he had felt too much loyalty to his family to accept and they had agreed to stay in the league for a while more until they knew what to do. After that Damian’s family must have somehow found out about their relationship because she quickly found herself locked up. Later she found out that they had told Damian she had run away without him after all and then sent him to his father, after which they allowed her to go out of her cell again (only under strict surveillance). Somehow she managed to slowly gain the trust of a few other members who she managed to get information from, finding out how Damian had basically abandoned the league and was now loyal to his father. After that, she knew that she had to get to him and clear everything up and after planning out every crucial detail, she actually managed to run, using her training to get herself to America and then to Gotham without leaving a trace. Oh, how happy she was to find out that after shifting onto his father’s side Damian did the best he could to find another league member who he just said escaped the league, without telling anyone who that person exactly was. That was how she knew that everything could get better again. The first one out of Damian’s family members, that were still standing in a fighting stance, to break the silence was Bruce who looked like the sky just turned neon-green. He cleared his throat which gained the attention of Damian and the girl who parted and turned around, even though Damian was still clutching her hand into his. “You have a lot of explaining to do young man…”

[dato-potato]

The Interview

So I saw a post from @fantrash15 asking for a fic about Clark and Bruce doing an interview via video calling because corona, while shenanigans ensued in the background and, courtesy of my insomnia, I decided to because yeah, I may have a research paper due in three days, and yeah, it is a research paper about potatoes, but do I have the motivation to start it? no. So here we are, enjoy.

———————————

“Bruce, can you hear me?” Clark asked on the other end of the video call.

Bruce nodded, “Loud and clear, Clark.”

Clark smiled and cleared his throat, “Right, well let’s get started then.”

Clark flipped through some papers in front of him and adjusted his glasses. As he looked up at his screen, movement behind Bruce caught his eye. Upon closer inspection, it was Dick walking past Bruce’s study, holding a bowl of cereal. As he passed, he peeked inside and when his eyes met Clark’s, they went wide as he sprinted off. 

“Clark, if you’re not prepared, perhaps we should conduct the interview later,” Bruce smirked and raised an eyebrow at Clark.

Clark shook his head, chuckling to himself, “No, I’m ready. Shall we?” Bruce hummed in acknowledgement, “So is Wayne Foundation planning any special efforts during this difficult time?”

Bruce leaned back in his seat, “Yes, as I’m sure you’re aware, the company is doing everything in its power to create a vaccine but we aren’t planning on forgetting the current and immediate needs of the citizens,” Bruce started but Clark was soon distracted by Dick carefully opening the door and stepping inside. Just stepping awkwardly into the frame while occasionally glancing behind him, out the door.

Jason ambled into the room, a long red velvet cloak trailing behind him and a, no doubt, priceless antique crown sat atop his head. He held his head high as he surveyed the study behind Bruce who continued talking about the different efforts the foundation was making. Jason seemed pleased with what he saw as he motioned for someone else to come in. Tim entered, wearing a medieval armour helmet. He held his hands out in front of him, it seemed to be difficult for him to see through the helmet.

“And that’s just scratching the surface of what the foundation is contributing during these trying times,” Bruce finished, catching Clark’s attention.

“Ah, right,” Clark stumbled, “Uh, what about the people on the streets, those without homes?”

Bruce started again as Clark did his best to take notes down while also being completely distracted by the scene behind Bruce. Tim had gotten down on one knee and held his right fist over his heart as he kept his head pointed to the floor. Jason stood regally before him as Dick fell into a deep bow and pulled out a long sword from behind him and handed it to Jason.

Clark choked and Bruce raised a brow, “Clark, are you all right?”

Clark nodded as he attempted to regain his composure, “Yes, sorry, Bruce. Please go on.”

Bruce furrowed his brows before dismissing it and continuing to talk about the homeless relief plan. Behind him, Dick’s face nearly broke as Jason took the sword and proceeded to knight Tim. They began to change positions before Duke’s head poked into the room and he made wild arm motions. Dick, Jason and Tim all scrambled to get out as quietly as possible, disappearing out the door. A moment later, Alfred entered a tray with tea on it. After handing it to Bruce, he left as well.

Clark shook his head, making a mental note to tell Bruce about it another day. He figured it was over. It was not. A few minutes later, four people covered in white sheets began to move eerily around the room behind Bruce. 

“And how’re supplies going over there?” Clark asked, putting his hand over his mouth to hide his smile, “I know over here people are definitely panicking.”

Bruce gave Clark a blank stare, “Clark, this is Gotham, we’ve seen worse.”

After about a minute of that, Damian walked past the study, seeing the four white sheets walking about the room. The sheets all froze as Damian appeared to have a standoff with all four of them. Damian opened his mouth to tell his father but all four sheets charged at the poor boy and bulldozed him out of the study.

Clark began choked again as he tried to cover his laughter, “Clark, are you sure you’re well enough to do this?” Bruce huffed.

Clark nodded as he made a show of drinking some water, “Please continue, Bruce.”

Bruce nodded slowly as he went on. The four boys returned for a victory lap, having subdued Damian and tied him to a kitchen chair which Duke, Jason, Dick and Tim all hoisted above their heads. They all left but quickly returned, awkwardly filing into the study one by one. They stood side by side and then Duke turned to Jason, and Tim turned to Dick as they began to slow dance, though Clark wasn’t sure if he could call it that. The two pairs stood as far away from each other and swayed back and forth. Clark tried very hard to look as though he was just so interested in what Bruce was saying until the realization hit him like a wall of kryptonite: awkward middle school dance. 

Clark covered his mouth again as he spoke, afraid he’d break if he didn’t, “So, how do you feel about how people are reacting to the virus?”

The boys stopped dancing, Dick and Jason both got on one knee as Duke climbed onto Jason’s shoulders and Tim got on Dick’s shoulders. Dick and Jason stood up carefully, Tim and Duke holding their arms out for extra balance before turning to each other, arms braced. Tim and Duke were soon wrestling the other, all the while, Jason and Dick trying to keep the boys on their shoulders. The boys seemed to hear something from the hall as they all froze before scrambling off shoulders and out of the study. 

Bruce sighed, “All in all, it’s completely ridiculous to panic, people should be taking this seriously, but panicking will do nothing but create chaos and the world has enough of that.”

Clark nodded, clearing his throat and checking his papers, “For sure, and what about your boys?”

Bruce cocked his head, “What do you mean?”

“Well, how’re they handling this?” 

Bruce sighed and shook his head, “I mean, it’s certainly not easy for anyone to be stuck in the house all day, though it’s definitely more comfortable here than most other places,” Bruce paused, thinking for a moment, “They’ve actually been getting along quite well lately, it’s really quite--”

From behind Bruce, Dick fell from the ceiling with a loud crash as Jason dove to catch him, however, he only served to cushion Dick’s fall.

“Ow.” Jason and Dick croaked in unison.

Bruce was up from his desk as he stared at the two boys, “What the hell are you two doing? What were you thinking?” Bruce shouted. 

“Get your fat ass off me, Dickhead,” Jason groaned as the two boys got up, rubbing bruises that had begun to form.

From the doorway, Clark could see Duke and Tim cringe as they both attempted to make a break before Bruce caught them. It was too late.

“Timothy and Duke, you better get yourselves back here this instant,” Bruce called. The two other boys shuffled in the room, heads lowered as Bruce went on, “Just one hour of peace, please,” he begged them.

Alfred was in the room with a medical kit, assuming the worst when he heard the commotion and began tending to the two older boys as Bruce continued to plead with them to keep them quiet. 

From his laptop, Clark chuckled, “I see you’re kept busy, at least.”

Bruce sighed heavily and ran a hand down his face, “I love my boys dearly, but I will say, I will be very glad when this is over.”

———————————

Bonus!

Clark was conducting an interview with Mayor Morrisroe as Jon entered his office, “Dad, I’m having some issues with--” Jon looked up and saw his dad on his laptop and his eyes went wide. He thought about apologizing, but he didn’t want to interrupt anymore than he already had. So he opted to lean back and softly hit the floor so he could army crawl out of the room, however that’s not exactly how it happened.

As Jon leaned back, he realized he hadn’t anticipated gravity as he fell backwards and hit the floor. Jon groaned, “Oops.” 

Clark turned around, “Jonathan! Are you all right?” he worried over his boy, “Apologies Mr. Mayor, one moment,” he said to his laptop as he helped his son up.

[wisdom-walks-alone]

maybe someday i’ll come back to you

Dick and Damian centric. Emotional hurt/comfort. Hurt Damian Wayne. Amnesiac Dick Grayson (Ric). Coming out. 3019 words.

Summary:

"Do you wanna come in?"

He wants to say no. But there's a pang in his chest, a desperate ache for someone who no longer exists, and he finds himself saying yes.

In which there's only one person that Damian would want to go to for comfort.

Shoutout to the AMAZING @darlinglissa for betaing this!

read it on ao3

The key feels familiar in Damian's hand, familiar like the pattern on the carpet and the musty smell of the hallway. He stares at it, feels it between his fingers and fidgets with it. His grip tightens as he feels his expression sour. If he wanted to, he could put the key in the doorknob, turn it, hear the lock click and push the door open. It would be so easy.

But he can't do that. Damian knows this, so he doesn't. Instead, he pockets the key, and he lifts his hand to knock. But all of his usual confidence and self-assuredness suddenly evaporates, and he hesitates, staring up at the numbers on the door and catching his lip between his teeth. Dropping his hand, Damian steps back to lean against the wall and lets himself slide to the floor, still staring up at the numbers on the apartment door.

This was a stupid idea, he tells himself. He shouldn't have come here.

Just as he's about to get up and leave, the door swings open. "Can I help you?" asks his brother. Except it's not his brother, Damian has to remind himself. His brother is dead.

"No, no," he replies, standing up quickly and dusting himself off. "I was just leaving. Sorry to bother you."

Before he can make it more than a few steps down the hallway, Dick's voice calls after him. "Kid, wait." Damian looks back and sees the man biting his lip as if contemplating something before shaking his head in resignation. "Do you wanna come in?"

Damian stares at him and blinks, not quite processing what he just said. The man just raises an eyebrow at him and tilts his head. Well?

He wants to say no. But there's a pang in his chest, a desperate ache for someone who no longer exists, and he finds himself saying yes.

For what it's worth, the apartment hasn't changed much. There's a few pieces of clothing he doesn't recognize draped over various pieces of furniture, but it's the same mess all the same. Some things just never change, Damian supposes. 

The pictures are gone, though. Dick always kept pictures around his apartment, dozens of them. Damian has a mental catalogue of every single one and where it hung or sat framed on a shelf. All that's there now are bare walls and the ghosts of a thousand memories.

"Do you want something to drink?" Dick's voice comes from the kitchen.

"If it is not too much trouble," Damian answers, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Thank you for your hospitality, Richard."

"Ric is fine."

"That is duly noted, Richard."

He can hear a deep sigh from the kitchen. "I've got coffee, coke, and… You're a kid so you probably don't drink, so, uh, do you want some apple juice? Orange juice?"

Damian scoffs. "I am fifteen years old, I am not a child."

"So, a coke then?"

"Do you have tea?"

"Uh." There's some shuffling sounds as Damian imagines him rummaging through the cabinets. "Yeah. I have earl gray or chamomile-"

"Do you have jasmine?" Damian asks, biting back a little bit of hope.

"Um, I don't think…" There's some more rummaging, then a surprised, "Oh, yeah, I do have jasmine."

Something tugs at his heart as a wry smile tugs at his lips. Dick hated jasmine tea, but he always kept a box of it for Damian. He knew it was his favorite. Memories of late night post patrol drinks as Batman and Robin come to mind, Dick telling Alfred to surprise him as they began to unwind in the cave. Dick never minded what beverage he had after patrol, but Damian always had jasmine tea.

His eye catches on something laying on the arm of the couch, and he picks it up to inspect it. The hockey jersey from the game Dick took him to for his fourteenth birthday. It was the poorly named Gotham City Penguins against the Star City Icewalkers. Gotham had won eight-to-two, and Dick had insisted they get matching jerseys of the player who scored the winning goal. Damian had scoffed and turned his nose at the idea then, but now he wishes with every inch of his body that he could go back.

There's a laundry basket at his feet next to the couch, and he's about to drop the jersey into it when he sees a woman's blouse laying inside.

A woman has been staying here.

Damian internally shivers at the thought and drops the jersey into the basket.

He wanders back to the small dining table and reaches for a chair that has a jacket draped over the back. It's one of Jason's jackets, Damian registers, that Dick borrowed and evidently never returned. He pulls the chair out and sits as Richard emerges from the kitchen with two cups, setting one in front of Damian before taking a seat across from him.

"It's Damian, isn't it?" Richard starts, and Damian pretends his insides don't twist a little at that.

"Yes," he answers, sniffing his cup of tea as he brings it to his lips and takes a sip. The warmth of it pools in his chest, the familiar taste dancing on his taste buds, and for a moment he can imagine he’s ten years old again, sitting at the table in the batcave after a night of patrol. Damian has to keep himself from chasing the euphoria of it before he chugs the whole thing in one go.

Richard takes a sip of his own drink. "So, what brings you here, Damian?" he asks, but he looks like he already knows the answer.

"I…" Damian licks his lip and bites down on it as he struggles with his words, blinking hard. He'd avoided voicing his feelings on the matter, had avoided the subject altogether for the last few months. He hadn't talked about it with anyone, not Father, not Tim or Barbara, not even Alfred. He hadn't even allowed himself much time to think about it as he spent countless nights in the cave training, trying to escape from his own thoughts. "I—I just miss him, I suppose." Richard just makes a humming noise.

"I'm sorry, and I know you've probably heard that a million times, but that's really all I can say." He looks at Damian sympathetically, but Damian looks away to stare into his drink. "I know it must be hard, and that it really sucks, but I need you to know that I'm not-"

"I am well aware that my brother died that night," Damian interrupts, his grip on his cup tightening. He takes a second to concentrate on his breathing, then lets the warmth of the cup on his hands ground him as he finally looks up.

The man in front of him doesn't look like Dick, not really. His hair is still short from when it had been shaved, which gives a perfect view of the ugly scar above his ear, and he carries himself in a way that Damian’s never seen with his brother, not even when undercover. But he's looking at Damian with the same kind, patient eyes that he knows so well, and Damian bursts into tears.

