#brutalia come home the kids miss you

[batboopp]

brutalia oh brutalia

any story/panel with them is both horribly depressing and so so romantic and adorable

just talias weird little bat cryptid gifting her cool shiny things he found and her absolutely loving and fawning over it. both of them are little weirdos i love them so much

not even getting into the fact she literally only calls him “beloved” to someone who thinks he’s completely unlovable. i wonder if bruces heart skipped a beat hearing how much talia liked simply being near him, someone who really loved every part of him. even if she couldn’t understand it, even if it’s what drove them apart, she really did love him, all of him. you can’t say that about most batman/bruce ships.

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Keepsafes

Fandom: Batman, DC Comics

Summary: AU where Martha and Bruce survive, and they adopt the batkids.

Chapters: 7/?

Characters: Bruce Wayne, Thomas Wayne, Martha Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Harvey Dent, Dick Grayson, Cassandra Cain, David Cain, Talia al Ghul, Damian Wayne, Jason Todd, Tim Drake

Relationships: Thomas Wayne/Martha Wayne/Alfred Pennyworth, BruHarvey, BruTalia

Additional Tags: Canon Divergent AU, Hurt/Comfort, Bruce Wayne is Not Batman, Angst, Alfred Pennyworth Knows All, Bruce Wayne Only Has One Child, Bruce Wayne is Not An Only Child, Bi Bruce Wayne

Chapter Seven: Harvey

After a year and a half, Thomas began to walk with the assistance of a cane, and he went straight back to working at the clinic. Martha started seeing a therapist twice a month, while Bruce was in school, and Bruce saw Isaiah twice a month. It wasn’t until Bruce’s eleventh birthday another year and a half later, that Martha stopped going… And things started to return to normal for them. Or something a little bit better than normal. 

Bruce had only been back in school for two months when he and Harvey started getting close. Harvey was new, and he wasn’t like the other kids. Despite threats from the other children in their class, Harvey chose to spend time with Bruce. He picked Bruce first in sports, always partnered up with him on projects, and listened to Bruce talk about the things he liked. The whole family heard about him at length, but they’d never met him. Bruce talked about him whenever they were apart. Harvey loves this. Harvey showed me this. Harvey says he does things like this. Harvey said he’s never tried this before. Can you believe Harvey takes the train all by himself? Bruce never talked about anything else. But he was happy, and it felt like a relief to know someone could reawaken his excitement for school again. 

Bruce rushed to the car, dragging another boy along while Alfred stood outside the car. “Alfred! Alfred, can Harvey come to dinner with us?” Bruce asked. Harvey clutched the left strap of his backpack with his right hand. 

“Does Master Harvey have permission to come over today?” Alfred asked. Harvey nodded. 

“Oh, please! Please, Alfred! I won’t ask for anything else for the rest of the day. I promise,” Bruce begged. Alfred nodded as he let both boys into the car. 

Bruce was more excited than he’d been in years. It was a pleasant change from the fretful, teary-eyed sprint to the car. Harvey set his backpack on the floor, and Bruce followed him. “What did the two of you do today?” Alfred asked. 

“Harvey was my partner for tennis today! He’s really good! We won,” Bruce grinned. 

Alfred held back a smile. “And Master Harvey? I don’t believe I’ve seen you before. Are you new to the area?” 

“Uh… No. I’m a scholarship student. This is my first year here,” Harvey answered. 

“That’s excellent,” Alfred replied. 

“Thank you, sir,” Harvey smiled.

**

Bruce and Harvey were chasing each other around the living room when Thomas came home from the clinic. He hung his outdoor cane up by the door and switched over to his indoor one, covered in stickers that Bruce gave him. “Hate to interrupt all the fun, Bruce, but who’s your friend?” Thomas asked. Bruce hugged Thomas, letting his father rustle a hand through his hair. 