-

Ric isn't sure why he invited the kid in. Maybe it was how sad and dejected he looked, the way he seemed already so resigned. Maybe it was the way he hadn't barged in here insisting that he remember memories he doesn’t have and that he be someone he’s not. Maybe it was the fact that he was about to leave.

Whatever the reason was he’d done it. He didn't mean to, he’d just blurted it out. Something just told him he couldn't let the kid go. As soon as the offer had come out of his mouth Ric knew it was a mistake. Or, at least, he thought it would be.

This time is different, Ric can feel it. He’d expected another desperate “family” member begging him to come home to a place he doesn’t remember ever being to. For tears and pleas and mentions of moments he doesn’t recall in the hopes that there’s one that he will. But the kid just looked at him like a kicked puppy and tried to run away.

He couldn’t just kick a puppy to the curb.

The kid—Damian, if he remembered correctly—had defied all of Ric’s expectations. He was quiet and didn’t make any attempt at conversation, didn’t make any move to initiate the dance he’s done countless times with Bruce and Barbara. And for the first time since waking up in this mess Ric feels bad—really bad, not just the obligatory pity.

And now, fuck, now the kid was crying. It’s not like Ric hasn’t dealt with crying before, Barbara had cried plenty. But this is different, somehow.

“Shit, hey, kid, I—”

“Fuck, fuck,” Damian swears breathily, the sweatshirt sleeves that are too long for his arms covering the heels of his hands as he digs them into his eyes. He hunches into himself, his chair skidding back a few inches, still cursing and trying desperately to reign in his sobs. “Fuck, I—I’m sorry, I should go.”

He stands up abruptly and swiftly starts toward the door, ducking his head, but Ric reaches out and catches him by the arm. "Hey, shit, kid, wait a minute, just… Don't—don't go." Damian stares at him, that kicked puppy look mixing with deer in headlights, tears still prickling at his eyelashes. Ric doesn't take his hand away, just stares back pleadingly.

He's not sure why, but he just can't stand to let the kid leave in tears.

Damian stares at him for a long time, green eyes scrutinizing him, all the hurt written as plain as day on his face. When he finally speaks it’s sharp, barely above a whisper. “Why shouldn’t I?”

The question stumps him, it packs a punch he wasn’t expecting, and Ric is left with his mouth hanging open looking for words that don't come. “Look,” he finally manages to get out, “I just want to talk. You were there when I woke up, weren’t you? So you must’ve been important to me, right?”

The words feel wrong on his tongue, but they're all he could come up with to try and get the kid to stay, his efforts to separate himself from that guy be damned.

It must have been the wrong thing to say, though, because anger flares in the kid’s face, mouth contorting in a sneer. “You’re not him,” he spats, eyes like ice. “You’ll never be him, so you can stop trying.”

Ric doesn’t know what to say to that. Shocked, he lets go of Damian’s arm and slumps back in his chair. And that’s when it hits him that this is the first person who doesn’t expect him to be Dick Grayson, doesn’t want him to try to be. He laughs at the irony of it, which clearly startles Damian. “You're right,” Ric says, “I’m not him. And I don't want to be him. I don't know if I’ll ever be him again, I don't think he’s here anymore.” He taps himself on the head. “But you look like you need to talk. To him or about him, whatever you need to get off your chest, and I’m offering you a chance to do that in one way or another. So if you wanna sit back down and talk about it or get the hell out of here, that’s up to you, and it doesn't matter much to me either way.”

That's kind of a lie; he'll feel guilty as hell if the kid leaves now, leaves angry, but it doesn't look like he needs to worry about that as the kid sighs and slumps back into his seat. He looks tired.

“It’s stupid,” he says quietly, leaning forward on the table and rubbing a hand over his face. “It’s pathetic. I just…I miss him so much. Not that it matters to you, but Grayson—Dick was my most trusted confidant. There has been…a lot on my mind, recently. There is a lot I wish I could tell him.” 

This kid just looks so lost and alone, and Ric’s heart aches for him. Ric doesn't know how to say that it does matter to me, kid, just not in the same way it would matter to him.

The kid looks like he’s about to break down again, and for the first time Ric wishes for all the world that he could be Dick Grayson.

Instead, he settles for something else. “Look, kid, it’s not stupid and…and it’s not pathetic. It’s normal and understandable. You miss him, and…he was obviously important to you.” He sighs, runs a hand over his face roughly. “Listen, I’m not going to sit here and try to be anything close to what he was to you. But I’m offering something else.”

Damian smiles ruefully. “I wouldn’t know where to start.”

Ric smiles in a way he hopes is encouraging. “Well, why don't you start with what brought you here? Did anything happen or…were you just missing him?”

Damian ducks his head, and Ric thinks there’s something like a blush painting his cheeks. “Yes, well, that actually is stupid.”

“Come on, kid.”

“It is trivial,” Damian corrects. “It’s stupid that something like this is what brought me here.”

“Try me.”

Damian sucks in a breath and releases it through his nose, closing his eyes. “I kissed my best friend yesterday.”

Ric has to laugh out loud at that. “What, so you think just because you dress up in spandex at night and punch criminals you’re not allowed to have normal teenager problems? Those bat-freaks really did a number on you, huh.” Damian just scoffs.

“It’s trivial. It’s insignificant. In the grand scheme of things—”

“You’re allowed to be a teenager, dude. No matter what freaky night job you might have, you’re allowed to have feelings. Man, has no one really told you that? That’s—”

“Dick would have.”

And Ric stops in his tracks.

Damian’s gaze shifts down to his lap. “That’s why I’m here.”

“Oh.”

It’s quiet for a minute. Damian fidgets in his seat, and Ric tries to think of what to say next.

“Well…” He finally breaks the silence. “What happened after you kissed your friend? How did she react?”

Damian laughs sadly, humorlessly. Ric just tilts his head. “I don’t know. I didn’t stick around for his reaction.”

Oh.

“Oh, shit, kid, this is something Dick would’ve known about isn't it, I’m sorry.”

“No,” Damian shakes his head, “he didn’t—I mean, he knew Jon was my best friend, but he didn’t know—”

“Oh, kid.”

“Yeah.”

“Does anyone else…?”

The kid lets out a strangled sound. “I wanted him to be the first one I told.”

“I am so sorry, kid.”

“I know you are.”

It’s quiet again. The kid cries softly, and Ric waits for him to get a hold of himself again. “So you kissed your best friend,” he reiterates. “And you didn’t stay for his reaction. Is there anything that he’s done that makes you think he’d react badly?”

“No,” Damian answers instantly. “He wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s the kindest person I’ve ever met.”

“So what’s the worst that could happen?” Damian looks at him and gives him a look that begs him to understand. Ric huffs out a laugh. “You’re afraid of rejection.”

The kid looks away quickly, a scoff on his lips. 

“Everyone gets scared of rejection, kid. That’s normal.” Damian still won’t look at him. “I get it. You’re afraid of what this means for your friendship. You’re afraid things’ll be weird.”

Damian nods slowly. “Yes, to all of that, but…I am also afraid of what would happen if…if he…”

“If he reciprocates,” Ric finishes. Damian nods again, finally looking back up at him.

“I’ve never been in a relationship before,” he admits. “I think I am the worst person you could be in a relationship with.”

Ric’s heart stutters a little at that. “Listen, kid, everyone deserves to be happy. Don't let what you think of yourself get in the way of that.”

The kid tucks into himself again, rubbing his arm. “Jon is too good for me. I would just corrupt him.”

“Would Jon say that?”

“No—”

“Well there you go.” Ric grins at him. “Talk to him. If he’s as great as you say he is I’m sure only good things can come from it.”

Slowly, Damian nods. “Yes. You are right.” He looks up. “Thank you.” And Ric can tell he means it.

“Anytime,” Ric replies, and maybe he means it, too. He gives the kid a small smile, and he’s pleased when it’s returned.

“I should…I should get going.” Damian stands and pushes in his chair. He stops, as if suddenly remembering something. “You might want this back,” he says, digging something out of his pocket and holding it out. It’s a key.

Before he can think about it too much, Ric makes a decision. “Keep it,” he says easily. And then, before he can think too hard again, “I meant it when I said anytime.”

Damian doesn’t try to hide his surprise, just stares at Ric for a long moment before sticking the key back in his pocket. “Thank you,” he says softly. “Thank you, Ric.”

Ric smiles, nods genially. “Anytime, kid.” And as the kid makes his way to the door, Ric makes one more split second decision. “And kid?” Damian turns around in the doorway. “Call me Dick.”

The kid looks startled for a second, but then he smiles a little, huffs out a little laugh. He says one last thing before he turns around and leaves. “Thanks, Dick.”

-

When Damian leaves, he feels lighter. As if all the weight he’s been carrying around has finally dissipated. He still misses Dick, the real Dick, but this isn’t so bad. It’s not the same, but it’s not completely different, either.

[iwritethat]

Older Bat-Sis: Beats

Request: More older Batsis content please 💕

A/N: I have missed this.

>>>>——————————>

Already you were dreading the following 18 hours, having woken up on the worst day of the year - the day that set both your anxiety and paranoia on edge as you continued the unwilling ritual.

It was on this day that you were most grateful for living alone, you'd locked all windows and doors not that it'd do much good against lock-pickers but it brought you time at the very least. Time to escape.

.

An ominous ringtone sounded that rattled you to the brink of full consciousness and alerted you to exactly who was calling.

"Morning Bruce, what's up?" Came your raspy voice, yawning as you got the words out.

"What's up? I'm wishing you happy birthday, I do this every year at the same time (Y/n), you should know this by now."

"I know, I - wait! Who's in the Manor right now?!" Urgency took over, and Bruce automatically sensed the worry in your tone.

"What do you-" Before he could finish you had cut him off with something he couldn't argue with.

"Tell me exactly where they are Bruce, I'm serious."

"Dick is at the breakfast table with Damian, Tim is down in the Batcave and Alfred is on his way over." Bruce gave an exasperated sigh, it was too early for this nonsense but he answered you honestly knowing that he was probably the only one you could trust today.

"Okay... that's 3 accounted for, where's Duke and Jason?"

"Duke is out studying and lord knows where Jason is. All the best (Y/n), I hope your training helps." He finished, estimating Alfred should arrive soon.

"Thanks Batdad, I'll see you later."

.

It was no more than 30 minutes after you'd hung up that you received a knock on the door and there stood a pleased Alfred who you instantly embraced out of sheer happiness.

"Ah Miss (L/n) be careful, I put a lot of effort into making this. It's your favourite." The Butler explained, placing a box of handmade confectionary on your counter and you couldn't help but thank him as he handed you a card whilst engaging in idle conversation as you prepared beverages.

However, the moment was disrupted by the rhythmic thud of heavy boots and you couldn't help but glare at the smirking intruder whilst readying a defensive stance.

"Now now sis, you may've evaded me last year but I've got you this time."

"Doubt it Little Wing. Alfred it was a pleasure I love you very much and there's a cup of tea ready for you so please enjoy it during my absence." You politely informed, knowing Alfred favoured your tea before dodging Jason and swiping his grappling gun in the process. He came after you of course, but you side stepped toward the window and as your brother skimmed your wrist he tumbled to the floor courtesy of your precautions.

"You booby trapped your own home?!" Jason reprimanded, untangling the rope knotted around his ankle that left you with a running start.

"Oh my goodness gracious Jason, you've been bamboozled!"

"Damnit (Y/n), that’s copyright!" You barely heard his embarrassed shout as you grappled over to the next building with an echoing laugh.

.

You'd raced across Gothams skyline with a varying degree of grace but your new destination was Selina's place as at least she’d be on your side - however you were suddenly swept off course, wind racing through your hair as the light of early morning spiralled around you before drifting to a halt with feet once again on the concrete.

"Happy birthday beautiful, should I ask why you're running across buildings in your slippers?"

"You know why West." Your eyes narrowed at the charming speedster, knowing he’d been in the loop regarding this tradition for years.

"You're right, speaking of, I'm here on behalf of Dick and Damian - your presence is required at the Manor." There was a hint of sympathy in his tone but ultimately he was enjoying seeing you like this.

"No, Wally please! I'll do anything, don't take me back there!" You grabbed his shoulders, forehead resting against his chest to accompany your sincerity.

"(Y/n), you know your brother is my best friend." He said it as a statement, like it had already determined your fate though he did not want to follow through with it.

"We're friends too! I'll buy you food for a month! Wally I will literally marry you if you save me from them, please!" You gazed up at him with a hopeful yet mischievous expression but apparently it was no use.

"I'm sorry." With that you were rushed off of your feet once more.

Within moments you were in Wayne Manor, Dick happily grinned, stepping closer to your glaring figure as you stepped back only to bump into his partner in crime.

"Nice work Wally, sorry (Y/n) but I had to use all of my resources this year including Damian."

"With my help, the family will not fail beloved Sister.” The youngest Wayne approved, though you weren’t certain he knew the history of this sibling war.

Fortunately Cass appeared in the lounge area just in time, you waved over to her and with the girl being informed of your situation prior to your birthday she instantly jumped Dick as you took the opportunity to take the exit but your efforts proved futile when Wally beat you to the doorway. You heard a muffled sound of victory from the eldest brother but much to your surprise the speedster before you leant on the doorframe, a hand running through his hair and a wistful sigh escaping his lips.

“You owe me a wedding ring.”

“Thank you!” With that you took your exit leaving two frustrated brothers in your wake.

“Speedsters are useless! Titus after (L/n)!”

Now you knew the Manor well but there was no escaping a determined Damian and you weren’t completely surprised when he caught you off guard and had you cornered with an excitable canine by his side.

“Damian, my youngest and favourite sibling, do you know what they’re doing?”

“Grayson told me it was ‘Birthday Beats’.” He spoke the term somewhat questionably, suggesting he wasn’t familiar with it’s meaning.

“And did he tell you what that entailed and why they’re doing it?” You replied with skepticism, hoping that you’d be able to use this to your advantage.

“No...”

“Hm, then let me tell you everything.”

.

After that encounter you were able to remain undetected for the majority of the afternoon, returning home to change and finding a thank you note from Alfred and a gift from Jason for the drinks as they’d obviously caught up after you’d escaped. It wasn’t until you were brought back to the Manor for dinner which was, as agreed, time out to enjoy the meal and company of the family to celebrate and converse. After that it was a free for all and you found yourself caught between Dick and Jason.

“Gotcha!” The two smugly commented in unison, Dick continuing with his taunting.

“Your streak ends here master, sorry to ruin it.”

“TT - you will not be harming my sister! No matter how trivial it may be.”

“Yes Damian!” You celebrated as he revealed himself and stood by your side, you rustling the boys hair in a playful manner before smirking at the two dumbfounded vigilantes.

“(Y/n) has given us Birthday Beats without fail every year since we’ve been apart of this family and we haven’t gotten her once. Why are you on her side anyway Demon Spawn?” Jason could only give an exasperated sigh once he’d finished his passionate justification accompanied by varying hand gestures.

“Because I like (L/n) more than you Todd. That and we struck a deal.” Damian was relishing in pissing of the Outlaw but nodded signifying it was safe for you to leave without fear of losing your streak.

.

Upon leaving the Batcave you were greeted by a gleeful Stephanie but you knew better than to trust her on today of all days.

“Where is he Steph?”

“(Y/n) I can’t just give up my boyfriend, I’m on his side.” The girl pouted, hoping her facade would last longer than 2 seconds.

As you were already on high alert the sudden appearance of Duke and Tim was expected, unfortunately you had 10 minutes left until midnight but that was a stretch considering you were out of options. You’d evaded them for a good 8 minutes but Dukes abilities were incredibly useful in predicting someone’s next moves thus it became inevitable that you’d lose after all this time.

“C’mon guys, it’s late. Shouldn’t you be asleep?” Was your feeble attempt.

“Not gonna happen, you’re the only one besides Barbara, Cass and Damian that haven’t had Beats (Y/n) and that injustice has gone on long enough. From what I hear anyway.” Duke playfully shrugged, more excited to boast to Dick and Jason that Tim and himself had succeeded where they’d failed.

*SMASH*

The sound surprised everyone, the three of you rushing out to the origin as defending the Manor came before any games you’d decided to play but much to your relief you discovered a calm Alfred sweeping up the remnants of a shattered antique.

“Sorry for the disturbance, damn thing is heavier than I thought.” The butler sighed, rolling his eyes as he continued his chore.

At that moment the clock struck midnight and instantly you released a joyous celebration.

“You’re kidding me, we were so close this time!” Tim held the bridge of his nose but went along with Duke to no doubt inform the others that they were unsuccessful in their final attempt.

“Next year (Y/n)!”

“Thank you Alfred, I owe you.” Came your knowing gratitude, assisting in cleaning up the mess with a sly smile.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, accidents happen all the time around here Miss (Y/n). But, you know how I like my tea.” Alfred responded without any hint of mischief whatsoever but the last statement proved your assumptions.

.

At 00:07 you strolled into the kitchen, the same place you met your father on your birthday year after year and like always he was waiting for you with a newspaper in hand and drink for you on the table.

“What did it cost you this year?”

“My spare keys to the Batmobile for a month, a Ming Dynasty Vase, I’m also engaged now and Jason ate one of Alfreds confectionaries. The highest price I’ve ever paid by my calculations.” You slumped your head into your arms with a sorrowful expression as Bruce shook his head.

“For a start that vase was a replica made specifically for this situation so don’t worry about that and you’re welcome. As you remain unbeaten Barry will be shocked to hear of it.” Your father smirked, a proud look in his eyes as he chuckled to himself.

“You and Barry placed a bet?” You raised a brow at the billionaire before you who could only smile in return before answering your question.

“We did. Barry thought with his nephew helping Richard, your streak would finally be broken this year. But he severely underestimated how ‘whipped’ Wallace is for you.”

“I’m just getting over the fact you are using the term ‘whipped’ right now.” You couldn’t help but release a breathy laugh, smugness in your voice as you pointed to your father as it fell silent for a couple of moments whilst you took a sip of your drink.

“...”

“You have a spare key to the Batmobile?” It was as if it had just properly registered, tone more serious than previously and you had to quickly bring up a more threatening subject to focus on to prevent you getting into trouble.

“Whah - nooo - actually Batdad since I’m getting married can you walk me down the aisle? Yes? Great - thank you!”

“Married? - To who?! (Y/n) this isn’t over!” He called after your retreating figure, no doubt you’d be getting ‘the talk’ as soon as he discovered their identity.

[ellana-ravenwood]

Alive - Bruce Wayne x Reader (Erotica)

Summary : The Batman died months ago...Or, did he ? 

IMPORTANT WARNING : THIS IS EROTICA ! THIS IS NOT FOR YOU IF YOU ARE UNDERAGED, I GODDAMN MEAN IT. Like there’s cute and sweet feelings in the mix, but also...smut, so if you’re not 18 or more, or if you’re not comfortable with that sort of things etc etc, this story ain’t for you. I have tons of other very SFW story, for averyone to read, and if you wanna check those out instead, it’s right here, on My masterlist blog : @ella-ravenwood-archives.

_________________________________________________

Your eyes were betraying you. 

No. 

Your brain was betraying you.

That was it, you had tipped over the edge of madness. You were definitely and irreversibly crazy. After months of grief and pain, it finally happened.

Because he couldn’t be there. You had wished for months and months for him to be by your side, and now, your own mind was playing trick on you. Because he could. Not. Be. There. No.

And yet...Yet why weren't you the only one reacting to his sudden appearance ?

 Your children gasped, and Alfred made a loud sound of surprise. 

And why were Diana and Clark by his side ? If it was an hallucination, why would you see them with him ? Why would you hallucinate them too ? Especially since you still hadn’t forgive them for what they did...

Your oldest is the first one to launch himself towards him, and your boy's body make a sound as he hits his father's. A very real sound...You're confused. 

Ho...how ? Bruce's arms wrap around his son and...he does seem real.

For a second, you think maybe it's a dream. One of many you had ever since Bruce's death. Because this is all too good to be true. 

Because this is impossible. Because...Because you saw him die.

The memory of this awful moments comes flooding to you.

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

You saw him died. Or rather, you saw him being swarmed by monsters on Apokolips. It was the same thing really. There was absolutely no chance he survived that day. Even less chances he survived that long. The many months.

It was all so blurry, your own mind shielding you from the trauma of loosing the love of your life. You couldn’t remember everything in details.  

Him having to stay behind to disarm a weapon that would wipe all life in the universe. Being the only one who could do it. 

Him begging Diana and Clark to drag you to safety, because he knew you would never leave him willingly...And, trying as best they could to ignore your screams of despair, they did get you safe and sound. 

It was the least they could do. They owed him that much. After all, he was sacrificing himself for the greater good. And though it cost them a lot to leave their best friends behind...They knew they weren’t any other solutions. 

If even the Batman, even the man that had a plan for everything, from A to Z, said : “this is our only chance”...then it was the only way. 

And as the portal to Apokolips was closing, and you were safe back in the Watchtower, the last vision you had of him was his smile to you. Him mouthing “I will always love you”, before a wave of creatures buried him under them. 

Your supplication to open the portal again broke all your friends from the League’s heart. And when J’onn told you it wasn’t possible, that Bruce made sure the entire thing would fry when the mission was done (for safety, so that they wouldn’t bring any of the nightmarish beasts that lived on Apokolips back with them), you lost your cool. Your lost all control. 

Your screams of pain still haunt them at night. 

They had to give you a sedative. And against their will, called your sons to pick you up. They had to tell them...And it’s with a broken and heavy heart that they brought you back home. Took care of you as you always did for them. Because you needed them. You needed their love. Their support. And they needed you. 

One of the central pillar that was holding this family was no more. 

Their father was dead. 

The love of your life was dead. 

Bruce...Was never coming back. 

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

And yet here he was. In front of you. 

Very much alive. 

Jason, Tim and Damian had joined their brother, hitting Bruce with so much force that they all fell on the floor, turning into a puddle of joy and love. But you still couldn’t believe it. How was it possible ? 

Was this a mean trick from one of your enemies ? 

Alfred was the next to reach him, and with a “Master Bruce...You came back to us...” the older man falls in his “son’s” arms, tears of joy streaming down his face. 

It seems impossible for your sons and beloved butler to tear away from him. But you do not move. And it worries him. 

You don’t even look at him, but at Diana and Clark. They’re smiling at you, nodding...Yes. Yes it’s really him. They would have never brought him to the cave if it wasn’t.

Slowly, you approach him, and your children and butler clear the area for you. They had their hugs and kisses, they had the time to feel that he was really back, and alive...It was your turn. 

With clumsy moves, you reach a shy hand to his face, to cup his cheek and...he leans in your touch. And he’s real. Warm. Alive. In a whisper he can barely hear, you utter : 

-...How ? 

And he explains. He managed to escape all those monsters with smoke bombs and his wits. For months he lived in the underground of the planet, with slaves that were able to escape. With their help, he gathered all the parts he needed and was able to create a new transmitter to go back to the Watchtower, taking with him the ex-slaves...Barry almost had a heart attack when he saw him, disheveled and beardy, coming through something that was suppose to not work anymore (but that they all decided to keep as a reminder of Batman’s sacrifice). 

You felt guiltier than ever to have left him behind...But they all reassure you. Clark. Diana. Your sons. Alfred. And Bruce. It was the only way. Besides, you didn’t have a choice. Your superfriends dragged you away. 

And Bruce couldn’t bear the thought of loosing you. 

His lips on yours are the best thing you ever tasted. His warmth, the beating of his heart, his chuckle, his hands in your hair...Your Bruce is back. 

He’s alive. 

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

You spend a long time all together. 

After thanking Clark and Diana for helping him back (he had to take a few hours of rest on the Watchtower, but refused for anyone to tell you guys he was alive, not just yet, not until his injuries were treated and he was sure to really come back), and you apologies for your behavior those past months. 

Of course, they don’t hold the grudge. They understand. You had lost the love of your life, of course you were mad at them for dragging you away from him. They leave after hugging you. 

And so you leave the cave, you leave this dark and cold place, holding your Bruce close, your sons even closer, and Alfred’s hands too, as you all walk up the stairs, as a group, as a little moving bat nest.

You spent hours all together in the main living room, eating cookies and drinking tea. Until, even though they were beyond happy of their father’s return, your sons start, one by one, to fall asleep. You leave them be. 

Jason, being the tallest one, is laid across the huge couch. Tim and Damian iare cuddled up in an armchair (and you know this is a rare loving family moment because of this, Damian and Tim being the ones to get along the least...but during those long months without their father, they grew closer. Tim was only a few years older than Damian, and they understood each other more than they ever knew). Dick is also laying on the couch, his brother’s feet in his face, not minding at all, even hugging Jason’s calf absentmindedly, as he’s in a deep slumber.

You and Bruce throw a blanket over them, and with a last goodbye, hugs and kisses for an Alfred that never been so happy in his life, you finally go back to the master’s bedroom. To your shared bedroom;..

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

It’s almost as if you’re both afraid the other one is going to disappear. 

Because the two of you had to live those past few months without each other, one thinking the love of her life was dead, the other one having to fight every minute of the day to survive...And it feels great to finally be able to touch each other. 

Your hand softly goes under his shirt, and lift it over his head. His mouth is kissing every part of your face, burying itself in your neck, sucking on your pulsing point. 

With slow and tender movements, he takes all of your clothes off, and his calloused palms caress your chest lovingly. He softly fondles your breast and...that’s when everything goes downhill. 

You both intended to take things slow, having the attention to touch the other one everywhere before taking each others...But no. 

All at once there’s nothing else in this universe but Bruce kissing, touching, biting and licking your neck and breasts. And your hand in his hair, clutching hard on it. The other one on his now bared ass, squeezing. 

You haven’t been able to touch, to feel, to kiss, to taste each other in month. There is no time for proper foreplay. 

The both of you are usually so big on it, but there’s a certain urgency now. As if Bruce would soon be “dead” again and your heart ripped away once more, as if he was afraid to wake up on Apokolips and realize all this was but a dream.

No. There’s no time for a blow-job, there’s no time for him to eat you out. Hell, there’s not even time for a soft stroke of your hand loosely wrapped around his cock, or a few fingers teasing your clit. All you guys manage to do, is to kiss, lick and bite slightly...And that’s it. Because you have to take each other.

You have to have each other now. 

He has to be inside you, and you need to feel him. All of him. 

You stumble back onto your bed, and with hectic movements manage to take the remnant of his clothes off. You roll on him, straddling him, your hand caressing his entire body, going down his chest, making him shiver under your touch. Oh how he missed this. 

You breathe into his ear as he sucks on your neck and it drives him crazy. In one swift move, is on top of you yet again, and you definitely don’t mind. 

You’re so hungry for each other that even without any foreplay, he’s harder than he ever been, and you’re so wet the soft silk sheets are starting to get stained. 

Your lips move in sync with each other, your tongue performing a dance they missed too much. It’s a hard, passionate and bruising kiss.   

Even in the state your both in though, even if you want him inside you as fast as possible, he makes sure you’re ok with this...Of course you fucking are, and the feeling of him sliding all the way down to the hilt inside you is the sweetest thing you’ve felt. 

Of course, it hurts a bit. It always does, because he’s so much for you to take in...But the little sting you feel each time is always quickly replaced by the feeling of him around you. Granted, usually, you both are already pretty sensitive, having had an orgasm already because of the foreplay but...oh tonight it doesn’t change anything.  

He waits for the familiar clutching of your cunt around his dick to know when he can move, and when it comes...Oh when it comes he lost himself in you. 

He pulls almost all the way out, leaving only the head of his cock inside you, and pushes back in, slowly, but vigorously. He sets a slow and languid pace, but every time he shoves himself deep in you, it with hard thrust. The slow and regular sound of skin slapping skin harshly filling your bedroom. 

He kisses you once more, but it’s so sloppy that he abandons your mouth for your breast instead. One of your hand is in his hair, holding on tightly as he snaps his hips inside you with force, making you move up the bed each time, and moan loudly. Your other hand is grabbing his shoulder, your nails breaking skin with each of his pleasurable movements. 

Your moans, his name on your lips, your words of devotion for him echoes his own groans of utter bliss, the sweet nothing he whispers in your hear, his “uh” and “ah” each time he slides in and out of you. 

All his muscles flex each time he rocks inside you, and you love the feel of his hard body against your soft one. He loves how small and fragile you look, and yet, how well you take him in, making your inner muscle work so that he can feel the best things ever.