“I’m Harvey Dent, sir... Nice to meet you,” Harvey panted as he reached to shake Thomas’ hand. Thomas shook his hand. 

“I’m Mr. Wayne, Bruce’s dad. Nice to finally meet you. You’re a very popular name in this house. Are you staying for dinner?” Thomas asked. Harvey nodded. “Well, we’re thrilled to have you. Bruce speaks highly of you… And you caught us on our best night. Tonight’s taco night.” 

Martha came downstairs and ran toward Thomas. Thomas hadn’t been home in three days, so Martha only saw him in passing when she dropped off lunch and dinner for him. She ran into his arms, and he held on tight, so she couldn’t knock him down. “I missed you so much,” Martha whispered. Thomas chuckled as he kissed her cheek. “Are you too tired for dinner?” 

“I’m excited for dinner. Have you met Harvey yet?” Thomas asked. 

“I have as soon as they came in. Boys, it’s fine if you want to keep playing before dinner. Homework’s been accounted for. You’re both free to go,” Martha joked. Bruce took Harvey upstairs, leaving Martha and Thomas alone in the living room. She kissed his lips and felt his chest through his collared shirt. “Your heart’s beating so fast. Are you okay?” 

Thomas took a deep breath and shook his head. “No, but it was so nice to see Bruce and his friend. I can hold it together for dinner,” Thomas confessed. Martha nodded. She knew better than to ask at that moment. It took everything in Thomas to put on a brave face for everyone but the past three days took a toll on him. 

Alfred called everyone for dinner, and Thomas quietly took Alfred’s hand in the kitchen. “I need you to sit at the table with us today, Alfred. Please… None of this professional bullshit. I just want to have dinner with my family and Bruce’s friend tonight. I need you there with us,” Thomas pleaded. It was just the two of them in the kitchen, so Alfred pressed his forehead to Thomas’, letting their noses touch before kissing Thomas. 

“As you wish,” Alfred replied before returning to his stern stance and grabbing the serving dishes. “My love…” 

Thomas took a deep breath and smiled. “Thank you, handsome,” Thomas replied as he tried to pull himself together. Alfred set the table and went to the kitchen to wash his hands. He glanced over at Thomas, who was desperately trying to find a way to smile without crying. 

“A shot of tequila, Master Thomas?” Alfred offered. 

“Hm… Maybe after dinner,” Thomas softly smiled as he followed Alfred to the dining room. 

**

Thomas offered to drive with Bruce to drop Harvey off while Martha and Alfred cleaned up, and he drove home in near-silence with Bruce in the front seat. “Dad, what’s wrong?” Bruce asked. “Did you not like Harvey?”

“No, that’s not—. That’s not the issue,” Thomas whispered. His throat was tight as he held back tears. 

“Are you mad at me?” Bruce asked. Thomas shook his head. 

“No… No, I’m not mad at you,” Thomas replied, “I’m just exhausted, Bruce. That’s all. The ER at Gotham General had a lot of overflow, and the ambulances had to reroute a lot of patients to the nearest hospitals and clinics.” 

“Was it bad?” Bruce asked. Thomas inhaled sharply through his nose as he nodded. “Did they ask you to go home for a few days because it was bad?” 

“Mhm… They said I need a break. I haven’t slept in two days. I keep hearing the sirens and wheels clicking over cracks in the floor. I love my job, Bruce, but I’ve never seen anything like the things I’ve seen these past few days,” Thomas whispered, “I love you. I love you so much, Bruce. Do you know that?” 

“I love you too, Dad,” Bruce whispered. 

Thomas cleared his throat and started the car up. “Harvey’s a nice kid. Are you thinking about going trick-or-treating with him this year?” Thomas questioned.

“Would it be okay?” Bruce asked in reply.

Thomas smiled and nodded. “I think it’s better than okay. Harvey seems like he’s got a good head on his shoulders,” Thomas replied, “You really like Harvey. Don’t you, buddy?” Bruce smiled and nodded. “Are you okay, son?” 