Oh he always loved your ability to squeeze him at will, it always drove him crazy...but he holds himself. For about ten seconds. Enough time for you to murmur “harder” and “faster” in the crook of his neck.

The pace is now almost unbearable. It’s too much, you feel overwhelmed and almost light headed as your orgasm approach rapidly. And when he gets up on his knee, taking you even deeper, your ankles on his shoulders...You’re nothing but a hot and screaming mess. 

Each time he pumps into you he makes you moan loudly, it’s just too good ! And everything is enhance because...He’s alive, he’s back, and the happiness you feel nearly overshadowing your physical pleasure. 

Nearly. Because Bruce is a sex god and each piston like thrust inside you is almost too much to bear. Every time you meet his hip, your movements in sync with his, he makes you wail in pleasure. 

Oh and you do so good for him too. Letting him go all the way inside you, letting him make love to you roughly, clutching around him to make him growl louder and louder. 

Soon, you’re both just loud balls of nerves. And when, your legs still on his shoulder, he lowers a thumb to your clit...He swears the sound you make are the best thing he ever heard. He reaches down to kiss you, and the new angle it gives him sent you over the edge without warning. 

With his name on your lips, this time you tighten around him uncontrollably and he cannot help but jack-rabitting into you with force, prolonging your orgasm, still drawing torturous circles around your clit. 

You have to bite down on his neck to try and keep some sense of control over yourself, because all of this is just too much...You squeeze him inside you, and just like you, his orgasm hits him out of nowhere and he spills his release deep inside you, as he buries himself to the hilt and moans some more because you’re massaging his balls, squeezing so much around him that he feels faint, milking every last drop of his seed out of him.

He releases your legs, and put them on each side of his waist as he falls on top of you, still inside you. 

You two stay a long time like that, and if you weren’t both so exhausted of months of sleepless nights, worries, pain and despair, you would have probable go for round two. And three and four to be honest.

But right now, it’s impossible. Both your body reached their limits. Besides, you both haven’t had such a strong orgasm in a long time. You always come, hard. But like that ? Oh maybe it was the first time. The “glad you’re alive sex” effect. 

He grabs a tissue on his nightstand and, finally pulling out of you, he cleans you up, and then himself, and you don’t have to mourn the loss of his warmth to much as he falls next to you on his back, and pulls you into his strong embrace.

You fall asleep in each others arms, wrapped like a puzzle around each others. Your head is on his chest, where his heart beats, not having enough of this, of the fact that he was really alive. One of your hand is tangled in his hair, your fingers massaging his scalp automatically, even as you fall asleep. 

Your other hand is wrapped around his bicep, unable to go all the way around as this man is so much bigger than you. 

One of his leg is thrown protectively over your body, the other one under it. His arms are around your waist, one of his hand running up and down your back as automatically as your fingers caress his head. 

Naked skin against naked skin. 

You can feel his warmth, proof he’s really alive and here. 

You have the best night you’ve had in months. 

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

And Bruce have the best morning he ever had.

He opens his eyes in the early hours of the day, awoken by a strange feeling...

It took him only two seconds to realize what woke him up. You. Or rather...Your mouth. Wrapped tightly around his cock. 

With a loud and uncontrollable moan he lifted the blanket off of him and his gaze locked with yours. And the wink you gave him, as you were sucking him mercilessly was the sexiest thing he ever seen. 

You smiled around his dick as you felt him harden because of this, licking, sucking, kissing all along his shaft. Swirling your tongue expertly around his tip. Making him cry out in pleasure at your every touch. 

Last night, you were so starved for each other that you had to skip one of your favorite part : foreplay. And it was clear that you had every intention to rectify this mistake this morning. 

With a smirk, his eyes still locked with yours, he sat up, and you automatically went on your knees to follow his movement, massaging his balls with one hand, stroking what you couldn’t fit in your mouth...But you were decided to break him. You wanted to make him come undone and when he felt you deep throating him, the sound he made was your new favorite sound. 

A mix between a groan and a desperate moan. 

But things weren’t fully satisfying for him right now. Of course, the feeling of your mouth fucking him shamelessly was something he could definitely get used to but...It was known that he was more a giver than a taker. And the lack of foreplay from the night before bothered him too. 

It was time for one of his favorite thing of the world. He bend forward and grabs your thighs, and you know what he’s about to do as you don’t resist one bit. Your legs find themselves on each side of his face and...Oh the good old 69.

Months. It had been months since you were able to have each other, to taste each other, to love each other...and he was decided to catch up with lost time. 

Later, after making yet again passionate love to you, he would tell you how the thought of seeing you again is the only thing that got him through. The only thing he fought like hell for. How being back in your arms, home, is what helped him survive all those months on the hostile planet that was Apokolips. 

He lived for you. He couldn’t live without you. His being was forever linked to yours...And he was ok with this. 

A particular good swipe of your tongue on his length makes him shiver and...Oh god he loves you. 

______________________

This is kinda shit. I shouldn’t write at 4 am in the morning while watching Jurassic Park...Oh dude it’s almost 5 actually. I’m falling asleep on my keyboard. Why am I writing in such a state ? Sorry if you hate it. 

[my-one-love-is-music]

Tim Travel Ch. 2

Oh look, another update of this.

Let me repeat what I said about the first chapter. *ahem* THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SHORT.

Have another 10k you peasants. And you better let me know what you think.

Also on AO3!

On his way down to the kitchen, Tim ran into Alfred in the hallway. He was carrying a laundry basket and if the smell was anything to go by, the clothes had just come out of the dryer and were being taken upstairs to be folded and put away where they belonged.

“Good morning, Master Timothy,” Alfred greeted. “There is already a full pot of coffee waiting in the kitchen if you would like to prepare a cup for yourself. As soon as I get this things put away, I’ll be more than happy to make you some breakfast.”

“Thank you, Alfred. Would you happen to know where Bruce is this morning? I’d like to get his opinion on the calculations that I ran yesterday and ask if he’d be able to pass them on to Lucius.”

“I do believe Master Bruce is in the Cave reviewing some information from his newest case.”

“Thanks, Alfred,” Tim said, turning away and continuing down the hallway. He headed straight for the Cave and was pleased to see Bruce sitting in front of the large computer.

“Did you need something?” he asked, not looking away from the screen as Tim approached.

“Yes, actually. I was hoping that you could look over the calculations that I’d put together yesterday or do me a favor and show them to Lucius so that I could get his opinion on all of it.”

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you know about Lucius if you know about us,” Bruce said, turning his chair around and holding out his hand. Tim pulled his notepad out from behind the book in his arms and handed it off, watching as Bruce skimmed over his writing. “I’ll send a copy of this to Lucius and between the two of us we should have something for you by tomorrow.”

Tim nodded. “That would be great, thanks,” he said before pivoting on his foot and heading back towards the stairs. He stopped himself from glancing over his shoulder, not wanting to know if Bruce was still watching him or not. Being here before he was scheduled was weird enough in itself. And thinking of time as a schedule was even weirder. He didn’t need to remind himself how much Bruce didn’t trust him.

By the time he made it back to the kitchen, Alfred had returned and was hard at work at the stove. Tim was pleased that a cup of coffee and had already been left for him on the table and he sat down eagerly, wrapping his hands around the mug and pulling it towards himself. He took a deep breath, sighing as the aroma flooded his senses and warmth seeped into his hands.

“Do you have any plans for today, Master Timothy?” Alfred asked, setting a plate in front of him.

“I’m sort of out of anything to do as I wait for Bruce and Lucius to get back to me. I started reading this book last night so I might finish that, but if you need any help around the Manor I have two sufficient hands.”

“I wouldn’t think of it, Master Timothy. You’re a guest here and I couldn’t imagine bothering you with what needs to be taken care of. But I’m sure your book will keep you occupied until Master Jason gets home. He’ll be desiring you attention this evening, I’m sure.”

Tim nodded as he took another bite of his scrambled eggs. “I suppose someone will need to keep him from climbing up the walls out of boredom.”

“Sadly. He’s never been very good at accepting when he needs to rest.”

“The same could be said of Bruce and the rest of the vigilantes of the world,” Tim added with a smile.

“Right you are, Master Timothy. Right you are.”

Alfred joined him for his morning tea while he finished up his breakfast.

“Is there anything that you’d like for lunch today, Master Timothy?” Alfred asked as he stood from the table and collected Tim’s dirty plate.

“I’m sure that I’ll be happy with whatever you decide to make, Alfred. I can think of nothing better than your cooking,” he said, following him from the table in order to refill his cup.

“You’re too kind, Master Timothy,” Alfred said with a smile.

Tim returned it easily before grabbing his book from the table and leaving Alfred in the kitchen. He walked through the Manor to the main room and looked out the Manor’s back glass doors and over the yard beyond. For once, the sun was breaking through the clouds and illuminating the dreary morning. Tim pushed the door open and stepped outside, embracing the early morning warmth. He made himself comfortable in one of the lawn chairs and flipped his book open to where he left off the night before intent on soaking up as much sun as possible as he slowly made his way through the pages of his book.

~~~

After working his way through the rest of his first book, Tim found himself back upstairs in the library. He was sprawled on the couch that he’d been on the night before and started a new book. He was so engrossed in what he was reading that he didn’t hear the approaching steps in the hallway.

“Tim!” Jason cried as he burst through the library doors.

Tim jumped, dropping his book and nearly falling off the couch in the process. He looked up as Jason ran over to him and pulled him from the couch with his good hand. “What’s up? Is it really 3pm already?”

“Yeah, thankfully. Today was so long and it was getting annoying having to answer everyone’s questions about my arm. But since I can’t go on patrol tonight, we’re going to watch Back to the Future.”

Tim obediently followed behind Jason as he led him to the T.V. room. He took a seat on the large plush couch as Jason rifled through the various movie cases. He pulled three from the shelf and loaded the first one before he brought the remote with him over to the couch and took a seat next to Tim. Tim smiled when Jason situated himself next to him so they were just shy of touching. He threw his arm around Jason’s shoulders and pulled him against him. Jason grumbled at the action but easily relaxed against him.

Tim watched as the title screen was brought up and music and sound effects filtered from the speakers. Jason raised the remote and hit play, tossing the remote aside as he readjusted himself against the back of the couch to be more comfortable. He tucked his feet underneath him but still kept Tim’s arm around his shoulders.

~~

The table in front of the couch quickly became filled with drink cans, empty and full alike, and plates of snacks thanks to the courtesy of Alfred. He was unafraid to bring them bowls of chips and cookies, but was adamant that the two of them did have an actual meal for dinner. They’d been forced to stop in the middle of the second film to go eat and had returned to finish the second part and were now beginning the third film.

Tim could easily see the appeal of the movies and thought the writing was pretty decent in the end. It also didn’t escape his notice that Jason would fidget during certain scenes that Michael J. Fox was in. Maybe if they got to a point in the future where Jason wasn’t trying to kill him, he could tease him about his unabashed crush on the actor.

Tim cocked his head as a man appeared on screen and began to talk to Marty, pulling a letter from his jacket. His eyes widened as he understood just what Doc had done. He gasped and shot upright on the couch, jostling Jason next to him.

“That’s it! Oh my god why didn’t I think of that before?” He jumped up from the couch and raced from the room even as Jason protested behind him. He hurried down into the Cave and made a beeline for the computer. He immediately started punching out commands, bringing up a log and putting together a message.

“Tim? What’s going on?” Jason asked, hurrying up behind him.

“Yes, I would like to know as well since you so eagerly started using the Computer,” Bruce added, coming up behind him, arms crossed over his chest.

Tim shot him an apologetic look. “Sorry. It’s just that I think I’ve found a way to get back home that might not rely on me having to build a time machine on my own.”

“What do you mean?” Bruce asked.

“Well I got the idea form the movies that Jason was showing me and if I leave a message in the computer to be revealed just after I got zapped back here, they can find the scientist and either use the technology that he’d created or reverse-engineer it to create a new gateway and bring me back,” Tim rattled off as he continued to type.

“That’ll be a lot more productive than trying to build one from scratch. You had some good theories and a portion of the complicated mathematics worked out, but it still needed a lot of work that I wasn’t sure you were going to be able to complete yourself very quickly.”

Tim nodded. “I figured. I knew what I was showing you wasn’t perfect, but I thought it was a decent start at least. This would also allow me to avoid leaving a possible trace of a machine or technology here in the past. My presence in this time is already disrupting things enough I’m sure. We don’t need anyone else to be able to travel through time and possibly impact it any more than it should be.”

“When do you think that you’ll be able to get picked up?”

Tim finished typing and set the commands for it to go live just after the time when he disappeared two days ago. “It doesn’t matter on my end since they’ll be travelling back. I told them that they can pick me up tomorrow evening. I’ll have only missed a few days and it’ll be better than a daytime attempt. I’ll be out of your hair and there will be nothing more to worry about.”

He turned and looked at Bruce, who was still watching him.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“I saw the security feeds from yesterday afternoon. You were sparring with Jason and he made a comment about his future vigilante persona. It took you by surprise and you tripped, landing on your back. What happens to Jason in the future?”

Tim swallowed and shook his head, taking a step backwards.

“Please…if something happens to Jason…” Bruce asked. His tone was level, but Tim could detect the desperation that was lying underneath it all. The need to know. The desire to prevent it from happening. And as much as Tim wanted to help and wanted to give him that, he knew that he couldn’t.

“I’m sorry, Bruce. I can’t tell you. I know that you want to make sure everything is okay, but we don’t know what the consequences will be. You’re probably going to think that this is just me being selfish, but I can’t imagine what sort of outcome or future me telling you about these events would bring. I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

“Isn’t there something that you can give me at least?”

Tim turned towards the stairs and curled his arms around himself. “Just…keep him close. That’s all I can say. Keep him close.” He hurried away before Bruce could get anything else out of him. He hadn’t noticed when Jason had left, but his lack of presence was shocking. He was so used to being around him for the past few days that to see him missing made him nervous.

Tim checked the T.V. room first, but the couches were empty. The movie was still paused on the screen and their empty cups and bowls of food were still there. Thinking that he just went off to his room, Tim hurried up the stairs and down the hall to Jason’s room. He poked his head inside, but frowned when he found it empty.

He paused. The only other place that he could think Jason would go would be the library. He didn’t know of any of his other hiding places. He walked back down the hallway past the bedrooms and towards the guest rooms, thinking. He hadn’t noticed when Jason had left and he didn’t know why he’d left. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. It seemed that at any age, Jason was still a mystery, following a logic that only made sense to him.

Tim turned to his bedroom and paused when he found the door ajar. He walked forward slowly and pushed the door the rest of the way open, sighing when he found Jason curled up in the middle of his bed. He stepped inside and pushed the door partly closed behind him before walking over to the bed.

“Is everything okay, Jason?”

“Fine.”

Tim quirked an eyebrow at his short and tense tone. “Then why are you in here?”

“Doesn’t matter. When are you leaving?” he asked instead.

“Oh so that’s it,” he huffed. He saw Jason curl up a tiny bit further. Tim carefully laid down next to him and wrapped an arm around Jason’s waist, pulling him against his chest. “I told them to come tomorrow night to pick me up.”

“Do you have to go?” he asked, voice small.

“Sadly, I do. This isn’t my time. I can’t stay here.”

“But who am I going to watch movies with? Or read books with? You’re my friend.”

Tim sighed and closed his eyes. If this was how he was already feeling than tomorrow was going to be pretty difficult. He hadn’t known that he’d ever be able to get close to Jason, but he was going to be content with the time that he’d had because that was all that he was ever going to get.

“I know, Jason. You’re my friend, too. But I have to go. As much as I don’t want to say goodbye, I’m going to have to leave.”

“Can we be friends in the future?”

Tim let himself grimace and smile sadly since Jason was unable to see it. “Sure. We can be friends in the future. Come and find me and we can watch all kinds of movies and you can show me the best bookstores in Gotham and after we leave with bags full of books we can go and get ice cream or something to eat.”

“Promise?”

“I promise, Jason,” he said, softly.

“We can fight crime together, too,” Jason said, voice brightening now that his mind was flowing with possibilities.

“Sure.”

“We can be partners and work together. It’d be like you’re my Robin. Or I’m yours since you’re older than me…”

Tim swallowed, feeling like his heart was being squeezed at the familiar words. “We can figure something out, okay?”

“Okay.”

Silence fell between the two of them, neither of them making a move to leave the bed.

“Did you want to go and finish the movie?” Tim finally asked.

“In a minute. Can we stay like this for a little longer?”

“Of course. Anything you want Jason.”

“When I’m older I’ll help make you feel better when you feel sad.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I’m going to get taller and when I’m big and strong, I’ll hold you and cheer you up.”

Tim felt the pressure building behind his eyes, but he wasn’t about to let himself cry. Not this time. His tears could wait until he was alone in bed that night or when he got back to his time. He never realized how much innocence had been lost with Jason’s death, but now that he was faced with it, he understood how it was possible for Bruce to have been pushed to the edge, unsure of where to go or what to do.

“You’re already nice and strong,” Tim said, trying to laugh. “But I’ll remember this. I’ll come to you if I ever need it.”

“Good.”

Silence fell between them once again, but it wasn’t long before Jason began to squirm in his hold, pulling away so that he could get out of the bed. Tim pulled his arm back and let Jason get up before following him to the door. The least that he could do was enjoy the little time that he had left of this time. Time was going to pass in the blink of an eye when he returned home and he’d have to go back to doing what he’d been involved in before all of this happened.

Tim settled back down on the couch next to Jason and didn’t think twice about pulling him close and heard no protest over the action. He was glad to learn that Jason was capable of dropping his tough guy act at least. They only had so much time left together after all.

~~

“Master Timothy. Master Timothy.”

Tim blinked his eyes open to find Alfred standing over him. For the second day in a row he found himself having fallen asleep on a couch. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and found that Jason was curled against him, still asleep.

“Alfred? What time is it?” Tim asked, trying to sit up slightly without disturbing Jason. He shifted slightly at the motion, but settled back against his side.

“It’s rather late, Master Timothy. Master Bruce has already left for patrol and I thought it would be best if the two of you relocated to somewhere more comfortable.”

Tim shot him a tired smile. “Thanks, Alfred. I’ll get Jason up to his room.”

“Get some rest. I’m sure tomorrow evening will put a great deal of strain on you.”

Tim nodded and watched as Alfred left the two of them alone. The soda cans and snack bowls had already been cleared away, leaving not even a shadow of a crumb in their wake. He looked down at where Jason was curled against him, face relaxed in sleep and lips parted slightly as he breathed deeply.

Moving as slowly as he could manage, he pushed himself to the front of the couch so he could plant his feet on the carpet. Keeping Jason leaned against him, he shifted him into his arms so that he had an arm around his back and one under his knees.

It took all of his Bat-training to keep Jason utterly still in his arms. He walked silently through the halls and backed his way through the doorway to Jason’s room, thankful that he hadn’t shut it all the way when he’d peeked in earlier. He set Jason down on his bed and ran a hand through his hair before leaving him alone. Tim shut the door behind him and walked back down the hallway so that he could crawl into his own bed. He only gave himself enough time to change before he was falling into bed, pulling the covers around himself so that he could try and block any and all thoughts that decided to plague him during the night.

~~

Tim’s last day in the past was both agonizingly slow and frustratingly fast. His sleep was anything but peaceful and he didn’t manage to pull himself out of bed until well into the morning after Jason had already left for school. He spent his meals in the kitchen with Alfred, enjoying the last conversations that he would have with him until he got back home and holed himself up in the library for the rest of the day. He had a book that he wanted to finish and knew that he wouldn’t find a reason to try and go back to it when he got back home. Everything else would be more important.

That’s the reason that he’d give himself anyway.

Unlike the previous two days when Jason’s return to the Manor had been loud and energetic, it was the exact opposite of that afternoon. He shuffled into the library and curled up next to Tim without a word. Tim read and Jason sat until Alfred came to get the two of them for dinner.

And then it was time for Tim to head down to the Cave. He gathered up the pieces of his Red Robin uniform and kept them tucked underneath his arm as he descended the stairs. It was no surprise that Bruce was already down there. Tim was surprised that Alfred was there. And of course Jason was standing next to the two of them, staring at the ground and looking a little miserable.

“Thank you all for everything,” Tim said. “I know that my presence was a bit unexpected, but I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done if I wasn’t able to come to the Manor during my unexpected stint of time travel.”

“Of course, Master Timothy. You’re welcome here any time,” Alfred said with a small bow.

“Thank you, Alfred. And you too, Bruce,” Tim said. He turned to look at Jason who was glaring at the floor. Tim dropped into a squat so that he could catch Jason’s eyes. “Jason?”

Jason glanced at him before looking away.

Tim smiled. “Take care of yourself, okay?”

“Do you have to go?” he asked.

“You know I do. We’ll see each other again, okay?”

Jason huffed and flung his arms around Tim’s neck, squeezing tightly. Tim wrapped an arm around Jason and held him just as close. A deep humming sounded behind him and a gentle wind began to blow. Tim pulled away and found the portal that he remembered falling through the first time. He stood up and gave them all one last look.

“Thank you,” he said, before stepping through the portal. They blinked out of sight in seconds and then he was falling again. Thankfully, strong arms caught him before he could hit the floor. He blinked several times, trying to get the spots out of his vision and reorient himself.

“Welcome back, Tim.”

He looked and found Bruce standing across from him. The arms holding him helped him stand and he turned to find Dick standing behind him.

“It’s good to be back. How long have I been gone?” he asked, readjusting his grip on his uniform.

“Only a few days.”

“The scientist that zapped you back didn’t put up much of a fight when we showed up. He pretty much offered up the time travel gun to us when we asked,” Dick said, ruffling his hair. “It would’ve been a lot longer if you hadn’t thought to leave us that message on the computer.”

“Yeah well you can thank Doc Brown and Marty McFly for that one. I was thinking I’d have to build a time machine on my own to bring me back.”

“I remember that. I wasn’t exactly happy with this complete stranger navigating the computer so easily,” Bruce said.

“So you remember everything that happened while I was there?”

“Some of it’s a little fuzzy, but for the most part I do.”

Tim hummed. “Interesting.”

“That may be so, but since when have you seen Back to the Future?” Dick asked, throwing an arm around his shoulders.

“I’m gonna go patrol,” Tim said, evading his question. He slipped out of his grip and hurried towards the changing rooms.

“Hey!” Dick protested.

“I’ve already missed a couple days and I’d like to get back to the streets. Can’t have people thinking something’s happened to Red Robin!” He didn’t wait for a reply before slipping into a stall and pulling off the clothes that he’d been wearing in favor of his suit. It was nice to feel the Kevlar on his skin again. He left the clothes in a pile, certain that Alfred would end up collecting them almost as soon as he left. He wasn’t planning on coming back to the Manor that night anyway. He wanted a chance to sleep in his own bed in his apartment, the memory foam already calling to him.

Before Dick could try and stop him to pull him into another hug, he jumped onto his bike and tore out of the Cave, ready to feel the wind ruffling his hair once again while he got to swing from rooftop to rooftop.

~~

Tim only had a second to brace himself as he heard the barely-there sound of gravel being disturbed before he was being shoved to the other side of the rooftop with a huge body on top of him. He grit his teeth as he was met with the sight of the Red Hood looming over him. He’d only been back an hour and he was already having to fight against Jason. He squirmed underneath the man’s hold, trying to find some way to get out of it.

“Don’t struggle so much, Replacement. It’s unbecoming,” he spat.

“Fuck off, Hood.” Tim struck out with one of his legs, hoping to upset Jason’s position on his knees and use the momentum to topple him off. Jason simply adjusted his position and laughed behind his helmet.

“I know all your moves. Don’t think you can get rid of me that easily.”

Much to Tim’s horror Jason reached for his mask and pulled it off rather harshly. Tim stared up at him, waiting for a blow or something else to come, but was only left with confusion when Jason did nothing more than still.

“Tim?”

Tim felt his breathing pick up and was shocked when Jason scrambled off of him, allowing him to sit up. He reached for the catches on his helmet and frantically pulled it off. Jason wasn’t wearing a domino underneath and Tim watched as his eyes flitted across his face, searching, almost trying to convince himself that it couldn’t actually be Tim.

“Jay?” he asked softly.

A strangled noise came out of his throat before Jason was pulling him into a crushing hug against his chest.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve known that it was you…I don’t know why. I’m sorry. I would ever think of hurting you.”

“You didn’t know,” Tim said softly and Jason pulled him closer. “Time’s weird. You only just got those memories even though it feels like you’ve had them for years. It’s not all as linear as we’re made to believe.”

“I should’ve realized. When you said that you were Red Robin then and now you’re the only person with that name. It’s just I…”

“Jason,” Tim sighed. “Jason it’s okay-“

“Tim! Tim are you okay-what is going on here? Why is Jason hugging you?” Dick asked, nearly tripping over his own feet as he came to a stop out of sheer surprise at the whole situation.

Tim did his best to turn in Jason’s hold so that he was facing Dick, not that Jason was helping by keeping a vice-like grip on him.

“I’m fine. Some things just need to be figured out since I appeared in the past.”

“Are you-are you sure?” he asked, obviously unsure of what to do.

“I’m sure, Dick. Do me a favor and let everyone know that I’m fine and there’s nothing to worry about while we figure this out?” Tim asked.

“Uh…sure,” he said, making no move to leave, choosing instead to continue to stare.

Tim huffed a breath. “Dick, that kind of means leaving us alone to go and talk to them.”

“Yeah. Are you sure you’re-“

“I’m fine, Dick. I’m pretty sure the only thing that I have to worry about right now is being hugged to death and as far as I know, no one has ever died from such a thing.”

“Okay,” Dick said slowly taking a few steps backwards.

“Go, Dick.”

Finally, finally, he turned and leapt off the building to head back in the direction that he came in.

“Damn overprotective,” Tim muttered under his breath. He turned his attention back to Jason who was still holding him up against his chest and had his head buried in his shoulder. He was shocked when he felt Jason shaking against him. “Jason?”

Jason whined and curled in on him further.

Tim sighed and patted his arm with one of his gauntleted hands. “Come on. We should get inside. We have some things to talk about. My apartment’s not too far from here and I think I might have some clothes that just might fit you if you wanted to grab a shower or something.”

“Okay,” he said quietly.

Tim gave his arm a pat again before trying to pull out of the embrace. Jason was reluctant to let him go, but conceded and let space come in between them. Tim stood and did his best to re-adhere his domino, glad that they didn’t have far to go, because it was definitely not going to stay on for long now that the spirit gum had been pulled apart. He waited as Jason put his helmet back on before pulling out his grapple gun and heading towards the edge of the roof.

Jason stayed close to him as they made their way across rooftops and past mostly deserted streets. He was relieved when they made it to the roof of his apartment complex and could sneak down the fire escape to his place. He disabled the security on his windows quickly and slipped inside, Jason right behind him. He reset his security and pulled off his domino that was barely holding on.

Jason had already taken off his helmet and was standing awkwardly in the middle of his living room. It was evident from his posture that he wanted to go to Tim again and make sure that he was really there.

“Do you want to grab a shower or something? I could go and hunt for a change of clothes that I’m pretty sure Dick left here at one point or another.”

“I’ll pass on the shower, but I wouldn’t mind changing,” Jason said, shifting from foot to foot.

Tim nodded. “I’ll be right back, then. You can have a seat if you want. Or get a drink. I think I have some food if you’re hungry. Just make yourself comfortable,” he said, stepping around him to head down the hall towards his room. He shut the door behind him and took a deep breath before undoing the latches of his cap and tossing it to the side so it was out of the way.

He already knew that the night was going to be a long one and that he was going to have to get a pot of coffee going as soon as he got changed. He stripped out of his uniform quickly and pulled on a pair of sweats and a loose shirt. He pulled open the doors to his closet and dug through the clothes that had been piled on the shelves. Most of what was there were old things that he didn’t wear anymore or didn’t fit but he was too lazy to get rid of.

Just when he was about to give up on finding anything that might fit Jason, he alighted on a larger pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. He gathered them in his arms and kicked the doors of his closet shut before heading back out of his room and down the hall. He was surprised to find Jason in his kitchen fiddling with his coffee pot.

“Sorry it took so long. These were buried at the back of my closet, but I think they might fit you if you want to go get changed,” Tim said, holding out the clothing.

Jason turned to him. “Thanks,” he said, taking the clothes. “I was just trying to make some coffee, but I’m not familiar with your high-tech coffee machine.” His smile was a little strained.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get it going. Did you want a cup?” Tim asked, looking over his shoulder at where Jason had stepped past him.

He saw Jason blush and rub the back of his neck. “No, I don’t much like coffee. I just remembered that you did and thought you might like some…” he trailed off awkwardly and cleared his throat before hurrying off.

Tim smiled and pressed the button to start the coffee machine. He was surprised that Jason would’ve remembered that. It really showed that he wasn’t as bad as everyone though. Despite everything that he’d been through, he was still Jason.

He’d just finished fixing his coffee when Jason returned. The sweats were a little snug and didn’t quite reach his ankles, but the hoodie was thankfully a larger size and fit him perfectly. Tim walked over to the table, Jason following him. He took a seat, curling one of his legs underneath and took a sip of his coffee, sighing happily as warmth bloomed inside of him from the drink.

“Have a seat.”

Rather than sit across from him, Jason took the seat at the head of the table so they were sitting adjacent to each other. Tim did his best to hide the smile behind his mug, but knew that it wasn’t entirely working when Jason sent him a weak glare.

“Okay. Okay.” Tim set his mug down and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t really know how to handle this, honestly. You still died, that much is obvious…”

“Yeah. The Joker.”

Tim nodded. “What happened after I left? I guess the best place is to start there.”

“B was a little different. He seemed a little more paranoid about things when we were on patrol, but he also tried to spend more time with me. I didn’t exactly help because I was at that stupid part of my teenage years where I wanted the attention, but I also thought that I was better than that and didn’t need it.”

Tim nodded. “What else?”

“The first few days were rough,” Jason said quietly. “After you were gone. I had my broken arm so I couldn’t patrol or do much, but there were still signs that you’d been there. I found the books that you’d been reading. It was harder to watch Back to the Future.”

Tim smiled. “Still got that crush on Michael J. Fox?” he teased.

Jason’s cheeks pinked as he glanced at Tim’s face and away. “Uh…no, actually I don’t.”

“And after you came back?”

“Like I said, I…didn’t know that it was you. I should’ve since I knew that you were a vigilante and that your name was Tim and I saw the pictures…but I didn’t. I still, uh, I still thought about you. A lot. The memories that I had of you helped to ground me when things got particularly bad. There were some days when I wanted to start looking for you, but I was afraid.”

“Afraid of what?”

“Of what you’d think of me. Of what I’d become. Of your reaction to my death when you told me that you didn’t like seeing me hurt.”

Tim sighed. “Oh, Jay…”

Jason made a garbled noise in the back of his throat before reaching for Tim and pulling him to him. Tim let himself be handled, knowing that he wasn’t going to be hurt. Jason set him sideways in his lap, arms wrapped tightly around him.

“I missed that. Missed the sound of that. Even when other people said it, it was never the same as when you did.”

Tim huffed a laugh and ran his fingers through Jason’s hair, his exhaustion deciding to make itself known despite the coffee that he’d had and the early hour. He sagged against Jason’s shoulder and let his eyes slide shut.

“You know…I pretty much just left that younger you behind, but it already feels so far away and so long ago. It’s almost unreal. That any of that actually happened and that this is happening. It would be such a pity if all of this was just some crazy dream.”

“Would you really be able to dream up something this crazy?” Jason asked, running one of his hands up and down Tim’s side.

Tim laughed. “Probably not. Unless I’m somehow in a caffeine-induced fever dream brought on by days without sleep and a lack of food.”

“You should take better care of yourself,” Jason murmured.

Tim felt sleep tugging at him. “I take fine care of myself.”

“Then why couldn’t I find anything remotely good for you in the cabinets or the fridge?”

“Shh,” Tim said weakly and pat Jason on the chest. He barely registered Jason sliding an arm underneath his legs and standing up with him in his arms. Tim curled into his warmth and let sleep pull him under.