“Mhm… I had a good day at school, and I’m glad you’re home. I missed you so much,” Bruce replied. Thomas reached for Bruce’s hand and squeezed it. 

“I missed you too, Bruce… And thank you for letting me drive and clear my head. I needed a minute with you to remind me of the beautiful parts of life. Smiling children, friendship, sons and their fathers…”

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Keepsafes

Fandom: Batman, DC Comics

Summary: AU where Martha and Bruce survive, and they adopt the batkids.

Chapters: 27/?

Characters: Bruce Wayne, Thomas Wayne, Martha Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Harvey Dent, Dick Grayson, Cassandra Cain, David Cain, Talia al Ghul, Damian Wayne, Jason Todd, Tim Drake

Relationships: Thomas Wayne/Martha Wayne/Alfred Pennyworth, BruHarvey, BruTalia

Additional Tags: Canon Divergent AU, Hurt/Comfort, Bruce Wayne is Not Batman, Angst, Alfred Pennyworth Knows All, Bruce Wayne Only Has One Child, Bruce Wayne is Not An Only Child, Bi Bruce Wayne

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Thomas and Martha

Harvey fell asleep on the floor, naked and shaking as fever dreams took hold of him. Bruce draped a blanket over him before sitting in the corner farthest from Harvey as tears streamed down his cheeks. He wiped his face and turned away. Bruce didn’t cry much anymore, but he could feel something eating at his insides. His skin was irritated from rug burn and there were all sorts of bruises that he couldn’t account for, but he wasn’t upset about that. 

He sat there for a moment before getting up and dressing to go out. He crept around Harvey and headed down the hall. His parents’ room was two doors down, and he knocked. There was no use in trying to clean up his face. The tears wouldn’t stop coming anyway. Martha answered the door, dressed to go out as well. She slipped out of the room and shut the door behind her. “Your dad got back late from the ballet. He’s exhausted. Do you want to come with—?” Martha finally glanced up at Bruce’s face, and he embraced her, exhaling shakily as he tried to stop crying. “Oh… Lovey? You kids aren’t getting back together… Are you?” 

“I don’t think we should… Last night was fun, but it wasn’t—. Something’s missing. I don’t have it in me anymore,” Bruce whispered. Martha rubbed his back. 

“That happens sometimes… Do you think you can’t be friends?” Martha questioned. 

She never asked much about Bruce and Harvey’s relationship. Bruce usually went to Thomas to talk about these sorts of things, but Thomas seemed perpetually upset about the shooting. Everything felt tense when he’d speak to Thomas as if they were on the verge of arguing about Bruce coming home. “We always take a hit… Like I can’t—. I just want things to be normal, Mom. I wish we never would’ve fallen—.”

“Hey. Don’t. Don’t ever say that. You and Harvey were the safest it could get for a first love. First loves are messy and tumultuous and so so painful when it’s over. Who better than your best friend? Your bond is much stronger than romance… And you’ll fall in love again once your heart heals… And who knows, maybe this is just a weird time that you need to work through right now,” Martha whispered. Bruce let go and took a breath. 

“Where are you going?” Bruce asked. Martha unzipped her purse and wiped Bruce’s face with a tissue. 

She stood up straight. “Well, lovey. If you must know, I’m going out for breakfast. Will you join me?” Martha questioned in reply. Bruce nodded. 

**

Thomas knocked on the door of Harvey’s room looking for Bruce. “Harvey? Are you in there?” Thomas asked. He heard a faint noise, and he moved to open the door, and his heart dropped when it opened. “Harvey, the door’s unlocked. I’m gonna need you to make a little noise, okay?” 

Harvey coughed, and Thomas entered the room to see Harvey lying on the floor with nothing but a blanket on. His face was pressed against the rug, and he struggled to sit up. “Hey, hey… Relax,” Thomas whispered, “Stay still. I’ll be right back with my medical bag.”

Harvey lay flat and breathed heavily as he tried to say something. Thomas left the room and came back less than a minute later. He pulled the blanket up over Harvey’s lower back. “Where’s Bruce?” Harvey mumbled. 

“I’m not sure. I thought he was here with you. What happened?” Thomas asked. 

“Woke up sick… He wasn’t here when I got up,” Harvey replied, “Thomas, maybe you should come back later because I’m—.”

“I know you are… But I’m here as a doctor, and you’re sick. Bruce is probably with Martha. They’ve been spending a lot of time together lately,” Thomas interrupted. Harvey turned over, holding the blanket in place as he fell into another coughing fit. Thomas placed a steadying hand on Harvey’s back. “I’m gonna take a closer listen… It’s gonna be a little cold.” Harvey nodded as he felt the cold metal of Thomas’ stethoscope touch his bare back. He flinched, but he couldn’t stop coughing. 

Thomas listened in different spots, and he made a soft noise as he set his stethoscope inside his bag and took Harvey’s temperature in his ear. “I remember the first time you got sick when you were with us. You probably don’t… Do you?” 

Harvey shook his head. “I’m sorry… I don’t remember much about when I first came to live with you guys,” Harvey confessed. 

“You were twelve. I remember because you had that little bowl cut,” Thomas stopped to laugh. “It was perfect, though. It was.” Harvey smiled and shook his head. “But that’s not—. You were downstairs when I found you. I just got in from a shift at the hospital, and you were carrying your blankets and crying and apologizing. I remember you kept saying you didn’t know what to do, and you and I were very separate at the time. We kept our distance from one another, but I remember—. I set up some blankets on the couch, and you told me that you missed your mom. I can’t explain how hard that hit me, Harvey.”

“I don’t—. I wouldn’t remember… I don’t talk about her,” Harvey answered. Thomas looked at the temperature on the thermometer before asking Harvey to open his mouth. 

“You were really out of it, but I couldn’t get you to go to bed until I followed you to your room. You took a New Jersey driver’s license out of your little superhero wallet. The look on your little face broke my heart. You pointed to the woman on the ID card and said, ‘This came in the mail after it happened.’ You never told me what happened, but you let me carry you downstairs, and you were asleep before I set you down on the couch.” 

“Well—. I—. I don’t want to talk about that,” Harvey whispered. Thomas nodded. Harvey turned to lay on his back on the floor, and Thomas grabbed Harvey’s clothes from his suitcase. “What’s going on?”

“Might be bacterial pneumonia. They’re gonna want a mucus sample and some blood taken. Your fever’s high and that cough is a little too wet for my liking,” Thomas whispered, “And don’t worry, I can step out while you get dressed.” 

** 

Martha held Bruce’s hand on the street. “Have you decided what you are going to do?” Martha asked. 

“I don’t think we should sleep together if we’re not together,” Bruce answered, “And I want to be his friend again. Just that.” 

“Bruce, I think something will work out if you talk to him about it... But, I want to ask a favor,” Martha replied. 

“What is it, Mom?” Bruce asked. 

“I want you to spend some time with your father. He’s afraid to ask you,” Martha explained, “Maybe you should go to the opera with him. You used to love going to the opera with Dad.” 

“I hate opera. I just liked seeing Dad happy… But I’ll go because I miss spending time with him,” Bruce replied, “Look. There’s Alfred.” 

Martha’s smile dropped. She knew Alfred well enough to know something was wrong. He was always with one of them. Either Thomas or herself. She dropped Bruce’s hand and ran toward Alfred. Bruce watched as Alfred explained something to Martha, and she nodded. She glanced at Bruce and said something else, but Bruce couldn’t see her face. He did, however, see Alfred’s face as he said Thomas’ name and hospital in the same sentence. Bruce turned and ran toward the nearest hospital without waiting to hear anything else.