~~~

Tim came back to wakefulness slowly, feeling sluggish. He blinked his eyes opened and pushed at the blankets that had been wrapped around him. He sat up and ran a hand through his hair, confused by how bright the sunlight was behind his curtains. He sniffed a couple of times, smelling something cooking. It had to be one of his neighbors making breakfast or something, because there was no way that was coming from his own kitchen.

He stumbled out of bed and stretched his arms over his head as he walked through the hallway to the main room, freezing when he caught sight of Jason’s broad back in his kitchen. He was standing at his stove where the delicious smells were definitely coming from.

“You stayed?” Tim asked before he could stop himself.

Jason froze and he turned his head to look behind him, eyes not quite reaching Tim. “Sorry to intrude. I can leave if I’m making you uncomfortable.”

“No, no, it’s fine. I just didn’t think that you’d…stay…” Tim cleared his throat and walked forward. “What’s for…what’s for breakfast?”

“Bacon, eggs, and biscuits. I went to the store earlier while you were still asleep. I made coffee, too.”

Tim walked over to the full pot and pulled one of the clean mugs from the drain board next to the sink. He filled it quickly and peeked around to see what Jason was cooking.

“Looks good,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee and humming happily. “Coffee’s good, too. Thanks.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Jason poured the cooked eggs onto a plate and moved it over to the table with the bacon and biscuits. “Go ahead and eat while I get this cleaned up.”

“Don’t you want any?” Tim asked.

“No, I’m fine. Really, I-“

“Have breakfast with me,” Tim interrupted. “Eat breakfast with me like we used to.”

“Okay,” he sighed.

Tim sat down with his coffee and began to scoop eggs onto the plate that had been set at the table. Jason sat down across from him after pulling another plate and set of silverware out of the cabinets. Tim never thought that Jason could look awkward, but that was the only way Tim could describe his stiff posture and hunched shoulders. Tim took a sip of his coffee before picking up a piece of bacon to munch on.

“You can relax you know. It’s just me,” Tim said as he propped his cheek against his fist.

Jason sagged in his chair and stared at the plate in front of him. “Sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I guess it’s just because it’s been so long and so much has happened and…”

“I know it’s a lot to take in. It’s an adjustment that I’m going to have to make, too, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a bad thing.”

“I don’t think that it’s a bad thing. I don’t want it to be a bad thing,” Jason said, voice picking up speed as he continued to talk. “I mean, I guess I should apologize for trying to kill you. I didn’t want to hurt you, but I did and I’m sorry and I really don’t know where to go from here because I know what I want our relationship to be but I don’t know how to get there and I don’t even know if you want to be around me at all anymore because all I have are these memories of who I knew you as and you only know me as the little scrappy kid that went off and got himself killed and-“

“Jason,” Tim said gently, cutting him off. “Relax. I understand why you were angry and why you went after me. I’m not going to hold that against you because sometimes in this life we just have to let things go because moving on will be so much better. I’d rather be happy and enjoy myself than hold a grudge when I don’t even know how long I’ll be alive.”

“I never thought that this could be so hard,” Jason said, rubbing a hand against his forehead. “I thought about it a lot. What would happen if I ever met you again. I wanted to do so many things and now that I have the opportunity…I don’t know. It’s not as easy as all of those romantic comedies make it out to be.” Jason froze and his cheeks quickly reddened. “That is-I-uh-um…”

Tim chuckled and turned back to his breakfast. “Why don’t we just start with breakfast? You’ve already cooked all of this food and we both know that I probably won’t be able to eat it by myself. So eat something with me and then we can worry about everything else later.”

“Okay.” Jason finally picked up his fork and made a move to fill it with food. “You’re not in college yet right?”

“Nope. Last year of high school actually, but I’ve been helping out at WE for a few years now. I’m not even sure if I’m going to apply for university next year. I know that it’s expected, but I’m enjoying what I’m doing as Red Robin and WE will be keeping things pretty stable for me after I graduate. I might just end up putting it off for a few years and figure out if there’s a different career that I want to take.”

“If you were to go to college right away what do you think you’d study?”

Tim hummed. “Computer science maybe? I’ve always enjoyed working with computers and other technology. Did you ever think about university?”

“Not really when I was younger. I wasn’t to the point in high school where people were really talking about it yet. I never would’ve thought that I would’ve had the opportunity to go to college even after B took me in. And now it’s not exactly an option since I’m legally dead.”

“If you could go what would you study?”

Jason hunched his shoulders and poked at his food. “English, I guess. I always…well, you know.”

Tim smiled. “Yeah. Books. You could enroll under a fake name. Get a degree and then find a job outside of your night work.”

“Night work. You make it sound like something more is going on than just me shooting people.”

“It very well could be. I don’t know what you do in your free time.”

Jason frowned. “I don’t do that kind of thing, Tim.”

Tim was taken aback by how serious he sounded over the comments but nodded. “Right. Sorry. I didn’t meant to make you uncomfortable or anything.”

Jason shrugged and looked out the windows of his apartment. “I should probably get going. It’s already late as it is and I need to get back across town to my safehouse.”

“Right. Thanks for breakfast. The food’s delicious. I can handle the cleanup if you want to head out.”

Jason quirked an eyebrow. “Are you sure about that?”

“Hey, just because I might not be the best in the kitchen doesn’t mean I don’t know how to run a dishwasher so it does the work for me.”

Jason grinned as he slipped on his leather jacket. “I thought you had a secret.” He moved over to the window and pushed it open. “I’ll, uh, see you later?”

“Yeah. See you later, Jason.” Tim watched as he glanced back over at him before jumping out onto the fire escape. Instead of heading up like they usually did at night he moved down into the alley below. It wasn’t until he was long gone that Tim realized he wasn’t carrying his uniform with him and that it wasn’t anywhere in the apartment which meant Jason had gone back to his place and changed after Tim fell asleep and then came back.

Tim sighed and leaned back in his chair. Sometimes he wondered how his life could become so complicated, but he doubted his life had ever really been simple. He wasn’t exactly lucky like that.

~~

After he cleaned up the dishes that Jason had used to cook, he finally let himself sit at his computer and get back on track. He’d ended up being gone a good portion of a week and had missed several days of school and work at WE. Tim knew that Bruce probably called in for him and made his excuses which he was grateful for. He wasn’t looking forward to all of the missed work that he’d have to make up.

He knew that he should try and make it to school that day so he’d show up for more than one day that week, but he was already late and he felt like he had far too much to think about with the whole Jason situation. He knew that Jason had died, but Bruce had acted a little differently after he left. Jason had still come back angry and had gone after him until last night when he realized who he was. Tim wondered if Jason and Bruce would be able to repair their relationship this time around. It would obviously take some work, but he knew they could do it.

And then there was his relationship with Jason. It was true that he enjoyed spending time with him when he was in the past. They’d had a good relationship even if they’d only known each other for a couple of days. Jason still had an interest in him and didn’t want to hurt him. He acted like he still wanted the two of them to be friends, but they needed to navigate how that was going to work with, well, everything. And that’s why his brain was starting to hurt.

“Yeah, but what do I want?” Tim said with a sigh and closed his eyes.

He wanted to poke fun and spar and watch movies and read books. He wanted to have that little bit of time to himself that had become so rare. He wanted someone to laugh and smile with. He wanted someone who he could be himself with without having to worry about everything else.

“I guess that settles that, then.”

Tim pulled his computer into his lap and started looking over the case file for the scientist he’d been after when he got zapped into the past. Bruce made it sound like they’d taken care of him so he could finally organize everything and archive the damn thing.

~~

As sure as Tim had felt that morning when he realized what he’d wanted to do with Jason, it did nothing to help the nervous flutters that erupted in his stomach as he was suiting up for patrol. He didn’t even know if he was going to see Jason let along talk to him. He wished that he had a case that he needed to work on, but now that the scientist was taken care of he was left with nothing but his own patrol route. Knowing Gotham, it would still keep him pretty busy, but it would let him think. And that was the last thing he needed.

Because thinking would mean that he would start overthinking. And for Tim Drake, overthinking was practically disastrous.

He shot his grapple between buildings and swung to the other side, breaking into a run to try and clear his thoughts. He watched and listened as carefully as he always did even as his thoughts hovered on the edges of his focus, trying to draw his attention.

The night was turning into a busy one. It seemed almost as though there was something happening on each street. If it wasn’t a mugging, then it was a rape attempt, or a break-in. Tim wasn’t complaining about it though. It kept his thoughts away from things that he didn’t want to think about.

He landed back on the roof after calling in another pickup for the GCPD and rubbed at a smarting bruise on his side. If the hit had come any higher it might’ve caused a rather painful rib injury. He took a minute to catch his breath and let the cool night breeze dry the sweat that had collected on the back of his neck. He tensed when someone landed on the rooftop behind him.

Tim whirled, prepared to lash out if it was some sort of attacker, and nearly tripped over his own two feet when he saw Jason standing there.

“Uh…hi.” Tim mentally face-palmed for such an amazing greeting.

“Hi,” Jason said, taking a few hesitant steps forward. “I hope you don’t mind me dropping by on your patrol.”

“No, no, it’s fine. I was just taking a breather. With all of the crime that’s happening tonight I’ve been kept pretty busy,” he said, relaxing.

Jason approached him slowly, hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket. “This might sound a little weird, but I wanted to ask you something…”

“Sure. What is it?”

“Well if you’re not too busy this weekend I was wondering if you wanted to do something. With me,” Jason turned his head to the side and Tim knew that if he wasn’t wearing his helmet he would see Jason steadfastly avoiding eye contact with him.

“What did you have in mind?”

Jason shrugged. “There’s this great little bookshop, actually…”

Tim tried to stop himself from smiling, but knew that he was failing terribly. “Sounds great. Want to grab some lunch after?”

“Uh…yeah. That would be great,” Jason said, not even trying to mask the surprise in his voice.

“Cool. I’d love to keep chatting, but I should probably get back to patrolling. You’re more than welcome to join me on my route, but I’m sure that you’ve got stuff keeping you busy in your territory,” Tim said, hiking a thumb over his shoulder.

Jason nodded. “Sure, I’ll see you on Saturday.”

“See you,” Tim called back before running across the building and jumping over to the next one. He hadn’t been expecting Jason to approach him so soon. Especially after how nervous he’d seemed that morning, but it was all a process for the two of them. They had things that needed to be worked through and some obstacles, too. Especially when it came to the rest of the family.

The talk had left him lighter though. And he was going to see Jason on Saturday. Hopefully those plans wouldn’t end disastrously. Until then he’d just have to focus on his work as Red Robin and all of the schoolwork that he’d need to get caught up on from the past week. Although if he was lucky, he could get by without having to make up any of it. He’d have to see how persuasive he could be with his teachers. They all liked him enough…

Tim shook his head and turned back to his patrol. He was just about to jump to the next building when he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. He turned and found Bruce in the shadows.

“Batman,” he greeted. “Is there something that you need?”

“Red Hood has been around you for the past two days.”

Tim nodded. “He has. I think now that he knows it’s me…he’s been able to calm down a little bit.”

“He hasn’t hurt you?”

“No. Look Batman, if the two of you were to just talk I think that could help resolve a lot of the issues between the two of you. He’s probably still going to be angry, but I think he has some things to think about too. I don’t think that he needs to be cut off from us as he has been. Things are different. Things can be different.”

Tim didn’t know when he’d become so invested in this. He guessed that it was sometime between knowing Jason on a more personal level when he was still Robin and meeting him again now. Things hadn’t been perfect in the past, but they’d been good. It hurt even more to see Bruce and Jason fighting and unwilling to be around each other.

“You’re seeing him again.”

Tim hesitated, but nodded. Bruce would find out anyway even if he tried to keep it from him. “We still have some things to talk about. Like I said, things can be different. It’s just up to us to make it so. Look, I should get back to patrol, I’ve waited around long enough and I don’t want to miss anything. I’ll see you later, Batman.”

He gave him one last look before jumping to the next roof as he’d been trying to do a moment ago. He let the wind clear his thoughts away for once and brought himself to a place where he didn’t have to think and didn’t have anything to think about. Things would come as they would and he could only hope that it would end up being the best outcome for everyone.

~~

Tim sighed as his eyes slid open on Saturday morning. The sun was already up and bright in the sky and he knew that he would need to get out of bed soon since he actually had somewhere to be for once. He’d had a busy day the night before, bringing home a backpack full of books and having to stay at WE late so that he could at least get an idea of everything that he needed to get caught up on.

He’d only managed to get out of a few assignments that had been given, but that reduced his workload somewhat. But he didn’t need to worry about that at the moment, because he had more pressing matters. Such as what he was going to wear when he hung out with Jason later. A quick glance at the clock told him that it was still early enough and the morning hadn’t gotten far past ten A.M.

He pushed himself out of bed and walked over to his closet. In all honesty, he probably didn’t need to put any effort into what he was wearing because Jason wouldn’t care. This whole situation was beyond strange. He wasn’t complaining exactly, it would just be helpful to have a guide as to how they were to proceed, a sort of How to Get Along with a Guy Who Tried to Kill You, But After You Went Back in Time and Became Sort of Friends You Want to Keep That Friendship Going in the Future for Dummies.

Tim could write his own how-to guide and get it published. He’d most likely only sell two copies, if that: one to himself and one to Jason. Because how many people actually had this type of experience? He could count them all on one hand.

He lazily pulled on a pair of jeans and grabbed a red sweater to pull over his head. He padded into his bathroom and looked over himself in the mirror. The sweater was a little big, but it was warm and comfortable and he always enjoyed wearing it. Plus this way he wouldn’t have to carry a jacket with him and worry about having to keep track of that. He ran a hand through his hair and managed to get it to lay somewhat flat. It was an improvement over his bedhead, but still acceptable enough to go outside with.

He ducked back into him room to grab his phone before heading into the kitchen to make some coffee. As he waited for it to brew he looked through the notifications on his phone. He had a text from Dick asking if they could meet up for lunch soon now that he was back in the correct time and he froze while replying. He realized that he didn’t have Jason’s phone number and hadn’t thought to ask for it the night before. It was probably better they weren’t exchanging numbers in the field anyway.

Tim groaned and buried his face in his hands. “Well he knows where I live at least. I’ll just have to be ready for whenever he gets here,” he spoke into his hands. “Whatever, the least I can do for now is enjoy a cup of coffee and relax on the couch.” He pulled a clean mug from the cabinet and filled it quickly, taking a moment to let the warmth seep into his hands before he headed for the couch. He sunk into the cushions gratefully and took a sip, humming at the taste of his dark roast and the hints of hazelnut underneath the initial flavor.

He looked over his school books that he’d left spread out over the table the night before when he’d managed to get his work organized on some level, but hadn’t really started it. He leaned forward and set his mug down so that he had easier access to his books. Not knowing how much time that he had to kill, he figured he could get started on one of the various worksheets that had been thrown at him the day before.

He pulled his Calculus textbook towards him and the list of problems that needed to be completed. He grabbed the pencil that was dangerously close to falling off the table and his graphing calculator and got to work. Calculus rarely challenged him anymore, but it was the highest level of math that was offered at his school and it was what he was left taking since he had to have some form of math every year that he was there.

Soon enough, Tim’s paper was covered with various equations and problems. His handwriting was messy since he was going through the problems rather quickly, not needing to spend too much time on each one. He drew a quick circle around his last answer before closing his textbook and slipping the paper into his folder.

A knock on his window caught his attention and he turned to find Jason perched on his fire escape looking rather sheepish. Tim’s lips quirked as he stood from his spot and walked over to let him.

“You could’ve just used the front door you know,” Tim said as he stepped aside to let Jason climb inside.

“Yeah, that one’s sort of my bad, but I didn’t know what kind of security was in front and if I’d be able to get inside without the Justice League being called over.”

“I’m pretty sure that Bruce wouldn’t have let the Justice League come crash our afternoon. Or maybe he would. You know, I’m not sure what he would or wouldn’t do in this kind of situation,” Tim said, thoughtfully.

“Now you know why I climbed up the fire escape,” Jason said, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

“Let me grab my phone and my wallet and we can head out.”

“Out the window or the front door?” Jason called behind him as he ducked into his bedroom to retrieve his wallet.

“What the hell, let’s take the window,” Tim said with a smile as he slipped his wallet into his jeans’ pocket and picked up his phone from the table.

Jason returned his smile and held out his arm while bowing slightly. “After you.”

Tim rolled his eyes, but climbed out anyway. It took Jason only a minute to join him and after resetting his security, they climbed down the fire escape towards where Jason’s bike was waiting.

[batwayneman]

Mind Games

This was inspired by @whore4batfam, who inspired the idea behind this lovely fic!

This is my first time writing fanfiction, so any comments/suggestions are welcome! (watch for the Read More)

Bruce walked into the kitchen in the morning, not expecting anyone else to be there. He himself didn’t want to be awake this early in the morning, but after the events of the previous night, he wanted to go into the cave to start working on a plan to find the Riddler. Damian should still be asleep, and though Tim and Cass had gotten home before he and Damian had, they weren’t likely to be up yet. They had been working hard on a case together recently, but their last lead had been a dead end. Dick was still in Blüdhaven, and no one knew where Jason was. After the bombing last night, he was privately happy to have a few hours of calm to himself before his children woke up. The only other person he expected to be up was Alfred, who often started chores before the rest of the house woke up and the inevitable chaos of a new day began.

He did not expect Talia al Ghul to be sitting at the table, calmly sipping from a mug.

Suddenly feeling more awake, he crossed the floor slowly and sat down across from her without saying anything. Better to see what she wanted first. She was sitting upright in the chair, back stiff, one hand holding a mug of tea and one holding a newspaper. It quickly became apparent that she wasn’t going to speak, but before Bruce could say anything, Alfred entered the room carrying a plate of muffins and a mug of coffee. He placed the muffins on the table between them and the coffee in front of Bruce. As Alfred exited the room, he shot a clear look at Bruce that said he was going to get no backup with whatever was going to happen.

This is what he gets for coming in late, Bruce supposed.

“What are you doing here.” he finally said. Talia looked up for the first time. There was something annoying in the fact that she had her makeup and hair perfect so early in the morning, while he had just gotten out of bed. He wondered if she did it on purpose.

“I am drinking tea.” she said, and looked back down at the newspaper.

“You could be doing that anywhere.” Bruce pointed out. She ignored him, and having finished reading the newspaper, folded it back up and put it next to her. She took another sip of her tea between tight lips.

“Talia. Why are you here?” Bruce repeated. She put the mug down very carefully, but her glare was sharp as glass.

“I am here because I wanted to make sure my son was unhurt after the spectacle of last night!” she snapped, and tossed the newspaper in front of Bruce. Bruce pulled it towards himself. The picture that took up most of the front page was of a very impressive shot of a building on fire just after the bomb had detonated the night before. One side of the building had been demolished, and the walls that were still standing were nearly obscured with fire and smoke. The headline read “HISTORIC BUILDING PAYS PRICE AS BATMAN, ROBIN, AND RIDDLER CLASH”. Bruce sighed.

“He’s fine, he’s just upstairs.” said Bruce meeting her gaze again.

“I want to see him myself.” She said tersely.

“He’ll be up later, you can see him then.” Bruce replied. Talia huffed out a breath through her nose and looked away from him. Bruce decided to wait out her inevitable anger, and took a sip of his coffee. If he had known Talia was going to be waiting to ambush him in his own house he would have asked for Tim’s coffee with the extra expresso. After a few moments, Talia looked back at him, and spat, “What was Damian even doing there? What you were thinking bring a child to a fight with live bombs-”

“We both know that child had faced worse that those bombs before he came here,” She narrowed her eyes. “Regardless, Damian wasn’t supposed to be in that building with me in first place.”

“Then why was he? Do you have so little control of your children that you can’t keep them out of a building armed with a bomb?” She sneered.

“Telling my children not to do something, is usually best way to make them do it.” Bruce said impassively. “Even if there is a bomb involved.” He thinks they might actually listen to him less when there was danger involved, but Talia didn’t need to know that.

Talia opened her mouth to respond, when the door creaked and she turned to look. Bruce, used to the sound of his daughter entering the kitchen in the morning, took the brief reprieve to take bite of a muffin.

“Good morning Cass.” he said as she sat next to him. She smiled and took the muffin out of his hand, taking a bite of it herself before putting it back in his hand and grabbing one from the plate.

“Hello Cassandra.” Talia said. Cass nodded her head in acknowledgement, and took another bite of the muffin. The three sat in silence for a few minutes.

“Bruce, where is the bathroom?” Talia asked. He shot her a look.

“You know where it is.” he replied. She would definitely have scouted the house as soon as she arrived.

She frowned at him, but didn’t refute it. She stood from the chair abruptly.

“There’s no need to be rude, it’s not my fault you were too tired to notice me breaking into your house”. She walked off.

“There’s no need to pretend to be stupid either.” Bruce said to her retreating back. She didn’t respond, but Cass laughed under her breath.

“She didn’t break in. Just so you know.” Bruce turned to stare at her. Cass took a bite of her muffin.

“Jason let her in.” Cass elaborated. Bruce’s mug hit the table a little harder than he intended when he put it down.

“When did Jason get here?” Bruce asked astonished. Not one but two people had entered his house without him know.

“Earlier. He found a lead for our case, wanted to share so we could make a plan before night.” She took a final bite of the muffin to finish it. “They’re in the cave.”

“Tim’s up?”

“Jason woke him.” Cass said sadly.

“That’s unfortunate.” Bruce replied. Tim and Cass had been up late this week working on his robbery case, but at least Cass knew when to take a nap. She hummed in agreement, then stretched, reaching her hands into the sky, and stood up.

“Damian knows she’s here,” Cass said, nodding to where Talia had been. She grabbed two more muffins before continuing, “He’ll be down soon.”

“You told him?”

“Of course.” She said innocently.

“Why.” Bruce asked suspiciously. Surprising Damian was difficult, and his siblings often sought out opportunities to catch him off guard. Dick took great pride in informing everyone he was winning by a long shot, but the race for second place was tight.

Cass grinned slyly, “He owes me now.” She left the room, presumably to take the muffins to her brothers in the cave.

Bruce sighed. This was her way of warning him that she had something planned, but that he wasn’t the target (or she wouldn’t have said anything at all), and needed Damian’s co-operation. He could only hope that whichever brother had found themselves in her sights would tread lightly, so that this wouldn’t escalate into another house wide war.

When Talia returned, she sat down silently. She had apparently decided to wait until she saw Damian to say anything more. This was more than acceptable to Bruce. He had time to finish his coffee before the door creaked again.

“Mother, Father. Good morning,” Damian said as he entered the room and stood at the head of the table.

“Damian,” Talia smiled for the first time since she had arrived. “How are you? You’re not hurt, are you? I heard about the bombing last night.”

“I’m fine.” Damian said. “It was an unfortunate accident, but it did not compromise the mission, the Riddler should be caught by tomorrow”

“As long as you’re alright” Talia said, marginally relaxing at the sight of her child clearly unharmed. Damian seemed to take affront to this.

“I’m not a child, I can handle myself.” Damian said dismissively. Talia looked at him and frowned.

“I wasn’t implying that you couldn’t,” she said, “But in a volatile situation I would expect your father to protect you better. Why you were there in the first place-”

Before Bruce could defend himself, Damian spoke fiercely: “Father needed me there, I’m his partner. Besides, I’ve trained to handle all situations and-”

“Your father” Bruce interrupted, “actually needed you to watch the exits for the bomb. not enter an armed building to join the fistfight.” Damian rounded on Bruce, a familiar fire in his eyes.

“You didn’t even know the bomb was inside until I told you!”

“You told me after, on the way home. We have a comms link. Sharing information about a live bomb is not the same thing as coming in through the window and kicking a man into the wall.” Bruce deadpanned. He couldn’t let Damian know, but he had thought that it had been quite funny at the time. Riddler’s shocked face as a member of his backup was launched into the wall by the tiny furious Robin coming in through the window had almost made it all worth it. It would have been hilarious, if the bomb hadn’t gone off a few moments later.

Damian huffed angrily. “As I said last night, Father, I saw someone fiddling with the bomb on one of the upper floors, and entered to help you LEAVE before it detonated. That’s my duty.” Bruce sighed. Damian narrowed his eyes, doing a very impressive job of looking as haughty as he could.

“You still knowingly entered a building that was about to blow up!” Talia said sharply.

“To be fair,” Bruce said, “Even the Riddler didn’t know they were going to blow up. He didn’t detonate them on purpose.” She turned her furious glare at him. He continued, unperturbed, “That was the only regular base he was using, he’s didn’t ruin his own base intentionally. He bought a cheap, clearly faulty bomb, and it blew up in his face.”

“Literally.” said Damian sharing an impish smile with Bruce. Talia frowned.

“Still, you disobeyed a direct order,” she hesitated, “You should have listened to your father.” Bruce and Damian turned to stare at her, both in disbelief. Bruce certainly hadn’t been expecting backup. She pretended not to see them and continued, “He does know what he’s doing,” she paused again, “and you put yourself in danger.”

“Mother!” Damian said indignantly, “I’m always in danger! I’m the son of Batman and the Demon’s Daughter! You don’t understand, I was simply trying to-”

“Do not use that tone with me Damian.” Talia warned in a low voice. Damian opened his mouth to respond, but shut it again and took a deep breath. Bruce wondered why that line worked with Talia, but had never worked with him.

“Mother,” Damian said in a much calmer voice, “I was merely doing what I was trained to by the League, to make the calls that other people cannot, and act! Father needed my assistance, and I could act, so I did. It’s as simple as that.”

Bruce met Talia’s eyes. He was trying to not seem smug that it was her training that had brought this on this particular defiance. Based on her expression he wasn’t trying hard enough.

“That is no excuse. As you very well know, the League has a clear chain of command that must be followed. Even with good intentions, you disobeyed a direct order, and that is dangerous. And you,” she said, spinning to glare at Bruce. “Maybe instead of just sitting there you could help me talk to your son?” she spat. He returned her glare, but turned to Damian.

“Damian, I-” Bruce started to speak, but Damian was quick to interrupt him.

“Just because your past Robins weren’t competent doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t be!” Damian hissed.

“Don’t talk about your siblings that way.” Bruce snapped. But something wasn’t right; when Damian had first come to live in the Manor he berated his siblings constantly, but it had been a long time since he had said something with such obvious intent to hurt, rather than to provoke or annoy. He didn’t have the same disdainful look in his eyes that he usually had when insulting his family. So why was he saying something he didn’t mean? But before he could think more on it, Talia interrupted his thoughts.

“Don’t you snap at him. He’s right, your other children have no respect for order or discipline. And now Damian has followed suit!” She said.

“He’s been disrespectful of authority since he came here, don’t foist that on me.”

“He was never insolent with me. Perhaps he does not see you as an authority figure.” she sneered. He ignored the jab.

“He was literally surrounded by assassins and murderers, most children would act more obedient out of fear.” He was, of course, ignoring his own children’s tendency to antagonize villains.

“Oh, like Gotham is so much better, with madmen and criminals and running around, accidentally blowing up buildings!”

“You cannot blame Gotham’s crime because your son talks back to you.” Bruce replied, “Especially when he used to live in a League that is designed to train criminals and assassins!”

“The League creates order, unlike this city full of nothing but chaos and ruin! You and your children have such disrespect for rules-”

Throughout this exchange, Damian had calmly watched his parents quarrel in front of him like it was a boring tennis match. Unconcerned, he drew out his phone, and starting to type. Neither noticed when he walked away from the table, both too invested in arguing with each other.

“-can’t believe you’re still go on about my parenting, when this is the first time we’ve seen you in a year!” Bruce said coldly.

“I’ve been busy doing actual work that affects the world, not just playing around in a broken city.”

“Did you somehow miss the alien attack that I fought in last month?”

“Must have been too small for me to have noticed. It must have been minor, if you and your pathetic League could deal with it,” Talia said sarcastically.

“At least my League is made of heroes, instead of the deranged killers in yours.” Bruce said, his lips pressed into an angry straight line. Talia scoffed and turned away from him in a violent motion. She suddenly froze, some of the tension in her body leaving in surprise.

“When did Damian leave?” she asked. Bruce turned to look where his son had been.

“He must have snuck out when we were-” Bruce paused, thinking, “bickering,” he said, deciding on his choice of word.

Talia snorted indelicately, “He got away from the world’s best detective and a master spy without either of them noticing,” she turned to look back at him. “This one seems like both our faults.”

Bruce recognized an olive branch when he saw one.

“He was trained by the best.” he pointed out.

“In more ways than one.” she said. Bruce met her eyes, having reached the same conclusion that she had.

“He played us.” he said gravely.

“Yes. With no shame.” she said, shaking her head slightly in disbelief, a small smile on her face. “He knew we would bicker with each other, so he could slip away unnoticed. He set the bait and walked away.”

“We didn’t exactly provide mush resistance.” Bruce pointed out.

She gave a long-suffering sigh.

“I take it back,” she said. Bruce raised his eyebrows at her in question.

“This is on you.” she said. She had a familiar, teasing smile on her face.

Bruce thought of his other children, and their ability to manipulate him to avoid being chastised. Dick’s long stream of words used to sidetrack Bruce; Jason’s offensive approach, used to point out the things that Bruce had done wrong; Tim’s ability to simply disappear long past when Bruce’s anger expired; Cass’s grin that she blatantly used to catch him off guard before he could find a leg to stand on. None of the strategies worked all the time, but they worked far too often for Bruce’s liking. It wasn’t surprising that Damian too had become an expert.

Bruce and Talia had never stood a chance.

“That’s probably fair.”

Talia laughs.

A few of comfortable minutes later, Bruce got up from the table.

“He’s probably in the cave,” he said by way of invitation. Talia stood up and followed him.

“You know,” she said slyly, as they waited for the elevator, “you might have slept longer if you had taken a painkiller for your ribs.” He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She was looking at him knowingly. “The bomb, I assume?” she asked.

Bruce had barely had time to take in the shock on the Riddler’s face as his son crashed into the henchmen before everything exploded. He was thrown, twisting in midair from the shockwave, and landed hard on his back against a hard piece of rubble. The familiar pain crawled from his ribs to his spine, but he didn’t notice. He had to find Damian. He pushed himself to his knees, peering wildly around. Where was Damian, where- there. He was only about 5 feet away, already climbing to his feet. Unhurt, all limbs moving normally and a familiar look of wild excitement that spoke of an adrenaline rush on his face. Bruce pushed himself to his feet and they both ran away from the blast site.

“Just bruised,” he said, coming back to himself.

“Of course. You always were bad at taking care of yourself,” she teased.

He looked at her again, quietly taking in the strangeness of her casually standing in his home.

“Talia, why are you really here?” he asked softly.

“Excuse me?” she demanded, furious again. “I’m here to see my son, who I thought may have been injured in an explosion, how dare you-”

“We’ve faced much worse than a defective bomb, and you’ve never come out before,” he said lowly. The elevator opened its doors and he stepped in, holding the door open for her. She hesitated, but stepped inside. The doors closed.

She took a deep breath and sighed.

“There’s been rumours of a large arms trade going down. I heard that a man named Adam Forst was involved, and that he used to deal arms in Gotham. I figured you might have more information.”

Bruce was a statue beside her.

“So you didn’t come to see your son, you just came for business.” he said shortly, angry on Damian’s behalf.

“No,” she snapped. “I wanted to come see him before I heard news of the deal, but when the rumours came up I had to get involved. It would have been selfish to abandon the case because I missed my son.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “The lead happened to lead to an arms dealer from Gotham. It was an opportunity to see my son and take care of business.” She paused, looking at him desperately. “Surely of all people you can understand the difficulty duty with parenting?”

Bruce said nothing.

“I heard about the stupid bombing when I arrived this morning and-” She trailed off.

“I was afraid I had missed my chance.” she finished quietly.

Bruce turned his head to look at her. She was staring at the ground, eyes glazed, the picture of fear and distress.

He knew she was manipulating him. She usually was, it was their chosen method of communicating with each other, but she had been too obvious this time. The careful inflection when she spoke of her fear of being too late to see her son alive was far too deliberate a reference to be to be completely genuine. And he was furious at her for bringing that up.

But Bruce also knew that she did love Damian, just not always a way that he could understand. There was truth in her words and fears, even if she used them like weapons to disarm him to get her way. She didn’t know how to communicate without manipulating, and he didn’t know how to defend himself without tearing the other person down.

But Damian deserved to have two parents.

“If I give you this information, are you going to kill him,” Bruce asked flatly.

She raised her head to look at him, surprised.

“No.” She said solemnly. “I just need to know what he knows, to stop the trade.”

Bruce nodded. He didn’t know if she genuinely needed the dealer’s intel, or was just refusing to use Bruce’s information to facilitate a murder, but either way was good enough, for now.

The elevator opened to the cave.

Tim was closest to them, in front of the main computers typing furiously. Bruce makes a mental note to ask if Tim wants help going over the new information before tonight.

Far more noticeable was Damian and Jason training. Neither boy paused in their fight as Talia and Bruce walked over to the edge of the training mats to watch. Damian didn’t seem to care that the parents that he can exercised complete control over just a few minutes ago we standing side by side again. They watched for a few moments, both boys were fighting hard, but neither were landing many hits.

“Jason, you’re telegraphing you punches with your shoulders again.” Bruce observed.

“Screw you” Jason snapped automatically, making a wild grab for Damian, who danced out of his grasp my inches before going on the offensive again. “I’m only in here because the brat was pestering me about training. Nitpick him if you’re so bored.” Jason dodged Damian’s jab, and the two were instantly at it again.

That was odd. Damian usually preferred to train with Bruce directly, and rarely trained with his siblings, let alone asking directly. Unless-

Bruce looked around the cave and saw Cass looking completely casual as she walked over to where Tim was sitting. She had come from the storage area. Apparently she was wasting no time cashing in her favour with Damian, and it seemed Jason was her target. He looked back at Talia, who was watching her son spar with a small, satisfied smile on her face. Bruce left them, and walked over to Cass.

She smiled at him as he approached, looking the picture of innocence. He raises his eyebrows and glances in the direction of the storage area. Her smile transformed, her innocence transformed into mischief in instant, and pulled out her phone.

On it was a picture of Jason’s jacket, where someone, presumably Cass, had put patches onto the back so that they spelled out “Problem Child”. It had a single sad emoji on it. He looks back at Cass, exasperated and amused despite himself.

“Any particular reason?” He asked her, trying not to sound to sound as amused as he was.

“He woke Tim up.” she said seriously, by way of explanation.

“Ah.” Bruce said. It was hard to feel too bad for Jason, after he had purposely let Talia into the Manor and had woken Tim. He was practically volunteering to be a target.

Jason could hold his own in these prank fights, and besides, he doubted that Cass had attached the patches permanently to the jacket. She wanted to mess with Jason, not cause another family war.

She walked over to Tim, and his bark of laughter tells Bruce that soon Jason’s jacket will soon be known to everyone in the family.

Bruce went over to the database computer, and pulled up Adam Forst’s file (-inactive for 6 years; provided artillery for Harvey Dent [Two-Face]), and looked back towards the gym as it began downloading onto a disposable USB.

Jason and Damian had stopped sparring. Damian and Talia were speaking to each other, too quiet for him to hear, but Jason was walking towards him.

“You’re giving info to her?” Jason asked, nodding to the computer. Bruce nodded. Jason hummed, faintly surprised. The stood beside each other, both watching Talia and Damian.

“You found a lead on their case?” Bruce asked absentmindedly.

“Yeah. Some idiot got drunk in a bar and was telling anyone who would listen which building they were going after next.”

Bruce nodded; loud drunks often made detective work much easier. Jason stood there a moment more, then started to walk away.

“Jason,” Bruce called after him, eyes still on Talia and Damian, “Maybe next time give a warning when you invite assassins inside the Manor?”

“No chance B.”

Bruce took a deep, calming breath and closed his eyes, just for a second. When he opened them, he grabbed the USB and walked over to where Talia and Damian were still talking.

They both looked up at him as he approached them.

“This is what I have on him.” Bruce said, handing her the drive. She swiftly put it in her pocket, smiling her thanks.

“I have to track him down before he knows I’m coming for him, I have to go.” She looked regretful.

“Of course Mother.” Damian said haughtily. “It’s your duty.” She looked down at him, a sad smile on her face.

“I’ll see you soon Damian, I promise.” She pulled him into a hug. Damian’s spine stayed stiff, but he held onto her tightly. They withdrew, and Damian moved to stand beside Bruce, who put his hand on his shoulder. It was often difficult to tell when Damian wanted physical contact (he never asked for it), but Damian didn’t shake it off this time.

Talia looked at Bruce, eyebrows raised. “No kiss for the road?” she asked him, mischief on every line of her face.

“Not on your life.” He said grouchily. She laughed, and he had to fight to keep a smile off his face.

She turned and walked to the motorcycle, which she had parked so that it blocked the Batmobile from leaving.

With one last wave in their direction, the exit to the cave opened and she was gone with the roar of the engine.

Bruce looked down at Damian, who was still looking where his mother had been.

“Damian.” Damian met his father’s eyes. “Thank you for coming to help me with the Riddler last night. It was very brave.” Bruce knows he should have said this last night, but the look of pride in Damian’s eyes tells him that it was better late than never.

“Next time,” he said seriously, “communicate first. I need to know where you are in a fight, especially if there are bombs around.”

“tt.” Damian rolled his eyes and looked away from Bruce, but still didn’t pull away from his hand.

That was good enough for now.

“So,” Bruce smirked down at him, “did you come up with that on your own?” Bruce asked, looking at Damian.

Damian didn’t flinch. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” he said.

“Really? You don’t remember making me and your mother fight each other so you could slip away?”

Damian looked up at his father, a fierce grin on his face.

“You made it too easy.”

Bruce laughed out loud, and shook his head. He ruffled Damian’s hair, who pushed his hand away with an indignant huff.  They turned to walk back the computers.

They still had to narrow down their search to go after Riddler tonight.

Dick woke up in the afternoon to two new messages on his phone. One is a picture message from Cass, the other a video from Damian. He clicked on Damian’s first while yawning, then froze.

It’s Talia and Bruce, both clearly furious; yelling at each other. Talia’s hands are in fists, and Bruce’s is so stiff in the chair he might as well be made of wood. He clicks play.

“-you and your family parading around Gotham like you run the place-”

“As opposed to parading around the world murdering people?”

“How do you expect to help Gotham if you can’t even control your own children?”

“Oh don’t you bring that up again, I-”

The video cut out. Dick sat in silence for a moment, then typed out ‘DAMIAN WHAT DID YOU DO?????’ and hit send.

It was too early for this.

AO3